At the end of Qin, I became a son of the plane

Chapter 650: The Dandy Girl and Injustice

On April 49, the 4th year of the Han calendar, in Kuaiji County, Wu County’s first shipyard.

After obtaining support from her family, Liu Piao came to the largest shipyard in the Han Dynasty.

This is a steampunk world. There is a huge steel keel in the dock. Craftsmen around it use machine tools to drill holes in the thick steel plates. Then the gantry crane lifts the steel plates and fixes them on the keel. The craftsmen take red-hot nails and insert them into the holes in the steel plates. Then they use hammers to hammer the red-hot nails in with "bang bang bang". After the steel nails cool down, the steel plates are firmly welded to the keel.

The shipyard manager smiled and said, "In the Han Dynasty, only our shipyard can produce transport ships of more than 2 tons. In 10 years at most, sailing battleships will be eliminated."

The shipbuilding industry of the Han Dynasty has always been a pillar industry and has received great attention from the Han court. The shipbuilding industry is mainly distributed in the south and Liaodong regions.

The south was dominated by the Han Dynasty's shipyards, while the north was dominated by the Liaodong princes. In the era of sailing transport ships, the main raw material for shipbuilding was wood. The South quickly ran out of suitable wood, which resulted in the keels of southern ships changing from century-old trees to giant woods spliced ​​together, and finally to steel keels. In the north, there were mountains and forests full of wood suitable for building ships. Giant keels that could build 10,000-ton transport ships were everywhere in the north. Therefore, southern shipyards were technically ahead, but the cost of shipbuilding in the south was higher than in the north.

But after the steam engine appeared, it was quickly moved to ships. In just ten years, steam ships completely replaced various sailing ships and flat-bottomed transport ships in the Han Dynasty. Only in ocean trade, where the efficiency of steam engines was too low, could it hardly replace sailing ships.

Moreover, with the continuous iteration of the Han Dynasty's steam engine technology, various advanced machine tools began to appear, and technology for inlaying steel plates was developed. Steel began to replace wood as the main raw material for shipbuilding, and steam engines began to replace sails as the main power for ships. Steel began to replace wood as the main raw material for shipbuilding. Southern shipyards began to carry out mechanized transformation, and advanced equipment such as gantry cranes, machine tools, and heat treatment furnaces began to be used to manufacture steel steamships.

After the restrictions on raw materials were lifted, the production capacity of the southern shipbuilding industry began to soar rapidly, with dozens of 10,000-ton transport ships being built every year.

When Liu Piao saw this steampunk scene, what she was thinking about was the industry of her second uncle's family. Although Pei State also had small steam ships, it mainly built ocean-going sailing ships. After all, Liaodong had rich timber resources and high-quality timber. For a long time, the sailing transport ships and sailing battleships produced by the Liaodong Shipyard had been in short supply.

But if steel is used to build ships in the future, Pei State's shipyard will not only have no advantages, but will be at a disadvantage. If his second uncle fails to keep up with the times, Pei State's pillar industry may decline. She decided to talk to his second uncle after returning to Liaodong, and at least send someone to Wu County's shipyard to learn.

Chen Wu was even more envious and said: "This is the real national treasure. Considering the scale of Wu County Shipyard, I think it would cost a lot to build such a shipyard."

There is no man who doesn't like steampunk, especially the 2-ton steel transport ship, which is the largest mechanical creation in the world.

It was a pity that Tangyihou State did not have the basic talent pool or even the money to build such a factory. Only an industrial country of the size of Han could afford to build such a shipyard that was like a city.

"The shipyard used to produce mainly sailing transport ships. Ten years ago, it underwent a mechanized transformation and was equipped with a large number of machine tools, heat treatment furnaces, and gantry cranes. It cost 10 billion yuan to build a dock that can now manufacture steel transport ships."

Chen Wu asked: "We want to buy two 20,000-ton ore-carrying ships. I wonder how much it will cost and how long it will take to get the ships?"

The shipyard manager smiled and said, "A 1-ton transport ship is said to cost 2000 million, and the delivery time will be one year later. There is no other way. The shipyard has too many orders now. All ten large docks of our Wuxian Shipyard are fully booked."

