Chapter 647 Unexpected
A few days later, on the banks of the Wei River, a large wooden frame was erected in each river, and wooden wheels were installed on the wooden frame.
Between the wooden frame on the shore and in the water, there is a row of piles facing each other.
A wooden board was placed between the piles to support the bamboo tube filled with water.
Then use thick hemp rope to fix the bamboo tube and connect it to the wooden frame.
As the wooden frame in the river began to rotate, the bamboo tube soaked in the water was slowly pulled up along the wooden board. After passing the wooden wheel on the bank, the water in the wooden tube was poured into the canal.
A small amount of water accumulates into a large amount, and gradually gathers into a channel of water, flowing to a distant place.
“It’s done?”
After working hard for so many days, when it came time to actually lift the water, the old craftsmen in the engineering camp couldn't believe their eyes.
“It’s done!” Feng Yong nodded and gave an affirmative answer, “Didn’t we already make a small model and try it? Didn’t everyone say that it would definitely happen?”
With trembling lips, the old craftsman rushed directly under the bamboo tube, stretched out his hands to hold the water, and truly felt the cool water, then raised his head excitedly.
His face was wet, and he didn’t know whether it was water droplets splashed on it or sweat drops, but more likely tears. “It’s done!”
They all work from the ground, so why don’t they know how important this kind of waterwheel is for farming?
As long as the flow continues, no matter how high the water bank is, water can be drawn up.
With the old craftsman's start, everyone cheered loudly and rushed forward, trying to get to the front and really take a closer look at everything.
Some people even tried to touch the fruits of their labor over the past few days.
“What are you doing?”
Feng Yong shouted, "Can't you see this thing is spinning? Don't you know it's dangerous?"
At once everyone was drunk again.
They looked at Feng Yong with awe in their eyes.
“Everyone spread out, don’t push too far forward, or what if you accidentally knock this thing over?”
Feng Yong waved his hand, and everyone quickly retreated.
“Prime Minister, come and take a look.”
The majestic Feng Langjun turned around, changed his face again, and invited the Han Prime Minister to the front.
Zhuge Liang nodded slightly. Although his face was trying to remain calm, his eyes were always on the slowly rotating waterwheel, and he just walked over blankly.
Because he didn’t pay attention to his steps, he staggered and almost fell.
Feng Yong quickly stepped forward to support him, "Prime Minister, be careful."
Zhuge Liang did not respond. He walked under the waterwheel and finally stretched out his hand hidden in his wide sleeves. Feng Yong standing next to him could clearly see that his hand was shaking slightly.
“Prime Minister, this wooden wheel is spinning, be careful not to get scratched.”
Feng Yong said in a low voice.
"Oh, okay, okay." Zhuge Liang replied, his hand stopping less than three inches away from the waterwheel, as if he was stroking a rare treasure from afar.
“With this thing, there is finally room for relief from the drought in Longyou.”
Zhuge Liang seemed to be mumbling to himself, and seemed to be talking to Feng Yong. The smile on his face became thicker and thicker, and finally he laughed out loud, and the laughter gradually became louder.
Laughter infected the engineering camp standing outside. There were nearly a hundred people, young, middle-aged, and a few old craftsmen. There were nearly a hundred mouths, grinning almost at the same time.
The roaring sound seemed to evoke the resonance of the Weishui River, and it seemed that everything near and far was cheering.
Farmers carrying water in the distance didn’t know what was happening, so they could only look at it from a distance.
Zhuge Liang had laughed enough, then turned around and asked quietly, "Your drawing also said that if you connect the branches, you can use human power to make a vertical wheel, animal power, a crutch, or a foot pedal. , yes or no?”
Feng Yong nodded, "If you encounter a place where the water flow cannot move the wooden wheel, you can attach these three objects to the wooden wheel depending on the situation, and use human or animal power to turn the wooden wheel, and you can also catch the water."
