Geniuses Remember Love in One Second Go/Little? Shuo → Net provides you with wonderful novels to read.
Both Li Yu and Li Qiu were only sixteen or seventeen years old and could be considered teenagers. They were at the age when they were full of vitality and desire to socialize. However, people at this age still had some childishness and did not have a thorough understanding of society, especially the dark and cruel side of society.
As the two imperial grandsons that Li Longji valued the most, Li Yu and Li Qiu showed no signs of fighting. On the contrary, they were brimming with brotherly friendliness. This seemed to indicate that the struggles of their fathers had not affected them for the time being. In fact, it was even possible that they were not very clear about the struggles of their fathers.
Of course, the primary reason was that they had not had many opportunities to interact with their fathers, much less have any deep exchanges of ideas. From the time they could understand things, they had lived together in the Hundred Sun Courtyard, played together, and grew up together. Their fathers and uncles lived in the Ten Kings Residences, and Crown Prince Li Heng lived in a side courtyard of the Imperial Palace, under the constant surveillance of the Emperor.
Li Longji's good intentions allowed the royal grandchildren to be separated from the princes at an early age, thus preventing the conflict between the princes from affecting the royal grandchildren. It also protected the innocence of the royal grandchildren to a certain extent, preventing them from participating in the cruel struggle too early.
But the general trend was difficult to stop. As they grew older, the imperial grandsons would know more and more, understand more and more principles. As their minds matured, they would inevitably be thrown into the struggles for power. This was the inevitability of history and the inevitability of the human heart.
At this moment, Li Yu and Li Qiu were more or less aware of the happenings in the Imperial Court, and they understood their respective situations. However, they were still unable to see through the situation clearly. In addition, they had yet to experience the thrill that power brought them, so they naturally didn't have a strong drive to fight for it.
Under such circumstances, pure brotherly feelings naturally took the upper hand, allowing them to get along with each other calmly.
Ang Lee truly hoped that the relationship between the two brothers could continue like this and never have to fight like their fathers. But he was keenly aware that there were many things that were completely out of his control.
At this moment, all he could do was use this learning opportunity to further deepen the relationship between the two brothers. This way, even if they fought in the future, it would not be too bitter and heartless.
However, given the excellent tradition of the Li Clan, Ang Lee truly did not have much confidence in this. He could only do his best.
The scenery at the foot of Mount Li was beautiful, especially at night. When the crescent moon was sandwiched between two mountain peaks in the distance, the scenery presented was even more intoxicating.
Eating fragrant game, looking at the intoxicating scenery, and the figures of the surrounding servants busily setting up tents, Ang Lee was in a heroic mood. Li Yu and Li Qiu were were. were also in good moods...
"Let me ask you a question. If you become the emperor in the future, how will you govern this country?"
Seeing that there was no one else around, Ang Lee asked the two of them.
Li Yu and Li Qiu looked at each other, not daring to speak for a long time. Ang Lee's question had frightened them. After all, being an emperor was not something that could be hypothesized. As long as one had not ascended the throne, one could not say what one would do after becoming the emperor. Otherwise, if word reached Li Longji's ears, the consequences would be unimaginable. This was the most taboo thing for an emperor. No one was allowed to hypothesize.
Seeing that the two of them did not dare to answer this question, Ang Lee smiled and said softly, "Then let's change the question. If you become the Prime Minister in the future, how will you assist the emperor in governing the country? You should be able to answer this question, right?"
Li Qiu looked at Li Yu and let Li Yu answer first.
"Assistant Minister Li, if I become the Prime Minister in the future, I will do my best to assist the emperor, encourage agriculture, advocate filial piety, and be diligent in government and love the people …"
Li Yu spoke a great deal, but all of his words were meaningless. They were all bureaucratic nonsense that didn't touch on any substantive issues. Of course, it was also possible that he didn't have a clear understanding of the situation in the Great Tang and didn't know where to start.
"Fourth Brother, what if you become the Prime Minister?"
Ang Lee looked at Li Qiu and asked softly.
Li Qiu glanced at Li Yu and said softly, "Assistant Minister Li, I think what Gwangbyeong Of Gojoseon said just now was very good. If I become the Prime Minister, I will do the same."
Ang Lee sighed softly. It seemed that he had asked too many questions and could not get the answer he wanted. It was better to ask more specific questions.
"The Tang dynasty has existed in Anxi for many years, but in order to maintain its existence in Anxi, the imperial court has to allocate a large amount of wealth from the national treasury every year, and the amount is increasing year by year. This has become a huge burden for the imperial court. If you become the Prime Minister, what will you do?"
