Pei Ji immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I agree with Erlang's words. The construction of the Jinghang Grand Canal in the previous dynasty was originally a matter of merit and benefit for the future. Why did it become one of the reasons for the collapse of the previous dynasty? It was because too many corvee laborers were conscripted, causing countless people to die building the canal. It's the same for road construction. We must be extremely careful. "
Li Yuan said, "I understand."
He approved of road construction in his heart, because it was a good thing, and it was beneficial to the development of the Tang dynasty.
However, the measures and methods to be adopted had to be cautious.
Li Jiancheng wished that Du Qi's project would be stalled, but he did not go up to speak. He stood there obediently, perfectly acting as if he was invisible, as if he did not exist.
Li Yuan said, "Erlang, I want to build the road. What do you think is a good way?"
He hoped to have the best of both worlds.
He could build the road and take care of the people's livelihood.
He could have both.
Pairs of eyes fell on Du Qi, waiting for Du Qi to speak.
Du Qi said, "Your Majesty, this matter should be decided by the officials in the court. After all, the officials in the court are the ones who discuss state affairs. It's not appropriate for me to deal with this matter. "
Li Yuan looked back at the courtiers under his command and said, "Come, who can talk about the road construction? How can we take care of both sides? Not only take care of the people's livelihood, but also build the road."
One by one, they shook their heads.
The officials in the court were all shrewd people.
They were all unwilling to get involved, because once they were involved, they did not know much about it. Perhaps they would be trapped in it and could not extricate themselves. It was better not to get involved.
Moreover, many people did not have a way.
There was really no way.
After seeing this, Li Yuan simply looked at Li Jiancheng and asked, "Crown Prince, do you have any ideas?"
"Father, please forgive me. This son does not."
Li Jiancheng's head shook like a rattle drum and answered directly.
He could not think of a way.
Li Yuan looked at Li Shimin again and said, "King of Qin, do you have a way?"
Li Shimin said, "Father, this son thinks that this matter must be completed. I'm afraid that it will take a few more years of development. After the court has enough financial resources, this matter can be completed. "
Li Yuan directly called out names again. After asking several people, the result he obtained was that they all did not know. None of them had an answer, because they all felt that this matter was not easy to handle.
After all, Pei Ji had already said so.
This matter was beneficial to the country and the people, but if they were not careful, it might cause turmoil in the Tang dynasty.
When Emperor Yang of Sui of the previous dynasty dug the Grand Canal, the Sui Dynasty had already been established for a few decades. It had a deep foundation, but it could not withstand Emperor Yang of Sui's torment. In just a few decades after Yang Guang ascended the throne, the Great Sui Dynasty fell apart.
It had only been a few years since the establishment of the Tang dynasty, and the world had yet to be completely pacified.
What happened at this time would do great harm to the Tang dynasty.
The Tang dynasty could not afford to be tossed around.
Li Yuan finished listening to everyone's words, looked at Du Qi again, and said, "Erlang, this matter still depends on you. No one in the imperial court had a solution, or rather, they were unwilling to provide a solution. Tell me, what should we do? "
The courtiers all looked at Du Qi.
They all wanted to see what kind of ingenious strategy Du Qi could come up with.
After Du Qi heard it, he lowered his eyebrows and lowered his eyes. After thinking for a while, he said, "Your Majesty, this subject does have a plan that may be effective. However, such a strategy has a certain degree of difficulty."
Li Yuan said, "There's no harm in saying it."
Du Qi said, "This plan cannot be known to everyone. It needs to be kept secret."
After Li Yuan heard it, he no longer said anything. He ordered everyone to retreat to a distance of more than fifty steps away from him. At this time, there was only Xiao Li by Li Yuan's side.
Li Yuan said, "Speak, what method do you have, kid?"
Du Qi said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this kid's method is very simple. We will borrow the power of the aristocratic families to build the road."
Li Yuan said, "You mean to let the aristocratic families donate money."
Du Qi said, "That's the reason, but we can't do it directly. If we let the aristocratic families pay to build the road, they will definitely resist. So we have to change the reason so that they can't refuse. "
Li Yuan asked, "What reason should we change it to?"
Du Qi replied, "Just say that the Imperial Court is preparing to build the Northern Capital's Taiyuan Prefecture and needs to relocate the aristocratic families there in order to promote the development of the Northern Capital's Taiyuan Prefecture. The Imperial Court will give preferential treatment to those who are willing to go. Those who aren't can only solve the problem by paying money. Of course, those who aren't willing to go won't have to directly state the matter of paying. The other party will definitely understand. "
After a pause, Du Qi said, "If they're unwilling to go or pay, what else is there to say? We'll just eliminate them directly. In any case, not everyone is like that."
Li Yuan's eyes narrowed as a wisp of a solemn expression flashed past his eyes, and he said, "Erlang, this plan of yours can be said to be bold. It's just slightly less harmful than directly enlisting corvee labor. If all the aristocratic families in the world were to join forces to resist the Imperial Court, it would be very likely that the entire region would collapse. At that time, the flames of war would rise once more. "
Du Qi said, "Your Majesty worries too much. It's indeed not easy to deal with the aristocratic families working together. The problem is that we also have people in the aristocratic families. The Wang Family of Taiyuan Prefecture is loyal to the Imperial Court.
"At that time, the Wang Family will take the initiative to pay the money and decide whether or not to relocate the Wang Family to Taiyuan Prefecture.
"This way, we will set a precedent for the other aristocratic families. The remaining people will have to follow the Wang Family's precedent. After all, none of the aristocratic families are willing to move. "
Du Qi suggested.
When Li Yuan heard this, he revealed a smile.
He stroked his beard and chuckled.
Du Qi's method was indeed useful. According to this method, the other aristocratic families would not be able to avoid it. After all, with the Wang Family taking the lead, the hearts of the people would waver, and the other aristocratic families would follow suit.
Even if the remaining aristocratic families and aristocratic families wanted to resist, it would be extremely difficult.
The civil and military officials in the distance:
Looking at the laughing Li Yuan, looking at Li Yuan and Du Qi who were chatting happily, many people were envious in their hearts. The reason was very simple. It was because Du Qi was in front of Li Yuan that Li Yuan could be so happy.
Du Qi said again, "Your Majesty, I think this matter can be further refined. For example, at the beginning, we only target the Five Families and Seven Aristocratic Families, not the other aristocratic families, so it won't cause unrest. After these people are taken down and collected a certain amount of money, we can build the road first. After the main road is built, we can consider the next step to deal with the other aristocratic families. In this way, it won't have a big impact. "
Li Yuan nodded hurriedly and said, "Yes, yes, that's the reason."
He agreed with Du Qi's suggestion.
This was a good idea.
First, it was a small-scale arrangement, and then it was expanded step by step. When the main road of the whole country was laid out, the entire Tang Dynasty would be more stable. Li Yuan lowered his head, stamped his feet, looked at the concrete road under his feet, and said, "Erlang, is it feasible to use this kind of cement to build the city wall?"
Du Qi said, "Your Majesty is wise. Cement can indeed be used on the city wall. After mixing sand and stone, it is smeared on the city wall. Once it hardens and solidifies, the wall will be incomparably strong. It will be difficult for ordinary swords to damage it, and it can withstand a great impact."
Li Yuan said with a smile, "That's good."
After pausing for a moment, Li Yuan said in a deep voice, "Erlang, you invited me here today. Especially since all the civil and military officials are here and have seen this cement road, you purposely let people know so that your cement can be sold in large quantities."
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