"If that's the case, with the technology to build bridges in the river, it won't be long before my Great Tang will conquer the north and south of the river, opening up the natural moat," Empress Zhangsun said in delight.
Meton shook his head bitterly and said, "Empress, with the current technology, it is only possible to build a bridge in the Yellow River. As for the Yangtze River, even in the dry season, the water level is two or three feet deep, so it is impossible to build bridges. Therefore, Son-in-law is powerless to build bridges in the Yangtze River."
Meton was not lying about this. Even the Yellow River had a rare opportunity to stop flowing. Even if they could not conquer the Yellow River during normal times, there was still hope when the Yellow River stopped flowing. However, the water level of the Yangtze River was very deep, even in the dry season. Without modern equipment, it was impossible to build bridges in the Yangtze River.
"Ah!" Empress Zhangsun's face was filled with disappointment.
Princess Changle quickly comforted her, "Mother, don't worry. Although we can't build bridges in the Yangtze River now, I believe that one day, our Tang dynasty will be able to build a bridge in the Yangtze River."
Meton nodded and said, "Although it is impossible with the current ink technique, our direction is right. No matter when we build bridges in the Yangtze River, the most important thing is to build bridges. With the continuous improvement of ink technique, Son-in-law believes that this day will come."
Empress Zhangsun's mood improved slightly. Nowadays, there were rivers in the entire Tang dynasty that could be built bridges, but the Yangtze River was the only one that blocked the north and south. It was really a pity.
Even Li Shimin could not help but feel regretful. He could not help but feel a little dispirited because he did not succeed in this battle.
Meton suddenly had an idea and said, "Although it is impossible to build bridges in the Yangtze River at present, Son-in-law believes that there is an alternative comparable to bridges, which may be able to solve the problem of the Yangtze River blocking the traffic."
"Oh!" Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun immediately looked at him with great interest.
"Ferry!" Meton said solemnly.
"Ferry, what is ferry? We have only heard of boats. "Li Shimin frowned.
Meton explained, "Ships can only ferry people or carry a small amount of goods. In this way, it is extremely inconvenient to load and unload. However, the ferry is different. The bow of the boat is flat and is level with the ferry. The carriage can be directly driven to the boat, and the boat can directly transport the carriage and the goods to the other side. In this way, the carriage does not need to be loaded or unloaded. After reaching the other side, one only needs to harness the horse and set off directly. "
"What a wonderful method!" Empress Zhangsun couldn't help but exclaim. Wouldn't this save a lot of time?
Although Li Shimin was moved, he continued to have doubts, "To be able to transport carriages and goods, this ferry must be incomparably huge. The Yangtze River's current is very fast, so I'm afraid there are no sails or oars to row across."
"This is simple. We only need to place the opposite dock several li downstream. Using the Yangtze River as an example, we can build a western ferry on the south bank upstream. After the ferry is fully loaded at the western ferry, it will flow downstream and finally stop at the northern ferry a few li away. After emptying the carriages on the ferry, it will be filled with carriages and goods to cross the river and continue flowing downstream. It will dock at the eastern ferry several li downstream of the northern ferry. In this way, we only need to build three ferry ports in the east, west, and north of the Yangtze River Stronghold." Meton explained his plan.
Princess Changle was puzzled, "Then what do we do when the ferry arrives at the eastern ferry port?"
Meton explained with a smile, "When the ferry arrives at the eastern ferry port, the current mission will have ended. Then, the empty boat can sail upstream to the western ferry port and wait for the next ferry. If the direction of the wind isn't right, the boatmen on the shore can pull it back to the western ferry port."
Li Shimin couldn't help but nod. In this era, boatmen were not rare, especially in many parts of the Jinghang Grand Canal. According to Meton's plan, the distance from the eastern ferry port to the western ferry port was only slightly more than ten li. Moreover, it was an empty boat, so it wouldn't be too difficult.
Empress Zhangsun finally understood. This way, the ferry would indeed be much more convenient than the previous ferry. Although it wasn't as convenient as the bridge, it was much better than the previous ferry.
"What we need now is a bigger and safer ferry. I believe that this problem won't be a problem for the Ship Administrator of the Tang dynasty," Meton said confidently.
"Of course!" Li Shimin said proudly.
In the Tang dynasty's treasury, there were many dragon boat blueprints that Yang Guang used to travel to Jiangnan. With these blueprints as a reference, he believed that the ferry Meton envisioned would soon appear on the Yangtze River.
"In this way, the Tang dynasty will definitely have a smooth journey in the future. The people of the world will no longer be obstructed by the river. Meton will be able to make a great contribution …" Empress Zhangsun said with a happy face.
Even Li Shimin had to admit that Meton did have some skills. He had solved the problem that had troubled the previous dynasties in just a few moments.
As for Princess Changle, she looked at Modun with a gaze of admiration, her face filled with pride.
"Empress, there's no need to praise him. With his mischievous personality, his tail will probably rise to the sky," Li Shimin said coldly.
Meton smiled and said, "Son-in-law does have a mischievous personality, but it's not a weakness, it's a strength."
"A strength!" Li Shimin laughed angrily. "I've never seen such a shameless person."
Meton said with his head held high and chest out, "Son-in-law thinks that laziness is a strength because the progress of the world is driven by generations of lazy people. People are tired of walking, so lazy people invented carriages. People are tired of working, so they invented all kinds of tools. Even in the Mo family's R&D department, in order to not take the stairs, they specially developed elevators. They can go up and down without climbing the stairs. … … … "
"Uh uh … …" Li Shimin and the others were stunned as they looked at Meton's nonsense. They wanted to refute, but found that Meton's words were somewhat distorted.
"In that case, your Mo family is also a group of lazy people." Li Shimin asked.
Modun said without a shred of shame, "Of course the Mohist disciples are not lazy people. The Mohist family developed the Mohist technique not because they were lazy, but because they wanted to save more time and do more work efficiently. Therefore, the Mohist family's invention was not because they were lazy, but because they wanted to be more diligent.
However, lazy people are the beneficiaries of the Mo technique. It's because of these groups of "lazy people" that the Mo technique has room to survive and has a foothold. "
Although Modun's words were contradictory, Li Shimin understood what he meant. Everyone loved ease and hated work. The Mohist technique could use the least amount of effort to make the people do the same amount of work. Naturally, it would be popular. This was also the main reason for the revival of the Mohist School.
Every time the Mo Family's Mo Technique was born, its greatest advantage was that it could simplify the originally heavy or difficult work. Who wouldn't like such a Mo Family?
Soon, the imperial meal was ready, interrupting everyone's conversation.
Under Empress Zhangsun's warm hospitality, Meton quickly integrated into the family atmosphere. Even Li Shimin took out wine for the first time and drank with Meton. Of course, he used the crystal he gave to resolve a thousand worries.
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