In this era a thousand years ago, transportation was inaccessible, except on foot, and the main means of transportation, namely horse-drawn carriages and boats, were no longer available.

It's just a land route, it's not easy to walk, and in the territory of the Han Dynasty, the wide roads don't add up to many miles. Therefore, it has greatly hindered the flow of goods and the exchange of people in various places in the north, south, west and east. But there are so many rivers that you can take advantage of.

Yuan Zhao has long recognized this problem, and in his future plans, vigorously developing water transportation has become a very important thing.

On the water near Chang'an, there are naturally boats, but they can only be regarded as fishing boats. Occasionally, transport boats pass by, but the heavy wooden boats require a dozen strong men to paddle them to move slowly.

When Yuan Zhao returned to Chang'an, he once went to the craftsman's prison, and he wanted to see what level of shipbuilding technology had reached in this era. The official of the craftsman supervisor was still very talkative, and received the little marquis warmly, and took out all the information he wanted to see, and let him read it.

However, after Yuan Zhao saw it, he didn't get anything to gain, so he can be said to be very disappointed. Because, such a level is too backward. It can be said that since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, shipbuilding technology has only been inherited, and there has been no innovation at all.

According to the current conditions, if you want to make an engine, it is a whimsical thing, and Yuan Zhao will not even think about it. But if you just build a few sailboats, you can still make them with a little more thought and effort.

So, after a few days, a picture of a simple boat appeared on the large table in the chamber, drawn on plain silk.

The master's father, Mr. Yan's eyes widened, and he looked over and over again the small model that Yuan Zhao had made of bamboo, wood, and satin. And the rest of the crowd was also amazed. I don't understand how such a strangely shaped boat can move on water.

It has always been known that the larger the plank floating on the water, the greater the buoyancy and the more stable it is, so the boat will be made with a flat bottom, supplemented by oars on both sides, and move forward smoothly.

However, the graphics drawn by the little marquis and the model in front of him subverted everyone's cognition. The shape of the whole ship is different from that of all current ships, the bow part is pointed, the cabin is designed to be extremely deep, the bottom of the ship is not flat but triangular, there is a wide deck, and only a pair of oars are set in the front half and the stern part of the ship. The most strange thing is that there are several tall wooden poles erected in the middle of the body, and attached to them is a piece of cloth, which can be put away with the upper and lower levels, but I don't know what it is for.

In Yuan Zhao's explanation, everyone learned about this latest type of ship for the first time, and its name is sailboat. It can be driven by the wind, supplemented by oars, regardless of the wind or the wind. And it has a wide range of uses, both passengers and goods can be carried, and if it is equipped with weapons, it can be used as a warship.

Yuan Zhao was just explaining as usual, and he didn't notice that the people listening next to him had already dropped their eyes in shock!

"Little Marquis, this, this...... If you put such a wide shape at the top and narrow at the bottom, if you put it in the water, won't it capsize? ”

In the world, we have become accustomed to many commonplace things, thinking that they should be like this, so when we see innovation and change, the old thinking naturally cannot immediately discover the benefits of new things. Even a man of great intelligibility like the Lord Father Yan is no exception.

Yuan Zhao smiled faintly, he didn't explain too much, because there are some principles, he said now, and others won't understand them. And to convince others, you just need to let them see it for themselves.

The experiment with the model boat was carried out in the artificial lake dug on the Changle Plateau. There were many onlookers, and in a look of astonishment, after putting it into the water, the little sailboat, sailing with the wind, smoothly and quickly, in a while, went from one side to the other. Even if someone deliberately stirs up waves on the water with wooden planks and other objects, it is still as smooth as ever, not affected in the slightest, let alone capsizing.

The results of this experiment are naturally convincing to everyone. An even more unexpected gain is that when they heard that the little marquis was going to build a shipyard and start the official construction of this kind of sailboat, many people signed up.

Now there are tens of thousands of people living in Changle Yuan and its surroundings, and they all rely on the fiefdom of Changle Hou. Among them were thousands of farmers who belonged to his food estate, the original Liuyun Gang, and some distant refugees who later defected.

Yuan Zhao didn't treat them separately, as long as they weren't some vicious people, he could take them in, because there would be places to employ people in the future. Naturally, he doesn't have to worry about these things, and the master father Yan and Zhao Yuan and others will handle it properly.

The first Liuyun gang members who were forced to stay on Changle Plateau for labor reform later stayed behind, except for a very few who were allowed to leave. But they are no longer forced, but willingly.

Most of these people who were originally mixed in the gang were just trying to make a living. They are not fools, compared to the days when the day was precarious and they would die if they didn't get it right, the stable life now is simply the difference between heaven and earth.

Although it takes some effort to do the things that the little marquis commanded, no one will be dissatisfied anymore, because their efforts will be rewarded. The little marquis will pay each person according to their ability. In the words of the little marquis, this is the salary they deserve.

Whenever it is the day to distribute money, holding the heavy money bag in the hand, everyone feels extremely down-to-earth in their hearts. No one doesn't want to live a good life, and now the little marquis has given them a hope, how can they not cherish it!

