Entering July, the government office is extremely busy. Summer grain needs to be stored, cotton needs to be purchased, students need to come to take exams, food and accommodation must be prepared in advance, the exam room must be organized, a series of rules and regulations must be formulated, and many other matters.
The summer grain was put into the warehouse in an orderly manner, and officials at all levels were all veterans. Xin He had always been responsible for this matter. Yang Anxuan sent Zhao Tian to supervise the cotton purchase and clothing making, and told Zhao Tian that the cotton purchased by Zhao Tian should be made into cotton clothes as soon as possible. This year, new items such as cotton hats and cotton shoes have been added. One hundred thousand sets of clothing must be sent to Beiyongzhou and Qinzhou before October. The time is tight and the task is heavy, so cotton items must be tightened first for military uniforms.
Zhao Tian didn't dare to neglect. This year, Yang Qiu handed over the cotton affairs to his daughter Zhao Xuan and son-in-law Zhang Feng's sister. They are both members of his own family. Don't make any mistakes. It's a trivial matter if you don't come to Taiwan. You'll be damned if you miss the lord's Northern Expedition. .
Zhao Tian often thinks of the past. Everything he has now seems like a dream. He was originally just an ordinary soldier of the Yang family. The most likely thing was that he was killed or injured in the war and retired. Since he followed his lord from Luoyang to Xinye, his fate has happened. significant change.
As the master climbed higher and higher step by step, he also rose with the tide. In the words of his wife, "One person attains enlightenment, and chickens and dogs ascend to heaven." Zhao Tian often told Zhang Feng that as a man, you must appreciate kindness and cherish blessings, and you must never do anything to disgrace your lord. Chickens and dogs have no abilities. It is their duty to protect their master. Anyone who does something detrimental to the master will not be spared, even his daughter or son-in-law.
In Pingyang City (today's Xinyang City), the governor of Yiyang County, the prefect Yang Anshen hosted a banquet in honor of Sima Zhaotian. The status of his former family soldiers was already above his own, so Yang Anshen was inevitably a little resentful. After all these years, An Xuan didn't want to promote himself as governor. Did he forget that he was his brother? In vain, I have played with him since childhood and loved him so much.
Zhao Tian looked at Yang Anshen, who had gained weight, and secretly sighed in his heart. At that time, most people in the Yang family thought that Shen Langjun would succeed the family head and become the helmsman. Who would have thought that Xuanlang Jun would stand out and lead the Yang family to its peak. Today's The Yang family has been promoted from a fourth-grade family to a top-grade family, and may even go to the next level. But Shen Langjun, who everyone had high hopes for back then, has long since become a loser.
Although his official position was higher than that of Yang Anshen, Zhao Tian treated him with great courtesy, which made Yang Anshen feel somewhat comforted. After a few glasses of wine, Yang Anshen began to complain to Zhao Tian that his third brother was treating him poorly.
Shen Langjun has served as the prefect of Yiyang in these years. Apart from bringing beautiful concubines into the palace and giving birth to several children for the Yang family, he has done nothing good.
Yiyang has a vast territory, a large population, and fertile land. Yang Anxuan granted him the sacred land to take care of his eldest brother. However, the tax revenue of Yiyang was in the middle and lower among the counties, not even as good as Badong County. Yang Anshen used his power to recruit and select people. Officials often took benefits from aristocratic families and did not manage the government well, making the entire Yiyang County a mess.
Following the instructions of the lord, He Qing went to Yiyang County to investigate the case. Yang Anshen took the benefits and actually condoned the fraud and obstructed He Qing. He Qing, like himself, was a soldier of the Yang family back then. Yang Anshen reprimanded He Qing based on his status and refused to allow him to deal with it impartially. He Qing had to return to Xiangyang to resume his life.
Yang Anxuan was furious and once again sent He Qing with his own handwritten instructions to impose harsher punishments on the offending officials. He also sent a county magistrate named Xiangzhu Yang Anshen to Yiyang County, which actually sidelined him.
Yang Anshen was very dissatisfied, thinking that Yang Anxuan did not care about his own face, so he went to Xiangyang to cry to Mr. Yuan. Yuan came forward to intercede on behalf of Yang Anshen, but Yang Anxuan had no choice but to let Yang Anshen concurrently serve as counselor of Yonggong Mansion, with an official position of fourth rank, and gave a share of the camellia oil business to his nephew Yang Hui, finally appeasing Yang Anshen.
Yang Anshen soon became drunk, and Zhao Tian said goodbye and returned to the post house, where his daughter Zhao Xuan and Zhang Lan were already waiting in the house. When father and daughter met, Zhao Xuan first asked about the situation of the children at home, and was relieved to learn that her mother Tian and mother-in-law Sun were taking good care of their two children.
Zhao Tian raised his old father's dignity and asked about the cotton purchase situation. Zhao Xuan looked at the old man's stern expression and smiled and said: "Dad, this is not the lobby. Stop blowing your beard and staring at me. Otherwise, when you go back, I will let Huan'er and Zhi I won’t play with you.”
