sovbooks Chapter 80 Every day, in Pingkangfang!
Chapter 80 Every day, in Pingkangfang!
Chapter 80 Every day, in Pingkangfang!
How much iron is produced in a year?
This sentence kept swirling in Li Er's mind.
He immediately realized the problem, and his anger vanished instantly.
Upon hearing this, Li Jing's eyes lit up; he guessed what Yang Zhengdao was about to say.
He couldn't help but admire the young man, who was indeed intelligent yet sincere, and knew how to offer tactful advice to His Majesty.
Li Er couldn't help but sigh.
In the fourth year of the Zhenguan era, the iron produced by the government was less than one-twentieth of that at its peak during the Han Dynasty; even including private iron production, it was no more than one-fifth of that.
He spoke slowly, "More than five million catties."
Is that so little?
After a frantic mental calculation, Yang Zhengdao began to desperately hope to obtain the iron smelting and steelmaking technology from the system.
He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, according to the righteous calculations, with five thousand elite cavalry and ten thousand warhorses, a year's campaign would cover ten thousand li, and the loss of horseshoes would exceed six hundred thousand jin."
Upon hearing this, Li Er frowned and felt a pang of anxiety.
Li Jing nodded slightly; the result was almost identical to his calculations.
At this point, Yang Zhengdao continued, "If all 600,000 catties of horseshoes were mined and used within a year, it would account for nearly one-eighth of the world's iron production."
This will inevitably lead to four problems.
"First, agricultural tools are not being made, and crops are being damaged; second, craftsmen lack tools, and markets are in disarray; third, civilian supplies are insufficient, and complaints are widespread; fourth, military equipment is limited, and armor is not being produced."
Li Er's brows furrowed more and more as he listened, and he was secretly alarmed.
Li Jing's eyes grew brighter as he listened, deeply agreeing with the assessment.
Yang Zhengdao glanced at Li Er's expression and felt that they could continue.
His voice suddenly rose: "But the most dangerous dangers are not these four."
Seeing Li Er's expression change, Yang Zhengdao continued speaking.
"With demand exceeding supply, iron prices will inevitably rise; at that time, private iron merchants will hoard goods and drive up prices; if one commodity rises, all commodities will follow suit, national resources will be depleted daily, and people's livelihoods will become increasingly difficult, which is probably unacceptable."
not good!
Yang Zhengdao saw that Li Er's face was almost dripping with water.
He swallowed the last "predictable" from "it's probably impossible to predict".
Just as Li Er's anger was about to erupt, Yang Zhengdao shouted again.
"There is a political strategy that may break this deadlock."
Upon hearing this, Li Er raised an eyebrow, his heart filled with joy.
Upon hearing this, Li Jing's expression hardened, and he felt a sense of unease.
"Your Majesty, the government believes that the purchases should be made in a decentralized manner and stored in the official treasury, accumulating year by year until ten years have passed—"
When Yang Zhengdao saw that Li Er's face had darkened again, he quickly changed his tune.
"If we buy more when iron is cheap and less when it is expensive, and plan carefully, it shouldn't take ten years, just five."
Still not satisfied after five years? This father-in-law is really hard to please!
If Yang Zhengdao weren't afraid of making a mistake in front of the emperor, he would really want to scratch his head.
Just as he was deep in thought, he suddenly heard Ji Er's words.
"Your intentions are commendable. I will allow you to consider this matter further."
Yang Zhengdao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly cupped his hands, saying, "I am terrified and humbly submit to Your Majesty's judgment!"
Li Erfeng, Li Erfeng, you've finally said something sensible.
Just then, Xu Shiji returned, leading his horse, as if he had timed it perfectly.
He bowed to Li Er and said, "Your Majesty, I have tried it, and it is excellent! Excellent!"
Li Er shook his head with a wry smile, waved his hand, then walked up to Li Jing and patted him on the shoulder.
"What the pharmacist worries about, I also take as a warning."
Li Jing's eyes instantly reddened.
"Your Majesty has treated me so well, how can I repay you—"
Yang Zhengdao felt that his forehead was covered with black lines.
The court attendant isn't here! So you two start acting!
