Chapter 33: Unrest in the Northern Border, Pumpkin Grenades

Li Er was also aware of this matter.

Li Er also knew the benefits of the Qinghai horse and wanted to turn the area around Qinghai into the Great Tang's second pasture. This way, it would be easier to equip the Great Tang's army with top-tier warhorses.

For now, he could only rely on Su Liang's business to trade for them; once the Tuyuhun were taken, this matter would be much easier to handle.

The first year of Zhenguan, the tenth day of the second month.

At this moment, in the Furong Garden.

Su Liang lay on a self-made leather sofa, his brows tightly locked.

Ruyan, who was massaging Su Liang's head, saw this and immediately smoothed his slightly furrowed forehead, asking softly, "Everything is proceeding according to your plan, my husband. Is there still something troubling you?"

In Furong Garden, when it came to the skill of taking care of people, Ruyan was still the best.

Su Liang then took Ruyan's hand and smiled, "There is nothing to be troubled about; it's just that there is truly too much crushed stone needed for road construction, and I am thinking about how to solve it."

"My husband is worried about just this? Nothing else?" Ruyan asked.

"Just this!" Su Liang said.

Ruyan had originally thought Su Liang was troubled because Li Yuan was coming to live in Furong Garden; Li Yuan had already sent someone to give notice two days ago, saying he would move in once Su Liang had arranged the road construction properly.

After getting the answer from Su Liang, she pondered slightly and understood the difficulty; the roads being built this time were nearly twenty thousand li long.

Not only that, but Su Liang also wanted all the streets in Changancheng to be paved with asphalt.

The Vermilion Bird Avenue alone, at one hundred and fifty meters wide, required quite a lot of crushed stone—enough to equal the amount needed for over a thousand kilometers of road.

Not to mention the entire Changancheng!

"Then has my husband thought of a solution?" Ruyan asked.

"I have, it's just a bit... annoying..."

Su Liang said while yawning.

Asphalt was easy to get nowadays; the Changqing Oilfield around Changancheng had as much as one could want, but the crushed stone was what was needed in large quantities.

Just as Su Liang was fretting over the crushed stone needed for the road, Li Er, having just finished the morning court session, arrived happily.

Today's morning court had put Li Er in a great mood; currently, water conservancy, spring plowing, road construction, and other matters were all proceeding in an orderly fashion.

It was unknown when it started, but every time Li Er finished the morning court, he liked to pay a visit to Su Liang.

Either to show off or to ask for advice.

Seeing Li Er arrive, Ruyan immediately had tea served and left the space to the two of them.

"Good son-in-law, do you know what the Turks eat most of?"

Li Er smiled slightly, keeping him in suspense.

Su Liang looked at Li Er quietly, not understanding what he meant; this was an obvious matter, did it even need to be asked?

Su Liang was already having a headache and didn't want to think too much, so he immediately said, "Beef and mutton, of course. Even a three-year-old child knows that."

"What does Your Majesty mean by asking this?"

Seeing Su Liang ask directly, Li Er didn't beat around the bush and smiled, saying, "Ahem... it is already the second month; the grass is lush and the horses are fat in the Turkic lands, which is the perfect time for their nomadic activities."

"I am thinking..."

Having said this, Li Er stopped speaking.

Seeing Li Er stammering without continuing for a long time.

Su Liang then smiled and said, "There are still many tribes in the Eastern Turks that have not submitted. Is Your Majesty worried about that?"

"My good son-in-law understands my meaning. Now that the envoys to the Tang have returned to their countries, I don't know their specific attitudes. According to news from Yingzhou, it seems the Khitan and the Kumoxi have made some moves."

"In recent days, their interactions have become more frequent."

"Sigh... I don't know the specific situation with the Shiwei and Mohe either." Li Er finished speaking in a rush and looked at Su Liang with a sincere expression, wanting Su Liang to offer an idea.

Heh... so His Majesty wants to eliminate the hidden threat of the Eastern Turks for the stability of the Great Tang, Su Liang thought to himself.

Afterward, he began to ponder secretly...

The Kumoxi and the Khitan were of the same origin; during the Northern Wei, the Khitan broke away from the Kumoxi and embarked on a path of self-strengthening.

Later, the more powerful Khitan annexed the Kumoxi, forming a unified Khitan tribe. The unified Khitan had always lived on the northern grasslands, following water and grass, and had wars and conflicts with the Xianbei, Turks, and others of the time. At this time, the Khitan were weak and were objects of bullying.

Time arrived at the Tang Dynasty, and with Li Shimin going through the Reign of Zhenguan, he created a prosperous dynasty.

The powerful Turks in the north were driven to the distant west by the armies of the Li Tang Dynasty, and the nomadic peoples like the Khitan, who were originally bullied, gained a rare opportunity for development. On one hand, they submitted to the Li Tang Dynasty, using their cattle, sheep, and rare treasures to conduct economic exchanges with the people of the Central Plains, and at the same time, they expanded their power through a series of internal and external annexations.

During the Wu Zhou period, the Khitan power on the northern border grew day by day, and the Great Tang sent troops to attack the Khitan five times, all to no avail.

