"In the fall, the Leaf Breakers are going to fight too, right? If so, I'd like to stay in Shattered Leaf City and help you look after your home. After being silent for a long time, Luo Huaizu suddenly said quietly, his voice full of sourness.

It's a reluctant choice. He can give up assassinating Li Xian, he can forget those hatreds, however, he is unwilling to fight for Li Xian, and he is even more unwilling to sacrifice his life and forget death on the front line, just so that Li Xian can have fewer regrets in his heart when he dies!

Zhang Qian understood his choice, thought about it, and nodded with a strong smile, "The Broken Leaf Army is a part of the Anxi Army, and it will definitely have to fight." However, there is no room for loss in Broken Leaf City, and it would be best if Uncle Shi could stay and help me take care of the house. ”

After a pause, he continued to add, "If Uncle Shi still feels uncomfortable in his heart, he can also prepare for going to Tianzhu now." Uncle Black Powder already knows how to make it, and I can also write to Uncle Shi about the method of making the dragon car. In addition, I can also prepare a sum of money and food for Uncle Shi to recruit subordinates, with a maximum of 3,000 people. Beyond that, I'm afraid I won't be able to supply enough food! ”

"You want to chase me away?" Luo Huaizu's face suddenly turned red, and his eyes were full of anger. "The old man is so unpopular with you? Old man ...... for you"

"Uncle Shi, you know I don't mean that!" Knowing that this moment was the most sensitive time for the other party, Zhang Qian gently pressed Luo Huaizu's shoulder and motioned for the other party to stay calm, "I can gain a foothold in the Western Regions, and Uncle Shi's credit accounts for at least half of it." For this, I have always been very grateful in my heart, otherwise, I would not have given the gunpowder formula to my uncle in advance. However, it is precisely because of my gratitude to Uncle Shi for his great help that I don't want to let Uncle Shi do things that I don't like."

Hearing him say it sincerely, Luo Huaizu felt a little better in his heart. However, after hesitating for a moment, he shook his head and emphasized stupidly: "It's not that I don't like it, the old man is here to complete the deal with you, not Li Xian." The old man promised you five years! It's only been more than a year, and the old man won't be untrustworthy! ”

Afraid that his words would not be convincing, he hesitated again, and his voice suddenly turned higher, "The old man has made a promise and never regretted it." There are still three and a half years, and it can pass in the blink of an eye, and the old man can afford to wait! In addition, the old man also has to keep an eye on you, lest you be accidentally killed and ruin your master's education! ”

"Then I'll thank Uncle Shi!" Knowing that the old guy was purely hard-mouthed at the moment, Zhang Qian smiled and bowed his hand to this person, "If Uncle Shi is willing, you can call all your disciples to Broken Leaves." While I'm alone in Broken Leaves, they will change their names and settle down again, and then they can come out and do things publicly, and they don't have to hide and hide anymore! ”、

"You said it yourself!" Luo Huaizu immediately turned his anger into joy, and his eyes widened and he knocked on the bricks and nails, "After the old man called them over, you must make sure that they are safe and sound!" ”

"As long as they don't work under my rule, then I won't ask what they used to do." Zhang Qian didn't think about it, and happily agreed, "If they have the ability and reliable character, Uncle Shi can also recommend them to be officials." From Broken Leaves to Xingumo, I have ruled five or six cities, and now there is a shortage of people almost everywhere. ”

This is a true statement. At the end of last year, in order to thank Zhang Qian for saving his life, the Niu Shi Award swept the pen and placed the place from Broken Leaf City to Sanhekou, which spans the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains and has a radius of no less than a thousand miles, all of which were assigned to the governance of Broken Leaf Town. Of course, his old man was well-intentioned, but he ignored a very "cruel" problem, that is, Zhang Qian was neither born in a big family nor from the Tang Dynasty.

If there is a large-scale family behind him, after Zhang Qian became the guard of Broken Leaf Town, he didn't need to open his mouth at all, and the family could send him enough staff to prevent "fat water from flowing into the fields of outsiders". If he was born in Jiangmen, Zhang Qianjun's uncles and uncles would also search for talents to help him solve his urgent needs. And now, there are a lot of vacancies under his command, but he can't find suitable people at all, and even the captains like Guo Jing and Ren Qi who lead the troops have to be driven to the shelves and sent out to serve as the guardian of a city.

