October 27, 320 of the Great Song Dynasty. Liu Pet stood on the steamboat and waved to his parents on the dock to see him off. There were many other people in uniform beside Liu Chong, who were not very old. Even after parting on the dock, the young man still stood next to the side of the boat and waved goodbye to his relatives below.

It's really a worry about the mother of a thousand miles. The group of boys on the boat were very excited, and although they were nostalgic for being away from home, the excitement was overflowing. Especially when the guys are traveling on the latest steam paddle steamer.

The whistle sounded, the paddle wheel turned, and the boat slowly sailed out of the dock and down the river. Looking at the distant figure of their son, the mothers all had red eyes. The fathers stood beside the mothers and watched as their sons' boats got farther and farther away. In this situation, some mothers who are more emotionally fragile can't help but cry loudly.

Mrs. Liu had barely controlled her emotions, and when she heard the cry of her mother next to her, tears had already flowed. Liu Jingwen just sighed, and pulled his wife out of the dock. Sitting in the carriage home, Mrs. Liu choked with tears and said, "Finally, someone came to propose marriage, but Da Lang left so quickly." What kind of bad people were the people who kicked him out of Hangzhou. Aren't they afraid that the officials will blame them when they find out? ”

Liu Jingwen sighed again, "You didn't say this to Da Lang this time, it's really right." Letting him know these things would only ruin his state of mind. If Da Lang hadn't seen the official family and hadn't been in such a big limelight, he probably wouldn't have been treated like this. ”

Mrs. Liu listened to her husband's sigh and wept again. The struggle in officialdom is too cruel and intense, and in the past few days, the situation of the Liu family has been like a roller coaster.

First of all, many of the old relationships with the loyal ministers who had been severed with the Liu family suddenly continued. They hadn't been in the house for years.

A few years ago, after the Zhao Guanjia basically knocked the Mongols out of the border of the Great Song Dynasty, they liquidated the surrender of Lin'an that year. At that time, the officials of the Great Song Dynasty officialdom were divided into four categories. Song traitors, deserters, undetermined elements, loyal ministers. It was the relatives of the Empress Dowager Yang's family who were not successful, because they chose to belong to the ranks of loyal ministers at that time, and the Zhao official family did nothing to them. They were still given the right treatment.

Now there are no living Song traitors in the Great Song Dynasty, and those who left their posts without permission are all eating in prison, and some have been released after completing their sentences. Irresolute elements, such as Liu Jingwen, will never be hired.

At that time, Zhao Jiaren was the only minister, and he also served as a privy envoy. Seeing that Taiwei Zhao's attitude was so firm, the heroes naturally didn't want to cause trouble for themselves. Moreover, when the country was in crisis, everyone suffered, and the loyal ministers who finally survived the crisis of destruction did look down on those undetermined elements who left it alone, and were unwilling to associate with these people again.

When the loyal ministers re-contacted the Liu family with their old relationship, Liu Jingwen and Mrs. Liu immediately judged that something was important, and they had no information source at that time, so they just didn't know. Until Mrs. Liu's maiden family informed her that Liu Pet was taken by Zhao Guan's family to participate in several important meetings because of his effective errands. Only then did the Liu family know what was going on.

Of course, the husband and wife were happy about their son's performance. With the ability of the Zhao official family, the credit he can take a fancy to must be extraordinary. Liu Jingwen and his wife have been more concerned about their children's moral education since Liu Jingwen became a staunch element. Both husband and wife think that their son Liu Pet is a square person and has no problem with his conduct.

Mrs. Liu's maiden family not only informed Mrs. Liu of the latest information, but also said that she wanted to tell Liu Pet about her family. Liu Jingwen and Mrs. Liu don't feel that the family is snobbish, if they can't even judge the basic situation, the big families will have long disappeared in all kinds of turmoil.

