Great Tang princess

Nowadays, things like motorcycles are considered products that most people are familiar with.

Not only in the eastern capital of Chang'an, but also in first-tier cities such as Taiyuan and Qingdao, there are still many dandies riding this thing around the streets every day.

Although there are no driving schools in other places now, it is very easy for a wealthy dude to spend money to study in a driving school in Dongdu and get a driver's license.

The only troublesome thing is that gasoline is not easy to buy. Nowadays, gasoline can be bought in Chang'an and Qingdao in the eastern capital, but it cannot be bought in other places.

So the cost of riding a bicycle is a bit high, but again, it's not a big deal for a rich dude at home.

This is the scene of the Tang Dynasty in the four years of Guangshun, which is completely different from other countries.

Even many wealthy foreign businessmen have bought motorcycles and used them as means of transportation.

……

In Jixian Temple, Li Xian was lying on the rocking chair and pretended to be dead. If the health ball in his hand was not still rotating regularly, he would not even know if he was still alive.

"Sometimes, I really envy you, Yuechen." He said without opening his eyes.

Li Yuechen, who was sitting beside him drinking tea, raised his eyebrows: "Envy me?"

Li Chongrun on the opposite side smiled and said, "Grandfather is envious of my aunt's youth!"

"Not to mention Your Majesty, I'm even envious." Wei Lian'er laughed, "Your Highness is obviously older than me, but he looks ten years younger than me."

Wei Lianer is 41 years old, two years younger than Li Yuechen.

However, half of her hair has turned gray, the wrinkles on her face are also very obvious, and her figure is somewhat fatter.

In this era, the average life expectancy of human beings is not high, and they are getting old quickly.

Relatively speaking, Wei Lian'er's state is pretty good in this era.

But Li Yuechen was different. Now she couldn't see any obvious wrinkles on her face, and there were very few white hairs, so she couldn't see it unless she looked carefully.

His eyes are piercing, and his body still looks very young.Walking is still extremely light, and there is no feeling of aging.

"I've said it all, she looks like a goblin." Li Xian, who was lying on the rocking chair, opened his eyes and took a sip from the teacup.

"What fairy, you don't pay attention to exercise, okay?"

Li Yuechen was a little helpless, turned his head and patted his nephew's shoulder: "Look at Run'er, she still insists on exercising every day, how good her body is! Although I can't see it now, as long as I keep exercising, I won't grow too old in the future quick."

Regardless of the fact that Li Chongrun is now the Minister of the Ministry of War, he is no longer in the army.

But I spend a few hours in the gym every day from Monday to Friday, and I still insist on running every morning, which is unshakable.

Therefore, the figure is not out of shape because of sitting in the office every day, but looks more energetic.

After taking off his shirt, he could see the streamlined muscles on his body with clear lines, but they were not in one piece.

Because he not only exercises strength, but also learns yoga from Li Yuechen, which can be described as a combination of rigidity and softness.

Like Li Yuechen, she is also a typical hanger figure.

And it's not just him, let alone Shangguan Wan'er, even the two princesses Yiyang and Xuancheng, who are now over 60 years old, look much younger than their actual age.

"Oh, I know the truth, but it's a pity I can't hold on." Li Xian replied helplessly.

"After all, I'm still lazy." Li Yuechen took a sip of tea with a smile, but didn't say anything else.

Anyway, my brother has been like this all his life, and now that he is the emperor, there is no point in forcing him to exercise.

It's better to follow him, what love is like.

Fortunately, now I often go to play golf with officials, which is more or less a kind of sport.

"Speaking of which, when will the train be officially put into operation?" Li Xian asked, changing the subject.

"Soon, the laying of railroad tracks requires a large number of infrastructure workers, and Datang's economy will usher in a take-off stage." Li Yuechen replied.

Li Xian was a little curious: "Then where is the railway laid first?"

"Of course, the north and south should be connected first. With the gradual development of commerce in the future, the transport capacity of the Grand Canal can no longer keep up, so the railway should first connect the north and south."

Having said that, he waved his hand to Li Chongrun next to him: "Go and get the map."

Li Chongrun agreed, and ran to get the map of Datang, and spread it on the table.

Then Li Yuechen began to explain: "The first is the north, starting from Chang'an, going to Taiyuan, Youzhou, Shenzhou, Changchun...all the way to the edge of Sakhalin Island. Stations can be set up in various places along the way, and this will be discussed in detail later."