In order to cope with this embarrassing situation, Zhang Qian began to write letters last winter, asking Zhang Ruoxu, He Zhizhang and two elders for help. However, when the two elders replied promising to help, they very tactfully reminded him not to put too much hope in him. In these years, in the eyes of most Tang people, the Western Regions was a wild land, and usually only officials who committed crimes would be relegated there.

At this time, in Chang'an City, although there are many scholars, there are few who have a long-term vision. Most people would rather throw scrolls around in Chang'an City, looking for an opportunity to wear yellow clothes and copper, rather than go to the local area and wear scarlet gold. Not to mention going to the Western Regions thousands of miles away to sleep in the sand and snow! (Note: Yellow clothes and copper clothes, earthy yellow clothes, and copper belt buckles are the clothes of the unpopular officials in Beijing.) And the crimson robe and gold belt are from Wupinzhou to drive the robe, which is higher than the county order)

Since through the hands of He Zhizhang and Zhang Ruoxu, there were not enough "talents" recruited, Zhang Qian had to find another way. Anyway, the talent he needs is not a "rich and rich five-car" generation. It is enough to be literate, popular, know how to learn, and not have much room for morality.

From this point of view, the children of the Mo family are of course very good candidates. Although there are many idealists among the children of the Mo family, the children of the Mo family never despise craftsmen. In Zhang Qian's planning, Broken Leaf City will definitely take the road of primitive industrialization, and the children of the Mo family are here, so they don't have to worry about finding a place to use it.

Unexpectedly, after Luo Huaizu heard his promise, he hesitated for a while before grinning with difficulty: "You are open-minded, so you are not afraid that in the future, all the people in Broken Leaf Town will be full of my disciples and grandchildren, and you will be directly put in the air?" ”

"Uncle Shi laughed, first of all, I believe Uncle Shi will not do this." Zhang Qian shook his head with a smile, "Secondly, Uncle Shi's apprentices and grandchildren are also Tang people. Third, since I dare to ask my uncle to call my brothers and nephews over, it means that I am sure that Broken Leaf Town will not be out of my control. If I can't do that, how will I deal with the prying eyes of the big cannibals in the future?! ”

"Huh?" Luo Huaizu frowned again and groaned in a low voice. After a moment, he sighed and shook his head, "That's right, Qi Mo is just a sect, but on the other side of the mountain, it is a country of great food." If you can't even deal with me, how can you deal with the big cannibal who is eyeing you? ”

After that, without waiting for Zhang Qian to respond, he stretched out his hand suddenly, and he gently patted his forehead, "I know, you have no fear!" There are at least 30,000 people in Shattered Leaf City today, and they are the slaves you rescued from the Turgish tribes. They all want to set up an immortal tablet for you, whoever dares to murder you, unless they kill you all at once, otherwise, without your order, the people in Broken Leaf City will tear him apart alive. ”

Zhang Qian smiled, neither agreeing nor refuting, lowered his head, and continued to fiddle with the bronze parts on the table.

Luo Huaizu is well-informed, but his judgment of human nature is too idealistic. However, based on the knowledge he has learned and the history of various countries in another time and space, Zhang Qian has long understood that gratitude is just an emotion, and it is difficult to maintain it for a long time, just like happiness, sadness, and anger.

If the wealth of society as a whole does not continue to increase, the disappointment of most of those who had been slaves will quickly outweigh their gratitude for their rulers. And the ruler himself and his subordinates can easily transform from idealists to new slave owners.

The fable of the dragon slayer boy sitting on the corpse of a dragon and growing horns and scales is more than a fable in another time and space. In fact, this kind of tragedy has actually happened in many countries in another time and space, and it has been repeated over and over again. And if you are a slave, in Zhang Qian's view, there is no difference between being a slave of the same race and being a slave of a different race.

Zhang Qian has long known that in Broken Leaf City, many people are setting up immortal tablets for themselves. However, he didn't dare to pin his safety and the future of Shattered Leaf City on the gratitude of the people. His real dependence was, is, and will be for a long time to come, these bronze parts in front of him.