Ang Lee first asked a question about Anxi and let the two imperial grandsons answer.
"Assistant Minister Li, the Tang dynasty only has 20,000 soldiers in Anxi, but there are so many small countries in Anxi that have submitted to us and the population is not small. As long as the countries in Anxi slightly increase their tribute, it will be enough to support the army of the Tang dynasty. Why do we need to allocate money and food from the national treasury? Therefore, if I become the Prime Minister, I will advise the emperor to increase the taxes of the countries in Anxi and be responsible for providing enough money and food for the army of the Tang dynasty. This way, we won't need to allocate money from the national treasury. "
Li Yu answered with a domineering expression. It was as if in his eyes, the so-called countries in Anxi were made of mud. As long as the imperial court said a word, they would obediently hand over money to support the army of the Tang dynasty.
"Assistant Minister Li, I think that Gwangbyeong Of Gojoseon is right. Since the countries in Anxi have submitted to the Tang dynasty, they should pay taxes to the Tang dynasty. Why should the Tang dynasty always protect them, but they don't have to pay taxes? As a result, the 20,000 soldiers of the Tang dynasty still need to be supported by the imperial court every year. [Love ↑ Go △ Xiao ↓ Say △ Wang
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Li Gui once more agreed with Li Yu. If their fathers had also agreed, the Tang dynasty's Imperial Court would not have had so much internal strife.
However, from their answers, one could see that their thinking was still very naïve. They had not seen the essence of the problem, nor had they seen why the Tang dynasty's Imperial Court would rather spend so much of its own money than allow the small countries of Anxi to support the army of the Tang dynasty.
Transportation was the greatest reason. The distance from Chang 'an to Anxi was nearly ten thousand li. Such a long distance made it very difficult for the Tang dynasty to forcefully control the region. The price of maintaining an army of 20,000 soldiers in Anxi was equivalent to two hundred thousand soldiers in the interior, and it required an enormous amount of money. And no matter how elite these 20,000 soldiers were, how many powerful enemies could they stop? Once all the countries of Anxi rebelled and joined forces with Arabia in the west and Tibet in the south, the soldiers of the Tang dynasty would be powerless to stop them, and the loss of Anxi would be inevitable.
If he wanted to maintain Anxi, he had to obtain the support of the vassal states of Anxi. He had to make them see that by following the Great Tang, they would be protected and would not have to pay any price. All they needed to do was submit in name. Thus, what reason did the vassal states of Anxi have to not submit to the Great Tang? And the price that the Tang dynasty would have to pay was to use the finances of two hundred thousand soldiers to support the 20,000 elites garrisoned in Anxi. How long this could be maintained would depend on how long the finances of the Tang dynasty could support it.
The mistake that Li Yu and Li Qiu had made was clearly that they had placed too much faith in the powerful military of the Tang dynasty. They believed that the iron army of the Tang dynasty would sweep through everything in its path and that the small countries would not dare to resist. They did not realize that although Anxi was a small country, it had the powerful Tibet in the south and the rising Arabia in the west. These two countries definitely had the strength to challenge the Tang dynasty. Once the small countries of Anxi joined forces with these powerful enemies, the Tang dynasty was certain to lose Anxi.
"By suggesting that we increase taxes on the small countries of Anxi, are you not afraid that they will rebel against the Tang dynasty?"
Ang Lee seriously asked.
"The iron army of the Tang dynasty is invincible. If any small country dares to provoke us, we will send soldiers to wipe them out."
"I agree with Gwangbyeong Of Gojoseon's opinion."
Ang Lee shook his head and continued, "Then if these small countries of Anxi join together and invite the Arabia in the west and Tibet in the south to send soldiers to resist the Tang dynasty, what will the result be?"
"Then we'll cut the Gordian knot and wipe out all the small countries of Anxi before the reinforcements from the Arabs and Tibetans arrive. Then we'll gather our soldiers and defeat them one by one."
"Gwangbyeong Of Gojoseon is mighty and domineering. We support it."
Hearing those words, Li An felt like bursting into laughter. These two brats are too adorable. To think that they would treat the Tibetans and the Abbasid Caliphate as nothing. However, there is an old saying, 'newborn calves do not fear tigers'. At the very least, their spirit is commendable.
"Can't you think of a better idea? For example, immigration, transportation, internal reforms, making the Great Tang more prosperous, sowing discord between Tibet and the Abbasid Caliphate — these were all methods. Why did they have to use the army? After all, attacking the heart is superior to attacking the city. "
Ang Lee lectured.
