Chapter 66

The eyes of Li Er and Fang Fang Xuanling lit up at the same time.

Books!

That’s right!

It is books!

Ever since he saw so many books at the roadside stall, Li Er had been left with a deep impression in his mind.

At the same time.

There were still many huge mysteries in his heart that remained unsolved.

How could Great Qin mass-produce such a huge number of books?

The handwriting was neat, and they were high-quality yet inexpensive!

If this were in Changancheng, it would be an unimaginable spectacle!

Books were extremely rare consumables in Great Tang and even the entire world.

Why were the aristocratic families so powerful?

If one were to get to the root cause, wasn't it because they monopolized resources related to knowledge, such as brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and books?

Without knowledge, there is no insight!

Those illiterate commoners could never enter the halls of power to seize their interests!

From another perspective.

The aristocratic families were forcing the imperial family to have to use them.

Even...

Relying on them!

This is the dilemma of being afraid to break the vase while trying to kill the rat!

How could Li Er not know these things, yet he was helpless.

After all, the technology to produce brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones was not in the hands of the imperial court.

If those aristocratic families were angered, they could burn the precious books passed down for thousands of years and take the technology for brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones to their graves.

Then Great Tang would truly be finished!

It is precisely because of this.

That Li Er was so eager to know the secret of how Qin Mu could mass-produce books!

"It seems you have all thought of it."

"Correct, it is indeed books!"

"Besides books, there are also brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones!"

"Qin Mu once took me and Princess Changle to a place that specializes in producing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones."

"Seeing it was truly breathtaking."

"It only takes the time to brew a cup of tea to produce a complete set of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones!" "The production, both in quality and quantity, has already far surpassed our Great Tang." Empress Zhangsun Zhangsun Wugou recalled the scene when Qin Mu had taken her and Princess Changle to the Academy. At that time.

Qin Mu was bored, and Princess Changle kept pestering him.

So, on a whim, Qin Mu brought the mother and daughter to the Academy.

This included the production of brushes, ink, and paper.

Yet, under the seemingly casual arrangement, it was something Qin Mu had carefully planned!

His goal was to let Empress Zhangsun Zhangsun Wugou and Princess Changle see these things!

First, even if Empress Zhangsun Zhangsun Wugou and Princess Changle watched for three days and three nights, they would not be able to learn the technology for producing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

The reason is that the true core technology is not there!

Second, Qin Mu wanted to showcase the unique technological advantages of Great Qin.

Only by having advantages and technologies in hand that others do not can one have enough strength to check and balance others!

Qin Mu had long anticipated that Great Tang would send envoys.

After all, the situation at the front had reached a stalemate.

And he had the Empress and Princess of Great Tang in his hands.

As long as Li Er was not a fool, he would definitely send someone to negotiate.

As the saying goes, war is the continuation of politics!

Once the fighting is over, it is time to sit down and talk.

What is negotiation?

It is having things in your hands that others do not, which allows you to bring maximum benefits to the negotiation!

This is the fundamental reason why Qin Mu took Empress Zhangsun Zhangsun Wugou and Princess Changle to the Academy.

He wanted to use these technologies to lure Great Tang, thereby achieving the goal of shearing the sheep and harvesting the leeks!

"Hiss! I really didn't expect that Qin Mu, all by himself, could develop a country to such a degree."

Li Er gasped, feeling a bit wary in his heart.

This kid is truly too terrifying!

Fang Fang Xuanling also nodded solemnly, expressing his deep agreement.

How could he not be formidable?

His own life had almost been lost at his hands!

"Your Majesty, this is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity!"

"If we can obtain the technology for producing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and books through trade, perhaps we can break free from the aristocratic families in the future and let Great Tang truly take off!"

Empress Zhangsun Zhangsun Wugou said earnestly.

Li Er clenched his fists, his heart surging with emotion.

In his mind, the image of Great Tang's future takeoff seemed to have already appeared!

"If that is truly the case, trade is indeed an advantage for us!" Li Er frowned and continued: "It's just this Jiannan Dao..."

The conditions Qin Mu proposed were not just one!

He was demanding that Jiannan Dao be ceded to their Great Qin.

"Your Majesty, that is not a difficult matter."

"Our Great Tang has strong national power; Jiannan Dao is just a small place, only a few dozen miles in radius. Even if we lose it, we can easily take it back in the future."

"Moreover, Jiannan Dao is far from the heartland of the Central Plains, and the road is full of winding hills. Guarding this place requires a huge amount of manpower and resources; it is truly Wu Li Ke a chicken rib."

"And using one Jiannan Dao to exchange for our Empress and Princess, and even to exchange for the technology to produce brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and books—we are not losing out!"

Fang Fang Xuanling spoke Wu Li Ke an old, cunning merchant, a sly smile appearing all over his face.

Once these words were spoken, even Li Er was somewhat tempted.

That's right!

A small Jiannan Dao, can't I take it back in the future?

Furthermore!

Compared to my empire, what does a Jiannan Dao count for?

What is most important right now?

It is to fundamentally dismantle the aristocratic families.

Otherwise, Great Tang wanting to catch up with Great Qin's speed of development is simply a pipe dream.