In his eyes, these more and more refined parts mean the continuous progress of technology, the substantial improvement of production efficiency, and a new production mode to replace the past agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing and hunting. It means that human beings can obtain abundant food and huge wealth by relying on machinery, and no longer need to go to the sky to eat, let alone knock the bones and marrow of their fellow tribes.

According to the summary of human experience in another time and space, Zhang Qian believes that when most people have benefited from the progress of technology and production methods, they will unconsciously form an alliance, and whoever wants to do something against their interests will be ruthlessly crushed into powder. And he himself, as long as he becomes the leader and promoter of this alliance, he does not have to worry about being overshadowed by some ambitious guy with conspiracy and means. The members of the alliance will judge for themselves who is harming their interests, and then weed out careerists like a white blood cell elimination virus.

"I can write to some people, but don't have high hopes." Seeing that Zhang Qian didn't pick up his stubble, Luo Huaizu thought that he had accidentally uncovered his real hole card just now, hesitated, and promised with a little apology, "Qi Mo didn't have many people originally, but in order to push Li Xian to the throne, he suffered heavy losses. Those who survived were hiding in Tibet, and it was not easy for me to find them. ”

After hesitating for a few more breaths, he tentatively added, "Otherwise, I'll call some friends on the green forest road to come over." Do you give them a chance to wash their hands of gold? Although those people were mixed, they were caught by the government, and most of them were only sent to the side of the army. Maybe not as far as the broken leaves. ”

This proposal is really a bit bold. After Zhang Qian heard this, he immediately frowned again. After thinking about it for a while, he responded in a low voice, "Yes, but Uncle Shi has to check it in advance." Don't do the most heinous crimes, don't have a bad reputation, and don't ask about anything else if he wants to come, and what he has done in the past, I won't ask about it. However, if someone turns over his old accounts in the future because of a case he did in the past, he will expect me to stand up for him. ”

"Look at what you said, when I Luo Huaizu was on the green forest road, I was also known as a hero, how could I make friends with those bandits who did all kinds of evil!" Luo Huaizu rolled his eyes angrily, but he understood that Zhang Qian's promise was already the limit of what he could bear in this position, so he first complained in a low voice, and then took the initiative to overturn his previous proposal, "Forget it!" Accept them, and it will be easy to drag you down. When the time comes, if someone impeaches you for harboring a thief, you will lose more than you gain. ”

When the words fell, he himself was stunned again. secretly said in his heart, why did the old man start to think about him everywhere? He is not the disciple of the old man, and he still declares that Qin Mo and Qi Mo are not the same family all day long?

was confused, but Zhang Qian whispered, "Then there is only one way left to take the public exam." You can't stand on such a large territory, but you can't even build a shelf for an official mansion. In that case, over time, it will become the next Zhou Yiyi, with the title of a Western Regions Strategy, but he will become a rootless Ping. ”

"You want to open the imperial examination?" Luo Huaizu Rao was bold, but he was also taken aback by Zhang Qian's plan, and blurted out the words of questioning. "You are crazy, in case someone reports it to the imperial court, with Li Xian's suspicion, although he is already terminally ill......"

"It's not an imperial examination, it's just a local examination. It is equivalent to the year-end exam of the state and county in Chang'an. Zhang Qian was stunned, and then shook his head with a smile and denied, "The local examination in other places is to select talents for the imperial court, and the winners are recommended to go to Chang'an to participate in the imperial examination." We are short of people here, so we can only do special things. As long as you pass the local examination primary, you will be awarded an official position in Broken Leaf Town first, and then report to the imperial court!

"That's doable. At least nominally, it makes sense. Luo Huaizu thought for a while and added casually, "If there is really no one available, you can also open a academy, just like when you were in Weinan." It's just that the effect is a little slower, and there are no three or five years, and I can't see the results. ”

"Then take a two-pronged approach, first take the exam and hire a batch of emergencies. The rest is slowly cultivated through the academy. Zhang Qian's reaction was very fast, and he immediately made relevant adjustments according to Luo Huaizu's suggestion. No, the first batch of students who passed the exam were sent to the academy first to learn how to handle daily affairs. After three months, the corresponding positions will be arranged according to their talents and specific performance. ”

"Well, in this way, the people who have been cultivated will definitely be easy to use!" Luo Huaizu was so impressed when he heard this, he nodded with a smile.

