After leaving Jiangxia, the speed of the fleet became faster. They didn't stop to resupply when they passed by Dongting Lake. After half a month, they finally arrived at a dangerous place, Xiling Gorge.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan stood at the bow of the ship and used their Thousand Li Eyes to observe the scene in front of them. They looked at each other and were both shocked. They had never seen such a place before. Before, it was very stable, but now, it was terrifying.
In just a short while, the two of them saw a fairly good ship hit the rocks due to the rapid current. Fortunately, it had just hit the rocks and was still going against the current. The ship immediately broke free and reached the shore before it sank. The people on the ship jumped off one after another, leaving only the mast of the ship above the water.
"I think it's good to build a dam. Although it will put pressure on the earth's crust, it's like an earthquake. No one can say that it really has a big impact on other aspects. At least it will be easier to sail. It's not that scary."
Right now, Zhang Xiaobao only wanted his fleet to pass through smoothly, so he put everything else aside.
Wang Juan was also shocked by the current and the danger below. Looking at the waves that hit the mountains on both sides, she said, "How can we go? Our ships are deep in the water. It's impossible to send people to check the situation below. If one person goes in, there will be no one left. Do you want to rely on luck?"
"Let the ship go up and insert the iron pole diagonally. Explore the way. I don't want to walk for three days and three nights only to see Yellow Ox Rock when I turn back."
Zhang Xiaobao didn't have time to waste. The earlier they arrived, the earlier they could prepare. He didn't know how the ship in front of them passed, so he immediately ordered the ship to go first. At least the ship would be more stable.
At this time, the people on the ship pointed to the mountains on both sides and said, "Young Master, look, there is a sign on the mountain. There are words on it."
Zhang Xiaobao looked. Sure enough, there was a sign. The words were too small to see clearly, so he used the binoculars to look.
"Ship, explore the way. At this sign, go forward 121 meters. 45 meters to the left. The reef is 6.7 meters above the water. Go around 5 meters. You can avoid it."
"Well done. This is the advance team. Look at the sign. Tell the people behind to follow closely. Don't worry if you hit the reef."
Zhang Xiaobao saw the words on the sign, waved his fist, and said happily.
This was the inner courtyard of the Zhang Family and Wang Family. They had long considered this matter, preparing for the fleet behind them. As for what he said afterwards, it was to warn those who were unconvinced. So what if it was military transport? How dare they compete with the fleet of the Zhang Family and Wang Family?
This made it easy for the various ships following behind. Seeing the large ships in front of them moving forward smoothly, they also followed suit.
The three old men sat together with Li Xun. Originally, they planned to wait patiently, but they didn't expect the fleet to rush forward. Especially the ships of the Zhang Family, Wang Family, and Li Xun. Relying on their flexibility, they weren't afraid of being swept away by the current at all. They stood at the front and opened a path for the ships behind.
Old Man Pi took the Clairvoyant Eye and looked at the signs on both sides of the river. He could understand the measurements on the signs, so there was no problem in converting them into feet and feet. He then took another Clairvoyant Eye and gave it to Old Man Yao.
"This is the capability of the Zhang family. The people who are scouting ahead are from the inner courtyard of the Zhang family. They have long anticipated that the boats behind them would be difficult to pass through and provided the data on both sides of the river. With the performance of the Zhang family's boats, there is no need to worry about wasting time. This is the true inner courtyard of an aristocratic family. When I was in Sanshui County, I didn't realize that their inner courtyard was so powerful."
Old Yao went to Shuzhou later. He only heard about the Zhang family from others, especially the shipping fleet. He only knew that it was extraordinary, but he had never seen it with his own eyes. Today was an eye-opener.
When other ships took this route, they had to be extremely careful. Some even seemed to stop on the surface of the water for fear of being washed away by the turbulence. The Zhang family's fleet had never taken this route before. It was the first time they could do it so smoothly, so they couldn't help but be convinced.
"Why do you have to write such a number? Wouldn't it be better to just write 'zhang'? "
Old Man Yao asked in confusion.
"It's not accurate enough. The Zhang family's current measurement tools are accurate to the millimeter. It's too troublesome to calculate according to the measurements of the current Great Tang. For example, when the Ministry of Works is making weapons, they sometimes use the term 'half an inch'. How much is half an inch? Moreover, every place has a different appearance. It's a mess. Unlike the Qin dynasty, their weapons can be replaced when they are damaged. It seems like we need to unify them. "
Old Man Pi explained to Old Man Yao.
Li Xun, who was at the side, said smugly, "What's this little bit of danger? How can it be more dangerous than the sea? There's no chance to explore there at all. It's all based on experience. That's the real danger. "
He had reason to be proud. His fleet was the same as the Zhang Family and the Wang Family's. They were all good ships. If he didn't go to dangerous places, how could he show that he was better than others?
