Ang Lee's vegetable greenhouse had undergone several upgrades and renovations. Currently, it had undergone a great change. All five hundred mu of greenhouses had been transformed into medicinal jade. Moreover, these five hundred mu of greenhouses were of different types.
There were double-layered medicinal jades that increased the warmth, mixed farming and animal husbandry that increased the cultivation area, orchard type that specialized in planting short fruit trees, and mushroom type greenhouses that blocked out most of the light.
With so many types, the demand for manpower was very high. Therefore, Ang Lee's five hundred mu of greenhouses had increased the manpower by a lot. There were more than fifty more people than before, and the total number of people had exceeded a hundred.
"Wow, this greenhouse is actually so warm. No wonder it can grow cucumbers in the middle of winter. Not bad, not bad at all!"
Wang Zhongsi casually walked into one of the greenhouses and plucked a cucumber. He stuffed it into his mouth and ate it.
Seeing this, Ang Lee quickly plucked a few more and gave one to Guo Ziyi. He also ate with Guo Ziyi.
"Well, how much does it cost to build a greenhouse like this?"
Wang Zhongsi looked around and asked with concern.
"This … is still quite expensive. The market price is above a hundred gold."
Ang Lee was telling the truth. According to the market price, building a greenhouse with medicinal jade and vegetables would indeed cost a hundred gold. However, the medicinal jades were all manufactured by Ang Lee's workshop. The true cost was much lower than the market price. Moreover, the medicinal jades that Ang Lee sold to the imperial court were all sold privately at cost price. Only Li Longji and a few eunuchs knew about this. Outsiders did not understand the market price at all.
"I know that medicinal jades are very expensive, but I heard that these medicinal jades are all manufactured by your workshop. The cost price should be much lower!"
"This … is indeed much cheaper."
Wang Zhongsi smiled and said, "I don't want the armored command carriage. How about you give me enough medicinal jades to build the greenhouses?"
"Uncle, you're asking for too much!"
Li An was taken aback and put on a pained expression. He paused for a moment and nodded. "Alright! Since Uncle likes the medicinal jade greenhouses so much, this nephew will reluctantly part with them. "
"Hahaha! Alright, let's go back and drink. "
Wang Zhongsi was overjoyed. He walked with Ang Lee to the courtyard and started to eat and drink in the main hall. Guo Ziyi naturally accompanied them.
In fact, the reason why Wang Zhongsi asked Ang Lee for a large amount of medicinal jade was not for his personal enjoyment, but because life in the border army was very tough, especially when the weather was cold, and they often could not eat fresh vegetables. With the medicinal jade greenhouse, the soldiers could realize that they could eat vegetables in the winter, which was very important to improve the living standards of the border army soldiers.
"Uncle, General Guo, I invented all these delicacies. Have a taste."
Ang Lee appeared to be quite enthusiastic.
"Haha! I've eaten it, I've eaten it on the way back from the train. The taste is extraordinarily good! Especially this strong wine. It's so much better than the ones I drank before. Compared to this strong wine, the ones I drank before were just plain water. "
Wang Zhongsi appeared to be very excited as he ate and drank in big mouthfuls.
"Since Uncle likes it, please eat more. General Guo, don't be shy!"
Ang Lee was very hospitable, and he had the kitchen continue to add more dishes.
"Uncle, you said that you have something to discuss with me. May I know what it is?"
Ang Lee felt that the time was right, so he asked.
Wang Zhongsi pondered for a moment, then said, "It's like this. When I was in the north, I heard that eight artillery brigades had been established in the capital, and that the power of the artillery was extremely great, able to attack enemy troops from a thousand paces away. Thus, I used the opportunity of meeting with His Majesty to request that His Majesty send an artillery brigade to the north to intimidate the rising Huihe of the grasslands. In the end, His Majesty was very hesitant and did not immediately agree. I wanted to hear your opinion.
"You want to send an artillery brigade to the north?"
Ang Lee pondered for a moment before nodding. "It's not impossible, but what about Fanyang, Anxi, Longyou, Hexi, and Jiannan? As long as Uncle makes the first move, the regional commanders of the various towns will request for artillery units from the imperial court. At that time, even the eight artillery brigades in the capital won't be enough. Thus, His Majesty will definitely be troubled. "
"As expected, but what's the point of gathering so many artillery units in the capital? The capital is in the heart of the Tang dynasty, and no enemy will be able to cross the border to attack the capital. "
Wang Zhongsi felt that good things should be put to good use. Leaving them in the capital wouldn't serve as a deterrent to the surrounding enemies.