Moreover, there are many people who have greater ambitions in their hearts, and everyone knows the ability of this little master. The smiling master Mr. Yan, when he reasoned with everyone in his spare time, once said a sentence, and everyone who had a heart firmly remembered it.

"Although the blue fly is small, it can be attached to the tail of the Kunpeng, and it can also reach the North Sea!"

Oh, yes! This sentence really goes to the heart of the person, although he has no chance to take off for the time being, but as long as he follows the right master, who dares to guarantee that the humble present cannot have a brilliant future?

There are not a few people who have this kind of thought. Yuan Zhao does not reject others from having this kind of thought, and he needs such followers, no matter what their original identity is, as long as they follow behind him loyally and do their best to complete the things they have given. Such people, he will naturally give them a future.

Yuan Zhao once remembered that someone once said: "God has sprinkled wisdom on the world, and everyone has equal opportunities." It's just that some people are covered by a layer of cognitive obstacles on the top of their heads, and they haven't played it out for the time being. ”

He thinks this sentence is very true! Where do people come from? Virtuous and foolish, high and low, what kind of achievements are achieved, it is only a matter of whether there is an opportunity or not.

In history, for thousands of years, are only those who have left their names in the history books worthy of being outstanding people? The pearl is left in the grass, and the sword is in the rusty box! There are people who have never met talents, who have done nothing all their lives, annihilated among the plants and trees, and are not known to the world, which cannot but be said to be the greatest sorrow.

Therefore, since coming to this era, he has never dared to despise anyone. He will treat everyone who is kind and serious about doing things with sincerity. Maybe behind an ordinary face, maybe there will be a magnificent world.

It is with such feelings, screening and selection, using its strengths, in a short period of time, Yuan Zhao has gathered all kinds of talents around him, and Changle Yuan has developed to its current state.

The backbone of the shipyard is all from the original Liuyun Gang. In the land of Jianghuai, there were originally gangsters who ran for transportation, and they were all experts in boats. After seeing the new sailing ship of the little marquis, they have long been itching, which is their specialty!

There are a lot of talents, and there are even more wood! On the neighboring Jungnam Mountain, ancient trees are towering, and primeval forests are everywhere. Shipbuilding conditions, so convenient!

Under the personal guidance of Yuan Zhao, the first batch of ten sailing ships was completed in a very short time. Today is a good day to officially launch the water.

When Dongfang Shuo came, he was just in time for this scene. The ships that were built at the beginning were not large, they should be considered experimental, and Yuan Zhao was not an expert in this area, he just knew the principles and construction of some ships. If there are any defects in actual operation, it still needs to be improved at any time.

The water surface of the Wei River is very wide, ten boats are lined up, a strong man in the water operates, the sails are full, and the mighty and fast, just a moment of effort, has gone out thirty miles of waterway. Then he turned around and came back, and everyone was already cheering.

"Little Hou Ye, it's really admirable! The invention of such a fast ship, whether it is for transport or pedestrians, will be much faster than a horse-drawn carriage if it spreads all over the waters of the world in the future. Awesome! Hehe! ”

Dongfang Shuo is really very comparable, and he saw the huge value hidden in it at a glance, and couldn't help but be amazed.

"Haha, Mr. Dongfang is overrated. No matter how good the utensils are, the key is to have people who make good use of them. The northerners are good at galloping horses, and the southerners can get boats. Sure enough, it was these strong men from the Jianghuai River who made the ship more flexible. ”

Yuan Zhao is indeed very satisfied with this group of people who originally ran the Cao Gang, this kind of boat is in their hands, it is simply like a fish in water, and they are thieves! And these big men are even more excited, it turns out that there are such light ships in the world, compared to those clumsy wooden boats in the past, whether it is stable or fast, it is simply incomparable!

"Since ancient times, according to almanacs, wind, thunder, clouds and lightning, fog, frost, snow and rain are controlled by the heavens, which are used to regulate yin and yang and moisten the four seasons. Even the ancient sages had to be conscientious and act according to this law, and they had never heard of anyone who could use it and go against the sky...... Oh, the little marquis is different, all kinds of magic, vivid, amazing! Man Qian is not talented, I want to ask, is the little marquis really a god? Or does this mystery of heaven and earth really have its own natural laws to follow? ”

Dongfang Shuo has been thinking about this question for a long time. Everything Yuan Zhao did, he had carefully studied, and the more he understood, the more shocked his heart became.

If a person is just beyond ordinary people in a certain aspect and does something that others can't do, it is enough to be amazing. And Yuan Zhao, who was only a weak crown year, seemed to be omnipotent, and many of the things he did were far beyond the cognition of this world, and it was difficult to explain the words of any sage!

Dongfang Shuo is well-read and covers a wide range of topics. In his impression, maybe only the legendary Yanhuang Ancestor had this kind of magic!

"The Yellow Emperor, Gongsun's family, the name Xuanyuan. Born divine, weak and able to speak, young and neat, long and sensitive, mature and smart! ”

He remembered the words of the Yellow Emperor in this history book very clearly. As the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, the ancestor of China, he is admired by hundreds of generations.

