Inheriting a Taoist temple, the story begins with Wu Zetian offering incense.

Chapter 300 When Li Longji gets ruthless, he dares to use himself as bait! [Seeking monthly votes]

"Master, Master, look, there are so many seamless steel pipes for sale online, all kinds of specifications. It seems like we can study guns and cannons together."

Hearing this, Zhou Yi was startled. Has online shopping really gotten this wild?

He wiped his hands, took Li Qingzhao's phone and looked at it. It was mostly regular seamless steel pipes, without any special diameters, such as 5.56, 5.58, 5.8, 7.62, 12.7 and other strange diameter seamless steel pipes.

Hmm, I don't know what these numbers mean, but they all just popped into my head all at once, and I couldn't stop them.

Almost all the diameters were whole numbers. Zhou Yi looked at them and selected a seamless steel pipe with an inner diameter of eight millimeters. The pipe was more than four millimeters thick. He wondered if it would be usable.

Next, he selected seamless steel pipes with inner diameters of 60 mm, 75 mm, and 105 mm. All three types of steel pipes were over 30 mm thick, so they should not explode.

After placing the order, he waited a while, but no one called to inquire about its purpose, and the order was being processed. Feeling something was amiss, he called the blind man:
"Seamless steel pipes are sold online. These can be used to make guns. Doesn't anyone care?"

The blind man found it strange:
"What does this have to do with you? Besides, steel pipes are just a type of building material. To make a gun, you need equipment to grind the rifling. As for cannons, just welding the breech and the recoil-counteracting mechanism is a major hurdle. You should study the Taoist classics properly instead of researching those messy things all day. You've been buying a lot of things online lately. Be careful, or I might invite you to the police station for tea."

After saying that, the blind man hung up the phone, making Zhou Yi even more suspicious that the old man's background was as unfathomable as his eye sockets.

How can a blind man know even what he bought?

However, what he said makes sense. Having seamless steel pipes is not the key issue; the crucial question is how to make them into guns... Well, let Zhao Ji worry about that. If he can't make them, he can just make some border bombs first.

The so-called border area bombs were actually Zhou's explosives used during the Anti-Japanese War.

With nitric acid, picric acid can also be made; it is produced by using nitric acid and indigo dye.

However, the production of indigo during the Song Dynasty was very low, and a large amount of manual labor was needed for harvesting and refining. This could not be done in a short time, so Zhou's explosives were used as a temporary measure.

Although Zhou's explosives were not as powerful as picric acid and TNT, they were far superior to black powder. One kilogram was enough to break a railway track, and fifteen kilograms could overturn a locomotive. They played a significant role in the Hundred Regiments Offensive.

Once Zhao Ji has figured out nitroglycerin, let him make some Zhou's explosives as an emergency measure. The melon grenades made from this stuff are more than five times stronger than black powder, and they are stable and can be mass-produced under rudimentary conditions.

Wu Zetian said to Li Qingzhao:
"Sister Zhao'er, next time have Zhao Ji compile a complete list of the processes for making nitroglycerin. Our Great Tang should also make some explosives to build roads."

Nitroglycerin is dangerous for military use, but it's perfectly fine for engineering applications.

In fact, Nobel was able to succeed because he successfully passivated nitroglycerin with diatomaceous earth, turning it into a high-quality civilian explosive. He also successfully made an explosive glue similar to a sausage, which took civilian explosives to a new level.

However, in the military field, it was not until the advent of picric acid that the dominance of black powder was completely changed. After picric acid, modern explosives such as TNT and RDX gradually emerged.

During breakfast, Li Qingzhao asked:

"Immortal Master, there's no need to offer sacrifices to the Earth Goddess today. Do you have any plans?"

Zhou Yi steamed some sweet potatoes this morning and is now patiently peeling them:
"There's nothing planned. Just tell me what you want to do. No need to beat around the bush."

Li Qingzhao said with a smile:

"I want to go to the wholesale market to buy some small commodities and sell them to merchants in Bianliang to increase the research and development expenses of the Military Equipment Bureau."

Wu Meiniang asked:
"Any news about the merchant caravans that Zhao Ji arranged to go to Liao?"

"A letter arrived yesterday, saying it was very popular and was exchanged for a lot of gold and silver. It's a pity I'm not in Youzhou, otherwise I could have taken it directly to Hunyuan Palace and wouldn't have had to worry about being robbed on the way."

Xin Qiji did the same thing last time; when traveling long distances, you can store your belongings at Hunyuan Palace, which saves a lot of time.

After breakfast, Zhou Yi drove his long-unused minivan, carrying Wu Meiniang and Li Qingzhao down the mountain, heading straight to the Small Commodities Wholesale World in the eastern suburbs of Yiyang City, where they bought a bunch of convenient and practical small commodities.

For example, lighters, whistles, sunglasses, goggles, folding fans, sewing needles, plastic combs, mirrors, etc., almost filled the van.

In modern society with its well-developed industrial system, these items are ridiculously cheap, but in ancient times, each one would have been a treasure.

At noon, the three of them ate some maocai (a type of Sichuan hot pot) nearby and also tried some chewy ganmianpi (a type of cold noodle) before returning to Yunwu Mountain.

On the other side, in the Kaiyuan world of the Tang Dynasty.

Gongsun Da Niang and Li Bai each rode a bicycle to the Royal West Inner Garden. They looked at the various vegetables and fruits planted there, and they were all growing quite well, especially the potato seedlings, which were even more lush than they had imagined.