"You girl, no matter how old you are, you actually dare to threaten dad." Zhao Tian said angrily.
Zhang Lan laughed out loud at the side. She often saw Uncle Zhao lying on the ground and doing things for his two nephews. In front of the two children, Uncle Zhao was definitely "acting like a cow and a horse".
Seeing the father and daughter chatting, Zhang Lan felt warm in her heart. More than twenty eyes passed in a blink of an eye, and the family had undergone earth-shaking changes. It would be great if her father was still here.
After joking for a while, Zhao Xuan said: "Dad, the cotton field has a good harvest this year. It is estimated that the average yield per mu is about 220 kilograms. Fifty thousand acres of cotton field is more than 10 million kilograms. I heard from Qiu'er that the army only needs one-fifth of it." One, that is also two million jins, which is more than fifty times more than last year. Officials from all over the country went to collect cotton as requested by the lord."
Zhao Tian stroked his beard and said solemnly: "Master, please provide at least 100,000 sets of military cotton uniforms, as well as matching cotton hats and cotton shoes."
Zhang Lan calculated it with her fingers and said: "Uncle Zhao, there are about 200 garment factories at the moment. On average, each factory has to produce 500 pieces of military cotton-padded clothes, as well as cotton hats and cotton shoes. The quantity is not very large. If a garment workshop has twenty people, it should be completed in a month."
Zhao Xuan frowned and said: "You can't calculate it like this. The amount of cotton this year is large, and the time required for drying, picking seeds, and plucking will be greatly increased. Moreover, the cotton production areas are scattered, and it takes time to collect it. The biggest problem this year There is a shortage of manpower. Last year there were only more than 200,000 kilograms of cotton. It is easy to recruit workers. This year the number has increased more than fifty times. I am afraid that there will be insufficient workers by then and we will not be able to complete the work entrusted by the Lord before the end of September."
Zhang Lan was reminded by Zhao Xuan and said: "I asked the steward a few days ago, and the steward reported that the wages have been raised by 30% this year, but there are still not enough people to recruit. My sister-in-law is right, what should I do? Uncle Zhao, go and talk to Lord Shenlang, please tell me and let him enlist in the name of the government."
Zhao Tian stroked his beard and thought about discussing it with the county magistrate Yang Yan tomorrow. It was useless to talk to Yang Anshen.
Zhao Xuan said: "Yang Anshen's concubine He Shi said a way to weigh the cotton and distribute it to the people, and ask them to hand over the spun cotton threads and even pieces of cloth and be paid according to the work. I think the manpower to make clothes is insufficient, so it is better to simply We should also act in this way and distribute cotton directly to the people, and ask them to hand over the clothes, hats and shoes made from it."
Zhao Tian smiled and said, "This is a good idea. The He people are quite clever, but it's a pity that they have too many thoughts."
Zhao Xuan added: "To prevent someone from cheating, the address and name of the clothing manufacturer are embroidered on the clothes that are handed in. It is nothing more than paying a few extra embroidery fees. This will make it easier to find if anything happens."
Zhao Tianlaohuai was greatly relieved and said with a smile: "Xuan'er has been smart since she was a child. This is a good method."...
At the Yonggong Mansion in Xiangyang, Huang Fu brought Lu Zhan to report the discovery in Yangxin City. Yang Anxuan immediately took the map to check, and ordered people to invite Wang Zhene and Liu Zhong to come to discuss the matter.
After Wang Zhenye heard this, he said: "It seems that Liu Yu took advantage of the opportunity of negotiating with the Wei people and secretly reached an agreement to exchange grain for horses."
Yang Anxuan was silent. He had already expected Liu Yu's secret deal with the Wei people. What really made Yang Anxuan uneasy was the ship. The Yong army and the imperial troops fought on the Han River, and relied on wheel technology to lead in speed and flexibility. Although the imperial navy's ships were several times that of Yongzhou, Yang Anxuan still didn't take the imperial navy to heart.
The appearance of sea-going ships made Yang Anxuan realize that he had fallen behind Liu Yu in shipbuilding. Originally, he had two advantages on the ship. One was watertight cabin technology. This was acquired by Liu Yu after Lu Xun defeated the eight-armed ship. The ships of the Imperial Navy had been greatly improved and added watertight cabins. Jingling fought against Yongzhou Navy. A crossbow arrow was used to shoot through the side of the imperial navy's ship, but the ship did not capsize; another one is the car and ship, this technology is also easy to imitate. As long as a car and ship are obtained by Liu Yu, they can be imitated immediately, and the naval advantage will no longer exist. .
Yang Anxuan has always focused his development on the land, while the navy has focused on the rivers to prove the Han. The limitations of his thinking made him ignore the sea. Looking at the blank space on the east side of the map, Yang Anxuan felt chills in his heart.
Since Liu Yu can transport goods to Wei, he can also transport troops and horses to Beiqingzhou, and even into the Yellow River. Northern Hebei, Yan, Si and other places are all within Liu Yu's attack range.
