Late Tang Dynasty: I

Chapter 175 The general trend of the world
There are salt ponds in Anyi County and Xie County, which can produce millions of stones of table salt annually, and can receive millions of salt taxes. Both Anyi County and Jie County belong to Puzhou. In the eighth year of Tang Kaiyuan, Puzhou was promoted to Hezhong Prefecture.

The terrain here is critical, only [-] miles away from Chang'an, [-] miles away from Tongguan, and [-] miles away from Taiyuan in the east of the river.

There are several passes such as Pujindu and Fenglingdu in the territory. There is an old saying that if you want to take Chang'an, you must first get Puzhou.

Moreover, Puzhou, Jinzhou, Jiangzhou, Cizhou, and Xizhou are under the jurisdiction of Hezhong Prefecture. There are Fen River, Jiang River, Wei River, Wuding River, Yan River, etc. in the territory. The water system is abundant and there are many fertile fields.

For military strategists, the shortcomings are also obvious. Except for a few ferry passes, there is almost no danger to defend, especially when the river is frozen in winter, it is even more flat.

This caused a headache for His Majesty the Emperor, who was bent on obsessively growing up.

The three prefectures of Xing, Ming, and Ci were infested by Li Keyong from time to time, which impressed His Majesty the emperor deeply. If the river is governed, the seven prefectures of Xing, Ming, Ci, Lu, Jiang, Jin, and Xi all border on Hedong. If Suizhou and Yinzhou are added, the west side of the river and the imperial court are already connected.

The most notable change is that on the sand table of Yanying Hall, small triangular red flags have filled the west side of the Tang Dynasty.

Even Kong Wei, the prime minister who has always been meticulous, couldn't help but take a few extra glances when he walked in front of the sand table.

These places with red flags are all places that can be reached by imperial edicts.

Think about what happened two years ago, the imperial edict could not go out of Jingzhao Mansion, Chang'an is connected to more than 10,000 counties in the surrounding Jingzhao Mansion, and the population is only 3+, which still includes more than [-] forbidden troops and several thousand officials inside.

The surrounding Li Maozhen, Wang Xingyu, Han Jian, and Wang Xingyue led troops to Chang'an for a military parade at every turn.

And now!

Guanzhong and Sanchuan are all governed, and Hexi and Hezhong are also under control.

All eunuchs in the court were eliminated, and the Tang Dynasty was clear and bright.

The martial arts of His Majesty the Emperor far surpassed those of the previous generations of monarchs, but the martial arts were not as good.

After the Shangyuan Festival, the martial arts examination will also be held, and the imperial examination will also be put on the schedule.

Kong Wei mentioned a few words on the jade wat. As he gets older, things will always be forgotten. If he writes down what he wants to say on the jade wat in advance, he will not miss things when he plays it right.

But after waiting for a long time, the emperor still did not come.

"It's time!"

"Half an hour has passed!"

"Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has never been negligent in discussing politics!"

When all the ministers were in doubt, Xiaohuangmen came to report that His Majesty was in Linde Hall, and invited all the ministers to Linde Hall for discussion.

Jing Xiang, Sun Wei, and Zhang Chengye are very curious. The situation in the river is very delicate. Although the imperial court has a great advantage, if it is a little careless, it will cause great trouble. What is your majesty more important than this matter? Woolen cloth?

The little yellow gate led the way, and Kong Wei shook his head again and again, the current palace doesn't look like a palace.

"Where is it doing?"

A group of maids in the palace held sieves and sifted the grain over and over again.

"Returning to Kong Guogong, it is to screen the big ones and save them for seeds. Your Majesty said that, just like people, the children born by big people are mostly big people. Big seeds, if planted, the grain yield will increase." Just a little higher, and after three or five seasons of planting, the gap will be obvious."

Kong Wei was confused, looked at Sun Kui and said, "Is there any allusion to this method?"

Sun Kui shook his head.

Niu Hui nodded, and said: "It's probably like this. Do you remember the pigs? The people are raising a lot of them now, and they grow meat really fast."

