Don't be a prince

Feng Zhidai shook his head, he didn't know what the prince wanted these maps for.

"Feng Gong, I ask you alone, how many troops does the Feng family have at present?"

Hearing the prince's question, Feng An quickly replied: "The Feng family currently has [-] armored soldiers and [-] rattan armored soldiers. The rest of the troops add up to [-]. This is already the limit of the Feng family's recruitment."

Feng An didn't hide it. In the vast and sparsely populated Lingnan, the Feng family can muster nearly [-] troops, which is indeed scary enough.But based on a piece of data, it can be shown that Feng An has only been keeping a low profile, and those small families, even if they unite, are not enough for him to cook.

Taking out a branch, he circled an area on the map and outside the map, Li Chengqian said: "Because the world has not been formally and completely divided, this sea area is all I need! The Feng family will come out with another 1 Thousands of people and boats, in the next year, we will take down this area and put the logo of Datang on it!"

Feng An knew the sea very well, and he couldn't help being shocked when he saw the line drawn by the prince. This line almost reached the land of the Javanese!It takes a long time to sail in such a vast sea area, let alone guard it!

In his anxiety, Feng An said before he had time to salute: "Your Highness, is your mouth too wide? You should be very clear that we can't send people to guard such a large sea area. It is the Central Plains, no, no If we can completely eat Tuyuhun, do we have to rely on the strategy of restraint and hang on first? To eat such a large sea area in one step, once it is gradually eaten away by others, it will be a serious blow to our Tang Dynasty's prestige!"

Li Chengqian smiled, but in the eyes of Feng An and his son, this smile seemed a little crazy, even a little cruel.

"What to guard, there is no need to guard, just let everyone on the sea know that this is Datang's territory. To get back what was lost, we have to take a bite out of them. Now it seems that this sea area is useless, and when its utility is revealed in the future, it may not be so easy for us to want it again.”

In this era, Li Chengqian is sure that no one knows the true function of this sea area.It seems that there is not even a large piece of land here, but there is a wealth of combustible ice and oil under the South China Sea. If you don't hurry up and lay down it for future generations at this time, once it comes to a "relatively peaceful" period, Datang as " Suzerain country", it is not so easy to win this area.

Arching his hands, Feng An said: "Since His Royal Highness insists, the old man will naturally take orders, but don't you think this is a waste of money?"

Waving his hand, Li Chengqian said to himself: "I don't think Lingnan will set up a fleet soon. It will not only escort the merchant ships in the Central Plains, but also take on the important task of encircling the territorial waters of the Tang Dynasty. How can they not train well! As long as they can withstand the training, then give them After they change into official warships, they will be able to display extraordinary combat effectiveness, and the distinction between before and after, Mr. Feng, needless to say, you should be clear about it!"

Feng Ang nodded mechanically, but a rebellious thought still appeared in his heart:

His Royal Highness's words are reasonable, but no matter how you look at it, he seems to be bored and looking for fun for himself.

"Since Feng Gong also agrees, let's go down and make arrangements. On the court side, I will explain to them."

After speaking, Li Chengqian rubbed his hands and left.

After sending the prince away from the lobby, Feng Zhidai turned around and saw his father still staring at the chart in a daze, so he asked, "Father, what is the reason for this prince's move? Why do I always feel that he is looking for trouble?"

Feng An turned his head, reached out and knocked on Feng Zhidai's head, and said, "What do you mean looking for trouble when you have nothing to do? It's military training. You can't make blind gestures at the seaside. Since His Highness said that the Lingnan Fleet will be controlled by Lingnan himself, it means that He has great trust in our Feng family. Although there are threats from the East China Sea Fleet and invincible ships, this is the normal method of the royal family. It is already very rare to be willing to deliver a fleet with confidence. "

After finishing speaking, Feng An ordered Feng Zhidai to pack up all the charts, and immediately went back to his study to calculate the manpower of the Lingnan Fleet.

The prince handed over the Lingnan Fleet to the Feng family without any scruples, which seemed to be a sign of trust, but at the same time Feng An knew very well that this was also a temptation.Power always makes people lose their way. Since the Feng family does not have the ability to aspire to the top of the world, they can only be obedient ministers honestly. If they make a wrong step, what awaits the whole family, and even the entire Lingnan, will be a bottomless abyss.

The plan was very good, traveling on the South China Sea, it was interesting to think about it, but when Li Chengqian told Li Xiaogong about his plan, he got kicked in the ass.