"Uncle, the more advanced cannons are already being equipped to the army. It's completely possible to equip the border army with the cannons we built earlier. It's just that His Majesty hasn't thought it through yet. Let me persuade His Majesty, and I'll definitely be able to get Uncle an artillery brigade."
Ang Lee had already considered this. Wang Zhongsi's return to the capital was a good opportunity to get the emperor to give the order to equip the border army with the obsolete cannons as soon as possible. This would serve as a deterrent to the surrounding enemies, so that the vassal states of the Tang dynasty wouldn't dare to act impudently before the Tang dynasty.
"Wuyang, can you really persuade His Majesty to equip the border army with cannons?"
Wang Zhongsi was overjoyed.
"Uncle, don't worry. I know His Majesty's mind, and I'm sure I can persuade His Majesty."
Ang Lee nodded confidently. Then, he suddenly thought of something and said, "Uncle, let me give you a gift! You'll definitely like it. "
"Oh, what gift? It's actually something I'll definitely like. "
Wang Zhongsi asked curiously.
"It's a map, a very large map. On it are the railway and bridge plans of the Tang dynasty for the next few years."
As Ang Lee spoke, he asked someone to fetch the map.
"Uncle, please take a look. It's this map."
Ang Lee hung up the map himself and pointed at the Tang dynasty area on the map.
"What's this? The Tang dynasty only has such a small area? "
Wang Zhongsi's reaction was the same as everyone else's. He was completely shocked.
"Uncle, this is the map of the whole world. There are many places outside the Tang dynasty. This black line is the railway that has been built at present. The intermittent black line is the railway that will be built in the future. And these double lines are the bridges that have been built. These are the bridges that will be built in the future."
Ang Lee pointed at the map and introduced them one by one.
Wang Zhongsi and Guo Ziyi had no time to wonder how Ang Lee knew these things. They knew that Ang Lee would probably use the emperor's name to avoid answering this question directly.
"Isn't it unrealistic for the Tang dynasty to build railways to such distant places in the future? And these bridges, the downstream of the Yellow River is several miles wide, and the downstream of the Yangtze River is even wider. Can bridges really be built on them?"
Wang Zhongsi and Guo Ziyi looked doubtful.
"As long as there are enough reinforced concrete materials and construction machines, even if the river is ten times wider than the Yellow River or the Yangtze River, we can also build a bridge over it. There is no doubt about that. The Grand Canal Railway Bridge that has been built so far is already seven or eight miles long."
Li An tried to dispel the doubts of the two and continued to explain.
"Well, since Wuyang is so serious, we will believe you for the time being. This map is very good. I'll take it."
Wang Zhongsi took the map very quickly and hung it in the main hall to continue to observe it. From time to time, he asked Ang Lee something he wanted to know.
"Wuyang, General Guo once told me that you predicted that the Turks would soon be destroyed and Huihe would replace them. I don't understand how you guessed it so accurately. How do you know all this? Is it just a guess?"
Wang Zhongsi couldn't help but ask curiously.
"It's not difficult to predict. The Turks have been in turmoil many times, so it's natural for the country to be destroyed. As for the rise of Huihe, it's because Huihe has a very excellent leader, just like Maodun of the Xiongnu."
Ang Lee casually made up a story.
"Wuyang, you've never been in the north for long, so how do you know that Huihe has produced an excellent leader? Huihe Huairen Khan's strength is average and can't be considered outstanding."
Wang Zhongsi strongly disagreed with Ang Lee's view and retorted.
"Haha! That means that Uncle is too arrogant and looks down on Huairen Khan. Although your nephew has not personally gone to the north in so many years, I have learned a great deal about the steppe in my days in the capital. Huairen Khan doesn't appear to be as talented and bold as Maodun of the Xiongnu, but his abilities are restrained. This makes it easy to confuse the enemy and make them think that he's weak. In reality, he's extremely powerful. This is called 'playing the pig to eat the tiger'. "
Ang Lee's serious expression when he lied was truly adorable.
