Chapter 338

"Black sheep?" the ministers thought about this and couldn't help shaking their heads and laughing. Merton is smarter than anyone.

After Merton's gag, Li Shimin and all officials understood that Merton's paving with green bricks seemed to be a black sheep's behavior. But in fact, the Mohists didn't spend so much money at all. It's nonsense to say that the black sheep.

It can even be said that where the black sheep, who has his shrewd abacus, is simply a white wolf with empty hands.

"Little catfish!" Li Shimin said coldly. Merton is very slippery. How could he leave such a big flaw.

However, after the officials laughed and scolded, they found that with the continuous reduction of laying cost, it seems not impossible to lay brick roads in Datang.

Only the money of 2 million yuan is still a heavy mountain, which makes people flinch.

As soon as Merton turned his mind, he immediately knew the consideration of the officials and said, "in fact, your majesty may not immediately lay an official road in the Tang Dynasty. You can follow the tax sharing system and take a place as a pilot first. Weichen believes that the official road from Chang'an city to Luoyang is the best choice."

Chang'an City and Luoyang are the richest cities in the Tang Dynasty. There are many business trips every day, and most of the food needed by Chang'an city is transported from Luoyang. If a brick road can be built between Chang'an City and Luoyang, the effect will be immediate.

Dai Zhou, the Minister of the Ministry of civil affairs, frowned and said, "it takes at least 320000 yuan of money between Luoyang and Chang'an. Even if the price of red brick is cheap, what about lime? I heard that when the Mohists built the official road in the south of the city, they bought the lime of the whole Chang'an city. I'm afraid it's an expense."

Merton shook his head and said, "what Lord Dai said is very true, but the corvee of the Tang Dynasty has just ended, and the official roads of the Tang Dynasty have been repaired and tamped, so there is no need to plough again, solidify with lime, and bricks can be laid directly. In this way, it can not only save expenses, but also be completed in the shortest time."

The compacted soil is no worse than the soil mixed with lime. According to later records, Qinchi road is paved with rammed earth technology. The remains of Qinchi road 2000 years later are still only grass and no trees, which shows the practicability of rammed earth.

Li Shimin couldn't help but move. Just now that the western expedition of the Tang Dynasty is imminent, it's time to use money. 320000 Guan can't be used easily.

"Of course, if your majesty thinks that you spend too much money, the imperial court will come forward and exchange this red brick secret skill and brick burning factory for a certain number of bricks. In this way, it may not be enough to build the brick road of the ten roads of the Tang Dynasty, but it is estimated that it is more than enough to raise bricks from Chang'an city to Luoyang." Merton came up with an idea.

It was Merton's original intention to trade the red brick secret skills for bricks, but the red brick secret skills in Merton's hands can be worth up to 50 li of official brick money. If the court comes forward, the value of the red brick secret skills will certainly double.

Li Shimin's heart moved and his breath stagnated. However, he shook his head firmly and said, "this red brick secret skill is beneficial to the country and the people. How can the imperial court use it for profit."

"The emperor is wise!" all the officials shouted in unison.

Merton looked at Li Shimin in surprise. He didn't expect that Li Shimin could resist such temptation.

Merton thought for a moment and then said, "in fact, there is another way that the imperial court can build a brick road from Chang'an city to Luoyang without paying a share of money."

"Oh! Tell me?" Li Shimin suddenly became interested.

Merton said: "the imperial court's money can't be used easily, but the people have a lot of idle funds. If the emperor subcontracts the brick road from Chang'an city to Luoyang City and raises funds from the people to build it, the imperial court doesn't have to give a share of money. Just allow it and charge a toll for five years. After five years, the people will make profits, and the imperial court will get the brick road."

"Private funds." all officials frowned.

Li Shimin shook his head and said, "building official roads has always been the business of the imperial court. How can we borrow the hand of merchants."

"Then the imperial court can issue road construction bonds with interest. Five years later, after the imperial court increases the toll and makes profits, it can return the private funds with high interest. In this way, the imperial court can build brick roads and the private can benefit." Merton came up with a compromise method.

"Bonds?" Li Shimin wondered.

Merton explained the principle of bonds again and said, "in this way, the imperial court can raise enough funds for construction. There is no need to move the Treasury. In the future, it only needs to collect tolls and repay the principal and interest of the people."

Li Shimin's heart moved. In this way, the imperial court could live in face and carry out large-scale construction, killing two birds with one stone.

But Wei Zheng suddenly shouted angrily, "I object and collect pedestrian tolls. What's the difference between such behavior and mountain bandit robbery."

"I opened the mountain and planted the tree. If you want to think about this road, stay and buy the road money." Cheng Yaojin frowned, cadenced and read aloud. He couldn't help recalling his extraordinary years when he became a bandit.

The officials also looked at the rammed goods helplessly for a while. They were not ashamed but proud of their own experience. They couldn't find a second one in Datang.

"It's a big difference!" Morton shook his head. "Mountain bandits are blocking the road and robbing. Building brick roads is for the country and the people. But the truth is the same. The imperial court spent so much money building brick roads, opening mountains, planting trees, buying bricks and maintaining them. How can we just invest without seeing the report

It should be noted that although the brick road is hard, it is not indestructible. Is it possible that the imperial court will rebuild the road every ten years? I'm afraid even if the Tang Dynasty is rich all over the world, it can't support such a bottomless hole.

Wei Chen believes that when building brick roads in the future, he will collect tolls on brick roads, maintain roads with roads, and build roads at one time, which will be worry free for a hundred years. "

"Once you build a road, you will have no worries for a hundred years!" Li Shimin suddenly brightened his eyes. Hundreds of thousands of Guan can only be used for ten years. Naturally, it will be a big loss, but once it is apportioned to a hundred years, it will be very cost-effective.

Wei Zheng suddenly asked, "do you plan to collect tolls for profit when you build official roads in the south of the city in Mojia village?"

Morton shook his head and said, "the boy wants to, but the boy thinks that it is most reasonable to collect a penny from a hundred miles. It's just that the official road in the south of the city is only fifty miles. It's really no levy."

All officials are experts. They know that Mojia village is rich and powerful, and there are only 50 li of official roads in the south of the city. They don't care about this toll at all. However, the imperial court is different. If the brick road is built, it will be more than ten thousand li. It is estimated that there is only one way to collect the toll.

"Roads are owned by the public, and people have always been allowed to walk free of charge. Is it not a lot of public resentment to rashly collect tolls?" Wei Zheng still objected.

Merton said: "Boy, let's make an account for you. If the imperial court collects one Wen for every hundred Li, that is, eight Wen for every 800 Li, building a brick road can more than double the travel time between Chang'an City and Luoyang City. The saved car and horse consumption is more than eight Wen. Plus the saved time, we will be able to earn more money. Everyone has a steelyard in mind. Is it beneficial How can you not know? "

After Merton's calculation, let alone the official road from Chang'an city to Luoyang, if you want to lay a brick road, you don't have to spend a penny by the imperial court, and you can get a brick road in vain after paying off the bonds in five years.

Wei Zheng also figured out the accounts, so he stopped. Although he spoke frankly, he could afford to put it down.

The Mohist School's skill of covering the white wolf with empty hands is amazing. "All officials lamented that they had prepared the white wolf with red gloves and paid the bill with the secret skill of red brick. As soon as they turned around, they repeated their old skill to cover the white wolf with empty hands for the imperial court and set up an 800 mile brick road.

Li Shimin and all the officials were awed, and each one looked at Merton with inexplicable eyes.

Seeing this, Merton quickly showed a shy and shy smile, looking like a child and an old man.