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From then on, Qiu Yizi would work with Ruan Wenyuan and others to review the scriptures of Tianzun Sect in his own mansion.
Although Qiu Yizi was in the center, he had been running around since he was a child, and he was far from being able to sit still like his elder brother Zheng Xin and third brother Zheng Miao. Every time he just flipped through a few books, he would take "Lulu" for a stroll on the street, come back after a walk, review a few more books, and then go out again.
Fortunately, the dozen clerks that Zhongli Kuang arranged to work were all familiar with paperwork, so they did not need Qiu Yizhi's personal supervision. Ruan Wenyuan was the only one who coordinated and they were able to carry out their work in an orderly manner. However, the cult had too many books, totaling 5,347 volumes. They had to read them one by one in the order of "classics, history, philosophy, and anthology", write down the abbreviations, and classify them. If there were any doubts, they had to review them together. It took ten days to review them, and only one-third of them were checked.
It was midsummer, and the small city of Guangyang was as stuffy as a big steamer. Even though people were working outside with oilcloth covering their heads, they were still sweating profusely.
On normal days, Qiu Yizi would have taken off all his clothes except for his trousers and waistcoat, but in front of everyone, as the adopted son of the King of Youyan, it was not the time to be unrestrained. He had no choice but to dress neatly and fan himself to cool down, but the wind was so hot that it seemed like it would be ignited by a spark. Even the dog "Lulu" stuck out its half-foot-long tongue and drooled all over the floor.
At this moment, Ruishou ran forward, wiped the sweat off his face and reported loudly: "Princess Yiran..."
Qiu Yizi stood up from her chair and asked hurriedly, "What happened to her? Tell me quickly!"
Ruishou took a deep breath and said, "Princess Yiran brought Yelu and Zhao Chengxiao and others to bring a few carts of watermelons here..."
Qiu Yizi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He used the fan in his hand to hit Ruishou's forehead hard and said, "Hey! You kid, do you need to be so panicked to report this? Haven't you heard that a gentleman should remain calm even when facing a collapse of Mount Tai... You scared me into a cold sweat... Come on, take me to have a look!"
As soon as he opened the gate, he saw Yiran, Yelu and several brothers under Zhao Chengxiao, driving several donkey carts full of watermelons to his house. After asking, he learned that Yiran knew that Yizhi and others must be very hot working under the scorching sun, so he picked a few carts of ripe watermelons in the market to send as a condolence, but he thought that it would be inconvenient for him to lead a dozen Hu people in and out of the military stronghold of Guangyang Inner City, so he asked Zhao Chengxiao and others to help transport them.
The dozen or so clerks in the courtyard had already started salivating when they heard that someone had sent them watermelons. They put down their pens, ink, paper and inkstone and ran outside the door to help carry the watermelons into the yard, constantly praising Princess Yiran for her compassion.
Yiran was overjoyed to hear that. Just as she was about to step inside, Qiu Yizhi stopped her and said to her, "It's so noisy in here and it smells of sweat. What's the point of going there? Come on, I'll treat you to some cold tea." As she said that, she reached out and grabbed Yiran's arm and pulled her out.
Who knew that the Princess Yiran from the north could not stand the heat of Youyan Road, and had already bare her arms and changed into a wrestling vest commonly seen on the grassland. When Qiu Yizhi held her, her hand firmly touched her delicate skin, and her right hand was covered with a layer of fragrant sweat. Qiu Yizhi blushed in fear, and quickly let go, coughed lightly, and said, "What are you waiting for? If you go too late, there will be no seats."
Yiran's face also flushed. She agreed and followed him.
This herbal tea stall is right at the foot of the city wall. It was opened by a retired soldier. Even King Zheng Rong of Youyan often comes here to drink a bowl of herbal tea. Therefore, it is very famous in Guangyang City. The row of seats against the wall has long been filled with people, who are drinking tea from their bowls.
When the people who were sitting and drinking tea saw that it was His Royal Highness the Adopted Son and Princess Bohai who had arrived, some of them had the tact to finish their tea and give up their seats. Yizhi and Yiran sat down side by side and each ordered a large bowl of herbal tea and held it in their hands.
