Regenerated rice, also known as perennial rice, utilizes the underground stem biological system to achieve the characteristics of multi-year growth and multiple harvests.
Modern high-yield crops all require the purchase of seeds to prevent seed deterioration and crop failure. In areas where double-season rice can be planted, ratoon rice can reduce the input of seeds and manpower and continue to grow after harvesting.
Compared with late rice and early rice which require a lot of manpower, regenerated rice is easier to promote for double-season rice cultivation.
However, seed deterioration was still a big problem, so Zhu Xiang could only leave behind experimental methods for seed cultivation and hybridization, hoping that after his death, future generations would continue to provide farmers with seeds of sustained high yields.
He is not pessimistic about this.
Any grain crop seeds will deteriorate if planted continuously. In the era without systematic agricultural science, farmers were able to make preliminary seed selections based on their experience, thus continuing the planting civilization for thousands of years.
Don't underestimate the wisdom of the working people.
The trouble with growing regenerated rice is the same as that of double-season rice, both of which require meticulous work and sufficient water and fertilizer.
During the Southern Song Dynasty, double-season rice rotation had become quite common, which shows that the fertilizer demand for double-season rice rotation can be met without relying on chemical fertilizers.
Zhu Xiang knew a lot of "natural fertilizers", including fermented farm nitrogen fertilizer, green manure, humus fertilizer, etc. The initial processing methods of these "natural fertilizers" can also be done with today's manpower. In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there were records of fertilizers being made into "lump fertilizer" and "fertilizer pills" for sale.
In modern society, people want to eat well after being full, and after eating well, they want to eat "pretentiously", so all kinds of "pure natural and organic" gimmicks are rampant, just like various "ancient diets".
However, eating "pure natural organic" is just expensive. No matter whether it is really more nutritious and healthier, as long as it follows the compliant production process, there will be no problem. It can increase agricultural income. If there is such a demand, agricultural technicians will naturally study it.
Zhu Xiang and other people from the Agricultural College shook their heads and sighed that it was unnecessary, but they happily sold "organic food" in their own college. When they were doing research, they often had to use "organic" food. Who wouldn't be happy to have extra research funding now
This is not a conflict, not at all.
At that time, Zhu Xiang, who was so happy, had no idea that he would go back two thousand years to make real "pure natural organic food".
Natural and organic fertilizers, natural and organic pesticides, natural and organic manual weeding... Zhu Xiang thought that if he could go back to the modern era, he would be allergic to "organic" for the rest of his life.
Rice cultivation is much more troublesome than traditional millet, sorghum and millet. It is a delicate crop that yields higher the more you care for it.
Rice is also a rare food that can be planted continuously. After other food crops are planted continuously for many years, the soil will deteriorate. However, one of the most suitable soils for rice cultivation is called "paddy soil".
As the name suggests, paddy soil is soil formed by long-term cultivation of rice and is the most important arable soil in my country.
With such characteristics, after the Southern Song Dynasty, rice cultivation in the south gradually surpassed wheat and became the main food crop in the south. The pattern of rice in the south and wheat in the north was officially formed.
Although Chuyue and other places now grow rice, millet and beans are still the main crops. The same is true in Shu County.
The students who followed Zhu Xiang said that there is a lot of knowledge in rice cultivation, which is indeed not an exaggeration.
They never knew that there were so many details in farming, nor did they know that they needed to learn so much knowledge if they wanted to increase food production.
Just manually pollinating the rice flowers and understanding the reproduction and development of the plant shocked them for a long time.
For example, flowers originally came from plants, so they felt a little awkward when sending flowers.
"It's complicated, but it's also simple. Just do it a few more times, and it becomes a habit, and then it becomes experience." Zhu Xiang squatted on the ridge of the field, stroking the rice flowers, and said, "But we who do agricultural research are different from farmers who make a living by experience. We need to know not only the facts, but also the reasons. Only by deeply studying the principles can we draw inferences from one example and maintain food security."
