Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

"Scissors?"

Li Shimin stared blankly at the large iron scissors he had just snatched from the craftsman.

"You're sending this army of 150,000 fierce warriors to... to give sheep haircuts?"

"Father, broaden your perspective, open your mind a bit."

Li Chengqian stood in front of a simple workshop that had just been enclosed by a wooden fence, holding a ball of dirty wool that had just been sheared and still smelled strongly of mutton.

He didn't seem disgusted at all; instead, he rubbed it in his hands as if he were handling some rare treasure.

"In your eyes, this is dirty wool, something only barbarians wear."

"But in my eyes..."

Li Chengqian held the ball of wool high and waved it in the sun.

"This is called 'soft gold'."

"gold?"

Li Shimin leaned closer to take a sniff and almost fell over from the stench. "This is too overpowering! Aren't the people of my Great Tang Dynasty well-off in fine silks and satins? Who would wear this stuff?"

That's because they don't understand technology.

Li Chengqian casually tossed the dirty wool into a large wooden tub next to him, where the "powerful degreasing agent" solution he had redeemed from the system was churning.

"Turks would only peel off the whole sheepskin to wear, which was hard, smelly, and prone to insect infestation."

"But what if we shear the wool, wash it, degrease it, spin it, and weave it into cloth?"

As he spoke, Li Chengqian pulled a finished product out of the box behind him as if by magic.

It was a beige sweater.

Although the design is simple and there are no patterns, the fluffy and soft texture makes you feel warm just by looking at it.

"Father, feel it."

Li Shimin reached out and touched it with some skepticism.

It feels soft to the touch, like touching clouds.

Moreover, it warms to the touch, much warmer than cold silk.

"This...this is made of wool?" Li Shimin exclaimed in surprise.

"Genuine or genuine."

Li Chengqian held up the sweater to Li Shimin.

"Winter in Guanzhong is cold and charcoal is expensive, so most people can only endure it. Every year, countless elderly people and children freeze to death."

"But this stuff is ridiculously cheap! If we just gather all the wool from the grasslands, make it into clothes, and ship it back to Chang'an, it'll sell for a few dozen coins a piece, and the people will be scrambling to buy it!"

Li Shimin's eyes began to shine, and his breathing became rapid.

He seemed to see not clothes, but mountains of copper coins.

"And that's not all."

Li Chengqian pointed to the Turkic women in the distance who were being driven into the workshop.

"We will divide the prisoners of war into smaller groups."

"The men are strong, so let them herd livestock, raise cattle, and breed warhorses for us. They are natural-born herders; they can start working without being taught."

"Women who are meticulous and skillful, let them work in the workshop."

Li Chengqian took out a stack of blueprints from his pocket and slapped them on the table.

"This is the 'Spinning Jenny' that I improved... cough, it's the 'Tang Dynasty No. 1 Spinning Machine'."

"It's a hundred times more efficient than manual labor."

"Let these Turkic women spin thread, weave cloth, and make carpets for us day and night."

"The goods we produce can be sold not only to the people of the Tang Dynasty, but also to those merchants from the Western Regions!"

"Those Hu people are the richest, and they are also the most afraid of the cold. We can make exquisite Persian carpets out of their wool, sell them back to them, and exchange them for their gold, jewels, and spices."

Li Chengqian became more and more excited as he spoke, gesturing wildly.

"The raw materials were picked up for free on the grassland."

"Workers are free labor that has been captured."

"The technology is ours alone."

"Father, just do the math, how huge would the profits be? This is faster than robbery!"

Li Shimin held the sweater, his mind racing with calculations.

This is hardly grassland management.

This is clearly a super workshop that can print money infinitely in this desolate land!

"But……"

Despite his excitement, Li Shimin still had some concerns.

"These Turks are, after all, not of our kind. If we make them work, will they behave properly? What if someone tries to slack off or sabotage us in secret..."

"Simple."

Li Chengqian snapped his fingers, revealing a smile that would make even capitalists weep.

"We implement a 'work point system'."

"The more work you do, the more meat you get to eat and new clothes you wear. If you accumulate enough work points, you can get a reduced sentence, and they might even be issued a 'Good Citizen Certificate of the Great Tang Dynasty,' which allows them to build houses and get married in the settlement."

"This is called a carrot."

"As for those who want to slack off, those who want to cause trouble, or those with suspicious eyes..."

Li Chengqian pointed to the outside of the workshop.

There, Bai Qi was sitting on a whetstone, slowly polishing his dark red halberd.

Behind him, rows of wooden poles stood upright, with several fresh "wind chimes" hanging on them, swaying in the wind.

"Then let them go and talk to General Bai about their life ideals."

"That's the big stick."

"Faced with hunger and the threat of losing their heads, I believe that most Turks would become talented singers and dancers, and hardworking and diligent."

Li Chengqian shrugged, looking completely confident.

"After all, labor is the most honorable thing."

Looking at his son, who spoke of "exploitation" in such a refined and elegant way, Li Shimin felt a chill run down his spine, but also felt incredibly pleased.

ruthless!

That's fucking ruthless!

But this trick... it's fucking effective!

No need for stationing troops, no need for provisions, and it can even replenish the national treasury. Incidentally, it tames these unruly grassland wolves into sheep that only know how to shear their wool.

These methods are even more cunning than those of an emperor.

"Excellent! Labor is the most glorious thing!"

Li Shimin laughed three times, clutching the sweater tightly in his hand as if he held the lifeline of the entire grassland in his grasp.

"We'll do as you say!"

"I will immediately transfer the personnel from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue to you!"

"I will make workshops everywhere at the foot of Yinshan Mountain! I will turn every strand of wool on these grasslands into copper coins of the Tang Dynasty!"

Seeing his father's money-obsessed look, Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction.

Once Old Li has tasted the benefits, the matter is considered settled.

From then on, the Tang Dynasty was no longer a purely agricultural empire.

"Father, your vision is still too narrow."

Li Chengqian lay back in his rocking chair, picked up a cup of mare's milk wine from the side, and took a sip.

"This isn't just about making money."

"This is called—"

He squinted at the Turkic prisoners in the distance who were beginning to clumsily learn to use scissors, and slowly uttered a new word that Li Shimin found both enigmatic and impressive.

"To completely integrate the grassland economy into the Great Tang Dynasty—"

"Internal circulation system!"