Chapter two hundred and forty-ninth meeting teachers, leaving the capital
More than 99% of later generations' evaluations of the Holy Emperor Hu Hai, the second emperor of the Qin Dynasty, are the most lofty praises. There are only a few things that countless historians and scholars in later generations have praised the Holy Emperor Hu Hai.
There are mixed reviews.
Most of these events happened when the Holy Emperor Hu Hai officially waved the whip of marching westward.
The Battle of Indochina, which officially kicked off the Holy Emperor Hu Hai's conquest of the Eurasian continent, was one of the few events that left posterity with mixed reviews that could not explain it.
Many people in later generations did not understand why the Holy Emperor Hu Hai, who always focused on the strategy of absorbing, integrating, and assimilating foreign races, would adopt such a strategy that could easily be criticized by future generations on the vast land of millions of square kilometers in Indochina.
The rivers and mountains in Indochina generally run north-south, and the terrain is higher in the north and lower in the south. The farther north you go, the terrain of Indochina becomes more undulating, and along the trend of mountains and rivers, it is close to the southeastern coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean, because
Several large rivers originating from the Himalayas have formed vast alluvial plains and deltas.
Bordered by the Himalayas to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south, Indo-China Peninsula has a climate dominated by tropical monsoon climate, with distinct rainy and dry seasons. The southeast is susceptible to typhoons, while the northern mountainous areas are susceptible to cold currents.
The route taken by Feng Jie's Guilin army started from Linchen, the county seat of Xiang County, and crossed Langshan, and then opened up a highway in the vast primitive jungle.
Hu Hai knew that there was no country in Indochina yet, and most of them were indigenous peoples living in the Indochina Peninsula near the river plains.
These indigenous peoples pose almost no threat to the Qin army. The biggest threat to Feng Jie's army is actually the harsh environment and climate of the primitive jungle. They have to deal with all kinds of poisonous insects and beasts, and open up or explore a path connecting Xiangjun and Indochina in the jungle.
Come west to the main road.
This was the main purpose of Hu Hai's order for Feng Jie to lead the Guilin army in this westward march.
If you just want to occupy the Indochina Peninsula, it is actually enough to just use the South China Sea Fleet of the Yuzi period. From east to west, there are the Red River, Mekong River, Chao Phraya River, Salween River, and Irrawaddy River, which mainly originate in China.
A large river that runs through almost the entire Indochina Peninsula and finally empties into the Pacific Ocean.
The fleet only needs to park at the mouths of major rivers, and then send small-tonnage large ships upstream from the mouths. Although the river courses are still unknown, it is always safer and faster than Feng Jie's slow movement.
Isn’t that true?
The people of Qin were not good at water. In today's era, the sea is something that coastal people revere and fear, and they are far less good at water than coastal people in later generations.
It is not difficult to capture the Indochina Peninsula, but what is difficult is how to truly integrate the Indochina Peninsula into the Qin Dynasty.
If you want to integrate the Indochina Peninsula into the Qin Dynasty, there seems to be no better way than moving the Qin people to settle in the Indochina Peninsula. And to move the Qin people to the Indochina Peninsula, taking the sea route is naturally the most convenient way. But obviously not
It may have been relying on sea routes to maintain the connection between Indochina and the Qin Dynasty.
Compared with sea routes, the establishment of land routes is more important.
At the beginning of September in the fifty-ninth year of the Great Qin calendar, after nearly three months and nearly a thousand miles in the vast jungle, Feng Jie's army, which successfully opened up the road from Xiangjun to Honghe, finally followed the winding Red River and captured the outlet of the Red River.
, joined forces with Yu Ziqi’s army, which had arrived at the outlet of the Red River for more than a month.
At this time, out of the 120,000-strong Guilin Army, there were only less than 90,000 left. Nearly 30,000 Qin soldiers left their corpses forever in the vast jungle.
This includes one captain, three lieutenants and nearly a hundred other middle and low-level generals.
Fortunately, although everyone in the Guilin army was exhausted, and even Feng Jie was seriously ill, their morale was still high. They had no regrets about the aftermath of the disaster, but only the excitement and pride of conquering the endless primitive jungle.
Strictly speaking, in fact, as early as half a month ago, Feng Jie's army had already gone up the Red River with the large ships of Yu Ziqi's fleet, and accompanied them all the way to the delta plain at the mouth of the sea.