"It is very important to cultivate improved varieties and protect original varieties. No one knows when pests and diseases that can affect the entire variety will appear. Only by replacing new seeds with replanting in time can we quickly solve the famine."
“For people all over the world, nothing is more important than having enough food to eat… than not starving to death.”
Zhu Xiang paused for a moment and changed "eat enough" to "not starve to death".
It is too early for people nowadays to have a full meal.
"But although this matter is important, few people are willing to do it because it is too hard and not prestigious." After Zhu Xiang finished teaching, he smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. In the future, you can do what you like. As long as you know the importance of this matter, pay a little more attention to it when you are an official, and encourage those who cannot be officials to do it, that's enough."
Zhu Xiang patted the dirt on his hands and led the students to continue observing the fields.
There are many diseases and insect pests in rice, so you can't relax even if it has bloomed. For example, rice blast can occur throughout the rice growth period.
When rice is flowering, node blight may occur on the rice nodes, causing the rice to break; neck blight may occur on the neck of the ear, causing the ear to wither and turn white; even if grains are finally formed, grain blight may still occur.
In modern times, pesticides can solve most problems; now, we can only rely on prevention, which is basically difficult to cure.
Seeds need to be disinfected when sowing; rotten weeds and rice stubble should be cleaned up when planting; when using manure, natural potassium fertilizers such as plant ash should be added; pay attention to the planting density to ensure that the rice gets enough sunlight...
That was all the farmer could do. After that, it was up to fate.
If there is continuous rainy and foggy weather, the probability of rice getting sick will greatly increase, and farmers can do nothing but pray.
The only way to solve this problem is to conduct scientific research and develop modern pesticides.
Nowadays, everyone talks about pesticides, but farmers cannot do without pesticides. No one can guarantee that the crops will not get sick during the entire planting period.
While introducing rice pests and diseases and their prevention and control measures, Zhu Xiang lamented that there was no better way and more research was needed. He alone could not do so many things.
In this era when the only purpose of studying is to become an official, who can bury their heads in the fields and do these important things for the farmers and the people of the world
Perhaps we can only wait for a prosperous era.
"Let's unify the world first. We have to take it one step at a time." Zhu Xiang sighed, "Zheng'er, you have to work hard."
Ying Xiaozheng wrinkled his nose and said, "A generous reward will always bring about a brave man. The talent that my uncle wants will definitely appear as long as I offer him a high position and a generous salary."
"Hahaha, that's not necessarily true. To do these things, you have to be able to endure loneliness. Even if you get a high position and a generous salary, you may not have the time to enjoy it. But at least it's better than nothing." Zhu Xiang tapped Ying Xiaozheng's wrinkled nose, "As long as you value it, it's fine."
"Humph." Ying Xiaozheng touched his nose and said, "I can also order the south to grow rice!"
Zhu Xiang laughed: "Don't give this order. If you force farmers to plant crops they are not good at, wouldn't you become the King of Zhao today?"
Ying Xiaozheng's face froze, and then fell.
Zhu Xiang picked up Ying Xiaozheng and flew him around twice: "But my Zheng'er is so young that he can think of the policies that King Zhao is promoting now. It's already amazing."
Ying Xiaozheng was so angry that he stretched out his short hand to hit Zhu Xiang's shoulder: "Uncle, don't insult me!"
Zhu Xiang: “Hahahaha.”
The students, who were originally a little frightened after listening to Ying Xiaozheng's overly domineering words, became much more relaxed when Zhu Xiang laughed.
Even if Prince Zheng was a potential tyrant, so what? As long as Duke Xiang was around, Prince Zheng could not be a "tyrant".
Ying Xiaozheng overheard the students' conversations and danced on his uncle's back at night.
Now he is six years old and can no longer dance on his uncle's belly, but he can still dance on his uncle's back for a long time.
"Uncle, if I really became a tyrant, would you be angry?" Ying Xiaozheng asked innocently.
Zhu Xiang enjoyed his nephew's back-patting service while laughing: "Zheng'er, it would be strange if you didn't become a tyrant, right? Is there anyone in your Qin family who is not a tyrant?"
