One unfortunate thing happens one after another.

Yang Ji, the governor of Jiaozhou, finally died of miasma entering his body.

The so-called miasma is actually malaria. This thing was a big killer in ancient times. When the Northern Army went south, they were either infected with the disease or this thing.

Yang Ji, like Huo Yi, was also a loyal man. Historically, he was besieged by hundreds of thousands of Wu troops by Tao Huang and Xue Jue. He held out for eight months with no food and grass inside and no reinforcements outside. He was outnumbered. He finally surrendered to Wu and escorted Jianye away.

On the way, he became depressed and vomited blood and died.

Before the funeral began, Liu Yin, the veteran Hanzhong prefect, also died due to old age and illness...

Yang Zheng looked back at Zhao Aqi and Liu Heng beside him, and suddenly found that their temples were also dyed white.

The prince Yang Xu has grown a beard, his demeanor has become more calm, and he handles government affairs with ease, which has won the praise of his veterans. Two months ago, the emperor's grandson Yang Chun was born.

Time is not forgiving.

The old era is over, and the new era is upon us.

In the past, when I was fighting on the battlefield, my body suffered from some root causes of diseases. Every time it rained continuously, my body was in excruciating pain. Thanks to Huang Fumi's constant acupuncture, it was relieved a lot.

Many generals were extremely brave when they were young, but became ill in old age.

"When you get old, you have to recognize it!" Yang Zheng said with emotion.

Looking in the mirror, I see that there are many more gaps on my face.

"How old is your Majesty? According to my subordinates, you can fight another three hundred battles!" Liu Heng stared.

"There are many alchemists in Daxing today. It is rumored that they have elixirs that can prolong life. Why don't you call them to ask? Maybe they have real skills." Zhao Aqi cupped his hands and said.

"Those are all lies. How many emperors in the past dynasties can live a long life?" If you don't take the elixir, you may live a few more years. If you take the elixir, you may die in two or three years.

Qin Shihuang and Emperor Li both wanted to live longer, but they both died early.

Nowadays, the government affairs of the DPRK and Central Government are managed by three provinces and six ministries, with the prince and several ordinary ministers at the helm, and the country is running smoothly.

Under their rule, the Qin Dynasty was at its peak.

Yang Zheng was happy.

In fact, he had had a wish for a long time, but he couldn't retreat now. Annan's offensive in Hezhong still needed the support of his emperor.

Time flies so fast, in the blink of an eye it has been five years since Taixing.

The agriculturists who went south finally found Champa rice and successfully cultivated it in Jiaozhi. Its yield is 30% higher than that of traditional rice. It is drought-resistant and highly adaptable. It does not choose the land and has a short growth cycle. It only takes more than fifty days from cultivation to harvest.

In Jiaozhi, we can achieve three or four crops a year.

Currently, it is being trialed in Lingnan, Yunnan, Jiangdong and Jingzhou.

However, a new problem faced Yang Zheng.

Once the grain is grown, how will it be transported to Guanzhong and the north?

Lingnan is mountainous, so walking from the interior is not only time-consuming, but also labor-intensive.

Yang Zheng stared at the sand table, and it seemed that sea transportation was going to be developed.

Since the establishment of the Navy in the Spring and Warring States Period, shipbuilding technology has continued to develop. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, ships ten feet high were able to be built.

After arriving in Soochow, the Northern Expedition often stopped at Hefei. Sun Quan simply went south to expand territory, and was the first to occupy Treasure Island. He then went south to visit the Philippines, and felt that it was barbaric and uncivilized, so he came back again.

Soochow also built a five-story boat, which was five stories high and could accommodate 3,000 people and could travel across the sea.

Unfortunately, when Cao Cao went south to attack Wu, Sun Quan took the fifth-story boat into the Yangtze River. When encountering a storm, the fierce general Dong Xi refused to abandon the boat and escape. He stayed on the boat and sank with the fifth-story boat in the river.