Then point to the map and go down, "We still start from Chang'an, go to Mianzhou, Changsha County, then Guangzhou, and finally to the opposite side of Zhenzhou coast."

At this time, the Land of Two Lakes is already under development, and good results have been achieved.

Li Yuechen's arrangement was also fully considered.

These places of passage are all places that will develop into military or commercial important places over time.

Connecting these places first can strengthen the capital's control over the places.

First determine these large stations. As for the small stations along the way, let the Ministry of War handle it slowly.

Trains must have served the army when they first came out. Before the railway department was established separately, this was naturally something that the Ministry of War needed to solve.

After seeing it, Li Xian nodded slightly: "After the connection between the north and the south, is the east and west..."

"That's much simpler, Run'er, tell me, how do things connect?"

Hearing that the order came to him, Li Chongrun thought about it carefully: "My nephew thinks that if you connect to the east, you should start from Chang'an, go to Dongdu, then go to Zhengzhou, Qingzhou, and finally arrive at Qingdao and Laizhou... As for the west... ...At present, Tubo Province is a plateau, and the railway laying is too difficult, I am afraid..."

"Actually, there is no need to worry about the west. In the future, the entire Western Region will enter the territory of the Tang Dynasty. It's okay to think about it then." Li Yuechen smiled.

Li Xian raised his eyebrows: "We'll talk about it when the time comes, is there time?"

"Brother, I'm afraid I'm thinking too much. The construction of this railway is by no means an easy task. The three lines I mentioned just now will take at least 20 years to complete."

Although the current Datang has already started the industrial revolution, but because Li Yuechen has been in control, it has not really ushered in the outbreak period.

Because the illiteracy rate is still too high now, there are not so many talents who can make it explode.

Moreover, from the very beginning, Li Yuechen deliberately controlled the development speed of the industry.

One is to prevent too much damage to the environment, and the other is to consider human adaptability.

The current development speed is so fast that ordinary people are almost unable to react. If the speed continues to accelerate, I am afraid that in the future, many people will fall into the confusion of not knowing what they can do before they realize what happened.

Anyway, the secrets of the industry now belong to the Tang royal family. Since it can control the speed of its development, there is no need to be too anxious.

Now is not the time for an arms race among countries in the world, and there is no need to step on the mines that those developed countries have stepped on.

Not to mention that what the future royal family has to do is to prevent class solidification and ensure the room for advancement of ordinary people, so there is no need to worry, everything must come slowly.

……

Seeing her son pointing at the map and talking, Wei Lian'er's eyes shone with pride.

This son of mine, no matter in appearance or in heart, is no worse than the children raised by those aristocratic families.

Not only is it not bad, but it also has advantages that they cannot match.

That is to train in the army since childhood, and to go to the battlefield in person.Compared with the talents cultivated by those aristocratic families, they have a special temperament and spirit.

It can be said that although he is only in his early 20s now, he is already a qualified emperor!
Seeing sister-in-law's eyes, Li Yuechen couldn't help but secretly smiled, it seems that now she began to understand the importance of royal education.

"Okay, anyway, I don't understand this matter. When the time comes, you write a memorial and I'll stamp it." After speaking, Li Xian picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Run'er is now the minister of the Ministry of War. Let him write this memorial. I still have to keep an eye on the Engineering Academy." Li Yuechen smiled.

After the train experiment was successful, the next step was to manufacture the rails and start laying them.

The most troublesome thing is that the laying route of the railway track must be drawn little by little in the air by a hot air balloon, which is very troublesome.

The other is the recruitment of workers. It is necessary to set up a separate engineering team and then recruit workers.

Now that the country's population is less than [-] million, it is not that simple to recruit full-time workers.

The captives captured during the war are almost gone now, so there are only two types of people who can be used now.

The first type is the prisoners in the prison. At that time, all the prisoners from all over the country will be brought to work. There is no salary, 996, just let them eat.

In addition, it costs money to recruit. This kind of workers not only have to take care of food and housing, but also pay wages every month, and work four hours a day, including lunch and rest time.

No work on Saturdays and Sundays, no overtime, if found to be working overtime, directly fire the responsible team leader.

