Datang: What's wrong with my fief being a billion points larger?

Chapter 273 The more he understood, the more Li Er feared Lingnan

Looking at the host's admiration when he talked about the academy, his yearning when he talked about the army, his enthusiasm when he talked about Li Yuanji, and his melancholy about not being able to join the army, Li Er seemed to see a beast in the void.

With all these things in mind, in Li Er's eyes, the seemingly prosperous Lingnan was like a man-eating beast that would bar its fangs at him at any time.

Not to mention anything else, just this academy and the enthusiasm of the people, including the so-called Type A Army, in another ten or twenty years, he couldn't imagine how much energy Lingnan would unleash.

By then, will his Tang Dynasty really be able to suppress Li Yuanji's Lingnan?
Li Er lost all his confidence for a moment. The more he knew about Lingnan, the more frightened he became.

There are many things here that he has always wanted to do but has been unable to accomplish.

Take this academy for example. He could think of the huge benefits this academy would bring to the superiors in a moment. Not to mention anything else, if he established such academies, at least in the future, he could get rid of his dependence on the aristocratic families.

As for the difficulties in establishing the academy, he was not going to ask. Since Li Yuanji was already working on this matter, it meant that the difficulty had been solved. Even if he asked these people, they probably wouldn't know about it.

Li Er had become numb to Li Yuanji's so-called Ministry of Education, Ministry of War, and Ministry of Commerce. As a King of Qi, what could he do when he used the official system of the imperial court?
After returning, issue an edict to condemn it?
Apart from this, it seems that there is nothing he can do, send troops?
If possible, he would have sent troops long ago and would not have waited until now. Otherwise, he had no other means to punish Li Yuanji.

This was caused by his dependence on the aristocratic families. He was simply unable to take any other effective measures against Li Yuanji in Lingnan. If he did not allow those people to make money, they would probably turn against him in a blink of an eye and then welcome Li Yuanji to Chang'an in a large number of people.

Li Er secretly became interested in Li Yuanji's so-called Type A army. He knew about Li Yuanji's army, but he didn't know that Li Yuanji actually had two types of armies, Type A and Type B.

After responding with a few words, Li Er took the receipt, turned around and left.

Perhaps he was a little tired from walking, or perhaps he was a little tired mentally, so Li Er found an inn.

"How many people are there in the Hundred Cavalry Division here?"

The generous Li Er paid for all the surrounding rooms, replaced them with his own people, and began to ask Li Junxian unscrupulously.

Li Junxian did not hesitate at all and said immediately: "Boss, there are 82 people in Guangzhou Prefecture and 21 people in Panyu. Do we need to contact them?"

Li Er shook his head after hearing this.

“No need for that. Contacting them without reason will increase the risk of them being exposed.

You should have seen it today. Let me tell you again that from now on all news from Lingnan, no matter how big or small, must be sent back. When I return to Chang'an, I will check it every day.

In addition to the original tasks, there is also the so-called Type A Army of the King of Qi, which needs to be found out as soon as possible, as well as the weapons used by the army, as well as logistics, and any changes should be found out as much as possible.

Remember, everything must be done without exposing yourself, and don't force it.

There are only a few things that can be done. As long as they are successful, as long as we can bring those technologies and techniques back to Datang, it doesn’t matter if they are exposed.”

Li Er was very tired. Although he had not been to other places in Lingnan, a glimpse would give him a general idea of ​​the situation. No matter how bad other places were, they probably wouldn't be much worse.

Moreover, Li Er knew very well that this was just Guangzhou Prefecture. What was the situation like in Leizhou Prefecture?
He could already imagine that the prosperity of Leizhou Prefecture was even greater than that of Guangzhou Prefecture.

How could it be bad to be the location of Li Yuanji's palace? It must be the most prosperous place in Li Yuanji's fiefdom, otherwise Li Yuanji would not have built the palace there.

This time, he also realized that the population of Lingnan has increased, and with the prosperity here, his Tang Dynasty has begun to fall behind.

In the past, he thought that as long as he could get those technical skills, the Tang Dynasty could still suppress Li Yuanji's Lingnan.

But now that he has experienced it himself, even after only half a day, he no longer has that much confidence. It is true that Lingnan's leadership is no longer just in those technical aspects, but in all aspects.