From then on, the Khitan became a great threat to the Great Tang.

After the An Lushan Rebellion, the northern region once again fell into chaos.

By this time, the Khitan already had enough power to contend with the regional military governors under the jurisdiction of the Li Tang Dynasty, and the Khitan thus entered a brand-new situation.

Later, they even established the Liao Dynasty.

It was the Great Liao that invaded the Great Song.

After Su Liang thought it through carefully, he shook his head slightly, and Li Er did not disturb him when he saw this.

It had to be said that Li Er's heart was too soft, whether it was the Western Xia established by the Tuoba clan, the Great Liao established by the Khitan, or the Great Jin established by the Jurchens; besides these, there were also the unified dynasties established by ethnic minorities: the Yuan Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty.

Although the Great Tang destroyed more than thirty countries, it was also a huge hidden danger left behind by Li Er.

Now that Li Er said this, it made Su Liang have to be cautious.

In history, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, in order to completely solve the Khitan issue, ordered Wang Zhongsi to lead one hundred thousand cavalry out of Yanmen. The Kumoxi and the Khitan had once formed an alliance, and at that time, they sent two hundred thousand troops to meet the battle.

When the two sides fought a decisive battle at the Sanggan River, the Great Tang army won three battles in a row, the allied forces of the Kumoxi and the Khitan were completely wiped out, and thirty-six tribes of the Kumoxi and the Khitan surrendered to the Great Tang, not daring to cause trouble for decades afterward.

But now this... this is coming too fast.

Currently, the two countries combined do not even have three hundred thousand households, and their army is at most one hundred thousand; they certainly don't have the guts.

Unless... unless someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes!!

Judging from this year's tribute, the Shiwei and the various Mohe tribes have all shown goodwill, and as the second and third-ranked little brothers of the Great Tang in history, they shouldn't have the guts.

As for the Baiqi, one of the fifteen Tiele tribes, surrounded by mountains on all sides, it is even less possible.

Then, the only one left... is Goguryeo!!

After figuring it out, Su Liang looked at Li Er with a solemn face and said, "The Kumoxi and the Khitan are of the same origin, so it is normal for them to have close contact."

"If they dare to take up arms against our Great Tang, we will just wipe them out."

"I only fear... there is instigation from Goguryeo behind it!!"

"Goguryeo... Goguryeo..." Li Er muttered to himself, his expression solemn.

After a long time, Li Er looked at Su Liang and said, "If this is really the case, what does my good son-in-law think should be done?"

"Currently, Goguryeo has more than three million people and over seven hundred thousand households."

"Under normal circumstances, Goguryeo has at least one hundred and fifty thousand troops."

"If it is really Goguryeo instigating the Kumoxi and the Khitan behind the scenes, I am afraid that Goguryeo's army is now no less than two hundred thousand!!"

Su Liang said in a deep voice.

When Su Liang traveled before, he had indeed paid attention to the military strength of the Great Tang's neighboring countries, especially in the north!!

Su Liang was naturally very clear about this in his heart, but with the Great Tang's domineering declarations, the military strength of the neighboring countries had likely increased.

"Hiss..."

Hearing what Su Liang said, Li Er gasped.

If things were really as Su Liang predicted, wouldn't the Great Tang's northern border already have three hundred thousand tiger-and-wolf troops?

Su Liang's killing of the Japanese envoy had not yet shown what consequences it would bring, and now this...

Thinking about it carefully now, Li Er couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle...

Su Liang's words were, of course, not alarmist.

Regardless of whether the matter was true or false, Su Liang had to say it so that Li Er would realize the seriousness of the problem.

To put it bluntly, this was Su Liang forcing Li Er to make up his mind to clear away all hidden dangers around the Great Tang!!

Su Liang would never allow those things from later generations to happen!

Life is but a few hurried decades; even if Su Liang could live to the ripe old age of one hundred and forty like Sun Simiao, he still couldn't stop what came after. All Su Liang could do was eliminate the current hidden dangers.

At this moment, Su Liang watched Li Er's appearance quietly to see what he really thought about this; it was obviously not appropriate for Su Liang to want to solve all problems in a short time.

Everything, everything, needed time!!

Now, not only did he have to solve the crushed stone needed for road construction, but he also had to solve the future hidden dangers.

At this moment, Su Liang had an idea in his heart; he had to use gunpowder, which could not only be used for blasting mountains and crushing stones but also for making pumpkin grenades.

Gunpowder originated from the alchemy of the Spring and Autumn period, and in the Sui Dynasty, the three-element system of gunpowder—saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal—was born.

At this moment, black powder had not yet been born in the true sense, and people's application of gunpowder was not comprehensive.

As a third-generation military descendant, Su Liang was well-versed in this.

After figuring it out, Su Liang immediately looked at Li Er and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. In two days, I will show you a good thing that will surely deter our Great Tang's northern border."

"Isn't the reason Your Majesty came today for the matter of the Eastern Turks?"

"Let's not talk about anything else today; let's just talk about the Eastern Turks."

