Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

Chapter 102 The monks held the lacquered bow

The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on August 15th, and there will be a three-day holiday.

However, officials of the third and fourth ranks frequently entered the Liangyi Hall, mainly to discuss the matter of the Unity Army stationing troops at Naniwajin.

"The provisions can be ordered to be supplied by Naniwazu, but military supplies, medicines, and medical personnel must keep up."

"It is crucial that Tang Dynasty ships maintain a certain frequency of round trips to transport soldiers who are not adapting back to their hometowns and ensure that their letters home receive a response."

The Vice Minister of War, Cui Dunli, reported the matter meticulously.

"Warships and sea rafts are not stable enough. They can travel between Naniwa and Laizhou and Quanzhou in the right season without any problem, but they will struggle in the season of rough seas."

"Based on the structural drawings drawn by the Duke, the first batch of Fujian ships from the Imperial Workshops has been launched in Laizhou Bay. The sailors are currently navigating them for trial voyages, and they will still need to undergo at least one or two months of testing and adjustments."

"The biggest problems right now are a shortage of timber, a lack of craftsmen, and a funding gap."

Young craftsman Yan Lide raised the question.

Even with sufficient technology, the first batch of ships still required extra caution, and minor adjustments and repairs were inevitable.

Timber is a major problem; logging and transporting timber from the deep forests of Jiannan Road is a huge headache in terms of cost.

"The court should come up with another idea for the artisans; the Ministry of Civil Affairs will cover their expenses."

""

"However, in Meizhou, Qiongzhou, and Yazhou, the government's excessive exploitation of the Liao people may have driven them to rebellion, leading to the cessation of timber transport and logging."

Tang Jian, the Minister of Civil Affairs, spoke frankly.

They wanted the horses to run but didn't feed them. Local officials could only exploit the submissive Liao people by forcing them to serve excessive labor.

Even the most good-tempered Liao people, when driven to the brink of despair, will grab a knife and kill.

Give me a talisman?

What a joke! In places where the talisman can't be redeemed quickly, this thing is too hard to even wipe your backside with.

We can't just let the Liao people starve to death while guarding the remission token, can we?

The Imperial Censor Xiao Li's eyes flashed with ruthlessness: "Send out Zhang Wenzong, Zhang Xingcheng, Xu Yushi, and Ma Zhou from my Censorate to investigate the living conditions of the people of Mei, Qiong, and Ya Liao, and kill a group of officials who ignore the people's livelihood."

Xiao Yu was so murderous, completely different from his devout Buddhist nature.

Even Buddha has a fierce expression? Then it's alright.

Yang Shidao, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, raised an eyebrow: "I recommend Feng Yandao, the Director of the Ministry of Justice, to accompany the investigation."

In fact, it was already impossible to hide the fact that Feng Yandao's father, Feng Deyi, was two-faced and his stance was shifting between Li Shimin and Prince Xiyin.

However, since the person was already dead, Li Shimin was too lazy to dredge up the old grievances.

However, that doesn't mean Yang Shidao can't trip up his future brother-in-law!

Yin Hongzhi, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, smiled and said, "Then, we can let Feng Yandao serve as the Prefect of one of the prefectures."

All three prefectures are high-ranking prefectures. The governor is a third-rank official, the deputy governor is a fourth-rank official, and the deputy governor is a fifth-rank official. The deputy governor is promoted three ranks in a row.

By not mentioning that he was transferred to the rank of Senior Secretary of the Fifth Grade, Yin Hongzhi was already showing great conscience.

The suggestion from a few bad guys concealed a malicious intent, preventing Feng Yandao from becoming the Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant!

"Helan Sengjia, the Left Guard General of the Imperial Household Department, is widowed and is raising his child Helan Shangtong alone, which is quite difficult for him. I think that Princess Yongjia also needs a capable consort."

Attendant-in-Ordinary Wang Gui spoke calmly.

The monk held the lacquered bow. Apart from his dark face, the monk Helan was not black-hearted.

He was willing to marry such a frivolous princess and didn't care about Princess Yongjia's private life. He just wanted to take advantage of the situation to climb the ranks and see the scenery of the third rank.

The child, Helan Shangtong, also needs a stepmother to protect him from the wind and rain.