Old Man Yao had never seen what the sea at Lu Zhou's place looked like. Now was not the time to talk about the sea. He looked at the signs that were specially hung on the mountains on both sides of the river and said, "When we get there, I'll arrange for people to replace the big signs and words with the sizes of 'zhang' and 'zhang' that everyone can understand. It's convenient for the ships to come and go."
"It's useless. The river rises and falls. We might be able to hide for a while, but when we really go on this route, we'll have to rely on the experience of the boatmen. Unfortunately, they can't read at all. If they could, they could write down their experiences and organize it. Perhaps it would be useful."
Old Man Pi said with emotion. He was thinking about the inner courtyard of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family and the villagers. When he was in Sanshui County, he found out that all of them had to be literate. At that time, he did not understand why the villagers were literate.
Now that he thought about it, if the villagers of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family encountered the same situation, the result would be different.
Li Xun's mansion also imitated the literacy of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family. At this time, he said, "In the future, let everyone be literate, just like Sanshui County, Huayuan County, and Lu Zhou's place. As long as there are children in the family, regardless of whether they are boys or girls, they will have to go to school for free. When they grow up and have children, they can teach themselves what the school can teach."
"Where will the money come from?" Old Man Yao also hoped that the entire Tang Dynasty would be literate. Unless it was a critical moment, they would not realize the benefits of literacy.
Li Xun was worried about other things, but he was not afraid of money. According to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, he was so poor that he only had money left.
"Lord Yao, you don't have to worry about the money for education. I will contribute part of it, and the Zhang Family and the Wang Family will contribute part of it. They like to do this kind of thing the most, not only in education, but also in treatment. Since I met Xiao Bao and Cuckoo, they have been investing a lot of money in education every year. Lord Bi, you should know."
"I know. But the money for Sanshui County's Jianjia Academy doesn't seem to come directly from his family. The academy organizes one or two competitions every year, and the money comes out. Also, they can make money by writing poems and copying books for the students they contact."
Old Man Pi was full of anger at the mention of this matter. Zhang Family and the Wang Family gained a good reputation, and the students remembered them. Other people paid for them, and there were advertisements for other shops on the walls of the academy. Even the clothes they wore had small words embroidered on the corners.
Only these two families could do such a thing. What was originally an elegant academy was actually filled with the stench of money, but the results were very good. Even if the students were poor, as long as they were willing to learn, they would have good food every day. There were two competitions in a year, and they did not have to worry about anything else.
Their food, clothing, and accommodation were all taken care of by others, and the people who took care of them felt that they were taking advantage of them. What kind of world was this?
*****
Other people would not be able to finish the journey in a few days, but the fleet of Zhang Family and the Wang Family only took half a day to pass through.
The weather was getting hotter. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan could not find anything to do, so they wrote a proposal every day and sent it to their father. After their father approved it, they changed it and sent it to Old Man Pi and Old Man Yao.
After Old Man Bi and Old Man Yao gave their comments, the two of them would write another copy and send it over. When the three of them were satisfied, it would be considered complete. After that, they would tidy up what they had written before and after, write down their comments, and prepare to wait for the book to be printed and sold.
It could be said that they could learn and earn money at the same time. If they still had time, they would look for Old Man Chang and Old Man Yao to practice martial arts. Old Man Chang basically used fighting techniques and had a lot of experience. Old Man Yao was well-versed in all kinds of weapons. He could be said to be an all-rounder. If they did not take advantage of him, they would be letting themselves down.
The three old men were also willing to teach, especially Old Man Yao. He came later, unlike Old Man Pi, who had already experienced the carefreeness of teaching Xiao Bao and Cuckoo.
The days passed in such a fulfilling way. On this day, the fleet finally could not rely on their own strength to move forward. Zhang Family and the Wang Family might be able to barely swim, but the military definitely could not.
They had already reached Qutang Gorge. With the strength of the impact, no matter how good a swimmer was, if they jumped in, it was guaranteed that they would disappear.
The fleet could not move on their own, so they had to rely on a tracker.
Seeing that the tracker only had a piece of cloth to cover his face and did not even have shoes, Wang Juan closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled deeply. Just as she was about to ask someone to bring them clothes and shoes, Zhang Xiaobao spoke.
"Someone, bring them some good cotton rope and canvas. Tell them not to rush. Let them have a meal first and rest before moving. Tell the ships behind to wait."
Wang Juan did not say anything after hearing Zhang Xiaobao's instructions. She only realized that the tracker had given them clothes and shoes, but they could not wear them when they were pulling the rope. The clothes would tear after a short period of time, and the shoes could not be worn. They had to be steady at every step. If they wore shoes, they would feel uncomfortable.
To them, what they needed the most was good rope and canvas.
However, Wang Juan was unwilling to give up. She tugged at Zhang Xiaobao and said, "Think of something for them."
"Take out 5,000 strings of string of cash and make good iron poles and handles for them on this route. That way, they won't have to hold on to rocks to move forward. Generations of trackers will be able to use them."
Zhang Xiaobao agreed without hesitation.
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