A night of heavy snow covered the entire Xianyang with a layer of silver. As the first ray of sunshine appeared, the closed merchants opened their doors one after another.
As the door was opened by the boy, the falling snow on the eaves slid down. One after another, people carrying brooms and other tools went out to clean up the falling snow. The Xianyang garrison under the lieutenant also sent some soldiers with tools to start cleaning up the streets of Xianyang. snow in the alley.
Ziyou sat in the carriage and slowly headed towards the Academy of Sciences. Ziyou was covered with a white velvet cloak, and there was a copper basin burning charcoal in the carriage. After the snow on the road was almost cleared, there were suddenly more people on the deserted streets, and carriages from some wealthy families were also walking slowly on the streets. The grooms driving the cars were particularly serious.
Although the snow has been cleared, the street is still a bit slippery. I am afraid that because I have rushed, I will cause a car accident and injure the nobles in the carriage. Also because this is Qin State and Xianyang. If you hit someone on the road, the penalty is to run away. No, although some harsh and backward penalties were modified under the auspices of Han Fei and Li Si, the severity of Qin's law is still very high.
Zi You in the carriage kept rubbing his hands. After the first heavy snow fell this year, the temperature dropped significantly. Even with a stove and a big cloak, Zi You still felt a little cold.
"I don't know how many places will suffer from snow disaster this year." Ziyou said absentmindedly.
Natural disasters often mean irresistible death in today's era. It is really difficult to keep out the cold in winter without cotton. Thinking of the cotton problem, Ziyou couldn't help but sigh. In addition to sending people south to look for Champa rice, People were also sent to the Western Regions to look for cotton, but a long time has passed and none of the people sent have returned.
In the Warring States period when there were no cotton-padded clothes, the powerful merchants, nobles and wealthy people mainly relied on animal furs to keep warm, while the common people could only rely on stuffed clothes or quilts with reed catkins, thatch, willow catkins, etc. to keep warm.
Just when Ziyou was distracted, the carriage stopped and Mo Ya opened the curtain and said
"Sir, the Academy of Sciences is here."
After the guards at the door of the Academy of Sciences saw Ziyou's carriage, a guard hurriedly stepped forward and stopped the carriage. After Ziyou stood up and walked out of the carriage, the guard at the door saluted Ziyou.
"Greetings, sir!"
"Well, there's no need to alarm the others. I'm looking for the head of the Gongshu family and Master Xiangli." Ziyou said.
The Academy of Sciences is not the same as when it was first established. It only has the dean Ziyou and the two main forces Qin Mo and Gongshu. In the past six months, the general framework of the Academy of Sciences has also been improved. Jingyu and Heibai Xuanjian are responsible for the guard work, and Ying The government transferred a group of people from the Recruitment Hall to serve as chief bookkeepers and clerks to handle paperwork and other matters.
"No," the guard said.
The guards returned to the door. After numerous searches and inspections, Ziyou and Mo Ya entered the Academy of Sciences. This was stipulated by Ziyou. Except for Ying Zheng, anyone entering or leaving the Academy of Sciences must undergo strict body searches and inspections.
Because of the weather and cold, the Academy of Sciences was no longer as crowded as before. Everyone returned to the room to do things. Zi You and Mo Ya continued to walk inside, while Gong Shuqiu and Xiangli Guan were waiting at the door to greet them.
"Meet Master Wang!" The two of them saluted.
"Gongshu, the master of the family, is the master of Xiangli." Ziyou returned the courtesy.
The three of them walked directly into the room without saying any other polite words. There was no charcoal or stove burning in the room, but the whole room was exceptionally warm, which was in sharp contrast to the severe cold outside.
"This fire wall is good, but the cost is too high for ordinary people to use it." Ziyou said.
During the Warring States Period, the main tool to ward off the cold was the stove, which was also a brazier. However, the stove was a processed brazier, and the stove came with a charcoal dustpan, which was used to transfer fire and add charcoal. Adding the brazier directly can easily cause fire.
"Yes, this year's heavy snowfall came unexpectedly. Originally, the court was preparing supplies to cope with the heavy snowfall after winter, but I didn't expect the heavy snowfall to come so quickly, and the people were not well prepared. I am afraid that people will suffer from frostbite this year. There will be a lot of them," said Sagisato.
"So I'm here to see you. Can you see if this thing works?" Ziyou put a drawing on the table.
Xiangsato turned the drawing over and Gongshuqiu began to look at the things on it.
"This fire kang is not difficult to make. It is equivalent to a simplified version of the fire wall. However, unlike the fire wall, the fire kang has very good protective measures. If the fire is too large, it is likely to cause the bed to collapse, and this fire kang is made of earth. Ordinary people may not be able to sleep." Xiangli Guan said.
