Huo Guang looked at the document sent by the Dunhuang prefect, then at Liu Tan. He took a deep breath and asked, "What did you say to Lu Xuan?"
In fact, he wanted to ask you when you wrote to Lu Xuan?
But, it’s not easy to ask this question. Even if he can control everything in the world, he can’t control the private life of the King of the North.
If Lu Xuan had not attached himself to the Han, he could still have stopped him, just like he had stopped Liu Tan from contacting the Left Grand Commandant.
But now... there's no reason.
Liu Tan said, "I just wanted to thank him. After all, he helped me vent my anger. It would be bad to say nothing."
Well, thanking Lu Xuan for opening the door to a new world for him is also a thank you, but let’s not talk about that. What if Huo Tian gets hurt?
Huo Guang said coldly, "This person is a gift to Your Highness. Please go and claim him yourself."
It is impossible to let so many people into Yumen Pass directly after being escorted here. After all, there are nearly a thousand people. The commander of Yumen Pass and the governor of Dunhuang County were almost scared to death!
He stopped the man at Yumen Pass and quickly wrote a letter to Wang Du asking how to deal with him.
Liu Tan heaved a sigh of relief: "Okay!"
Liu Tan turned around and told Miao Rui, "Pack your things, let's go."
After he finished speaking, he saw Huo Guang blocking the doorway and couldn't help but ask cautiously, "So... is there anything else?"
Huo Guang's voice was icy: "As far as I know, Little Kunmi is not at Yumen Pass at this moment, and Your Highness will not be able to see him even if you go there."
Liu Tan thought about it for a while before he realized that Huo Guang was dissatisfied with him going to pick someone up.
He couldn't help but whispered, "Didn't you ask me to go?"
Huo Guang endured it again and again and lowered his voice and said, "Does Your Highness need to go in person just to receive the prisoners?"
Liu Tan readily agreed: "I'll let Li Buyan and Wei Buyi go."
Huo Guang asked in return, "And bring back a few more?"
Liu Tan: ...
After being repeatedly criticized, Liu Tan's voice became even quieter: "Then...then you can just send someone else. These people are not for my use anyway."
Huo Guang was finally satisfied. He turned and left Liu Tan's study. After walking a distance, he suddenly asked Bi Gao, who had escorted him out, "Do you think His Highness is being too indulgent towards me?"
Big Gao was stunned for a moment. "This...why would the Prime Minister think so? Your Highness keeps complaining about the Prime Minister's recent hard work, and I don't want to cause him any trouble."
Huo Guang's heart softened, he let out a long breath and said nothing.
It was really strange that he asked this suddenly. In the past, he had always been law-abiding and cautious in his words and deeds, and he had almost never been in such an aggressive state as just now.
Their prince is indeed very irritating sometimes, but the problem is that his father is more irritating than him, and Huo Guang has never been so outspoken.
It only means that after coming to the Northern Territory, he has gradually become less cautious.
The previous caution was for the Huo family and also for himself. Liu Che was not an easy person to serve. His thoughts were difficult for ordinary people to understand, so it was best to be obedient.
Most people cannot understand Liu Tan's thoughts, but he almost never attacks his own people.
Huo Guang felt that it was precisely because of this that he dared to be so presumptuous just now.
But...Guo Xiang could only assist the princes, and Liu Tan's indulgence of him suddenly made him feel a little uneasy.
When Huo Guang thought of this, he had to remind himself to be careful.
So from that day on, Liu Tan found that Huo Guang's behavior seemed to have returned to the time when they first met, a complete ruthless work machine.
Liu Tan was a little uneasy, thinking he was still angry. After two days of holding it in, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Prime Minister Huo, you are the Prime Minister. If you feel there is anything wrong, you can speak directly. If you are really angry, I will ask Li Buyan to send the people back."
Huo Guang looked up at Liu Tan and thought to himself, you are really different from your father.
He said helplessly, "Your Highness, you must stand up. If I can refute Your Highness at any time, where will Your Highness's prestige be?"
When Huo Guang said this, he kept his eyes downcast, as if he didn't dare to look at Liu Tan.
Liu Tan simply lay down on the desk, raised his eyes to look at Huo Guang, forced him to look at him, and said: "I don't need to beat or scold my ministers to gain my prestige."
Huo Guang said lightly, "But there's no need to be too indulgent."
If he doesn't respect Liu Tan, then everyone might follow suit.
Liu Tan felt that he understood Huo Guang's meaning a little bit, and thought to himself, forget about others, but don't you have any idea of your own behavior?
Anyone who dares to challenge you has either been deposed or is on the way to being deposed. Of course, the princes will not be deposed, but I can't bear it if you give up.
Liu Tan said very straightforwardly, "I know what's going on. You'll do what you're supposed to do. A prime minister should also have dignity. By the way, I remember the foundation pit has been dug, right?"
