"Have you heard? That Zheng Guo who built our canal is actually a spy sent by South Korea to bring down our Qin State!"
"There is such a thing, but how can we bring down the Qin State?"
"What this gentleman doesn't know is that the King of Han is timid and is afraid that our Qin people will come out and kill him in one fell swoop, so he came up with a bad idea and sent a spy to trick our Qin State into building a canal, thereby weakening our Qin State's national power. Read novels on the Internet”
"Bah, thanks to our king for treating him well. I heard that a few days ago, an old Qin man saw him presiding over the construction of canals and eating and living with our own brothers. He felt that he was an honest man, so he even gave him some cakes. , I never thought, hey, this kind of liar should be driven out of Qin!"
"Yes, drive out of Qin!"
Voices of indignation and indignation arose one after another in the wine shop, and Zhao Gao and Zhao Zheng also felt it when they were there. "What does Xiao Gao think about this?" Zhao Gao saw that Zhao Zheng was no longer as excited as when he first received the news in the morning, and thought to himself: Some things really just need to be brewed.
He was not in a hurry to answer Zhao Zheng's words. He turned around and asked the store for an empty pottery bowl. He poured some wine into it slowly, dipped some wine in it with his index finger and started drawing on the table, slowly drawing as he did so. Xu said: "The large areas of land west of the Jing River and north of the Wei River in the State of Qin have few rivers. Most of the people in these places have to rely on the sky for food. Years with abundant rain are good, but if there is a drought..."
Zhao Zheng quickly understood what he meant. There has always been little rain in Guanzhong, and this year was a drought year. Last month, he even ordered a tax reduction because of this. Zhao Gao saw that he had listened, and then went on to draw Luoshui and the canal under construction.
"If this canal can be built, it will connect the Jing and Luo rivers, traverse the north and south, and stretch for more than 300 miles. Moreover, the king should know that the Guanzhong Plain is high in the northwest and low in the southeast, and the location of this canal is excellent. It is built on the northern edge of the plain. The higher ground can ensure that the canal water can be smoothly diverted to the south. By then, this large area of land, which could only rely on God's charity, will no longer be afraid of bad years." Speaking of the word "king", Zhao Gao deliberately lowered his voice.
When Zhao Gao said this, the water stains on the case had completely dried up. However, Zhao Gao knew that with Zhao Zheng's photographic memory, he must have already imprinted it on his mind. Sure enough, Zhao Gao's eyes flashed after he had figured out what Zhao Gao meant. Zhao Gao saw that even though his face was smeared with lotion, his serious look could not conceal his luster.
After being lost in thought for only a moment, Zhao Gao paused and said: "Besides, if there is a war, the king also knows that it is too slow to prepare food, food, and even people by land. If we go by water... this canal will be a great help to Qin. "
After Zhao Gao's analysis, someone on the side of the discussion revealed Zhao Zheng's biggest concern before: "The aqueduct is more than three hundred miles long from east to west. To really connect it, it will cost Qin's huge wealth and manpower. Bah, they only want to make our Qin people eat tree bark, these Koreans are really shameless."
As soon as Zhao Zheng took office, he began to make arrangements for the eastward march. However, the canal construction has been lagging behind. In addition, the past few years have been drought years, and the military and food supplies have not been in place. Therefore, the eastward march has been delayed. Put it off again. Just today, Zhao Gao told him another possibility. He only needs to wait a little longer. The canal is about to be connected. Once it is completed, Guanzhong, a land with little rain and drought, will become a fertile and prosperous land thousands of miles away. By then, the Qin State will The chance of winning by quickly sweeping the world will increase by a few percent.
Zhao Gao found that Zhao Zheng, who had been lowering his head in deep thought, had raised his head again, and his phoenix eyes, which were still a little confused before, now became extremely clear. He knew the pros and cons of this, and Zhao Zheng could see them all clearly with just a few clicks. The next moment, Zhao Zheng really lowered his voice and said with determination: "Even if we really chew the bark, our Qin State will definitely build this canal!"
Looking at the world, there is only one king with such foresight and courage; looking at the future, he is destined to be the king who can sweep across the Four Rivers and annex the Eight Desolations. Zhao Gao thought in a daze, and unknowingly, his heart was filled with great pride because of Zhao Zheng's words. In the past, Zhao Zheng often said that meeting him was the greatest blessing in his life. However, for Zhao Gao, is it not the greatest blessing in his life to be able to assist such a king in the future?
"Your Majesty, please."
"Please, please."
No need for extra words, the two of them drank a bowl of wine.
After coming out of the wine shop, Zhao Gao and Zhao Zheng walked around the city of Yueyang again. Yueyang is not only an important hub for entering and exiting the Qin State, but also an important military industrial base for refining weapons and making pottery. At the moment, Zhao Zheng is wearing a white dragon fish suit. It was also impossible to hang out with Zhao Gao in a military industrial area, but pottery could be seen everywhere.
"Why don't you two gentlemen come in and take a look? I dare say that within ten miles, only my family can make the most complete types of utensils." Zhao Gao shook his head helplessly. No matter what era he was in, this businessman was really the same. They were about to leave, but the vendor was still unwilling to give up. He rubbed his hands, then mysteriously took out a sword-mouthed round-bottomed jar from the side and said: "Look, you two, which one can sell it within ten miles from east to west?" Can it be burned with such luster?"
Zhao Zheng had never seen anything like this in the palace. It was okay to use this thing to coax others, but it was a bit more tender to coax him. He was about to say hello and leave, but Zhao Gao was a little confused when he looked at this thing, and murmured: "Isn't this porcelain?" Zhao Zheng originally thought that Zhao Gao had never seen such a thing, so he was more curious. I took a second look, but when I heard him murmuring, I felt something was wrong.
