Zhu Xiang has been thinking about how to quickly end this chaotic world.
Farming is urgently needed.
Productivity determines production relations. Today's productivity is roughly equal to the level of planting and the efficiency of grain production.
As long as he could make Qin produce several times more grain than other countries, Qin would be almost invincible.
But this only increased the success rate and reduced some setbacks for Qin in the war of unification, but it did not allow Qin to win quickly.
If Qin wanted to win quickly, it needed to crush the enemy militarily.
In terms of generals, Qin State was already the best. So what Zhu Xiang could do was to improve his thinking and military equipment.
Thoughts are to improve morale. Today, rewards are the way to improve morale. Lin Zhi's new land law reduced many worries for soldiers on the battlefield. They knew that after their death, their old age would be taken care of, their children would be taken care of, and their wives would not be insulted. The morale of the Qin State, which was already strong due to the military merit system, was definitely further improved.
In terms of weapons, Zhu Xiang once thought about whether he could add a little more technological points.
Later he gave up.
Not only because production relations must match productivity, this is mutual.
The era in his previous life was like a slavery and feudal country where a child was swinging a sledgehammer. The forces of social change were suppressed by the out-of-date weapons of the upper class, and there was almost no hope of progress.
In addition, Zhu Xiang has a very realistic problem—he doesn’t know how.
Although he was a professor of agronomy and had received modern basic science education, it was still a fantasy for him to create an industrial system by hand.
Without scientific instruments, even if he had a few chemical equations in his mind, how could he purify the desired materials from natural minerals
If he can do it, he cannot make weapons, but he will definitely not care about the productive forces or production relations. He will first build an industrial production line for fertilizer, so that the people of the whole country can have enough food to eat, and then he can slowly think about other things.
Zhu Xiang knew that at the most critical moment in China, our soldiers could manually build an ammunition production line in the countryside. But he knew it, but he couldn't do it himself.
He knew nothing about guns, ammunition, cannons, etc.
Why would a professor of agronomy understand machinery, and military machinery at that
Zhu Xiang once wanted to give it a try. Not to force the issue, but to make some modern weapons for self-defense.
Soon, he continued to swing his greatsword to build up his strength.
Don't trouble my empty brain. Goodbye!
Since he couldn't make cross-era weapons, Zhu Xiang racked his brains to think of what kind of feudal-era killer weapons could be made with the technology of this era.
The mobile forces in current wars are mainly chariots, but will later develop into ones mainly composed of cavalry.
The heavy cavalry, in particular, was almost the "tank" of the feudal era and was invincible.
It can be said that before the invention of firearms, a country's ability to maintain heavy cavalry and how many heavy cavalry it could maintain was almost a symbol of national strength.
Even before the invention of modern gunpowder (i.e. yellow powder), heavy cavalry was overwhelmingly effective against black powder weapons.
Black powder weapons are not as lethal as bows and crossbows, and even light armor is difficult to penetrate. However, they are easy to use and can train more long-range troops.
During the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, archers who were good at riding and shooting were still much stronger than musketeers. This was also the reason why Emperor Qianlong looked down on foreign firearms, not because he was really blind.
As a result, the invention of modern gunpowder swept all cold weapons into the garbage dump. From then on, war became a competition of modern industry, and nomadic peoples without industrial foundation began to sing and dance.
Therefore, as long as Zhu Xiang can develop heavy cavalry, China's army combat effectiveness will remain at the forefront of the world before the emergence of modern gunpowder.
Although Zhu Xiang didn't know how to make heavy cavalry, as the name suggests, it was to put heavy armor made of a mixture of iron and leather on horses and cavalry. He told the craftsmen about the idea, and the craftsmen would experiment on their own.
Heavy cavalry is equivalent to the "deterrent weapon" on the land battlefield of feudal countries, and light cavalry is the main component of the mobile force and the main force on the battlefields of ancient and later generations.
In fact, cavalry has gradually become the main force on the battlefield.
After Zhu Xiang gave stirrups and horseshoes to Li Mu, Li Mu quickly built a light cavalry.
Because Li Mu was in the south, the stirrup could be imitated at a glance, but it had not yet been spread out.
A small component that did not attract the attention of other countries.
Only when Li Mu pulled his light cavalry out to fight a battle that would be unforgettable for the world would they probably notice this small stirrup.
Now the six countries almost forgot that Li Mu was famous for his ability to command cavalry, and they all regarded Li Mu as a naval general.
Zhu Xiang accompanied Wang Jian in selecting a thousand heavy cavalrymen.
Zichu tried to put on the armor, but was weighed down and unable to move, and was mercilessly mocked by Zhu Xiang.
Zichu said angrily: "Just try it! I don't believe you can do it!"
Zhu Xiang was wearing armor and was able to walk a few steps.
Zhu Xiang laughed and said, "I swing the hoe every day, and my body is much stronger than yours. How can you compare me with me? I am weak."
Li Bing quickly pulled Zichu back and said, "Forget it, forget it. Why bother with him? There are so many people here. It would be so ugly if the Crown Prince and Lord Changping started fighting."
Zichu sneered: "When I become the King of Qin, I will show you how I will deal with you!"
Zhu Xiang said happily: "Okay, I will wait for you to become the King of Qin and see how you deal with me."
The corners of Wang Jian's mouth twitched and his temples throbbed.
If the King of Qin and Lord Changping turn against each other in the future, it will probably start from today
Wang Jian was very excited when he heard about the heavy cavalry, but he had a headache when it came to forming the heavy cavalry.
Not only must the warriors and horses that can wear armor be carefully selected, but ordinary food cannot ensure that the horses and men have the ability to fight and wear armor.