This kick didn't mean to release water at all, Li Chengqian only felt that his buttocks were almost split into four petals.Sitting on the ground rubbing his buttocks, he looked at Li Xiaogong puzzled.

"no!"

With trembling hands, Li Xiaogong pointed to Li Chengqian and said, "It's okay to travel along the coast by taking three ships such as the Prince, but if you take a boat out to the sea, anything can happen on the sea. Anyone can do such a near-death thing, but you are the only one." This prince can't do it!"

After finishing speaking, Li Xiaogong was out of breath, took a sip of tea, and coughed again and again due to choking.

Seeing Li Xiaogong's appearance, Li Chengqian remembered his identity.That's right, it's impossible for the dignified prince to do the thing of narrow escape!The last battlefield has to be protected by Tuantuan, let alone the far sea!

Standing up and bowing hands to Li Xiaogong, Li Chengqian said: "Prince Hejian, this junior is indeed taking the liberty, you should kick him, but you can't delay the matter of going to sea."

Li Xiaogong knocked on the table and said: "As long as you don't act personally, I don't care how you arrange it. I also agree with the expansion of the southern territorial waters of Datang. From the perspective of the war situation, some countries in the far west want to deal with Datang. , it is impossible on land, and it is impossible to attack Guo by false ways, that is, Turks and Tubo, and no one will be willing. Judging from the fact that many businessmen from Dashi can reach Lingnan, their sea power is indeed extraordinary. If Datang can control the sea Advancing thousands of miles away and going to war in the future can also prevent the war from spreading to the inland.

Furthermore, unlike the land, if the sea occupies the sea area, it does not need to mobilize so many troops. If it can bring a large area of ​​​​sea area territory to the territory of the Tang Dynasty, it is estimated that His Majesty will also be happy to see it. "

Li Chengqian still underestimated people's desire for territory in this era. He didn't need to expose the importance of the South China Sea, but just being able to occupy the territory would make everyone green-eyed instantly.

"Since you agree, the younger generation will arrange this matter and will also write a letter to the court. After the court's approval, the shipyard will be able to build a few ships no matter what."

Seeing that Li Xiaogong was obviously still angry, Li Chengqian had no choice but to run away quickly.

Before, I always felt that Li Xiaogong's appearance was extraordinarily abnormal, but now I understand all the emperor's plans.In addition to Wei Zhen Lingnan, who can protect the three brothers, Li Xiaogong, as a member of the royal family, the elders of the prince and prince, can come forward to stop them when necessary.

Back in the room, it happened that the three of Su Yuan and the others were sitting together as female celebrities, and Li Chengqian was sitting on the side watching their embroidery.

Many things may require talent, but with long-term persistence, you can still reach a level that you couldn't even imagine at the beginning.At least, Ashina Xue was able to embroider a flower completely, which surprised Li Chengqian.

Seeing Li Chengqian staring at him intently, Ashina Xue almost stuck a needle in her finger under nervousness.Simply put down the bandage and said: "How boring are you, here to watch our sisters embroider?"

Li Chengqian stretched his waist and said, "You're right, it's very boring. If I'm so bored, I'll be sent to my door to be kicked by King Hejian."

Hearing what Li Chengqian said, Ashina Xue suddenly became interested: "If you are really bored, then take me, no, take my concubine to go hunting? I heard that there are many prey in Lingnan that we don't have in the Central Plains."

hunting...

It was as if Li Chengqian told her that the jungles in the South of the Five Ridges not only contained animals that did not exist in the Central Plains, but also deadly poisonous snakes, blood-sucking leeches, and highly poisonous insects.

However, seeing her excited look, she couldn't say anything.

That's right, when she was in Chang'an, she had nothing else to do except stay bored in the East Palace. She was able to go out and ride horses for a stroll occasionally, which was already the result of the connivance of him, the crown prince, Su Yuan, the princess, and even the emperor and empress.

Now in Lingnan, the rules are thousands of miles away, even if she goes hunting, no one will care.

Looking at Su Yuan and Xiuxiu who were concentrating on embroidery, Li Chengqian suddenly felt that there were so many interesting things, why did he have to go to sea?The excitement of sailing at sea is exciting, but the key is to die.

No matter how boring it is, it is better than losing your life!

Thinking of this, Li Chengqian patted Ashina Xue's buttocks and said, "Since you want to play, let's go out for two days. There's still..."

Li Chengqian looked at Su Yuan and Xiuxiu: "There is no need for you two to be bored in the house all the time. I will bring you here so that you can go out and play. Lingnan is not the Central Plains. Even if you go out, there will be no one." What did you say?"