Liu Zhong arrived in a hurry and learned that Liu Yu used sea shipping to carry goods to trade with the Wei State. He said solemnly: "When I was in Jingkou, I saw this kind of sea ship. It is twenty feet long and more than three feet high. It can be used to transport goods by sea." It can transport tens of thousands of goods, and one ship can transport about three thousand soldiers. However, this kind of ship is not fast and cannot withstand strong winds and waves, so it cannot be used for fighting. Even to transport soldiers, it has to be carried out in the windless season on the sea, which is in May every year. to October
I don't dare to go to sea. "
Wang Zhene also thought that Liu Yu could use ships to transport soldiers and horses, and exclaimed: "My lord, Beiqingzhou is facing the sea on three sides. If Liu Yu sends ships to transport soldiers and horses to attack, I'm afraid it will be in danger."
Yang Anxuan nodded and asked Liu Zhongdao: "Yongming, do you have any good ideas?"
Liu Zhong slowly stroked his beard and pondered for a moment and said: "It is not easy to build sea-going ships. The land of Sanwu has had the technology to build sea-going ships since the Han Dynasty. Our army lacks the technology to build large ships, and there are many large ships built in the rivers and lakes." It is also impossible to drive. We have to choose a site for shipbuilding in Beiqingzhou, and there is insufficient storage of shipbuilding wood. Even if the wood can be stored in time, it will take more than half a year to build a sea-going ship, which is difficult, difficult, difficult."
Wang Zhen said evilly: "No matter how difficult it is, we must start. The slower we start, the more passive we will be. My lord will immediately ask Yang Governor of Beiqingzhou to select a site for shipbuilding, open mountains and cut trees, and hire shipbuilders in the land of Sanwu, so that he can ship his ships as soon as possible." Created."
Yang Anxuan shook his head slowly and said: "Liu Yu's massive recruitment of troops is aimed at a decisive battle with Yu. Yu estimates that Liu Yu will launch a war at the earliest or the year after tomorrow at the latest, and the calculated time is only about two years. The land attack route is fixed, and Yu has a chance of defeating the enemy. However, if Liu Yu transports troops and horses to Beiqingzhou by sea, it may be difficult for Beiqingzhou to defend. The only way is to first detect Liu Yu's ship launch, intercept it at sea, and prevent it. Liu Yu's naval division has landed."
Liu Zhong frowned and said: "There are no winds and three feet of waves on the sea. It is too risky for the navy's existing warships to go to sea. I'm afraid they will never return."
Today's ships are supported by tenon joints and watertight compartments. Such ships are not strong enough and are easily damaged by wind and waves. Ships with keel structures were not invented until the Song Dynasty.
"I have read about keel boat manufacturing in a book," Yang Anxuan said slowly, recalling in his mind the wreckage of a Song Dynasty ship he saw when he visited the Overseas Transportation History Museum in Quanzhou in his previous life. My daughter was very interested in such a large ship. After Yang Anxuan returned, he specifically checked the relevant information and answered it to his daughter. The words clearly emerged in his mind.
Everyone present here widened their eyes. The book "Tiangong Kaiwu" taught by the immortal master Song Zhenren has been known to the world for a long time. It seems that an immortal shipbuilding technique is about to be released. Wang Zhenhe hurriedly asked Yu Ying on the side to get a pen and paper, and he also took a copy, one on the left and one on the right, to record what Yang Anxuan said.
"Keel ships are divided into several parts. One is the keel and side keels. The main keel runs through the bow and stern... The other is the ribs and keel... The third is the hull plate and bilge keel... It uses tenon knots, fish scales, and flat Waiting for the process..."
Keel boat, just hearing the name makes people feel extraordinary. Liu Zhong stared at the side, fearing that he missed a word, and wrote down doubts on the paper from time to time, not daring to interrupt Yang Anxuan's train of thought.
After talking for half an hour, Yang Anxuan described the structure of the keel boat. Liu Zhong quickly asked his questions, and Yang Anxuan tried his best to answer them.
Then Yang Anxuan mentioned that when sailing on the sea, you can use Sinan to determine the direction, increase the number of watertight compartments, use large and small rudders to alternate between deep and shallow water, and techniques such as balanced rudders and sleeping gardenia. Finally, Yang Anxuan said: "These shipbuilding techniques are books It is recorded in the book, but unfortunately the original book has been destroyed, and Yu also swallowed it wholeheartedly to remember these. You record what Yu said into a book and give it to the boatmen for practice."
Liu Zhong sighed: "With the keel boat technology, what is the use of the imperial navy?"
Wang Zhen smiled evilly and said: "The only problem now is time. When keel warships are roaming the rivers and seas in three to five years, what will the imperial navy do?"
Everyone in the hall looked at Yang Anxuan with eager eyes. When the Yongzhou Navy defeated the Imperial Navy, it would be the time to unify the world.
"There is no time to delay in building keel ships," Yang Anxuan said in a deep voice, "Yongming, you will personally handle the matter of selecting a site for shipbuilding in Beiqingzhou. In addition, let Ding Quan disguise himself and go to the land of Sanwu, and spend a lot of money to buy shipyards and borrow chickens to lay eggs."
