Ten months later, Liang Miao, a man from Southern Han, received a letter from former Prime Minister Lu Qiongxian and brought the Mulan Boat Map and a wooden model boat to Beijing. He was immediately summoned by Guo Shao in person.
All the civil officials claimed to know about the Mulan boat, but they knew nothing about its structure. When Guo Shao heard that the displacement of this boat could reach 1,500 tons, he immediately felt like he had found a treasure.
Guo Shao, together with the commander of the Jiaolong Army Han Tong, the guest envoy Li Xin, the southern Han Chinese Liang Miao, and officials from the Jiangning Shipyard, studied the wooden model to see if it could be improved to include side guns.
After a careful inspection, Han Tong said: "I think we can put a layer of cannons. The cross section of the keel of this ship is a conical V, which should be used to strengthen the hull and withstand the wind and waves during long voyages. However, the middle part of the hull is small, so the cannons can only be placed on the first layer under the deck."
Guo Shao heard from the Military Affairs Department that the armaments of Dongdao were poor, so he did not want to make too high demands at the moment. A row of side guns was enough to deal with his enemies at sea. Guo Shao ordered the shipbuilding workshop to learn from the sails and other structures of the Arab ships and transform the Mulan boat into a main battleship.
Soon, the Goryeo envoys arrived in Daxu again by sea. Guo Shao asked Lu Duosun, the Minister of Rites, to receive them, because Lu Duosun had made friends with the Goryeo people several times and might have more experience.
After meeting the Koreans, Lu Duosun reported back: The Koreans requested Your Majesty to send troops to the northeast of Liao. I heard that the Koreans moved their people to manage the Western Capital Pyongyang and had long coveted the old land of Bohai, so they must have come for this. The envoys asked the Xu army to occupy Yingzhou, and then allowed the Great Xu Kingdom to build a port and station troops in Jeju, Tamra County.
Guo Shao said unhappily: Are you bargaining with me
Lu Doson was silent for a moment, then bowed and said: I'm afraid that's the case.
Guo Shao took out a rough map that he had drawn based on the information from the spy merchants. He was afraid that the shapes of some islands were wrong, but the approximate distances and environments should be similar. In his opinion, Tamra was more important and should be occupied first.
It was not long since Goryeo conquered Tamra, so the place should be relatively desolate, but since it was once a country, it must have supplies such as food, fresh water, and livestock. The Jiaolong Army set out from Jiangning Port, firstly, it could have a transit point on the sea for rest and replenishment, and secondly, it could have a foothold close to Japan, so it could advance and retreat calmly and obtain intelligence more easily.
Guo Shao just said: We cannot go to war with Liao for the time being, as the finances cannot afford it.
He immediately asked Lu Dosun to recommend two envoys to go to Dongdao of Goryeo. The envoys going to Dongdao could re-establish official exchanges between Central Plains and Dongdao, and at the same time, they could learn more about the other side's geography, culture and armaments.
Guo Shao was busy meeting with officials from various government offices until the evening. When he actually started planning the mining, he found that it was not easy. It seemed like a long way to go, but the problem he encountered was like quenching thirst.
This made Guo Shao feel a little anxious. He looked at the ship model on the table for a long time, and gradually calmed down. The beautiful hull and sail seemed to be a symbol of hope.
After the You hour, Guo Shaocai left Jinxiang Hall and took a carriage to Zide Hall in the harem.
Just after passing the main hall, he saw his son Guo Hong, who was only a few years old. His young body was shoveling the soil with a shovel. Guo Shao was surprised and walked over to ask: Guo Hong, what are you doing
Guo Hong raised his head, his face covered with dirt. He looked at Guo Shao and called out childishly: "Father, I am planting trees. Mother said that when I grow up, the trees will grow taller too."
Guo Shao was thoughtful after hearing this, and suddenly he remembered that he had planted a tree when he was in Jiangning Prefecture. At that time, he was inspired and said it was the tree of the empire, and he talked about the truth to promote his ambitions.
He touched Guo Hong's head and said with a smile: "Trees really grow slowly. It's getting dark. Let's dig them tomorrow."
Guo Hong seemed to be still in high spirits, looking reluctant.
Guo Shao did not scold or order him, but said with a smile: "Hong'er, come with daddy, I will make you something more interesting."
When Guo Hong heard this, he threw away his shovel and dragged Guo Shao away. The two men, one tall and one short, walked from the corridor to the back yard, and the eunuchs and palace maids around them all looked on.
Guo Shao asked the eunuch to fetch a hatchet, and he cut a bamboo in a bamboo forest and started working. Guo Hong stared at him with wide eyes, curious about what he was doing.
Soon, Fu Ermei came to the courtyard after hearing about it. She asked from a distance: "What is your Majesty doing?"
Guo Shao said without turning his head: It will only take a moment. It’s a simple toy and doesn’t take much effort.
He first cut a piece of hard bamboo tube, with an open end and a bamboo node on the other end; then he used the hard bamboo to cut a strip of bamboo like a clockwork spring.
