People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1794: Thousand-mile Ship, Wooden Oxen and Flowing Horses, Qilu Family

Under the moonlight, rain and fog covered the entire Luoyang.

In front of the Qianyang Palace, Li Xuan stood alone on the jade steps, gazing at the Luoyang city in the distance.

"Your Majesty!" Zhao Gong's voice suddenly sounded behind Li Xuan.

Li Xuan was not surprised, but asked calmly: "How is Chang'an?"

"Everything is normal." Zhao Gong cupped his hands and presented two memorials at the same time, saying, "Here is the daily situation in Chang'an, and the memorials that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince writes to Your Majesty every day."

Li Xuan raised his hand slightly, and Shangguan Wan'er walked out from the corner and took the memorial.

Such memorials would be sent not only by Zhao Gong but also by Li Zhizhao, and even by Lu Yuanfang, Qu Chongyu and Li Lingwen every day.

Even if Li Xuan left Chang'an, he still controlled everything in Chang'an from all aspects.

Looking at Luoyang in front of him, Li Xuan said softly: "Uncle, fortunately I have already predicted that there will be a lot of rain this summer, otherwise the whole Luoyang City, and even the whole world, would probably become chaotic because of this rain."

"During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, taxation in the country dropped sharply because of that rain. If Your Majesty had not pacified Tubo that year, I'm afraid the world would still be in chaos." Zhao Gong couldn't help but sigh. Li Xuan's predictions about the weather were generally very accurate, especially in the north.

Of course, of course, there is a different set of standards.

But it is precisely because of these things that Li Xuan was able to govern the country with ease.

“Uncle, do you remember that after Emperor Gaozong and the Empress Dowager performed the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai, drought, floods, earthquakes, the war in Dayuechuan, everything came one after another… It was the hard work of those days that aggravated Emperor Gaozong’s illness, forcing him to entrust the government affairs to the Empress Dowager and Emperor Xiaojing. In the end, Emperor Xiaojing died of his hard work, and this might have been a factor.” Li Xuan sighed softly, and Xu Lu at the back lowered his head in discomfort.

Zhao Gong fell silent and did not respond.

Li Xuan continued, "I will be touring Yangzhou in late June, and will try to travel back and forth in the shortest possible time, so that the impact on the world will be minimal. The same goes for the future battle against Silla..."

Zhao Gong wrote it down carefully.

……

In Luoyang in May, the drizzle lasted for a full half month.

On the Luo River, a three-masted sailing ship was sailing slowly.

There were more than a hundred small boats guarding in front and behind, both openly and secretly.

On the banks of the Luo River, three hundred Jinwu Guard cavalrymen were on routine patrol.

Li Xuan stood at the bow of the ship. The chief architect Pei Feishu knelt beside the ship, touching the iron sheet on the hull with one hand. He was so surprised and unbelievable for a moment.

That's how the iron-hulled ship was made.

Pei Feishu stood up with some difficulty, and bowed to Li Xuan, saying, "Your Majesty, the iron ship sailing on the river has been completed."

"It's an iron-hulled ship, not an iron ship." Li Xuan waved his hand slightly and said, "What our ancestors said was right. Iron ships cannot sail on rivers and seas, so wooden ships are mostly used. But for countless years, they have never successfully covered iron ships with iron sheets. It's not that they haven't thought about it, but they don't have the technology to do so."

Pei Feishu nodded in agreement.

In today's Tang Dynasty, the most successful technology is to use the power of water transport and transform it into the work of craftsmen.

Many of the weapons and armor of the Tang Dynasty were hammered with powerful water hammers converted from water wheels at an early stage, thus speeding up the manufacturing time and improving the quality of the weapons.

The soldiers under Li Xuan's command never lacked weapons and armor, because this secret technology has always been in the hands of Li Xuan.

From Fanzhou, Changzhou, and later to Lanzhou, it was not until a year after Li Xuan ascended the throne and completely took control of the world that he gradually transported these things back to Chang'an.

And treat it as a secret among secrets.

No one is allowed to speak or write a single word outside.

I am afraid that the secrets will be leaked in the slightest.

In fact, if it was only for military use, Li Xuan was not worried that the aristocratic families would come to steal these secrets. What worried him was that once these things were converted to civilian use, they would immediately generate unimaginable huge profits. At that time, the aristocratic families would use any means to steal these things.

Once these iron ships go to sea and are converted to civilian use, the huge profits will immediately cause the Tang Dynasty's maritime borders to collapse.

Because those who fight for these interests are always our own people.

Li Xuan really couldn't understand why the monarchs of the later Ming Dynasty would voluntarily give up this interest.

Can't they calculate that the price they pay is nothing compared to the huge benefits?

Or were they completely deceived when they were calculating?

If this is the case, everything from calculation to going to sea is completely in the hands of others.

No matter who comes, it will be difficult to save us!
Therefore, after Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Dynasty began to be destroyed step by step.

……

Retracting his thoughts, Li Xuan looked at Pei Feishu and said, "This ship is a secret among secrets. After returning to the palace, paint the entire ship red to prevent others from noticing anything unusual. In the future, all those who will operate this ship will be selected from the Imperial Guards. No one other than the commander-in-chief of the army will be allowed to board the ship."

"Yes!" Pei Feishu bowed solemnly.

Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the whole Luoyang in front of him. It was drizzling and misty, and because of this, it was difficult to observe their ship. If they traveled on a sunny day, it would be difficult to keep it secret.

"Mr. Pei, you should come with me on my eastern tour to Yangzhou. Take a look at the paddle wheel in this ship and see if there is anything that can be modified. If possible, we can manufacture it on a large scale." Li Xuan clenched his fists tightly.