"Huh? My father can also be counted?" Ying Xiaozheng tightened his chin, his little face showing a look of extreme disgust and contempt, "Father is so weak!"
Zhu Xiang laughed and said, "It's not that only those who can fight are called tyrants, nor are those who kill indiscriminately called tyrants. Those who are arbitrary, appoint cruel officials, and rule the country with harsh laws are all tyrants. The world has just been settled, and the people's hearts are unstable. The old nobles of the six countries are ready to make a move. If you don't become a tyrant and don't use harsh laws, how can you stabilize the situation in the world?"
Ying Xiaozheng stopped stepping on Zhu Xiang's back and sat on it, wondering, "I didn't expect my uncle to support me in becoming a tyrant."
Zhu Xiang said, "I don't support it. But my ability is limited. At most, I can help you plant the land and increase the grain production. How to govern the country, how to use the army, how to deal with those who oppose you, I can't give you a perfect suggestion on these matters. I believe that you are much more talented than me in this area. So if you do it, as long as it does not harm the people excessively and is justified and beneficial to the country and the people, your uncle will not object."
Ying Xiaozheng asked: "What is a 'tyrannical act' that is justified and beneficial to the country and the people?"
Zhu Xiang said: "This requires you to watch more, listen more, think more, and draw your own conclusions. Other people's opinions always carry their own thoughts. What you see with your own eyes and hear with your own ears are your thoughts. You are still young now, and you can still observe the world for a long time under the wings of your elders. There is no rush."
Ying Xiaozheng sighed: "Okay."
He slipped off his uncle's back, crawled into the bed, and kicked his uncle, trying to push him out of the bed.
Zhu Xiang immediately started a battle with Ying Xiaozheng for the bed. In the end, the two childish people ended up in a draw and enjoyed the warm bed together.
Ying Xiaozheng occupied the place where Zhu Xiang had warmed up, and then served as a heater for Zhu Xiang.
Win-win.
When spring comes, the dry season is over.
The data collected by Li Bing is almost complete, and he has invented many useful tools during his experiments.
For example, three logs are tied together to form a "杩槎" to intercept water during the dry season.
Three logs were tied into a large triangular support, on which a bamboo cage was placed. The bamboo cage was stuffed with pebbles to stop the flow of the Minjiang River during the dry season.
Logs, bamboo cages and pebbles are all locally sourced and easy to obtain, saving costs.
Although the King of Qin gave enough support, Li Bing asked for a high budget. But when he was doing it, Li Bing calculated carefully and tried to save every bit of manpower and material resources.
After Li Bing selected the site for building the water diversion dam, prisoners who arrived one after another established settlements nearby.
That was the later "Guan County", which was the prototype of "Dujiangyan".
The laws of Qin were strict and there were many prisoners. The reason why Qin was not a completely feudal state was because of the large number of prisoners.
The unearthed bamboo slips from the pre-Qin period revealed that the land tax in Qin was very low, and at most it was similar to the period when Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing of Han were recuperating. However, Qin was engaged in wars for many years and needed a lot of food and grass. Obviously, such a low land tax could not cover the military rations of Qin.
The "secret" here is the prisoner.
According to the Qin bamboo slips, the difference between the grain consumed and the land tax collected in a certain county was several hundred kilograms. The land tax was only a fraction of the grain consumed. The bulk of the grain revenue came from the free farming of the prisoners.
The prisoners worked for the Qin Empire for free. They were not slaves of the King of Qin, but slaves of the entire Qin Empire.
So Qin Shi Huang could easily mobilize 600,000 people to build the Great Wall. But conscripting laborers was not so easy.
These prisoners all brought their families with them. The fifty thousand prisoners sent by the King of Qin represented tens of thousands of families.
They built villages and towns near the water diversion dams, worked and cultivated land, and lived and multiplied here.
As long as there are no natural disasters or man-made calamities, and as long as people's strength is valued a little, the number of these prisoners will never decrease.