Aside from her controversial private life, Princess Yongjia didn't have many flaws. While one might not call her kind-hearted, she was at least morally upright.

So, apart from a few strange smiles, nothing too outrageous happened inside the Liangyi Hall.

"Please allow me to reconsider."

Li Shimin was somewhat tempted.

Dou Fengjie's attitude toward the Yongjia Emperor's sister was too resolute, and even a shrewd minister like him couldn't force him. Finding another Commandant Ma was imperative.

Helan Sengjia's martial arts skills are decent. Apart from enjoying hunting bears with Liu Xingmin and the others, he has no other faults. He is also mentally prepared for Princess Yongjia's philandering. Perhaps this is not a bad match for him!

With Feng Yandao being transferred to a post outside the capital, it would be inappropriate for Princess Li Chengxia of Huainan to marry him again.

Or should we have the Princess of Huainan marry Dou Fengjie?

This idea even startled Li Shimin himself.

To be honest, this wildly imaginative idea is quite feasible, although Princess Yongjia would be a little wronged.

She's not even married yet, and she's already going to be a mother; it saves her the trouble of giving birth herself.

As for Feng Yandao, Li Shimin's desire to marry his younger sister off to Feng Deyi diminished considerably after he learned of Feng Deyi's misdeeds.

Tsk, it would be good to let him go to Yazhou and marry a Liao woman.

"Speaking of timber, there is plenty in places like Bozhou along the Wujiang River. We can also have the Keman, Xixieman, and Xizhaoman people cut down trees and transport them by water, and trade them with the surplus pig iron and other products from the smelting bureaus of various prefectures."

Minister of State Affairs Li Tai took a sip of plain water and spoke slowly.

There are six Wujiang Rivers in the world. Li Tai was referring to the Wujiang River in the Wumeng Mountains, which has nothing to do with Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu.

There are many century-old trees along the banks of the Wujiang River. As long as they are not completely removed, thinning will not cause too much soil erosion.

Li Shimin exclaimed in surprise, "The King of Yue has grown up!"

This idea sounds complicated at first, but it has many benefits.

By spending a small amount of money, the various barbarian tribes benefited, and the relationship between the barbarians and the Tang Dynasty became closer.

The key point is that by diverting logging to the Wujiang River basin, the pressure on Meizhou, Qiongzhou, and Yazhou will not be so great, and local officials will not have to ruthlessly exploit the people and force them to rebel.

This strategy can be slightly modified and applied to any place in the Tang Dynasty.

Li Tai smiled and said, "I am paid by the emperor, and I will share his burdens."

Honestly uphold your status as a subject and refrain from actively vying for the position of Crown Prince. The greatest struggle is one that is not contested.

Li Shimin sighed and said, "If Li Tai were the eldest son of the legitimate wife, why would I have to worry about him?"

Even now, the emperor is still wavering between changing the heir apparent and not changing the heir apparent, and has ultimately not made up his mind to replace him.

In this matter, the indecisive Li Shimin was nowhere near as decisive as the General of the Heavenly Strategy back then.

Changsun Wuji frowned slightly: "Speaking of the need for a large number of craftsmen for the shipyard, we can send craftsmen and their families from Chang'an, Luoyang, and Taiyuan."

"But what are we going to do with the ships the court needs once they're built?"

"Continue building smaller seagoing vessels to sell to Tang merchants so they can profit at sea. Should they also be allowed to possess the corresponding armor, crossbows, and guns?"

The questions are interconnected, and every word is sharp, even directly targeting Wu Delu.

Cloth-backed armor is a unique type of armor used by naval naval personnel. The front is made of iron or leather, while the back is bound with strips of cloth. If a soldier falls into the water, he can untie the cloth strips to float to the surface and be rescued.

The "Wude Code" clearly stipulates that private individuals are not allowed to possess any kind of armor, guns, or crossbows; otherwise, Dou Fengjie would not have waited for Li Shimin to bestow a gun upon him.

If seagoing vessels can possess these things, can land-based merchants legally possess them as well?

With armor, spears, and crossbows in hand, can the Tang Dynasty still control the situation?

Without these things, would the Tang Dynasty's seagoing ships be going out to alleviate poverty?