As the Mo's Village began to supply zippers and publish the styles of the ink-style clothing in the ink magazine, the ink-style clothing in Chang 'an City became popular again. Ordinary people bought the cheap ink-style clothing produced by the Mo's Village, while poor people bought the zippers to make their own ink-style clothing.
The Mo Mansion was simple in structure and beautiful in style. Meanwhile, it also saved on cloth. The cost of traditional clothing was about half of that of the ink-style clothing, which was an irresistible temptation for ordinary people.
As Meton had guessed, ordinary people did not need too many complicated Confucian clothing. Even the respectable people only needed one or two. The rest could choose the cheap and simple ink-style clothing as casual wear.
"From bottom to top!" Ma Jiayun heard the strategy of the ink-style clothing and could not help sneering. They were just a group of bumpkins. The real power of the Tang Dynasty was in the hands of the upper class. Only their clothing could represent the trend of the Tang Dynasty.
"But there are so many bumpkins in the world. If people wear the ink-style clothing, it will definitely threaten the status of the Confucian clothing." Liu Yinian, the scholar, said unwillingly.
Ma Jiayun said helplessly, "The ink-style clothing is indeed cheaper than the Confucian clothing. Those bumpkins don't know etiquette, so they are attracted by the insignificant benefits of the ink-style clothing."
Ma Jiayun understood the strategy of the ink-style clothing, but he could do nothing. The cost of the ink-style clothing was indeed higher. He could not and did not have the ability to reduce the price of the ink-style clothing.
"Mo Jiazi is as cunning as always!" Liu Yinian said angrily.
"Continue to let the Confucian magazines promote the ink-style clothing. At the same time, let the students of the Tang Dynasty know the Confucian clothing and etiquette." Ma Jiayun said firmly. As long as the Confucian school could control all the students in the world, they would all be the future of the Tang Dynasty. Mo Jiazi wanted to promote the ink-style clothing from bottom to top, while the Confucian school promoted the ink-style clothing from top to bottom. Then they would see who would have the last laugh.
"Yes! Libation Lord! "Liu Yinian said respectfully.
"Mo Jiazi has always been bold and reckless. He has always come up with amazing ideas. Go and talk to Lord Yu. Don't let Mo Jiazi make any more trouble." Ma Jiayun said coldly.
Liu Yinian immediately smiled. Don't let Mo Jiazi make any more trouble. Mo Jiazi made, and the Confucian school would oppose all of Mo Jiazi's proposals. the Confucian school...
Imperial court meeting at the end of the year.
All the officials gathered in Taiji Palace, and the Great Tang was growing stronger by the day. Reports of success came in from the three provinces and six bureaus, and the new Minister of Civil Affairs, Tang Jian, delivered even more astonishing news.
"Thanks to Your Majesty's blessings, our Great Tang's national strength is rising by the day. The national treasury has increased by more than twenty percent. This is truly a cause for celebration!"
An annual tax increase of 20% was an amazing achievement, and Tang Jian couldn't help but be excited.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations!"
The officials congratulated one after another. The most direct reflection of an empire's strength was its taxes. The Tang dynasty's taxes were increasing year after year, and the situation was very good.
"This year, many cities have the most eye-catching tax increases, such as Lanzhou, Hankou, Kaifeng, and Luoyang. They are among the top cities in the country." Tang Jian reported the achievements of these cities one by one.
The Minister of Works, Zhang Liang, stepped out proudly and said, "Your Majesty, these cities that have experienced a sharp increase in taxes have all benefited from the opening of the brick roads. Luoyang, of course, has been an important transportation route since ancient times. After the construction of the brick roads, it is like a tiger that has grown wings. Hankou and Kaifeng, on the other hand, have all benefited from the construction of the brick roads. Their taxes are not far off from Yangzhou and Yizhou, which are known by the people as Yangzhou and Yizhou. In a few years, they will definitely surpass these two cities. As for Lanzhou, before this, it was only a small city on the northwest border. Thanks to the opening of the Longhai Line, it has become the pearl of the northwest.
"Three horizontal and five vertical diagrams!"
The officials couldn't help but gasp. The three horizontal and five vertical diagrams were the road planning map that Mo Jiazi presented to the imperial court. Once built, a brick road network would be formed in the whole Tang dynasty. But now the Tang dynasty only built two roads, one was the Longhai Line that ran from east to west, the other was the north-south brick road. The Yangtze River used Hankou as its transit point, and the Yellow River used Zhengzhou as its transit point.