The obvious difference in treatment between the two sides can also serve as a warning to those prisoners.

After the prisoner's sentence is over, if he has no other livelihood skills, he can transfer to an ordinary worker and receive the same treatment as them.

As for the death row inmates, if they work until the execution day, they will be pulled out and hacked up, and the work will be over.

Although Li Yuechen has always been committed to improving human rights, it has to be said that some prisoners can no longer be called human beings, what human rights do they need.

Nowadays, the laws of Datang have also undergone many changes, and different criminals are treated completely differently in prisons.

For example, homicide, if it is passion or manslaughter, and the attitude of pleading guilty afterwards is good, it is generally sentenced to hanging.

It is the lightest form of death penalty. Hanging is not strangulation, but breaking the cervical spine in an instant. It is considered a painless way to die.

But if it is intentional killing, and it involves vicious crimes such as torture, it is beheading, that is, beheading.

If it kills many people in a row, and the plot is particularly bad, then it is Ling Chi.

But it doesn't mean that after the death sentence, you can enjoy the food of the country with peace of mind and don't have to do anything. Just like now, the death row inmates have to work before execution, and they do all the dirty and tiring work.

The law is to be awe-inspiring, which is why Li Yuechen did it.

Especially let those who have committed minor crimes know that they should be good people after they go out, and don't come in again.

After confirming the working patterns of different workers, Li Yuechen wrote a simple plan and handed it to Li Chongrun, asking him to follow this general direction, and take care of the rest.

Then the Ministry of War began intense discussions, and at the end of June, it was finally fully implemented.

Small stations were added in the middle of each station along the way, so that an accurate construction drawing was obtained.

Then the Academy of Engineering officially started to act and began to build a railway station in Chang'an.

At the same time, trucks and airships from the Ministry of War were dispatched to all parts of the country to pick up prisoners and prepare for work.

The site selection of Chang'an Railway Station has also been prepared long ago. After more than 1000 years, this place is also a railway station, but it is the North Railway Station.

Choose here for a reason.

The first is the distance. It is about ten kilometers away from the Daming Palace, which is not too far away. It will ensure that the emperor's travel will be smoother in the future.

The second is the convenience of transportation. Now there is a large piece of wasteland here, and the road can be made as wide as possible to improve traffic efficiency without demolishing houses.

In the future, the main city center will still be placed in front of Tai Chi Palace, with Zhuque Street as the center and spreading to both sides.

After the plan was confirmed, Li Chongrun wrote a memorial and submitted it to the emperor.

After the emperor read it, he showed it to the people in the cabinet. They said that they couldn't understand this thing, and they still needed more discussion.

However, the emperor said that there is no need to discuss it. He just brought it here to show you, just to let you know, not to ask for your opinions.

After speaking, he directly stamped on it, announcing his agreement.

The cabinet ministers were all speechless. At the beginning, they always thought that it was a good thing for the Ministry of War not to participate in the government affairs. Now it seems that the original idea was wrong.

Now the documents of the Ministry of War are sent directly to the emperor, and they can't get in their mouths at all.

It's a bit uncomfortable that the train operation is such a big matter that I didn't discuss it and agreed directly.

Zhang Jianzhi, the chief assistant of the cabinet, couldn't help sighing at the emperor's attitude. It seemed that he was indeed old.

After the meeting, he came to Jixian Hall alone and asked to meet the emperor.

Li Xian agreed, and after coming in, he personally poured him a cup of tea: "Zhang Shoufu is here today, do you have something to say to me alone?"

Zhang Jianzhi thanked him with a salute, and then said: "Your Majesty, I feel that I am old, and I want to return to my hometown... I hope your majesty will allow me!"

Hearing this sentence, Li Xian was a little surprised: "I just want to ask, is Zhang Shoufu serious, or does he want to persuade him?"

"Your Majesty, I'm already 85 this year. Why would you say such things to remonstrate with Your Majesty? I really feel that I am getting old and can't keep up with the changes in the Tang Dynasty..." Zhang Jianzhi replied with a wry smile.

"Since that's the case, I'm sure!" Li Xian nodded, "Then about the next chief minister of the cabinet..."

Zhang Jianzhi replied: "Your Majesty, it is better to fulfill the original promise. Shangguan Wan'er, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, has enough ability and qualifications to be the chief assistant!" (End of this chapter)