These large-scale boats traveling up the river have two purposes. The first purpose is to explore the sailing environment in the Red River Basin, how big large-scale boats are suitable for entering, and how far they can go.
As for the second purpose, it was to hunt down the natives of Central and South China who lived in huts in the plains and along the rivers. This was one of the main tasks assigned by Hu Hai to Feng Jie and Yu Ziqi.
When Feng Jie arrived, Yu Ziqi's Southern Navy had basically rounded up all the Central and Southern natives who lived near the outlet of the Red River and where the building boats arrived.
The natives from Central and South China whom Yu Ziqi conquered, plus the natives Feng Jie met along the way, added up to men, women, old and young, and there were almost ten thousand of them.
However, this number of people is far different from the number of people Hu Hai requested from Feng Jie, Yu Ziqi and others in Xianyang.
Although I don’t know what the use of His Majesty the Holy Emperor needs so many native savages who live a rough life and drink blood without even having decent clothes, but since the Emperor has asked for it, then he will do his best to do it well.
While waiting for Feng Jie's army, Yu Ziqi's Southern Navy and the captured southeastern natives had already built a considerable number of houses and a simple dock near the outlet of the Red River.
A large amount of food carried in the fleet was moved ashore by Yu Ziqi. This food was used by Feng Jie's army. Now the two armies have joined forces. According to the plan, Feng Jie will establish the Qin Dynasty near the outlet of the Red River in central and southern China.
The first stronghold on the peninsula and the docks were expanded to build a harbor.
The first city on the Indochina Peninsula was built in the 59th year of the Qin Dynasty. Two years later, the first batch of 50,000 Qin people moved in by sea. The city was also named Red River City by the Holy Emperor of Qin.
The Yu Ziqi fleet, which had left most of the food supplies behind, handed everything to Feng Jie on the third day after Feng Jie's army arrived, then turned back to Zuoxian port, where it supplied supplies and then headed west again. At the same time,
Yu Ziqi's fleet also turned around with more than 10,000 captured natives of Central and South China.
At the port of Zuoxian County, the Southern Navy will arrange to receive these central and southern natives, and then go north to Longxi County via Bashu.
These Central and South African natives, including the Central and Southern natives who were hunted down by Yu Ziqi's South China Sea Fleet and Feng Jie's Guilin Army in the next few years, were also successively escorted to Longxi County.
There is no official official figure of how many indigenous people there are in Daqin. However, in the opinion of many people, this number is at least more than 200,000. And these indigenous people basically died in the increasingly busy areas of Daqin in the following ten years.
On the construction site. In the following decades, in Zhenge Southeast Asia, entire tribes of indigenous people were sent to Da Qin, and then the entire tribe perished.
Most of the Southeast Asian indigenous people perished in the Second Dynasty, but there are still some descendants of the indigenous people who took root in the Qin Dynasty, and more than a thousand years later, with the help of some thoughtful people, they dug up such old stories.
The history of old age. This is the most puzzling and most criticized thing about Emperor Hu Hai, who was revered as the Holy Emperor by later generations.
Taking a closer look at the reign of the Holy Emperor, we have never been so harsh on the Qiang people who often harassed Longxi and other frontier fortresses. However, it was only excessively harsh on the indigenous people of various ethnic groups in Southeast Asia and the Japanese indigenous people on Japan Island.
…
When Yu Ziqi's army returned to Zuoxian port to prepare supplies, Hu Hai secretly left Xianyang and rushed to Handan.
Hu Hai did not attend the Da Qin Royal Art Troupe's performance in early October, which disappointed all the girls in the art troupe who wanted to perform in front of the emperor.
However, although Hu Hai did not come to the scene, the Empress of Qin, the concubines of the East and West Palaces, the three concubines of De Shuzhuang, the Prime Minister of the Qin Cabinet Feng Quji, the two deputy prime ministers, and the six ministers were all present.
This grand performance held in front of Xianyang Palace Square also allowed everyone to see the importance that the Emperor of Qin attached to the art industry.
As early as the names of the Daqin Royal Academy of Art and the Royal Art Troupe appeared from Hu Hai's mouth, all kinds of things related to singing, dancing, actors, juggling, etc., and even many things of the Zajia genre were classified as arts stipulated by the Ministry of Rites.
in this industry.
