Rule the Roost in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 58: Great craftsman

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Li Hong followed Yan Liben to the main hall of Daming Palace. A huge wooden pillar even exceeded his imagination. I saw a huge pillar that was fifteen feet long and could barely be hugged by three or four people lying across the steps.

"Master Yan, don't tell me it's this giant pillar!" Li Hong asked.

Yan Liben heard the shock in Li Hong's mouth. The old man was a little embarrassed and coughed and said: "Prince Yingming, this is the one in front of you."

I'm so smart as shit. If I were smart, I shouldn't have come with you. With the conditions of today's era, even if you do it yourself, I'm afraid it will take some time.

"Master Yan, you really know how to joke. I haven't offended the Ministry of Works recently, have I? Why do you want to pull me in? If you pull me in, do you think my father will not be angry?" Li Hong touched the hand that was almost on his shoulder. Juzhu, after thinking for a long time, could not come up with a way to solve this problem within a period of time.

"Where's the boulder you mentioned? Don't tell me it's the one I'm stepping on. This is a whole floor, not a boulder." Li Hong asked, looking at the boulder about ten feet square under his feet. The feeling arises spontaneously.

"Prince Yingming, yes, it's this huge stone." Yan Liben said with an embarrassed face.

"No, this... how did you transport it here? Why didn't you cut such a huge boulder and transport it here?" Li Hong asked.

"Back to the prince, if this huge stone is cut open, it will destroy the integrity and beauty. In order to create the great cause of the Tang Dynasty for a hundred years, we naturally need to strive for excellence."

"Then how did you get here?" Li Hong asked again.

"Does the prince know that Cao Mengde had a counselor named Lou Gui?" Yan Liben pretended to be mysterious and asked with a smile.

Li Hong nodded thoughtfully and said, "Lou Zibo came up with a plan to freeze water and build the city wall overnight, and you just used the water and ice to transport the boulders. But is that so?"

"The prince is wise, that's right. The person who performed this method is Lou Yu, the descendant of Lou Gui." Yan Liben waved to a craftsman not far away, and saw a man about fifty years old walking over.

"Lou Yu has met His Highness the Crown Prince and Lord Yan."

"The soldiers carried soil and splashed water, and by daybreak, the earth city was already there. Ma Chao led the troops to watch, and was shocked, calling for divine help. But is that so?" Li Hong said.

"Thank you for the compliment, Prince." Lou Yu bowed and saluted.

"Okay, then I'll give it a try. Mang Zhong, ask Yu Wenrong and Liang Xiaoren to go to Daming Palace immediately." Li Hong turned his back and said to Mang Zhong.

Watching Mang Zhong leave, Yan Liben asked doubtfully: "Are these two students from Chongwen Hall?"

"Yes, it's the students from Chongwen Hall. Let's see if they have a more feasible way." Li Hong knew in his heart that his ideas would be more or less extreme, and would even destroy the established pattern.

Moreover, Yu Wenrong and Liang Xiaoren also know the methods they know, but they do not have the talent or foundation in this area. Therefore, when encountering such difficulties, perhaps they can only use methods like Yu Wenrong and Liang Xiaoren. People with basic knowledge and advanced technical concepts can think of ways to get the best of both worlds.

And these are exactly what Li Hong has been teaching to Chongwen Hall, including to the craftsmen in the restricted area of Taiyi City. He uses all the knowledge he knew in his previous life to enlighten them on the door of inspiration in all subjects, and then let them Based on the existing academic knowledge, slowly open a path to the avenues of knowledge that I have given them.

In this way, no matter which path it takes, there will be no technological gaps, and complete technical reserves can be reserved to prepare real technical reserves for the next step of development and innovation.

Take glass as an example. At that time, I just taught Hardworking and Kenyin how to make it and what to use. But the subsequent proportions were basically figured out by Hardy and Hardy and the two of them, and that’s why today’s glass is as big as the floor-to-ceiling windows of the previous life. .

Although this process is relatively slow, at least it will allow Wuxin to figure out the properties of all substances and solidify all the basic knowledge of making glass. At least it will not cause any gaps in glass technology, allowing them to have a complete system.

And after this, I deliberately gave them a ten-year development period. During this period, no matter the countries in the Western Regions or the Goryeo and Japanese countries, they had no access to this technology.

But on the other hand, even if they keep it a secret, it will accelerate their curiosity about glass and intensify their desire to refine glass themselves. This will give them the opportunity to reserve glass technology and enable them to achieve all technical reserves step by step.

Therefore, after I have worked hard to develop glass technology for more than ten years, I sell glass to them. First, I can make a lot of money in the past few years, and second, I can effectively curb them from developing their own technology.

Even if one day they can produce the same glass technology as the Tang Dynasty, it will be even more difficult for them to develop forward because their technology reserves are insufficient. If there is a gap in technology, Sometimes I still need to do it all over again. At least I have to work hard again and gain several years of development time.

As for the Taiyi City Medicinal Food Room that he valued most, Li Hong adopted the same method, but the confidentiality level was reached to the highest level and no outsiders were allowed to know.

That is to give them the most basic production of gunpowder, and then let them continue to develop and develop on this basis, and finally achieve solid development forward from the most basic gunpowder technology according to the historical development trajectory.

