Suppliers from both worlds have dominated the world since Datang!

Chapter 453 The infinite possibilities of the future of Datang!!!

Zhuang Zhou responded with a grin, turned around and prepared to leave the imperial study.

However, just as he was about to step out of the door, Li Er's voice sounded again:

"return!"

"Good Le!"

Zhuang Zhou came back again and turned to face Li Er:

"Your Majesty, do you have any other orders?"

Li Er shook his head helplessly and laughed softly:

"Zhuang Zhou, I can give you as many bloodstone inkstones as you want, but I also hope that you can understand my intentions."

Zhuang Zhou bowed respectfully and said:

"Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will do my best to contribute to the future of the Tang Dynasty.

To be honest, Your Majesty, I hope to see a different future for the Tang Dynasty even more than you do!"

"Oh, what do you say?"

Zhuang Zhou said: "I have said before that I know the future of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty had 21 emperors and lasted for 289 years.

In fact, this is considered a very long dynasty in the course of history.

In particular, the culture and art of the Tang Dynasty have had a profound influence on the world.

Your Majesty is also a man who accepts wise advice and governs the country in a proper way, and is revered by later generations as the greatest emperor of all time."

Li Er nodded with satisfaction, with a smug smile on his face.

However, Zhuang Zhou changed the subject and continued:

“However, even such a glorious Tang Dynasty inevitably has its limitations.

History is developing and society is progressing. I hope that the Tang Dynasty will create greater glory, continue to innovate, and leave more wealth for future generations."

After hearing this, Li Er frowned slightly and seemed to be in deep thought.

He knew very well that although Zhuang Zhou's words were straightforward, they revealed his hidden worries.

As a wise ruler, he naturally hoped that the Tang Dynasty would prosper forever.

However, he also knew that no dynasty could avoid its cycle of rise and fall.

The only thing that can be done is to extend this glory indefinitely.

Seeing this, Zhuang Zhou continued:

“Your Majesty, I am not belittling the Tang Dynasty, but I hope that we can face up to our current shortcomings, continue to reform, and innovate.

Only in this way can the Tang Dynasty truly prosper for a long time, rather than being lost in the long river of history. "

After hearing this, Li Er sighed and said:

"Zhuang Zhou, you are right.

Although I am the emperor, I cannot be complacent and satisfied with the status quo.

I am looking forward to the future of the Tang Dynasty that you described!"

After all, Li Er is only in his thirties, although he is considered middle-aged or elderly in this era.

But for this talented leader, he is still full of energy!

The two chatted for a while, and Zhuang Zhou briefly recounted everything he knew about the history of the great voyages of later times.

The earth is round, with land, mountains, oceans, rivers and lakes on it.

And the Tang Dynasty is only a very small part of this sphere.

Outside the Tang Dynasty, there are tens of thousands of kilometers of land, where the land is vast, the population is sparse, and the resources are abundant.

But now the Tang Dynasty is too far away. If we launch an expedition now, even if we succeed in conquering it, we will not be able to occupy it for long.

It would be better to develop national strength, with the Tang Dynasty as the center, and dominate the world. By then, the great navigation plan will be implemented, connecting the world, and all nations will come to pay tribute.

This is what is called conquering the enemy without fighting!

After saying this, Li Er stared at Zhuang Zhou for a long time in silence.

Zhuang Zhou's heart sank. Did he say something wrong?

Immediately afterwards, Li Er let out a long sigh:

"Zhuang Zhou, you are absolutely right!

Today, our Tang Dynasty is surrounded by enemies on all sides. Although the world is at peace, our national strength is far from enough.

Especially for marching and fighting, huge amounts of money and food are needed.

But now, with the high-yield crops you provided, within five years, our Tang Dynasty’s granaries will be full and our national strength will increase dramatically.”

It was late at night and Li Er seemed very excited.

He called the eunuchs over, served some wine and some snacks.

However, this side dish was very different from what Zhuang Zhou had imagined.

I won’t talk about fried peanuts.

The key is to boil sweet potatoes, corn and potatoes with the skin on.

The eunuch had just brought it up, and it was still steaming.

Li Er couldn't help himself, so he picked up a sweet potato and started eating it without even peeling the skin.

While eating, he shook his head, looking very satisfied.

"This sweet potato is so delicious, I have to eat one with every meal now.

And the corn and potatoes are really delicious!"

As he spoke, he suddenly moved closer to Zhuang Zhou and whispered:

"I tell you, the first time the emperor ate this sweet potato, he was so moved that he cried!"

Seems like a very interesting thing.

But for Li Er, it was a great relief.

Years of doubts and inner guilt now seemed to have slowly faded away in the heart of the retired emperor.

When Zhuang Zhou heard this, he vaguely remembered something.

It is now the end of the eighth year of Zhenguan.

According to historical progress, Li Yuan died on June 25, the ninth year of Zhenguan.

All in all, I only have half a year to live!

"What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

Seeing Zhuang Zhou looking worried and silent, Li Er couldn't help but ask.

Zhuang Zhou paused for a moment and said:

"Your Majesty, there is something I am not sure whether I should say it or not?"

"Huh? What's the matter?"

Zhuang Zhou asked, "Is the emperor not feeling well recently?"

"Yes!"

Li Er talked about his father with a complicated look:

"It is winter now, and it is also a critical time. I just hope that the emperor can make it through the New Year!"

For young people, winter is just a matter of putting on one more piece of clothing.

But for the elderly, the New Year is really a critical moment in life.

It can be said to be a hurdle.

In fact, most elderly people cannot survive the winter.

This was scientifically studied in later generations.

The mortality rate among the elderly is highest in winter.

Take keeping warm for example, many elderly people can't do it.

Even though Li Yuan was the emperor emeritus, this could not be guaranteed in that era.

Not to mention, there are millions of poor elderly people.

Although Zhuang Zhou was not a citizen of the Tang Dynasty, he could still feel Li Er's deep respect and concern for his father.

He thought for a moment and said:

"Your Majesty, perhaps I can think of a way to help the Emperor and other elderly people get through this winter."

Upon hearing this, Li Er immediately put down the potatoes in his hand, with a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes:

"Oh? What can you do?"

Zhuang Zhou took a deep breath and said:

"I know some ways to keep warm, maybe they can be used. Although they won't have much effect, they can at least help."

After hearing this, Li Er's eyes flashed with joy:

"Oh, tell me about it!"

"It's hard to say exactly. You'll know when I bring the things back tomorrow!"

In later generations, there were many magical devices for heating in winter.

But since it requires electricity, it is naturally impossible to popularize it.

Most people simply can't afford it.

Currently, the first phase of the Lishan Power Station is only sufficient to provide basic lighting for Chang'an City.

But the heating artifact that Zhuang Zhou thought of was actually a hot water bottle.

Rubber products could not be made in this era.

Although the effect of hot water bottles is not long-lasting, they are an ancient way of keeping warm and can be reused.

Of course, the most important thing is affordability.

It was late at night, but the lights in the imperial study were brightly on and the conversation between the two continued.

Zhuang Zhou then began to talk about the achievements of later generations in education, science and technology, and business.

Every achievement made Li Er fascinated.

Sometimes he was amazed, sometimes he was lost in thought, as if he had already seen the infinite possibilities of the future of the Tang Dynasty.