The Qiao family compound.
Hearing that Ke Shiqing had something to ask of him, Qiao Feng's eyes narrowed. His weathered eyes contained a cunning insight into the mortal world. He took a sip of tea and said indifferently, "Shiqing, there's nothing to discuss about the divine mountain. Don't ask for it. Our Qiang tribe has been passed down since ancient times. We can't be disrespectful to the gods, or we'll be punished by the heavens!"
That one sentence completely blocked Ke Shiqing's path of retreat!
Although news was limited in Sichuan, Qiao Feng, as the chief of the tribe, still knew that Ke Shiqing was studying at Yanhuang College. In addition, San Bao, who claimed to be a servant of the Marquis of Yong 'an, had just escaped from him a month ago. Today, Ke Shiqing, a student of the Marquis of Yong' an, had brought the chief of staff of the Yi Protectorate to his door. How could he not guess Ke Shiqing's intentions?
"Haha! Chief Qiao, don't speak too confidently. It's hard to say whether or not there are gods on that mountain! "
Gao Shilian, who was sitting to the left of Qiao Feng, finally spoke up.
"That's right! Grandpa Qiao, that mountain is a mine, not a divine mountain. Previously, my Yamachō, the current Marquis of Yong 'an, sent people to take two pieces of stone from that mountain. Before I came, the Yamachō had already refined iron and vanadium from those two pieces of ore. That's why that mountain is filled with vanadium titanium magnetite, which contains a large amount of magnets. That's why it's so attractive to metal weapons! This is just the natural attraction of magnets to metal. It's definitely not the power of gods! "
Ke Shiqing hurriedly followed up on Gao Shilian's words.
"Magnetite? You're saying that the divine mountain is filled with magnetite? "
Qiao Feng frowned as he asked.
Ke Shiqing took out a gray stone the size of a soccer ball from his bag and said, "Grandpa Qiao, this is absolutely true. Shiqing dares to guarantee it with his life! Look, this is the ore that was moved down from the mountain. In fact, the main component of this ore is the magnet. If an iron saber gets close to it, it will be strongly attracted to it! "
Ke Shiqing took out a dagger and handed it to Qiao Feng. "Grandpa Qiao, if you don't believe me, you can try using this dagger!"
"Yes!"
Qiao Feng hesitated for a moment before taking the dagger with one hand. He pulled the dagger out of its scabbard and brought it to the magnetic ore that Ke Shiqing had taken out. Suddenly, an inexplicable force sucked the dagger over.
The Qiang people in the courtyard could not help but discuss, "Aiya! There really is a magnet inside this rock! "
"No wonder! No wonder every time I get close to the mountain, the hoe in my hand will inexplicably fall down. It turns out that it's a magnet mountain! "
"So it's not the power of an immortal, but the attraction of a magnet!"
In front of everyone's eyes, Qiao Feng had done the experiment himself, and the ore was indeed a rock from the divine mountain. The Qiang people in the courtyard had no choice but to believe it!
Qiao Feng put down his dagger and was silent for a while.
After a moment of silence, he said, "Brother Ke, how can you be sure that this rock contains a magnet and not divine power? In addition to the strange phenomenon of attracting soldiers, there was another strange phenomenon in this deep mountain. Every time there was a thunderstorm, there would be very little thunder and lightning in other places, but there would be frequent flashes of lightning and roars of thunder on this mountain, so much so that it would not rest for the entire night. Since ancient times, no one knew how many hunters had been struck to death on this mountain, so no one dared to go up the mountain on a rainy day! Tell me, if there's no divine power on that mountain, why would it attract lightning? "
"Yes, yes, yes! The chief is right! When it rains, there's lightning and rumbling thunder on that mountain, and no one dares to go near it! "
"That's a divine mountain, but when it rains, it becomes hell!"
As soon as Qiao Feng finished speaking, the Qiang people in the courtyard all began to talk at once.
Ke Shiqing's brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed. He smiled slightly and said, "Grandpa Qiao, the reason this mountain can attract lightning has nothing to do with divine power. It's because of the magnetic ore inside!"
Qiao Feng frowned and said, "Shiqing, don't lie to me. This ore isn't iron, so how could it attract lightning?"
Gao Shilian also frowned. Although he didn't say anything, he didn't believe that magnetite could attract lightning either!
Ke Shiqing smiled and said, "Grandpa Qiao, Shiqing isn't lying to you. The theory behind this can be completely explained with my knowledge of engineering from Yanhuang College. First of all, the magnetite in the mountain would produce a very strong magnetic field. These magnetic fields would have a strong attraction to the electric charges in the thunderclouds. Therefore, there would often be some thunderclouds with electric charges gathered above the mountain. Once someone entered, they would become a live target and be struck by lightning in an instant!
