[Fourth Update.] I slept for a while, got up early in the morning to catch up, and finally rushed out. Sure enough, there is pressure to be motivated. 】

"Isn't cultivation just for the sake of immortality? If you can't practice Jindan, no matter how useful it is to the people, in their eyes, it is just a useless waste. ”

"So they are useless to the people."

The evaluation of cultivators, out of the mouth of Han Gang, into the ears of Wang Yi, just talk about it. Unlike Han Gang, although several of his wives and concubines have been around Han Gang, they no longer believe in some deceptive nonsense, but they still retain a little reverence for Buddhism, even Wang Yi is no exception.

The passage of Xianghan Caoyun has been opened, and in these two days, the news should have reached the capital. Although the channel connecting Xiangyang and the capital is still divided into two by the Fangcheng Pass, the completion of the Fangcheng Track as an alternative project should not have a much worse impact than when the channel was officially completed.

After the autumn tax is over, the construction of weirs, locks, and the excavation of Fangcheng canals, which require a large number of people, will begin, but for Han Gang, one of the main goals of his visit to Jingxi has been completed, and he is no longer very concerned about the follow-up progress.

As long as Fang Xing can transport 600,000 Shigang grain to the capital within forty days, this is the best advertisement for the track. Next, it is not difficult to promote the comprehensive development of the track, and it is even more logical. Strengthening the logistics capacity of the entire country through rails has great benefits not only for business, but also for the military.

Han Gang had a lot of plans for the track, and they were sorted out one after another, forming a complete planning plan.

He even intends to open up the construction and management of the track to the civilian sector. The state builds trunk lines to control the main roads that are the lifeblood, and liberalizes the private sector to build branch lines to supplement the entire logistics system. The national logistics system is formed, and the livestock used will also be an astronomical number. The number of horses is a symbol of a country's strength, and the level before the Great Song Dynasty makes people sigh, but after the formation of the orbital network, it can at least catch up with the Liao State.

But now it's too much to think about, and when this ultimate goal is formed, I don't know how many years it will take to cultivate and develop in the Year of the Monkey.

Han Gang was thinking about the future development of the track, while Wang Yi took the original manuscript of her husband's notes and continued to look down. When you see that you are puzzled, you will make a mark and ask when Han Gang is free.

It was the sound of footsteps in the corridor outside the door.

"It's Suxin." Wang Yi looked up and said happily, she was just hungry.

"She's not alone." Han Gang shook his head.

The study door rang twice, and it was pushed open from the outside. Zhou Nan, Han Yunniang and Yan Suxin somehow got together and came over. The three of them were holding a palm-sized mercury mirror in their hands, with a red rope on the top and a long tassel hanging down from the bottom, which was a gift that Han Gang brought back a few days ago.

"What's wrong?" Han Gang asked, "Still holding a mirror at night?" ”

Zhou Nan handed over the mirror: "Official, why did the mercury mirror you gave to the slave family last time become blurry?" ”

"yes, it's all blurred. Official, when you came back with the mirror, you said that I would tell you immediately if there was any change. Yan Suxin and Han Yunniang nodded together and handed over the mirror together, looking very puzzled.

"Blurred...... How is it blurry again. ”

Han Gang took it with one hand and held the mirror that looked like a few more mildew. This is probably the first batch of mercury mirrors he got his hands on from the craftsmen a month ago. Just two days ago, the mirror was as bright as silver, but today, I can only see some clear and some blurry portraits.

Han Gang knew this in his heart, the same situation had appeared many times in the report he heard, and he thought that this time it was a success, but he didn't expect that it still couldn't be put into actual use.

In order to make a mercury mirror, several craftsmen tested different ratios of mercury and tin. It was found that in amalgam, the more mercury is used, the faster it blurs, and at the end of the day, the mercury is reduced to a minimum, and finally it does not become blurred. It's only been more than a month since he came to think that he has returned to the same state.

It seems that the mercury in the mirror coating has volatilized very much, and it is also possible that the mercury has penetrated into the copper mirror.

But no matter what happens, it proves that mercury mirrors that use metal materials as the base material and cannot be sealed and isolated are completely worthless.

It seems that glass still has to be used, Han Gang thought. Gilt silver is actually a method, but the silver layer plated on it is easy to blacken, and this problem cannot be changed no matter how you adjust the experimental ratio.

"What's going on, official?" Wang Yi hasn't gone back to the house yet, but her mirror must have had a problem.

"Naturally, it's because the technique is not at home." Han Gang laughed at the four wives and concubines: "Victory and defeat are commonplace, and the mercury mirror will let people think of a way, there will always be a time for success." ”

took the other two mirrors from Zhou Nan and Yun Niang's hands, and handed them to the little maid beside him: "Go to the outer courtyard to call someone and send it to the willow camp outside the city." Madame's there, let someone bring it over later. ”

Mercury is highly poisonous, since it will volatilize, it is best to throw it away, Han Gang does not dare to let mercury harm his wife and children.

