Tibet

In the lobby, Li Ye hung up a sketch he drew. This was the cart sketch Li Ye drew last night.

He explained it in person, while Wang Pingchuan and his son and a dozen apprentices sat below.

"This time I went to the Western Regions and had a deep impression of the long journey. When I came back, the wounded soldiers came back in big cars. There were more than a dozen people in a big car. I had an idea, could we make a special car? This kind of troop transport carriage is wide, large and long. A large carriage can seat fifty people. Soldiers can ride horses during the day and rest and sleep in the carriage at night. They march day and night, and of course they have to change their carriage every hundred miles. Criticize the war horses."

Wang Pingchuan raised his hand and said: "Your Highness, as far as I know, marching at night is normal! Each soldier brings two horses, one during the day and one at night. As long as the person and horse at the front of the team are awake, the rest will People can sleep while riding horses, and the horses will march in the order of the queue, and no horse will fall behind, so that we can march day and night."

Li Ye nodded, "I know this kind of march, but the speed is too slow. What I need is to run at night, not to walk slowly."

Wang Pingchuan pondered for a long time and said: "To build this kind of cart to Anxi, the wood is definitely not good, it must be made of copper and iron, and it is very expensive, because it is not only to transport troops, but more importantly, to transport logistics supplies, and the war horses are mainly used at night. Slow down to rest. If you keep running, the horse will not be able to bear it at first."

At this time, the chief steward Wu Min couldn't help but said: "Master Wang, you just need to build the car, you don't need to think about anything else!"

Only then did Wang Pingchuan react and said with shame: "The villain is too troublesome."

Li Ye smiled and said: "Actually, it's not too troublesome. You did remind me that copper and iron consume too much and will affect other undertakings. This is a bit outweighed by the gains. I will consider the marching speed. The key is whether the cart can move according to the speed of the march. Created by my thoughts?”

Wang Pingchuan smiled and said: "It's not a big problem. The sites where we build large-scale siege weapons all have eight pairs of wheels, and the long and wide carts His Highness mentioned are very similar to our carriages with trebuchets. That one also has three pairs of wheels." The wheels are twice as long as those of an ordinary carriage and require six draft horses to pull them.”

Li Ye nodded, "Yes! It's very similar to the carriage with a trebuchet on it, but what I want is not only sturdy and durable, but also comfortable. Even if the cart doesn't transport troops, what if it's a wounded soldier? He can't ride a horse. , you must take a big cart, that’s why I’m looking for you, the carriage with the trebuchet is too bumpy, I need you to improve it!”

Wang Pingchuan immediately expressed his position: "I understand! I will study it carefully and come up with a prototype car within half a year at the latest."

Li Ye smiled slightly again and said: "If the development can be successful this time, I will consider setting up another vehicle institute in the Ordnance Department to specialize in the study of transportation, and Wang Gui will become the chief craftsman!"

Although Wang Pingchuan's qualifications are not enough to become an official, it is great to be the chief craftsman. The salary is so high that it may not even be comparable to that of a signed order.

Wang Pingchuan said excitedly: "I will definitely try my best to develop a carriage that His Highness is satisfied with!"

The day after the heavy snowfall in Chang'an, it also snowed heavily in Luoyang. The heavy snow fell one after another, and soon Luoyang was covered with heavy snow, turning it into a snow-capped world.

During this period, the court was quite uneasy, mainly because the emperor's health was in trouble, which caused a lot of discussion in the court and the public.

At noon that day, Li Dai took a carriage to the Jishan Restaurant in Jishanfang. This restaurant was opened by the Dugu family, but it was not the Dugu family in Chang'an, but the Dugu family in Luoyang.

The carriage stopped slowly, and Li Dai got out of the carriage. Several guards were blocking him. At this time, the restaurant owner ran over and saluted: "The third master is waiting in the Magnolia Room on the third floor. Please come with me, Prime Minister!"

Li Dai is now the Zuo Xiangguo of the Tang Dynasty, with a high status. Even the bodyguards around him have increased to twenty people, under the unified command of Liu Wutong.

Li Dai followed the shopkeeper up the side stairs to the third floor, came to a private room, opened the door and went in. Dugu Ming had been waiting in the room for a long time.

Li Dai clasped his fists and said with a smile: "Brother, please wait a long time!"

Although Dugu Ming did not hold a specific official position, he was also named Liang Guogong and had a very high status. In particular, he actually controlled the wealth and power of the Dugu family. Therefore, there was a saying in the court, "It is better to quarrel with the King of Hell than with Ah." Mingzheng'.

