Great Tang princess

Chapter 634 Before Departure
Li Yuechen slowly came not far from the officers, and everyone raised their hands in salute: "Welcome Your Highness!"

"Hey, I haven't seen you for a long time, and everyone looks a lot stronger." Li Yuechen greeted them with a smile.

These people were the first group to follow her. They were all young men in their 20s at first, but now they have become middle-aged officers with a calm temperament.

In fact, they were both much older than Li Yuechen, but for some reason, when they gathered together, they always felt as if the princess was the elder.

It's not just for status reasons, there are some deeper reasons as well.

"Your Highness hasn't returned for a long time, I'm really happy to see His Highness again today..."

"Hey, you can't drink alcohol!" Li Yuechen interrupted the question he might want to ask in advance, "Don't think that my old lady will let go of the prohibition on alcohol just because of your nice words."

Hearing that she was still joking with them casually, the officers also laughed. It seemed that no matter how long they had been away, their Highness had not changed, and was still the same as before, able to mingle with familiar subordinates.

While chatting, Li Xian also came over, followed by Li Shouli and Li Shouyi brothers.

Seeing Li Yuechen, the two boys ran over quickly: "Auntie!"

"You two, why don't you take advantage of these few days to rest and run around in the barracks?" Li Yuechen asked.

Li Shouli shook his head: "I'm about to go out to serve as the chief of the military region, so I've been studying with Grandpa all this time, and I can ask questions if I don't understand..."

"Forehead……"

Li Yuechen felt a little skeptical about this.

After all, the second brother is in charge of the logistics. I just hope that the two brothers will not be so stingy like him in the future.

After saying hello to the second brother, he followed them around the barracks.

Now there is also a new football field here, and soldiers are usually organized to play football here during the holidays. As for the others, there is not much change from before.

The only change is that the training of the soldiers is getting better and better. Walking in the barracks, seeing the occasional soldiers passing by in line, you can see a trace of the shadow of the square team in the future military parade.

After all, there is no such thing as an age limit for being a soldier nowadays. Many soldiers here have been in the barracks for about ten years, so it is only natural that they can be trained like this.

It was the afternoon, and the weather was a bit hot. After walking around the barracks, Li Yuechen planned to visit the Engineering Academy.

Arriving at the Academy of Engineering, under the reception of the academicians, Li Yuechen came to the laboratory to observe the situation.

As soon as I entered the room, I heard various noises.

Although today's steam engine is only a little bigger than a human head and has serious air leakage, it can drive many machines, such as stirring rods or bellows.

Even after the divergent thinking of these craftsmen, Li Yuechen saw the planer with the simplest structure here.

Although the current strength is very small, the speed is slow, and there is a serious air leak, but being able to do this is already a very good result.

In fact, as long as the current steam engine is used on the loom, the efficiency can be doubled again in an instant.

It's just that it's not necessary for now. The most important thing is that if the problem of air leakage is not solved, it will be a very troublesome thing after all.

Among other things, the current laboratory feels like a sauna room. Under the work of nearly ten leaking steam engines, it is almost catching up with the blacksmith's workshop.

Speaking of blacksmiths, Li Yuechen asked while fanning the wind with a fan: "How is copper wire made today?"

Because the communication project between Chang'an and Dongdu has already started, a lot of wires need to be made.

Li Xian nodded: "Well, don't worry, Yuechen. There are a lot of copper ore and silver ore as tribute from the Wa Kingdom, and the raw materials are sufficient."

"Well, that's not bad, where is the project now?"

"It's less than half, and it's not expected to be completed until the middle of next year." Li Xian replied, "This project seems simple, but the requirements are extremely high, and the speed cannot be accelerated."

Li Yuechen nodded to express his understanding: "There is no rush, it doesn't matter if you are slow, but you have to do it carefully, otherwise it will be extremely troublesome to judge if something goes wrong."

"Don't worry, I understand!"

Now Li Xian, who is in charge of the logistics, is the person in charge of the communication project, and he has to wait for the report from there at any time.

"How about gunpowder?" Li Yuechen asked again, "When the time comes, Shouli and Shouyi will go to Yizhou to form a new army. The demand for gunpowder will be indispensable. At that time..."

