On the fifth day of August at the camp by the Jie River, Liu Chengzong once again opened Wang Zheng's "Pictures of Strange Weapons" and started reading from the preface.
His uncle brought him three volumes of this set of books last year. Because he had not finished reading "Zizhi Tongjian", he never had time to read it.
Even today, he has not finished reading the set of "Zizhi Tongjian" that he has always carried with him, but he feels that it is time to take a look at these three volumes.
Although he had already made plans to settle somewhere in Qinghai Lake, Liu Chengzong did not seriously consider what preparations he needed to make before crossing Longshan Mountain.
After all, it was still too far for him. The two thousand miles from Yan'an to Qinghai was not only two thousand miles, but also meant the heavy blockade of castles everywhere by the imperial court's Western Army.
It wasn't until he crossed Longshan and reached the core of the five towns on three sides of Shaanxi Province, where the soldiers and horses passed by, and the military forts looked down on the wind, that he really had a clear understanding of the hungry soldiers of the northwest.
Qinghai seemed not so far away from him.
From Guyuan to Xining, it’s a thousand miles, maybe just a thousand miles.
Not only did he think so, but his father and brother on the other side of Liupan Mountain also thought so.
And they are preparing too.
Just yesterday, my brother sent a message saying that Luo Rucai had been given the task of kidnapping a Taoist priest.
The eldest brother is like crazy and wants to fight a religious war with the gods and Buddhas of the Fan religion spread all over the grassland.
But Liu Shishi liked the idea of being made into the Zhenwu Emperor in his own image.
There is no need for religious wars, but war, Liu Chengzong is not afraid of war... Since the Yellow religion spread across the grasslands, the Mongolians have become less and less promising.
Ada Khan of the Tumut tribe, who once besieged the city of Beijing and was most likely to achieve the great cause of recovery, became a holy lion on the grassland to worship Buddha every day. His son Xin Ai Huang Taiji was so angry that he sighed day and night: The old maid has such soldiers, And dying of old age in the desert is ridiculous!
Liu Shizi felt that if he really went in the direction of religious war, the real people on Kongtong Mountain might not be able to accomplish such a big thing.
Monk Wang, who possesses the five secret arts of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, soldier and thief, is pretty much the same.
One day when the two armies faced each other, the generals from both sides came out of the battle and asked, "Is this Buddha of yours a serious person?"
Anyway, everyone is about the same level of seriousness, so let’s use Buddhism to fight Buddhism to see who is the real living Buddha in the world.
But it makes no sense to Liu Chengzong. Religion is essentially an organization rooted among the people.
At this point, as the sum of all schools of thought and the transformation of a loser political faction, Taoism is very weak.
It is a school of thought that emerged after the failure of the political struggle. In its transformation to religion, it was limited by the secular nature of the school. In fact, there are very big loopholes in the doctrine.
If you believe in other religions, whether you enjoy blessings in heaven or reincarnate on earth, these are things that cannot be verified in the secular world.
However, Taoism is just playing a trick and asking for immortality.
With such a high goal set, it's hard to win a fight.
In terms of aggression alone, if anyone says that he is the Supreme Laojun descending to earth, the court may not bother to pay attention to him; if anyone dares to say that he is the reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha, let's see how long he can live.
Moreover, during the Zhou Dynasty, the Central Plains Dynasty eliminated the personality of the Emperor and God and turned it into a heaven that accommodates all objective laws.
Gods also come down from the sky, and all plants and trees can become gods.
Xu Da in Juyongguan, Mu Ying in Guyuan, and Guandi Temples everywhere, which one was not a human being before, and which one is not a god now.
No matter how many religious theories there are, such as the Six Paths of Reincarnation and Reincarnation, heaven is still there, and ancestors are still spirits in heaven, so **** will not work in this land.
Compared with the structure of civil organizations such as religion, Liu Chengzong believed that the organizational structure of the unified dynasty was closer and there was no need to settle for second best.
Even if you carry a Taoist priest, it is just one more layer of anti-counterfeiting signs.
He wants to do the greatest thing in the world.
Use a lone army to leave their hometown and go to a conflicted and barren land to finally defeat the most powerful enemy in the world.
There is no room for such dreams in the religious framework.
Liu Chengzong felt that besides his strong ambition and passion, there was something missing.
The best knowledge in the land of this era is missing, and the greatest tradition of this dynasty is missing - if the children of the people do not become scholars at the age of eight, their fathers and brothers will be punished.
He needs to prepare some enlightenment materials and arm himself with dreams from scratch.
In the preface of this book, Wang Zheng wrote, "Studying the original does not care about the essence and roughness, but it will be beneficial to the world; people do not care about Chinese and Western things, but it will not violate heaven." ' writing.
The first volume is called Zhongjie, describing gravity, specific gravity, center of gravity, and buoyancy.
The second volume is called Mechanical Explanation, describing the principles, structures and applications of simple machines, such as levers, inclined planes, balances, pulleys, gears, and spirals.
The third volume records fifty-four kinds of mechanical diagrams, describing their structures and applications, such as lifting, lifting, turning, water lifting, turning grinding, sawing and other machinery.