"Playing the pig to eat the tiger? He pretended to be a stupid pig, but in the end, he suddenly attacked and swallowed the tiger in one gulp. What a brilliant plan! "
Guo Ziyi couldn't help but interject.
Wang Zhongsi also nodded repeatedly and kept recalling everything that happened in the steppe. Indeed, every time Huihe Khan Huairen was somewhat inconspicuous, which made it difficult for him to pay attention to him. But when he thought about it carefully, every time Huihe gained the most benefits, especially after the fall of the Turkic Empire. Huihe quietly swallowed all the old lands of the Turkic Empire. The speed was so fast that even he, a Jiedushi of the Tang dynasty, was shocked.
"What a good Huairen Khan. He actually hid so deeply. However, Huairen is dead, and his son Gele Khan has just succeeded the throne. What do you think of Gele Khan? Is he as cunning as his father? "
Wang Zhongsi was successfully fooled by Ang Lee and continued to ask about Gele Khan.
"Uncle, in recent years, there has only been news of Huairen Khan. Your nephew is not clear about the situation of Gele Khan. However, there is an old saying that a tiger father will not have a dog son. This Gele Khan should not be simple!"
Li An tried to bluff him again with a serious expression.
"Oh, if Gele Khan is as cunning as his father, his next step will be to invade the Tang dynasty. Is he going to follow the old path of the Turkic Empire? If so, our Shuofang Army will need to deploy artillery troops. "
Wang Zhongsi said nervously. From Ang Lee's words, he felt the threat from the north.
"Uncle, don't worry. Since Gele Khan is like his father, he must be a smart man. At present, Huihe has just expanded its territory, and there are many things waiting to be done in the country. They need a good rest. The strength of the Tang dynasty is so strong that Gele Khan will not have the courage to challenge the Tang dynasty in the short term. In the future, the Tang dynasty will become more and more powerful, and Huihe will have no chance."
Ang Lee said proudly. For a small barbarian tribe like Huihe, Ang Lee only needed to move his finger to destroy them. The armored artillery vehicles were not a joke. Even the most elite cavalry of Huihe could not escape from his pursuit.
"Guifang, Xiongnu, Xianbei, Turkic, Huihe, the rise of the grassland tribes one by one has always been a big problem for the Central Plains dynasty. If there is a good way to completely solve the threat of the grassland, it will be the best."
Wang Zhongsi said slowly.
"Do more trade, strengthen exchanges, and realize industrialization as soon as possible. In this way, the grassland problem will no longer be a problem."
Ang Lee said seriously.
This time, Ang Lee was not fooling, but telling the truth. Trade and exchanges could help each other and let each other know more about each other. The possibility of conflict would be greatly reduced. Industrialization was the most fundamental measure to comprehensively solve the threat of the nomads.
The population of the nomads was far less than that of the Central Plains people, but with their powerful and fast cavalry, they could often beat the Central Plains people and make them suffer heavy losses.
But as long as the Tang dynasty realized mechanization, the cavalry that the nomads were proud of would completely lose its advantage and even be not worth mentioning. Imagine, the scene of 10,000 cavalry facing 50 armored artillery vehicles must be very tragic. The cavalry's attack, defense, and mobility were far inferior to the armored artillery vehicles. In this case, was there any need to fight? Would the nomads still dare to go south?
In the later years, there was a country of nomads to the north of the Hua Xia. In the era of cold weapons, they dominated the world with the help of powerful cavalry and built an astonishingly huge empire. But in the later years of industrialization, they were reduced to a very poor and backward small country. The cavalry that they were once proud of was no longer useful. In the face of the steel torrent of the Hua Xia in the south, they could only choose to trade honestly and did not even dare to breathe heavily.
Li An believed that the Great Tang Empire would also have such a day. As long as they continued to push forward with the industrialization process, in the future, there would be no need to mobilize the army. A long-distance transport vehicle driver would be able to instantly wipe out a cavalry unit. If a convoy had a hundred transport vehicles, they wouldn't even need to fear 100,000 cavalry. Horses wouldn't be able to ram the transport vehicles, and axes and spears wouldn't be able to pierce through armor.
"Industrialization? Wuyang, are you talking about the machines built by the R&D center? "
Wang Zhongsi asked.
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