That sounds reasonable, at least on the surface.

With Zhang Qian's current level, coupled with Bi Gou's connections, it doesn't take much effort to find out the specific process of a decision. So, before they fell asleep last night, they sorted out the whole thing.

The first person to propose that he was suitable to be the chief of the Anxi Road march was Cen Xi, the servant of the Ministry of Officials. In the end, it was Empress Wei's grandmother who had just been appointed as the third rank of Tongpingzhang's sect, but it was Dou Congyi, who had just promoted and tried to promote this matter. Zhongshu Ling Yang Qi once vigorously opposed it on the grounds of "insufficient experience and no experience in the army". However, Xiao Zhizhong and Zong Chuke believed that the position of marching commander Shi did not need to command the battle in the first place, and Zhang Shaojian was shrewd, hard-working, and had no contact with all parties before, which was suitable to bridge the contradiction between the two generals, Zhou Yiyi and Guo Yuanzhen, so that the soldiers and horses of the three routes could act in unison.

In other words, Zhang Qian's main task as a marching commander is neither to give advice to the chief manager of Anxi and Zuo Xiaowei's general Niu Shi Award, nor to ensure Zuo Xiaowei's supply of grain, grass and ordnance, but to be a peacemaker. persuade Zhou Yiyi and Guo Yuanzhen to give up their previous suspicions for the time being, cooperate with each other with the Niu Shi Award, and act in unison.

From this point of view, not only will he not encounter any risks, but it will be a good opportunity to "earn qualifications". Therefore, it is no wonder that yesterday afternoon, Niu Shi Award suspected that he took the initiative to ask the relationship to go through the back door to get this errand!

In addition, the marching commander does not need to lead the troops into battle alone. If you bring more than 300 fully armed family members, Zhang Qian, the marching commander, will still die at the hands of the enemy, and it is estimated that Zuo Xiaowei will be almost wiped out if not all the troops are destroyed. And with Suo Ge's strength, it is a pipe dream to want to wipe out Zuo Xiaowei! Unless Zuo Xiaowei was greedy and took the initiative to jump out of the trap carefully arranged by the opponent, and Zhou Yiyi and Guo Yuanzhen both chose to die at that time!

"That being said, senior brother, you don't have any friendship with Cen Xi, and you've only met Dou Huaizhen a few times. Really good things, why should they take care of you? ”

"The point is, senior brother, you have never been on the battlefield at all. The first expedition made a long history of marching. How many soldiers and horses are not in command, but the responsibility is not much less than that of the general manager! ”

Guo Nu and Ren Cong didn't get any comfort from Zhang Qian's words. One after another, the openings pointed out the problem.

"Cen Xi is Cen Wenwen's grandson, known as loyal and selfless." Zhang Qian thought about it, and then smiled and comforted, "He recommended me, it should be because my official position is neither high nor low, and I have no relationship with Zhou Yiyi and Guo Yuanzhen before, so I can be impartial." And before Guo Yuanzhen became the governor of Liangzhou, he had never led a day of soldiers! ”

"Huh?" Guo Nu and Ren Cong couldn't accept this explanation, but they couldn't refute it.

Cen Xi used to be extremely low-key, and he presided over the evaluation of officials in the Ministry of Officials, and he also had a deep reputation for fairness. He recommended Zhang Qian to be the marching commander of Anxi Town, which was impeccable in both procedure and reason. And the imperial court was in charge of military affairs with no experience of civil officials, and it did not start with Zhang Qian. As early as the reign of Wu Zetian, there was a monk Xue Huaiyi who led the army. Guo Yuanzhen, the governor of Jinshan Road, also became the governor of Liangzhou from the position of the main guest lang in charge of the Ministry of Rites and the chiefs of the surrounding ethnic groups.

Nearby, there is also Zhang Renyuan, the general manager of Shuofang Road. Before serving as the supervisor of the Tuthorn Army, this person was just a servant. is also ignorant of martial arts. However, this person quickly went from the position of supervising the army to the governor of Youzhou, the general of Zuotunwei, and the general of Shuofang Dao! (Note: This is the official history, Zhang Ren is willing to turn from literature to martial arts, and his military exploits are outstanding.) And it is deeply valued by the Tang Dynasty. ）

"If the Holy One wants to kill me, he doesn't have to spend so much time at all!" Seeing that the anxious expressions on the faces of the two could not be dissipated, Zhang Qian smiled and continued to add, "As for the others, since we can't escape, let's just make things beneficial to ourselves, regardless of whether their original intentions are good or malicious!" ”

This was the conclusion he came to after careful consideration, Guo Nu and Ren Cong listened to it, and their eyes immediately lit up.

No matter how great Zhang Qian's ability is, if the Tang Emperor wants to kill him, I am afraid it will also be a matter of holy decree. Therefore, from the perspective of the Divine Dragon Emperor Li Xian himself, he definitely didn't want his life, at most he listened to the slander, was dissatisfied with him in his heart, and wanted to beat him. Then, this time, the imperial court arranged for him to be the head of the march in Anxi Town, and he retreated to the level of fighting with the enemy. In other words, it can be seen as another move by an enemy.