Li Xian thought for a while: "At the moment, it's not really nervous. Charcoal and sulfur are everywhere. As for the nitrate... At present, the huts in the villages around the Eastern Capital City have nitrate soil, and the army will also take it on weekdays. trade them some other things like salt, and they collect it and ship it over..."

"Okay, it's a way." Li Yuechen nodded, "But I'll look for a saltpeter mine in the future..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Shouyi who followed suddenly asked, "Since there is nitrate in the hut, does that mean it is related to human excrement?"

"Well, it can be understood in this way." Li Yuechen nodded, but he couldn't explain the reason. Most of the knowledge back then was returned to the teacher, and now he can't remember it no matter what.

This can't be her fault, after all, this thing is not her specialty. Things like looms are things that she traveled around the world and saw the real thing.

I understand things like engines and tires, because extreme sports are closely related.

But in terms of chemistry, it can only be said that most of them have been returned to the teacher. It is an eye-opener to be able to get hydrogen out.

Li Shouyi said, "Since this is the case, can we dig a big pit and fill it with excrement? In this way, we can produce a large amount of nitrate, right?"

"It's really worth trying." Li Xian thought for a while, "Why don't you try it on the mountain behind the barracks?"

"Well, it's good that brother is in charge of this matter. If it happens, it will reduce the cost of gunpowder a lot, and save part of the military expenses for other things." Li Yuechen nodded in agreement.

In the evening, Li Yuechen ate in the barracks cafeteria, but the food here was not as rich as that in Qingdao.

After all, it is close to the sea and the cost of seafood is low, so the conditions here are naturally inferior.

After dinner, Li Yuechen and his second brother walked side by side on the military camp playground, chatting about the future.

"Shouli and Shouyi are about to go to Yizhou to take up the post. Furong is somewhat reluctant. As a brother, I want to leave the post early and go to accompany them..."

"I understand my sister-in-law's thoughts, but at this time the army is inseparable from people, I'm afraid brother will have to work hard for a few more years." Speaking of this, Li Yuechen also felt a little guilty, "But in the future, there will be a waterway there too. In the future, if my sister-in-law wants to see them, it's very simple. And during the holidays, the two of them can come back at any time. "

Li Xian nodded slightly: "Okay, I know that you are also tired in management, so do what you say. Shouli and Shouyi don't love family very much, and I think about getting over soon every day."

"This may also be related to education..." Li Yuechen smiled.

Over the years, the education of the royal family's children has been generally successful. At least for now, nothing messed up.

Maybe the royal family still has the arrogance of the superiors in their hearts when facing ordinary people, but they will not bully men and women like dudes, but are willing to help in many things within their ability.

So up to now, Li Yuechen is quite satisfied with his plan.

……

The chat with my elder brother didn't end until it was almost Haishi, and then Li Yuechen returned to the Princess Mansion in a carriage.

After returning, Shangguan Wan'er and the two elder sisters also came back, and they all sat together and chatted for a while.

Pei Qingwan said by the way that Wu Luolan has gone to see places these days, and then she will buy land first and then build a brothel in the future, and ask her for a name.

Li Yuechen waved his hand at this: "This brothel, don't call it the word "Taiping". Specifically, let her do whatever she wants."

Naming is the most annoying thing, Li Yuechen is not good at it.

"Has your Highness decided when to leave?" Shangguan Wan'er asked.

"Well... the day after tomorrow." Li Yuechen thought for a while, "There are many troubles in establishing the new army, the sooner the better."

After all, there is still a plan to take the whole family to travel at the end of this year. It is really hard to say whether the preliminary work can be completed in half a year.

Shangguan Wan'er agrees with this, after all, she might be able to come back sooner if she goes there earlier.

……

One night passed, and early the next morning, Li Yuechen got up and entered the palace with Shangguan Wan'er.

It's only three days since I came back and I'm leaving again. Naturally, I have to spend more time with my mother. At the same time, I also sent a notice to Li Shouli and his brothers to prepare well today and leave tomorrow.

Fortunately, other children can continue to play in Dongdu for a while during the summer vacation, and then go there after school starts.

Hearing that her daughter was leaving again, Wu Zetian didn't say much, but asked her to go over there and take good care of herself, and beware of assassinations and the like.

