Because of the great drought, there was abundant idle labor. Since there was no hope of saving the crops in the fields, they simply gave up trying. Rather than waste effort hauling water to save crops, it was better to go work in the big cities where the copper coins earned were worth far more than a few stalks of grain from the fields.
The government relief grain was left for the elderly and weak, which would be enough to sustain them until the following year. The able-bodied men shouldered their traveling bags and either walked or rode ox carts to the nearest cities to find work.
Chang’an received the largest influx of laborers. Li Er seized the opportunity to begin renovating the Furong Garden, a imperial garden covering over a thousand acres and stretching seventeen li in length. Previously, it had been bestowed upon Li Tai, but Li Tai found it troublesome and declined it, mainly because he couldn’t find sufficient labor for the restoration. The dilapidated garden left behind by the previous Sui Dynasty couldn’t be properly restored in just a year or two.
Now with available labor and Li Er’s willingness to increase investment, Furong Garden was teeming with people. The Gongshu family was responsible for the overall design and construction. Gongshu Jia was now the Grand Master of the Imperial Works Bureau. Over the years, he had directed countless construction projects, from wheeled fortress cities to bridges. Now it was merely a landscape garden, hardly a significant undertaking.
Furong Garden wasn’t a major issue, but the statue of Li Er about to be erected was a serious problem. This statue exceeded forty chi in height and weighed an astonishing five hundred thousand jin. To erect such a thing and position it perfectly required precise calculations and intricate coordination.
The enormous crane tower had already been constructed. There simply didn’t exist in this world any machine capable of lifting this statue. Winches, cranes, plus levers, and a massive gate were the main equipment.
Standing on the platform of Wanmin Palace, Li Er could see the construction site. He noticed countless horse carts transporting river sand into the city, continuously piling it around the pedestal. Though there was already an enormous amount of river sand, the laborers showed no signs of stopping and continued transporting more.
“Xiang’er, do you know why they’re piling yellow sand on the pedestal?”
“In response to Imperial Grandfather, your grandson knows. The entire statue’s weight is too great. According to the Academy’s calculations, it weighs no less than five hundred thousand jin. There simply doesn’t exist in this world any tool capable of lifting the statue and placing it onto the pedestal. Therefore, they can only use the most primitive sand-piling method. First, they pile sand around the pedestal, then drag the statue onto the sand pile. Finally, bit by bit, using winches, cranes, and similar hoisting equipment, they adjust the position. Then they slowly clear away the sand beneath the statue, allowing the statue to rest on the pedestal. Finally, they only need to use winches and cranes to straighten the statue, and it will stand securely on the pedestal. The last task is to clear away and transport all the surrounding sand, and the entire project will be complete.”
Li Er was satisfied with Li Xiang’s explanation. Over these years, Li Xiang had made great progress and wasn’t as rash and impetuous as in his early years. Li Er didn’t believe the project would be as simple as Li Xiang described, but being able to explain the general outline of a matter in a few simple sentences was also a skill. This was why he kept Li Xiang by his side to serve as secretary.
Undertaking large construction projects during disaster years to create work opportunities for the common people had already become consensus in the Great Tang. Therefore, it wasn’t just Chang’an engaging in large-scale construction—Luoyang and Jinyang were the same. County magistrates everywhere were also leading the people to take advantage of the low-water season to repair river channels and maintain irrigation facilities. The thoroughfares of Guanzhong were also beginning to be paved with cement surfaces. The related kiln-burning and steel industries were operating at full capacity. At this time, Guanzhong was like one enormous construction site.
Li Er returned to Wanmin Palace and had Li Xiang retrieve a large scroll. After opening it, he carefully measured the distances on the map with his fingers. Although the firearms workshop had completely recovered and even increased production by thirty percent over the original output, Li Er was still unsatisfied. The weapon replacement speed for the empire’s armies was still greatly lagging behind.
He desperately hoped that armies everywhere would complete their equipment upgrades in the shortest possible time. The excess weapons could then be destroyed, thereby strengthening the court’s complete control over the military.
The gunpowder workshops and firearms workshops were only permitted in Chang’an, just like the coin-minting workshops. No branches were allowed anywhere else. This had already been written into the Great Tang’s legal code with strict orders forbidding anyone from changing it, including future emperors.
Without gunpowder, an army’s combat effectiveness would be reduced by at least half. Li Er believed that as long as he controlled gunpowder and refined fire oil, and possessed the formidably powerful Sixteen Guards, he need not fear rebellion from the outer provinces at all.
Provincial forces could only bear defense responsibilities. As for combat, that was the duty of the Sixteen Guards, the East Sea Navy, the South Sea Navy, and the Xuanjia Army. The sixteen military units would rotate in guarding the empire’s most critical fortresses to maintain the Sixteen Guards’ formidable combat capability.
“Go ask Yun Ye whether he can increase firearms production. The provincial armies have already completed training and are now just waiting for his firearms supply. Hasn’t he already established three workshops? Why can’t he operate them all simultaneously? Why must he rotate them, always leaving one workshop idle?”
Li Er pointed at the map with his finger and made arrangements with Li Xiang.