Li Junxian on the side agreed one by one. Today, not only Li Er was shocked, but he himself was also shocked. At this moment, he realized that the Baiqi Division's investigation into Lingnan was a long and arduous journey.

After resting for an hour, Li Er had no intention of resting any further, so he immediately got up and walked out of the inn.

"Let's go to the government office and find out more details."

When Li Junxian heard this, he immediately became anxious.

"Boss, why don't you just not go and let me go."

Li Junxian was about to cry. Li Er was the emperor, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Not only did he come to Lingnan, but he also had to go to the government in person. If he was recognized, Li Junxian couldn't imagine what the consequences would be.

By then, with just a few dozen of them, even with the help of the Hundred Cavalry Division in secret, they might not be able to escape from the city, let alone return to the Tang Dynasty.

Li Er smiled fearlessly.

"You worry too much. Apart from those people in Haikang, how would other people know it was me? And here, no one knows me, so don't worry."

After saying that, Li Er strode forward. Li Junxian was helpless and anxious, so he had to follow behind Li Er and at the same time he was on full alert, as did the other guards of the Hundred Cavalry Division.

When Li Er arrived at the government office and found the Ministry of Commerce’s office, he walked straight in.

"I came here to do business, but I don't know what to do?"

A young official in the office looked at Li Er and smiled.

"This is the product list. The prices are also listed. You can choose what you need.

Some of this can be done through cooperation with the private sector. It is up to you to choose.

After you have chosen one, please fill out the identity registration form and write down the products you need.

Give me the wooden sign and I will check your basic information first."

Li Er suddenly realized that the wooden sign actually had a use here.

Li Junxian then took out the wooden sign. Li Er originally wanted to look at the list, but he saw the official take out a round mirror with a handle and look at the wooden sign, and then record it on the registration form.

Li Er suddenly became curious.

"What kind of mirror is this? Is this wooden sign any different?"

The official said calmly: "This is a magnifying glass. Some things that are difficult to see with the naked eye can be seen through a microscope.

If you need it, it's also on the list, and there are also glasses made of the same glass.

The function of glasses is to enable people who cannot see clearly to see clearly. The specific functions are all listed in the list, you can go and see for yourself.

As for this wooden sign, there is a number inside, but it cannot be seen with the naked eye unless you look carefully.

Now you can go sit there and watch, and come back to me after you have made your choice." The official took the registration form to Li Er and pointed to the resting place on the side.

Li Er was startled, then calmly took the list and registration form and found an empty table to sit down.

Li Er first looked at the list, and sure enough, he saw that the numbers had already been filled in where the numbers were. At the same time, below it was the basic information he had registered at the dock, which was also marked on the wooden sign.

He put the registration form aside and then looked at the list. When he saw the dazzling array of goods on it, Li Er felt both excited and shocked.

On the list, Li Er saw farm tools, basic supplies, various types of glass, salt, and especially wine, which came in several types with different prices.

Including the oil he had already ordered, it was all on it, and the price was still seventy-five cents.

Then I saw the roller skates and some mining tools that I had seen at the dock.

There were too many of them, and Li Er was overwhelmed. When he finished reading, he was so shocked that he was numb.

It turns out that there are so many items here that were not available in the Tang Dynasty.

Li Er's heart was full of complicated feelings. At this moment, he was suddenly a little afraid of this place. Just from the things on this list, he could already feel the gap between the Tang Dynasty and Lingnan.

How long has it been? Li Yuanji has only been in Lingnan for more than four years. He couldn't accept the huge changes.

After calming down, Li Er selected some commodities that he felt were of great practical use and wrote them on the registration form. Then he completed the registration form and came to the official.

"We've filled it out, can you take a look at it?"

After the official confirmed it, he looked at Li Er.

"This is the sign, this is the receipt. Wait at the dock at the end of tomorrow morning, and someone will come to your ship to contact you.

Now take the receipt and go to the hall over there to pay. After you pay, you will also be given a receipt, and that's it."

Li Er was stunned. Is it that simple? He thought it would be a little more complicated.

Then he asked someone to pay the money. Thirteen thousand taels of silver were gone just like that. Even Li Er felt a little distressed at this moment.