Yang Zhengdao felt that he probably wouldn't be able to become a high-ranking official during the Zhenguan era.
That ability to make your eyes redden is so difficult!
However, Li Jing is indeed a man of high emotional intelligence.
Yang Zhengdao said he learned something, and that this expression of gratitude was much more heartfelt than his "fear".
That was the end of the horseshoe matter; Li Er didn't mention any reward.
After leaving the Imperial Horse Garden, Yang Zhengdao couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile.
He hoped that Li Er would be a decent human being this time and remember his contributions.
Fortunately, he received praise from the war god Li Jing: "He is quick-witted, eloquent, and skillful in giving advice."
In this way, Li Jing's words would surely win him the favor of many of his comrades in the army.
The journey to the Western Regions in the future will likely be less fraught with obstacles.
Upon leaving the imperial city, Yang Zhengdao saw Li Hui with his guards, together with Su Hongyi and a few others.
They were obviously waiting for him.
Upon seeing Yang Zhengdao, Li Hui went up to him as if seeking credit.
He raised his chin: "Ado, I have not failed you!"
As he spoke, he took out a neatly folded piece of hemp paper from his pocket, waved it in his hand, and handed it to Yang Zhengdao.
Yang Zhengdao unfolded it and saw that it was a newly established city bond, which had been transferred to Yingluo's name.
Only then did he learn that Yingluo's full name was Wei Yingluo.
Yang Zhengdao smiled and put it away: "You're quick!"
"That's natural. This morning, Lu Chengqing handed the land deed to his foster mother. In the afternoon, I saw that Duke Cao hadn't gone, so I asked the captain for leave and took Lady Yingluo with me to complete the tax payment and transfer."
Yang Zhengdao smiled slightly.
He had just mounted his horse when he suddenly realized something was wrong: How did Li Hui know about the land deed being delivered this morning?
"You didn't stay in Pingkangfang again last night, did you!?"
"Hmm—" Li Hui actually blushed for once, "My father agrees to let me keep Ru Meng as a mistress!"
Yang Zhengdao shook his head with a wry smile. When this matter reached Empress Zhangsun's ears, the Prince of Hejian and his son Li Hui would inevitably be scolded.
The two rode side by side.
Li Hui suddenly leaned closer and said affectionately, "A-Dao, thank you!"
Huh?! What's going on?
Yang Zhengdao pulled on the reins with disdain, distancing himself from Li Hui.
Li Hui didn't care, and just sighed to himself: "My father said that in all these years, this is the only important thing I've done!"
""
Yang Zhengdao had not expected that the Prince of Hejian would be so supportive of opening a bathhouse.
Yang Zhengdao found it very difficult to accept that Li Hui, this dissolute scoundrel, had suddenly become sentimental.
He asked with concern, "Do you care that much about your father's approval?"
"No, that's not true! Actually, I think it's my father who needs recognition!"
"What do you mean by that!"
"Back then, my father was the commander-in-chief of the army, and the Duke of Dai was his deputy. Together, we pacified Shu and Jing. Many people said that my father only gained military merit because of the Duke of Dai's abilities. He was deeply ashamed of this!"
I've heard of Yang Zhengdao before, which explains why Li Jing is so secretive and often refuses visitors.
When someone is too capable, everyone around them becomes just a foil.
At this moment, Li Hui suddenly chuckled and said, "Adao, if you ever have a chance to gain military merit, don't forget me. I'm not as petty as my father."
Yang Zhengdao was somewhat tempted upon hearing this.
If we were to go to the Western Regions, we could really bring Li Hui, a member of the imperial clan, along, so that we could benefit from some of the resources of the Prince of Hejian.
"Ah-Hui, what is your dream?"
"My dream is to spend every day in Pingkangfang from now on!"
This one sentence effectively shut down any further boastful words Yang Zhengdao might make.
He said helplessly, "Ah Hui, I think your father gave you the perfect name! Every day—"
"What do you mean!" Li Hui looked completely bewildered.
"It's nothing!" Yang Zhengdao could only smile bitterly to himself.
Sigh! Back in the Tang Dynasty, "日" (sun) wasn't a verb yet, so even if you told a lame joke, nobody would understand it!