There is no dispute as to which one of Xiuwu County and Hanoi County is more prosperous. Hanoi County is richer, after all, it is the capital of the state. But if we go further, it will be difficult to say, because the palace of Prince Xia is really in Xiuwu County.
A lot of resources have been invested.
Shao Sheng took his "concubines, princes, and officials" eastward again, crossed the Qinshui River, and went straight to Xiuwu.
Tens of thousands of troops including the Tielin Army, the Feilong Army, the Yumen Army, the Guards' Army, and the Yinshan Fan tribe accompanied them. With flags and streamers like a forest, and chariots and horses like dragons, they arrived in Xiuwu County on August 29th.
Before entering the city, a small incident occurred.
Weizhou Luo Hongxin sent a secret envoy, and Shao Shude asked Pei Tong to offer wine in the west pavilion of the palace to receive him.
It shouldn't be a big deal, and Luo Hongxin wouldn't want to take refuge at this time. In fact, he has no ambitions and no desire for external expansion. Everything he does is just to protect himself.
This year, the Feilong Army "borrowed" Weizhou to cross the river to the south twice, but people held their noses and recognized it, pretending that nothing happened. The Wei people were not stupid enough to take chestnuts from the fire for Zhu Quanzhong, sacrifice themselves, and illuminate others.
This was just a simple show of goodwill. Luo Hongxin should also be worried about the Xia army directly attacking Weizhou.
Xiuwu County could not accommodate so many people, so a large army was stationed outside the city.
"Zhao Cheng is good." Shao Shude put down the watch in his hand and praised.
Zhao Yu sat quietly on the bed, taking care of her hair.
She was already over forty years old, so she was old and frail, but during these days of travel, she spent at least one-third of the nights serving King Xia.
Shao Shude cherished her very much. Except for a few times when he couldn't hold it back, most of the time he was careful and tried not to let Zhao Yu get pregnant again at this age.
Pei Zhen walked in quietly, followed by four female historians.
Because his identity cannot be cleared, even though he has given birth to a son and a daughter for King Xia, Pei Zhenyi can only continue to be a gangster without any reason.
Currently, she holds the position of minister of service in the palace. This is a position that Shao Shude added himself, and it is also beyond the limit.
According to the system, Shangfu belongs to the palace official (female official) and is one of the two heads of the Shangfu Bureau.
Shangfu Bureau, "in charge of the number of seals and seals for clothing, chief treasure, clothing, ornaments, and war."
To put it simply, there are several major functions. One is to keep seals for the emperor and establish usage files, "Zhu Shu Marks"; the other is to control royal clothes and jewelry; the third is to control soup, bath, towels, and turbans; the fourth is to control imperial clothing and jewelry.
The weapon of the guard.
Originally, there should have been female subordinate officers such as Si Bao, Si Yi, and Si Shi under her command, but Shao Shude's ostentation was not that big yet, so only one person, Shang Fu, was enough, and she was assigned four female officials as assistants.
Well, in more modern terms, Pei Zhenyi is a life assistant, personal secretary or the like.
Of course, Shao Shude's status is actually gradually increasing.
He obviously has more than one "life assistant".
No, Du and Wei walked in hand in hand, followed by several female historians.
Du holds the post of Shangyi, in charge of books, paper and pens, music, Chen cloth, banquets, court meetings, etc.
Webster's bed is still in place, with curtains and mats laid on the palm bed, lights and candles, etc.
The Xiao family is responsible for meritorious service, handling tailoring, jewelry, goods, providing food, fuel, etc.
Basically, they were all official positions under the imperial court system. The emperors of the country really liked to use female officials. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, eunuchs were basically responsible for the fields. At this time, at least half of them were female officials.
Pei Zhenyi commanded the female historian to change Zhao Yu's clothes with a complicated expression. Who asked others to "be polite to the princess"? Even the concubine Zhe was very polite to Zhao Yu and called her "Sister". Who among the other concubines could have such honor?
?
Mrs. Du placed a pile of watch stamps on Shao Shude's desk. The female historian stepped forward and began to polish the ink.
Webster personally took the female historian to clean up the bed curtains and couch. The little girl had a childish face and a little baby fat. When she saw the stains on the bed, her face turned red to the roots of her ears.
"Your Majesty, Zhao Cheng's business is getting bigger and bigger, and I might be criticized by others, so I'm worried..." Zhao Yu said while arranging her skirts herself.
"It doesn't matter." Shao Shude said: "Send 3,000 horses, 10,000 cattle, and 150,000 sheep to Heyang. If anyone is dissatisfied, ask him if he can do this?"
Being able to send such livestock to Heyang at once, and from a place as far away as Longyou, reflects Zhao Cheng's ability.
The supply of hay, grain and beans on the way, the rest of the fattening ground, and the official care are all impossible for people without energy, let alone a lot of money and grain. Transporting livestock from Helong to Heyang, from commercial
From a perspective, it is not profitable at all, and may even be a loss.
Of course Shao Shude knew the connection. Zhao Cheng did this simply to show his good will and to flatter him.
This is a businessman with discernment and political sensitivity, and Shao Shude admires him very much.
"Next month Du Rangneng from Liangzhou will send a batch of livestock. Here in Heyang, it's like a bottomless pit." Shao Shude sighed and said, "I don't know how many livestock will be needed to fill the hole."
When Du Shi heard the words "Du Rang Neng", her expression tightened subconsciously. Shao Shude patted her hand and told her not to be too nervous.
"It is better to let Zhao Cheng come to Xiuwu County." Zhao Yu suggested: "The king wants to set up a workshop and hook shield in Xiuwu University. There are many uses for money. It is better to let him come over and share some of the pressure."
