Don’t ask, if you ask, it’s about magic, it’s about the abilities of immortals.
Although I myself do not admit that I know magical arts, you should be aware of this in your hearts and have a sense of awe!
When they heard that Lu Chen actually wanted people to go overseas to get special medicinal herbs, many people's eyes began to light up.
So Master Lu must be an immortal. Look, after all he has been talking about, he is still preparing to make the elixir.
Isn't it normal for immortals to make elixirs? Why bothering with the Holy Grace Pill? That's not doing their job properly!
An overseas fairy mountain. Master Lu even knows what local specialties there are in that kind of place. It must be the inheritance of a fairy.
Li Zhuo was also very excited. He was no longer afraid of Lu Chen's troubles. The more Lu Chen's troubles were, the more capable he was, which showed that he was good at judging people.
Li Zhuo nodded and agreed, "Okay. I wonder how big a boat Master Lu needs, and how many people he'll need? And roughly how long will they be gone?"
"Your Majesty, please allow me to present the design I have drawn. The seagoing vessel must be at least 44 zhang in length and 18 zhang in width. The other ships can be smaller, but they must be at least 36 zhang in width. Altogether, we should have around 240 ships. As for manpower, I hope to send approximately 100 crew members to join the ships. As for the timeframe, I cannot say for sure; it depends entirely on their own abilities."
What?
The officials in the court looked at each other in bewilderment. They had originally thought that what Lu Chen had said about sending people overseas to seek elixirs would at most involve five or six ships and a few hundred people.
Who would have thought that they would just open their mouths and mention more than 200 ships and a population of more than 20,000.
If such a group of people were all brave soldiers, they would be able to sweep across some small countries and expand their territory abroad.
And how much money and food will it cost to transport so many people and so many ships?
So before Li Zhuo could agree, Wei Yong stepped forward, pointed at Lu Chen's nose, and angrily shouted, "Evil Taoist! You really have bad intentions! What are your intentions in wasting the national strength of our Great Qi? Are you trying to damage the fortune of our Great Qi in this way? Your Majesty, this evil Taoist is worthy of death! I, Jianyi, will immediately lead him out of the five gates and behead him!"
Li Zhuo's mouth twitched. It was impossible for him to really meet Lu Chen's demands.
More than 200 ships and 20,000 people was a bit exaggerated, so Li Zhuo said, "Master, the treasury is empty now. I really can't come up with so much money at once. Can you exchange it for something else?"
Lu Chen pinched his chin and thought for a moment, then said, "As a citizen of Da Qi, I didn't consider that the treasury is so empty now. It's my fault for causing trouble for His Majesty. So, since our court is short of money, let's send a few ships to Fusang in Japan. I remember there should be a silver mine with astonishing reserves there. If it can be mined, it should be able to solve the urgent problem."
"What nonsense! Fusang is a barren land. How can there be such precious things as silver mines in such a place? I think you just want to take people out to expand the territory and establish yourself as king. You are a culpable person, Your Majesty!" Wei Yong continued to jump out and question.
Lu Chen's mouth twitched. "I've pointed out a clear path for you, and you won't follow it, right? You say I'm bringing disaster to the country and its people, so I'll bring disaster to the country and its people, and show you how!"
"Your Majesty, while observing the celestial phenomena last night, I suddenly had a feeling. My calculations have yielded some clues. The reason the Great Qi court has suffered so many disasters in recent years is due to poor feng shui. Therefore, I believe we should dig a large canal from the capital directly to the prosperous lands of Jiangnan! This canal would be like a dragon vein, tightly connecting the north and the south."
Yes, what Lu Chen was talking about was the Grand Canal that caused the demise of the second emperor of the Sui Dynasty.
It is reasonable for a Taoist to talk about Feng Shui issues, which is in line with his professional field.
Li Zhuo actually wondered if the constant disasters during this period were truly related to Feng Shui. Now that Lu Chen had proposed a solution, he immediately asked, "How much labor would be required for this Grand Canal that Master Lu mentioned?"
Lu Chen recalled the historical knowledge he had learned in his previous life and said, "About three million farmers will be enough."
Three...three million farmers?
My goodness, it would be a huge expense to recruit three million farmers from the country, stop them from working in production, and spend several years digging a canal.
The cost is probably even greater than building more than 200 ships.
As expected, upon hearing this, Wei Yong blew his beard and glared at the side again, saying, "You evil Taoist, you really have bad intentions. If such a large canal were really built, it would destroy the country!"
Lu Chen pinched his chin and thought about it. This was indeed true, so the Sui Dynasty perished in the second generation.
But once this river is built, it will have far-reaching significance for the entire China in the future.
No one could understand his painstaking efforts, so Lu Chen sighed again and said, "Alright, I can see that. You won't let me do any major national projects now. So I'll settle for the next best thing and ask Your Majesty to help me build a tall building."
Li Zhuo was actually quite embarrassed. It was he who asked Lu Chen to make requests, but he couldn't meet either of the two he made. Now that Lu Chen took the initiative to lower his requirements, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a building. No matter how magnificent and grand it was, it couldn't be too extravagant. As long as he was not asked to build the Afang Palace, it would be fine.
Li Zhuo then said with a smile, "I wonder what Master Lu's requirements are for the specifications of this building?"
"There aren't many requirements, really. A height of about 100 feet is about right."
"Then I wonder what name Master Lu plans to give this building?"
"Well, I've thought about this. Let's call it Zhaixing Tower!"
"You rascal, you are harboring evil intentions. You actually want to recreate the scene of King Zhou of Shang's fall. I will fight you to the death!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