After Liu Pet finally finished his errand of 'being a guard' for Zhao Guan's family, the news he brought to Liu Jingwen and his wife after returning home was, "The boss asked me to leave for Hebei immediately, and this vacation is over." ”

Liu Pet arrived in Hangzhou on October 18 and hurriedly boarded the ship on October 27. The husband and wife discussed many times in private, but they didn't dare to tell their son something shady. They were afraid that their son would be resentful when he found out about this. The first is that the Liu family at this time has no power in the imperial court to reverse these orders, and the second is that both husband and wife considered going south, but out of deep dissatisfaction with the previous manifestations of the Lin'an court, they chose to abandon the fallen Great Song Dynasty.

Since Liu Jingwen and his wife have already made mistakes, they don't want Liu Pet to make the same mistake again. Moreover, Zhao Jiaren's Zhao Guanjia is just 40 years old this year, and it is the heyday of the Zhao Guanjia, and the people who are favored by the Zhao Guanjia will not be buried forever. Liu Pet has the opportunity to go to the next level.

Although she couldn't help crying at this time, Mrs. Liu pretended to be okay in front of Liu Pet. Liu Jingwen kept comforting his wife, and he was also upset in this matter. All kinds of expectations and memories of past painful failures are intertwined, which makes Liu Jingwen very painful when he makes the decision. No matter what the future holds, at least my son has set off safely, and one thing is finally over.

Liu Pet didn't know what his parents thought, and he was not in a good mood at this time. The first is that the feeling of separation is uncomfortable. Liu Chong thought that he could honor his parents at home for a while, but he didn't expect to be suddenly ordered to return north.

What's more, before leaving, Liu Pet was very dissatisfied with the performance of the above. As soon as he terminated his errand of following Zhao Guan's family as a guard, the General Intelligence Bureau called Liu Chong for questioning.

"Section Chief Liu, why didn't you write a report on the silk reeling workshop at that time?"

Liu Pet listened to this question and was very unhappy in his heart. In the past, whether it was Liu Chong, Jinan Station, or the General Intelligence Bureau, no one was interested in the silk reeling workshop. For them, the matter of the Jinan silk reeling workshop is just a task assigned to the Intelligence Bureau from above. The intelligence department found a person in charge according to the above arrangement, and the work was completed. During this whole process, the superiors did not express dissatisfaction. Even now, after the fact, the higher authorities have not made any criticism of the General Intelligence Bureau about the matter of the Jinan silk reeling workshop.

Making additional demands on what has already happened after the fact is one of the various standard evils that are specifically described in organizational engineering. Liu Chongxin was very suspicious that the head of the General Intelligence Bureau had not taken a course in organizational engineering. What's more, Liu Pet actually wrote the report in accordance with the process.

The latter thing made Liu Chong even more annoyed. Because the head openly and secretly asked Liu Pet to write a report, the theme was that Liu Pet's opinion on the silk reeling workshop was actually problematic. After listening to this, Liu Pet immediately said that he could only record what he had experienced, and could not make additional comments on what he had experienced. This is the regulation of the General Intelligence Directorate.

At this moment, another leader said that this was the end of the matter. It is recommended that Liu Pet hurry back to the front line, and the iron-smelting center in Zaozhuang will soon produce a large number of steel armor and weapons, and someone who knows about this needs to be responsible.

After returning home, Liu Pet did his best not to tell his parents about this. He knew that his father had been hit, and if he knew about the treatment Liu Pet received this time, he was afraid that he would be very uncomfortable in his heart when he remembered the past.

So Liu Pet was quite unhappy when he left. But he decided that if he wanted to hold back and say nothing, he would have to endure it himself. And after participating in the previous meeting attended by Zhao Youjian, the governor of Hangzhou Prefecture, Liu Pet knew the thoughts of the official family. As far as Liu Pet knows, no matter how many difficulties and obstacles he has to face in front of him, the things decided by the Zhao official family have not changed.

Even now, every time he sees the rolling Yellow River, Liu Pet can't help but wonder if he has really participated in such a project to divert such a big river?

But the anger and the fire of waiting to see the joke quickly dissipated. Because young people are young people, especially when a group of young people gather together, emotions quickly become lively.