"One year later?" Liu Piao frowned. He definitely didn't want to wait that long.

So he said, "My father, the Shangshu Ling, has been the governor of Kuaiji County for five years. We are one of his own. Can we jump the queue and let us get the boat in advance?"

The captain frowned. Although Liu Heng had only been the governor of Kuaiji County for five years, and the development of Kuaiji County could only be considered stable, Liu Heng had a very high reputation among the people of Kuaiji County. Liu Heng's policy of asking questions about government affairs made the local people feel for the first time that the court would listen to their opinions. In addition, Liu Heng liked to go deep into the people, listen to the opinions of the local people, and help them solve many problems. Therefore, Liu Heng's prestige in Kuaiji County was the second highest among the governors, only behind Ye Teng.

Now that County Magistrate Liu's daughter wanted to get the boat in advance, it was really hard for him to refuse. After thinking for a long time, the captain's manager said, "Well, you can come and get the boat in half a year."

Liu Piao felt that half a year was too long and wanted to continue talking, but Chen Wu stopped her and said, "Half a year is just half a year. Thank you, Manager."

"Why do you want me to do this? Let me discuss it again. Maybe we can get it down to within three months." Liu Piao said dissatisfiedly.

In the transportation industry, if you schedule an extra trip three months in advance, you can make one more trip, and you can earn 30 million yuan for each trip, so every day in advance can make hundreds of thousands of yuan.

Chen Wu said angrily, "You have forgotten the master's instructions. If the master knew that you were squandering his reputation like this, I'm afraid he would not allow us to buy a transport ship."

Although Chen Wu couldn't be as frugal as Liu Heng, he admired his father-in-law very much. As a son-in-law, he didn't want to see his wife ruin his father-in-law's reputation.

Liu Piao thought that the money was paid by her father, so she didn't dare say anything more.

It can only be said that Liu Piao was a complete dandy. In history, she introduced beauties to her brother Emperor Jing. He accepted bribes as the eldest princess and planted a large number of corrupt officials into the court of the Han Dynasty. After her husband died, she openly kept a gigolo. Her public and private morals were extremely poor. The dethronement of Chen Ajiao as queen was largely related to Liu Piao's arrogance.

September 49, 9th year of the Han calendar, Guanzhong, Duli.

The autumn harvest is approaching, and the wheat in Guanzhong is turning from green to golden yellow. The wind blows through the wheat waves, making a rustling sound, which sounds extremely pleasant to Xu Aimin.

Xu Aimin smiled and said, "This year is another bumper year. The wheat looks like an army, lush and dense like a forest, and looks energetic."

When Xu Aimin was young, he had seen the fields in Guanzhong. At that time, only a small amount of fertile land in Guanzhong could produce three or four dan of grain per mu, and most of the land was only two dan. Especially in Shangjun, one dan of grain per mu was very common. But now the wheat seedlings in this field are obviously several times more, at least seven or eight dan or more.

Chen Mai said in admiration: "It is thanks to the blessing of the Emperor that the fertilizer plant was built, and farmers all over the world can have such a good harvest now. According to the statistics from the emperor, since the court began to build fertilizer plants on a large scale, the annual grain production of the Han Dynasty has increased by more than 10% in the past ten years. Now in the Han Dynasty, every family is worshipping the Emperor. The Emperor's contribution is comparable to that of Shennong."

In order to have a good harvest of grain, water conservancy and chemical fertilizers are two of the most critical factors. In the first 20 years, the Han Dynasty built large-scale water conservancy projects, which gradually increased the grain production capacity to about 3 shi. In the next 20 years, the Han Dynasty mined natural fertilizers such as guano and potassium nitrate around the world.

However, due to the distance and transportation, these natural fertilizers were expensive and difficult to popularize throughout the Han Dynasty. After Xu Fan developed synthetic ammonia, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers were not in short supply. In addition, the large-scale popularization of steamships greatly reduced the transportation costs of fertilizers, which lowered the price of fertilizers and made farmers willing to use fertilizers to improve grain production. The grain production capacity of the Han Dynasty once again skyrocketed, and now the per mu yield can generally reach six stones. It is because of sufficient fertilizers and irrigation that the density of wheat planted on one mu of land has increased several times.

