For Li Yuan, building a road from Chang 'an to Lantian County was not an easy task. However, it was for the best that Du Qi was willing to take over this matter.
Du Qi said seriously, "Your Majesty, this kid's condition is actually very simple, that is, after this section of the road is repaired. Merchants in Chang 'an and Lantian County passing through this road do not need to pay. However, caravans outside of Lantian County and Chang 'an County have to pay a certain amount of money if they want to walk this road. This is this kid's condition. "
After hearing this, Li Shentong said, "Erlang, I'm afraid this is not appropriate. This is an official road, how can you collect money? If the official road collects money, all over the world will follow suit, and the Tang dynasty will immediately fall into turmoil. "
Li Yuan said, "Erlang, what do you say?"
He believed that Du Qi was a reckless person.
He would not casually make irresponsible remarks, so Li Yuan was not in a hurry, waiting for Du Qi to explain.
Du Qi said, "Your Majesty, if it's an ordinary road, it's the same as the previous official road. Then, if this kid collects money, it's because he feels embarrassed and ashamed. "
"The problem is, this section of the road from Chang 'an to Lantian County will be a brand new official road."
"This is the responsibility of this kid's craftsmen."
"This section of the road, whether it's thunder, rain, or snow, can be walked through. The carriage can run at the fastest speed on the road, and there's no need to worry about it being very bumpy. "
"Precisely because of this, this kid has the intention to collect money. Because this section of the road will consume a lot of financial and material resources, and will also consume a lot of energy. Under such a premise, if I don't collect money, this kid will lose so much that his pants will be pawned. "
Du Qi continued, "Moreover, this is only for merchants, not for ordinary people, the impact is not big."
Li Shentong sneered, "You, Erlang, are as rich as a country, who doesn't know? There's no point in pretending to be poor here. Even if you pay to repair the road, it's just a matter of two to three hundred thousand strings of cash, enough to repair this section of the road. "
"Hahaha …"
Du Qi laughed loudly.
His laughter was full of disdain.
His gaze towards Li Shentong was filled with even more disdain. This sliver of disdain immediately made Li Shentong stomp his feet. In any case, he was a clan relative in the imperial court and had great prestige in the imperial court.
Seeing Du Qi's expression, Li Shentong could not suppress his anger and said, "Erlang, what are you laughing at?"
Du Qi said, "Duke Huai 'an, the reason why I laughed was because you said that from Chang' an County to Lantian County, you only need two to three hundred thousand strings of coins to build it. How about this? I won't allow you to enlist corvee labor, and I won't allow you to embezzle money. I'll arrange for a shopkeeper to be in charge of the accounts, and you'll be in charge of the road construction. I'll give you three hundred thousand strings of string of cash to repair this road and rebuild it. What do you think? "
He looked at Li Shentong with a cold gaze.
Even if they didn't build the road according to Du Qi's idea, they wouldn't be able to repair it with 300,000 strings of string of cash. After all, if they didn't conscript corvee labor, a road would cost at least 500,000 strings of cash. If they built the road according to Du Qi's standards, the cost would be even greater.
Li Shentong was simply asking for a beating.
Du Qi naturally wouldn't give Li Shentong any face. After all, Li Shentong had been in charge before. It was just that in the past, they were conscripting corvee labor, but now, they weren't conscripting corvee labor. He thought about it and realized that 300,000 strings of cash really wouldn't be enough.
Li Shentong snorted and said, "Du Qi, tell me, how much would it cost to build the road according to your plan?"
Du Qi said, "At least 1.5 million strings of cash."
"Hiss!"
In the imperial court, there were sounds of people gasping.
All the clan relatives in the imperial court, especially Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin, Li Yuanji, and the others, all looked at Du Qi.
Because this number was too large.
1.5 million strings of cash!
This was not a small number. Even when the Tang dynasty was first established, and even last year's business taxes, it didn't have this much money. In one breath, Du Qi said one million and five hundred thousand strings of coins.
When Li Shimin looked at Du Qi, there was a hint of worry in his eyes. Because Du Qi's words felt like he was spouting nonsense. Even Li Shimin didn't believe it.
