After sitting down, Feng Quji said: "Because the old minister and General Meng just deceived His Highness."
I was stunned. During the whole discussion, except for explaining my thoughts about the Huns to the two of them, I basically said nothing. How could they have lied to me?
"What do you mean, Prime Minister? But just now I saw that the Prime Minister and General Meng were about to stop talking. I wonder what this is about?" I asked doubtfully.
Feng Quji sighed and said: "Your Highness is wise. There were so many people in the hall just now that I didn't dare to say it clearly, and I shouldn't have said this. But now that General Meng is facing a difficult situation, I have to talk to Your Highness." Tell the truth.”
I looked at Feng Quji and he continued: "What General Meng said about the Xiongnu integrating tribes and uniting with Donghu to attack Shangjun in the spring is indeed true. It's just that this happens from time to time, so the veteran is not very worried.
However, it is not only the problem of the Xiongnu, but what is even more dangerous is that many Qin people at the border have begun to flee to the grassland! If it comes in spring and the grass is luxuriant, I'm afraid even more people will escape! "
I was shocked. The people of the Central Plains fled to the Huns? That was grassland and could not be cultivated. These people had no cattle, sheep or livestock. What did they eat when they fled to the Huns? And why didn't you report such an important matter to Ying Zheng? I asked Feng Quji my doubts.
Feng Quji said with a risk-taking expression: "Your Highness, for the people of Shangjun, if they escape to the Huns, they may become slaves, they may be killed by the Huns, or they may starve to death, but there is always a glimmer of hope. But If they stay in Shangjun, they will only die.
There are currently about 30,000 households in Shangjun who have migrated there. Although the court has allocated land to them, the food output in Shangjun is far less than that in Guanzhong. In addition to feeding themselves, they also have to take on the problem of feeding the garrison soldiers who built the Great Wall.
The food for the border troops was all supplied by Guanzhong, but no food was requisitioned from them, but the food was far from enough for them and the civilians alone. He still has to serve in peacetime, which can be said to be a narrow escape from death!
In this case, it might be possible to survive by escaping to the Huns.
As for why he did not report it to the emperor, General Meng had already strengthened border defenses, and the escape had not yet reached a large scale. If it were reported to the emperor, given the emperor's character, he would probably be restrained by more severe punishments, which would worsen the situation. "
Feng Qu slowed down and continued: "The old minister and General Meng agreed very much with the strategy proposed by His Highness. However, the emperor unified the world and his prestige spread far and wide. Moreover, Lu Sheng once said, 'The one who destroyed Qin was Hu Ye'. Under such circumstances, does Your Highness think that the Emperor will agree to trade with the Xiongnu and slow down his plan? Therefore, the old minister and General Meng did not dare to agree with His Highness's plan, and hoped that His Highness would not mention this matter again, fearing that the Emperor would His Highness will be blamed.”
After hearing this, I woke up and couldn't calm down for a long time. I always said that we should not underestimate the ancients, but I still often unintentionally despise them, thinking that the era in which they lived must have its limitations. This may be true in some aspects, but even two thousand years later, the wisdom of these people is still guiding our lives and the way we deal with things. How can they be any more stupid than future generations? '
I felt so ashamed that I raised my body and raised my hands and said, "Thank you, Prime Minister, for clarifying my doubts. It was my lack of consideration. Without the Prime Minister's reminder, Fusu almost caused a catastrophe."
Feng Quji hurriedly returned the greeting: "His Highness is only thinking about the people, so he is a little anxious. Even if the old minister did not remind him, His Highness would have thought of it himself."
Meng Tian also cupped his hands and said, "I have long heard of your highness's reputation as a virtuous man. When I saw him today, he is indeed benevolent and righteous and loves the people."
After figuring out the key, I said: "If you two treat me with sincerity, Fusu will never forget it. I will not mention the Xiongnu policy again. I only hope that the people and soldiers at the border will suffer less."
Feng Quji understood and said: "Your Highness is wise, today's matter must be kept between the two of us. However, when reporting to the Emperor, the old minister still has to report His Highness's plan to the Emperor, and inform His Highness that he is aware of this matter. OK. In addition, the old minister will also inform the emperor about the pulley."
I nodded, no one dared to deceive Ying Zheng.
Then Meng Tian curiously asked about the pulley. Since Shangjun was far away, the pulley had not yet been delivered to the border. Feng Quji and I briefly introduced it to him.
Meng Tian was overjoyed. The pulleys have many uses in scenes like the Great Wall where there are many heavy objects being hoisted at high places.
The next time, I called Meng Xingyuan over again and introduced the drawings and usage of saddles, horseshoes, and swords to several people, which aroused Meng Tian's surprise again.
"These are the things I do for fun when I have nothing to do. I don't know how effective they are in actual use. The saber may be more effective for organized cavalry charges. Horseshoes can greatly reduce horse injuries and increase endurance. The saddle can help soldiers adapt to riding horses as quickly as possible and keep the horse stable. You can try it out. If it doesn't work, just throw it away.
In addition, I think the sword is a weapon that goes against the will of heaven, which is why I didn't show it to you before. However, after understanding the situation of the soldiers at the border, I, the soldiers of the Qin Dynasty, are more important. "I explained to several people that after all, it is difficult to build this thing, and I don't know if these sharp weapons will be "acclimated" to another dynasty.
Meng Tian saluted and said: "On behalf of the border officers and soldiers, I would like to thank Your Highness."
I helped Meng Tian up and said, "I should thank General Meng for guarding peace at the border. I wonder when General Meng will leave for Shangjun?"
Meng Tian laughed: "I arrived in Xianyang this morning. I have gone home to visit my wife and father. I will set off after the food, grass and ordnance are loaded into the truck."
I then thought about it, now that Ying Zheng is gone, Meng Tian has 300,000 border troops. If he stays in Xianyang for a long time, he will inevitably be suspected, so I sighed: "I hope that one day the border will be stable, and all the soldiers can enjoy family harmony."
Everyone responded in unison: "Your Highness, your great virtue."
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After a few words of greeting, everyone left. Meng He and I returned to the Tai Palace and continued to study the Mo Jing.
This book is really amazing. It not only contains eight articles on optics, summarizing the principles of light and shadow, small hole imaging, plane mirror, concave mirror, convex mirror imaging, focal length and imaging, but also involves many mechanical principles, such as levers, pulleys, balance, center, etc. There are studies on this.
The book defines "force" and further elaborates on different forms of mechanical motion such as translation, rolling, and axial motion. It even proposes the concept of "torque" and other discussions and applications such as pulleys and pulleys. It is also extremely advanced, and I have to admire the wisdom of the ancients again.
'If you want to develop productivity in the Qin Dynasty, you may have to rely on the power of the Mohists. My weakness is that I only know theory but not production. If there is such a group of people who have mastered simple physical laws and logical thinking, and can also be ingenious and proficient in the art of mechanisms. If you ask people to help you, you will get twice the result with half the effort. 'Thinking about it this way, He Xian might be of great use.