Li Bing also conscripted 10,000 prisoners in Shu County. Together with the laborers, the number of people on the construction site reached as many as 70,000 to 80,000.
After learning that Li Bing had started the project, Zhu Xiang immediately took the students from the academy and Ying Xiaozheng to study.
He also contributed his first-grade elementary school nephew to do the abacus for Li Bing, and brought students from the academy to manage and check Li Bing's daily financial expenditure.
Ying Xiaozheng felt that his uncle was planning something bad again, but he just wouldn't tell him and insisted that he find out on his own.
He also held back his efforts and didn't ask his uncle, but tried to figure it out on his own.
Li Bing also discovered what Zhu Xiang was planning, and that he was not just here to help him, so he pulled Zhu Xiang aside and asked him secretly.
Zhu Xiang did not keep Li Bing in suspense. He asked, "Li Bing, do you think these prisoners are miserable?"
Li Bing asked, "Do you want Zheng'er to have sympathy for the prisoners and reduce their punishment?"
Zhu Xiang smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Prisoners live much better than civilians."
Li Bing was stunned: "What?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Surprised? Think about the treatment of prisoners and civilians, and think about their daily food and clothing."
Li Bing pondered, his brows gradually furrowed.
Zhu Xiang put his hands behind his back and looked at the artisan settlement that was already taking shape as a town with a few lights on. "Whether the prisoners were farming or doing corvée labor, the government would regularly distribute food and clothing. If any of them had a skill, they would be recommended as officials. They could even serve the nobles directly."
"Farmers who perform corvée labor need to provide their own travel expenses, food and clothing. You know how expensive travel expenses are. When we entered Shu, the cost of a single person's carriage and horse was almost the salary of a county governor without food and drink for three months. We are traveling at public expense, so we don't think it is expensive."
"The farmers' wealth is not enough to support them to provide their own travel expenses, food and clothing during the period of corvée service. At this time, they need to borrow money from the government. Oh, you also know the interest rate of government loans."
Zhu Xiang closed his eyes, the fire in front of him disappeared, and his vision fell into darkness.
"Every time the government imposes corvée labor, it is also a time for usury. After the corvée labor, how many farmers are burdened with debts, and how many farmers sell their land, families, and themselves?"
"Ordinary civilians have no chance to serve the nobles and be recommended as officials. Even if they have the opportunity to be promoted by serving in the military and making meritorious contributions, it goes without saying how difficult this channel is."
Zhu Xiang slowly opened his eyes, and flashes of fire appeared in front of him again.
"I think that Qin State does not regard civilians as Qin people at all. Instead, those prisoners are the real Qin civilians. The reason why Qin State is so stable now is only because of the conflict among the seven states. If there is a place without war, civilians can endure all the suffering and exploitation."
"But what happens after the world is unified?"
Zhu Xiang waved his sleeves and sneered, "They don't treat the Qin people as Qin people. After unification, Qin's enemy will not be the six countries, but the Qin people."
Li Bing was silent for a long time, then sat down on the hill, looked at the fire in the distance and said, "Why don't you just tell Zheng'er?"
Zhu Xiang sat down with Li Bing and said, "Zheng'er is a true king. He won't listen to advice given by others directly. He will only listen to what he thinks out for himself."
Li Bing smiled bitterly: "You really have to worry about raising your nephew."
Zhu Xiang said: "I am raising a king who will unify the world, so of course I have to take care of him. But Zheng'er..."
"Stop, stop, stop. I know you're going to praise your housekeeper for how well-behaved, smart, and considerate she is." Li Bing covered his ears and said, "Stop praising her. My ears are getting calluses from hearing her praise."
Zhu Xiang said: "If you are jealous, you can also praise your Erlang."
Li Bing: “… Get lost.” Zhu Xiang had just been serious for a while, but now he was not serious again.
The two of them looked at the fire and the night quietly for a while. When they felt the night air entering their bodies and became a little cool, they stood up and walked down the mountain.