First of all, the steam paddle steamer makes everyone curious. Paddle steamers are also called car ships. As early as the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420~589), there were records of vehicles and ships. In the Tang Dynasty, Li Gao played a role in the development of vehicles and ships. The cars and ships he built were moved forward quickly by human power. The vehicles and ships of the Song Dynasty were very prosperous, and the warship restored by Wang Yan in the second year of Shaoxing (1132) was set up next to 4 wheels, each round of 8 poles (oars).

At first, the vehicles and boats were trampled by human feet, and then the cattle pulled by animal power gradually appeared. The appearance of steam cars and ships was not a sensation, everyone was just curious about the new power of this kind of car and ship.

The people on this trip are all professionals, and there are many young masters of various metallurgies. In addition to the personnel on the ship, the masters are also showing off. Liu was quickly attracted by this new knowledge.

Unlike the previous vehicles, the new steam vehicles and ships use a large number of steel components. According to young metallurgists, steel parts weigh significantly less than wooden parts for the same strength. Due to the extensive use of steel components, the steam ship weighed much less than its predecessors with wooden boats. This can be seen in the huge steel paddle wheel. If you want to achieve such an effect, the volume of the wood must be more than ten times that of steel, and the total weight of the wood after absorbing water is heavier. It can probably crush the ship and make it difficult to move.

Many people don't believe in this judgment. So metallurgists used the latest armor as an example. This armor has two elaborate designs on the shoulders and on the front and back. It was a curved part of the armor that was two centimeters long and one centimeter wide. On this curved part, a steel column the thickness of chopsticks is inserted.

The rope of the thick silk cloak can be inserted from the inside, and it can be tied to the armored warrior, and there is no need to tie the rope of the cloak around the neck at all.

After reading it, everyone admired such a design. Then the experts demonstrated another role of this design. Someone put on armor and simulated a wounded warrior who fell to the ground. The person in the back directly hooked this steel pillar with a hook, and then he could pull the injured person around. At least it can be towed everywhere on the deck.

Just when everyone sighed at such a concise design, the metallurgical expert smiled: "If you use wood, how thick do you think this has to be?" ”

Waiting for everyone in this place is indeed a bit of a reclamation. However, Liu Pet was greatly appreciated. It's really a journey of thousands of miles and a book of thousands of miles. With so many experts in the same industry, Liu Pet feels that this journey will not be boring.

As for the unhappiness encountered in the General Intelligence Bureau, it had long been left out of the clouds by Liu Pet.

Steam wagons and ships can travel around the clock along the canal all the way north, enter the Yangtze River and then go down the river, enter the sea and then follow the route guided by the lighthouse near the coastline. This route has already been carefully investigated by the Great Song Dynasty for a detailed hydrological survey. However, the previous use of sail power led to the inability to accurately navigate the waterway. At this time, the ship has its own active power and follows the best course. Such an action made the young people shout loudly.

The boat entered the Huai River from the mouth of the Huai River, looking at the mixed yellow Huai River water, Liu Pet couldn't help but sigh in his heart, the water here looked mixed yellow, in fact, the sediment was left by the Yellow River in the past. If it can be washed like this for more than ten years, probably the Huai River will gradually recover.

The boat went upriver and stopped at Xuzhou. Everyone changed into horses and went to Zaozhuang.

At this time, Zaozhuang was already one of the most important iron-smelting centers in the Great Song Dynasty. When I got here, I saw the smoke belching from the top of the high chimney, making the sky gray. After arriving here, the staff of the manufacturer who received them took out the products. The drawings have been sent here by express delivery of 800 miles, and the manufacturer has also come up with the latest products.

When everyone checked, the thing was indeed very good. The weapons were armor-piercing steel spearheads and two-handed axes. The armor is also good, but there are too many burrs on it, and in some places the thin sections left behind after processing are as sharp as knives. If this thing is worn on the body, something big is going to happen.

The metallurgical experts who were in charge with Liu Pet expressed their opposition at that time and asked the manufacturer to polish it. Liu Pet felt that the expert's request was very reasonable, but he didn't expect the manufacturer to immediately inform them, 'This requirement cannot be realized'.

"This thing will kill people if you use it." The young specialists are not backing down

The representative of the manufacturer asked someone to take out a whetstone and put it on the table, "Just use this to smooth out the unsuitable position before wearing." ”

"Hey! Hey, hey! Liu Chong was stunned, he felt that he didn't know what to say at this time.