What he provided was nothing more than a prototype of gunpowder that was more than a hundred or two hundred years old. According to this rule, I am just in this life, laying the foundation for future generations' development a hundred years in advance, and being ahead of this era as a whole. In this way, there will be no faults and development stagnation, and the benefits to Datang will be comparable to directly using my own Being able to be the best is so much better.

What I want to build is a true team of great craftsmen who can support the Tang Dynasty's industry, economy, military, etc.! Pure elite craftsmen who can make Datang far ahead of other countries in all industries!

Li Hong believed that Yu Wenrong and Liang Xiaoren could solve this problem completely independently, but obviously, Yan Liben didn't think so.

Yan Liben stroked his gray beard and thought about it for a while and said: "Your Highness, with all due respect, this method may be difficult to do. Before I invite you to come, please contact the Hongwen Pavilion, the Imperial College, and even the Japanese deportees who were stranded in the Tang Dynasty." Mr. Tang, I have all been called here to look at it, but no one can come up with an effective method. Could it be that your Chongwen Museum..."

"You will know after you try it. By the way, Lord Yan, what if my students put it up? I know that Lord Zheng Guogong and Wei Zheng lost the "Goose Changing Tie" to you. Otherwise, you can How about making a bet with me using the "Goose Exchange Sticker"

Yan Liben was horrified. His beard was trembling and he took a few steps back in shock. He trembled and said, "How...how does the Crown Prince know that the "Huang Ting Jing" is in the hands of the minister?"

This has always been a secret. Back then, I made a bet with Wei Zheng. After Wei Zheng lost, I listened to my brother Yan Lide and asked for the "Huang Ting Jing" written by Wang Xizhi. This matter has never been mentioned to anyone. Now it has been When the prince asked, he was naturally shocked.

"The historian said it." Li Hong said easily: "Others don't know, but it doesn't mean that I don't know. There are still some historians who were the historians of Grandpa Huang back then, so I just talked to them, so I know it." ,Very simple."

Yan Liben looked at Li Hong's harmless eyes, always feeling uneasy in his heart, but then looked at the project that was about to be delayed, sighed in his heart, gritted his teeth and said: "Okay, I will take a gamble with the prince, but What if you lose, Prince?"

"Do you know who owns Wang Xizhi's "Preface to the Lanting Collection"?" Li Hong threw out a big bait.

Yan Liben didn't believe it: "Impossible, it was something cherished by the late emperor. I'm afraid even your majesty has not been able to see the original work. How can you own it?"

"Grandpa Huang has left. Who do you want to leave this thing to? Didn't you give it to my father? Do you remember the bet my father made with me in Linhu Palace?" Li Hong asked, blinking his bright eyes. .

"Of course I remember, His Majesty did lose that time. You also made this better glass for the Tang Dynasty, and now it is used in the Daming Palace. Could it be that your gambling money with His Majesty was..." Yan Liben's eyes began to change. She was hot, sparkling, and not at all old-fashioned.

Yan Liben was good at craftsmanship, calligraphy and painting, and was familiar with architecture. He is well-known for the "Stepping Chariot Picture" now collected in Taiji Palace. It was painted in the 15th year of Zhenguan when Taizong met with the Tibetan envoy Lu Dongzan who married Princess Wencheng. scene.

The bait Li Hong threw out was enough to have a huge magical power on people like Yan Liben who regarded calligraphy and painting as their life. Without saying a word, they made an agreement with Li Hong that the loser would take out the treasure.

The two of them laughed, as if they had seen each other's treasures and had already put them into their own pockets.

Liang Xiaoren and Yu Wenrong rushed over quickly, with a hint of nervousness and excitement in their expressions. After bowing to Li Hong, Li Hong pointed to the huge tree and said: "Put it on the beam. If you can't put it up, you can take it yourself." The sign stood outside Jiafu Gate for seven days.”

"Ah?" Both of them were shocked when they heard Li Hong's punishment. Stand for seven days? Will you still have the face to see people in the future

"And bring this little stone under your feet to the steps. Since we know the serious consequences of not being able to do it, I will give you three days. If you can do it, it will be easy. If you can't do it, seven days will be just the beginning of the punishment." Li Hong took some time off and warned with a relaxed expression.

Yan Liben looked at the frightened expressions of the two people and thought that they were helpless against the difficulties before them. He joked: "His Royal Highness has made a bet with me. If you can't do it, Your Highness will lose to me." This is a very important treasure for me, so you’d better do your best.”

After Li Hong finished speaking, Yu Wenrong and Liang Xiaoren began to stare at the huge wooden pillar in front of them. They listened to Yan Liben's words to a certain extent. They only knew that the prince made a bet with others. They didn't care what the bet was. What they care about is how the prince will punish them if they lose!

"Okay, Your Highness, as long as the students are given two days, they will definitely do it!" Yu Wenrong obviously already had an idea in his mind.

"Ah...? Can you complete the erection of such a huge tree?" Upon hearing the words of the two students, Yan Liben's eyes almost went dark and he almost fainted.

How is this possible? Two young men who are no more than fifteen or sixteen years old dare to make such a sworn guarantee when it comes to the problems that have plagued the Imperial Academy, Hongwen Hall and other great scholars and talented people.

(End of chapter)