"I want to distribute clothes and rations to civilians as well."
"If you distribute them directly, you will definitely be impeached. They will say that prisoners have no income from land, so they are given food and clothing. Farmers have, so farmers should provide their own."
"I'll find a way. Even if I can't give them the same rations and clothing as the prisoners, a little subsidy would help ease their burden."
"That's right. It's better to do something than nothing. Let me think... maybe we can come up with some kind of reward or subsidy."
"Yes, that's right, I am the biggest traitor in the history of Qin."
Li Bing teased Zhu Xiang, and Zhu Xiang, adhering to his usual attitude of "no one can harm me as long as I harm myself", once again defeated Li Bing in the verbal battle.
Ying Xiaozheng rubbed his eyes and stood on tiptoe waiting for his uncle to come back from his walk so that he could make him a midnight snack.
After finally seeing Zhu Xiang, Ying Xiaozheng jumped up on the spot and waved his hands vigorously: "Uncle! Zheng'er is hungry!"
Zhu Xiang laughed and scolded: "Are you a little pig? Eating too much at night will cause indigestion! Wait for me to make you some soup to fill your stomach."
Li Bing held his forehead with his hand: "You know that eating too much at night will cause indigestion, but you still don't change the habit of letting Zheng'er eat supper at night, you are really..."
Zhu Xiang's attitude towards Zheng'er always fluctuated between strictness and doting, and Li Bing really couldn't understand Zhu Xiang's way of raising a child.
He wanted to learn from Zhu Xiang and teach his naughty child well, but he really couldn't learn Zhu Xiang's parenting style.
Ying Xiaozheng proudly led a group of students from the academy to continue serving as clerks, thinking about the difficult question posed by his uncle - what exactly did his uncle want to tell me
Zhu Xiang temporarily served as a blasting instructor, providing Li Bing with technical support and safety supervision for blasting.
In order to maintain as much secrecy as possible, Zhu Xiang introduced an assembly line, with craftsmen only responsible for one step of gunpowder preparation.
Although anyone who is willing to learn secretly can still try out the steps, this is the best way to keep it secret. The same method was also used in the production of armor in Qin.
The manufacture of weapons was not a secret, but armor was. Therefore, in the Han Dynasty, powerful families could privately keep weapons, but keeping weapons and armor privately was equivalent to rebellion. Whenever they wanted to raid someone's house, there would be cruel officials who would report that someone had hidden so many sets of armor in his mansion.
When they were preparing to blast the mountain, Li Mu, who was busy forming a new cavalry, arrived late.
Although he was very busy, he could not miss the first use of gunpowder. He also wanted to use gunpowder to capture cities.
The location of the holes before gunpowder blasting is similar to the location of quarrying with a drill rod.
Zhu Xiang personally carried out the first blast. Wearing leather armor and a helmet, he placed the prepared black powder bag into the pit, lit the fuse, ran back a few steps, and lay down.
There was a loud bang, like thunder roaring out of nowhere, which frightened the nearby craftsmen so much that they were stunned. Then they knelt down and begged the mountain god not to punish them for opening the mountain.
"This power... is OK." Li Mu was the bravest and jumped forward to observe the hole that was blown up. "As Zhu Xiang said, it is unlikely to blow up the city wall and gate of the capital."
Li Bing looked at the horrible hole on the ground, then glanced at Li Mu, who was full of regret, and said from the bottom of his heart: "I don't understand what you generals are thinking. It's already terrible!"
Even though he had done the experiment before, Li Bing couldn't help but feel his hands and feet going numb when he saw this scene again.
No wonder Zhu Xiang always emphasized "safety, safety, and safety." If the construction had not been carried out strictly in accordance with the safety procedures formulated by Zhu Xiang, who knows how many people would have died.
People are not as hard as rocks. If this explosion happens, I guess there won’t even be a complete body left!
"Let me try!" Li Mu was not only not afraid, but also eager to try.