Up to now, art has become the most accustomed name for vaudeville and other people in the Qin Dynasty.
High-end bullies the class.
The success of the Da Qin Royal Art Troupe and the court's emphasis on the art industry promoted Da Qin's explosive development in the art field in the following decades. At the same time, it absorbed and integrated various ethnic groups in the Western Regions as well as Qiang, Donghu and other foreign musical instruments and
After incorporating artistic elements unique to each ethnic group such as dance, Da Qin's artistic career began to see more gratifying changes.
Of course, these were not what Hu Hai paid attention to, but they were also expected by him.
On October 28, Hu Hai, who was traveling in a simple carriage, quietly arrived at Handan City under the escort of hundreds of Longwei Palace guards. This time Hu Hai secretly went north to Handan. Except for the three prime ministers in the Cabinet Office and the six ministers, no one knew about it.
Notify anyone.
However, Hu Hai and his party went straight to the camp of the 10,000 Suzaku Army stationed in Handan first.
These 10,000 Suzaku troops were commanded by Lieutenant Brown Shi. At the same time, there were 10,000 Xuanwu troops stationed outside the Handan Iron Yard in the east of Handan City. As for the 30,000 Jiangdong soldiers who had previously guarded the Handan Iron Yard and served as soldiers,
The Xuanwu Army, however, has been divided into six divisions, following Jiangdong, which has transformed into the Great Qin Construction Corps, and soldiers are running around all over the world, building roads and bridges.
Although all Jiangdong soldiers have been incorporated into the construction corps, as long as more than 50,000 people gather together, there will be a Xuanwu army of at least 5,000 soldiers responsible for their daily food, grass and baggage.
Of course, the unparalleled Qin Royal Xuanwu Army acted as a logistics force to escort food, grass and baggage. In fact, it was mainly just in case.
That night, Hu Hai stayed in the Zhuque Army camp in Brownstone.
Hu Hai slept peacefully, but not one of the 10,000 Suzaku soldiers dared to close their eyes. Excitement and nervousness were intertwined in everyone's heart.
His Majesty the Holy Emperor actually led hundreds of Longweifu guards from Xianyang City to Handan City. What if anything went wrong in the process? Fortunately, we arrived safely all the way, and now we are staying in Zhuque.
Logically speaking, it would be much safer in the military camp than this way, but no one in the Suzaku Army, from the Commander-in-Chief, Brown Stone, to the Fire-headed Soldiers, dared to take it lightly.
Since I can't sleep, I might as well just deal with it according to the most urgent wartime situation. Brownstone led 10,000 Suzaku troops and deployed the defense line twenty miles away from the camp. As for the camp,
The scouts directly expanded the scope of exploration to fifty miles away from the camp.
Even Handan City became the target of the Suzaku Army's defense.
After a good night's sleep, Hu Hai noticed the tense atmosphere in the camp when he woke up in the morning. After a moment of reflection, he realized that it was obviously because of his arrival that the soldiers of the Suzaku Army had probably not slept a wink all night.
Looking at Brown Stone with big dark circles under his eyes, Hu Hai didn't say anything, just patted his shoulder lightly.
This shot almost made Brown Shi shed tears of excitement.
On October 29, the fifty-ninth year of the Qin Dynasty, the Holy Emperor Hu Hai quietly entered the Handan Iron Works outside Handan City, which had been officially put into operation for three years.
The only people who greeted Hu Hai were Shangfang Zuocheng Tiandan, a group of Mohist craftsmen, and the alchemists who had been promoted to a brand-new term called chemist, and who originally made a living by refining alchemy.
Tian Dan is also the person in charge of the Handan Iron Works.
The leading craftsmen, including Tian Dan, who have been working at the Handan Iron Works for more than three years, have just received the news that His Majesty the Holy Emperor has arrived.
They were wondering why His Majesty the Holy Emperor had arrived at the gate of the Tiechang before the guards of the Longwei Mansion sent the news. When they walked out of the gate of the Tiechang, they discovered that the emperor had arrived from Xianyang City without alerting anyone.
Arrive at Handan Iron Field.
The faces of more than a hundred Tiandan people instantly turned pale.
