I'm about to become an immortal, do you want me to be a prince?

Chapter 294 Desperate for face and suffer!

Strictly speaking, the collusion between Shule and Khotan is already a major event.

Therefore, while Li Fengjie sent someone to report, he contacted Li Mu to see if he could help with equipment.

Jingnan.

when--

when--

when--

The newly built iron casting workshop is running in full swing.

The sound of forging hammers and iron tools colliding could be heard endlessly.

"Okay, stop the blast!"

"Yes!"

This workshop was built along the river, imitating the scale of Hetao's "Heaven and Earth Workshop".

The objects forged this time are not sharp weapons of magic weapons, but iron bars.

The thumb-thick iron bar passes through an iron plate with a hole in the vertebral body, and then becomes a thinner iron bar.

The small iron bars passed through the holes again and turned into thinner and smaller iron wires.

Although it is not very uniform, the level of craftsmanship is relatively rough.

But barely reached the passing line.

So the iron wire in the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty was born.

As for why iron wire is produced?
It's not always about engaging in "rich women's happy ball".

Instead, engage in barbed wire.

This thing is still quite useful on the battlefield, so it is necessary to try it out.

"Test the tensile data." Li Mu instructed while guiding.

"Yes." The technician beside him agreed respectfully.

"Has the batch sent to the Western Regions departed?"

"Already set off at the beginning of the month."

"Ah That's good."

"The annealing furnace still needs to be tested a few more times, record the data, and select the optimal specification at that time."

"Yes."

Wire rod production is extremely fuel-intensive because further heat treatment is required.

Fortunately, Li Mu now has a lot of coal resources.

This cost is not too much pressure for him.

Compared with the consumption of coal mines, the quality of iron ore is what worries him.

Because not just any iron ore is suitable.

The best is of course low-sulfur iron ore, but he doesn't know where to find it.

The mineral resource distribution map given by the system at the beginning was actually not too detailed.

Only some major resource points are marked.

Most of them know where Li Mu is without looking at the map, but they can't mine if they want to.

Not all mine veins are no-man's land.

He hasn't gone mad enough to seize the people's land by force.

"By the way, have you received the final payment from the Western Regions?"

"Go back to Duke Jingyang, I received it, but most of them are gold and silver coins from the Western Regions."

Li Mu nodded after listening, and said, "It's okay, it's all melted, and then cast into SF Express silver dollars."

"Yes."

The supplies that Li Mu gives to others are usually paid first.

But the supplies for Li Fengjie are basically recorded first, and then he will pay the bill after he gets the spoils.

It is very favorable.

As for this batch of iron wire, Li Mu naturally didn't send it to Li Fengjie to play with the art of binding.

Although those soil turtles from the Western Regions were not very powerful, their escape speed was astonishingly fast. In addition, they were local snakes and were familiar with the terrain.

If they wanted to run away wholeheartedly, it would be very difficult for Tang Jun to catch them.

Therefore, some necessary interception methods are very important.

And this barbed wire, in addition to defense, is also very effective in dealing with the opponent's escape art.

After explaining the wire manufacturing, Li Mu left the workshop.

After returning to Beppu, I found Li Zekai and Li Zhen drinking tea and chatting around the stove.

Li Mu walked over to pick up a cup of hot tea and took a sip.

Then he laughed and scolded, "You two guys, you are free."

"Brother is also asking for trouble, why do everything by himself?" Li Zhen smiled while refilling him with tea.

Li Mu smiled and said nothing.

It's not that he doesn't want to let go, it's just that some things involve the advanced posture of later generations.

He couldn't help but do it himself.

"By the way, I was told that the son of the Dou family also went to the Western Regions."

"Dou Xiaoci?"

Li Mu nodded.

"It's so strange, in this current market, if the Dou family doesn't forge ahead, it might collapse." It was Li Zekai who spoke.

Li Zekai continued with a contemptuous expression on his face, "Mr. Jingyang, do you know the current situation of the Dou family?"

"How to say?"

"Now Dou Jiakong has the name of relatives, but no real relatives, and even the dignity of the Duke is almost unable to maintain."

"Huh? Why is this?"

"Mr. Jingyang doesn't know the current market in Chang'an, right?"

"tell me the story."

"Nowadays, the market in Chang'an is changing with each passing day. It is no longer comparable to what it was in the first four years of Zhenguan. The nobles may not be able to maintain their dignity just by keeping their salaries and properties."

Li Zekai Barabara said a lot.

To sum up in one sentence.

Living in Chang'an is not easy.

The reason for this situation, to be honest, has a lot to do with Li Mu, a wild cross-travel dog.

In Chang'an in the first four years of Zhenguan, the living standards of the nobles were not much different, and their salaries and land income were enough to make them live well.

But since Li Mu, a wild time-traveling dog, produced all kinds of high-end items, slowly, the world began to change.

Going out in a luxury carriage, the kind with shock absorbers, good breeds of horses, Japanese women and Turkic slaves holding incense and umbrellas.

Introductory coal stove scented tea, more quilt soft pillow, Taishi chair, glass, cement, red brick construction, white porcelain floor.

In short, the emergence of various new objects has changed the living habits of Chang'an nobles.

But these cost money, and they are expensive.

If the nobles did not have the support of new industrial income, they would not be able to maintain this kind of life simply by relying on their original salary and land income.

Although you can choose not to live this way.

But what kind of species is Xungui?
A species that would rather starve than remain respectable.

Other nobles are all in this kind of ostentation, can you not be consistent?
Others go out riding Jinshan Chasing Wind, Qinghai Cong, and Western Region Dragon Horse.

You are riding a poor-quality horse, how can you hang out in the noble circle if you say it?

But to maintain this decency, you have to be rich.

For noble families like Yu Chigong, Cheng Zhijie, Zhang Gongjin, Li Ji, etc. who have a cooperative relationship with Li Mu, they are naturally not short of money.

For them, these decent expenses are simply a matter of sprinkling water.

But it's different for a declining noble family like the Dou family.

Well, that's cutting meat.

What's more, the Dou family has not been able to find a person with real power.

Nothing but titles of honor.

As long as there is some real power, people will sell face and give some resources.

So, in fact, in order to maintain this decency, the Dou family secretly owed them no idea how much money they owed.

If you don't take the initiative to fight for it, you will probably sell your ancestral property to pay off your debts, and you will end up getting out of Chang'an City in the end.

So Dou Xiaoci became ruthless and went directly to the Western Regions to fight for a future.

(End of this chapter)