It's just that in this way, the mirror of the microscope is a problem again, Han Gang smacked his mouth, it is really not easy to be a scientist, he has to constantly face failure, does he really have to experiment 666 times to see success?

"Official." Wang Yi's eyes were a little more worried, she patted the manuscript on the table, "Will this ......?"

Probably because of the taboo, she didn't say the word failure.

Han Gang understood, shook his head and smiled: "Don't worry, there is already good news in Fulong Mountain." Just wait for Li Dexin to come back, and then move on to the next step. ”

The former son of the owner of Jinming Village, a disciple of the famous doctor Qiu Yiwen of Longyou, was found from Kansai a few years ago and put into Han Gang's disciples. The identity of the Fan people makes it difficult for him to communicate with the people around him, so he can only rely on Han Gang, and it is precisely because of this that Han Gang can trust him with many things.

It's nothing to fail in small things, and Han Gang doesn't take it very seriously, but he is cautious about big things, he is prepared both inside and outside, and he has verified it many times, and it is difficult to fail.

……………………

"Xianghan Caoyun has been opened?" When Lu Huiqing heard the news, she was also very surprised.

Han Gang didn't pay too much attention to the opening of the Fangcheng Railway, but countless eyes staring at Xianghan Caoyun would not wait to ignore it.

The success of the sixty-mile track at Fangcheng Pass was like a boulder thrown in, which immediately set off an uproar.

"It can't be regarded as a breakthrough, it's just that the section that passes through Fangcheng Mountain has paved the track."

"It seems that Han Gang is still in a hurry." Lu Huiqing calmed down, "Whether it can be done or not depends on this autumn and winter." How much can he transport the autumn grain from Jingnan Road and Jinghu. ”

The staff who came to report to Lu Huiqing nodded in agreement.

"However, with Han Gang's materials, it is not difficult to transport 600,000 stones. It can also be said that he has succeeded. ”

From Xiangzhou, take a boat back to Fangcheng County, take a railroad to walk sixty miles, and then change boats to go to the capital in Ruzhou. There is smooth road transportation, and from this one thing, Lu Huiqing knows that Hangang is most of the success.

The tracks are different from the ordinary official roads, and the carriages, horses and ships running on the waterways and official roads can be private or governmental. But the railcar on the track can only be an exclusive one.

It's just that at this point, there seemed to be copper plates in front of Lu Huiqing's eyes, which fell down with a clang, sprinkled all over the ground, and flashed with golden light.

On the Bianhe River, there are civilian boats that can evade taxes, but on the track, how to evade taxes? And there's also shipping coming in.

Such a good project, if the governor intervenes, at least the four capitals in the southeast, northwest and northwest, can connect each other with rails.

"That's not right." Lu Huiqing shook her head.

It is impossible for Han Gang to leave such a big flaw, he will definitely write to the Son of Heaven after confirming his success. Even if he was the first to suggest to the Son of Heaven to lay a track outside Fangcheng Mountain, but if he really had results in the future, he would not have the face to compete with Han Gang for the first initiative.

Generally speaking, if the profit is not shared, Lu Huiqing will not have much interest. But the role of the track, Lu Huiqing is difficult to give up. Even if the credit does not belong to him, once he succeeds, there are a few more channels connecting the north and the south, and he can help more in everything.

It seems that we will have to wait for the results of November. If Han Gang succeeded in transporting the grain from Li Yin to Yangzhou to the capital through Xianghan Cao, then the Son of Heaven would naturally deliberately link the states and counties that could not be connected by water through the track.

However, the downside of the track is that it must be used in a flat place. If there are some slopes, either the capacity drops significantly, or the requirements for pulling horses go straight up. It's not that Emperor Chrysostom can make the problems faced by the orbit disappear as soon as he opens his words.

But Lu Huiqing didn't care very much, and was able to connect the four capitals - the Daimyo's Mansion was going to cross the river - and then extend to the borderlands...... For example, Dingzhou, Zhending, and Cangzhou.

It can only be in Hebei. Lu Huiqing had a feeling of sudden realization. It's just not clear whether Han Gang is moving the center of gravity of the official army to the east, or using the track to put pressure on the Khitans, so that they dare not support the party members unscrupulously. Anyway, one more means is one more choice, and one more insurance.

It has been a few days since the recital of the Seed Tree was handed to the palace, and no one has yet been able to find out what the Son of Heaven thinks. The war is certain, and no one can say for sure when it will start. However, with the track and the new Cao Yun channel, the Son of Heaven may have another confidence or two.

However, it is uncertain what kind of reward Han Gang can get, it is almost impossible to enter Beijing to serve as an official, whether the next step is to return to Kansai or go to Hebei?

Lu Huiqing suddenly found that it was not him who could decide where Han Gang went, nor the two mansions, and the Zai Fu couldn't even influence, only the Son of Heaven, only the Son of Heaven could decide Han Gang's future.