"Okay, after you light it, run back immediately, and fall down after dozens of heartbeats while protecting your head." Zhu Xiang said, "If you are not sure of the time, just count to seven or eight times and you will fall down."
Li Mu was puzzled: "Why don't you use the shield to block in front of you and hide behind it directly?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Now they are too scared to form an effective cooperation. Some people who hold up shields may not give way in time due to fear. So we first select courageous and cautious people to serve as blasters, and they are responsible for their own safety. Although the efficiency is lower, it is safer. Then we can slowly train people and improve work efficiency."
Li Mu nodded: "I am brave and cautious, leave it to me!"
Zhu Xiang wanted to say something but stopped.
Future Wu'an Jun, you now don't look like a courageous and cautious person, but more like a naughty child who is eager to play with cannons.
But Zhu Xiang still believed in Li Mu, and Li Mu did not disappoint him. The second blast went smoothly.
Seeing that his two friends had come forward, Li Bing also went forward reluctantly.
Zhu Xiang put his hands to his mouth and made a trumpet shape: "If you are afraid, don't force yourself!"
Li Mu said sincerely: "If you are afraid, don't go. What if you make a mistake?"
Zhu Xiang: "Don't go. I won't laugh at you for being timid!"
Li Mu: "Mockery? How is that possible?"
Li Bing was so angry that his hands stopped shaking and he completed the third blast in one go.
Zhu Xiang burst into laughter. Li Mu scratched his head, not knowing what Zhu Xiang was laughing at, nor why Li Bing was angry.
Although other well-trained blasters have gone through many experiments, they are still very nervous and scared when they really start working.
But the three nobles were the first to explode, and they became bolder.
With rags stuffed in their ears, they lit the fuse very skillfully, much more skillfully than Zhu Xiang, Li Mu and Li Bing.
After observing, Li Mu went forward and tried a few more times, and figured out a blasting method that was more efficient and more suitable for people with agility.
He was now studying and experimenting with this in preparation for the introduction of gunpowder bags into warfare.
Zhu Xiang had mixed feelings about this.
But in the end he let out his anger, not only did he not object, he also gave Li Mu some advice.
He also put forward suggestions for improving the crossbow. Although he was not clear about the specific improvement methods, he had put forward the demand and provided a research direction. The success rate of craftsmen in finding improvement methods would be much higher.
He also proposed the manufacture of catapults and the use of gunpowder and kerosene instead of stones.
These are ancient siege weapons, and perhaps they could replace the method of blowing up dams to block rivers and flood cities in order to capture the capitals of the six kingdoms.
The six states will certainly be destroyed, and the capital will certainly be attacked. By using these methods to break the city, the suffering of the people will be slightly reduced.
Li Mu listened to Zhu Xiang's advice with a complicated expression.
He wanted to interrupt Zhu Xiang, but looking at Zhu Xiang's serious eyes, he suppressed his mood and closed his mouth tightly, keeping all of Zhu Xiang's suggestions in mind.
"I won't take credit for you." Li Mu said later, "These are all my ideas."
Zhu Xiang took a deep breath and said, "Thank you."
He also knew that his persistence was strange, cowardly, and even hypocritical, but people always tend to choose a lifestyle that makes them more comfortable, and fortunately his relatives and friends indulged his willfulness.
After becoming familiar with blasting, the mountain excavation proceeded in an orderly manner.
When the craftsmen learned that the thunderbolt from the blue sky was not a punishment from God but a mountain-opening tool that they could also master, they went from being terrified to inexplicably excited.
Zhu Xiang didn't quite understand their excitement, but it was a good thing that it increased their enthusiasm for work.
The amount of gunpowder was insufficient, and Li Bing did not dare to let too many people know how to use it. While the blasters were blasting the key mountain walls, the craftsmen were also using primitive methods to move and dig rocks in other places.
For example, one of the measures is to heat the rocks with fire and then pour cold water on them to make the rocks expand as they heat up and contract as they cool down.
Craftsmen carried stones down the mountain on their shoulders and hands. These stones will be used to build water diversion dams in the future.