Chapter 398 Tangerine

Li Chengqian didn't expect his words to make Su Yuan and Xiuxiu raise their heads in surprise.

Think about it too, even if there are mahjong three kingdoms and other pastimes, it is always boring at home, and no one can bear it.When they were in the East Palace, the place was big and there were gardens, but when they arrived in Dengzhou and Lingnan, they could only stay in the house.

Secretly blaming himself for his selfishness, Li Chengqian threw Su Yuan and Xiuxiu's works on the table with one hand: "If you want to go out and play, just say so, why do you have to wait for me to speak? It's fine, don't postpone it, Right now, let's go out."

"Okay!"

Su Yuan and Xiuxiu immediately pricked the needles in their hands into the thread tassels, and held Li Chengqian's hand on one side, smiling very happily.

Li Chengqian also laughed, took the two of them, called Ashina Xue, and went out.

Although Lingnan is a barren land in the impression of Central Plains people, Gaozhou, as the center of Lingnan, is no different from Chang'an and other cities. At most, the greening is much higher than that of Central Plains cities.

After leaving Feng's house, there is a street paved with bricks and stones, which is also a rare brick and stone street in Gaozhou.The climate in Lingnan leads to the proliferation of plants. Even if bricks are laid, some flowers and plants can still grow tenaciously in the cracks in the bricks.

On this street, there are the most pedestrians, and many farmers from surrounding villages come here with various things in exchange for what they want.Bartering things, this is the most primitive, but also the simplest way of trading.

Knowing the characteristics of Lingnan for a long time, Li Chengqian didn't bring a purse when he went out, but let Zhang Yun and Zhan Tianhou each push a cart of grain.For many Lingnan people who do not belong to the Gaozhou prefecture, food is their most welcome trade item.

With the three yelling women, Li Chengqian followed them helplessly to taste various fruits from stall to stall. Su Yuan liked lychees very much, so she simply contracted out a large basket of grain, and asked them to sell fruit The mountain people were so excited that they bent down to salute Su Yuan again and again.

After wandering around for a while, the three women realized that what the husband said was right. Here, even if the three of them showed up in public, no one would gossip.If this is in Chang'an, even if they go out, they have to wear cone hats to cover their entire upper body. Young women who show their faces outside will only remind people of brothels.

Just when Li Chengqian was advising Xiuxiu not to buy so many dragon fruits, because eating too much would cause her to get angry, suddenly there was a commotion on the street, and shouts and curses arose.

Putting down the dragon fruit in his hand, Li Chengqian turned around and walked in the direction of the sound.

It was the guards who led the trouble. At this time, two guards dressed as Lingnan mountain people restrained a sloppy man, and the monkey who rushed away after hearing the news had already drawn out his knife.

"what happened?"

Stopping Tianhou Hou's arm holding the knife, Li Chengqian looked at the man trampled by two guards,

This man is really sloppy to the extreme, his beard and hair are almost like chicken coops, the material of silk can barely be seen in the baggy clothes, but there is too much dirt on them, it can't look luxurious no matter what.

Changtian Monkey said angrily: "Your Highness, this person has been following us since we left the house. Just now, he even wanted to touch your side. Let me see, this person probably has ghosts in his heart. You should avoid it first, humble job." This puts people under pressure for interrogation!"

Hearing the words of the Monkey King, the person who was trampled shouted loudly: "His Royal Highness, I didn't approach you on purpose, I didn't approach you on purpose, Your Highness, help me!"

The voice sounded, but it was authentic Mandarin, with an obvious northern accent.Especially the self-proclaimed "Weichen" immediately aroused Li Chengqian's interest.

"Help him up."

Regardless of obstructing the flow of people on the street, Li Chengqian watched with interest as the two guards helped him up.

It doesn't matter when you're lying on your stomach, when people come together, a smell will come out immediately.Li Chengqian really doubted how this guy was so sloppy, how he survived.In Lingnan, where the weather is hot, you need to pay more attention to your own hygiene.

Turning around, he told Zhang Yun to take Su Yuan and the others to continue shopping. Li Chengqian sat on the chair brought by Zhan Tianhou, declined the towel handed by the guard, and asked, "Who are you? Why do you call yourself a humble minister?"

