It rained in winter, and the winter clothes were cold. Thin ice covered the earth in the evening, and the river was still winding. Thousands of boats gathered and headed for the capital.
Zhang Zhong contacted the county magistrates of several other counties and asked them to transport the goods to the capital together. After weighing the pros and cons, they all agreed.
After the winter rain, the taxes of several counties were all transported to the wharf of Huayuan County. The fleet that had already been deployed leaned against one side and waited for the shipment. When the ships were loaded and set off one after another, the mighty fleet attracted the attention of everyone who saw it.
Zhang Zhong went in person and invited the other county magistrates to do the same. The county magistrates felt that they should not miss such an opportunity. If the officials above gave them some benefits, they would let others take advantage of them. Therefore, under the hospitality of Zhang Zhong, they sat in the cabin of the Zhang family.
They chatted on the way. A few days later, when they were about to arrive at the capital, Zhang Zhong said to everyone when they finished eating, "Everyone, I have something to discuss with you."
*****
Since the last competition in the Academy of Jianjia, the number of people had increased a lot. More than 400 people were studying in the Academy together. The old man became a busy man. In addition to teaching in person, he also took care of some trivial things.
One day, after giving a lecture to the students, Li Xun hurried over from Huayuan County while wearing a brand-new cotton vest and strolling in the Academy.
When the old man saw Li Xun, he asked with a smile, "Little Prince, did you find something interesting?"
Old Minister, the Zhang family gave me something and asked me to install it on their ship. I asked someone to install it on the small boat. Look, I came here on the small boat. The boat also went on this river, which flowed toward the capital. The boat went on this river, and the water flowed. I sat there and watched the water flow until … "
Li Xun's first two sentences were fine, but towards the end, he became incoherent. He pulled on the old man's sleeve and walked towards the river.
The old man was very puzzled. When did Li Xun become so unsteady? As he was being dragged away, he said, "Little Prince, don't be anxious. Take your time. I know you came from this river. Don't be anxious."
"What are you talking about? Old Minister, do you know how long it took me to get here from your nephew's dock?" Li Xun suppressed his excitement, but he couldn't control Weiwei's trembling body and asked the old man.
"How long did it take? If it was fast, it would take less than half a day. If it was slow, it would take more than half a day. Could it be that you walked for an entire day? It's not even noon yet. Did you come out last night? You've only just arrived? "The old man estimated the time and asked.
Li Xun shook his head vigorously and gestured with his other hand, "I came here from the dock at a quarter past five. It's now a quarter past nine. How long do you think it took me?"
"What? Three and a half hours? You came here from there? Did you fly? What's going on? Tell me. " The old man didn't need to think carefully and said the time. He looked at Li Xun with suspicion, wondering if he was lying.
Li Xun nodded, "It's almost the same as flying. You'll know when you get to the river. The eight of us pushed hard at the same time. The boat went against the water and came here with a whoosh. The bow of the boat left the water from time to time. It couldn't be held down."
"Is there such a thing? Is there such a thing? " The old man also became excited. He quickened his pace and jogged to follow Li Xun in that direction. This was all thanks to Shuiyun Den's usual diet adjustment. Otherwise, his body definitely wouldn't be in its current state.
The two of them ran to the riverside, and the boat stopped not far from the small bridge. The old man came closer and took a closer look. He saw that the back of this boat was different from other boats. There was a large groove dug out, and in the groove, there was something half-exposed and half-submerged in the water.
The exposed part was about six feet long. There were also some connecting poles placed in eight places in front of the boat. There was a person sitting there with his feet on the pedals.
The old man recognized the pedals. It was something like a tricycle sent by Xiao Bao and Cuckoo a few days ago. Sitting on it and pedaling with his feet, the car could move forward. It was very convenient. There were also some replacement parts, saying that they were not made well and would break easily. He also wrote a letter to Liu Zhirou, asking her to come quickly.
"Old Minister, it's this thing. Xiao Bao gave it to me and asked me to install it on the boat. The boat is not finished yet, so it was modified by other big boats. When you take it over, you can adjust the position. But this thing is too strange. I don't know what's going on."
Li Xun helped the old man get on the boat and said. His voice was trembling like Weiwei.
The old man sat down doubtfully and waited to experience the speed. He didn't say anything.
"Push hard and let the Lord see." Li Xun ordered and sat next to the old man.
The eight of them stretched out their hands and held onto the fixed handles. Then, they began to kick quickly. The first few kicks were quite strenuous, and the boat swayed back and forth. As the eight of them kicked faster and faster, the boat stopped swaying and moved forward.