Although Li Bing formulated stricter safety regulations under Zhu Xiang's advice, the craftsmen were easily lax, and coupled with fatigue and the lack of any safety measures at that time, people were injured on the construction site every day.
Skin injuries are very common, and broken bones basically mean death.
Dujiangyan is great. But there were no scenes of enthusiasm and excitement during its construction. Instead, there were only slave laborers carrying stones and soil and struggling to move on the broken earth under the whip of supervisors.
Even though Li Bing told them the benefits of building the dam when he mobilized them before the project, most people just did what they were ordered with numb and sad expressions, wasting their lives step by step and bit by bit.
Zhu Xiang witnessed these scenes with his own eyes, remembered them all, and also observed them with Ying Xiaozheng.
People in later generations or those who were not present at the scene, when reading the written records, will always point out the way forward, express their opinions, and shout out lofty words such as "achieve great achievements in one lifetime" and "the sins committed in this present will benefit future generations".
So what is the cost
The cost is not them, they can't even see the cost.
Among those fallen servants were men, women, even old men and children. They were injured, bleeding, and lost their lives.
When they leave, they may disappear quietly and alone, or they may have friends and family crying for them.
They may not have many dreams, but survival is the instinct of all life.
Who can so easily say, "The sins of this generation will benefit future generations"? Only those who do not know the price and cannot see the price.
Li Bing is not such a person.
He looked at every person who fell and ordered their remains to be burned. Some of the ashes were sent back to their hometowns, while others were buried on the spot.
He supervises the payment of every pension, but there are always times when the pension cannot be found to the payee.
He collected medicinal herbs, invited military doctors, and implemented the policy of subsidizing common people as laborers as much as possible.
He went from being reluctant at first to being numb in the end. But when Zhu Xiang saw the fire in Li Bing's eyes, he knew that Li Bing was not numb, but just hiding his tears deep in his heart.
Li Bing was a man with conscience, someone who did not look like an aristocrat.
Therefore, in history, he devoted his life to the water conservancy construction in Shu County, and the projects he built that benefited the people were not limited to Dujiangyan.
In the Warring States Period, it was a rare character for officials to "love the people" and "benefit the people", because in the eyes of the nobles, "common people" were not human beings.
Li Bing actually treated the common people as human beings, wanted to do something for them, and wanted to reduce the flood disaster in the Chengdu Plain as much as possible. So when he saw the death of the laborers, it was impossible for him to remain indifferent.
He is someone who knows how heavy the price is and can feel this heaviness.
That's why Zhu Xiang fully supported him and temporarily put down his work to accompany him.
Zhu Xiang knew that the Li Bing in history could have survived on his own, and would have spent the next few decades dealing with the mountains, rivers and streams in Shu, and would have died of exhaustion on a water conservancy construction site.
But now that he has become Li Bing's friend and is right by Li Bing's side, he should share the heavy burden of these costs with Li Bing.
"So many common people have died. If I can't save more common people, I will be a sinner." Li Bing said to Zhu Xiang, "I must succeed."
"You will definitely succeed." Zhu Xiang said, "I also support this, you are not alone."
Li Bing's increasingly heavy face showed a rare relaxed smile: "That's right, at least you are here to share the responsibility with me. If something happens to me and I can't continue this project, I hope you can help me. I believe my judgment is absolutely correct!"
Zhu Xiang said: "Don't worry, you definitely won't need me."
Ying Xiaozheng held his uncle's hand, looked up and listened to the conversation between Li Bing and his uncle, seeming to be thinking about something.
He hid his thoughts deep in his heart, along with many of his experiences, just like a seed, waiting for the opportunity to sprout, bloom and bear fruit.
After the mountain opening entered the process of operation, Zhu Xiang left some students from the academy to help, and took Ying Xiaozheng away from the construction site and returned to Chengdu City to help Li Bing deal with the spring plowing matters.
Li Bing was busy building water conservancy projects, but the county magistrate had other things to do.