The book introduces mechanisms such as crank connecting rods, sprockets, row wheels, gear trains, worm gears, ratchets, and flywheels, as well as the applications of human power, animal power, wind power, and gravity.
The book is very good, but it requires a certain level of education. It is not easy for children to understand, and it is also not easy for ordinary people who have not studied ethnic studies for a few years to understand.
Sunday Qiang was very worried about Liu Chengzong's behavior of reading and copying books. He asked to see Liu Chengzong every hour or two to see if Liu Chengzong was really reading.
Since the Lion Battalion suddenly raised troops from Ningzhou and captured Zhenyuan, Sunday Qiang no longer dared to take Liu Chengzong lightly. He always felt that the rebel leader was trying every means to fool him.
Especially when watching "Zi Zhi Tong Jian", the more Liu Shishi read it, the more flustered Zhou Qiang became.
But now I saw Liu Chengzong really in the tent, reading "Pictures of Strange Weapons" and taking reading notes, which made Zhou Qiang feel reassured and said happily: "It's great that the commander likes to read Western books. Ningzhou Prefecture has Two books, I’ll have them delivered to you right now.”
Liu Chengzong was keenly aware of the change in Zhou Qiang's address to him.
When Zhou Qiang saw the rebel leader studying books instead of doing his job, he was probably no less happy than the people of the Ming Dynasty when they saw that the Dalai Buddha was no longer looting.
He raised his face and smiled: "What book does Mr. Zhou want to give me?"
"The six volumes of Xu's "Elements of Geometry" were published in the capital in the 35th year of Wanli's reign; there is also one volume that is banned."
Zhou Qiang is mysterious and Liu Chengzong is not interested: "I have watched "The Golden Lotus" seven or eight times. Is there such a thing in Western literature? I am not very interested in Western folk tales."
"Where are you thinking, Marshal? In the 40th year of Wanli, Wang Yingming, the emperor of Kaizhou, compiled "Li Ti Lue", which talks about Western astronomy."
Liu Chengzong didn't say a word, but just looked at Zhou Zhou Qiang, who was so worried that Zhou Zhou Qiang felt terrified: "Commander?"
Suddenly, Liu Chengzong was happy.
He is in the treasure mountain but he doesn't know it. With such a fifth-grade court magistrate by his side, why doesn't he know how to take advantage of it?
He said: "Mr. Zhou, besides these two books, can you send someone to Guanzhong to get them for me? No, buy some books?"
Sunday Qiang was even more happy. He spread his hands and said, "What's so difficult about this? What kind of book does the commander want? Come on, I'll send you a letter. Governor Yang is in Ningzhou. As long as the commander doesn't send troops to disturb the place, you can invite him." Shaanxi Futai is soliciting letters for you!"
Zhou Zhouqiang may have felt that if Liu Chengzong focused on studying academics and even sophisticated equipment, he would not plunder places or even raise troops to rebel, and his ambitions would be almost gone.
Once a person falls into the ocean of knowledge, can he still climb out?
"Good call for books, it's great to call for books. I want all kinds of books, especially newly printed Western books, including agriculture, metallurgy, astronomy, geography, water conservancy, medicine, and military affairs!"
Liu Chengzong raised his hand and clicked a few times in front of him, and said: "It's best if I can watch it for the rest of my life."
Zhou Zhouqiang was very happy at the front, but his face was a little stiff at the back. He paused for a moment and then said: "The commander-in-chief uses troops like a god, so there is no need for this military book, right?"
With this tall hat on, have you ever seen me use troops?
Liu Chengzong waved his hand and said: "No, I am particularly interested in military affairs. You should send a message to Governor Yang now. I will finish reading this book in a few days. After reading it, I will lead the troops elsewhere."
After saying that, he was not happy anymore, and frowned and said forcefully to Sunday: "The court is in this situation just because you officials are procrastinating in doing things and can't collect taxes. If you levy one or two thousand volumes of books, it will take ten days." Isn’t it possible that I still can’t do it?”
"One, one or two thousand volumes?"
Sunday Qiang Xun thought that it would be enough if I gave you a hundred or so volumes. Isn't it a bit excessive to ask for one or two thousand volumes?
"Then let's take three thousand volumes as an agreement. I want at least five hundred three thousand volumes of books. I estimate that Xi'an Mansion can find so many books. It's only six hundred miles away. It only takes one day to change horses and whips to deliver messages along the way. I'll pay."
Liu Chengzong said: "Based on one tael of silver per roll, it's three thousand taels, which is the high price of three taels per stone of grain. How about you handle this and I will give Ningzhou a thousand stone of disaster relief grain?"
In Zhou Qiang's eyes, this young rebel leader is no longer so scary.
As long as people have hobbies, as long as they have hobbies, there is nothing to be afraid of.
Sunday Qiang began to think about how to tell Yang He about this. He should not only ask Yang He to give orders on state affairs, but also try to leave all the disaster relief food to his people.