"Excellent!" Zhuge Liang received a positive answer. He held Feng Yong's hand tightly and said excitedly, "This matter is equal to military merit!"
There are thirteen states in the world, Cao Wei alone occupies nine states, Dongwu occupies three states, and the Han Dynasty only occupies one state.
So as the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, Zhuge Liang's biggest task is to explore the potential of the Han Dynasty as much as possible while weakening Cao Wei's power as much as possible.
Everyone present only saw that the waterwheel could alleviate the drought in Longyou, but Zhuge Liang could think further.
In places where the river valleys are too deep for irrigation and farming, or the terrain is too high for water to flow up, can this kind of waterwheel be used to turn wasteland into fertile farmland?
It can preserve more vitality in Longyou and alleviate drought, which can only be regarded as one of the uses of this thing. It can open up more wasteland and produce more grains, which are also huge uses.
“How many of these items can be made in one day?”
"This is not a rare item. If it were replaced by another craftsman, it might be slower, but there are a group of young craftsmen from Nanxiang in the engineering camp, although their craftsmanship is not as good as those of the old craftsmen."
"But as long as they can make something, no matter how skilled the old craftsmen are, they can't make it faster."
Unified scale and unit are the basis for standardization.
Although from the perspective of future generations, the precision of hand-made parts is simply appalling.
But Feng Yong doesn’t care.
As long as the parts error is within the tolerance range and as long as they can be mixed and assembled together, they are considered standardized parts. Are you going to bite me if you don’t agree?
Although this waterwheel was made by a few old craftsmen, the people who built it were all young apprentices from Nanxiang.
It’s not about building a “strong and strong tree”, it’s about standardization. Do you understand standardization?
"Why isn't it rare? This is a rare thing for the people! Soldiers must be sent to guard the waterwheels made this year, and ordinary people are not allowed to approach easily."
Zhuge Liang directly set the policy.
“Prime Minister, why is this?”
Feng Yong was a little confused.
Zhuge Liang said "tsk", "There is a drought in Longyou, and Guanzhong must not be having a hard time. As for Liangzhou, it is even more difficult to get a drop of rain. If they know how to make this thing, wouldn't that be a favor to the enemy?" ?”
“I’m afraid this will only last two or three years at most…”
When Feng Yong heard this, he immediately understood, and then became a little worried.
There is no patent protection law these days.
Even if there is, the thief Cao will definitely not pay the patent fee.
I'm afraid they will hate themselves to death now: first they emptied Guanzhong of food, then burned Longguan, cutting off the road to quickly support Longyou, and finally blocked Zhang He at the street pavilion, allowing Cao Wei to take back Longyou The last hope was dashed.
There is definitely no royalties. It would be polite not to chop yourself into meat paste with an ax or a big knife.
"Two or three years is enough. I didn't expect it to last long." Zhuge Liang didn't expect that much, "Just like the curved shaft plow, if it didn't reach Cao Wei for two or three years, it would be considered as a good effort. "
It is not convenient to spread information these days. Even if a country makes great efforts to promote it and spread it from north to south, it will take at least twenty or thirty years.
Just like a curved shaft plow, even an ordinary carpenter can easily imitate it using wood.
But only in Shu, there is still a strong and powerful person like Zhuge Lao Yao. Five years later, I can only say that it has spread to every county, but it is only a county.
There is a question mark as to how many grassroots units such as townships, pavilions, and li at the county level have been spread.
As for the eight-ox plow, if ordinary people can see it in the village of a wealthy family, it is considered very knowledgeable.
What’s more, something more complicated than a curved shaft plow is a high-tube waterwheel.
More importantly, if the imperial court wanted to promote new things, it did not just issue a document directly, as was done in later generations.
That requires people to transport the physical objects to the place, and then let the local officials discuss with the village elders. At the same time, the court has to send craftsmen who are good at making to follow.