"The bonus that Zhao Cheng distributes every year is what I leave to you two." Shao Shude reached out and touched Zhao Yu's face, and said helplessly: "Besides, what can he do if he comes?"
"There is always something to do." Zhao Yu said: "When Huaizhou Duzuo Yuan was opened, there were so many craftsmen and families. There were also many mining and brick making people who always needed food, cloth, household items, and utensils. The Wei family and the Yeli family
Since they are all here, it is only right for Zhao Cheng to come and help."
Shao Shude nodded slightly.
Huaizhou Duzuoyuan is located in Xiuwu County. Shao Shude ordered it to be opened a few months ago. Craftsmen were dispatched from various places, and some apprentices were recruited to make instruments nearby in Huaizhou.
The Weicai family and the Yeli family came here to mine and set up a blacksmith shop. They were also called here by Shao Shude. To be honest, they were all serving the future war.
The two companies were forced to compete by Shao Shude, and they have indeed made some progress in recent years.
First of all, the leather bellows have been basically eliminated and replaced with wooden push-pull bellows, which greatly improves the blasting efficiency.
Secondly, Shao Shude once asked the craftsman why some "irons" can be melted at the same furnace temperature while others cannot be melted?
After being tortured by such a soul, the craftsmen realized that perhaps other things in the iron caused the difference in melting temperature.
Shao Shude told them that this is called "alloy". What they are making is not pure iron, but various iron alloys, so the melting points are completely different. The craftsmen have accepted this fact.
This is a good start. Acknowledge this first, and then try to do something more in-depth. The most important thing is that you must rise to theory, and you cannot just rely on practice and experience, as progress will always be limited.
In addition, Marshal Shao's "skills stop here". He can't even remember what the melting point of pure iron is. He only knows that he can't melt pure iron with his current technology.
He was able to issue that soul torture mainly because of his own vision.
The iron smelting and swords of the Tang Dynasty were basically made using block iron smelting technology. That is, iron ore with complex composition was taken, put in a crucible with charcoal, then lit and heated outside, and finally the crucible was broken into pieces.
Useable sponge iron is selected from a pile of objects with questionable composition, and then forged repeatedly to remove impurities and create the required sword.
The solid block iron-making technology is like this. Shao Shude has reason to believe that the composition of liquid cast iron is also very complex. Craftsmen can't figure out what is in the so-called "molten iron". The iron ore you brought is really
Only iron?
This is why the Nori family’s Chashan sword is of better quality than the Wei family’s imitation Chashan sword!
Everyone is confused and doesn't know what is in the so-called "iron" forged under their hands, so isn't it just a matter of luck? Shao Shude guessed that the iron ore from Chashan in Yelijia contains manganese, but he is not sure.
It's just speculation.
The third progress and the second one are complementary to each other.
The craftsmen admitted that there might be more than just iron in the iron ore, and there might be other things in it, so it was natural to deduce a question: How to remove other things in the iron ore? Shao Shude asked them to increase the temperature of the furnace first, and then rely on charcoal.
Pure iron cannot be melted, but the composition of coal is more complex, and sulfur can easily make iron brittle. Nori has already suffered from this.
Shao Shude believes that obtaining high temperatures may require redesigning the furnace and increasing the blast efficiency. Most importantly, it may require coke, but he is not sure, let alone where the coke comes from.
But maybe we can try using anthracite coal? The Jiaozuo coal mine was mined by the British in the late Qing Dynasty. The anthracite coal was of very high quality and was used by the British royal palace. This coal mine is located in Xiuwu County.
Xiuwu's anthracite can be mined and used by Huaizhou Duzuoyuan, Yelishi and Weishi. Shao Shude just wants them to compete and find their own ways to promote technological development.
I'm not an inventor, so how can I have so much energy to do this? What I want to establish is a system. I don't understand the specific details, so I can only let the craftsmen do it themselves.
The most important thing is that we must not stop at experience, we must rise to theory.
To this end, he donated the salary (3,600 yuan) from his title as Shuofang Jiedu Envoy and named it "Xia Wang Reward". Whoever promotes technological progress and has theoretical guidance and is recognized by him can take away this 3,600 yuan.
Collecting money, conferring official positions, and marking merits on stones to be passed down to future generations.
Everything that can be done has been done, and the rest is up to the craftsman. If there is really no progress, there is nothing he can do.
"Find a time to ask Zhao Cheng." Shao Shude said: "He has made a lot of money from selling horses over the years, and he has made a lot of money from doing business with the Western Regions. What's the use of building a house in the countryside instead of a separate courtyard?
?It’s better to do something serious.”
Zhao Yu nodded, got up and went outside to eat.
Shao Shude continued to read the official documents.
After Webster finished his work, he bowed and left. Mrs. Pei and her daughter Shi stood quietly aside, waiting for Shao Shude to change clothes.
"Du Shangyi, your father has done a good job in Liangzhou. The cows in Jiedan Ranch have greatly increased their milk production. He is a capable official." When he mentioned the word "milk production", Shao Shude's eyes fell on the upper edge of Du's chest-length skirt.
.
Du Shi knelt down gently. Shao Shude's hand reached behind Du Shi's back, and the peach petals were slippery. Women from aristocratic families have developed well since childhood.
"My brother has been with me for some time. Shaolun from Puzhou recognizes me as his adoptive father, and I have promised him. What if Du Guangyi is sent to Puzhou?" Shao Shude asked softly in Du's ear.
.
"I don't know." Du Shi said tremblingly.
"Go and call your brother." Shao Shude twirled his fingers and chuckled.
Du Shi's face was as red as blood, she stood up and left, stumbling slightly in her steps.
"Puzhou..." Shao Shude closed his eyes, and the map appeared in his mind.