Three holes are made on the bamboo tube. The first hole is smaller at the tail, and the bamboo strip is inserted into it to fix it, just like a rivet. The second hole is in the middle, a long hole, which is convenient for the bamboo strip to move forward and backward. The third hole is at the bottom of the long hole, and one end of the bamboo strip is put into the long hole, and a part of it extends out of the third hole, just like the trigger of a gun; but this trigger is not pulled, but pushed upward.
Guo Shao finished the work in the time it takes to stick up an incense stick, then picked up a stone and put it into the bamboo tube. With a push of his index finger, the stone was bounced out by the bamboo strips and flew more than ten steps away with a snapping sound.
Guo Hong jumped for joy when he saw this and held out his hand: "I want to play, too!"
Guo Shao handed it to him, put the stone in again, and said: Put your finger here, aim, and release.
With a snap, the stone hit the tree trunk. Guo Hong was so happy that he had so much fun that he forgot about planting trees.
Guo Shao watched the child running around in the yard looking for stones, and the smile on his face gradually faded. In a trance, he seemed to see his childhood self. This bamboo spear was taught to him by his grandfather.
When he turned around, he saw Fu Ermei looking at him with red eyes.
Guo Shao asked in confusion: What happened
The second sister looked up at the child and said, "Tell the eunuch to watch over him and let Hong'er play first. He couldn't put down this new toy for a while. She pursed her lips and thought, "My husband has been busy from morning till night and is tired.
Guo Shao said casually: What I should do. He murmured again, I just want to do what I should do well.
The two of them sat down in a pavilion in the yard, watching the children play and chatting casually. As the sky gradually grew darker.
Guo Shao looked at Fu Ermei's beautiful and gentle face, and suddenly felt that this scene was very pleasant.
The second sister said softly: My husband has done a great job. I often hear people praise you as a wise and virtuous ruler.
Guo Shao laughed it off. In his own court, is there anyone who dares to say in public that the monarch is a tyrant and a weak ruler? He pondered for a moment and said: I usually spend most of my time on official business. However, sometimes I dream of my dead brothers and ragged people. So I can't get over it and enjoy myself. Many people died for my achievements and ambitions, and many people's hard work and harvests were taken away. I can't live entirely for myself and can't feel at ease.
The second sister said: My husband should put state affairs first.
At this moment, Guo Hong ran out of the yard. Fu Ermei shouted: "Hong'er, it's time for dinner, where are you running to?"
Guo Hong shouted: Go find my brother and show him my bamboo spear.
After saying that, he ran out of the yard. Fu Ermei stood up immediately, then sat down again with a frown, and glanced at Guo Shao: It's a good thing that the two brothers get along well, but now that Hong'er has shown off to the imperial concubine, the imperial concubine is afraid that the emperor is partial to her.
Hey, Guo Shao couldn't help but look at his second sister a few times and said with a smile, "My second sister is sometimes thoughtful."
Fu Ermei whispered: How can I not understand everything about how sisters get along with each other
Guo Shao said: I will go to the Imperial Concubine's Palace tomorrow night and make one for Zhang'er as well.
He sighed slightly and held the second sister's hand. The second sister's hand did not move, but her face flushed and she whispered: It's in public, the palace servants saw it.
Guo Shao smiled and didn't take it seriously.
As the sky darkened, the buzzing of mosquitoes in the grass and trees in the yard became more obvious, so Guo Shao went into the house with his second sister. Summer was gradually approaching, and the windows between the palaces were also equipped with screens. In the copper tripod inside, incense was burned to repel mosquitoes, which was much better than staying outside.
Soon two women came in with tea, one of them was Yuqing. Guo Shao slept with Yuqing that night, and at this moment he could not help but look up at her. She still had a veil on her face, and she was also secretly looking at Guo Shao. When their eyes met, Yuqing's face turned red.
"Have some tea, Queen." Another maid brought out the teacup from the wooden tray.
Guo Shao also reached out to take the teacup from Yuqing, but his mind was slightly distracted, so he placed his hand on the back of Yuqing's hand. Ding Dong, the cup lid suddenly shook, making a sound when it hit the ceramic. The second sister turned around and saw that the teacup was already in Guo Shao's hand. Guo Shao looked as if nothing had happened.
Yuqing turned her back to her second sister and glared at Guo Shao.
Guo Shao thought to himself: I really wasn't teasing you, it was a complete accident.
However, the slight inadvertent skin contact made my heart move, which was more subtle than the intimate experience that night.
The two women bowed slightly, took a few steps back, turned around and walked out of the door.
The second sister leaned forward, moved closer and whispered: It seems that my husband has conquered Yuqing.
Guo Shao said helplessly: We all obey the Queen's wishes.
I'm not jealous. Fu Ermei smiled and said, "But I think my husband is really amazing. I was a little worried that day. I didn't expect you to be able to conquer someone like Yuqing."
Guo Shao did not comment, thinking: It is difficult for a young lady who has lived in the deep palace for a long time to
He pondered for a moment and said: "The Queen can issue an imperial decree to stop selecting women to enter the palace. There are so many palace maids and eunuchs in the palace now, which is enough for the palace. There is no need to waste manpower."
He also didn't quite understand why the ancient emperors had to have so many women in the palace at once. Even if they were extravagant and licentious, they probably wouldn't even look at most of them.
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