Zheng Guo was a big man with a dark face and beard, and he looked a little sad.
No wonder he looked so sad. How could he not be sad after being taken captive from Korea and separated from his hometown by thousands of miles
Zheng Guo originally went to Qin State to repair the canal in 247 BC. After his identity as a spy was exposed, he was able to persuade the Qin monarch and his ministers to agree to let him continue the construction. This shows that he had good eloquence and was not a commoner. He must have been an educated scholar with a heritage.
During the chaotic times of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the descendants of kings had to become common people farming in the fields, so it was normal for some scholars to become craftsmen.
When Zhu Xiang called Zheng Guo to come, he also called the Mo family and the Nong family who had always been with him.
The originally tight-knit organizations of the Nongjia and Mojia have been disbanded, and Xu Ming and Xiang He are the last leaders.
This was a difficult decision made by Xu Ming and Xiang He in order to pass on the ideas of the Agricultural School and the Mohist School.
They now stay in the Xianyang Academy, hoping to pass on their teachings by becoming professors at the Xianyang Academy, just like Xunzi.
Xu Ming was studying the same hybrid breeding as Zhu Xiang, while the Mohists were studying the physical and chemical knowledge Zhu Xiang had given them. In addition to fulfilling Zhu Xiang's wish to turn technology into knowledge, they were also rewriting books, hoping to turn the simple ideas of the agriculturalists and Mohists into "tools" that rulers could use.
It is sad to become a "tool", but if you are not even a "tool", then no matter how good your ideas are, they are just illusions, seemingly beautiful but actually empty.
They have to accept this.
Although the Nongjia and Mojia schools disbanded their organizations and no longer had a "leader", in the minds of the Nongjia and Mojia disciples, Zhu Xiang was the last "leader" and they followed him voluntarily.
Although Zhu Xiang has no retainers now, he has many servants, and most of them are disciples of these two families who have brought their families in to grab the work.
Qin Wangzhu knew that the organizations of the Nong and Mo families would not disband easily, so for the sake of ruling stability, he acquiesced to this matter.
He is not King Zhaoxiang of Qin, and he will not make all the servants around Zhu Xiang his own people, making Zhu Xiang feel uncomfortable.
After King Zichu of Qin ascended the throne, he let Zhu Xiang take charge of the matter.
Therefore, if Zhu Xiang raises his arms now, the hundreds of servants around him will draw their weapons and tell you what it means to be a socialite among the Hundred Schools of Thought.
Both the Mohists and the Agriculturalists have achieved the achievement that if you are not a Confucian, you are a Mohist; if you are not a Confucian, you are an Agriculturalist.
What's more, there are quite a lot of Confucian disciples around Zhu Xiang.
Zheng Guo's sad face froze when he looked at the two "servants" holding swords beside Zhu Xiang. He dared not be sad and instead put on a flattering look.
"Go ahead, don't be nervous, take a look at the map first, I want to build some irrigation canals in Guangling." Zhu Xiang said, "I heard that you are very talented in water conservancy and irrigation construction. If you do well, I will recommend you to the King of Qin and make you an official."
Zheng Guo's flattering expression froze.
Zhu Xiang smiled at Zheng Guo and said, "I heard that you were a family of craftsmen who served in the government of Han. If you are really capable, you can also serve in the government of Qin. When you go to Xianyang, if you miss your family, you can bring your family here after you have purchased property."
Zheng Guo was in a trance for a moment, and then his tanned and red face showed an excited expression: "Thank you, Duke Zhu Xiang!"
Zhu Xiang said: "This one is Jiao Yun, who is also good at water conservancy and is a scholar who studies Mohist doctrines."
Jiao Yun put down the sword in his hand and nodded to Zheng Guo.
Zheng Guo looked at Jiao Yun's powerful and vigorous posture and broke into a cold sweat.
Well, this guy looks like a disciple of Mohist school, quite fierce.
Zhu Xiang said to Jiao Yun, "You sit down too."
Jiao Yun sat down only after Zheng Guo sat down reluctantly, but he kept the sword on his knees, as if he was threatening someone, which made Zhu Xiang very helpless.
Jiao Yun was not originally Qin Mo, but a follower of the great master Chu Mo.
Qin Mo and Chu Mo discussed a merger. Now that the Mohist organization has disbanded, Chu Mo did not leave and followed Zhu Xiang to Nanqin.