If anything happens to the emperor along the way, I and others who have sent the message to Xianyang will be torn apart by the millions of troops loyal to the Holy Emperor and the people of the world without any hesitation.
There's not even any scum left, right?
Even if nothing went wrong, a memorial from me and others made the Holy Emperor rush to Handan in a simple car regardless of his wealth, fearing that the empress, several concubines in the harem, and the adults in the cabinet would know about it.
You can’t fall behind, right?
It seems that for the sake of my own life in the future, I would rather not listen to the Holy Emperor and report the matter directly to the emperor's study with a red letter. It is better to send it to the cabinet through normal channels.
What a gift it must be to be able to send memorials directly to His Majesty the Holy Emperor's study? But if this gift turns into a reminder for himself and others, then that's another matter.
"I respectfully welcome the Holy Emperor...!"
"Okay, no need to be polite, just take me to see your results."
Hu Hai waved his hand to interrupt Tian Dan and others who were saluting, and then strode into the Handan Iron Yard.
As for the guards guarding the Handan Iron Field and the soldiers of the Suzaku Army, they all felt that their brains were not enough at this moment.
When did His Majesty the Holy Emperor arrive in Handan? Why didn't he receive any news in advance?
After Hu Hai entered the Handan Iron Yard, the clever guard was already scrambling to report to his immediate superior.
…
In a tall building made entirely of boulders in the Handan Iron Yard, Hu Hai looked at the strange and even ugly steel object in front of him, which could be said to be huge but much smaller than what he had imagined.
weird.
"Is this the steam engine you built?"
Hu Hai pointed at the ugly steel object and said with some disappointment.
"Your Majesty, this is indeed the most perfect steam engine that I can build in six years according to Your Majesty's wishes." Tian Dan bowed quickly when he saw Hu Hai's expression of embarrassment.
This is a steel object that is more than ten feet long, no more than five feet wide, and no more than six feet high. Underneath this steel object are two rows of more than ten wheels without tires.
At this moment, this weird and ugly object is parked on a nearly 100-meter-long section of two rows of steel pillars similar to later generations of railroad tracks. Yes, these are the railroad tracks built by Hu Hai in Daqin.
As for the ugly reptile-like thing with wheels, it is naturally the steam engine head.
The Handan Iron Works was completed four years ago and has been put into operation for four years now. Three years ago, with the help of a group of shoddy chemists who successfully developed gunpowder and became more confident and upgraded to chemists, they finally refined it.
The first piece of carbonized steel in the history of Daqin.
Of course, Hu Hai also racked his brains and provided many constructive suggestions that played an important role.
However, this initial carbonized steel, in addition to being harder than iron, was extremely brittle. Its practicality was not even as good as smelting iron. After two years of countless experiments, the shoddy chemists at the Handan Iron Works were
Finally, steel was produced that was both harder and more ductile than 100-smelted iron.
Under Hu Hai's instructions, the Longwei Mansion secretly began to lay a 500-meter-long railway track simultaneously in seven counties including Guanzhong, Longxi, Jiuyuan, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Kuaiji, and Nanhai a year ago.
This is to measure whether the steel refined at the Handan iron yard can withstand the test in the natural environment, facing wind, sun, rain, and whether it will be deformed, cracked, or even broken.
It has only been six months since the railway tracks were laid. Judging from the last letter reported by Longwei Mansion, the railway tracks laid in various environments in seven counties have not yet shown the changes that Hu Hai is worried about.
However, the time is still short. In Hu Hai's view, the railway tracks laid in seven counties need to experience at least four seasons of hot and cold changes throughout the year before he can finally see whether they are usable.
After all, if you start laying it in a hurry, if something goes wrong later, it may not just be a car crash and people will be killed. Countless rails will be laid and have to be put away and refurbished, and this will happen again and again.
How much manpower and material resources are wasted?
After receiving the letter from Tian Dan and others, Hu Hai hurriedly came all the way. He thought that Tian Dan and others had already built a steam locomotive similar to that of later generations. Now that he saw the real thing, he did not expect that it was just the size.
It’s just that it’s far from the steam locomotive that Hu Hai had in mind.
"Can this steam engine run?" Hu Hai asked uncertainly as Tian Dan pointed at the object tentatively called a steam locomotive.