Chapter 191:
The Wishful Soft Armor had appeared in the system store multiple times within the past three years. Su Li had encountered it several times but had refrained from making the purchase. After all, his attributes had already surpassed those of an average human, and in this world, aside from natural disasters, no one could harm him. The Wishful Soft Armor held little significance for him.
However, Su Li could sense Li Er’s caution towards him. Furthermore, the present Su Li was no longer alone. Li Er was indeed intelligent, and Su Li believed that intelligent individuals were the majority in this world. But to guard against the possibility that a few individuals might not recognize his capabilities, Su Li ultimately decided to buy the Wishful Soft Armor, valued at 9.99 million points. Of course, he didn’t immediately reveal it. Instead, he planned to find a reason for Changle to wear it. Although Su Li truly loved his son, Su Che was an extraordinary child. Therefore, he would come later.
Wait a moment… Where was Su Che?
“Father… Look how high up I am!” In the blink of an eye, Su Che had climbed onto the high eaves, standing there with hands on hips, filled with pride. Even Changle hadn’t reacted in time. Seeing Su Che on the eaves, she said alarmingly, “Su Che… Come down quickly… It’s dangerous on the rooftop!”
“Mother, it’s fine. I’ve fallen before, and it didn’t hurt!” Su Che’s face beamed with triumph. In reality, both Su Li and his son were not ordinary mortals. While Su Che might be inferior to Su Li by a lot, he could fall from a height of around ten meters and not suffer any harm, let alone the rooftop. To be serious, with Su Che’s robust physical constitution, even if his arms and legs were injured, they would heal as long as he ate more.
However, Changle was still deeply concerned about her son. Even three years ago, Su Li’s capabilities were enough to single-handedly change the course of a battlefield, yet now their only son had climbed onto the rooftop and was acting up.
“Su Che! Come down!” Su Li’s eyes narrowed.
Su Che was truly pampered and spoiled. Changle was exceptionally gentle in temperament, and Su Che was their only child. With his appearance resembling Su Li’s and his irresistible charm, along with his sweet talk that could enchant anyone, he had Changle wrapped around his little finger. He was treated like a treasure that couldn’t be dropped or a delicacy that might melt away.
Apart from Su Li and Changle, everyone else in the Princess’s Manor was a servant, and they couldn’t even discipline Su Che, a handful. Thankfully, Su Li’s attributes greatly surpassed Su Che’s, allowing him to rein in Su Che. At least Su Che, aside from being a bit naughty, hadn’t gone astray regarding values and morals.
Although he often turned the Princess’s Manor into chaos, he never harmed anyone. He also knew how to care for the elderly and the young. With his high attributes and boundless energy, ordinary falls and tumbles didn’t faze him, and his lack of fear for natural hazards and environments had naturally nurtured his bold and outspoken personality.
“I won’t come down!” Just as Su Li was about to take action, Su Che dashed off the rooftop and leaped onto a tree branch.
And then… Su Che could only watch as his father uprooted an entire tree, holding him upside down in Su Li’s hand.
“Mom! Help me…” Su Che struggled wildly but couldn’t escape his father’s relentless grasp.
Smack!
A resounding slap landed firmly on Su Che’s bottom, accompanied by a world-shaking roar from him. The force of the slap created a gust of wind, even causing a sonic boom…
Yes, it was rather comical to think about it. The three-year-old Su Che was likely one of the few individuals in the entire Tang Dynasty, even in the world, who could withstand even a bit of Su Li’s strength. If Su Li’s slap were to hit someone else, even formidable figures like Cheng Yaojin or Wei Chi Jingde would instantly drop dead.
As for Su Che, the outcome was clear – he cried out in painful agony. Although his physical attributes were still developing due to his young age, his resilience against physical blows was already remarkable. It was precisely because of his robust constitution and talent for sweet-talking people that Changle rarely scolded him. When she did, Su Che would pitifully cajole and deceive her, making Changle’s scolding seem ineffective.
“Mom…” Su Che wailed, seeking help.
“It’s time for your father to give you a proper lesson!” Changle pursed her lips. Although she felt slightly sorry for him, she maintained a serious expression.
“Don’t think I don’t know that your mom’s strength doesn’t hurt you at all!” Changle said with some frustration.
Of course, Su Che couldn’t escape some loving discipline. After a deep show of paternal love, Su Che finally squatted in front of Su Li, looking pitiful with watery eyes.
…
“What did I just say…” Su Li paused for a moment.
“Salt and iron… are crucial resources for the nation,” Su Che replied slightly aggrievedly.
“Correct,” Su Li nodded.
“Or perhaps steel is the true cornerstone of a nation!” Su Li continued.
As his own son and the child of a traveler, Su Li’s education for Su Che wasn’t limited to the traditional Confucian classics. Su Li had no intention of delving deeply into those aspects with Su Che. He wanted to impart a vision for an entirely new era to Su Che.
“The measure of a nation’s strength lies in its steel production,” Su Li nodded.
“Yes… I know. Currently, the Tang Dynasty has the highest steel production in the world, and our family runs the largest steel production factory in the Tang Dynasty,” Su Che hurriedly answered.
“But Dad… why don’t you do anything about those imitators?” Su Che asked in confusion.
“They’ve learned from our technology, set up their own factories, and expanded aggressively,” Su Che complained.
“They’re using our inventions and our money. In my opinion, we should just round them all up!” Su Che spoke up.
“That’s what I want to tell you!” Su Li ruffled his son’s hair.
Several months had passed since the last visit to the palace. The Princess’s Manor’s steel and salt factories had been officially established. The Manor even secured ownership of nearly all the iron-rich mines in Guanzhong.
This resulted from the system’s planning and designing of this era’s most productive and scientifically advanced factories. Whether it was the allocation of manpower, metallurgical techniques, blast furnace refining, or even factory location selection – everything could be considered as close to perfection as possible.
In tandem, Su Li also obtained control over almost all the coal-rich mines in Guanzhong. The productivity of the Princess’s Manor’s steel factory surpassed any steel workshop of this era by a wide margin, and the quality was even better.
Su Li had made estimations… The annual steel production of the Princess’s Manor’s factory could reach a staggering ten thousand tons. Perhaps in the modern era, this number would seem insignificant. Even an obscure small steel mill could produce more in a year.
Yet, in the Tang Dynasty, the annual steel production was around five thousand tons… The steel output of Su Li’s family factory in a year could match the entire Tang Dynasty’s steel production for two years. And this was far from the limit.
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