"If we mix stone bricks and loess with some other things, we can avoid the collapse of the kang to the greatest extent." Gong Shuqiu said while looking at the drawings.
"I leave the matter of the fire kang to you. If you need anything, just ask. We must find the most suitable materials and masonry methods for building the fire kang in the shortest possible time." Ziyou nodded.
There is nothing wrong with leaving professional matters to professionals. Ziyou remembered the general structural diagram of the fire kang, but the specific feasibility and construction methods were very vague. At this time, Qin Mo and Gong Shujia were needed. Professionals are here to complete the job.
"No!" the two said while cupping their hands.
Facing the fire kang, both of them dealt with it with full vigor. This is a matter that benefits the country and the people. If they mess up, they will face the rejection of the entire Qin people. If they do it well, , Needless to mention Ying Zheng’s rewards, they can not only increase the influence of their sect, but also improve their reputation. Who doesn’t want to occupy more space in the history books in the future? ,
"Is Gong Shuhai in the Academy of Sciences?" Ziyou asked.
"He is here. I will call him here right now." Gong Shuqiu said.
After Gong Shuqiu left, Ziyou told Xiangli Guan some things to pay attention to in the fire kang, such as the need to select the most suitable materials for building, and to ensure the maximum heat transfer capacity while ensuring safety. Also write them down one by one. Gongshujia and Qin Mo had a strict division of labor regarding matters within the Academy of Sciences. Gongshujia and Qin Mo were responsible for the research, development and supply of weapons for the military, while Qin Mo was responsible for civilian needs.
Soon Gong Shuqiu brought Gong Shuhai to the main hall. Ziyou stared at Gong Shuhai who walked in. Now Gong Shuhai is not the strong young man he was before. Gong Shuhai's left hand and right leg have changed. It became machine arms and legs, and there was also a mask made of iron on its face.
"Greetings to Master Wang!" Gong Shuhai saluted and said.
"Excuse me, how did you do this?" Ziyou asked.
"Back to your lord, the disciple was accidentally injured during the experiment, but these are not important. The disciple has developed the most stable gunpowder ratio, and has also developed some weapons that the lord imagined, but they are still the simplest. The weapon is not stable enough and does not cause enough damage, so the disciple has been speeding up the development of more powerful weapons recently, so I have forgotten to report the progress to you during this time."
Gong Shuhai's eyes were full of fanaticism. Although he had two legs and an arm blown off during the experiment, these were nothing. After all, many Gong Shuhai people were like this. If you don't get hurt while doing weapon research and development, I am embarrassed to say that I am a mass murderer.
Gong Shuqiu and Xiangli Guan looked at Gong Shuhai with their eyes filled with relief. The two of them also suffered countless injuries due to the experiment. If there were no machine parts on their bodies, everyone would think this, whether in Qin Mo or Gong Shuhai. People have not yet realized the Tao, and the art of mechanism is not enough to get started. However, thinking of the damage caused by Gong Chuhai's research on gunpowder, the two of them could only feel infinite emotion in their hearts.
The scariest time they remembered was when Gong Shuhai was conducting experiments in the middle of the night. An explosion blew up two houses, scaring those of them who had not yet left the Academy of Sciences and thought it was an earth dragon turning over.
It even alarmed Ying Zheng in the Qin palace. Black Ice Platform, Luo Sheng, lieutenants, court lieutenants, and imperial guards all came. Gong Shuhai, who had just crawled out of the ruins, was directly pointed at with dozens of swords.
Fortunately, Ziyou reported it to Ying Zheng in advance, otherwise Gong Shuhai would have been reprimanded even if he had not been jailed by Tingwei.
After Ying Zheng knew that the explosion was just the product of failure, he immediately knighted Gong Shuhai and gave him a reward, telling him to develop it as soon as possible.
Seeing the enthusiasm in Gong Shuhai's eyes, Ziyou swallowed what he wanted to say and said
"This matter will not be accomplished overnight. Take your time. Safety is important. I will let people build a separate gunpowder testing site. The gunpowder developed must be stored as I said, and open flames are strictly prohibited."
Ziyou knew the power of gunpowder very well. He was not afraid that Gong Shuhai would be blown up to death by him, but he was afraid that Gong Shuhai would be blown up by the entire Academy of Sciences.
"No!" Gong Shuhai said.
A sudden knock on the door attracted the attention of the five people in the room. Mo Ya stepped forward and opened the door. A soldier stood outside the door.
"The king has an order to summon Master Wang to the palace." The soldier said.
"Let him in."
Mo Ya stepped aside and allowed the soldier to enter the room. The soldier saluted Ziyou and the others and said
"Master Wang, the king has summoned you to enter the palace immediately to discuss important matters."
"Did the king say what happened?" Ziyou asked.
"I didn't say it, but the Taiwei, the Prime Minister, the Imperial Censor, and the Nine Ministers are all on their way to the palace." The soldier said.