You don't understand these theories from Yanhuang College's engineering, so you might not understand! However, all of Yanhuang College's theories can be proven through experiments. Right now, we don't have the conditions here, so it's very difficult to simulate this scene. If Grandpa Qiao doesn't believe me, you can send a few people to follow me back to Chang 'an. Yamachō will definitely have a way to simulate this scene for everyone to see with their own eyes! "
At first, Qiao Feng was also confused. He didn't understand anything about magnetic fields or electric charges. However, after hearing Ke Shiqing's last few words, he couldn't hide his shock and said, "Shiqing, you're saying that the Marquis of Yong 'an can simulate lightning? How is that possible? "
The Qiang people in the courtyard couldn't help but whisper among themselves. Wasn't simulating lightning the work of an immortal?
Ke Shiqing smiled slightly and said, "Grandpa Qiao! What's impossible about this? Our Yamachō created electricity last year, and this year, we're planning to build a large power station in Lantian County! Although not many people know about this, it's definitely not a small number. Just send someone to ask around and you'll know! "
"Cough, cough! This official can testify to this! "
At this time, Gao Shilian, who was sitting on the left, suddenly said, "Although this official is an official in the land of Shu, I've always been paying attention to news from Chang 'an! The Marquis of Yong 'an did create electricity last year and used it on the battlefield. This year, the Marquis of Yong' an's telegraph machine made a great contribution to the rebellion of the aristocratic families in Henan County! "
Gao Shilian intentionally or unintentionally mentioned quelling the rebellion in Chang 'an a few days earlier. Those who understood would naturally understand the deeper meaning behind it!
Qiao Feng's eyes flashed imperceptibly, then he smiled and said, "Since Chief Gao has said so, then this Qiao naturally won't have any doubts! It's said that the Marquis of Yong 'an is the descendant of our ancestors. Although I don't know whether it's true or not, just the ability to create lightning is unparalleled! "
"Yes! The Marquis of Yong 'an is really capable! "
"Amazing, amazing!"
The Qiang people in the courtyard all exclaimed in amazement.
Gao Shilian had been an official in the land of Shu for more than a year, promoting irrigation, running schools, and getting rid of vulgar practices. He had a very high prestige among the people. Now that he was personally supporting Li Zexuan and Ke Shiqing, they naturally believed him without a doubt!
Ke Shiqing saw that Qiao Feng was interested, so he struck while the iron was hot. "Grandpa Qiao, even if there are gods watching over us, Shiqing can guarantee that there are no gods on this mountain. This is just an ordinary magnet mine. Not only do we have one here, but there are also mines in other places in the Tang Empire that can attract weapons and thunder!
The only difference is that the mine near us contains an extremely rare and special material that our Yamachō greatly needs. If Grandpa Qiao can convince your clansmen to allow our Yamachō to mine this magnetic iron mine, it will bring endless benefits to the tens of thousands of Qiang people around us! "
"What benefits?"
Qiao Feng asked after a moment of thought.
Ke Shiqing's expression shook as he hurriedly said, "Naturally, there will be many benefits! Before coming here, the Yamachō already told me that the mining of this mine will all be done by the local Qiang people. The wages will be three to five times that of other mines, roughly fifty to a hundred copper coins a day for a miner! In addition, the Yamachō will pay to help our Qiang people build roads, schools, and shops. In the future, we will be able to buy all the high-quality goods in Chang 'an!
Grandpa Qiao, you must have never sat in the Strange Taste Pavilion's' Don't Touch Me ', eaten the Drunken Immortal's Chicken, or drunk the Drunken Immortal's Drunken Immortal's Wine and Delicacies in Chang' an, right? These things are in short supply in Chang 'an, and the Shu lands are remote, so they naturally won't spread here. But once our roads are built, the Yamachō will call for merchants to open shops here. The fine goods that Chang' an people can enjoy can also be enjoyed by us without leaving the Shu lands!
In addition, the Yamachō will also spread the advanced planting techniques that they promoted in Lantian County to the Shu lands! Grandpa Qiao, you should have heard of the curved plough, right? This type of plough that can be pulled by humans was created by the Yamachō. In addition, the Yamachō is also very knowledgeable in the field of farming. With their technology, we can guarantee that the fields of our tribe will be able to produce high yields every year! "
As Ke Shiqing spoke, the Qiang people in the courtyard all widened their eyes, and their breathing quickened. By the time he finished, they were already whispering to each other and discussing spiritedly!