This is not a joke. After all, it is on the edge of the border, so there is still a chance of this kind of thing happening.

To put it bluntly, for foreigners, if they can successfully assassinate Princess Taiping, even though they may have to face revenge from a big country, it is still worth it.

"Don't worry, Aunt, it's really not easy to assassinate me in this era." Li Yuechen nodded to express his understanding.

If it was the future, a sniper rifle could easily blow her head off a thousand meters away.

But now, as long as she does not leave the military region alone, it is almost impossible to assassinate her, unless a large army is organized to fight head-on, then maybe it can be done.

After all, with her skill, it is impossible to touch her without a dozen people swarming up, and this is still in the case of holding a weapon.

If it was barehanded, Li Yuechen felt that it would not be a problem to hit fifty.

Moreover, when Li Yuechen went out this time, he planned to bring a bodyguard team composed of trained female soldiers to follow him on weekdays.

Although Li Yuechen was confident, she was never arrogant. Of course, she also knew how much the Tibetans hated her. How could she be alone when she went to the border of Tubo?
I chatted with my mother all morning, and then went to the barracks in the afternoon, planning to pick a few female guards who would go with me when the time came.

These female soldiers are also currently living in the barracks, temporarily managed by Wang Wuqiong.

……

"What? Your Highness... did not bring his subordinates with him this time?"

In the office, Wang Wuqiong looked at Li Yuechen who was sitting on the boss chair with an incredulous expression and asked.

"Well... you can stay this time." Li Yuechen nodded, "You are not young, it's time to settle down and start a family."

This is what Li Yuechen said long ago, but at this point, Wang Wuqiong still feels a little bit reluctant.

She said cautiously: "Your Highness, why not..."

"Okay, don't haggle with me here!" Li Yuechen interrupted her with a smile, "The army has always been dominated by young people. You are considered quite skilled in the army, but now you have to fight with me. How many of these young female soldiers can you fight against each other?"

Hearing this sentence, Wang Wuqiong fell silent, His Highness was right, if she were to fight against these female soldiers now, it would be good if she could deal with two of them by herself.

After all, she was about to be 30 years old, and she really couldn't compare with these young female soldiers who were only seventeen or eighteen years old.

"When you served as my bodyguard, I usually sat in on my lectures. The next task is to review carefully. After marriage, report to the Ministry of Military Affairs. The Ministry of General Affairs has your place!" Li Yuechen issued an order.

After all the words have been said, even if Wang Wuqiong is unwilling, he can only raise his hand and salute: "Yes!"

"Wuqiong, you have been with me for so long. To me, you are no different from sisters." Li Yuechen picked up the teacup and said slowly, "Remember, the iron camp is full of soldiers! The front line is only suitable for young people after all. people."

"This subordinate understands!" Wang Wuqiong agreed.

Li Yuechen smiled, then stood up and gave her a hug: "It's good to know! You will have more time to play a role in the future, so don't let yourself be depressed!"

"Don't worry, Your Highness!" Seeing her smile, Wang Wuqiong also laughed.

After arranging the old subordinates, Li Yuechen went to the women's barracks at the back and selected [-] people to serve as his personal guards, and set off for Yizhou with him tomorrow.

The airship is also ready. Although this is the first time for an airship to go to Yizhou, fortunately, airships in this era can't fly too high. With the help of a telescope, you don't have to worry about getting lost.

In addition, the people from the Engineering Academy have already prepared. When they go there, whether it is a camp, a dormitory building or a playground, all need to be newly built, and some technical talents must be brought with them.

After finishing everything here, Li Yuechen went to the palace to have a meal with his mother at night, and after listening to her nagging, he returned to the princess mansion.

At night, Li Yuechen was lying on the bed answering Shangguan Wan'er's questions.

"In the past this time, a new army was trained there to adapt to the plateau climate. In a few years, Tubo will be incorporated into our territory. By then, the Northwest will be completely stable."

"What about the Western Regions and the Eastern and Western Turks?" Shangguan Wan'er asked, "Could it be that His Highness wants to solve it together?"

Li Yuechen turned his head and smiled mysteriously: "That will be at least five or six years later, but Wan'er, if I tell you that sheep can eat people, would you believe me?"

　There is only one update today, too busy...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)