Huo Guang suddenly became alert: "Indeed, Your Highness, what do you think?"
Liu Tan said, "Nothing much. I just need to double-check the arrangement of the sewage pipes. Make sure to follow the blueprints."
Huo Guang didn't really want to discuss this, as it was truly unworthy of formal discussion. However, he reluctantly replied, "Your Highness, don't worry. The order has already been given. You don't need to worry too much about this."
Liu Tanxin said that this is the most important thing. Don’t you wait for it to become the second Chang’an City in the future?
He was about to say something when he suddenly saw the study door open. However, he could not see anyone. He could not help but ask cautiously, "Who is it?"
No one answered. Just as Miao Rui was about to go over to take a look, Huo Guang turned around and saw a black and white ball walking clumsily inside. He couldn't help but twitch his lips: "It's Gun Gun."
Liu Tan tilted his body to take a look, and after seeing him, Gungun trotted over and nestled in his arms as if he was familiar with the place.
Liu Tan held the plump little boy in his arms and let out a long sigh, "GongGong, you can't do this anymore. When you grow up, I won't be able to hold you."
However, Gungun, who had found a comfortable position, refused to listen and even reached out for a hug.
Liu Tan had no choice but to hold it while continuing to discuss matters with Huo Guang.
Huo Guang's tolerance for Gungun has increased dramatically. After all, compared with a certain little Kunmi, Gungun is much cuter.
But the contribution that Xiao Kunmi made to Shuofang City was indeed substantial. After the arrival of these one thousand people, the construction progress of the entire city suddenly accelerated a lot, and the underground drainage system requested by Liu Tan was also arranged.
However, due to the limitations of current technological levels, underground sewage discharge can only be achieved in the main urban areas, or in other words, in the wealthy areas. Although pipelines are also laid in slums, the pipeline network is not that developed.
Liu Tan originally wanted to lay all of them, but was eventually persuaded by reality. Huo Guang's reason was simple: "A large part of underground sewage disposal requires water, and those people cannot afford so much water."
First of all, although there is no water fee, you still have to fetch water yourself. The water consumption is so high that no one can fetch so much water every day while making a living.
Liu Tan finally had to give up with regret, but he still put the design away.
Sewage pipes can be added temporarily and added later when needed.
As the city was being built, steel bars were also being tested bit by bit.
In fact, Liu Tan would rather call it steel bar instead of the current steel bar, because after testing, he found that it is very different from the steel bar he knows.
During this process, some people suggested using bamboo. Bamboo is flexible and can also provide certain support. In fact, many buildings in Chang'an use bamboo as their skeleton.
Liu Tan almost died of laughter when he heard this proposal: the place with the most bamboo in the whole Northern Kingdom is probably his rolling panda park. Even so, it is not certain how long these bamboos can live. The bamboo wood must be transported from the south to here, and the freight is much more expensive than using steel bars!
After all, he has iron ore! Even if he doesn't have iron ore and really has to use bronze as the skeleton, he won't use bamboo or wood. Using bronze is like burning money, and using bamboo or wood is even more expensive than burning money, and it also wastes a lot of time.
The craftsman who suggested using bamboo and wood left in shame. After all, he came from Chang'an and was used to this kind of thinking.
Although the strength of the steel bars was not enough for Liu Tan, they were actually very good when used. The first place to use this kind of steel bars was underground pipes. Because of the load-bearing nature, Liu Tan was worried that using only cement pipes might not be able to support it for long, so he urged Huo Guang not to save money in this regard and to test the strength of the steel bars first.
Huo Guang had no choice but to agree after being pestered by him.
When there are enough people, the construction speed is really fast. At least by the end of April, the foundation of the city had been laid, the pipes had been laid, and even the construction of ground buildings had begun. At this stage, it was basically very easy.
Because there is no need to worry about the facilities in the block for the time being, the main building is the Prime Minister's Mansion, which is where the Northern Border Kingdom's court works, and then there are the officials' residences.
The next step was to pave the roads. At this time, Huo Guang realized the benefits of Liu Tan's layout, because he no longer had to bother designing roads. The entire city was well-connected and neat and tidy, which was very friendly to people with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
By the beginning of May, the entire city had begun to take shape. Since several months had passed since the Huns' invasion, most people had also come out of their psychological trauma. Especially after seeing the cement-paved roads and built walls, they were full of hope for the future.
No matter what, the new Shuofang City finally has some of the aura of a royal capital.
Just when Liu Tan was happily thinking about what to do with the blocks he had bought, a message came from the distant Chang'an: The emperor felt that Shoujiang City was still a bit far from the Xiongnu Khanate, so he appointed Zhao Po Nu as General Junji to lead more than 20,000 troops out of Shuofang for more than 2,000 miles northwest to Junji Mountain to meet up with the Xiongnu Left Grand Commandant.
The smile on Liu Tan's face gradually disappeared.
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