The cost of promotion, production, transportation, and the costs incurred in each link are simply an astronomical figure.
It is simply a delusion without a strong unified government, without a very generous finance, and without a long enough time - this long enough refers to using ten years as the basic unit of calculation.
There are also those village elders and the like. Whether they are willing to accept these new things is also a big question.
The shortcomings of imperial power not going to the countryside were clearly revealed at this time.
Even if the central government has the ability and willingness to bear this cost, if the unscrupulous people below are unwilling to accept your good intentions, you can only just stare and jump.
The government efficiency of the Han Dynasty is definitely higher than that of Wei and Wu. The old demon Zhuge must be very confident in this, so he said this.
“With this waterwheel, I can finally teach my teacher with peace of mind.”
Zhuge Liang had a look of relief on his face.
Tianshui County is the essence of Longyou.
During the Later Han Dynasty, 60% of Longyou's population and grain production were in Tianshui.
Even though Cao Wei began to pay attention to Guangwei County in recent years, Tianshui is still the most important of the four counties in Longyou due to its geographical location and historical reasons.
As long as Tianshui County is stable, Longyou will be half stable.
Moreover, it has been half a year since the soldiers went on the expedition and they won another battle. Everyone is eagerly waiting for the reward of military merit to be truly realized. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are ready to return home, so they cannot delay it any longer.
Thinking of this, Zhuge Liang nodded to Feng Yong again, "You have made the greatest contribution to this Northern Expedition!"
With the approval of the Han Prime Minister, Feng Yong returned to the small courtyard in a happy mood. Zhang Xingyi greeted him with a gentle smile, "You're back?"
Like a virtuous woman waiting for Alang to come home.
“Well, I’m back.”
Feng Yong handed over the small wooden bucket in his hand.
“This is the fish we specially asked them to catch today. We will keep it for one night. After the mud is spit out, I will cook fish soup for Brother Zhang to replenish his health.”
Zhang Xingyi took it and looked inside, only to see small palm-sized crucian carp tumbling together.
When she raised her head, her voice was soft and she said, "Alang is interested."
"Ahem..." Feng Yong coughed dryly, "What did Siniang say? Since I call the Zhang family brother, I naturally treat him like a family member. Isn't this what I should do?"
Zhang Xingyi had a smile on her lips and affectionate eyebrows, "What A Lang said is that I won't be polite to A Lang."
Feng Yong was afraid of her current appearance. He was a little nervous. He didn't know how to reply. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw a man walking out of the front hall. His expression changed, "Old General Zhao?"
Zhao Yun, who had white hair and beard, stood there with a look of disdain on his face, "Why are you grinding so hard? Are you tired of it?"
Zhang Xingyi heard someone suddenly interrupting the communication between the two, said "Yeah", and ran away with a red face.
Feng Yong was left standing there awkwardly, neither walking nor walking.
"You idiot, what are you doing standing there? Do you still want me to invite you in?"
Zhao Yun was already quite old, and he could no longer see the affair between his children, so he didn't bother to care about it. "Hurry up, I have to go to the Prime Minister later."
When Feng Yong heard this, he was immediately excited.
Mr. Zhao, is there something wrong?
As soon as Feng Yong walked into the front hall and sat down, Zhao Yun said directly, "You did well in this Northern Expedition."
“Old General Zhao has given me the award.”
Feng Yong quickly said modestly.
“It’s good, it’s good. In the military, merit is what matters. You have done the most in this Northern Expedition, so there’s no need to be too humble. When serving in the military, sometimes you have to be tough, otherwise others will think you are easy to bully.”
Zhao Yun waved his hand and said, "In this Northern Expedition, I finally see that there are successors to the Han Dynasty. Even if I am now underground, I dare to tell the late emperor that there is hope for the recovery of the Han Dynasty."
Although most of this generation of young men are still very young, it can be seen that they definitely have potential.