The iron-hulled ship was designed to ensure that the ship would not be silenced by enemy attacks during naval battles, but what really accelerated the ship were the paddle wheels inside the ship.

In fact, this type of paddle wheel is not uncommon.

As early as the Liu Song Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties, the Changshui Commander Zu Chongzhi made a "thousand-mile boat" that could travel a hundred miles a day, as well as "wooden oxen and flowing horses" and water pestles.

The water-pestle mill is the prototype of the weapons Li Xuan uses to make.

As for the "Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse" and the "Thousand-Li Ship", it was only after Li Xuan had developed them that Pei Feishu said that they were very similar to Zu Chongzhi's "Thousand-Li Ship".

The so-called "thousand-mile ship" can travel far in a day without the need for wind power.

The essence is that someone is inside the ship, using his feet to make the ship travel thousands of miles a day.

Of course, the use of this type of ship is very limited. He requires that the route the ship takes must be straight enough so that it can travel most safely.

Otherwise, it would be inconvenient to use the oars.

During the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties, the naval general Xu Shipu used water turbines in battle, but the effect was not very ideal.

If we want to continue using him now, we need to make further improvements to him.

Even iron blades were used instead of wooden blades, using the most suitable fluid mechanics method to accelerate the voyage of the ship.

This kind of thing is actually most suitable for the sea.

This is also the reason why Li Xuan created it now.

By using it, Li Xuan wanted to ensure that the battle against Silla would be safe and worry-free and there would be absolutely no problems.

In the current Tang Dynasty, it seems that everyone has submitted to Li Xuan, but who knows what will happen once he leads his army to expedition to Silla.

Could there be someone who suddenly rebelled behind his back and made Li Zhizhao the emperor, putting Li Xuan in trouble?

At this time, the emperor had to think more.

……

Mount Tai is majestic, and Qizhou and Jinan are the cities.

Feng Yuanchang, reeking of alcohol, entered the bedroom. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open: "Who?"

"Me!" A familiar figure walked out from the corner, it was Guo Huiyue.

Feng Yuanchang breathed a sigh of relief, then lay down calmly on the bed. It could be seen that the two people were very familiar with each other.

"The noble families in Qi and Lu seem very honest!" Guo Hui looked at Feng Yuanchang and said, "It seems that they treated you to a lot of wine."

"Qizhou is a special place. Two years ago, someone in the court reported to Your Majesty that he would offer sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai. Naturally, the noble families in Qi and Lu are very concerned." Feng Yuanchang shrugged lightly and said, "And they can't help but care. Since the incident with Li Jingye, the noble families in Qi and Lu have been less valued in the central government."

Li Jingye has brought trouble to countless Qi and Lu families.

The Kong, Meng, Yan, Zeng, Sun, Cao, Xu, Fu, Song, Mou, Chao, Yang, Wu and other Qi and Lu families have not produced many prime ministers or ministers, let alone top scholars in recent years.

But Qi and Lu belong to Henan Province, so they can't even go to the court to appeal for justice.

You know, there were quite a few Henan natives serving as officials in the court, and there were even several prime ministers.

"Nowadays, the emperor and Li Jingye don't have much relationship, so these Qi and Lu families hope to establish contact with the emperor through the emperor's Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai, and then flood into the court in large numbers. In this case, Feng, the governor of Qizhou and former Shangshu Zuocheng, will be of great use." Feng Yuanchang couldn't help but sneer.

Obviously he was demoted to Qizhou, but seeing that he was promoted from Shangshu Zuocheng, a fourth-rank post, to Qizhou Governor, a third-rank post, these Qi and Lu noble families thought that he was a person favored by the emperor, and sent countless gifts to him.

"You just need to be careful." Guo Hui looked at Feng Yuanchang and said, "The emperor sent you to Qizhou mainly to dredge the Yellow River. Judging from his intention, if the dredging of the Yellow River is not appropriate, then even if he destroys Silla, he will not easily come to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods."

Feng Yuanchang fell silent. Fengshan on Mount Tai, Fengshan on Mount Tai, there are too many people who can share the benefits in this matter.

If the Emperor's Fengshan Ceremony was delayed because of Feng Yuanchang's affair, even his accomplices would not let him off easily.

Feng Yuanchang suddenly changed the subject and asked, "What's the situation in Hebei?"

Guo regretted looking at Feng Yuanchang deeply, and then said: "Zhang Jianzhi was very violent in Hebei, and the investigation was very thorough. Now not only your Feng family, but also the Zhao family, Zhang family, Cui family, and even the Lu family in Qinghe have been implicated. However, with your example in front of them, everyone chose to cut off their arms."

"Very good." Feng Yuanchang chewed the bitter taste in his mouth and sneered softly: "The families have taken a step back. Given the personalities of these families, if they cannot get the same compensation from the emperor, then they will definitely not let it go."

"Don't worry about the affairs of Hebei. Dou Huaiqi is watching in Youzhou, and you are thousands of miles away. Since you are already out, just prepare for the next plan. If Hebei succeeds, you can make up for it. If Hebei fails, you will be their backup." Guo regretted and shook his head gently.

Feng Yuanchang has been transferred to Qizhou, which has nothing to do with Hebei. If he gets involved again, it might arouse the emperor's vigilance.

Instead of this, it would be better for them to manage Qizhou with all their heart, which would bring more benefits to them.

"Although I'm in Qizhou, I may still be able to intervene in Hebei's affairs. You know, if the Tang Dynasty wants to send troops to Silla, there are only two ways. One is to go through Hebei by land, and the other is to go through Dengzhou by water. Let's not talk about the troops for now, but his food and grass must go through Qizhou." Feng Yuanchang raised his head and looked at Guo Huiyue with a dim gaze.

(End of this chapter)