Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 240: Green New Energy

“Human blood steamed bun… that’s not right.

“War money… No.

"Today, the empire is in chaos. My father is missing, and my brothers are only concerned with fighting for power and profit, and brothers are fighting each other, resulting in the loss of lives. I am deeply saddened.

"Liao and Tang are one, Liao is the world. What can we in Liaodong do to help the people of the world who are in hardship?"

Li Ming recited a poem to set the scene in a very serious manner.

"Ahem." Wei Daijia coughed dryly, "Your Highness, we are all family here, you might as well make your words clearer."

"Sorry, I'm used to it in Chang'an." Li Ming changed the way he said it to express the same meaning:

"The Tang Dynasty is in civil war. How can we eat the blood of the people? How can we make money from the war? How can we save my father?"

The fact that he still thinks about Li Er at this time proves that he still has a conscience.

"Of course, we should do more business with Li Tai and Li Zhi, and make money from both sides."

Wei Daijia did not mince words and said straight to the point:

"As the war drags on, both sides will need a lot of iron tools, such as armor, arrowheads, spears, swords, axes, etc.

“Therein lies the business opportunity.”

Ironware happens to be the flagship product of Liaodong's foreign trade, and the supply and demand just happen to be right.

Chang Sunyan added:

“Moreover, the headquarters of the kings were all located in various cities, and the craftsmen were concentrated in the cities.

“War will undoubtedly disrupt the output and sales of various workshops, and even the craftsmen themselves may be conscripted as laborers to transport food and supplies.

"By then, pots, pans, and daily necessities in counties and prefectures will become increasingly scarce, and this will be another opportunity for us in Liaodong to make a fortune."

Outside Liaodong, craftsmen were generally labeled as "untouchables".

The blacksmith is easier to deal with because he is directly related to the war.

Other craftsmen, such as carpenters, bricklayers and other low-level people, would almost certainly be arbitrarily conscripted by princes who had never done housework to serve hard labor in the army.

Now, the production capacity of handicraft industry will definitely be damaged.

This missing market share can be seamlessly filled by Liaodong's products.

Because the trading company in Liaodong is a giant company controlled by a committee, integrating production, supply and marketing.

These postmodern super-trusts, when confronted with the pre-modern independent workshops and craftsmen, are completely undermining the company's competitiveness in terms of production capacity and quality stability.

In the past, because each state and county had its own customs duties and tolls, coupled with local protectionism, the dumping behavior of the Liaodong people was prevented to a certain extent.

Nowadays, since the Central Plains has been in chaos, the business tycoons in Liaodong don’t need to pretend to be gentlemen.

Start with smuggling directly.

Taking into account the shortage of materials during the war, the government offices of various states and counties would basically turn a blind eye to these domestic trade tax exemption commissioners from the Northeast.

"If we can go one step further and take advantage of the stability in Liaodong to attract skilled craftsmen from the Central Plains to settle here, our products will be invincible for a long time."

Chang Sunyan couldn't help but start to have beautiful ideas.

Fang Yi, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up and poured a bucket of cold water on Awe Ayan:
"Well said, how do you plan to deliver the goods to the buyer?"

Wei Daijia thought this question was ridiculous:
"Of course it will be transported there...ah..."

Halfway through his words, he slowly realized the problem and looked at Yuchi Xunyu.

The little black charcoal head in charge of intelligence nodded:
"Youzhou is also in chaos."

Wei Daijia's mouth twitched and he looked at his fellow debater Changsun Yan.

Chang Sunyan patted his head in annoyance:
"Oh no, I forgot about it."

One of the important reasons why Liaodong, as a safe zone, could stay out of the conflict and watch the fire from the other side of the river was that it was isolated and its only land route to the Central Plains was Youzhou.

If you want to "transport" some goods to other places, Youyun is the only way to go.

The door lock is two-way.

When the key to Youzhou was lost, people outside could not get in, and people inside could not get out.

It's okay for a trading company to do business, but asking them to cross a war zone is a bit too much.

"Besides, Youzhou is an important food route for us. Unrest in Youzhou will seriously affect our food import channels."

Fang Yi continued to tell the bad news.

Being in charge of finance and economics for a long time has made him very realistic:
"Not to mention that the food production of the inland counties will almost certainly be affected by the war. They may not even have enough to eat themselves, let alone sell to us."

