manynovel Chapter 2704 Someone's Going to Mess with Bad Luck
Chapter 2704 Someone's Going to Mess with Bad Luck
After Li Shimin finished speaking, he picked up Xixi and mounted his horse. Before leaving, he told Li Shen that he would take the sled back with him.
Watching the departing procession, Li Shen sighed.
He approached the two little dogs and stroked their heads:
"Are you two stupid? Stop hanging out with her so much. She always pushes things onto you two when there's trouble. She's not loyal at all."
"Let's go, take me back, and I'll give you raw beef to eat."
As if they understood, the two dogs whimpered twice.
Li Shen then stood behind the sled, causing the front to curve slightly upwards.
Run!
With a loud shout from Li Shen, the two dogs got up and ran.
"Alas~~~~"
Li Shen cheered, feeling the speed and passion, his adrenaline surging, and the sled circled the field before heading back.
The cold wind felt like knives cutting into Li Shen's face. He hadn't prepared any protective gear, and he was going to suffer after the fun.
When he ran back, Li Shimin and his entourage had been waiting there for a long time.
The sled slowly came to a stop, and Li Shen shakily got off, quickly becoming terribly cold.
"Indeed, it is just as fast as a horse, and it can also carry cargo, making it an excellent choice for transporting troops or supplies."
Li Shimin walked closer and nodded in satisfaction.
"Tenth brother, you are indeed exceptionally intelligent; you are even able to manufacture such a thing."
If combined with our winter clothing, winter combat won't be a problem either.
Li Chengqian's eyes also lit up; he understood the significance of this thing all too well.
In the past, there were almost no battles in winter because the severe cold would cause soldiers to suffer frostbite or even freeze to death, resulting in serious non-combat casualties.
They almost never fight in winter unless it's a matter of life and death.
Especially for the attacking side, if they encounter heavy snow and their food supplies are not replenished in time, they are very likely to be wiped out.
Ever since Li Shen started planting cotton, his father had managed to obtain winter uniforms for soldiers from Li Shen through various means.
This greatly solved the problem of keeping the soldiers warm in winter, and also solved the problem of fighting in winter.
If these sleds could solve the problem of transporting supplies, the Tang army could fight in all weather and all seasons.
This is a nightmare for northern countries that experience snowfall.
The Tang Dynasty is already powerful enough. If it can fight even in winter, wouldn't that leave it with no chance to catch its breath?
Those present were all veterans, and they naturally understood this principle, so they all gathered around.
Cheng Yaojin tried to stand on the sled like Li Shen, but Li Shen refused, saying that Xiao Yi and Xiao Er had been running for so long and naturally needed to rest.
Besides, how could I let you mess with my own dog? What if you kill it?
Li Shen instructed Shi Tou to take the two dogs to the manor, leaving only the sled for the others to observe.
"Your Majesty, I just took a look at this sled. It is not complicated to make. If it is made larger, it should not be a problem for me."
"For transporting supplies, we can use horses; we don't need to go at the same speed as before."
Yan Lide studied it for a while and then reported it to Li Shimin.
"Yes, that's very good. After the Lantern Festival, the Ministry of Works will conduct a verification test. If it works, a batch will be made and distributed to the northern border troops."
Li Shimin nodded after hearing this. He hadn't expected that coming here just for fun would lead to the discovery of something useful for the court.
It seems I should visit Prince Ji's residence more often in the future.
"Erlang, it's time to eat."
Just then, Empress Zhangsun came out.
She had just seen a group of people standing at the door.
Li Shimin nodded and led everyone back to the dining area inside.
Taking advantage of this time, the group of spoiled brats began to play with various facilities inside.
The meals mainly consisted of hot pot and barbecue, and Li Shen found it too troublesome to cook any stir-fries.
However, despite the freezing weather, Li Shen still stewed a large pot of mutton soup to warm everyone up.
"Your Highness Prince Ji, I have a question that I would like to ask you."
During the meal, an official stood up, bowed, and asked.
Li Shen glanced at it; it looked somewhat familiar, but he didn't recognize it.
"Ask whatever you want," Li Shen replied casually.
"May I ask Your Highness Prince Ji, this ice and snow city is so vast, you must not know how much ice and snow has been transported here."
"If spring comes and the flowers bloom, won't this place turn into a vast ocean?"
The official asked in a low voice.
"So what if it is? What exactly are you trying to say?" Li Shen asked with a puzzled expression, but he was also a little annoyed. Was he being forced to curse at the moment when he was happiest?
Why are there always some people stirring things up? Officials who can reach this level should know what human relationships are, right?
"What I want to say is that while building this ice and snow city is certainly a good thing, Your Highness should also consider the negative consequences it may bring."
Once this land is cultivated, it will turn a large area of fertile fields into a vast swamp. I think that would be a waste of such good land.
The people here will suffer enormous losses then, and I wonder if Your Highness will compensate them?
The official was very polite and didn't speak in a sarcastic or harsh way, but his words still implied that Li Shen's Ice and Snow City project was somewhat wasteful of resources and manpower.
Li Shen took a sip of the meat soup, let out a comfortable sigh, and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.
At this moment, everyone looked at Li Shen, wondering if he would lose his temper.
Moreover, everyone was looking at that official, wondering why he would offend Prince Ji at this time.
“This official, you may not know this, but the land you are standing on, including the area within a ten-mile radius, belongs to me. How can you say that the people have suffered losses?”
Secondly, even if this place becomes a vast ocean, what difference does it make if I, the king, don't farm?
Do I, the king, lack even a little bit of fertile land?
I bet you'll say that such a large area could produce enough grain to feed so many people.
But let me ask you this: even if I were to cultivate these lands, do you think I would distribute them to the people for consumption?
Isn't it still my own grain?
If you have this kind of heart, why don't you take out all your grain and distribute it to the people below?
"Given your rank, you should have quite a few Yongye fields, right?"
Li Shen began his sarcastic retort indifferently, showing no respect whatsoever to the other party. Li Shen felt he should know this official, but he just couldn't recall his name at the moment.
Those who could come with their father could not be nobodys.
After Li Shen finished speaking, the other party was unable to refute him for a moment. Li Shen spoke very frankly and sincerely.
Whether I cultivate this land or not, I won't share my grain with the people, so there's no such thing as waste.
If you're so aware, you should share your grain; after all, you should have plenty of land.
Moral blackmail was something Li Shen was all too familiar with; it was something those so-called intellectuals loved to do, putting themselves on a righteous side and pointing fingers at others.
And these are often the most ruthless, heartless, and petty people.