They were originally from Chu and were considered to have returned to their hometown to work.
There are many craftsmen in Qin, many knights-errant in Chu, and many debaters in Qi.
Now Qi Mo is still living a leisurely and comfortable life in the Jixia Academy. Some of Qin Mo and Chu Mo are serving as officials in various parts of Qin State. Those who don't like being restricted stay with Zhu Xiang as nominal servants and actual retainers.
So when it is said that Zhu Xiang did not accept retainers, he actually just did not have the title of retainer.
The King of Qin turned a blind eye, and no one else dared to say anything.
If he talked to Qin Wangzhu, he would just "put it aside for later". Qin Wangzichu, however, just executed him.
There are rumors in Xianyang City now. They originally thought that during the reigns of King Zhaoxiang of Qin and King Renwen of Qin, Changping Jun was already respected by the king. Now that Prince Chu of Qin has succeeded to the throne, and Prince Zheng is following him, they finally know what it means to be extremely powerful.
When Prince Chu of Qin heard such songs during his tour, he nodded frequently.
You are right, you are well said. Zhu Xiang, listen to this and reflect on yourself.
Jiao Yun is the person that Chu Mozhong does not want to be an official. He is very skilled and can draw a strong bow on a galloping horse. Li Mu said that if Jiao Yun went to the north, he would definitely be a good general to hunt down the Hu people. Unfortunately, Jiao Yun is not interested in this and would rather be buried in the dust with his military power.
When Zhu Xiang went to the north bank of the Yangtze River this time, Li Mu specially pulled Jiao Yun, who was chopping meat, out of the kitchen and asked him to change his clothes and serve as Zhu Xiang's personal bodyguard.
Li Mu told Jiao Yun that if the Chu people really went crazy and came to attack Guangling, he must knock Zhu Xiang out and bring him back regardless of whether Zhu Xiang was willing or not.
Jiao Yun did not nod, but only said that he would protect Duke Zhu Xiang.
Zhu Xiang acquiesced to this.
But when he saw Jiao Yun following him with a long sword in his arms, ready to draw his sword at any time, he didn't know whether others were afraid of him or not, but he himself was a little scared, fearing that Jiao Yun would hurt him by mistake.
Although Jiao Yun is a Chu Mo Ranger, that is just a "tendency". As a Mohist scholar, although he is not a well-read person, he is also a "scholar" and not just a fighter.
Jiao Yun had a good understanding of hydrology, water conservancy, geology, etc., and was good at designing boat dams, which overlapped with his technical skills in building irrigation canals.
Li Mu took this into consideration when he chose Jiao Yun to be Zhu Xiang's bodyguard.
Although Jiao Yun might be a little scary because he is used to killing and chopping all kinds of delicious meat in the kitchen, which makes him carry a murderous aura at all times, but when he talks about technical matters, he appears to be very solid and honest, like a completely different person.
Zheng Guo's heart, which had been beating wildly after being frightened, gradually calmed down, and he discussed the matter seriously with Jiao Yun.
The scope of the Yangtze River Delta is much smaller now than it was at that time. Without on-site exploration, Zhu Xiang would not apply his past life's experience to this life. He would just listen and at most talk about his own needs without giving any technical opinions.
Zheng's technology was indeed solid, and he was adept at some of the "black technologies" at the time, such as using flooding to flush saline-alkali soil.
Jiao Yun was familiar with the terrain near Guangling. It seemed that he had stayed here for some time when he was a ranger of the State of Chu.
After only a short half-day conversation, Zhu Xiang could not get a complete plan. He just wanted to test Zheng Guo's ability and let Zheng Guo see his own ability and needs, so as to lay a better foundation for the future.
After Zheng Guo went back to rest with an excited look on his face, Zhu Xiang asked, "Are you familiar with Guangling?"
Jiao Yun's eyes flickered, and he said honestly, "I am from Guangling, but I made an enemy in my hometown, so I fled to Qianzhong County."
He paused and added: "I have no enemies or family members left, so I won't cause any trouble to Duke Zhu Xiang."
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "Look at my position, what kind of trouble can be considered trouble?"
Jiao Yun smiled naively and said, "Indeed. My troubles are nothing compared to the troubles that Duke Zhu Xiang brought upon himself."
Zhu Xiang: “…”
He coughed dryly and asked, "How is Zheng Guo?"