"I'm the mountain chief myself, uncle, are you willing to be the deputy mountain chief? Normally, I don't show up. The day-to-day affairs are all taken care of by you. If Uncle Shi wants to teach some Mohist knowledge, I won't interfere. Zhang Qian pondered for a moment and continued, looking at Luo Huaizu's eyes full of expectation.

"Me? That's good! Luo Huaizu hesitated for a moment and nodded lightly again. Looking at Zhang Qian's gaze, it became softer and softer.

He suddenly understood a little why he took the initiative to think about Zhang Qian. Although Zhang Qian never admitted it, Qin Mo and Qi Mo were one family. However, many of the things Zhang Qian does on a daily basis are secretly in line with the ideas that the Mohists adhere to. In addition, Zhang Qian's way of doing things is becoming more and more in line with his appetite. Although he looks cautious, at the critical moment, he is very bold. Only then did he sit on the Broken Leaf Town Guard for a few days, and he actually thought of opening a court without going through the imperial court.

"The broken leaf is a remote place, and it has to be done specially. Therefore, the four subjects of Ming Jing, Ming Calculation, Ming Law, and Ming Shu, as long as they are passed, can be awarded official positions. In addition, craftsmen, weavers, farming, herding and other industries, if there are outstanding people, can also enter the academy, after training to confer official positions. As for the Jinshi test, there are students who are willing to rush to Chang'an to serve the imperial court, and the government subsidizes all his travel expenses. Zhang Qian didn't think about it as much as Luo Huaizu, so he just followed his own thoughts and said.

What he wanted to refer to was actually the civil service examination system in another time and space. In the 21st century in China, although the imperial examination has long been abolished. However, the civil service examination is very popular. For no other reason, any government needs a job of small officials. The higher the degree of modernization, the more managers are needed. However, these managers do not necessarily have to be able to quickly adapt to the local environment and implement the instructions of their superiors to the greatest extent possible.

"You're the town guard, you have the final say." Luo Huaizu didn't understand why Zhang Qian even had to be drawn into the ranks of officials by selecting the best craftsmen, langzhong, farmers, and shepherds, but when he wanted to form his own team as quickly as possible, he frowned and echoed in a low voice.

"Then Uncle Shi worked harder and helped prepare for an exam. Don't make the questions too difficult, it's too difficult, I'm afraid that no one will be able to pass the exam. "Wang Han went to Sanhekou to sit in the town, Wang Zhilian went to Yezhicheng, and now Zhang Qian has no one to use, so he has to let Luo Huaizu work harder.

"I ......" Luo Zu instinctively wanted to refuse, however, seeing Zhang Qian's tired face, the words came to his lips and swallowed again, "Forget it, count the old man who owes you." If you have anything else, even if you throw it over, the old man will carry it all for you in one go, so that you don't have to tire yourself to death. ”

"Not for the time being!" Zhang Qian smiled and exhaled a long breath, "When Wei Dao and Mu Nanfeng come, Uncle Shi will be able to relax a little easier." Right now, I would like to ask Uncle Shi to work hard. ”

As he spoke, he turned his gaze back to the bronze pieces in front of him. While pondering, a trigger, a coil spring, a few gears, a grinding wheel, a small armature iron, and a special iron frame are carefully combined.

"What is this?" Luo Huaizu looked curious, and also knew that his cheap nephew rarely did useless things, so he couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"Lighters!" Zhang Qian smiled and took a flint with tweezers and put it on the armature. Immediately, hold the instrument you have just put together in your hand and gently pull the trigger.

The trigger retreats, pushes the gear to rotate, accumulates force through the coil spring, and outputs the force from the other side of the coil spring, pushing the armature, and at the same time driving a gear, making a pleasant friction sound.

The second gear drives a third, slightly smaller gear, which rotates at four times the speed of the former. The metal cylindrical grinding wheel, welded to the third gear, also rotates at four times the speed. When the armature fell, the flint came into contact with the high-speed rotating metal columnar grinding wheel, and in an instant, a series of brilliant sparks were rubbed out, "da......"

Zhang Qian's face was quickly illuminated by Mars, and the joy on it was like a fake.