Xu Aimin smiled and said, "It's too much to say that Shennong is reborn, but my father has indeed made great contributions to the prosperity of the Han Dynasty today."

When they walked into Duli, Xu Aimin saw a few people sitting at the entrance of the village and said with a smile, "Hello, gentlemen. Is the harvest good this year?"

The old man smiled and said, "Thanks to the Emperor, we have a bumper harvest this year. We can harvest wheat in a few days." Xu Aimin smiled and asked, "How old are you?"

The old man smiled and said, "I am over seventy years old. It is also a blessing from the emperor that he has given me a pension. Otherwise, how could I still be alive now?"

At this time, a slightly younger old man said enviously: "Brother Huang was a veteran of the Han Dynasty. Even after retirement, the court still remembers his contributions. We only have a pension of 500 coins, but Brother Huang has 2000 coins. He is the only one in our Duli."

The salary in Chang'an was unique in the Han Dynasty, but a pension of 2000 coins could still account for one-third of a young and strong laborer, especially in rural areas, where 2000 coins could allow a family to live comfortably. For the elderly of this era, this pension was enough to allow them to enjoy their old age.

Xu Aimin was surprised and said, "You are not an ordinary veteran. You must have fought in at least three wars to be treated like this."

The old man smiled and said, "Back then, I followed the Holy Emperor to conquer Nanjun, fought Meng Tian at the Yellow River, and also followed the Emperor to cross the Yellow River and break through the Hangu Pass, which is known as a natural barrier. However, I did not make much contribution and only received three bronze medals."

When the Han army was first established, Xu Fan learned from later generations and established a medal system, which was divided into three levels, namely gold, silver and bronze medals. Among them, the gold medal was the most difficult, and it was awarded to the brave warriors who killed the generals and pulled down the flags. The bronze medal was relatively simple and was awarded the most. The medals of the Han Dynasty were not only honors, but also had real political and economic benefits. When promoting officers and Han officials, veteran officers with these medals were given priority for promotion.

At the same time, after this group of heroes retire, a bronze medal can get a monthly pension of 500 coins, a silver medal can get a monthly pension of 3000 coins, and a gold medal can get a pension of coins.

Among them, the bronze medal is relatively the easiest to obtain, as long as you win a major battle with more than 10,000 people. So when Xu Aimin heard that the old man had three bronze medals, he knew that the old man had fought in three major battles.

Xu Aimin said respectfully: "I didn't expect that you are a founding hero."

At that time, Xu Fan had recruited more than 50 veterans in Guanzhong. However, the Han Dynasty had been established for nearly years, and there were not many veterans left. Xu Aimin had never expected to meet one in a small village like Duli.

The old man smiled and said, "I can't say I have made any contribution to the founding of a country. The only thing I did right in my life was to follow the right person and become a soldier under the Holy Emperor. I only fought for three years but enjoyed a lifetime of happiness. This choice is more important than any effort I have made in my entire life."

Chen Mai said, "Father, can you tell me your story?"

The old man thought for a moment and then lost himself in memory. "I used to live in Sanchuan County. My father went away to perform corvée labor and there was no news of him since then. I don't know how many years have passed. The governor said that there were rebels in the Central Plains and recruited soldiers in Sanchuan County. I joined the Qin army without knowing it, and was defeated by the Holy Son of Heaven without knowing it."

"But I didn't expect that this defeat would bring good luck to me. Although the Holy Emperor captured us, he didn't kill us. Instead, he gave us houses and land. I was given 100 acres of land in Yingchuan County. At that time, I made up my mind to follow the Holy Emperor in the future. Later, I went south to attack Nan County, and then followed the army to confront Meng Tian at the Yellow River. In the end, even I didn't expect that the Hangu Pass, which had never been breached, would be easily breached by the Holy Emperor."

Jia Yi sighed, "The Holy Emperor was blessed by God, so even a strategic pass like Hangu Pass could not stop our Han army."

The Qin-Han War was full of fantasy. Many hegemons in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period wanted to unify the world, but they still failed to do so. Even the First Emperor had to fight for more than ten years, but the emperor brought 6 prisoners and defeated the Qin army with a million soldiers in three years, especially entering Hangu Pass, which was full of myths. Although the Han Dynasty annihilated the main force of the Qin army, the Qin army still had more than troops and occupied the strategic location of Guanzhong. The Hangu Pass, where countless heroes of the six countries had broken their heads and bled, was easily crossed by the emperor. This was not the blessing of God.