Jiao Yun said: "The craftsman's basic skills are quite solid. It's just that his disrespect for Duke Zhu Xiang is unpleasant."
Zhu Xiang was puzzled: "He was very respectful to me and very polite."
Jiao Yun did not refute and said, "Maybe I am too suspicious."
He thought to himself that it was not the kind of politeness that appeared on the surface. Zheng State did not have a genuine respect for Duke Zhu Xiang.
But this is not a big deal. Perhaps Zheng Guo cannot understand Zhu Xianggong's noble character. He is just an ordinary person and there is no need to care about it.
Zhu Xiang didn't pay much attention to what Jiao Yun said. He continued to chat with Jiao Yun about things around Guangling, thinking about where to start.
When Zheng Guo returned to the courtyard where the craftsmen lived, he was immediately surrounded by his companions.
"Have you met Lord Changping? Is Lord Changping kind?" The companion was extremely nervous.
Zheng Guo pondered for a while and said, "Duke Zhu Xiang does not match the rumors about him in Han, but matches the rumors about him in other countries."
The companion thought about Zheng Guo's words and sighed, "Then I feel relieved."
Zheng Guo thought, not only is it reassuring, but if Duke Zhu Xiang is really the most upright gentleman who can practice the word "benevolence" as other countries say, then their future may be good.
Zheng State did not respect Zhu Xiang from the bottom of its heart.
Not to mention that Zhu Xiang is not money, not everyone will like him. Moreover, this is related to the evaluation of Zhu Xiang within South Korea.
Zhu Xiang became famous because of the Battle of Changping, and the cause of the Battle of Changping was the Shangdang Battle between Qin and Han. Although it had nothing to do with Han by the time of the Battle of Changping, the Shangdang Battle was a battle in which Han almost completely lost the possibility of hegemony, so some Han scholars took their anger out on Zhu Xiang, who gained fame because of the Battle of Changping.
Zhu Xiang's reputation in South Korea is somewhat similar to the evaluation Zhu Xiang saw on the Internet in his previous life: "He has disguised himself for so long and has never been exposed. Judging from his actions rather than his heart, he can be considered a gentleman."
Zheng Guo met Zhu Xiang today. Although it was just a brief glance, he also found that Zhu Xiang's reputation in Han State was biased.
Zhu Xiang was genuinely kind to a prisoner of war like him who had been reduced to a slave, and the conditions he promised were close to what he needed. How could he be a hypocrite
"Duke Zhu Xiang said that if we build an irrigation canal in Guangling, he would exempt us from the slave contract and let us serve the Qin government." Zheng Guo said with a straight face, "This is our only chance, so do it well."
Even if Zhu Xianggong had not made a promise, as slaves, they would have to work hard under the threat of whips. Now that there is a promise, it is better than nothing.
On the first day, they no longer had any doubts in their hearts.
Zhu Xiang moved them to a more spacious place to live, provided them with free paper, pens and tools for work, and brought people to measure their sizes, saying that he would distribute new clothes.
The Qin craftsmen had to behave more energetically so that the Chu people who had just entered the Southern Qin family would have hope in their hearts.
Xue Ji personally led people to measure the sizes of new clothes for the craftsmen.
After returning, Xue Ji told Zhu Xiang that among the widows she had taken to the craftsmen to measure their sizes, several of them had fallen in love with them and asked if she could be their matchmaker.
Zhu Xiang's mouth twitched slightly: "Madam, you decide this."
Xue Ji nodded: "Okay."
Zhu Xiang smiled and lowered his head to continue working on his paperwork. The customs in the pre-Qin period were more open than later times. If a woman liked a man, she would directly ask the host for him. That was good.
The craftsmen sent by Lian Gong not only had their lives improved, but some of them were also introduced to new families by Xue Ji, and they worked even harder.
Most of these craftsmen have wives and children at home, but it is normal to have a new wife and children after moving to another place. Both wives and children will also think it is normal, and they can just live together when the time comes.
Xue Ji asked the women who wanted to marry craftsmen, and they all just wanted to find a support now. They felt that craftsmen had skills and were more suitable than ordinary people.
As for things that will take a few years, ten years or even decades, who among ordinary people can think that far ahead
First, use the man's skills to save more property, and then have a child, so that you will have someone to rely on in the future. As for what happens next, we'll talk about it later. If you can't get along, just separate. Anyway, women now also have land, can set up female households, and can live with children.
