My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 180 Tubo has a way to die
Li Chengqian had already made the manufacturing process of bamboo paper public a long time ago.

Nowadays, most of the papermaking workshops in Chang'an use bamboo paper as their material.

The reason why it is the majority is that the dissemination of technology is not a simple matter.

It doesn't mean that once everyone knows this method, they can use it all at once.

Although we know the process, skilled craftsmen are still needed to make good bamboo paper.

Including the various processing procedures for bamboo, if there is any mistake, the paper produced will be brittle and break if touched.

Li Chengqian naturally didn't want to say that, and he even asked the paper craftsmen in his Eastern Palace to provide free guidance to other workshops.

Even if a papercraftsman has figured out a method, he will not easily tell others about his experience.

Even though they are all papermaking, the quality of paper made by different craftsmen varies.

Besides, most papermakers now still follow the traditional production model, rather than modular production like Donggong.

For example, woodblock printing has been around for a long time among the people and many people use it, but it has never been established.

Modularization and factory production are the biggest advantages for the surge in productivity.

Without a deep understanding of it, it is difficult to replicate the current situation of the East Palace.

Erfeng obviously had no intention of sending anyone to the Eastern Palace to study.

Li Chengqian naturally had no obligation to inform.

Traditional production methods can also make money, but they are just a little less efficient.
-
The 8th day of the fifth month, the 17th year of Zhenguan.

The delegation sent by the Tang Dynasty to India finally arrived at the Tibetan kingdom of Lhasa, which is known as Lhasa in later generations.

There were not many members in the delegation, only about seventy people.

In addition to the Tang Dynasty's delegation, there were also envoys from India.

Unlike Wang Xuance’s first diplomatic mission in history, this time he was the chief envoy and Li Yibiao was the deputy envoy.

Strictly speaking, Li Yibiao was a doctor of the imperial court, and served as the Minister of the Imperial Guard and the Supreme Guard General, which was a higher rank than Wang Xuance.

But this time Wang Xuance was following the orders of the Crown Prince, so the situation was different.

There are two routes from Chang'an to Tianzhu.

One is the Silk Road to the Western Regions.

After setting out from Chang'an, he passed through the Hexi Corridor, crossed the Western Regions and then went south to India.

This is a relatively mature external channel with relatively complete post stations and supply points along the way, and frequent commercial activities.

Master Xuanzang took this route and smuggled himself to India.

But because of Li Chengqian, the delegation could only arrive in Tubo first and then go to the Western Regions.

They didn't know that there was a shortcut through the Himalayas, namely the Tang-Tibet Road and the Fan-Ni Road.

The Tang-Tibet Ancient Road was an important passage connecting the Central Plains and Tubo during the Tang Dynasty. It started from Chang'an and passed through Qinghai and other places to reach Tubo.

The Fanni Ancient Road is a road connecting Tubo and Nepal. It continues southward from Tubo, passes through Nepal and enters India.

Songtsen Gampo took the arrival of the Tang Dynasty delegation very seriously.

This is the period of close relationship between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo.

In his early years, Songtsen Gampo sent Thonmi Sambhota and others to India to study philology and create a Tibetan script.

After establishing contact with the Tang Dynasty, they actively learned advanced culture and technology from the Tang Dynasty.

Before the rise of Tubo, there were numerous small states and tribes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

These small states are independent of each other and there is no unified and powerful national regime.

Therefore, the Tubo Dynasty was actually the first dynasty born on this land.

Therefore, it appears to be very weak in all aspects of cultural heritage.

However, the rulers of Tubo are relatively diligent and hardworking, making Tubo increasingly powerful.

"Welcome the Tang envoys who have come from afar."

Songtsen Gampo held a grand banquet for the Tang Dynasty delegation.

Although he knew that the Tang Dynasty's delegation was mainly to escort the Indian delegation back, this did not affect his use of the Tang Dynasty's reputation.

After all, the current Tang Dynasty has unparalleled influence.

Since marrying Princess Wencheng, Songtsen Gampo's position in Tubo has become more stable.

Although Tubo established a centralized system, the power of the aristocracy remained strong.

The nobles had great power and influence in politics, economy, military and other aspects, and there was a certain balance of power between them and the Zamp.

On major decisions, the Zanpu often needed to consult with the nobles and could not act completely arbitrarily.

More importantly, the nobles also had their own territories, subjects and armies, which to a certain extent formed local separatist forces and posed a challenge to the centralization of power.

In addition, the development of religious forces also dispersed the power of the Zamp to a certain extent and formed certain constraints on centralization.

However, after Princess Wencheng entered Tubo, Songtsen Gampo's power was further strengthened under the influence of the Tang Dynasty.

After the grand banquet, Wang Xuance finally met Princess Wencheng.

"Wang Xuance, on the orders of the Crown Prince, pays homage to Princess Wencheng."

Princess Wencheng was a little surprised.

Following the prince's orders?
Curiously asked, "Did the prince ask you to come?"

