There are two layers of brocade box, Daiyu carefully uncovered the red brocade covering the middle, her eyes suddenly widened, and she covered her mouth with her hands in surprise.

"You carved it yourself?"

Jia Cong reached out and took out the jade villain in the brocade box, which was the Dai Xiaohua Fairy paired with Cong Xiaoxiantong.

Jade streamer, pretty and beautiful, peerless and independent.

He put the little flower fairy and the little fairy boy together, moved a step next to Daiyu, and the whole person stuck to Daiyu's body and rubbed it.

"I studied with the jade master in the palace for several days, and carved more than a dozen pieces of jade, and finally fulfilled my mission and carved it before your birthday. Sister Lin, do you like it? ”

Daiyu looked at the two little jade people snuggled together on the table, the cute Cong Xiaoxian Tong and the peerless and independent Dai Xiaohuaxian, which reminded her of her acquaintance and acquaintance with Jia Cong.

She touched the two little jade figures, held them up with crooked eyebrows, and leaned on Jia Cong's chest.

"I didn't expect you to remember what I looked like when I first arrived......"

The appearance of Dai Xiaohuaxian was still carved by Jia Cong according to the scene when Daiyu planted flowers in the small courtyard about a year after coming to the capital.

At that time, Jia Cong suffered a lot of family laws in order to block the old lady's chaotic mandarin duck score.

However, it is precisely because of this that the relationship between Jia Cong and Daiyu has heated up rapidly, far exceeding the "double jade match" spread by the family.

The more the old lady and Baoyu are demons, the more Daiyu likes to play with Jia Cong, the two plant flowers together, read books together, and play together, but the second master of Bao, who wants to get close to Daiyu, is angry enough......

Fortunately, everything has passed, Brother Cong is protected by the old man, and the old lady is using filial piety to oppress people, and she can't really do Jia Cong, the grandson, but she has worn out most of the relationship between Baoyu and Daiyu.

Jia Cong held Daiyu in his arms, buried his head in Daiyu's smooth and smooth neck, enjoyed the warmth of the warm nephrite in his arms, and couldn't help but thank the old lady for her divine operation.

If it weren't for the old lady's trouble, which indirectly promoted his relationship with Sister Lin, maybe the matter of "two jades" would have become true.

After all, cousins and cousins are a natural pair......

No, cousins and cousins can also be a natural pair!

……

The relationship between Jia Cong and Daiyu has not been earth-shattering, let alone the poignant story of life and death, some only have a long stream of childhood sweethearts, and in getting along bit by bit, they have gradually accumulated an inseparable firm sincerity.

As soon as the Flower Dynasty Festival passed, the two went to their own "battlefields" and marched again towards a common goal.

Daiyu got enough silver from her two fathers, began to comprehensively promote compulsory education, and showed her talents to the fullest in the heavy official duties.

At the beginning, the emperor was the first to introduce women into the court, and he enshrined the daughter of the Lin family as the official of the five-grade court, which attracted the criticism of the government and the opposition.

But Daiyu used practical actions to block the mouths of those who doubted.

At the Great Gathering on February 15, He Yaomin, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, took the lead in asking for credit for the Department of Compulsory Education after playing the enrollment rate of the prefectures and counties in Beizhili and the operation of schools in various places.

Emperor Wenbei Zhili's gross enrollment rate is as high as seventy percent, running smoothly, the Sacred Heart is happy, and Lin Daiyu, the compulsory education division of the Jin Rite Department, is the right attendant of the Ministry of Rites, presiding over the comprehensive promotion of compulsory education.

Jia Cong, on the other hand, opened his bow left and right, and at the same time negotiated with the envoys of Western countries, as well as the development of science and technology in Daxia.

Climbing the technology tree is not something that can be achieved overnight, but Jia Cong has recruited and trained a large number of talents in the Ministry of Industry since he entered the court.

For example, Niu Geng, who developed a simple steam engine, has already transformed the Bagua furnace originally used for alchemy into a first-generation steam engine that can propel textile machines under Jia Cong's reminder.

If it weren't for the fact that the technology of iron-making and steel-making in Daxia was not developed enough, Jia Cong would have to lay the railway.

The improvement and development of firearms has also made full progress, and those scientific and technological craftsmen in the Ministry of Industry have created a lightweight, fast, and powerful Yuanyou mortar with only Jia Cong's "unintentional" painting cake.

Unfortunately, it is a steel restriction again, and now it is still in the stage of small-scale manufacturing experiments, and the pressure is directly given to the smelting department.

Jia Cong, who was on duty in the Ministry of Works, looked at the person in charge of the smelting department who came to ask for money again, and the member of the Ministry of Labor, Wai Lang Chen, rubbed his eyebrows with a headache.

"Another 500,000 taels? The Ministry of Industry doesn't have that much money, just 200,000. Last time, you talked about coke ironmaking, how did you experiment? ”

Chen Hua, who was cut in half, was not disappointed in the slightest, in fact, the budget in his heart was enough for 100,000 taels of silver.