And Yuan Zhao, since he appeared in this world, he has brought all kinds of magic. Looking at the tall wooden wind wheels that lead water into the lake on the banks of the Wei River, and then at the boats full of sails and galloping like flying, Dongfang Shuo's heart could no longer suppress the thoughts that surged in his heart.

Hearing his question, looking at his expression staring at him, Yuan Zhao arched his hand, and his expression became very serious.

"Mr. Dongfang, Yuan Zhao is not particularly magical, he is just a mortal! The reason why I know more things than others is also through learning. No one will be born to know, what they know and learn, they have to accumulate little by little, as long as they are attentive and serious, anyone can do it. ”

Speaking of this, he showed a smile and continued: "As for the laws of nature, Mr. Dongfang, I can say for sure that everything in the world and the principles of life have laws to follow. Like the cycle of the four seasons, birth, old age, sickness and death, flowers bloom and bloom, and white horses pass through the gaps. The avenue is hidden between the ordinary and ordinary! It depends on whether the world has a pair of discerning eyes to find out. Hehe! ”

He was still young, his body was thin, and he stood with his hands in his hands, and he seemed very small on the bank of the choppy Wei River. But in Dongfang Shuo's eyes, it is like a wall on the shore, and the mountains are uplifted!

"I've been taught!"

The self-proclaimed talent is eight buckets, and the scholar in Tsing Yi, who is rich in five cars, gave a salute respectfully, with a sincere tone and from the heart.

Yuan Zhao laughed, returned the salute, and asked. Dongfang Shuo hurriedly conveyed the edict of the Son of Heaven to return to Chang'an, and by the way, he told him in detail about the current predicament facing His Majesty the Emperor.

During this period of time, he was busy making these ships, and Yuan Zhao really didn't notice these movements in the court. After listening to Dongfang Shuo, he frowned slightly, and the first thought that sprung up in his heart was: "This is definitely someone behind the scenes, taking the opportunity to make trouble!"

"Hehe, if you want to use God's big hat to oppress people, it's also a good means!"

Yuan Zhao smiled coldly. Dongfang Shuo's heart moved, he had long had suspicions in this regard, someone was making trouble behind his back, and seeing that Yuan Zhao also said the same, but he was thinking the same as himself.

"Little Marquis, Your Majesty has been frowning about this for the past few days, but he can't break the situation. It was Mrs. Wei who specially recommended you, and you ...... Is there a way?"

The two of them were standing on the high edge of the river at this moment, and the wind mixed with water vapor was blowing on their faces, dispelling the summer heat, and their bodies were very cool.

Yuan Zhao didn't pay attention to the messy hair, the waves of the Wei River rolled under his feet, lapping the rocks, and the waves receded and rose again, just like the game in this world, endlessly.

"It's okay, it's just a small thing. After I arrange it a little, I will return to Chang'an with you to resume your life. ”

Dongfang Shuo saw that his expression was calm, although it was inconvenient to ask him what he could do, but his heart was also much calmer.

Finally, I made up my mind to create a new situation. Especially in the employment of people, "meritocracy, meritocracy." "This policy will enable countless poor children to have a fair level of advancement from now on, how can such a thing be allowed to die just now! Whether it is for himself, or for the sake of many scholars in the world who are from the same background as himself, this time, support the little marquis, and you must not lose!

No matter what kind of treachery is in the dark inside and outside the court, for the children of Chang'an, the so-called politics are very far away from them. The sky is falling, and there is a father and son on top, how should they play or how to play.

In Chang'an City, lords and nobles, royal relatives and wealthy families abound. Since the founding of Emperor Gaozu, several generations have been derived, and a huge class has been formed, they firmly control the upper echelons of the Han Dynasty, and they are also shrouded in the sky above Chang'an City, taking care of each other, intertwined, and powerful, sometimes even the imperial power has to be polite to three points.

Of course, those princes who are too powerful have been uprooted after the rounds of brutal purges in the era of Emperor Gaozu and Empress Lu, and in this regard, the ruthlessness of those two can be said to be the pinnacle and the ultimate!

On the one hand, this is due to their character, and on the other hand, it is also a painstaking effort to ensure the stability of future generations of princes and grandchildren.

Those left behind by the big waves are all high-quality products! Whether it is because of loyalty or because of scheming, as long as they survive, they will become the old nobles of this dynasty.

Such a family is not a minority in Chang'an City. They, along with their protégés, who were favored by later emperors, formed the superstructure of the Han court.

The first generation of the owners of these families have experienced the hardships of the world, wars and chaos, so they can still maintain their human duties, do their best, and work diligently to help the emperor govern the world for the dynasty he once personally participated in.

In the second generation, most of them have been reduced to mediocrity, inheriting the glory of their fathers and continuing to enjoy glory and wealth. The occasional one or two outstanding children in the family is already a great thing.

And now the third generation who have grown up, needless to mention, except for a very few families, the children of the family can also make a difference, the rest is just hunting, teasing dogs, drunk and dreaming of death, flying in Chang'an City, it has become their daily life.

However, in this calm summer day, no one thought that a major political event that would go down in history would begin to ferment among this group of people, and then sweep the court and cause a huge wave.