Wang Xuance said, "Yes, the Crown Prince asked me to say hello to Princess Wencheng."

Princess Wencheng was a little confused. She didn't expect Wang Xuance to say that.

After all, she was a princess in name, but in reality she was only the daughter of a prince. The almighty crown prince had only met her twice, and they had never even had a conversation, so how could he suddenly send someone to say hello to her?

"Does the prince have any instructions?"

Wang Xuance said, “The prince has heard about the situation in Tubo and does not want to see the princess suffer here.”

"Marrying far away to a foreign country for the sake of the Tang Dynasty's cause is indeed hard for the princess."

"So the prince is willing to provide some support to the princess."

Princess Wencheng didn't understand what this meant and asked, "What support is the Crown Prince willing to provide?"

Wang Xuance said in a deep voice: "The Crown Prince is willing to provide the princess with 3,000 soldiers and horses to protect her safety."

Princess Wencheng was a little surprised.

In fact, according to the Tang Dynasty system, princesses would be equipped with some guards after they got married.

From a legal perspective, if she was a real princess, it would be normal for her to marry far away and be given soldiers.

But she was clear about her status. She was just a daughter of the royal family, and the title of princess was just a title and had no practical significance.

Then the prince wanted to assign troops to her, and his intention was very obvious.

This was to allow her to have influence on Tubo's politics.

"What kind of soldiers are three thousand?" asked Princess Wencheng.

Wang Xuance said: "Three thousand elite cavalry."

Princess Wencheng's breathing paused.

The current population of Tubo is only about two million, with a military force of over 100,000.

Among these more than 100,000 troops, only tens of thousands were controlled by Songtsen Gampo.

The three thousand elite cavalrymen of the Tang Dynasty in the capital of Tubo are definitely a very powerful army.

"I'm afraid the Zamp won't agree." Princess Wencheng shook her head.

In Tubo, Zamp is the title of the monarch, similar to the king.

Wang Xuance said calmly: "Songtsen Gampo will agree. He needs the help of the Tang Dynasty, and you are not only the queen of the Zamp, but also the princess of the Tang Dynasty."

After arriving in Tubo, Wang Xuance also got to know Songtsen Gampo better.

Songtsen Gampo not only had Princess Wencheng as his queen, but also four concubines.

Songtsen Gampo attached great importance to Princess Bhrikuti of the Nepalese Kingdom and built the Jokhang Temple for her. Her arrival helped Songtsen Gampo consolidate the rule of Tubo because he could draw on the power of Nepal.

Consort Muyaru Jiamzeng and Consort Mang Chijia were noble women within Tubo, and they won over the aristocratic forces.

Through his marriage to his Zhangzhung concubine Letuman, Songtsen Gampo strengthened his ties and rule over the Zhangzhung region.

From this we can see that Songtsen Gampo's power in Tubo was actually greatly restricted.

Princess Wencheng agreed.

She needed the support of the Tang Dynasty so that she could have a greater say in Tubo. The next day.

Princess Wencheng told Songtsen Gampo about this.

Songtsen Gampo was overjoyed and agreed immediately.

In his opinion, even if the 3,000 elite cavalry of the Tang Dynasty would not work for him, they would still attack other countries.

But there is absolutely no problem in protecting the royal court, suppressing the nobles, and even rebelling.

The queen's power also increases the royal power.

This was more conducive to his rule.

Songtsen Gampo immediately summoned Wang Xuance to inquire about relevant matters.

After hearing that the prince didn't want his sister to suffer any injustice, he felt even more satisfied.

He knew that Wang Xuance and other envoys were heading to India.

Songtsen Gampo told them a new route: "You can go through Nepal and then directly reach India."

His concubine was a princess of the Kingdom of Nepal, so borrowing the passage was obviously not a problem.

The Kingdom of Nepal did not dare to provoke the Tang Dynasty, let alone curry favor with it.

Wang Xuance said, "There is one more thing that requires Zanpu's help."

"But it doesn't matter."

"This is the first time that our Tang Dynasty delegation has gone to India. However, the journey is long and it is not convenient for us to have too many people."

"For the sake of the dignity of the Tang Dynasty, I would like to borrow 5,000 soldiers from the Zamp to support the Tang Dynasty. I wonder if this is possible."

Songtsen Gampo said: "The Tang envoy's request is of course no problem."

For the sake of the Tang Dynasty's reputation and also for the sake of his reputation as the King of Tubo.

Songtsen Gampo immediately arranged for five thousand elite palace guards.

On the third day, Wang Xuance led a large group of thousands of people and set out to the Kingdom of Nepal to seek passage through it.

Songtsen Gampo also arranged envoys to inform the King of Nepal of the situation.
-
Chang'an City, Yankangfang.

In the palace of King Wei.

Li Tai said in disbelief: "The method used by the prince to make ice is to melt stones? Just melt stones?"

These days, Donggong has suddenly started to purchase Xiaoshi in large quantities.

This suddenly made many people think.

In the Tang Dynasty, apart from its medicinal uses, the most common use of Xiaoshi was in alchemy.