The old man smiled and said, "The Holy Emperor is naturally blessed by God. After we entered Guanzhong, the Holy Emperor distributed the fertile land of Guanzhong to us and let me marry a beauty. So I married and had children, and stayed in Guanzhong for the rest of my life. It's a pity that I have received so much favor from the Holy Emperor, but I have no way to repay this kindness. Although I fought three major battles, I didn't make any achievements."

"No matter how big or small your contribution is, you have participated in three major battles and have made great contributions to the establishment of the Han Dynasty."

Xu Aimin and his friends were naturally clear about what the old man said. This was the most essential difference between the retired emperor and the first emperor. The first emperor collected beauties from the six kingdoms, but the retired emperor placed these beauties among the common people and let the Han soldiers marry and start families. He even demolished the walls of the Qin Imperial Palace to build houses for these soldiers. The strong combat effectiveness of the Han army had a lot to do with the retired emperor treating the soldiers as soldiers. This matter was also a big topic in the academic circles of the Han Dynasty.

"Thump, thump, thump!" At this time a tractor was slowly coming from a distance.

An old man smiled proudly and said, "This is my grandson Du Yu. He was very smart since he was young. He studied hard and was admitted to the Agricultural College. He was the first person in our village to go to a university. Now he is the president of the agricultural cooperative. He leads and directs all the affairs of the village, big and small."

Du Yu saw Xu Aimin and his group stop their tractors and approach them and asked, "Grandpa!"

Then he looked at Xu Aimin and the others and asked, "Why did you come to our village?"

Xu Aimin smiled and said, "We are tourists. We saw a few old men relaxing at the entrance of the village, so we came over to chat for a while."

Then Xu Aimin looked at an old man and said, "Father, what do you think of the court's pension system?"

The old man gave a thumbs up and said, "That is of course an unprecedented benevolent policy. Throughout history, there has never been anyone who gave money to old people like us for free. This is a good thing that only happens in our Han Dynasty."

The other old people also agreed: "If there were no pension from the court, we would not be able to enjoy our leisure time."

But Du Yu was a little dissatisfied and said: "What's good about it? The court is unfair. Why can farmers like me only get 500 coins, while the elderly in Chang'an can get 2,000 coins, 3,000 coins, or even more?"

Xu Aimin was stunned when he heard this, and then he inexplicably remembered what his father taught him, the contradiction between the people's increasing material and cultural needs and the backward production of the Han Dynasty.

The new generation of the Han Dynasty is different from the old generation. This group of old people have experienced the turbulent times at the end of the Qin Dynasty, suffered hardships, hunger, wars, and difficulties, so they are very satisfied with their current life, and 500 coins are enough to make them grateful.

But Du Yu was a member of the founding generation of the Han Dynasty. He lived in a prosperous era with abundant material resources, perfect systems, and rapidly increasing wealth. Even though he knew about the turmoil of the Warring States Period and the cruelty of the late Qin Dynasty from history books, he still could not empathize with that chaotic era.

Jia Yi said: "The pension system is just a bottom-line policy of the court for the elderly. It allows the elderly in the entire Han Dynasty to not suffer in their old age. The pensions of craftsmen in the city are high because they create higher value in the factories."

Du Yu was not convinced by this argument. He snorted coldly, "The imperial court follows the way of heaven. It takes away the surplus and gives to the deficit. It wants efficiency in everything. Then why not just turn the imperial court into a trading company?"

Liu Heng laughed and said, "What do you know, kid? Nothing in the world can be done just by saying it's fair. It costs money to get things done. If you want high welfare, you have to have high taxes. Take pensions as an example. The annual expenditure is close to 200 billion yuan. There are only hundreds of millions of people in the Han Dynasty. Increasing pensions by 200 billion is equivalent to increasing taxes by billion. The people of the Han Dynasty will have to pay an additional billion in taxes every year, and a family of five will have to pay thousands of yuan in taxes. Are you willing to bear this?"

(End of this chapter)