"Weichen is Zhao Wenhao, the former governor of Yangzhou. He was convicted and exiled to Lingnan. Please help His Highness. The Weichen family was exiled in Lingnan. Because of the unacceptable environment and various diseases, more than half of them were killed or injured. Now there is only one son left under their knees." He also got abdominal disease, and he is about to die, please be merciful to His Royal Highness, please save him!"

After finishing speaking, Zhao Wenhao broke away from the two guards, knelt down on the ground, and smashed his head on the ground.Because the streets here are paved with bricks, blood flowed out after a few blows.But he was still unmoved, and kowtowed again and again.

"Lift him up!"

Under Li Chengqian's order, two guards helped Zhao Wenhao up.

Seeing Zhao Wenhao's scruffy face covered with blood, Li Chengqian suddenly felt helpless.Civil servants are all strong, and now asking him to kneel and kowtow is not much better than killing him, but he still does it.But thinking about it, sending a white-haired person to a black-haired person has been one of the saddest things in time since ancient times, let alone his child, who is the only one left.

"Forget it, the orphan will send a doctor to your son. After your son is cured, you will come back to see the orphan. I really want to ask you some questions."

With a wave of his hand, the two guards carried Zhao Wenhao aside without Li Chengqian's further instructions.

The sudden appearance of Zhao Wenhao made Li Chengqian's originally good mood suddenly drop a lot.Lingnan is the most frequently exiled area in the Central Plains. There must be many criminal officials like Zhao Wenhao. Just by looking at him, you can know how the rest of the people are doing.Unlike the Central Plains, the literary talents they are proud of are worthless in Lingnan. Here, if you want to live well, you can only rely on your hands.

However, for these scholars who are worn out with iron inkstones, asking them to bow down and work is like killing them, even if they are in their current situation.

Sighing, putting Zhao Wenhao's matter aside temporarily, Li Chengqian turned around and caught up with his wives, and accompanied them to "see the world".

After a long day of shopping, I even settled for lunch outside.When returning to Feng's house, the most "trophies" were fruits.Because Su Yuan met a village that claimed to be all old and weak, she showed great kindness and directly took over all the stalls in their village.

With so much fruit, they naturally couldn't finish it, so they had to distribute it and let the Qin rate and Xuanjia army help digest it.Although it was a little troublesome, but Li Chengqian didn't say a word to Su Yuan, the mother-in-law had finally lost her fortune, so naturally she had to give her strong support.

Holding an orange in his hand, he tossed it into the backyard. Li Chengqian raised his eyes and saw Feng Zhidai waiting on the side.

With a slightly embarrassed smile on the corner of Feng Zhidai's mouth, he bowed his hands and saluted very cautiously.

It's not once or twice to deal with each other. Li Chengqian said before Feng Zhidai said: "If you have any questions, I will tell you at the dinner table later. If you feel embarrassed, you can give Gu some gifts. You also know Gu. It's easy to buy."

Feng Zhidai, who had been stubborn at first, immediately changed into a normal smile, cupped his hands and said, "A dragon fish was salvaged by a fishing boat at sea today. This Lingnan specialty tastes wonderful, and His Highness will definitely like it."

Li Chengqian also smiled, and under the leadership of Feng Zhidai, he went to the dining room of Feng's family, which was the lobby.

After entering the dining hall, I saw an iron pot with a charcoal fire at the door, and the chopping board and kitchen knives around the iron pot were all available.Seeing this scene, Li Chengqian became more interested, and instead of taking the seat, he stood directly in front of the pot, ready to watch the cook do it.

Playing with a knife in front of the prince is still very stressful, so when the cook picked up the kitchen knife, his hands trembled.However, an expert also has the dignity of an expert. When he put the fish on the table, his hands stopped shaking.

Seeing the fish he got on the chopping board, Li Chengqian immediately smacked his mouth, good guy, it turned out to be an eel.Although it doesn't match the name of "Dragon Fish", Li Chengqian still misses the taste of eel.

The fish was still alive, but it was quickly killed by the cook's knife and turned into pieces of fish.A handful of unknown seasonings were poured into the oil pan, and the fish was thrown into the pan. After frying for a while, water was poured and the dishes came out. The cook who had finished the dish picked up the fish in the pot and ate it first. After taking a big sip, he stepped aside.

After returning to his seat, Li Chengqian started eating without Feng Zhidai's greeting.Because the fish is freshly cooked, the freshness of the fish is well preserved.Of course, Li Chengqian couldn't tell how powerful this stock was. If he was asked to do it, he would probably put it in a pan and then braise it.

