Now I really have to marry the princess.

Chapter 79 An Opportunity to Rage Against the God of War of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 79 An Opportunity to Rage Against the God of War of the Tang Dynasty

Yang Zhengdao thought to himself, "Is Li Jing seriously ill?"

Historical records describe Li Jing as reserved, taciturn, and adept at concealing his true intentions and protecting himself.

Logically speaking, such a person should have high emotional intelligence, so why would they act like a mad dog, biting indiscriminately?

I would like to submit a memorial to the throne, but I am not qualified.

No, Li Jing shouldn't be so brainless!

He's trying to trick me!

Thinking of this, Yang Zhengdao's lips curled into a smile.

Since they've come to us, there's no reason to be polite; after all, opportunities to confront the Great Tang War God are rare.

He cupped his hands and said, "Duke of Dai, do you think that after you defeated the Turks, you became arrogant and thought you were invincible?"

'

Xu Shiji's expression immediately changed. He was about to speak up to stop him, but Li Jing stopped him.

Li Jing's lips twitched, and he forced a smile, signaling Yang Zhengdao to continue.

Yang Zhengdao thought to himself, "Did I raise the bar too high? Was I being too harsh? I need to tone it down."

He cupped his hands again, his voice sincere: "Duke of Dai, please forgive my recklessness. It is truly my duty to see our Great Tang's War God become arrogant because of his achievements, and instead ruin his reputation with his arrogance."

That's right! Duke of Dai, I'm doing this all for your own good!

Xu Shiji's expression froze for a moment, then he couldn't help but chuckle, thinking to himself, "This kid is too cunning."

Li Jing's lips twitched again, and he couldn't help but let out a dry cough.

Yang Zhengdao didn't care whether Li Jing was embarrassed or not, and continued to sigh with regret, looking heartbroken.

"Zhengdao knows this is a matter of vital importance to the military and the nation, how dare he submit a memorial on paper or put it into writing? The Duke's suggestion is indeed too hasty."

He paused slightly: "Have you not seen how the Tuyuhun harassed our Hexi trade routes and eyed the Guanzhong Plain; how the Goguryeo stole our former Han Dynasty territory and did not recognize the legitimate calendar; how the Tibetans looked down from their high positions and eyed the western border; and how the Turks fled far to the western regions, waiting for an opportunity to rise again?"

Xu Shiji was startled and secretly surprised, never expecting this young man to have such foresight.

Li Jing nodded slightly, stroked his beard, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

Yang Zhengdao bowed deeply at the end: "We are surrounded by enemies on all sides, and the troubles are far from over! Although my political knowledge is shallow, I know that one is born in adversity and dies in comfort. I earnestly request that Your Excellency heed my frank words, prioritize the affairs of the state, and be cautious and heed my advice!"

Xu Shiji finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

He felt that this kid was truly eloquent. His words were measured and skillful, perfectly seizing the pharmacist's weakness and seeing through his probing, yet he pretended not to know. It was truly ingenious.

He even wondered what it would be like if this kid were to one day become a military general and face off against Wei Xuancheng and Tang Maoyue in the imperial court.

Li Jing's hand, which was stroking his beard, froze at his lips, leaving him momentarily speechless, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

He was originally worried about Yang Zhengdao's youthful nature, fearing that he would be arrogant and boastful, thus revealing his secrets. Therefore, he spoke to test him.

Unexpectedly, this young man was quick-witted and clever. He was enlightened by the quotations and allusions, but he was speechless and at a loss for words.

Just then, a soft laugh came from under the eaves.

The three looked over and saw Li Er.

Li Er had clearly been standing there for a long time and had heard the entire exchange clearly.

His gaze swept over Li Jing, whose face showed embarrassment, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of secret pleasure. It was truly a rare sight to see the exceptionally intelligent and resourceful Pharmacist Li being lectured by a junior.

He could only suppress the urge to laugh wildly, still having to consider the pharmacist's feelings, but inwardly he couldn't help but secretly praise Yang Zhengdao.

He strode forward, feigning anger, but his voice betrayed a barely concealed schadenfreude.

"Zhengdao, I see you as all show and no substance, truly foolish! The Duke of Dai did this to test your character and cultivate you. You should immediately apologize to the Duke of Dai!"