Zhang Chengye said: "I still remember your majesty saying that if you can grow grain twice a year, how much more grain will the Tang Dynasty produce?"

Kong Wei originally wanted to say that it was all absurd skills, but it involved farming and related to the common people in the world, so he shut his mouth before he could say it.

Sun Wei was born in poverty the most, so he naturally knows what an extra morsel of food means to the people, sometimes it means a life!
"Your Majesty sees a little, and thinks about the world. This is the blessing of the common people!"

Look at the hall next to it, where dozens of craftsmen are transforming looms and spinning machines.

Zhang Chengye took a long breath, he knew how powerful the loom was, and with the addition of Sanchuan's textile industry, the textile industry alone could increase the tax by [-]%, and the Weaving Bureau could have millions of dollars in income.

And that's just the beginning.

Cotton cloth is still only used as a reward from the emperor. After harvesting this season, a hundred acres of cotton seeds can be planted with tens of thousands of acres next year, and then the entire Guanzhong can be planted with cotton.

Spinning silk in summer and autumn, and spinning cotton in winter and spring, Zhang Chengye couldn't even imagine how big the weaving bureau would be.

It was not until we got to the edge of Taiye Pool that we saw the Emperor's Luanjia. The Taiye Pool, which was originally beautiful, has a few brick houses added here, which is particularly obtrusive.

Before approaching, everyone felt a hot breath, as well as the sound of hammering and beating, and the hoarse sound of the bellows.

"This is the place where iron is smelted!"

"What's so interesting about ironmaking?"

Zhang Chengye and Jing Xiang glanced at each other. Anything the emperor participated in would always turn decay into magic. I don't know what changes will happen to this iron smelting.

How can it be a trivial matter that can alarm the emperor.

There are mostly two methods of ironmaking in the Tang Dynasty. The first is the repeated hammering method of steelmaking, and the second is the method of frying steel.

What attracted the emperor was the progress of the method of frying steel.

To be clear, it is actually very simple. The original iron melting furnace directly puts charcoal particles and iron ore into the furnace, blows air with a large fire and a bellows, melts the iron juice, and then pours the iron juice into a pot made of fire bricks and stirs. .

But now, the charcoal and iron ore are only ground finer with stones. Unexpectedly, the changes brought about are earth-shaking. There is no need for much wind from the bellows, and the iron furnace can melt the molten iron, and the temperature of the molten iron higher.

Li Ye had never seen ironmaking, but he still knew a little about the blast furnace for ironmaking.

"Is it possible to continuously add charcoal and ore powder into the furnace when making iron, and the molten iron will also flow out continuously?"

"The stove, it's like a tall wine jug, pouring materials from the top, and pouring molten iron from the bottom!"

"..."

The emperor's words opened the door to a new world of artisans. His Majesty the Emperor supported them a lot. The money was spent freely, and the rewards were quite heavy. There are already several artisans who have been knighted.

The key point is after the molten iron comes out. Li Ye doesn't know anything else, but he knows that limestone and fluorite powder are added to the molten iron and stirred to remove the residue.

These craftsmen don't know what carbon is. The method of frying steel was invented in the Han Dynasty. It has a history of nearly 1000 years and is mostly passed down by word of mouth.

Whether a pot of good steel can be smelted depends not only on God's will, but also on the experience of the craftsmen. From time to time, sprinkle a layer of iron ore powder or stir it with a carbon stick from time to time.

However, the addition of lime fluorite can indeed significantly improve the quality of steel.

"almost."

The molten iron that has been fried and refined flows into the mold along the channel.

After cooling down, the craftsman has his own method of identification. He tapped it suddenly with a hammer, and there was a buzzing sound.

"Your Majesty, it is a good furnace of steel. This steel with lime added is different. It is not so brittle and not so brittle. It is very hard... This pot seems to be breaking down a little faster..."

The pot is made of acidic firebricks. Limestone and fluorite are both alkaline, so it is normal for them to break down quickly. As for alkaline firebricks, His Majesty the Emperor will not know it either!