Moreover, no matter which enemy's trick is made, this time he only dares to follow the rules of the imperial court, and he does not dare to openly collude with the bandits to shout and kill. Compared with the previous few times, the arrogance has fallen by three points.

"There are some things that I was going to explain to you in a few days. Since you're both here today, let's just change it to today. "Knowing that if Guo Nu and Ren Cong don't find enough things to do, the two will inevitably want to accompany him on the expedition. Zhang Qian thought for a moment, turned around and took out two more manuscripts from the bookcase.

"The two of you have different tasks, but you can exchange views and give each other advice!" After glancing at the two juniors who were confused, he handed over the manuscript to the two of them respectively, and continued to add with a smile, "The third junior, this is mainly my ideas for the application of waterwheels. It mainly involves some basic principles of physics, so it is not too difficult to explain the theory, but how to implement it. In particular, hydraulic drilling, boring, and the sketches I drew are only counted as schematics, and the specific details need to be explored little by little by you with the craftsman. If we can find a successful way, we can make the kind of fire gun in my hand with iron, and it will not be a problem to make one or two hundred branches a day."

"Yes!" Ren Cong's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he nodded decisively and solemnly.

"But the most urgent thing at the moment is not the drilling machine and boring machine, but this." Zhang Qian smiled and snatched the manuscript back from his hand, turned the first few pages, pointed to a very simple sketch and reminded in a low voice, "I call it a screw, a bolt and a nut." On some bronze ware in the East Market, there have long been threaded knobs, which is the same as this reason. However, it is made very small, and the material is relatively soft copper. And the screw I want needs to be made of iron, the minimum thickness is not more than half a minute, and the maximum thickness is one foot! (Note: Archaeology, Tang Dynasty bronzes have bolts.) ）

"Ahh Threads are not uncommon in Datang, and some finely made copper and silver jewelry are often fixed with small bolts. But the screw, which was as thick as a foot, exceeded his cognitive limit.

"Threads are used for many purposes, not just bolts and nuts." Zhang Qian glared at him, quickly flipped back a few pages, and almost at the end, he pointed to a very ugly and complicated sketch, and added in a low voice, "This, I call it a forging press." Use the gear deceleration to slowly rotate the upper mold, so that it passes through the screw and continues to move closer to the lower mold. In this way, the metal plate sandwiched between the two molds will be extruded out of any shape and pattern we need. ”

"I know, if you use this method, the set of dragon armor on the saint can press out the pattern in a quarter of an hour, and there is no need for craftsmen to chisel for five or six days day and night!" Ren Cong immediately came to his senses and responded with a red face.

"Clever!" If Zhang Qian hadn't crossed over, he would definitely be a qualified teacher. After listening to Ren Cong's words, he immediately smiled and raised his thumbs, "But the function I want you to achieve is this." ”

Flipping back quickly, he almost turned the manuscript to the bottom, then pointed to a round cake with a beautiful pattern and a fine zigzag pattern around it, and introduced with a smile, "Pressed gold cake and silver cake, about half a tael or so." Gold should not be pure gold, but contain two percent copper. Silver should not be sterling silver, and it contains half of tin. In this way, one piece of gold bread is exactly ten pieces of silver. In the future, when the firm opened a branch in various places, it would be possible to use gold cakes and silver cakes to settle internally, and there was no need to carry a large amount of copper coins. ”

"This..., don't worry, senior brother, I will work hard." Ren Cong's brain was immediately insufficient, he blinked his eyes and nodded again and again.

"Senior brother, what if outsiders want to use our silver cakes?" Guo Nu is older than Ren Cong, and his experience is wider than Ren Cong, so he immediately whispered next to him.

"Wait until your third junior brother can press out the silver cake!" Zhang Qian glanced at him and whispered, "Don't think so long-term." The reason why extrusion is chosen is because it can reduce the fire loss generated during casting. ”

Seeing Guo Nu's strong desire for knowledge, he hesitated for a moment, and then revealed in a low voice, "It's illegal to mint money privately, we can't do it." But if outsiders want to use our silver cakes, they can sell them to him for 500 Wen Kaiyuan Tongbao. Then it is recycled in semicolons everywhere, and as long as these serrations around the silver cake are not smoothed, they can be recycled at the original price. If someone is in a hurry to do business, they can also exchange the golden cake at this price, and then find the branch of our Liushen Commercial Bank in another place and exchange it back at the original price. But this is a very distant thing, whether it can work depends on the development of our Liushen Commercial Bank, as well as our three senior brothers, whether they can cover it in the future! ”

"Senior brother, don't worry, you can definitely do it!" Guo Nu put away his smile, his hands clasped alternately, and his fingers clucked.

"I know, senior brother, don't worry! I just don't eat and get this out! Although Ren Cong's reaction was slow, he was able to bear the heart and think carefully. And the more he pondered, the more energetic he became.