Li Longji stole half a day of leisure to accompany his two elders on an inspection tour, and then inquired about the potato yield:

"Grandma, if there is enough fertilizer, can potatoes grow to 10,000 jin per acre?"

Grandma Gongsun opened her phone, opened the notes app, and said:
"The highest record for potatoes is 9.58 tons per mu (approximately 0.16 acres) for the Xisen No. 6 variety, which is 19,160 jin (approximately 6,850 kg). Isn't that more than you imagined?"

Li Longji was speechless with astonishment at this number. He could hardly imagine that such a small plot of land could yield more than 19,000 catties of potatoes. He felt that the famine of the Tang people would be greatly alleviated.

Li Bai said, "The potatoes in this experimental field are being tested at their maximum potential. If planted normally, the yield would be halved. In addition, there are many restrictions, such as not being able to plant the same crop repeatedly."

Li Longji felt that his uncle was being too modest. Even if the yield was halved, it would still be more than four tons, which was much better than the current wheat yield of two hundred catties per mu.

He bowed and pleaded:
"I implore my aunt and uncle to consider the well-being of the people of our Great Tang Dynasty and do their best to introduce this item to the Great Tang to save the people from suffering."

Granny Gongsun flipped through the saved documents and said:
"Besides potatoes, the yield of sweet potatoes is also astonishing. Grandson, don't just focus on developing the land. We should also drive away the foreign tribes, lest the crops be snatched away by them as soon as they are harvested."

Just as Li Longji was about to agree, Gao Lishi and Chen Xuanli rode up on horseback, both with furrowed brows, clearly indicating that something had happened.

Sure enough, upon approaching, Gao Lishi dismounted and, without even bothering to bow, said:

"Your Majesty, several members of the imperial clan are plotting a rebellion. The five major clans and seven prominent families have begun to take sides. Li Linfu is busy making connections with various parties."

Ever since Li Longji announced the military reforms, everyone has been restless, especially powerful clans like the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families. Land is their lifeblood. Li Longji's decision to allocate land to the soldiers without any prior notice clearly indicates his intention to take action against them.

They had no choice but to either sit and wait for their doom or take a gamble, so they were easily persuaded by Li Linfu to give it a shot.

Li Longji was not surprised by this result; instead, he asked the members of each family who had participated:

"Did all the heads of their families participate?"

Gao Lishi shook his head:
"No, but they definitely communicated privately. If they succeed, they will step forward and reap the rewards; if they fail, they will execute the participants as traitors to their families."

As things have developed, these aristocratic families have all become as shrewd and diplomatic as non-stick pans.

For example, in the recent coup d'état, Cen Xi, who was executed, was Cen Xun's uncle, while other members of the Cen family continued to serve Li Longji, demonstrating the family's philosophy of not putting all their eggs in one basket to the fullest extent.

Li Longji then looked at Chen Xuanli:

"Are there any riders among the ten thousand who are behaving strangely? For example, frequently asking for leave or secretly colluding with others? Have you noticed any?"

Chen Xuanli bowed and answered:
"Yes, I have recently discovered that at least twenty people have been behaving quite strangely. They are usually timid and cautious, and rarely interact with others, but recently they have been frequently hosting banquets and spending money very lavishly, giving away bolts of silk."

Li Longji said:
“Behead them all as a warning to others.”

He couldn't be bothered with such trivial matters; simply beheading him was the easiest way to handle it.

As for Chen Xuanli himself, he was appointed as the Grand General of the Left Golden Guard, in full command of the 10,000 cavalry... As soon as the appointment was completed, Chen Xuanli knelt down and swore to be loyal to the emperor and love the country. Li Longji took the opportunity to take out his token and write down the oath.

After Chen Xuanli left, Gao Lishi looked around and whispered:
"Your Majesty, should I establish another secret force to monitor all officials?"

Li Longji asked with a smile:

"Are you planning to recreate the Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard, or establish the Eastern Depot? There's no need for all that. If you want to kill, just do it openly and honestly. Going around in circles will only create more hypocritical scoundrels. It's not worth it."

After saying that, he put his hands behind his back and said with a smile:

"I need to find a way to leave Chang'an once, to give them an opportunity to assassinate me, so that I can rightfully deal with those powerful families."

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi immediately advised:

"Why must Your Majesty risk your life? Why not just order his execution?"

Li Longji shook his head:
"I must give the world a chance to support me. For the sake of the whole world, a little risk is worthwhile."

He quickly came up with a reason—to visit Kunming Pool.

Kunming Pool is located twenty miles southwest of Chang'an City. On the eve of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Jiancheng had planned to assassinate Li Shimin at Kunming Pool. Unfortunately, he was not as quick as his brother, who acted on an inappropriate day and turned the tables, thus establishing the Xuanwu Gate succession law of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Longji chose Kunming Pool not to imitate Li Jiancheng, but mainly because the place was neither too far nor too close to Chang'an, making it easier to escape.

In case of an emergency, a naval force can be arranged to stand by in Kunming Pool in advance. In addition, the Jin Causeway, which attracts countless tourists, is located right next to Kunming Pool. It is quite wide and convenient to come and go.

After confirming the location, Li Longji instructed Gao Lishi to prepare, planning to go to Jindi to enjoy the refreshing early autumn on his day off two days later.

Upon hearing this, Li Bai and Gongsun Da Niang felt it was a good opportunity to earn merit.

If you strike each of them with lightning, the merit you accumulate will be immense!

Just as the two were about to go back to prepare, Li Longji suddenly said:

"Grandma, Uncle, if something happens to me this time, let Aunt oversee the country. It's a way to leave a backup plan for the Tang Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)