Yiran's well-built thighs showed a graceful curve under her silk breeches, and her plump breasts rose and fell very regularly under the thin vest. Qiu Yizhi caught a glimpse of her and couldn't help but be distracted. She sipped her tea and asked, "I asked you something before, but you haven't answered me yet! What bad things did you say about me in front of my adoptive father that day, causing me to be scolded?"
Yiran looked somewhere else, pursed her lips, and answered casually: "I had forgotten about this matter a long time ago. The prince has a better memory than me, why don't you go ask him." This sentence made the eloquent Qiu Yizi stunned.
From then on, Yiran sent a few carts of fruits every two or three days, and Qiu Yizi went out with her to stroll around the market, drink herbal tea, and ride horses. She lived a comfortable and happy life.
In this way, more than ten days passed, and most of the Tianzunjiao scriptures had been reviewed. Each volume had been sorted out in order, classified, labeled, and edited. The historical trajectory of the spread of Tianzunjiao in the Central Plains gradually emerged.
It turns out that the predecessor of Tianzun Sect was "Zoroastrianism", which was introduced to the Central Plains six or seven hundred years ago and was divided into different sects, including "White Lotus Sect", "Red Sun Sect", "Wusheng Laomu Sect" and many other sects, most of which have disappeared. Only this sect called "Tianzun Sect" has survived to this day, and its leaders are all appointed by the "Wen" family, just like hereditary emperors. As for the length of time of succession, even the powerful unified dynasties in the Central Plains cannot compare with it, which is astonishing.
After hundreds of years of development, the Tianzun Sect has branches and main temples all over the country, with nearly one million believers. Among them, in addition to actors, prostitutes, fortune tellers and other low-class people, there are also some well-known wealthy businessmen. The Tianzun Sect relies entirely on these people to donate money and property to make money. The annual income is as high as one million taels of silver, which is equivalent to one-fifth of the court's income. With such wealth, it is no wonder that they have repeatedly wanted to rebel. The Tianzun Sect's account books are very detailed. The income of each place is recorded one by one every year. When compared horizontally, it is consistent with the degree of wealth in various places in the Han Dynasty. The annual income is the highest in Jiangnan Road, followed by Huguang, Shandong and other roads. The Youyan Road, which is the richest after Jiangnan, and the Guannei Road where the capital is located, do not have much income. It must be because these two places are closely guarded and the Tianzun Sect is underdeveloped.
However, the detailed records of Tianzun Sect lacked the detailed list of the masters of the main and branch altars and other backbones in various places. Qiu Yizhi suddenly realized that the reason why the library of the main altar of Yuhuangding was turned over that day was not to find treasures, but to steal this list that was a hundred times more important than any treasure. As long as this list was obtained, the cult could be reorganized in a short time and become a major concern for the court. Thinking of this, Qiu Yizhi's forehead was sweating, and he quickly wrote a note and sent someone to send it to Youyan King Zheng Rong and Zhongli Kuang.
In fact, Qiu Yizi’s real interest was not this, but the intelligence about the Western Regions that was passed on through the Tianzun Sect. Therefore, he would personally read all the books related to local customs and production technology.
It turns out that the Western Regions are separated from the Central Plains by deserts and vast seas, and their political forms are very different from those of the Central Plains. The Han Dynasty in the Central Plains naturally revered the emperor, and the central government set up the prime minister, the Secretariat, the six ministries and other institutions to manage the country. The country was divided into ten regions, each of which was divided into several prefectures and counties, forming a tree-shaped management system.
The Western Regions were divided into dozens of countries, including more than ten slightly powerful ones. Each country was led by a king, and there was no subordinate relationship between them. All countries believed in the "Adhanu Religion", which had a pope with great power. He could expel anyone, including the king, from the religion at will. Then the people of the country would be alienated and attacked by all the countries in the world. Therefore, the pope was also called the "Pope". Because of this, other religions could not be spread openly in the Western Regions, so the Tianzun Religion came to the Central Plains for development.
As for the economy of the Western Regions, it is very different from that of the Han Dynasty.