It was strange that Zhengzhou, as the intersection of the north-south passage, did not develop fast. On the contrary, Kaifeng, which was a hundred miles away, developed rapidly. This reminded people of the grievances between the Zheng family and the Mo family in Xingyang. Perhaps the Mo family had contributed a lot to Kaifeng's achievement.
There were also rumors that the Kaifeng magistrate had asked the imperial court to change the location of the Yellow River Bridge to Kaifeng. Moreover, if they went straight from Handan to Hankou in Hebei Province, they would pass through Kaifeng. If they went through Zhengzhou, it would be much farther. This made the Kaifeng magistrate work together to fight for the Yellow River Bridge regardless of the warning of the Zheng family in Xingyang.
"Mr. Zhang, you are taking it for granted. Although Lord Mohou's three horizontal lines and five vertical lines are beautiful, the route from Chang 'an to Chengdu would require passing through mountains and ridges. There's no way to construct it. It's just a pipe dream, "a civil official said disdainfully, and conveniently belittled Lord Mohou's three horizontal lines and five vertical lines.
Meton stepped out and said, "You are wrong. If you wanted to build a brick road from Chang 'an to Chengdu before, it would be a fantasy. But now it's different. The Mo family has a skill to ensure that the brick road from Chang' an to Chengdu will be smooth."
"Really?" Zhang Liang, the minister of the Ministry of Works, was surprised. The Mo family and the Ministry of Works had the same interests in building a brick road.
Meton nodded seriously and said, "Yes, it's the civil use of gunpowder. Like building terraced fields, we can build a road along the slope of the mountain. When we encounter a ditch, we can build a bridge. When we encounter a steep mountain, we can build a cave or tunnel. We can definitely build a brick road from Chang 'an to Chengdu in a straight line."
"Blast a mountain to open a road!"
Just like Li Shimin, the officials were in an uproar when they heard this method. Gunpowder could destroy a city in one blow. No one doubted its ability to blast a mountain to open a road.
The officials couldn't help but imagine a winding mountain road in the Qinling Mountains like a coiling dragon. What a magnificent feat it would be to build a road from Chang 'an to the south.
Although Chang 'an was the imperial capital, its traffic was only connected from east to west. It was far from Luoyang, which was well-connected. Now that the Wei River Bridge was built, Chang' an had already opened up the northern road. If the southern road to Chang 'an could be connected to the Sichuan Basin, the traffic in Chang' an would be well-connected. The development of Chang 'an would no longer be restricted.
"The Mo family!"
The officials couldn't help but be shocked. Chang 'an was restricted by traffic. There were already rumors of the imperial court moving the capital to Luoyang. But in just a few years, Chang' an had already opened up the northern road. Theoretically, the southern road was also feasible. This was all thanks to the Mo family.
"No! Gunpowder is of the utmost importance. Once gunpowder is used for civilian use, it will be even more difficult to keep the secret of gunpowder! " Li Ji frowned. As the new Minister of War, he naturally had to consider the military. Gunpowder was too important to the Tang dynasty. He couldn't afford to lose it. The risk of using gunpowder to blast a mountain and leak the secret was too great.
"I object!" The military generals objected one after another.
Previously, Mo Jiazi's civilian use of gunpowder was matches. After the military confirmed that the gunpowder in matches was very different from real gunpowder, they were relieved. However, using gunpowder to blow up a mountain and open up a path would require the use of real gunpowder. The risk of the secret being leaked would be extremely high.
Yu Zhining couldn't help but sneer. He originally thought that it would take a lot of effort to stop Mo Jiazi, but he didn't expect that the Ministry of War would directly reject Mo Jiazi's crazy proposal before he could do anything.
Meton was not surprised by the military's rejection. He already had a countermeasure. "The secret of gunpowder is indeed of the utmost importance. But fortunately, the places to blast the mountain and open the road are mostly in the mountains and steep ridges. Most of them are private places. The Minister suggests that a special engineering battalion be set up to blast open the road. In this way, we can ensure that the secret of gunpowder will not be leaked and the project will proceed smoothly."
"Engineering battalion!" The crowd was in an uproar. No one had expected the Mo family to propose to use soldiers to build the road.
The generals of the Ministry of War couldn't help but lower their heads and ponder. The significance of opening the southern road to Chang 'an was self-evident. If they used soldiers to build the road, they could ensure the completion of the construction period and keep the secret of gunpowder. It was not unacceptable.
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