In the first year of Jiahe (AD 232), Liaodong Gongsun Yuan sent an envoy to Wu to proclaim his vassal state and offer horses. Sun Quan was overjoyed and made Gongsun Yuan King of Yan. At the same time, he sent ten thousand people carrying gold, silver and jewelry to escort Gongsun Yuan's envoy back to Liaodong by boat.

Being able to send tens of thousands of people to the sea route shows that Soochow's navigation technology is quite mature.

Yang Zheng has always felt that land power and sea power are like the two legs of a country, both are indispensable.

In later generations, China's lack of sea power was the main reason why it was blocked and contained.

Now in Da Qin, most of the land suitable for farming has been conquered.

However, the land will always be used up. No matter how perfect the system Yang Zheng has established now, various problems will always arise as time goes by. New noble and powerful clans will definitely rise, and land annexation will definitely happen.

At some point, if we don't open up a new direction, we will inevitably repeat the mistakes of the Han Dynasty.

The ocean is the future of Great Qin.

Across the sea, there are corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and more fertile land!

Injecting marine genes into Chinese civilization is also Yang Zheng’s long-cherished wish and mission.

This process may take a hundred or five hundred years, but it must be done.

To occupy Liaodong is to look ahead five hundred years, to manage the ocean is to look ahead fifteen hundred years!

Of course, given the current environment in the country, it is still not appropriate to make any announcement, otherwise the peace advocates will definitely think that Yang Zheng is going to conquer overseas again...

Yang Zheng could only use the excuse of transporting grain by sea to set up the Maritime Affairs Department, which was under the jurisdiction of three departments: shipbuilding, maritime and civil affairs.

Ship Cao is responsible for building ships, Hai Cao is responsible for training navigation personnel, and Wen Cao is responsible for research on hydrology, weather, geography, positioning, etc.

Later, it grew stronger and was upgraded to the Haibu Department, becoming the seventh department among the three provinces and six departments.

As long as there is no war, most of the courtiers are indifferent.

Importing grain from Lingnan, Jiangdong, Jianghuai, and Liaodong into Guanzhong was originally one of the problems that Daqin urgently needed to solve.

Shipping will undoubtedly strengthen control over Liaodong and Xiongjin.

Cane sugar, pearls, and dried fish from Lingnan can also be transported by sea, from the Yangtze River to Jianye, from Jianye to the Feishui River, Yingshui River to Xuchang, then from Luoshui River to Luoyang, from the Yellow River to Guanzhong, or north to Yedu.

The entire Qin Dynasty is connected.

Sugar existed in the Zhou Dynasty, but it was boiled from wheat. Sucrose did not appear until the Han Dynasty.

Of course, it is relatively rough. It is basically boiled, dried and filtered sugarcane juice, which is called "slurry".

The shipping and canal system is equivalent to China's Rendu line.

Hebei will be more closely connected with Jiangdong, and Jiangdong will be more closely connected with Lingnan!

The first step is always difficult.

Not many people in Taixue are knowledgeable about maritime affairs.

When Wu was destroyed, nearly 10,000 craftsmen from Jianye City were recruited into the Ministry of Industry and stayed in Daxing, including a large number of shipbuilders.

Yang Zheng's rule is that before doing anything, make an outline and complete it on paper.

Therefore, we first asked the craftsmen to write down the shipbuilding skills, compile it into a book called "Shipping", and include it in the "Taixing Dadian".

But this is also a huge project.

You wouldn't know it by looking at it, but you would be shocked at first glance. In this era, there were not only large-scale ships, but also various types of auxiliary ships, both in the sea and in the river.

"The more the better, the more detailed the better. There is no need to worry about financial resources and manpower. You can try to improve the drawings and craftsmanship. If you succeed, I will reward you!" Yang Zheng's ambition is not only to build ships

To come out, a system must be formed and continuously upgraded and transformed.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The craftsmen were overjoyed. How could they receive such treatment in Wu State?

As soon as they entered Daxing, they were treated as treasures, and each person had two hundred acres of fertile land. The court also allocated two houses in Daxing, where land was extremely valuable, for their families to live. They collected rent every year, and they could live an extremely comfortable life.
Chapter completed!