As long as the big man can survive the ten-year gap between the old and the new and let them grow up, it will definitely be a peak of talents, and it is impossible to repeat the grand occasion when the late emperor gathered the world's talents.
Thinking of this, Zhao Yun was greatly relieved. He poured a bowl of water and drank it as wine.
After drinking, he wiped the water drops on his beard and asked, "Let me ask you, are you really sure that you can appease the barbarians in Longyou this year?"
Although he didn't understand why Zhao Yun suddenly asked this, Feng Yong still replied, "It is impossible to get all the Hu people to return home, but at least the Hu people in Tianshui and Nan'an can be gathered together."
Zhao Yun listened and nodded, "You always think before you act. Since you dare to say these words in front of me, you must have some idea. Since you can guarantee that the barbarians in Tianshui and Nan'an counties will not make any move, What about Guangwei and Longxi?"
Feng Yong replied: "Longxi is too far away. Although Xiangwu City has been recovered now, the Han Dynasty is unable to take care of the Didao side for the time being, so it can only protect the eastern half of the county first."
"As for the Qiang and Hu people in Guangwei County, they were either moved here with the help of Cao Cao, or they moved in on their own initiative. Cao Cao cared for them a lot."
"I heard that this time the army went south from Jieting, and there were Hu people who responded to Cao's thieves. Therefore, these two counties can only be determined based on the actual situation."
Zhao Yun pondered, then shook his head, "You know better than me about Qiang and Hu matters. Since you said so, I will treat what you said as truth."
"At that time, if the Qiang and Hu in the two counties of Tianshui and Nan'an get into trouble, you will have to take responsibility. As for the two counties of Guangwei and Longxi, as you said, let's take a look at the situation first."
When Feng Yong heard what Zhao Yun said, he was a little confused at first, thinking that you sounded so loud, as if you could control me.
Then he suddenly remembered something and lost his voice, "The old general wants to guard Longyou?"
"I said you are smart." Zhao Yun smiled with satisfaction and nodded. "You can manage an army when you mount a horse, and you can herd people when you dismount."
"Although the Prime Minister has asked you to take charge of the Qiang and Hu affairs, I will have to trouble you in the future regarding the people's livelihood in Longyou. Don't let me deliberately shirk it when the time comes."
Feng Yong's head was pounding, and he couldn't turn around for a while.
Longyou must be guarded by a general. In fact, he has been wondering who Old Demon Zhuge will arrange to come over these days.
Looking at the entire Han Dynasty, there are only three people who are the most qualified and most likely.
The first one is Wei Yan.
He has the experience of being the governor of Hanzhong alone, and he is also the governor of Liangzhou, so he has the greatest possibility.
But what Feng Yong least expected was him.
After all, with that old man’s bad character, Feng Yong really didn’t want to have anything to do with him.
The second one is Wu Yi.
In this Northern Expedition, Wu Yi defeated Shanggui and Linwei. His contribution was not small, and he was also the governor of Guanzhong. At the same time, he was a relative of the emperor and the brother of the empress dowager. He had to guard Longyou, and no one could fault him.
I heard that General Wu has an upright character and likes to make friends with others.
No matter what, my relationship with the palace is not too bad. I will let the palace spread the word when the time comes, and I hope that I will not get along too badly with General Wu.
The third one is Zhao Yun.
This old man has nothing to say. He has the oldest qualifications and the highest status.
But he is too old. Logically speaking, after the Northern Expedition, he should be allowed to return to Jincheng to recuperate. As a deterrent strategic nuclear weapon, he should generally not be dispatched easily.
Otherwise, once you go out, you will definitely attract the attention of the enemy.
The purpose of dividing the troops out of Xiegu this time was to take advantage of the old man's reputation to attract Cao Zhen and the main force of Guanzhong to Jikou, catching Longyou by surprise.
Unexpectedly, among the three, the old man with the least possibility would be chosen. This is really unexpected.
(End of this chapter)