As his voice fell, Li Er nodded heavily and looked at Su Liang quietly, very much looking forward to the "good thing" Su Liang mentioned.

However, since Su Liang said it would be seen in two days, it would naturally be seen then, and Li Er was not in a hurry.

Just two days, Li Er could afford to wait!

He then asked about the Eastern Turks: "What good advice does my good son-in-law have regarding the Eastern Turks?"

"Then what does Your Majesty think?" Su Liang asked in return.

"I want to use the same method as dealing with the Tuyuhun, but the business is all in your hands, and I want you to produce more of it."

Li Er said awkwardly.

Although Li Er held a thirty percent stake in Su Liang’s business, he had no decision-making power and could not easily interfere with the firm’s operations.

"That is fine, but Your Majesty will need to lend me some men," Su Liang said calmly.

"How many men does my worthy son-in-law require?" Li Er asked immediately.

"There are already enough commoners working on the roads; the two hundred thousand soldiers prepared earlier are no longer needed for that. Your Majesty can have them help build the workshops."

"With these men, most of the workshops in the north can be built."

Li Er asked in confusion, "Then why does my worthy son-in-law not transfer more men from the four million laborers to build the workshops? That way, more workshops could be built."

"It would also allow the two hundred thousand Tang soldiers to share the hardships with the commoners; wouldn't that be better?"

Su Liang glared at Li Er and retorted, "It is naturally a good thing for soldiers to share hardships with the commoners, but those laborers are paid wages. Is Your Majesty asking me to reward the three armies?"

Upon hearing this, Li Er pondered in silence, only realizing after careful thought that he had been reckless.

There is no precedent for a subject to reward the three armies on behalf of the Emperor; although Su Liang was now the General of the Heavenly Strategy, such an action would be highly inappropriate.

Su Liang had already cautioned Li Er last time...

He would not involve himself in matters that were not of particular importance.

This was to avoid gossip.

Furthermore, the secrets of many of Su Liang’s businesses could not be known by the great aristocratic clans, at least not for now. Letting the soldiers be responsible for the construction of those workshops was naturally the most suitable arrangement.

After Li Er understood this, he looked at Su Liang again and asked, "Then what is my worthy son-in-law’s view on the Eastern Turks?"

Su Liang pondered for a moment and said, "Did Your Majesty not previously intend to have the Eastern Turks practice both herding and farming? On top of that, some conditions could be imposed..."

"The number of horses the Turks are allowed to raise can be limited, while cattle and sheep should be encouraged as much as possible."

"Horses are enough for the Turks' domestic use; as for the rest... let the Tang army be the ones to raise them."

"What does Your Majesty think?"

"Hahaha... good, good, good..." Li Er said immediately upon hearing this, laughing heartily: "My worthy son-in-law’s plan is excellent. In this way, the Turks will have no cavalry to use, and the hidden danger will naturally be eliminated."

"Hehe..." Su Liang chuckled.

"Without money and without horses, there will naturally be no hidden dangers."

Afterward, Su Liang and Li Er looked at each other and smiled...

With this, the Eastern Turks were thoroughly arranged to be laborers.

If they want to eat and drink well, they can.

By working for the Tang!!

After Li Er left, Su Liang immediately arranged for the relevant matters to be carried out...

That afternoon, Su Liang had Er Hu purchase all the materials needed to make gunpowder.

At the same time, Su Liang arranged for the shells and fuse devices of the pumpkin grenades to be made within the Taoyuan Shanzhuang; the final assembly of the grenades was carried out in secret on the island in the center of the lake within the Furong Garden.

The island in the center of the lake was surrounded by water on all sides, so if an accident occurred, it would not cause any major disaster.

An even more important point was that there would be no spies on the island in the center of the lake!

This business of manufacturing pumpkin grenades was truly too dangerous; it absolutely could not be known by irrelevant people.

It was just like brewing wine, making salt, and so on.

It sounded difficult, but once the principles were known, Su Liang believed that the Tang craftsmen could do no worse than himself.

The wisdom of the ancients was beyond doubt!

Therefore, for these matters, Su Liang had to find his own people and do them on his own turf. He did not trust the Ministry of Works handed over to Li Er, as there were still many people from the Five Surnames and Seven Clans there.

Although the Five Surnames and Seven Clans were much more low-key now, Su Liang still could not afford to be even slightly lax!

With the surrender of the Turks, many aristocratic clans had evidence of their crimes in Su Liang’s hands—human trafficking, illegal salt and iron trading, grain speculation, and so on.

Li Er wanted to severely punish the ringleaders, but he was stopped by Su Liang.

In the end, Li Er only executed those guilty of heinous crimes like human trafficking, which amounted to only a few dozen people.

Among them, many were just scapegoats found by the great aristocratic clans.

Su Liang was actually quite weary of killing; after all, many people around the Tang were now descendants of the Huaxia.

What Su Liang wanted was to subdue the enemy without fighting.

By adopting economic strategies, he would completely disintegrate the opponent!

This was also his approach toward the Five Surnames and Seven Clans.

Two days later at noon...

The time agreed upon by Su Liang and Li Er had arrived.