Eating is the top priority. The number one document every year states that there will be rebellion if there is not enough food.

"Can't we be self-sufficient in staple food?" Li Ming was stunned.

Then wouldn’t my production team have been in vain?
In every monthly report, isn’t it said that every season is a good harvest and every month is getting better? It also doesn’t say that our rice bowl is in the hands of others!

"That's not the case. It's just that many of our people migrated from the mainland and are used to eating rice and flour. The millet, sorghum and soybeans grown in Liaodong and Goguryeo are mainly used for oil extraction, livestock feed and wine making."

Fang Yize knows all the treasures:
"If the rice and wheat trade is interrupted because of the chaos in Hebei, grain prices can be stabilized, but the prices of wine, meat and oil will rise, and the people will be unhappy."

Wow, it turns out you were worried about not eating enough meat and wine.

The situation in Guanzhong and Central Plains was disrupted, and people from other places were preparing to flee. Only the people in Northeast China had a unique sense of relaxation.

"It's true that just drinking millet porridge is not enough, and the rice pilot project will not start until next year. We have to wait another year to eat the local new rice..." Li Ming pondered.

Food is the most important thing for people. If food is cut off, it won’t cause people to starve to death, but it will definitely be a headache...

"We can follow the example of the ancients, conduct business with swords, and let the army escort the caravans."

As always, Yuchi Xunyu took the lead in proposing new ideas.

“The costs would explode.”

Chief Financial Officer Fang Yize rejected the intelligence chief's proposal without even thinking about it.

He now manages the finances of the entire Northeast region. Sitting in this position, Fang Yize suddenly discovered the true meaning of politics -

Whether it is trade or war, governing a country is complicated, but in the end it all comes down to one skill:

Cost-benefit accounting.

As long as the benefits outweigh the costs, no matter how wild or unscrupulous the policy is, it is worth a try.

On the contrary, if the income is not enough to cover the expenses, then no matter how high-sounding the proposal is, he will ruthlessly reject it.

"When it comes to food, why are you still calculating those few cents?" Yuchi Xunyu's eyes suddenly widened.

Li Ming immediately came to smooth things over:

"Alas, the cost is high, there is nothing we can do about it."

This is quite biased.

Fang Yize had probably been settling accounts for too long, and his cold-blooded and calculating style of governance made Chang Sun Yan quite dissatisfied, so he complained to Li Ming several times in his reports.

However, the irony is that Li Ming always deliberately ignores the chief secretary's reports.

Why is this.

First of all, we should rule out the possibility that Li Ming used Fang Yize to do something that he was not convenient to do personally, which was profitable but not glorious.

"Then what should we do? Lead the army directly to Youzhou and wipe out all those insects that dare to disrupt the trade route?"

The hot-tempered Yuchi Xunyu was quite indignant and a little angry.

However, this radical plan was supported by two conservatives, Changsun Yan and Wei Daijia.

"The unrest in Hebei has caused us great harm. It is not a good idea to let them make trouble all the time." Wei Daijia shook his head slightly.

Chang Sunyan approached Li Ming:
"Brother Ming, how about we go and mediate?"

As to whether it is armed mediation or some other method, there is a lot of room for imagination.

To be honest, the tigers and wolves in Liaodong have been coveting Youzhou, the little sister next door, for a long time.

Apart from anything else, the fact that it can grow rice and has iron ore is enough to make these tigers and wolves drool.

However, in the past, on the one hand, His Highness Li Ming's relatives lived there, and on the other hand, there were the invincible Tang Heavenly Soldiers above them, so the beasts were restrained and just did business and paid tolls.

Today, neither of the above two prerequisites exists.

There were only some landlord armed forces who were weak in combat (compared to the Red Turban Army) and were playing house there.

Once the invincible Red Turban Army arrives and sweeps away our enemies, everything will be fine.

Even the Liaodong people took the advantage this time——

The people from Youzhou are trying to assassinate the governor and split the country!

We, the people of Liaodong, struck hard at these insects and forced them to return to the right path. That's how patriotic we are!

Even Fang Yize was tempted by this "deal".

The cost is slightly higher, but the benefits are huge...

"No." Li Ming rejected everyone's bold idea.

"why?"

