Chapter 97

PS: Thank you to Brother Ting Fan for the tip, this otaku is deeply grateful!

Li Er was very pleased as he rolled up Li Tai's painting and walked towards the main seat. Before leaving, he rubbed Li Tai's back of the head a couple of times, making the little fatty chuckle foolishly.

After Li Tai came Li Kuan. After Li Tai 'rolled' to Li Chenggan's side, Li Kuan walked out from the pavilion, taking large strides. Compared to Li Chenggan, he lacked a bit of composure and solemnity but had more enthusiasm and boldness.

"This is the Second Prince. A few years ago, his line 'Do not laugh at me lying drunk on the battlefield, for how many have returned from ancient wars?' made countless generals feel a deep connection. In recent years, however, there has been little news of him. It seems that poem was just a stroke of genius. He hasn't been seen at any poetry gatherings in Chang'an. Let's see what kind of gift he will present to the Emperor!" an official whispered to his colleague.

"I think most of it was taught by someone. At that time, the Second Prince was just a child, how could he write such a grand and heroic poem!" This official had clearly been transferred from elsewhere in recent years and still harbored some doubts about the Second Prince's youthful poetic talent that once stirred Chang'an.

"Let's see! Don't talk now!" an old minister, Wu Shiyue, interrupted their discussion. As a founding minister, Wu Shiyue's glory days were likely over with the new emperor's ascension. But he didn't care; he had once been a lowly merchant, and now he was a noble, what more could he want?

Li Kuan, though he faintly heard some of the conversation, had sharp senses from his boxing practice. The two ministers' whispers were audible to him. But now wasn't the time to fuss over such things. He walked to the center and bowed deeply to Li Er and Empress Changsun: "Your son congratulates Your Majesty on ascending the throne, wishing Your Majesty a long life and Empress Mother eternal youth!" He still had to flatter, or Li Er would lose face.

"What have you prepared this time, Kuan?" Li Er asked. He had taken many things from Li Kuan, so he added the word 'this time.'

"The gift I have prepared would require Your Majesty to empty half the treasury to obtain!" Li Kuan said.

Upon hearing this, the ministers were alarmed. What kind of talk was this? Was he asking the Emperor to use the treasury's silver to buy it? This was utterly disrespectful! It was sheer audacity to offer a gift to the Emperor and demand payment!

"Outrageous!" A few officials, eager to show off, immediately stepped forward to rebuke Li Kuan. As loyal subjects, they had to resist such disrespectful behavior, even if the offender was a prince.

"Ridiculous! Your Majesty hasn't spoken, yet you jump out. You are overstepping your bounds. Gentlemen!" Li Kuan immediately retorted.

"Kuan, since you say so, what is it? Show it to Me!" Li Er knew what was in Li Kuan's box. He had a similar set on his desk, though he didn't know their true value.

"Your Majesty, please look!" Li Kuan opened the sandalwood box and took out a U-shaped iron piece.

Li Er's face showed a look of 'I knew it.' Li Kuan had been busy in the city's blacksmith workshops for about half a month. Wang Hu, whom Li Er had sent to Li Kuan, had already informed him of Li Kuan's actions. Li Er was surprised that Li Kuan could forge iron, but he was also interested in what Li Kuan had made, so he had the craftsmen make a set.

"Your Majesty, this thing I have brought is to save the army expenses. It's worth half the treasury!" Li Kuan still used the treasury as a reference. He knew the prosperous era of Zhenguan hadn't arrived yet, and the Tang treasury was empty. The treasury probably had less than a million taels of silver, so half would be 500,000 taels. If horseshoes were widely used, the horses wouldn't be discarded due to hoof damage, and in a few years, 500,000 taels could be saved.

Li Kuan didn't intend to ask for money from Li Er; he just wanted to highlight the importance of the item. But he was overthinking it. Li Er, with years of military experience, would surely recognize the value of horseshoes. By doing this, Li Er felt that his second son wasn't as clever as he thought, and he was still under his control, reducing his suspicions. This was an unexpected benefit.

"Then explain in detail, how is this worth half the treasury?" Li Er asked calmly, but he was inwardly shocked. He knew Li Kuan was extraordinary and generally believed what he said, as Li Kuan rarely exaggerated. Now, saying this small iron piece was worth half the treasury, its effect must be significant. It could be a great boon for the Tang.

