As the few people were talking, it was soon time for the dinner, and Fang Xuanling naturally stayed in the palace. This was not uncommon for a prime minister of a country.
"I heard you used a new substance on the grassland. Is it the gunpowder you mentioned earlier?"
After discussing the serious matters, the emperor began to inquire about gunpowder. Li Xiang originally wanted to present it to the emperor, but because of the Tuyuhun incident, the matter was delayed. What's more, the emperor didn't take it seriously at the time, thinking that this thing was not that powerful and that Li Xiang was purely exaggerating.
Li Xiang already had an idea of what his grandfather was thinking. Gunpowder was a monopoly commodity in this era. Although Li Xiang was willing to make the Tang Dynasty live a better life, the Tang Dynasty was not his yet, so he had to keep the gunpowder in his own hands.
"It is indeed the gunpowder that my grandson mentioned before."
According to Li Shimin's idea, Li Xiang must be a cunning guy. Even if he asked him, he would never admit it. Unexpectedly, he admitted it. Instead, Li Shimin didn't know how to continue.
"I've heard that this gunpowder is incredibly powerful, and it's one of the reasons Your Highness secured victory on the grasslands. If all of our Tang armies were equipped with this gunpowder, our national strength would at least double in the future. If the surrounding nations were to witness such powerful weapons, would they still dare to provoke a dispute with us?"
Fang Xuanling certainly knew what Li Shimin was thinking, so he immediately turned to this matter.
"Prime Minister Fang is right, but gunpowder is as valuable as gold. If all the armies of the Tang Dynasty were to be equipped with it, the cost would be enormous."
Li Xiang's words immediately extinguished the enthusiasm of the two people.
If the value of gunpowder is equal to that of gold, then it is indeed impossible to equip it on a large scale. The two men have also guessed the value of gunpowder. It must be very expensive, but it is definitely not equal to the value of gold. But now they don’t have a secret recipe, and everything is in Li Xiang’s hands. Naturally, whatever Li Xiang says is what it is.
However, according to reports from spies on the front line, gunpowder is indeed very precious. Officers at all levels strictly require their subordinates. All gunpowder is usually weighed. Any loss of gunpowder must be explained in writing. If the explanation is unclear, no matter what your background is, you must accept severe punishment.
"Grandfather, please don't disbelieve me. What I say is true. This is the material for gunpowder..."
Li Xiang immediately took out a piece of paper from his pocket, on which was recorded the materials of gunpowder. Of course, the materials were half true and half false, and some of them were added by Li Xiang himself.
Li Shimin quickly asked Wang De to take it and held it in his hand as if it were a treasure. Although Li Shimin had never heard of some of the materials, the few he knew of were indeed very expensive. If it were configured according to this formula, although it would not be equivalent to gold, it would not be far off.
"Several of these materials are extremely rare. Even if we were to take the trouble to acquire them, we wouldn't be able to buy too much. That's why I agree to negotiate with them regarding the Tuyuhun issue. If we had enough gunpowder, I would definitely lead my troops south and crush the Tuyuhun."
What Li Xiang said was half true and half false. In fact, he had enough gunpowder, but when the major families were scrambling to seize Li Xiang's fruit in Tuyuhun, Li Xiang had already arranged this matter. Since you want to swallow this apple, I have to make it into a poisonous apple.
"Keep this thing for now. I don't think the court craftsmen can make it. But don't let it leak out. Since it's so rare, keep it with your army for now. As for the consumed ones, report them directly to the Ministry of Revenue. But can you place some on the walls around the palace?"
Li Shimin thought of the Xuanwu Gate Incident that year. If someone wanted to launch another coup, although Li Shimin was now fully confident that he could suppress it, if he had such a powerful force, wouldn’t his confidence be greater?
"Firing down from the city wall from a high position is indeed a very good idea. Grandson will immediately arrange for people to purchase weapons at strategic locations on the city wall. However, grandfather must find appropriate guards, especially for things like gunpowder. If the weight is not measured daily, once it falls into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, the safety of the palace will be in jeopardy..."
Gunpowder is a double-edged sword. Li Xiang put all the gunpowder in the hands of the system soldiers, so there is no need to worry about the gunpowder leaking out, not even a pound will leak out. But if it gets into the hands of Li Shimin's people in the palace, it is probably hard to say.
"Then you can make preparations for now, and I will arrange the rest."
Although Li Shimin had not yet truly seen the power of gunpowder, he had already received some of the memorials and could naturally guess that placing such a thing in the palace required extreme caution, and no one except his trusted confidants could use it.
Fang Xuanling was a little disappointed. Although he knew that Li Xiang might have been behind this, anyone would probably do the same. After all, this was not a small thing. If it could benefit the entire Tang Dynasty, the number of border guards could be reduced by more than half, and the court's expenses could be reduced accordingly.
Now that Li Xiang is willing to place it in the imperial city, this also gives them an opportunity. If the people in the Artisan Center can develop it, the cost may be lower.
Of course, Li Xiang also knew what they were thinking, so he took out some primary black gunpowder. This kind of thing has limited power. Even if you can develop it, it will take ten or twenty years. In the meantime, we have already switched to smokeless gunpowder. Naturally, we are not afraid of you mastering this technology. We will definitely be ahead of the world in science and technology, and we must have it in our own hands.
Although the meal did not meet their expectations, it was still very perfect. Li Xiang was given a thirty-day vacation, including his soldiers, and they would take up their posts in the Beiya Forbidden Army after thirty days.
"Your Highness."
Li Xiang and Fang Xuanling left the Qinzheng Hall together. Fang Xuanling basically did not speak on his own initiative, but after leaving the hall, Fang Xuanling still took the initiative to call Li Xiang.
"Does Minister Fang have any advice?"
Li Xiang, the Tang Dynasty's think tank, humbly sought advice. This man influenced almost all policies during the Zhenguan period and was no ordinary person...