This time it was Fang Yize's turn to be confused.

"Because Liaodong has limited military strength, we must prioritize the Northern Expedition to rescue our father."

Li Ming said righteously.

By the way, let Li Zhi or Li Tai come over and help me kill the aristocratic families in Hebei... he muttered to himself.

Seeing that Brother Ming brought out the powerful weapon of "my emperor father", several people stopped raising any objections.

Because, as mentioned earlier, the size of the field army in Liaodong was limited.

There is no certainty of winning two wars at the same time.

"Then, what should we do next?"

Wei Daijia finally asked the questions in everyone's mind.

Not only could they not make money from the war, they might not even be able to afford meat. Nor could they launch a special military operation to restore trade with Youzhou, as they did with Gaochang.

What to do then?
Just sit at home drinking millet porridge, watching people in Yanshan fighting each other, and do nothing?

"You don't have to go by land to do business."

Li Ming spread out the map and drew a line along the coastline from Liaodong Peninsula to Leizhou Peninsula with his finger.

“We can ship by sea.”

"Sea freight?"

My dear ministers, you can't help but open your eyes wide.

This is indeed a blind spot in thinking.

Sea transportation was not unavailable in the early Tang Dynasty. In the original timeline, when Li Shimin conquered Goguryeo, he used sea transportation and even carried out a beach landing.

However, due to factors such as storms, this sea route from Bohai Sea to the South China Sea was not often used during the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, it is better to build the canal not far from the coastline.

Compared with the raging sea, canal transportation is as peaceful as a bathtub.

Therefore, when it came to doing business, people in the Tang Dynasty subconsciously forgot about sea transportation.

Unlike the next dynasty, the Song Dynasty, which made great use of sea transportation and overseas trade.

"What about the storm? The sea route is not easy to travel." Chang Sun Yan expressed his concern.

"A typhoon or something..."

Li Ming gave the boy a slap:
"Brother, it's already December, how can there be a typhoon? Isn't it a good time to go by sea now?"

In the original timeline, the troops that marched eastward to Goguryeo crossed the sea in the autumn and winter.

Chang Sunyan was still muttering:
"But there will be some next spring and summer..."

Li Ming gave him another slap:
"Let's wait until next year. We'll eat as many months as we can. Besides, it's hard to say how long this war will last."

After solving the feasibility of large-scale sea transportation, everyone's thinking became clear.

Friends who often manage the country and deliver food know that the advantages of sea transportation are far beyond the reach of land transportation.

The transport volume is large, the speed is fast, and most importantly, the cost is low.

Fang Yi is a happy boat.

And sea transportation can also save another layer of cost -

No need to pay tolls to Hebei.

By simply sailing along the coastline, cargo ships can bypass the messy middlemen and deliver express parcels directly to customers.

Without middlemen to make a profit from the price difference, customer experience is greatly improved. Isn’t that wonderful?

Just as everyone was daydreaming, Wei Daijia started muttering again:
"But, the number of ships may not be enough..."

Although Li Ming also attaches great importance to shipping and shipbuilding.

But he cares about many other issues.

Handicrafts, infrastructure, cold-resistant rice varieties, weapons, top-level design, grassroots architecture...

Any of them takes priority over cross-sea trade.

It is impossible to cover everything, there is always an order of priority.

Therefore, although a large number of canal transport ships were built.

But if it is used to support the exaggerated foreign trade of Liaodong as a whole, it is just a drop in the bucket.

"Use it sparingly and think of ways to optimize its use. You can't let a living person die from holding his urine."

Li Ming said:

"For example, if you sell a shipload of ironware, porcelain, and other items, don't ship back the copper coins and cloth you earned. Instead, buy food locally and use the money to avoid bringing the ship back empty."

In short, it is to save transportation capacity as much as possible.

By improving efficiency, we can get through this difficult time and wait for the situation to change.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"This is only a stopgap measure after all, and we still need to build more ships," Wei Daijia added.

Li Ming looked at him strangely, then looked out the window.

Yanshan outside the city is like a forty-year-old programmer, visibly bald.

Apart from the street trees in the city, there are almost no trees or vegetation to be seen.

"This is the question I have been wanting to ask since I returned to Pingzhou."

Li Ming felt that his lungs were filled with PM2.5 and he couldn't help but cough a few times.