"This thing I call a horseshoe. As the name suggests, it's used on horse hooves. The biggest expense in the army is not anything else but warhorses! When a warhorse's hooves are damaged, it can no longer be ridden and must be replaced. Warhorses are very expensive because they are not produced in Guanzhong and must be bought from the grasslands, where the Tang's greatest enemy, the Turks, are located. So the price of warhorses remains high. But if this horseshoe is nailed to the hooves, the horses can be used to the maximum, even in thorny terrain." Li Kuan explained the effectiveness of the horseshoe. Li Er's eyes grew brighter, and he unconsciously stood up from his seat, walking a few steps to Li Kuan and gripping his shoulders.

"Is this true? Is this true?" Li Er's composure was shaken by these few words, showing how much the Tang had suffered in terms of warhorses. Every war was fought with the lives of soldiers and horses. Soldiers died, and horses were buried in their hides, but most horses were killed by their riders due to hoof damage, which was a cruel act, like a knife to the heart. Li Er had also killed his own horse for this reason, which is why he was so agitated.

"Indeed! Although I haven't tried it yet, I consulted my senior in the school, and this is my first work. My teacher gave it a perfect evaluation and said it would be passed down through the ages!" Li Kuan shamelessly claimed the invention of the horseshoe as his own, though he later regretted it, but that's another story.

"Bring my black stallion, Tayan, here!" Li Er wanted to test it immediately.

"Your Majesty, this isn't the right place! Besides, I have other things to show!" Li Kuan reminded Li Er.

"Ah..." Li Er looked around and realized it wasn't convenient: "Alright, we'll go to the eastern suburb horse field tomorrow. I want to test it myself!" Li Er gave the order.

"Your subjects will comply!" Numerous ministers eagerly responded, wanting to witness the first test of this miraculous item. This was a historic moment, and if it really had such a miraculous effect, the Tang would save a large amount of money on warhorses, making half the treasury a small price to pay.

"Kuan, do you have more gifts? Let Me see quickly!" Li Er asked eagerly upon hearing Li Kuan mention more gifts.

"This is another small thing I came up with!" Li Kuan took out another small item, a half-ring with a straight iron bar, very simple.

"What is this?" Li Er asked seriously, without any hint of disdain.

"I call this a stirrup! It's something for the cavalry to put their feet in to gain leverage! With this, our Tang cavalry can perform like the Turkish cavalry!" Li Kuan explained in two sentences, and Li Er immediately understood its function.

Another item to enhance the army's combat power. With this, the Tang cavalry could match the Turkish cavalry. Li Er didn't get excited this time, as the previous outburst was enough. He was mentally prepared and accepted it easily. But thinking about the impact this item would have on the battlefield against the Turks, Li Er was still moved.

In the wars between the Tang and the Turks, the Tang always relied on city defenses or cavalry raids. In direct battles, the Tang cavalry was at a disadvantage because the Turks grew up on horseback and were deeply skilled in archery. Although the Tang soldiers were well-trained, the jostling on horseback and the need to hold the horse's sides while shooting made their aim less accurate. With this item, the Tang cavalry's combat power would greatly increase, another great invention. It seemed that Li Kuan's claim of half the treasury wasn't an exaggeration.

"This is incredible! With these two items, who can stand against our Tang army? Even conquering the farthest reaches of the world is not impossible!" The generals were excited, as they understood the true value of these two small items. This was like giving the Tang lion a tiger's wings.

"Is there anything else?" Li Er felt that Li Kuan was a treasure boy, with one good invention after another. He wondered what other great inventions the scientist had.

"Your Majesty, the next gift is not from me but from my school!" Li Kuan said. Items like horseshoes and stirrups could be considered a stroke of genius, but other things might be hard to explain, so he used the mysterious scientist to explain to Li Er. He mentally apologized to the real scientists of the future, who, in the Tang, had become mystics. "Anything that can't be explained, you can blame on me! After all, I am your disciple!"

"Oh! Your school also has a gift?" Li Er was surprised. The scientist was very mysterious, and Li Er had never found any clues. But the scientist seemed to know a lot about the world, which made Li Er feel a bit frustrated, though he quickly suppressed it. He was determined to meet the scientist in his lifetime and even bring him under his control!