The East Palace's method of making ice was contributed by a Taoist alchemist.

It is hot in summer now, and Sushan is the most popular ice-making product. Many people want to learn Donggong’s ice-making method, and Li Tai naturally wants it too.

In the past, the Eastern Palace purchased these alchemy materials in bulk, which left many Taoists confused.

Now Donggong is vigorously purchasing Xiaoshi. After some experiments, the method of using Xiaoshi to make ice was soon tried out.

Li Tai also got the news soon.

"It seems that we can also make ice." Chai Lingwu said immediately.

Many people are jealous of the profits made by Bing Si Pu.

Fang Yiai's eyes lit up and he said, "If we can make ice ourselves, we will have endless ice cream in the future."

Li Tai was too lazy to pay attention to Fang Yiai, and said, "It seems that we also need to buy Xiaoshi."

Chai Lingwu said: "But the Xiaoshi in Chang'an and Luoyang has almost been bought up by the prince."

Li Tai was not surprised: "Then go buy it somewhere else, you can always find it."

Xiaoshi was not common in the Tang Dynasty because it was mainly used for alchemy and medicine, so the inventory was not as large as other goods.

It was not until the late Tang Dynasty, when gunpowder was invented and began to be used in military affairs, that saltpeter mines began to be mined on a large scale.

At present, most of the saltpeter in the Tang Dynasty, except for some saltpeter mines, comes from ground frost, toilet soil, etc.
-
East Palace.

Changsun Wuji rushed over.

"Your Highness, why is there less and less ice in the East Palace?"

He was a little anxious.

With summer here, Sushan naturally becomes the best-selling product.

There was a long queue in front of the ice cream shop, from opening in the morning to closing before curfew, with almost no time to rest.

Originally, Changsun Wuji thought he should just lie down and count his money, but the ice supply in the East Palace could not keep up.

And it’s getting less and less day by day.

It was as if I was back to the time when the ice cream shop was first opened. It would be sold out by noon and I had no choice but to close it.

After receiving the news, Changsun Wuji rushed to the Eastern Palace.

"Uncle should have heard that I've been actively purchasing Xiaoshi recently."

Li Chengqian did not answer directly, but asked instead.

Chang Sun Wuji frowned and said, "I heard a rumor that the basis of ice making is to melt stone. Is this true?"

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "That's right."

Zhang Sun Wuji subconsciously asked, "So all those Xiaoshi stones have been used up?"

Li Chengqian shook his head: "No, the ice made from melted stone can be reused. It can be used again after it is used up. There is no such thing as consumption."

There is no need to hide this, because once the ice-making method is discovered, Changsun Wuji will naturally find out.

"Then why? We stored so much ice before, at least tens of thousands of kilograms, so we must be able to make more ice than before."

Changsun Wuji didn't understand.

Li Chengqian said directly: "Because I have another use for it."

Chang Sun Wuji couldn't help but ask: "What else can it be used for?"

Li Chengqian said: "Don't ask about this uncle. Anyway, the Xiaoshi in the East Palace will not be used to make ice now."

"As for the ice shop business, I can tell uncle the method of making ice by melting stones, and uncle can hire some people to do it himself in the future."

"I still have a lot of ice-making equipment in my East Palace. Uncle can move some of them away, including several craftsmen who know how to make ice, who can also be given to uncle."

Saltpeter, which is used to make ice, is now made into gunpowder in large quantities.

Even though Li Chengqian tried his best to purchase Xiaoshi, the amount he purchased during this period of time was only a few hundred kilograms.

For example, in a pharmacy, it is usually enough to stock a few kilograms, and not too much will be used for alchemy.

So Li Chengqian simply stopped making ice and used all the energy to make gunpowder.

There are more than 15,000 kilograms of saltpeter in the underground ice storage, which can be used to make more than 20,000 kilograms of black gunpowder according to the correct ratio.

Together with the two thousand kilograms that have already been produced, it is estimated that 25,000 kilograms of black gunpowder can be produced.

The weather is hot now, the drying time is fast, and with more manpower, it should be completed before July.

In fact, the best way is to dig saltpeter mines.

But the largest storage point of saltpeter is in Tubo.

In later generations, there were parts in Qinghai and a small part in Gansu.

It is not easy to go to Tibet, so Li Chengqian has already sent people to investigate Qinghai and Gansu.

But obviously, it cannot be found in a short time.

With current exploration technology, finding small amounts of saltpeter ore depends largely on luck.

Therefore, the place of Tubo is very important.

This feeling is just like when the United States discovered oil in the Middle East later.

It must be under your control.

At this point, the Tubo Dynasty was guilty of possessing a treasure.

When Changsun Wuji heard the prince say this, he felt helpless, but since he had been given the method of making ice, at least he could make ice by himself in the future.

Judging from the prince's expression, he probably doesn't want to get involved in Bingsi's business in the future.

ps: I was busy during the day, so there will probably be only one update tonight.

(End of this chapter)