At first, the old man didn't feel anything, but he felt it was strange. It seemed to be different from the boats he knew before. Boats had two wheels on the side, but this one was at the back, and he couldn't see the wheels.
But after a few breaths, the old man was astonished. The speed of the boat had already surpassed all the boats they usually took. After waiting for a little while, the eight people stood up and held onto the higher handrails. The moment their bodies swayed left and right, the bow of the boat suddenly swayed.
The wind blew past his face, and the old man's hands were on the handrails on both sides. He turned his head and looked back, only to see the water behind the boat churning and ripples moving away.
"Li Xun, what's going on? Why is it so fast? "The old man gasped for breath and shouted at Li Xun.
"What else could it be? This is something made by the Zhang family. As for why it's so fast, I don't know. But I know that if this thing is installed on a warship, with two wheels on both sides, it can change direction at any time. Whether it's chasing or escaping, no boat can compete with it.
Old Minister, what should I do? Should I install it or not? No wonder they asked for a large amount of steel to make this thing. They also sent a lot of parts, saying that it's easy to break. If at most 16 people push together, it'll probably take less than four hours, or even less. They said that they didn't tell me about the bearing, friction, toughness, and so on. I don't understand. "
Li Xun didn't know what to do. This thing was a sharp weapon. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't allow the Zhang family to use it.
The old man was scared. If this was the speed of eight people, wouldn't sixteen people be even faster? He stroked his chest and said to Li Xun, "You can't do it now.
Liu Zhirou, the Minister of the Ministry of Works, will be here soon. It'll probably be in two days. No wonder they sent me a tricycle. It's the same principle. Not to mention four hours, even if it breaks down in half an hour, it can decide the outcome of the battle at a critical moment.
During a dogfight, if a few ships like this suddenly attack the opponent's main ship, the other ships won't have time to rescue them. Plus, with the Clairvoyance, who can find the enemy first and make arrangements. In a naval battle, who can be the opponent? After two days, I'll continue to look for steel for the Zhang family.
No, I can't just wait. I have to meet that person and have a good talk with him. I want to see what kind of person he is. Is there anything in this world that he doesn't know? Oh, maybe it's two people. According to the news I got, Song Jinggong said that it's a pair of swords. Amazing, there's actually such a person. "
Li Xun saw that he had the support of the old man and had an explanation for Zhang Xiaobao, so he nodded, "Old Minister, how about we turn around and go back first? If it breaks down later, we'll have to repair it slowly. "
"Okay, let's go back." The old man wanted to drink some tea to calm his mind.
"Stop, turn around." Li Xun ordered.
The eight people received the order and stopped moving. They picked up the oars and turned the direction little by little. At this time, Li Xun said, "Old Minister, if my ship is in a wide area, it can easily turn around without oars. There's a rudder. On the Lake Between the Clouds and the Water, I made a big circle on the way here."
"Oh, then you can do the same on the river and the Yellow River. Write a letter to the Zhang family later." At this time, the old man felt that his whole body was weak. He was too excited just now.
The boat turned around and headed back. At this time, the eight people were not as fast as before. When they passed by the boats that had just passed by, the people on the boats all looked at Li Xun's boat in horror. They did not see anyone rowing, nor did they see anyone pushing. This boat flew past them like it was flying. With such a boat, even the seasonal fruits of Sichuan would dare to be transported to the capital.
When the ship returned to Between the Clouds and the Water, the old man shivered and came to the shore. He exhaled, looked back at the ship, and commented, "Good stuff. The Zhang family has enjoyed too much. They want to use the things they made at home first."
"Old Minister is right. But how can these things only be used at home?" Li Xun also noticed this. For example, the Zhang family made the curved plows first because they had land. Also, the white folding blankets were made to keep the Zhang family warm in winter.
At this time, a servant of the old man's family rushed over and said to the old man, "Master, Minister Liu from the Ministry of Works has arrived. He is waiting for you at Between the Clouds and the Water."
"Oh? He came so quickly. Come with me. "The old man was happy and walked to Between the Clouds and the Water first.
At a door on the second floor, the old man's figure appeared. When he saw Liu Zhirou, both of them said at the same time, "Something big happened."
After they finished speaking, both of them were stunned at the same time and said again, "You know?"
"Old Minister, you go first." Liu Zhirou said.
The old man laughed, "Minister Liu, you go first. I don't think we are talking about the same thing. My matter should be told outside by the river."
"By the river? That's not it. My matter is in the capital and has nothing to do with the river. Old Minister, you can't imagine what that Zhang Zhong did. He joined forces with the county magistrates of the surrounding counties and listed the matters of some counties. After that, he asked for the counties to be merged into a province. "
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