Gongshu Qiu and Xiang Liguan were stunned. The Three Gongs and Nine Ministers were all summoned. This was a big deal, and it might be something that would shake the country's foundation.
Zi You did not dare to delay, and left the Academy of Sciences with Mo Ya and the soldiers directly, heading towards Zhangtai Palace.
When Ziyou arrived at Zhangtai Palace and many people arrived, Ziyou came to Lu Buwei and asked in a low voice
"Master Hou, what happened?"
"I don't know, but it should be related to the Xianyang Order this morning. Dozens of people died in Xianyang due to heavy snowfall." Lu Buwei said in a deep voice.
"Is there a mistake?" Ziyou asked.
"At least not many. These dozens of people are only a rough count of Xianyang Order."
Ziyou fell silent after hearing this. This rough statistics should only be about the number of people who froze to death in Xianyang City, not to mention outside Xianyang City, or even in the snowy places in Qin State. These people who froze to death may have to go to the hospital. Thousands, even thousands of people.
Thousands of people froze to death, which is already a shocking thing. After all, the only places where it snowed in the Qin State were Beidi County, Shangdang County, Xianyang and Yingchuan County.
Especially Yingchuan County, which has just been established and all matters are still in the preparation and starting stages, has the worst ability to deal with snow disasters. Moreover, the Korean people had just surrendered to the Qin State. If this snow disaster had a huge impact, it would inevitably cause another wave of trouble.
But everything is unknown now, so we can only pray that the snow in Yingchuan County will be lighter.
As the gate of Zhangtai Palace opened, Zhao Gao shouted the order to the court, and everyone hurried to the main hall.
After some courtesy from the emperor and his ministers, Ying Zheng said with a heavy face
"Now our Qin State is experiencing heavy snowfall. According to rough statistics, dozens of people froze to death in Xianyang alone, not to mention Beidi County and Shangdang County. Dear friends, I would like to send people to the three places to count the number of victims on the spot, and Carry out disaster relief.
All aspects of the court must cooperate fully to provide disaster relief. "
After Ying Zheng finished speaking, Lu Buwei stood up first and said
"Your Majesty is kind and caring for all people, which is a blessing to the people of Qin. According to the planning of the Prime Minister's Mansion before the snow disaster, some disaster relief and cold protection supplies have been prepared, and people can be sent to the local areas for disaster relief.
According to convention, local governments will also prepare winter supplies before winter begins to prevent snow disasters from occurring and making it impossible to provide disaster relief in time. Your Majesty can first let local governments count the number of people affected and provide disaster relief at the same time. At the same time, he was asked to escort the court materials to the place. "
"Father Zhong, thank you for your hard work. Xianyang Ling reported that the house was damaged a lot by the heavy snow. Can the Shaofu provide craftsmen and manpower to repair the house?" Ying Zheng looked at the Shaofu Ling.
"Reporting to your Majesty, if the craftsmen of the Shaofu in Xianyang can still meet the needs, there are also craftsmen in the local area, but the number may not be able to meet the needs of the entire county, and there is also a slight shortage of manpower." The Shaofu Ling said bravely.
It wasn't that he didn't want to cooperate with Ying Zheng, but that the young master really couldn't afford so many craftsmen.
"The local government can temporarily recruit private craftsmen. As long as they are paid, the craftsmen will definitely not refuse," Ziyou said.
"According to what the teacher said, if the local area has financial difficulties, it can be allocated from the court. As for the manpower issue, can the Taiwei ask the army to send extra manpower?" Ying Zheng looked at Wei Liao.
"There is no problem with the army. We can send manpower to help the Shaofu." Wei Liao said.
"That's good. The Shaofu cannot let the army spend money in vain and pay the participating soldiers according to normal wages." Ying Zheng said.
If it were before, Ying Zheng would definitely not ask the young master to give him money, but now that Ying Zheng is the richest man in the Qin State, he is not short of this little money.
"Your Majesty is merciful!" Shaofu and Wei Liao saluted.
"My dear Zhang Cang, is there enough food in the treasury granary to allocate disaster relief without affecting the overall situation?" Ying Zheng looked at Zhang Cang.
"Reporting to the king, the national treasury is sufficient to provide disaster relief and stabilize local food. Charcoal and firewood can also be allocated to support the local area." Zhang Cang said.
"That's good. Dear ladies, do you have any other questions?"
"Reporting to your Majesty, I have one more thing to do." Ziyou stood up and said.
"Teacher, do you have any questions?" Ying Zheng asked.
"I believe that the northern counties should be strengthened to take more precautions to prepare for the Xiongnu going south at any time." Ziyou said.
"Hun!?"
There will be an exam tomorrow. The author will review it today. It will only be one chapter.
(End of chapter)