"Record all the process, every furnace must be recorded, the time is recorded with an hourglass, and no detail can be missed."

"promise!"

Thinking day and night, there must be echoes, and the slightest progress made His Majesty very happy. After leaving the iron workshop, Li Ye realized that his whole body was soaked.

Many things are very simple to think, but it is different when they are done. The progress of Datang's ironmaking is completely based on experience and exploration without theoretical support, so it is extremely difficult.

"His Majesty!"

"His Majesty!"

Li Ye laughed and said, "I kept you waiting for a long time. In the morning, the craftsmen reported that they had smelted several furnaces of good steel. I couldn't help myself, so I came here to see it first!"

Kong Wei stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty takes the country seriously, and you can use the strange and ingenious techniques, just have a look!"

"You know that the art of making iron and steel is a strange skill?"

Farming is also discussed, pig raising is also discussed, textiles are also discussed, and now iron smelting is also discussed. As long as His Majesty the Emperor is not focused on state affairs, Confucius will have opinions.

Li Ye pointed to the iron smelting room and said, "The eternal foundation of the Tang Dynasty is in the court, and it is also in these craftsmen!"

"His Majesty!……"

Knowing that Kong Wei wanted to persuade him, Li Ye interrupted him, frowned slightly, and said, "Mr. Kong will wait and see, maybe three to five years, maybe decades, there will be some changes!"

Li Ye went to the nearby Chuxiu Palace to change his clothes, and summoned all the ministers to the side hall of Linde Hall.

Li Ye did not object to Kong Wei's mention of Enke. It has been almost two years since he ascended the throne, and the imperial examination has not yet been held.

Another thing is that the emperor paid homage to Zhang Yichao and Zhang Yitan, and the day was after the Shangyuan Festival. It was a big event to enjoy the ancestral temple, and many etiquettes had to be properly arranged.

As for the military in Hezhong, Li Ye left behind Jingxiang, Zhang Chengye, Niu Hui, and Sun Weizui.

"I received a report that Wang Ke wants to lure troops back to Jinzhou, open up the treasury, and reward the three armies. He wants to bring all the troops from Hezhong Prefecture to Jinzhou. It will only take a few days."

"Your Majesty, do you want to increase the number of troops in the river to prevent accidents?"

Li Ye shook his head and said: "The morale of the Hezhong Army is low, and they will have no fighting spirit. Now that the Right Shence Army and the Right Shenwei Army are in the front, and the Left Huwei Army has cut off the enemy's way back, why not worry about it!"

Jing Xiang said: "Your Majesty, the three armies of the Hezhong Mansion are not affiliated. There may be gross omissions in the battle, and it will take a lot of time to request orders back and forth. I am afraid that each army will fight independently, which will delay the opportunity of the war!"

Li Ye nodded. It's not suitable for the imperial conquest now, Li Ye is afraid of stimulating Li Ke's sensitive nerves.

The most suitable candidate in his mind was naturally Zhu Zhen. After thinking about it, he made up his mind.

"I appointed Zhu Zhen as the head of the camp in the middle of the river, to control the Zuohuwei army, the left and right Shence army, and the Zuo Shenwei army. What do you think?"

Li Ye was quite wary of the military power of the generals, so he took command of this battle temporarily. Besides, Zhu Zhen's family members were all in Chang'an, and many generals in the army belonged to other armies. Yushan's personal guards were also placed in Zuo Huwei's army.

His Majesty the Emperor controls the system tightly.

But now what Li Ye was thinking about was how to give his generals the chance to be on their own.

Among the armies now, Zhu Zhen has the experience of commanding battles alone, Suo Xun and Yang Shihou are also counted, and the rest are always worse...

……

Hedong, Taiyuan Prefecture.

The arrival of the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty, Li Ke was very attentive, as if he had forgotten about the looting of the Xing, Ming, and Ci states, he went out of the city to greet him in person.

On the same day, Li Keyong hosted a banquet in hospitality.

　I don’t know why the chapter was broken, it doesn’t fit anywhere, let’s try to have another chapter tonight
　　
　
(End of this chapter)