Chen Hua respectfully accepted the approval and solemnly replied: "Uncle Uncle's previous orders, several master craftsmen did not dare to be the slightest sloppy, and carefully carried out many tests. The effect of coke smelting is much higher than that of ordinary charcoal fire. But now the problem is not the fuel, but the forging...... Both manual forging and hydraulic forging have been tested, but the resulting steel still cannot strengthen the toughness of the barrel and barrel. ”

Mortars are definitely a good thing, but the probability of this thing blowing up is too great.

To put it bluntly, the quality of the barrel steel can't keep up, even if it's hydraulic forging, it can't meet the requirements.

"Let Niu Geng transform a steam engine and use steam to drive forging."

At the end of technology, isn't it still boiling water?

Since the steam engine could not be used on the railroad for the time being, it was necessary to forge the steel used to build the railway.

As a Shangguan, Jia Cong will not do everything himself.

The superior has always only to give orders, and there are people below to keep busy.

As soon as he dealt with the official affairs of the completion department, Nie Chaoyi asked someone to invite Jia Cong over.

The Western envoys finally couldn't bear it, and the Yiren who had been hung by Jia Cong for many days finally agreed to the various conditions proposed by Jia Cong.

The Western countries that crisscrossed the ocean and colonized the world still could not resist the temptation of the huge markets of the eastern powers.

Bactria will send a second fleet to the West in March, and will send envoys to various countries.

After reading the treaty signed by the two sides in the lobby of the Ministry of Rites, Jia Cong suddenly thought of something.

He put down the treaty that had been signed in his hand, looked at the envoys of all countries present in the hall, and asked with a smile: "Ben Bo remembers that the envoys once said that there are many bandits in the sea, and now that we have officially established diplomatic relations, there will definitely be a blowout development of trade." In order to ensure that the merchants and people on both sides of you and me, it is better for us to form a ...... No, a number of escort fleets were formed to crack down on the pirates and protect the lives and property of the people. ”

Wow~

As soon as the interpreter translated Jia Cong's words, the envoys of various colors in the hall of the Ministry of Rites looked left and right in shock, and began to discuss.

On the seas today, the colonial fleets of Western countries clearly occupy a huge advantage.

They are willing to build a business with Great Xia, not because they are really afraid of Great Xia, but because the east is too far away from the mother country and cannot be reached for the time being.

Moreover, compared with Great Xia, they controlled the hydrological data of almost all sea routes. Originally, he wanted to build a business with Great Xia, use the advantages he occupied to open the door to the mysterious East, dump products, and earn gold and silver.

When the strength is enough to annex Great Xia, the Western countries, which started as pirates, will definitely tear up the signed treaty and pounce on the huge empire to share this rich and beautiful land.

"Your Excellency, your country's navy is not enough for a war in the seas, and the fight against pirates is left to the warriors of our Kingdom of England."

"Yes, against pirates, the navy of our Kingdom of Spain is the most experienced......"

"We Portuguese warriors are born pirate nemesis......"

The envoys in the lobby were almost the same, although the Great Xia Navy had undergone tremendous changes, it still belonged to the offshore navy and had no experience in ocean-going warfare.

But Jia Cong is adamant about this because it's a great opportunity.

The Great Xia Navy cannot always guard the coastal seas, and only by going out can it get a piece of the pie at the moment when sea power prevails.

His fingers tapped on the treaty that had just been signed, maintaining a smiling demeanor, but he said categorically: "Isn't this all of you, I want to come as a brotherly state, and you are also willing to help our soldiers get familiar with the sea conditions in various places, fight the sea with my Daxia Erlang, and return the people to a stable and peaceful trade route." ”

Jia Cong's technique of wearing a top hat is still so skillful, and using righteousness to suppress this group of people is only the first step, he doesn't think that this group of jackals will have any benevolence.

"This treaty is now only stamped with the Great Seal of the Ministry of Rites, and there is one thing you may not know. In my Great Xia, all important military and political affairs of the empire need to be approved and sealed by His Majesty the Emperor and the cabinet, and the decree can be clearly announced to the world before it can take effect. ”

He picked up the freshly baked and still hot treaty, raised it, and then bowed his hand to the north and continued: "Your Majesty the Merciful Emperor will not let the people of our country go to sea at the great risk of being attacked by the pirates. Therefore, in order for the sea trade to proceed smoothly, it is necessary to send an escort fleet. ”

Nie Chaoyi wanted to cover his face and leave, but Yongfeng Bo really didn't blush and his heart didn't beat when he lied.

The treaty signed and sealed by the Ministry of Rites, where does it need to be stamped with the emperor's treasure seal and the cabinet seal.

However, these words are still very useful to the Yi envoys, the centralized Great Xia Empire, in the eyes of this group of Yi people, all power does belong to the emperor who is high in the Forbidden City.