"What? The Marquis of Yong 'an is willing to pay each miner fifty to a hundred copper coins a day? Doesn't that mean that we can earn at least two strings of money every month just by working in the mines? "
"It's not just the mines! The Marquis of Yong 'an wants to build roads for us, so he must hire people to build roads, right? When the time comes, we can earn quite a bit of money! "
"Hey! You guys are really short-sighted, only seeing these small benefits! Most importantly, the Marquis of Yong 'an wants to build a school here! In that case, won't our children have the opportunity to learn immortal knowledge like the Ke family's Dalang and become successful? That's great! "
"That's right! Didn't you guys hear what Official Gao said? The Marquis of Yong 'an is an immortal disciple, and he can even create lightning. How can his knowledge be lacking? "
"Tsk tsk! Chang 'an City's Drunken Immortal, the Land of Warmth, these are things that I heard people talking about when I went to Chengdu. It's hard to buy a cup of Drunken Immortal with money! I heard that the taste is so good that mortals will get drunk after drinking two cups. It's really a wine for immortals! "
"It's that magical?"
"Isn't that so? And this curved plough, the Ke family's Dalang was right. This thing was indeed made by the Marquis of Yong 'an last year. Last year, there was a drought near Chang' an, and the farmers couldn't plow the fields. In the end, they relied on this curved plough to make it in time for the spring plowing! "
"Woah! Then this is a good thing! "
"Since this mountain is not a sacred mountain, then let the Marquis of Yong 'an mine it! When the time comes, our tribesmen will also benefit from it, don't you guys think so? "
"That's right! That's right! Since it's not a sacred mountain, what's there to worry about? "
In this world, there were very few hermits who didn't value profits. Most of them were mortals. As mortals, they had to work hard every day to find food, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. When Ke Shiqing spoke of the great benefits that this mine could bring to the Qiang tribe, the Qiang people in the courtyard were all tempted. After they were tempted, they all looked at Qiao Feng with hopeful eyes. They were only small leaders in the tribe, and the one who made the final decision was still Qiao Feng, the big leader!
Qiao Feng was deep in thought and didn't say anything. He was probably still making the final decision in his heart!
Seeing this, Gao Shilian smiled and said, "Ever since the Marquis of Yong 'an took over Lantian County last year, the tens of thousands of households in Lantian County, although not all of them are wealthy, but at the very least, every household can afford to eat meat and wear clothes. Their children can even afford to study! This official is not making this up. The Marquis of Yong 'an's achievements in governing Lantian County are obvious to all. Now that the Marquis of Yong' an's heart to benefit Shu, this official believes that this is a blessing for the people of Shu!
In addition, the current Emperor also attaches great importance to the development of Shu. Half a month ago, the Emperor changed the title of his favorite, the King of Han, to the King of Shu. He also took the position of Governor of the Yi Protectorate and was in charge of the affairs of the 36 provinces of Jiannan! The King of Shu also has another identity, and that is the student of the Marquis of Yong 'an. He and Shiqing came from the same master, so when the King of Shu comes to Yi Protectorate in the future, the lives of the people of Shu will get better and better! "
Inexplicably, the topic of Li Er conferring Li Ke the title of Prince of Shu was brought up. Gao Shilian's secret warning to Qiao Feng was obvious! Although the imperial court had established the Yi Protectorate in the past, the position of Governor had always been empty. Now that there was finally someone to take over the position, and this person was the King of Shu, Li Ke, who was the most favored by the Second Emperor. Even a fool could see the hidden meaning behind this — the imperial court was about to start governing Shu. If there was someone who was blind enough to go against the imperial court at this time, the consequences …
Qiao Feng was not stupid. How could he not understand the meaning behind Gao Shilian's words? His eyes flashed, and after a long silence, he finally opened his mouth.
"Good! Since the Marquis of Yong 'an has shown such great sincerity, and the Emperor is so concerned about the people of Shu, and Shiqing, you have also verified that the mountain is not a sacred mountain, then this old man will naturally not continue to obstruct you to the end. The Marquis of Yong' an only needs to send people to mine the mine, and no one in our tribe will stop you! Previously, this old man was not reasonable and accidentally injured the servants of the Marquis of Yong 'an Manor. Shiqing, please help this old man send the most sincere apologies to the Marquis of Yong' an! "
Gao Shilian's words were the last straw that broke Qiao Feng's back, allowing him to make the most correct choice!
Hearing this, the Qiang people in the courtyard all heaved a sigh of relief, and then began to cheer.
Ke Shiqing was also overjoyed and said, "Grandpa Ji is wise and righteous, Shiqing admires you! Shiqing will definitely pass on Grandpa Ji's apology to the Yamachō! Also, Grandpa Ji, don't worry. The conditions that Shiqing mentioned before, such as building roads, schools, and shops, will definitely be fulfilled one by one. Shiqing will stay here and accompany Grandpa Ji to witness the prosperity of our tribe! "
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