The Zhizhou stared, stretched out his hand and said: "Military rations, the commander will allocate a thousand dan of rations, and I will write a letter to the governor's military gate right now."
The camp on the hills near Longde County is now filled with the aroma of fried military rations all day long. The finished grains of beans, rice and noodles are made into compacted fried noodles with salt and sugar to reduce the volume.
Liu Chengzong calculated that there are currently several thousand registered people in Ningzhou, and there are about two to three thousand people who have fled and are still in Ningzhou. One thousand shi of fried noodles can ensure that these people survive until the beginning of next spring.
It is very suitable to exchange for a large number of books at such a price.
And on the other hand, this can also show Yang He that he has enough food and grass and is not afraid of war.
"Okay, I just have one request. Yang He must guarantee that all the food sent to Ningzhou City must be given to the fleeing people."
Liu Chengzong smiled and said forcefully to Sunday: "Whoever takes a pound from the middle and takes it back, Guyuan City will not be saved."
Zhou Zhou nodded forcefully and responded quickly: "Don't worry, Commander. As long as there is food for disaster relief, I promise to keep an eye on it personally. If someone corrupts the Commander, he will take my head away."
"It's useless to promise. You can't go back. The appointments of Qinghai Xuanwei Envoy and Xining Commander Envoy cannot be approved." Liu Chengzong said with a smile: "You can't go back to Zhou Zhizhou. Hurry up and write a letter."
Zhou Qiang was so happy about this that he even left Liu Chengzong's military tent and ran directly back to his tent.
He never thought that disaster relief food that could not be obtained from the Shaanxi government could actually be obtained from the rebel leader.
Liu Chengzong was even happier than him.
Even if the imperial court complies with his request as a consolation envoy, when he arrives in Qinghai, he will still have to compete with the pirates for food, land and other resources. Xining cannot provide him with much help, and there is no cultural prosperity there.
After receiving these books, he became less dependent on the court.
He could compile teaching materials, summarize the best knowledge available in the Central Plains, and abandon habits and customs that were inconsistent with the progress of the times, and establish schools.
As early as last year, Huang Taiji of the Later Jin Dynasty had set the rule of four Baylor points, established a library to translate Chinese books, and started to obtain scholars.
If the speed is fast enough, a few years later, he may be slightly weaker than Hou Jin in the spread of knowledge, but the teaching materials he has re-edited should be stronger than them.
Liu Chengzong thought about this and continued his great work of copying books.
On the other side, Zhou Qiang sent two personal followers to Ningzhou with his letter, but they came back with Yang He's reply within two days.
But they brought back more than just a reply.
When strong fire broke into Liu Chengzong's military tent on Sunday, Liu Chengzong was using a wrist knife to pick off the minced meat from the bones of the chicken rack and feed it to Xiao Zhuanfeng.
In the past few days when they were stationed in Longde County, the soldiers in the camp were restless. Some people went to the mountains to hunt every day. Although the things they hunted were not enough for each team to drink some broth, the servants took the meat and could always make it. Get some bones for little Zuanfeng to eat.
There is still some meat attached to the bones.
Zhou Qiang entered the tent and startled Liu Chengzong. He almost threw out the wrist knife. Then he saw Zhou Zhou Qiang and shouted: "Commander, Commander is not good!"
When Liu Chengzong saw it was him, he roughly knew what was going on. He lowered his head and continued to pick the tendons on the yellow lamb leg bones. He threw one piece to Xiao Zhuanfeng and asked without raising his head, "The emperor passed away?"
"Commander, do you know there is a man named Jin Chanzi?"
"I know."
Sunday Qiang was overjoyed and said hurriedly: "Then take care of him quickly!"
Liu Chengzong frowned and curled his lips and said: "Later, he was reincarnated. His name was Tang Sanzang, and he took the monkeys and pigs to the west. How should I care about him?"
"No, not this Jin Chanzi!"
Sunday Qiang went crazy with anxiety, raised his arms and pointed eastward: "It's a thief from outside Pingliang City. The thief's name is Jin Chanzi. Governor Yang said that he led troops to surround Pingliang City, robbed and set fire outside the city, and destroyed the east city. Hanging a dozen generals and lieutenants on trees outside the city, he besieged Prince Han’s Mansion!”
Liu Chengzong was stunned. He was really stunned. Why is Luo Ru so powerful?
For a moment, suppressing the surprise in his heart, he sighed and said: "Well, Mr. Zhou, please sit down. I promised Governor Yang, right? I know you are interested in the money from Prince Han's palace, but I really can't rob it, and you are in no hurry." use."
"I didn't let you snatch it. It's the palace. You should think of a way to save King Han!"
"I?"
Liu Chengzong raised his finger and pointed at his nose: "Save King Han? Are you out of your mind? Let's do this. You send a message to Guyuan Prefecture City and ask them to save Pingliang. I won't stop you."
"You don't know what Guyuan is like? Where are the soldiers? It's just you, commander-in-chief. Prince Han's palace has fallen, and the emperor is so angry that he wants to surrender. Governor Yang said that the matter is already half done for you. Hurry up and send troops to rescue Prince Han!"