This A Ming refers to Dugu Ming. He controls the two major forces of Dugu Family General and Hidden Wings, and even the eunuch group is somewhat afraid of him.

Dugu Ming stood up and said with a smile: "Actually, we just arrived. Dear brother, please have a seat!"

The maid took off Li Dai's robe, sat down and said, "It's snowing heavily this year and it's coming earlier than in previous years. I'm a little worried that Aye might still be in Hexi and he might be trapped."

Dugu Ming wanted to smile and said: "Don't worry, His Highness has returned to Chang'an."

Li Dai was overjoyed, "Brother, have you got the news?"

"I received a letter from Li Mi yesterday. His Highness has returned, so I want to tell my brother."

Li Dai nodded, "Then I'll be relieved!"

Dugu Ming asked the maid to serve wine and food. From time to time, several maids brought wine and food. Dugu Ming poured a glass of wine for Li Dai, "I heard that Xiangguo Pei is planning to resign?"

Li Dai sighed, "I don't know who spread the rumor, saying that Princess Qi is the granddaughter of Pei Xiangguo, saying that Pei Xiangguo deliberately concealed it to make the emperor angry, so Pei Xiangguo planned to resign voluntarily."

Dugu Ming sneered, "If Pei Zunqing really resigns, he will play into the hands of the eunuchs!"

Li Dai immediately asked: "Is this related to the eunuch party?"

Dugu Ming picked up the wine glass and said calmly: "First of all, I want to tell my dear brother that this matter is not a rumor. Pei Zunqing's daughter is indeed the mother of Princess Qi. She is my eldest brother's second wife. She died due to childbirth after giving birth to Xinyue. Zhen Feng passed away.

Pei Zunqing was very angry with my eldest brother because of this, thinking that he had not taken good care of his daughter. The two fell out, and they had no contact for more than 20 years. Pei Zunqing never asked about his granddaughter, even when Xinyue became Princess Qi. There was no correspondence either. "

Li Dai nodded, "I see. I didn't expect that Pei Zunqing and I are actually in-laws. This matter was probably caused by the eunuchs!"

"It can only be them. This matter is not a secret. As long as you are willing to investigate, you can find out. The key is that the emperor is angry. This is a rumor!"

"What do you mean?" Li Dai was confused.

Dugu Ming said coldly: "Because Pei Zunqing's daughter is marrying my eldest brother, and the witness is the emperor. Is it him or the prince? How could he not know?"

"Maybe he doesn't know what the new moon is"

Dugu Ming shook his head, "He knows. He also persuaded my eldest brother to reconcile with Pei Zunqing. There is another reason for this. Xinyue was called Zhuque at the time, and she grew up in the palace. You may not know that the then Crown Princess Wei His mother was Pei Zunqing's sister, so the Crown Princess took care of Zhuque for half a year, until Lie Feng accepted Zhuque as his disciple. So how could the emperor not know about it, and how could he be angry about this? This was all reported by Empress Zhang It’s just news!”

Li Dai nodded, "I think so. The emperor's condition is unknown now, and Empress Zhang is responsible for everything. I also advise Pei Zunqing not to resign hastily for the time being."

Dugu Ming lowered his voice and said: "If Pei Zunqing resigns as prime minister, it is very likely that Li Fuguo will become the right prime minister."

Li Dai was shocked, "No way!"

Dugu Ming sneered: "Li Fuguo has been seeking the position of prime minister for a long time, and the emperor also promised him. It was only the former prince's firm opposition that prevented Li Fuguo from succeeding. Now the power of the emperor is actually in the hands of Queen Zhang. At this juncture, Qi Fuguo suddenly The princess is Pei Zunqing's granddaughter, and the eunuchs want to make a fuss about this matter and force Pei Zunqing to resign."

Li Dai couldn't sit still, and he quickly said: "I'll go find Pei Zunqing first, and I'll meet up with my brother another day!"

Li Dai stood up to say goodbye, but Dugu Ming grabbed him and said with a smile: "I invited brother Xian here today. Actually, I just want to talk to brother Xian about Taiwei's marriage."

Li Dai smiled and said: "I completely agree. I will write a letter to Ye'er later and ask him to move his concubine Yang one step back and give up the position of the second concubine to Taiwei."

Dugu Ming looked at Li Dai strangely, "Brother Xian, you don't know?"

Li Dai was stunned, "What do you know?"

Dugu Ming shook his head, "I'm sorry. Although I know about this matter, I can never tell it. My younger siblings may know it. Brother Xian, please go back and ask her! Can Yang's seat be moved?"