1.5 million strings of cash for a road!
Was that possible?
Li Shimin was worried but didn't say anything.
Li Jiancheng, on the other hand, couldn't sit still.
This was an excellent opportunity.
Li Jiancheng immediately stood up and looked at Du Qi, saying, "Du Qi, you're using the pretense of building a road to say 1.5 million strings of cash to build a road. I'm afraid you've gone crazy thinking about money. You've said so much just to earn money, to earn the money of merchants on the official roads. What you're doing is very inappropriate. "
Li Yuanji also echoed, "That's right, Du Qi. You're not only an official of the imperial court, but also a merchant. However, you shouldn't be spouting such nonsense. "
Li Shentong said, "Du Qi, did you hear that? You're indeed smart, but you can't treat others as fools. "
One by one, they opened their mouths.
The people in the imperial clan who belonged to the Crown Prince's faction all opened their mouths to speak, saying that Du Qi was asking for too much.
Not a single person believed Du Qi.
They all thought that Du Qi was spouting nonsense.
Even if Li Yuan thought highly of Du Qi, he also believed in Du Qi. However, it involved 1.5 million strings of cash. This amount was too huge, so much so that Li Yuan actually also somewhat did not believe it.
However, Li Yuan still patiently said solemnly, "Erlang, why don't you tell us why the construction of a road needs at least 1.5 million strings of cash?"
"After all, this imperial court also needs a budget. Moreover, you're responsible for this project. If it has to be done according to your wishes, you should at least tell us the reason. If everyone doesn't agree and can't convince the masses, then your plan will also be difficult to carry out. "
Li Yuan appeared to be very wise and farsighted.
A brilliant smile hung on Du Qi's face. He said, "Your Majesty is wise. Regarding the construction of a road, my residence has a little model. Please allow this official to arrange for someone to bring the model and have Your Majesty examine it. "
"Approved!"
Li Yuan opened his mouth to answer.
Facts speak louder than words. Li Yuan believed that seeing is believing. Therefore, he wanted to take a look before saying anything.
Du Qi immediately went out of the main hall and called a little eunuch. He instructed the little eunuch to go out of the palace and tell the attendant Liu Jian, who was waiting outside the imperial city, to immediately return to the Du family and deliver the stone slab made of cement from the study to the palace.
After making the proper arrangements, Du Qi returned to the Sweet Nectar Hall.
At this time, everyone was waiting.
Even Li Yuan did not speak. He only waited quietly. The people in the main hall vied with each other in private, discussing the matter of the road construction from Chang 'an to Lantian County. After all, this was not a small matter, and Du Qi's conditions were really hard for people to accept.
Time passed little by little.
About half an hour passed. At this time, a little eunuch entered. He came to Du Qi's side and reported the situation of the stone slab's arrival. Du Qi's spirit was aroused. He stood up and saluted Li Yuan. He said, "Your Majesty, this official's item has been delivered."
Li Yuan said, "Bring it in!"
Du Qi ordered, "Bring it in!"
His voice fell, he saw the little eunuch outside the Sweet Nectar Hall enter, holding a cement slab.
With a bang, the cement slab landed on the ground. This slab made of cement was the latest template. Mixed with sand and stone, it could already be called a concrete slab. It was about four feet long, two feet wide, and two inches thick.
The surface of the stone slab was smoothed. After the cement dried and hardened, the surface was smooth.
Du Qi pointed to the cement slab. He said, "Your Majesty, this is the template. In the future, the roads from Chang 'an to Lantian County will all be like this, and the thickness will be even thicker. Even if it thundered and rained, walking will not be affected. "
One by one, they looked over. Their eyes were wide open. Their faces had an inconceivable expression.
It was not a mud road.
Building a road with this kind of stone slab was probably not easy.
Li Shentong looked over. He snorted and said, "Du Qi, what are you deliberately mystifying for? Isn't it just a piece of polished stone? You're mining stone to build a road, it's too much of a project. It's incomparably difficult to pave a stone on the road. "
Everyone uniformly looked at Du Qi.
They all thought it was a stone slab.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