Anyway, they think that a craftsman with a skill is better than an ordinary farmer, and family situation doesn’t matter. Madam, please don’t worry about this.
Xue Ji was the person who knew the common people's women best. After asking the woman about her needs, she no longer cared about things that the noble women might care about. She only inquired whether there were any craftsmen with violent tempers. If there were no problems, she would agree.
The women she would bring with her were the most skillful people in the workshop. In the future, if these craftsmen became officials of the Qin government, they would at least be officials and receive salaries. Following this group of people, they would indeed have a better life than ordinary people. No wonder they would be so shy and muster up the courage to ask her for help and seize this opportunity in advance.
Smart indeed.
Zheng Guo also got married, to a childless widow who was good at weaving. He changed his clothes, shoes and hats, and smiled more often.
Now the land is vast and the population is sparse, so there are many empty houses. Zhu Xiang replanned the houses so that the craftsmen who had already started a family could have a separate room to live in, so that they would not live with other people, which was like giving them a small home.
The craftsmen were once again filled with gratitude and their work efficiency increased unprecedentedly.
In just ten days, Zheng Guo redrawn the topographic and hydrological map around Guangling City and came up with his own ideas.
The State of Zheng first wanted to rebuild the Han Canal, which made Zhu Xiang's temple throbbing with pain.
As expected of the State of Zheng, this is a big move that will take at least three to five years to complete.
Zhu Xiang said: "The Han Canal is still in the hands of Chu. You can repair it after Qin conquers Chu."
Zheng Guo rubbed his hands in anticipation: "Duke Zhu Xiang, it's settled. You must recommend me to repair it!"
Now that his current conditions have improved and his future path has become brighter, Zheng Guo's temperament has become much more positive. He no longer calls Zhu Xiang "Lord Changping" in front of Zhu Xiang, and tends to treat Zhu Xiang as his "master".
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "Of course."
Sure enough, building a canal between the Huai River and the Yangtze River is something that everyone involved in water conservancy dreams of.
Perhaps Zheng State even wanted to build a canal between the Yellow River and the Huai River to directly connect the Yellow River, Huai River and Yangtze River.
Sorry, Qin cannot afford this person or money now. I hope Zheng can take care of itself and not ask for too much or have unrealistic fantasies.
Zheng Guo regretfully took out the first irrigation plan.
This irrigation plan is very realistic and only requires the modification of the water network near Guangling City.
Guangling City is surrounded by many lakes and dense river networks, so there is no need to build long irrigation canals, just bring water to the villages.
Zhu Xiang looked at the first plan and really wanted to hold his forehead and sigh.
Why does he feel that Zheng Guo is very much like the second-party engineer in later generations, who first gives the first party an unrealistic plan, and then gives the real plan, just to make the first party deny it to feel a sense of existence
Looking at the first almost perfect irrigation plan, Zhu Xiang didn't believe that Zheng Guo didn't think about the fact that the Hang Canal could not be transformed now.
He glanced at Zheng Guo: "Slippery."
The young Zheng Guo scratched his head, and the smile on his face was a bit slick: "I just feel that the things I can repair now can't show my true ability. I have to show Duke Zhu Xiang my true ability."
"Okay, okay, I already know." Zhu Xiang said with a straight face, "When you finish repairing the irrigation canal in Nanqin, I will recommend you to go to Guanzhong to build a long canal to benefit the thousands of hectares of farmland in Guanzhong. Let's call it Zhengguo Canal."
Zheng Guo asked excitedly: "Duke Zhu Xiang, are you kidding me?"
Zhu Xiang couldn't keep a straight face anymore, he smiled and said, "No. Guanzhong needs to build an irrigation canal anyway, if you can do it, go ahead."
Zheng Guo rubbed his hands in anticipation: "I can do it! Duke Zhu Xiang, just wait! I will definitely show you my abilities!"
Only after watching Zheng Guo excitedly leave with the drawings did Zhu Xiang hold his forehead with his hand.
What do you mean by “Duke Zhu Xiang, you wait”? Are you challenging me to a fight
Jiao Yun, who had to stand behind him as a background, asked: "Duke Zhu Xiang trusts him very much?"
Zhu Xiang glanced at the half heart on the favorability list and said, "I'm very good at judging people. But Jiao Yun, if you want to go, I'll recommend you too."
Jiao Yun immediately said, "No."