A fine horse's daily fodder consumption is twice that of other war horses, and it also needs daily massage; not only does an armored warrior's daily food intake greatly increase, he even has to eat meat, otherwise he will not be able to carry the heavy armor to fight.
Thinking about the food for these one thousand heavily armored cavalry, Wang Jian felt that his hair was about to grow like Zhu Xiang.
He finally understood why Zhu Xiang said that heavy armored cavalry could only appear now, and why he said that only Qin could afford this heavy armored cavalry at present.
It's not that only Qin can afford it, it's that only Qin with Zhu Xiang can afford it!
Zichu also realized this, and his anger towards Zhu Xiang for deliberately mocking him subsided a little.
He stroked the armored horse and said, "I wonder how many heavy cavalry the Qin State can afford after it unifies the world. Ten thousand? One hundred thousand?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Maybe we can't even afford a hundred."
Zichu was stunned: "Ah?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Heavy cavalry is a powerful weapon for attacking cities and conquering territories, but after the unification of the world, war is temporarily unnecessary. Rather than plundering those undeveloped territories, it is more important to govern the territories that have been obtained and make the world truly become Qin's world. At that time, Qin did not have the money to support heavy cavalry."
Zichu said: "It can't be wasted..." He began to feel distressed.
Zhu Xiang said: "Then leave some heavy cavalry in the north to rob the cattle and sheep of the Hu people."
Wang Jian immediately said: "Good idea! I will go to the north when the time comes!"
He didn't want to enjoy the good life anymore! Wouldn't it be more impressive to lead these heavy cavalrymen to sweep the grassland every day
Zhu Xiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. In history, you wanted to be a rich man in the future, so why do you have to eat yellow sand in the frontier for the rest of your life
Maybe it’s because Wang Jian is not old yet.
Heavy cavalry to the soldiers in the feudal era is probably like the military fans in later generations drooling over the small aircraft carriers, small airplanes, small tanks and small Dongfengs. This is romance.
Zhu Xiang took the lead, and Wang Jian quickly understood how to train and use heavy armored cavalry.
Zhu Xiang thought that he would continue to serve as Wang Jian's "instructor" for a while, but soon he had nothing to do.
He then leaned on a bamboo stick, wore a straw hat and a straw raincoat, climbed the gates of the mountain city, visited the main transportation routes and small towns and villages on both sides of the Yangtze River waterway, and investigated the situation in Ba County, which was controlled by the Qin State.
Li Bing also continued to ignore the affairs of Shu County and enthusiastically observed and measured the Yangtze River waterway.
Water control is a matter of the entire system, and you can't just treat the symptoms. Although the water flow in Ba County has little impact on Shu County, looking at the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, Li Bing's heart as a water conservancy expert can't help but beat fast.
He wondered if it would be possible to build a dam to block the water of the Yangtze River and turn the natural barrier into a thoroughfare
Li Bing knew that he was daydreaming, but he couldn't help it.
If such a dam can be built, the Yangtze River waterway will be unobstructed, and both Ba County and Shu County will benefit from it and will no longer be isolated.
"Even if there is little land in Ba County, guarding this waterway can still support the people in the county, right?" Li Bing said to Zhu Xiang.
He looked at the water, and Zhu Xiang looked at the land.
Zhu Xiang was silent for a while after hearing what Li Bing said, then he squinted his eyes and smiled, "There will be such a day."
Li Bing said: "Will there be such a day? That would be great."
Even though he knew that the natural barrier of the Yangtze River was beyond human control, Li Bing believed Zhu Xiang when he said that day would come.
Li Bing stood on the cliff, leaning on a bamboo stick, looking down at the raging waves in the narrow waterway below the mountain.
His eyes were full of anticipation.
Zhu Xiang thought that he should record this event. If it could be passed down two thousand years later, perhaps after the Three Gorges Dam was built, a statue of Li Bing would be erected here, allowing Li Bing to see the feat he had imagined.
"Zhu Xiang, it's time for me to go back to Shu County." Li Bing said to Zhu Xiang.
Zhu Xiang said: "Take care. Take care of yourself."
Li Bing smiled and said, "Okay, you too."
Li Bing left Ba County and returned to Shu County, where he continued to work hard on water conservancy construction.
After the Dujiangyan diversion dam was completed, other canals and dams needed to be built. Li Bing wanted to turn the entire Chengdu Plain into fertile land.
Shortly after Li Bing left, Li Mu's letter arrived, scolding Zhu Xiang and Zichu and asking them to come to Wujun as soon as possible.
It was enough to have Wang Jian in Ba County. Zhu Xiang and Zichu should have gone to Wu County to discuss the core of the chaos in Chu with him and Lin Zhi.
Why would Zichu, the crown prince of Qin, stay in Bashu when he is inspecting Southern Qin on behalf of the King of Qin? The scholars of Qianzhong, Nan and Wu were all waiting. If Zichu didn't show up, Southern Qin might really get into trouble.
Although the governors of the three counties of Southern Qin were waiting to see trouble in Southern Qin so that they could pull in those who were lurking and beat them up.
"If the Crown Prince of Qin dies, it will be difficult for Prince Zheng to succeed to the throne, and Changping Jun, as the Crown Prince's brother-in-law, will definitely be in danger." Chunshen Jun said to the King of Chu, "The general Li Mu who guards Southern Qin has a close personal relationship with the Crown Prince of Qin and Changping Jun, and may also be feared by the new king. This is our chance."
The King of Chu hesitated: "But was the Crown Prince of Qin really assassinated?"
Chunshen Jun said: "Prince Zichu must have been assassinated, otherwise the King of Qin would not have deposed Prince Ziqi. But the extent of Prince Zichu's injury is still unknown. I request to be sent as an envoy to Wujun!"
(End of this chapter)