“Imperial Grandfather, the main issue is that saltpeter and sulfur can’t keep up. The East Sea Fleet’s transportation of these materials from Sulfur Island isn’t sufficient. Marquis Yun has a special memorial explaining to you why production must be rotated. He believes that under suitable conditions, six firearms workshops should be built, with half sealed and half in use, rotating every six months. This would minimize the possibility of accidents to the greatest extent.” As Li Xiang spoke, he retrieved Yun Ye’s memorial from a large cabinet nearby and presented it to the emperor.
Li Er still had an impression of this memorial. He took it and read through it again. After pondering for a long time, he said to Li Xiang, “Have someone draft an edict and summon Shangguan Yi.”
Li Xiang struck the golden bell. Before long, Shangguan Yi entered. A year of prison life had already worn away his scholarly air. The entire person had become lifeless and spiritless. After performing his courtesy, he sat behind the desk, picked up his brush, and waited for Li Er to speak.
“Order Yun Ye to begin constructing the other three dormant firearms workshops.”
“Order Zhang Liang to ensure sufficient quantities of saltpeter and sulfur, or face severe punishment without leniency!”
“Order Sun Renshi to control fire oil output. Not a single drop of refined fire oil may leak outside, or he shall present his head!”
“Order Zhangsun Wuji to ensure the Ministry of War has sufficient funds without the slightest delay, or face severe punishment without leniency!”
“Order the Xuanjia Army to garrison Hanzhong, seal off the Jinniu Road. Traveling merchants must take the Shu Road instead. No violations permitted!”
Li Er issued five consecutive edicts to ensure the army could complete equipment upgrades in the shortest time. Obviously, as military forces go, besides the Sixteen Guards, the first to require complete re-equipment was the Xuanjia Army.
Soon, the edicts reached Yun Ye’s hands. Military system documents still required his signature as Minister of War for dispatch. This wouldn’t do. Now fire oil existed not only in Beiting but also with the sixteen princes. Could it be that Zhangsun Wuji simply hadn’t reported this information to the emperor? What was that fellow’s intention?
Moreover, fire oil had now become a major civilian commodity. To not permit a single drop to leak outside was simply impossible. The circle of interests involved was too large—the Yumen garrison, the Hexi Army, Xue Rengui’s Luanshi City garrison were all implicated. Once completely prohibited, chaos would likely erupt. Copper coins were yellow, but people’s eyes were red.
Zhang Liang’s document and the Xuanjia Army’s document were quickly dispatched downward. Yun Ye tucked the document for Sun Renshi inside his robe and rushed urgently to Wanmin Palace to seek an audience with the emperor. This edict simply couldn’t be executed.
“What? You say my edict cannot be executed?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Fire oil is now everywhere. It’s been discovered in Yanchang County too, as well as in Qiuci, the Nine Kingdoms of Zhaowu, and even in the Kingdom of Shashé. Moreover, the distillation method is no longer a secret. If you wish to completely prohibit fire oil, it’s impossible, Your Majesty!”
Li Er abruptly stood up and looked at Yun Ye, saying, “You’re saying that Yanchang, Qiuci, the Nine Kingdoms of Zhaowu, and Shashé all have this substance?”
“That’s correct, Your Majesty. Now the rock oil water of Yanchang County is controlled by the military, but regarding the rock oil water belonging to the sixteen princes, we only have a twenty percent share. In fact, the country with the most rock oil isn’t our Great Tang but the Arabs. Now all the lamp oil in the south is obtained through maritime trade. Once we completely prohibit fire oil, the greatest beneficiaries will still be Arab merchants. They’ll die laughing.”
Li Er furiously smashed the mutton-fat jade bottle in his hand to pieces and roared, “Blinded by profit! Knowing this is a critical military resource yet not knowing to treasure it! Every single one of them wants to rely on it to get rich! Yun Ye, I ask you, do you have a share in this matter?”
Yun Ye blinked his eyes and said, “Your Majesty, no. As you know, the Yun family has never touched any business related to critical military resources. Your Majesty, I submitted documents about these matters long ago to the Secretariat for review. Why would you not know about this?”
Li Er was immediately choked. Obviously, this was a scheme by Zhangsun Wuji to frame Yun Ye. He himself couldn’t explain clearly. Forcibly suppressing his fury, he asked Yun Ye, “Since this matter has already festered, how do you respond?”
“Your Majesty, our military’s fire oil reserves have already exceeded quota. Ten fire oil warehouses are already packed full. What I fear most now is precisely this substance. It’s even more dangerous than gunpowder. If it were to explode, I estimate it would blow the Wei River dry. Right now, all the fire oil warehouses are along the Wei River. This substance must be made and used immediately. Over time, it evaporates on its own like alcohol. There’s simply no way to seal it. That’s why I tacitly permitted the existence of fire oil trading!”
As Yun Ye spoke, he pulled an account book from his robe and handed it to Li Er for inspection. Li Er hastily flipped through it, then handed it to Li Xiang, saying, “Turn it over to the Directorate of Waterways for thorough investigation. They must inspect every oil barrel.”
After completing these tasks, his complexion gradually improved. He sat down and asked Yun Ye, “Why is our Great Tang’s fire oil so scarce?”
Yun Ye rolled his eyes and said, “Your Majesty, fire oil isn’t something you have just because your territory is large. Rather, it depends on whether your country is fortunate. Obviously, regarding fire oil, the Arabs are more fortunate than us.”