Senior Brother is right, indeed, if you want to help Senior Brother, you don't have to go to the battlefield. With this little ability, on the battlefield, it is estimated that the senior brother will have to be distracted to take care of it. And if you can follow the instructions of the senior brother and make the screws, bolts, nuts and forging presses as soon as possible, it is equivalent to piercing a knife directly into the heart of the White Horse Sect.

The reason why the White Horse Sect dared to stir up trouble in the Tang Dynasty, but it has always stood tall, is because they can absorb money and lend money, and deposit and withdraw money in other places. And no matter how high the monk's reputation is, it can't be higher than the real gold cake. If we can exchange gold cakes and silver cakes in different places, I am afraid that half of the people who will go south and north to do business in the future will choose to carry gold cakes and silver cakes instead of the three-inch-wide note given by the monk!

When the white horse sect's gold absorption and lending business is unsustainable. This sect full of evil will naturally collapse. It's no longer possible to just change your name and be reborn on the spot!

"You have to eat the rice in one bite, first make nuts, bolts and screws, and then think about forging presses." Zhang Qian nodded to Ren Cong kindly, and commanded in a low voice, "Don't be in a hurry, you are not yet twenty, and your second senior brother and I are only in our early twenties." And our opponents are all dying! ”

"Hmm!" Ren Cong seemed to understand whether he understood or not, but nodded vigorously again.

Reaching out and patting him on the shoulder, Zhang Qian turned his gaze to Guo Nu, who was full of anticipation, "The things in your hands are more complicated than those of the third junior brother, and they are even a little dangerous, so you must be careful." ”

"Senior brother, don't be afraid, I'm smart!" Guo Nu had been waiting for a long time and was itching, and immediately assured loudly. "If I find out that the situation is wrong, I will run away."

"Yes, save your life first, everything else can be given up!" Zhang Qian admired Guo Nu's cleverness, and nodded with a smile, "I have rearranged the method of refining rose essential oil, and it depends on you whether it can be realized or not." Also, when I'm not in Chang'an, I need you to find something called alum oil. In the hands of the Taoist priests of alchemy, there is a method of calcining stone gall to make green alum oil. I need you to try if you can make your own. This thing can't touch people, and if it does, the muscles will burn out and you will be disabled for life. At worst, it can be fatal. So, you can't be too careful! ”

"Understood, senior brother, I'm watching from the side, instructing the dead man to do it!" Guo Nu immediately had an idea and agreed loudly beside him.

If it were normal times, Zhang Qian would have taught him a lesson. But today, Zhang Qian just sighed softly. Immediately, he took out the manuscript from Guo Nu's hand and flipped it quickly, "Alum oil is in our division, and it is called sulfuric acid." Once you've made it, you dilute it with distilled water and put in saltpeter, and you'll see the saltpeter dissolve. When saltpeter is no longer dissolved, what is obtained is nitric acid, and if refined salt is added, the final result is hydrochloric acid. These three acids can be stored in glassware, and when I am not in Chang'an, you try to understand the manufacturing process, and then make two or three hundred catties of each. ”

"That's all?" Guo Nu felt that his task was much easier than Ren Cong, and frowned and whispered in protest. "Big brother, I can still ......"

"The rest is just a few things that aren't very important. You take the time to do it and see if you can make money. Zhang Qian smiled and continued to flip through the manuscript, "For example, if you calcine the lime and sand together, you can get cement." Cement, mixed with sand and cold water to make mud, is almost as hard as stone after solidifying, and it is used to build bridges and houses, and it will not be a problem to last for hundreds of years. And this, with saltpeter and copper basins, to make ice cubes. In addition to the three acids, the other things mentioned in the manuscript, after you have successfully trial-produced, can be transferred to the two firms under your name. Let them pay the royalties the way they were. ”

"Hey, hey!" Guo Nu immediately smiled and nodded again and again.

"The ones you made can also be passed on to the Ren family, the Guo family, and the workshops under the Six Gods Trading House. Also, just let them pay the royalties! Zhang Qian never favored one over the other, and immediately gave orders to Ren Cong.

"Don't worry, senior brother, I won't lose a penny of the money that should be collected!" Ren Cong has long known that when the senior brother is rich, he will never leave the Ren family and the Guo family behind, and he also promised with a smile.

"Then let's all get out and do things!" Zhang Qian also had enough of being a teacher, and drove the two junior brothers out of the study with a smile.

"Hey, hey!" Finally able to help the senior brother, Guo Nu and Ren Cong were satisfied, and promised to leave repeatedly. The door of the study was gently closed, Zhang Qian took a few sips of the water glass, and then sighed softly at the dark clouds rolling outside the window.

In fact, on this expedition, the behind-the-scenes situation is far more complicated than what he said to Guo Nu and Ren Cong.

Perhaps, he really won't go back. However, with a complete set of primitive industrial materials and chemical triacid manufacturing methods left, even if he himself really can't come back, the Anshi Rebellion should not have a chance to happen!

He didn't do this to repay Li Xian's kindness. It's for Datang. For the sake of himself in the 21st century, the strong, prosperous, and prosperous Datang that everyone in the world yearns for.

The dark clouds dispersed silently, and the sun shone on his young face, and the loneliness was clearly visible.