In history, Li Bing would have taken on the responsibility himself, or at most let his family and staff share the burden. Now Li Bing waved his hand and let those who are capable do more work, and the spring ploughing work was just right for Changping Jun.
Zhu Xiang agreed good-temperedly.
"Zheng'er, the work of a county governor is sometimes similar to that of a monarch. You should try to rule Shu County first and gain experience in ruling Qin!"
Ying Xiaozheng held in silence the county governor's seal that Li Bing had given to his uncle.
He asked sincerely: "Uncle, does Uncle Li Bing know about this?"
Zhu Xiang said: "He asked me to temporarily take over as the county governor, so he should have guessed that I would do this."
Ying Xiaozheng kept taking deep breaths.
Although he is only a county magistrate, he can certainly do the job easily. But letting a child be the county magistrate, you, uncle, are overconfident in me!
No, this is not a question of peace of mind.
"Uncle, I'm only six years old!" Ying Xiaozheng said what teacher Li Mu, who had already left, often complained about, "You are bullying me! You are bullying a child!"
"Then go and report me." Zhu Xiang showed an evil smile, "Go quickly and report me to your great-grandfather. You can also report me to your great-grandfather or your grandfather."
Ying Xiaozheng said: "I'm going to complain to my aunt!"
Zhu Xiang laughed loudly: "What a pity, you can't sue now. Go and get busy, little county magistrate!"
Ying Xiaozheng was so angry that his face puffed up into a puffy shape.
Although Ying Xiaozheng was not really angry about his uncle asking him to be the acting county magistrate behind the scenes, his uncle's attitude was really irritating!
"It's just some clerical work, no different from your daily study of books." Zhu Xiang said after laughing, "You can also rest at home for a while. You worked hard on the construction site."
After all, the food and accommodation on the construction site are not as comfortable as at home. Ying Xiaozheng followed Zhu Xiang around and lost a lot of weight, and his belly was no longer bulging.
However, Ying Xiaozheng has gained a lot of weight. I guess he is not really thinner, but just taller and stronger.
"Not hard." Ying Xiaozheng really didn't feel it was hard. How could his uncle let him suffer
"Uncle, I have the answer to your question." Ying Xiaozheng almost forgot about it. "Why do I think the treatment of prisoners is better than that of commoners? Isn't this encouraging people to commit crimes and become prisoners? But the lives of prisoners are basically survivable now, and cannot be worse, so the treatment of commoners should be improved."
Ying Xiaozheng pondered for a while, prepared a draft, and continued: "The food and lodging of the laborers should be provided by the government, and the travel expenses can be subsidized by the government. Although this will increase the government's expenditure, it will allow more laborers to return home alive to farm. Otherwise, serving in the army is equivalent to death, and the number of common people will continue to decrease, and the source of soldiers will collapse."
"Furthermore, the rebellion of the Zhao army at Changping proved that if the common people are pushed to the extreme, they will die anyway, and there may be civil unrest. Now there are rebellions everywhere, and they have nowhere to escape, so they can still endure it. If the world is stabilized, there will always be people from the six countries who try to rebel in the short term, and those who are in civil unrest will become their source of soldiers."
“It can be seen from this that although there is an additional burden on the national treasury, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.”
Zhu Xiang praised: "Zheng'er is smart! Really amazing!"
Ying Xiaozheng curled his lips and said, "This is what I really think, but my uncle probably doesn't want to hear this. Although the conclusion may be the same, my uncle probably wants me to see how difficult people's lives are."
Zhu Xiang picked up Ying Xiaozheng and rubbed his still soft cheek: "What I saw was how difficult the people's lives were, that was my thought; Zheng'er saw the fear of unrest among the people, that was Zheng'er's judgment. Zheng'er understood my thoughts and made his own judgment, so he got full marks on this question!"
Ying Xiaozheng hugged Zhu Xiang's neck, put his face on Zhu Xiang's shoulder and muttered: "Hmm, hmm, Zheng'er always gets full marks, alas."
(End of this chapter)