"Don't think I'm joking. I'm not kidding. Over the years, our grinding machines have been designed to grind those standard parts. Now we are able to grind so many kinds of parts. If you want us to sharpen this armor for you, just wait. It takes time. ”

"How long?" Liu Pet asked tentatively. He actually felt that he couldn't get any satisfactory results, but if he didn't try it at this time, there was no way to know how outrageous the people here could be.

"We have been tasked with producing steam engines this year and next year. Now so many armors are processed, and they are all ordered by the officials, and we have only squeezed out the manpower. If you are not satisfied, send a telegram to the officials. Turn right after exiting the telegraph room. The representatives of the factory expressed their opinions like uncles.

Since the words have been said to this extent, Liu Pet can't help but feel empty. It's not difficult to send a report to the official, but what will be the result?

"Then I sent a report to the official's house." The metallurgical expert replied.

"If the official family doesn't ......agree," Liu Chong was a little uneasy in his heart. He finally left a capable impression on the side of the Zhao official family, and if something happened to the official family, would it affect his glorious image......

"Whether the official agrees or not, it is a result. What we urgently need now is results. The young metallurgist replied decisively.

At this time, Liu Pet was shocked. He really didn't expect to have such an attitude when doing things. At least the current Liu Pet can't show such an attitude. In shame, Liu Pet immediately agreed, "Send a report to the official family now." ”

On the third day, Liu Pet received a call back, "Bring the equipment to Hebei and organize the locals to polish it." Before you go, remember to bring grinding tools from Zaozhuang. ”

It can be seen from the telegram draft that Zhao Guanjia is not angry at all. He's just talking about things. Liu Pet immediately asked everyone to load the equipment onto the boat. In a short period of time, 2,000 armor sets were urgently produced, as well as 4,000 spear heads and 4,000 axes. As for the wooden part, you can only go to Hebei to find a match.

These things were loaded onto small boats and transported along the canal to Xuzhou. From Xuzhou to Weishan Lake, it is dozens of miles of waterway, but as a result, the boat uses manpower to transport, and it takes a whole day to complete dozens of miles of waterway. The young people talked a lot, and they all felt that this speed was slower than that of a steam car and ship going upstream. Whether the steam car or ship is going down the river or upstream, it does not require everyone to expend energy. Now after carrying things, I am as tired as a dog, and I have to work hard to support the boat. When I arrived at my destination, I was exhausted, and if I was in a hurry, I had to continue to carry it.

However, as soon as the goods were loaded onto the steam wagon, there was no such toil. A few hours along the way, you can rest and rest. Discussing this, everyone thinks that the representatives of the manufacturers are arrogant, but since the manufacturers are fully engaged in the production of steam engines and boilers, they really have such arrogant capital.

After the steam car ship was loaded with goods and a group of young people who were tired like dead dogs after carrying the goods, they set off from Xuzhou early the next morning. The group rested on the ship for a whole day before relieving themselves. After another day of rest, I feel that the pain in my body has lessened a little.

On the morning of the third day, they received a notice that the ship had arrived at the mouth of the Yellow River in Dongying.

Liu Chong never expected to arrive in Dongying so soon. The whole person was confused. He set off from Dongying on family leave, followed the official road opened by the government, and rode a donkey to Dengzhou. Departing from the newly opened deep-water port of Yantai, in the middle of October of the Song calendar (December of the Western calendar), from north to south, the wind and water were smooth, and they ran to the mouth of the Yangtze River in three days.

The voyage was entirely against the wind, and the ships did not zigzag for the sake of the wind, but went all the way north along the best channel.

At this time, the boat can already see a yellow line on the sea level in the far distance, which is the scenery of the mouth of the Yellow River. This color proves that Liu Chong's short family leave has finally ended, and his work has begun again.

Liu Pet had to clean up his mood. However, at this time, Liu Pet also gave birth to a kind of hope. The next time you go on family leave, you will be able to take a steam car and boat, and it will be easier to get home.

“”