Walking out of the hall, Li Er felt even more complicated. Just now, he alone picked up such a few things, which cost 13,000 taels of silver. And there were so many people in the hall. Even if each person received an average of 10,000 taels of silver, how much money would he make in a month?
This month's tax revenue is almost equal to the annual tax revenue of the Tang Dynasty, right?

This is just Panyu in Guangzhou Prefecture, what about other places?

Li Er didn't dare to think that Li Yuanji made all this money just by lying in the palace. Thinking about himself, he was walking on thin ice every day and working diligently. The Tang Dynasty was gradually recovering. No one in the Tang Dynasty was able to make as much money as Li Yuanji.

Thinking of those noble families who had already begun to cooperate with Li Yuanji, Li Er suddenly realized that the money and food he had asked for from those people seemed to be less.

In fact, this was something Li Er didn't understand clearly. Although the business here was good, it was not as exaggerated as Li Er thought. Those caravans often took several months to go out, and some even took a year or two to return.

Only those caravans would sell a lot of goods from here. On weekdays, they would only trade small amounts of goods. Ten thousand taels? Most of them would be around three thousand taels, and some would even trade a few hundred taels.

Li Er wandered around the city for a while and completely lost interest because he felt really heavy in his heart at the moment. This time, he was hit really hard.

"Go to the countryside outside the city and see how the people here live."

He had seen most of the city, and now what he was concerned about was the people's livelihood, which seemed to be more concerned than Li Yuanji.

After leaving the city, the road turned into a cement road. After walking for an unknown amount of time, the road under his feet was still a cement road. Li Er was immediately amazed.

Even in Chang'an, from Chang'an to the countryside, the roads are not as good as this one, even without cement.

After walking for nearly two hours, they arrived at a village. Li Er got off the carriage and walked along the cement road.

Only then did he realize that this wide road extended all the way to these villages.

Looking at the three words "Shuihezhuang", Li Er walked straight in and arrived at the village. The main road was still a cement road, while the branch road was a stone road. The front doors of each house were extremely clean.

There weren't many people in the village, just some old men gathered in twos and threes, but they were all busy with work. Some were pushing something with wood, while others were weaving baskets with bamboo strips.

Li Er continued to walk inside. He saw some children chasing and playing on the road, but they were very young.

These children did not seem to be afraid of Li Er and his group and continued to play. Li Er kept walking along the road until he saw a farmland. Only then did Li Er understand why there were so few young people in the village. It turned out that they were all working in the fields.

When we walked outside, we finally found that it was neither a cement road nor a stone road. Because we were close to the fields, there was only a relatively wide dirt road.

Looking at the people busy in the fields, a smile appeared on Li Er's face. When he saw a few people resting on the right, Li Er walked over along the path.

"My dear, it's already autumn harvest time, why are you still tilling the soil and sowing seeds?"

When the man heard this, he immediately laughed.

"I am just a rough guy, please don't tease me.

I guess this is your first time here. The rice here can be planted for two seasons. We must hurry up now, otherwise we will miss the second season."

Li Er was slightly surprised. Rice is planted in two seasons? Why didn't he know this before?
After looking at the large piece of farmland, the oxen working in the field, and the curved plow, Li Er turned to look at the sturdy man.

"Can rice be grown twice here? I heard before that there are no such wide farmlands here, and the people here should not be all the people in the village, right?"

The sturdy man took a sip of water. Perhaps he was just bored and took a break, so he didn't care about Li Er's many questions.

"Haha, there aren't many places that can grow crops twice a year, but I heard that Nanzhou Prefecture can grow crops twice a year at least. In some places, if they are busy enough, they may be able to grow crops three times a year.

In Luzhou Prefecture, rice can be grown at level three, which is considered good here.

This piece of farmland was reclaimed two years ago, and the government allocated it to us for cultivation.

See those canals?

They were all built when the land was first reclaimed, and they extend all the way to the river over there. The waterwheel invented by the king is used to store water.

This piece of farmland is just one part, there is some arable land in other places. Do you see that mountain?
At the foot of the mountain, there are also some fields that need to be cultivated, but they are not as large as this one and are more scattered. "

Li Er was completely shocked when he heard this. Rice can be grown for two seasons? Or even three seasons?
This means that you can collect twice a year? Three times?
Li Er really didn't expect or hear such news. It turns out that this place is so rich?

(End of this chapter)