The Han Dynasty was based on agriculture and sericulture. Although merchants were rich, they were the last of the four classes of people: scholars, farmers, workers, and merchants. Therefore, after accumulating floating wealth, they often regarded purchasing land and supporting their children and nephews in imperial examinations as the right path. The land in the Western Regions was barren, and they valued commerce over agriculture. After accumulating a little capital, they went to India and Southeast Asia in the east, and to Daqin and Daqin in the west to buy and sell goods and earn the difference. As for the Han Dynasty, Japan, Korea and other countries, the silk, tea, porcelain and other products they produced were extremely popular in the Western Regions and Daqin. Once reselling was successful, it would be a profitable business. However, from the Western Regions to the Central Plains, whether by water or by land, it was thousands of miles away and full of dangers, and those who ventured here often had a narrow escape from death.
Therefore, the farming technology in the Western Regions was far less developed than that in the Central Plains, and the variety of food crops was not as diverse as that in the Central Plains. The staple food was a crop that could grow underground regardless of whether the land was dry or fertile, and the climate was wet or dry. Clothing materials were only cotton and linen, and silk fabrics had to be imported from the Han Dynasty, which was very expensive and could only be worn by high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen.
As for the method of forging swords and weapons, Qiu Yizhi was most concerned about it. There were also special books in the Western Regions that recorded it, but after a closer look, he was greatly disappointed. It turned out that the method of making weapons in the Western Regions was divided into two categories, one was the method of mass-producing ordinary weapons, and the other was the method of specially forging magical weapons.
This mass production method is nothing more than casting wrought iron, and then slightly forging and polishing it, which is no different from the method of casting swords in the Central Plains, and even a little crude. Presumably, the quality of weapons used by ordinary soldiers is just so-so.
The other method is much more laborious. First, the best quality iron ore is smelted and then buried underground with fine pine charcoal. After several years or even decades, it is dug out. Most of the wrought iron that is dug out is rotten and rusty, but some of it has absorbed the essence of the earth and wood and is called 镔铁, which is ready for great use. This 镔铁 is repeatedly heated and forged and quenched in vinegar, and then carefully ground into the shape of a sword by hand. Finally, the sword is tested with gold and stone. If the blade is too hard, it will break immediately. Only a very small number of blades that can cut gold and jade without damaging the blade edge are the final products.
After reading this, Qiu Yizi couldn't help but touch the precious sword beside him. He didn't expect that it would take so much effort to forge this precious sword that could cut through iron like mud - no wonder the scabbard and handle are so simple. The sword itself is a supreme treasure, and adding any decorations would be superfluous.
But with such a complicated process, even if hundreds of swords are made at the same time, it is not certain that one will be successful, let alone mass-producing them to equip the army. This is actually the same as using martial arts masters to put together an army, which is nothing more than a mirage.
Just when Qiu Yizi was feeling disappointed, he opened another book and was struck by something new.
This book introduces the methods of attacking cities and breaking down walls. It turns out that the Western Regions are mostly deserts and Gobi, and there are no large trees to make large equipment such as ladders, rams, and stone carts. Attacking cities depends entirely on digging tunnels and explosives. Qiu Yizhi already knew that the people of the Western Regions were good at digging holes, and the book also recorded it in great detail, including how to choose the location to dig, distinguish the direction, remove sand and gravel, and prevent landslides.
The method of blasting with explosives is even simpler. It is nothing more than filling a large vat or jar with explosives, choosing a weak point in the city wall and igniting the fuse to blow the wall down. Qiu Yi saw that the book clearly recorded that explosives were introduced from the Central Plains, so he thought that the Han people used gunpowder only to make firecrackers and fireworks; and the Western Regions people just got this thing and thought of using it to attack cities and seize land. They are so brave and aggressive, and they are really uncivilized people.
In addition, there are many records of shipbuilding, bridge building, printing and dyeing, textile, armor casting, and city building in the Western Regions. However, most of them are not as advanced and detailed as those of the Han Dynasty. Thinking of how much time and effort he spent on transporting books from Henan, which turned out to be of no great use, Qiu Yizhi was a little discouraged and no longer had the heart to check them carefully. He urged the clerks to finish the review of the collection as soon as possible and hand it over. (To be continued)