"Yes, Assistant Minister Li, we've learned our lesson."
"Assistant Minister Li, when you said transportation would be improved, how would it be improved? Are you talking about laying down railroad tracks?"
Ang Lee nodded and said longingly, "That's right. In the future, we must lay down railroad tracks that reach Anxi. This way, the connection between Anxi and the capital will become much more convenient, and the financial pressure will be greatly reduced."
Anxi's financial burden was mainly due to the inconvenience of transportation. Oftentimes, for every 100 kilos of rice, 90 kilos would be consumed on the road, and by the time they reached Anxi, only 10% would be left. If the railway was connected, the consumption on the road would be greatly reduced, perhaps even negligible. Naturally, the financial burden would be greatly reduced. In addition, once the transportation in the rear became more convenient, they could send more soldiers to Anxi to better control it.
"Assistant Minister Li, are railroad tracks really that formidable? I really want to see railroad tracks soon. "
Li Yu's eyes were filled with anticipation, as was Li Qiu's.
"There's no need to rush. I'll bring you two to see railroad tracks tomorrow afternoon, alright?"
"Good, truly wonderful."
Li Yu and Li Qiu were both extremely excited.
Ang Lee warmly smiled and looked at the two. "Do you two know how long it will take for ten thousand soldiers to reach Anxi from the capital?"
"En, about three months to half a year!"
Li Yu clearly understood the situation in this regard and answered directly.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "Then do you two know how long it will take for ten thousand soldiers to reach Anxi after laying down railroad tracks and my invention succeeds?"
"I don't know. How long will it take?"
"At most, five to ten days. How is it? Isn't it very fast?"
Ang Lee proudly said.
"Assistant Minister Li, how is this possible? Nearly twenty times faster? Are railroad tracks really that formidable? "
"Assistant Minister Li, I really want to see railroad tracks right now."
Nearly twenty times the transportation efficiency had clearly frightened Li Yu and Li Qiu. Once the train was successful, the effect would be so dazzling. Even if the steam locomotive couldn't be built, the speed and transportation capacity of the modified carriages would also be greatly increased. A twofold increase in efficiency was more than enough.
"Look at how anxious you two are. I'll definitely let you see railroad tracks tomorrow afternoon. In addition, we came out this time to design a railroad track from the northern gate of the Daming Palace to the Hot Spring Palace. In the future, railroad tracks will also be laid here, extending from here all the way to Luoyang."
Li An introduced with longing in his eyes.
"Assistant Minister Li, Luoyang is less than a thousand li away from Chang 'an. If railroad tracks are laid, wouldn't we be able to reach it in a day?"
Li Yu looked at Ang Lee in surprise. He had been to Luoyang once and followed Li Longji's mighty team for half a month. It was really tiring!
"That's right. We don't need a day. If we're fast, half a day will be enough."
Ang Lee answered affirmatively.
Li Yu and Li Qiu looked at each other in disbelief. They looked at Ang Lee. This had seriously exceeded their scope of understanding and shocked them beyond words. At the same time, it also made them feel that this trip was worth it. As long as they followed Ang Lee, they would definitely be able to gain more knowledge. In addition, they wanted to see railroad tracks with their own eyes and experience the vehicles that could run on railroad tracks as if they were flying.
"Alright, it's getting late. Let's go back and rest! If we have a good rest, we'll be more energetic tomorrow. "
Ang Lee led the two back to the tent to rest.
The space in the tent wasn't very big, but it was more than enough for three people. In terms of the entire team, the three of them were already the most extravagant.
For safety reasons, not everyone was allowed to lie down and sleep in the tent. Duan Xiushi's troops and Li Yu's guards were divided into two groups to guard the front and back of the camp at night to ensure the safety of the camp. With more than ten elite soldiers in charge of guarding the camp, Ang Lee wasn't worried about encountering any danger.
Li An was already used to living in tents when he was on the battlefield, so he quickly fell asleep in the tent. Li Yu and Li Qiu, on the other hand, had never lived in such simple tents before, so they wouldn't be able to fall asleep anytime soon.
However, in order not to disturb Ang Lee's rest, Li Yu and Li Qiu didn't talk. Instead, they looked at the top of the tent and thought about their own worries. Although they were young, they still had worries on their minds.
The night passed uneventfully. The next morning, after a simple breakfast, Ang Lee led the team back along the original route for further inspection.
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