"Ahem, where are the trees here?"

"It's the Great Leap Forward in Steel Production." Wei Daijia answered almost without pause.

The main fuel for steelmaking in the Tang Dynasty was still charcoal.

Li Ming: "How can we build a boat without trees?"

Wei Daijia: "It's not a big problem. We still have Goguryeo."

When it comes to high-quality timber, Beidahuang is afraid of no one.

"No... Don't you think the air here is very polluted? And if there is no vegetation, the water and soil will flow away when it rains."

Li Ming's tone immediately made everyone alert.

Wei Daijia asked tentatively:
"Then, what to do?"

"We can't burn charcoal like this anymore. It damages the environment and is not environmentally friendly at all." Li Ming curled his lips.

Everyone retreated tactically.

They are not unfamiliar with the "environmental protection" principles that Brother Ming always talks about.

This is how it was pronounced for Goguryeo.

Of course, they did not do this at all to protect Goguryeo's natural environment.

Instead, they took the moral high ground of "environmental protection" and used it as an excuse to block the development of Goguryeo's handicraft industry, paving the way for the economic invasion of Liaodong.

What happened to Brother Ming? Did he get fooled by the sutras?

Wei Daijia exchanged glances with the others and explained solemnly:
"Brother Ming, our steel industry has a long history and a large number of industrial workers. We are implementing the fine steel strategy in the process of adjusting our layout..."

"Alright, stop reciting. I taught you all these moves, and you're using them against me?" Li Ming waved his hand impatiently to interrupt.

Wei Daijia: "But didn't you say that steelmaking is not allowed..."

Li Ming: "Who said we can't smelt it? I just said we should use less charcoal, but we can use more coal!"

Similar to sea transportation, there was coal in the Tang Dynasty, but there were also very few application scenarios.

Due to limited output and excessive impurities, charcoal is still the main fuel for smelting.

Moreover, because the climate in the Tang Dynasty was humid and warm, the trees were lush and the charcoal resources were abundant.

Except for Liaodong, where the Great Steel Production Campaign was underway, other regions were not short of charcoal.

Therefore, there is little interest in coal, a "green new energy", and no motivation to carry out technological transformation.

“Environmental protection is not a tight ring to curb the development of other countries, at least not entirely.

"We have been destroying nature so much by cutting down all the trees. When there are a few heavy rains next year, the soil will be washed away by several layers. This is retribution. It is time to use the axe and saw in the mountains and forests, don't you understand?"

Li Ming had to spend a lot of time and effort to straighten out his friends who had been bent by his thick black philosophy.

"Coal burns at a higher temperature, has large underground reserves, is much cheaper than charcoal, and does not require cutting down trees, making it an environmentally friendly new energy source...

"There are opportunities in crisis. We can take this opportunity to upgrade the smelting industry and eliminate outdated production capacity..."

Under his eloquent speech, coal has become a model of green and environmentally friendly clean energy and a symbol of the energy revolution.

"Brother Ming, you are right, but..."

Fang Yize was well aware of the mineral resources in the entire territory and poured cold water on him:
“It’s just that there aren’t many coal mines.”

"There are many, but you just didn't look carefully." Li Ming, who had the ability to see far away, said firmly.

There are no coal mines in Northeast China, what kind of international joke is this?
His nine years of compulsory education and his elementary school geography were not learned in vain!

The friends looked at each other suspiciously.

Brother Li Ming does often have some weird ideas, but they are proven to be right every time.

"Then..."

"Please ask Yuan Tiangang to come out of the mountains and look for minerals there again."

…………

Hangu Pass.

The Eastern Army under Li Tai is cleaning up the battlefield.

After an attack with a force more than ten times its size, Li Zhi's Western Army retreated on its own initiative.

This ancient pass, which was famous in history but whose actual strategic value had been greatly reduced, was handed over.

The soldiers carried the bodies listlessly, and the flags were limp.

There was absolutely no joy of victory.

On the freezing cold ground, there were clusters of soldiers everywhere.

Dozens of people gathered in a group, huddled together and shivering, surrounding the precious charcoal brazier.

They stared blankly at the scattered fires, completely unaware that people in Liaodong, 3,000 miles to the north, were actually discussing whether or not to burn charcoal.

(End of this chapter)