Zhu Xiang was helpless.
He believed that Jiao Yun must be very talented, but Jiao Yun was lazy and did not want to be bound by the government. He had no choice but to let Jiao Yun chop meat in the kitchen.
If Jiao Yun hadn't followed him, he would probably have become a full-time butcher and dominated the slaughtering business on an entire street in the county town.
Zhu Xiang asked, "You see, Zheng Guo's spirit and energy have been completely renewed after he got married. Do you want to try to get married as well?"
Jiao Yun didn't even raise his eyebrows: "No try."
Zhu Xiang was like a nagging old woman or old man in later generations, and continued to nag about getting married: "How warm it would be to have someone to accompany you when you go home? If you want to get married, I will personally help you to find a match."
Jiao Yun was helpless: "Duke Zhu Xiang, are you disgusted by my stealing too much food in the kitchen? You must drive me away."
Zhu Xiang had a feudal look on his face, thinking that "getting married" could cure all ills: "No. I think you have talent but don't want to use it, which is a waste. Maybe you want to start a career after getting married?"
He was just a little unhappy that someone like Jiao Yun, who was talented and close to him, could not appear on the favorability list.
In order to dispel the King of Qin's concerns, he deliberately became aloof after entering Qin. He didn't even dare to take advantage of historical celebrities' favorability, and the system was almost useless.
He also wanted to try to pull out corn, sweet potatoes and the like, or maybe a few more varieties of rice, wheat, millet and cotton.
Single varieties of seeds degenerate too easily.
Jiao Yun was unmoved: "No, it's troublesome. Will Duke Zhu Xiang abandon me when I get old?"
Zhu Xiang sighed: "No."
A faint smile appeared on Jiao Yun's lips: "That's it."
Zhu Xiang: "Alas!" Persuasion failed again!
Although his persuasion failed, Zhu Xiang was not very anxious.
The saying "It was corn, potatoes and sweet potatoes that fed 400 million people during the Kangxi and Qianlong eras" is false. The main credit goes to the working people's intensive cultivation of rice and wheat. He is tired of doing this popular science, so naturally he himself would not be superstitious about corn and sweet potatoes.
Corn and sweet potatoes are just like pumpkins and other foods, which supplement the food types of famine and mountain areas. It would be better if they can be drawn, but Zhu Xiang will not care too much if they are not drawn.
Pumpkins and potatoes are actually more suitable for famine relief than corn and sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes in particular seem to have a high yield, but in fact they contain too much water, and when they are counted as food, their weight has to be reduced by five times, which is almost the same as rice and wheat.
But sweet potatoes are really delicious, and the sweet potato tips and sweet potato flowers are also delicious. Zhu Xiang became greedy just thinking about them.
Li Mu had a special liking for pumpkins, and he had planted pumpkins in his mansion in Guangling City, and now they were growing very vigorously. Zhu Xiang went to pluck the pumpkin tips and flowers, and picked a young pumpkin that had not grown yet. After cooking a table of food, he found that Ying Xiaozheng was not there, and he could not finish the food.
Zhu Xiang sighed: "Without Zheng'er burying his head in his food, the food would lack most of its aroma." Zheng'er, the leader in the world of food broadcasting!
Xue Ji laughed so hard that she couldn't straighten her back.
Zhu Xiang said, "If you can't finish it, send it to Fuqiu and Jiao Yun... Oh, Fuqiu hasn't come back yet. Fuqiu said he wanted to travel all over Guangling Mountain Village to collect information about fields and taxes, why hasn't he come back yet?"
When Xue Ji heard Zhu Xiang calling Fuqiu, who was only a few years younger than him, "kid", she laughed so hard again that she couldn't straighten her back.
Food cannot be wasted, and fortunately Jiao Yun is also a big eater.
Zhu Xiang ate a lot and walked in the courtyard to digest the food. When he was tired, he sat on a stone bench to rest. He fell asleep on the stone table without knowing it, but dreamed that he woke up and continued walking to digest the food.
At this time, someone came to visit and walked into this small courtyard full of pumpkin vines and various fruits and vegetables without notifying.
"Duke Zhu Xiang, long time no see!" A surprised smile broke out on the face of the person in the dream, and his voice and appearance were just as graceful and energetic as when he parted with Zhu Xiang.
Zhu Xiang was stunned: "Lord Pingyang?!"
(End of this chapter)