Seeing the prince's calm appearance throughout the whole process, Feng Zhidai couldn't help being secretly surprised, although this kind of fish is also found in the north, but its shape is far from that of Lingnan, especially this kind of "dragon fish" is even more rare , I thought it would make the prince feel fresh this time, but he didn't feel shocked at all.

After eating a large bowl of white rice, Li Chengqian nodded, took out a money bag from his sleeve, and threw it to Zhang Yun. Zhang Yun took the money bag, walked to the door, and handed it to the cook. If Zhang Yun hadn't stopped him, he might have rushed over and knelt down.

After being the prince for so many years, Li Chengqian has already adapted to some things.Just like now, rewarding the cook is not an insult to his personality, but a high praise for his cooking skills.

Seeing that the crown prince was very satisfied, Feng Zhidai put down his chopsticks and asked tentatively, "What do you think of this fish, Your Highness the crown prince?"

Seeing Feng Zhidai's cautious look, Li Chengqian smiled: "Okay, there's no need to flatter Gu like this. If you really want to say that you are flattering, Gu is a prince, he is a son of a dragon, In the end, what kind of arowana did you ask Gu to eat? In the future, it’s better to change the name of this fish.”

Feng Zhidai slapped his head, and then he remembered that the restriction on the name was not a problem in Lingnan, but it was very serious in the Central Plains.Killing and eating dragon fish can even be sentenced to exile in the Central Plains.

Standing up and saluting, Feng Zhidai said: "I have committed a crime, I really forgot about this incident, I hope His Highness the Crown Prince will forgive me."

Handing the empty bowl to Zhang Yun and asking him to serve the rice, Li Chengqian said with a smile: "Okay, it's just the two of us here, so don't say whether you are guilty or not. You can almost guess the purpose of finding Gu. Take it."

After finishing speaking, Li Chengqian took out the orange that he had been playing with before, and threw it into Feng Zhidai's hand.

Touching the somewhat warm orange, Feng Zhidai asked in confusion: "What is the meaning of His Royal Highness? What does the strange disease on the ship have to do with the orange?"

The rice that had just reached his lips was put back into the bowl by Li Chengqian, and he sighed and said, "Why do you ask so much? Even if I explain it to you alone, you still don't understand it. I guess you are confused even if you call Daoist Sun. Just remember, as long as it is a long-distance fleet that is difficult to land, green vegetables or fruits such as oranges must be kept on board. If you are worried about spoiling, plant orange trees or vegetables on board. If you don’t believe me, go Look at those man-eating ships, there must be green vegetables and fruits in the cabin. Add these regularly, so that people will not get that strange disease."

"It's that simple?" Holding the orange, Feng Zhidai was very surprised.

"It's that simple!"

After speaking resolutely, Li Chengqian continued to enjoy the eels, and even shared a portion for Zhang Yun to take back to the three wives.

Feng Zhidai, who was holding the orange, was stunned for a long time before he realized it, and said to Li Chengqian: "Since His Royal Highness is so sure, it must be effective. The Feng family is committed to the development of the sea. This orange is worth thousands of dollars. I wonder what His Royal Highness wants?"

Sighing, Li Chengqian said helplessly: "It's just a call. If you really feel sorry, just treat it as the food expenses for staying alone in Lingnan, how about it?"

Feng Zhidai laughed and said: "The Feng family is probably unique in the history of begging for food with the crown prince. I understand what His Highness means, so I will report it to my father!"

Seeing Feng Zhidai leave happily, Li Chengqian shook his head and continued to eat his dinner.

The matter of scurvy is indeed extremely important to the sea.However, even without his guidance, the Feng family would soon discover the way.The Feng family is located in Gaozhou, and the rise of the sea is inevitable. As long as they have no self-reliance, Li Chengqian does not reject giving them a little help.Anyway, no matter what, Datang will be obtained in the end.

At a time when the power of this family is threatening the stability of the country, it is not a bad thing to be vigilant, but it may not be appropriate to blindly suppress it forcefully.The progress of the country is not the progress of the royal family. The step forward of a group of people is just an abrupt progress. Only the step forward of all people can make the roar of footsteps resound in the wilderness of the world.

After eating the second bowl of rice, Li Chengqian put down his chopsticks even though he still felt that he could eat two bowls.It's the age when half a child eats me to death, but eating too much is still not good for the body.Being able to eat is a good thing, indicating that the body is still developing.No matter what, Li Chengqian is still dissatisfied with his current height of 1.6 meters.

Chapter 399 Boiling a Frog in Warm Water