The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

Chen Huai'an stared at the three locations Liang Bingyi had mentioned, pondered for a moment, and then nodded slightly.

The Lingqu Canal needs to be repaired, and so do the canals for grain transport.

All of these things need to be taken into account for the future.

That's why he called Liang Bingyi over.

"There's a problem," Chang Gui said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "The Lingqu Canal is relatively easy to deal with, but the Xijiang River is a bit more difficult."

"This is not a place where we can just build it whenever we want. This is the mother river of Lingnan, and we need the support of the local people and the cooperation of local forces. Otherwise, building it may cause a lot of unnecessary trouble."

Ouyang Shu coughed lightly: "Minister, you may not know this, but the Tang Dynasty's control over Lingnan is not strong at present. The main problem is still transportation."

"Opening up roads to Lingnan, even if it has no vested interests, will at least greatly strengthen the control of the Central Plains over Lingnan."

"Brother Chang is right. Over there, we may need the support and cooperation of the locals for many things."

Chen Huai'an replied without hesitation, "No problem, I will communicate with the Feng family to ensure that our people can successfully build the Lingqu Canal and dredge the Xijiang River."

"Then there's no problem." Ouyang Shu had no doubt about this statement.

In fact, even if Chen Huai'an hadn't married into the Feng family, he still believed that Chen Huai'an would have a solution.

"The three of you, based on the general framework we just established, quickly come up with a concrete and feasible construction plan. How many people will be needed, where will they be from, a rough estimate of how much money and food will be required, and how long the project will take," Chen Huai'an said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"I don't need the West River to be completely renovated. All I want is for ships to be able to pass smoothly and reach Lingnan from the Yangtze River."

"clear."

The four of them agreed in unison.

"Gentlemen!"

Chen Huai'an looked at the four people in front of him with an unprecedented seriousness: "This has nothing to do with anyone's private affairs, but concerns the common people of the world, millions of ordinary people."

"Do you know how much wealth the world holds in their hands? Do you know how much a peck of rice costs when natural disasters strike?"

Chang Gui's throat was dry: "Two hundred and fifty coins, one dou!"

"This price, if viewed historically, wouldn't even be considered high."

"During the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, prices even exceeded 250 coins per dou!"

Yu Shao, Ouyang Shu, and Liang Bingyi fell silent.

"Yes," Chen Huai'an murmured softly, "Two hundred and fifty coins per dou, that's a price that even you would find a little painful to pay."

Have you thought about the ordinary people?

"Having followed me for so long, haven't you seen enough disaster victims?"

"Even with all our efforts, even with me working myself to the bone to earn money and generate tax revenue for the national treasury, how many people have died this year alone?"

"Those are not just cold numbers on memorials; they are vibrant lives. They have their own names, even if their names are not pleasant to hear or contain any profound meaning. Most of them are given humble names."

"But they were once living, breathing people, with their own fathers, born after ten months of pregnancy by their own mothers. They lived on the same land as us, and like us, they were descendants of Yan and Huang, subjects of the Tang Dynasty!"

As the sage once said, "When you are successful, you should benefit all under heaven; when you are unsuccessful, you should cultivate your own virtue!"

Are you rich or poor?

Chang Gui's face flushed red: "I am the Vice Minister of Works, and I also rose from the bottom. I want to benefit the world, and I believe I am qualified!"

Ouyang Shu was speechless, thinking to himself that Chang Gui was still the same as always, always getting excited whenever these things were mentioned.

In fact, Ouyang Shu himself used to be like that, but at some point, he changed.

The ideals and ambitions in his heart were gradually worn down by the cruelty of reality, and he became a good subordinate who was adept at handling all kinds of situations.

Ouyang Shu looked at the man in front of him with a complicated expression.

Chen Huai'an smiled and said, "Of course I'm qualified!"

"One should act according to one's abilities, and fulfill one's responsibilities in one's position!"

"As the saying goes, the red robes of officials are stained with the blood of the common people. Our actions will be recorded in history books, and our good and bad deeds will be remembered and evaluated by future generations."

"I may be more special than you think, but I still choose to help the world, even if this choice is very risky for me."

"Are you willing?"

"This is the first and last time I've seriously asked you this question!"

"I do!" Chang Gui agreed immediately without the slightest hesitation.

For him, Chen Huai'an was the best boss.

It's fortunate that it was Chen Huai'an; otherwise, any official with a subordinate like him would probably end up like Ouyang Shu, having all their ambition, ideals, and aspirations crushed!

Yu Shao chuckled and said, "I don't understand some of the intricacies. I'm just an engineer. When I first met the Minister, I was thinking about making contributions, achieving political success, and getting promoted."

"Until later, I suddenly stopped wanting to."

"The Minister taught me a lesson: my skills should not be used to achieve great merit or gain high positions, but to benefit all people."

"It's a tool, but not a tool for me to climb up the ladder."

"Very good." Chen Huai'an turned to Liang Bingyi and Ouyang Shu, "What about you two?"

Ouyang Shu chuckled and said, "Minister, I have already given my answer. In any case, I am willing to go with you."

"I'm not afraid of being laughed at by the Minister, but since I started following you, I suddenly feel much younger."

"This feeling... is hard to describe, but it's wonderful!"

Liang Bingyi was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I hope that one day, I can share some of your burden, even if it's just a little bit."

Chen Huai'an was very pleased; he could tell that these people were speaking from the heart.

This is good.

He stood up and said loudly, "Gentlemen!"

"The emergence of new iron-forging methods, refined salt, and papermaking techniques did indeed fill the Tang Dynasty's treasury, but this was only a superficial phenomenon, because the people of the Tang Dynasty did not actually have much money."

"Currently, the majority of the money and grain in the Tang Dynasty's treasury actually come from aristocratic families."

"One day we will have to confront them. In Chang'an, a city that has been ruled by powerful families for thousands of years, and in the Central Plains, it will be difficult for us to compete with them!"

"We must find a new way to break this deadlock, even if it's only temporary, it's still the first step towards victory!"

"From the moment you understood what I wanted to do and were still willing to follow me, you were no longer my subordinates. We are the same; we share the same goals!"

"..."