Yang Zhengdao immediately realized what was happening and hurriedly apologized to Li Jing.

Li Er, not forgetting to rub salt into the wound, delivered another blow from behind.

He turned to Li Jing and said apologetically, "Pharmacist, my nephew has always admired you and often says that you are the God of War of the Tang Dynasty, so please don't take it personally."

Li Jing inwardly groaned, hid his hands behind his back, secretly clenched his fists, and then forced a smile onto his face.

Now that Li Er has arrived, he began to test fitting horseshoes onto the warhorses.

The one who came was the steward of the Imperial Horse Stables, a lean man in his forties.

Yang Zhengdao took out a horseshoe and exchanged words with Zhang Gu.

This palm is undoubtedly a master at trimming horses' hooves; he understands it immediately.

He picked up the horseshoes and nails, pondered them for a moment, and then, with the help of the eunuchs, began to try fitting horseshoes onto the warhorse.

Before long, horseshoes were nailed on all four hooves.

The horseshoes clattered on the blue bricks.

Xu Shiji couldn't wait any longer. He stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to Li Er, and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to test the horse!"

As soon as Li Er nodded, Xu Shiji took the reins and mounted his horse.

He jogged around the yard twice, his face beaming with delight.

I had prepared two sets of horseshoes, but the first set was successfully assembled.

At this moment, Li Jing stroked his beard and asked the steward, "How often do you think these horseshoes should be replaced?"

"Duke, according to my humble opinion, the journey on ordinary roads should be about a thousand li; the mountain paths and stone trails may be seven or eight hundred li."

Li Jing then turned to Yang Zhengdao: "Zhengdao, how much did this set of horseshoes cost?"

Yang Zhengdao pondered for a moment and replied, "Sixty coins for individual pieces, and forty coins for bulk production is sufficient."

Why?

"Assembly line production, focusing on one task, achieves twice the result with half the effort and greatly reduces costs."

At this moment, Li Er's eyes lit up, and he asked with a smile, "What does the pharmacist think?"

After pondering for a moment, Li Jing cupped his hands and replied, "Your Majesty, if the royal army advances westward, this should be a divine weapon."

Li Er narrowed his eyes slightly: "If we weren't heading west, would we not be able to use it?"

Li Jing immediately bowed deeply and refused to rise.

Li Er turned away, his face ashen.

Upon seeing this, Xu Shiji rode his horse far away.

Yang Zhengdao could only look down at his nose and keep his mind to himself.

But a storm raged within him, because he could not understand the question and answer between Li Er and Li Jing.

Li Er's question to Li Jing was definitely not as simple as saying that horseshoes would not be used if the expedition to the Western Regions were not undertaken.

Yes! Besides the Western Regions, there are also the mountainous areas of the Liaodong Peninsula, which are suitable for using horseshoes.

Holy crap, it's only the fifth year of the Zhenguan era, and Emperor Taizong already had the idea of ​​attacking Goguryeo?

No wonder Li Jing couldn't get up after bowing.

In a few years, Tuyuhun will cause trouble, and Yang Zhengdao also felt that Li Er was a bit impatient.

He glanced furtively at the awkward scene and immediately sensed something was wrong.

Li Er was also a human being, and he certainly needed an outlet for the anger in his chest.

Li Er would never lower himself to take his anger out on servants like Zhang Gu and Nei Shi.

Emperor Li Er would certainly take into account the overall situation of meritorious officials like Li Jing and Xu Shiji.

It seems like he's the only one here who's truly suited to be the punching bag.

not good!

He saw Li Er's death stare!

Is this the natural hatred that a father-in-law has for his prospective son-in-law?

Yang Zhengdao quickly lowered his head.

too difficult!

Chang Le, he suddenly didn't want to go to Shang anymore.

Sure enough, Li Er's voice came through.

"Yang Zhengdao, you speak!"

this!!

When he's happy, he can overstep his bounds and call his nephew; when he's unhappy, he becomes Yang Zhengdao!

In the split second between bowing deeply and exchanging greetings, Yang Zhengdao suddenly had an idea.

"May I ask Your Majesty, how much iron does our Great Tang produce in a year?"

>