The Yiren envoys, who had been fooled by Jia Cong, whispered again, and soon they put forward another condition, that is, the navy of Bactria was in charge of the waters east of Manraka (present-day the Strait of Malacca), and they were in charge of the waters to the west.

"Manraka is a vassal of the Empire, and the sea east of Manraka is our domestic sea."

Jia Cong once again affirmed his attitude and said solemnly: "It is the duty of the Great Xia Navy to form an escort fleet and protect the safety of the people in the ocean. Benbo's hope to join forces with other countries to escort the ship is for the sake of the face of the construction of transportation between you and me, not a request, but a declaration of our country. ”

If it weren't for the fact that I had obtained the charts and hydrological data in your hands, how would my master have bothered with you?

Under the temptation of Jia Cong's tough attitude and the huge market of Great Xia, the envoys of the Western countries finally pinched their noses and confessed.

After all, the naval strength of Great Xia is not bad, who can stop it if it really wants to go to the ocean?

Whether it is to jointly form an escort fleet, if you put it under your nose, you will not be afraid that the Great Xia Navy will sneak into their colonies.

……

It was only when this group of Yi people left the hall of the Ministry of Rites that Nie Chaoyi asked the question that was pressed in his heart.

"Uncle, did you propose to jointly form an escort fleet so that our Da Xia Erlang could familiarize ourselves with the sea conditions of the ocean?"

Jia Cong shook his head, picked up the teacup and sipped the tea slowly.

"Yes and no. On the sea, this group of Yi people has taken the upper hand. Now that I have entered the game in Daxia, if I want to get a piece of the pie, I will erode their interests. And interests are the fuse of war, and we will have a war with the Yiren in the future. If you want to defeat them, you must first understand them. ”

Nie Chaoyi didn't seem to understand, and asked again: "Why did the uncle find an excuse to fight Haikou?" If this group of Yi people exterminated the Haikou first, wouldn't there be no reason for us to continue to stay in the Western Ocean? ”

"Huh? My Lord Nie, how could Haikou finish the killing? As long as we want the fleet to be stationed in the Western Ocean, there will always be pirates wreaking havoc on the seas. ”

Jia Cong's words confused Nie Chaoyi until Jia Cong mentioned a person's name.

I only heard Jia Cong get up and say: "His Royal Highness King Jing is about to completely pacify Goryeo, and he is about to enter the war against the Japanese." After conquering the Wa Kingdom, let His Royal Highness King Jing send a benevolent heart and give the Wa slaves a chance to atone for their sins...... Ben Bo thinks that the West is quite suitable. ”

……

"You kid really took one step and looked at three steps, and the matter of jointly forming an escort fleet was agreed, but this matter needs to be taken care of by reliable people."

After listening to Jia Cong's report, the emperor smiled and praised it.

The navy of Great Xia is indeed invincible in the coastal waters, but in terms of the ocean, it is even inferior to those smuggling Jiangnan maritime merchants.

Jia Cong's move was indeed a rare opportunity, and the emperor wrote an edict with a pen, summoning Zhenhaibo and Songjiang Naval Commander Qi Bei to enter Beijing.

"Chen also suddenly thought, to be honest, we started too late, and now if we want to quickly improve our strength and get a piece of the pie on the sea, we must be familiar with the nautical chart routes as soon as possible, and be familiar with ocean warfare, and understand the combat methods of the Yi people."

"You're right, we fought the Yiren colonial merchant ships before, and if we can win a small victory, we also take advantage of the Yiren's rash invasion."

The navy of Great Xia had defeated the fleet of the Yiren several times, but they were all the regular navy of Great Xia, and the Yiren colonial merchant ships that attacked by sneak attack.

The regular naval strength of the people is still above that of Great Xia.

Even the emperor did not become complacent about this, but attached great importance to the development of his own naval forces.

"You can't underestimate the enemy, and the Yi people are still stronger than us in many aspects."

A cold light flashed in the emperor's eyes, and he ordered: "Before, your kid told me that if we want to surpass the Yiren at sea in the hundred-year-old navy, the first thing we must do is to train elite sea athletes. The second is the ship......"

Jia Cong nodded in response: "The minister has asked the people of the Ministry of Industry to speed up the test of the ship-borne steam engine, if the steam engine ship can really be developed, at least in terms of ship speed, it is enough to crush the countries." ”

"Is that really good? Lao Niu's family still has such talents? ”

It's not that the emperor doesn't believe it, it's really a room full of reckless people in the old Niu family. Now that Niu Geng, a talent who can embroider with his hands, he really feels a little mysterious.

Jia Cong thought of the group of bearded men in the old Niu family, except for Niu Geng, and couldn't help laughing.

He took a step forward and arched his hand: "Your Majesty, the progress of the steam engine test is still very gratifying, and now there is a small steam engine to drive the textile machine. If Your Majesty is interested, will the minister take Your Majesty to visit? ”

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That's all for tonight, continue tomorrow, good night!

(End of chapter)