"Hey, you're a guy who won't buy anything if you don't want to buy it. You also call my stuff a cheap earthenware. Look at the color, how could it be earthenware..." Before the merchant could finish his words, Zhao Zheng gave him a cold look. Sweep, the words are stuck in my throat and I can't say a word. He had been in business for many years and was used to the world. He could tell from his temperament that Zhao Zheng was no ordinary person. So he realized what kind of person he had offended and was so frightened that he immediately fell silent.
Zhao Gao was originally amazed that the most primitive porcelain existed during the Warring States Period [1], but he accidentally said it. What's even more ominous is that at this time, "porcelain" specifically refers to "earth-fired or rough pottery" and does not have the meaning of "porcelain" in later generations. Moreover, "porcelain" is the same as "tile", so it is no wonder that the merchants were unhappy.
"This vessel is made of white cloud soil and the like as a body, and vegetation ash and other materials as a glaze." The man was still looking at Zhao Zheng's face, but after hearing Zhao Gao's words, he said: The mysterious person who made this thing looked at him in astonishment, but unexpectedly the two of them had already left. In fact, these were all things Zhao Gao learned while visiting a museum in his previous life.
The merchant accidentally discovered this firing method elsewhere before, and saw that there were few such things in Qin, so he saw the business opportunity. He originally thought that the people of Qin were easy to cheat, but unexpectedly he met a knowledgeable person and took advantage of it. A gray nose.
"Student, if you don't understand something, please ask the teacher for advice." Zhao Gao turned his head and saw Zhao Zheng waiting for him, pretending to be a good student. "Your teacher is tired today, why don't you ask another time?" Zhao Gao's ability to tell lies is not for nothing.
When Zhao Zheng heard this, he stopped asking, but not because of anything else, but because Zhao Gao raised his identity as a teacher and used the word "you" to him, which made him feel that the distance between the two was getting closer. The king, who had always been secretive about his joy, was now overwhelmed with joy just because of a title. When word spread, others didn't know what to think.
However, he was only happy for a moment. Zhao Gao raised his finger and pointed to a place, changed back to his original title and said: "Look, Your Majesty." Unwilling, Zhao Zheng looked in the direction of Zhao Gao's finger and found a doll squatting there. The doll was holding a small branch in his hand and was writing and drawing on the ground, but most of the words were wrong...
Zhao Zheng was in a good mood today and wanted to tease the doll, but he hadn't walked over yet, so he slapped the doll on the back and said, "Is the kid practicing calligraphy?" The doll was startled by him, but it recovered. Not afraid of him, she boldly raised her head and looked at him: "So what?"
Seeing the doll's appearance, Zhao Gao suddenly remembered something and felt funny in his heart. Zhao Zheng didn't know what it meant to be polite: "You are all wrong." At this time, there was an old man with gray hair beside them who was watching the excitement. Seeing that the old man was energetic and graceful, the two of them did not dare to neglect them. , all nodded slightly to show respect to him.
Sure enough, the baby paused for a moment after hearing this: "Really...really?" Over the years, Zhao Zheng had become accustomed to giving orders. Now he turned his head, spread his hands and ordered briefly: "Bring it here." The baby was reluctant. He handed the branch to him willingly, and he wrote a few words on the ground. As he wrote, he murmured: "You little brat, I don't know who taught you this."
The baby curled his lips and said displeased: "No one taught me, I just watched other people write it down. I don't know who came up with these words, they are difficult to recognize and write." The baby dared to talk back, but Zhao Zheng rarely said anything. His hands were frozen in place and did not move. The old man on the side suddenly twirled his long beard and said: "What this baby said makes sense, young man, give me the branch."
When the elder spoke, even Zhao Zheng did not dare to neglect. He had to immediately and respectfully hand over the branch before he finished writing the words. Zhao Gao on the side saw that the old man had difficulty with his legs and feet, so he helped him squat down. "Thank you." Zhao Gao shook his head: "Senior, you're welcome." When the two of them were talking, Zhao Zheng had already stood up. Unexpectedly, he saw that the old man wrote a few words casually and froze in place.
"Good words!" Even Zhao Gao couldn't help but sigh. "I'm trying to figure it out when I have nothing to do. What do you two young people think?" What the old man wrote is somewhat similar to the Qin character, but not exactly the same. It has fewer strokes and smooth fonts, and has a majestic character.
"If our Qin characters were changed to the ones written by our seniors, it would really save a lot of effort." The old man was also happy when he heard this: "It seems that the younger generation also agrees with my idea." Zhao Zhengdao: "I just have a stupid eye and can't do it. Please tell me how to call the old man." The old man said truthfully: "I have restored my surname to Hu Wu."
Afterwards, the two chatted with the old man for a long time before saying goodbye to him. On the way back, Zhao Zheng asked thoughtfully: "Xiao Gao, you once said "cut out the complex and make it simple". Today I met Tai Shiling of Yueyang again, and I felt that The simplification of Qin’s writing is imperative. When Qin unified the world, it will be even more important to promote it throughout the country. What do you think?"
Zhao Zheng has always been an activist who does what he says. Zhao Gao never doubts his execution ability. Once something is decided, he will immediately start preparations. So he smiled and said: "It seems that after walking around today, the king has gained a lot." Zhao Zheng looked at him and suddenly laughed, and added meaningfully: "Today has indeed gained a lot."
The second time I happened to pass by an alley, I suddenly noticed something and looked at each other silently...
