Back to the Warring States Period as Zhao Kuo

"The so-called steam locomotive is actually a steam locomotive that is still used in some countries in the future market.

If the appearance of steam machinery such as steam textile machines and steam smelting machines has changed production, then another very important way is needed to get the produced goods to the market, and that is transportation.

Before the steam engine appeared, transportation mainly relied on manpower and material resources, such as horse-drawn carts, etc. The characteristic of this kind of transportation is that the speed is very slow, and the amount of goods that can be carried is also very rare.

In the ancient feudal society, since the number of commodities produced was not large, it is said that using this method of manpower and material resources with horse-drawn carts and ox-drawn carts was sufficient to meet the needs of transportation.

But when the steam engine appeared, the quantity of commodities produced exploded in a very exaggerated curve. At this time, the traditional human and material transportation methods were completely unable to transport such a huge quantity of commodities.

Therefore, if we want to solve this transportation problem, we can only return to the steam engine itself in the end, which is to use the steam engine to drive such a machine that can carry out long-term and large-scale transportation. This is why the train was invented. internal reason.

As a time traveler, Zhao Kuo is of course very aware of the reason behind this, so after he asked Fuzhen to study the concentrated and specific use of steam engines, he immediately asked Fuzhen to take the study of steam trains as the most urgent goal at present. .

After hearing Zhao Kuo's words, Fuzhen showed a somewhat embarrassed expression on his face, and said to Zhao Kuo: "Your Majesty, although I have recently organized a group of the most capable people to invest in this area , However, I am afraid that too many results will not be achieved in a short period of time, because the research on this steam locomotive is really a very complicated process.

"If steam engines are used to drive textile machines, and smelting is the primary application of steam engines, then letting steam engines drive trains, wagons, and wagons of heavy goods is definitely an advanced application of steam engines and machinery.

Although it is said that Fuzhen has overcome the difficulty of this primary application, it is obviously unrealistic to directly break through to advanced applications in a short period of time.

Zhao Kuo laughed and said to Fuzhen: "Of course I know your difficulties, so you didn't hear it just now?

I have appointed you as the Minister of Science and Technology of our Great Han Kingdom.

From now on, this latest science and technology department will receive more resources and talents to ensure that you can use the fastest time to develop this steam engine! "After listening to Zhao Kuo's words, Fu Zhen nodded quickly.

Then Zhao Kuo said to Fuzhen again: "Now the things in your hands will gradually increase, so from now on we will split up this factory.

In the future, we will set up a special weapon factory, such as muskets, explosives, and bullets, which will be assembled exclusively by this weapon factory. If any new weapons and ammunition are invented in the future, it will also be through this weapon factory for research and development.

"The reason why Zhao Kuo said this is also very simple. After all, in a short period of time, the Han Kingdom has explosives and muskets. It is absolutely invincible in terms of weapons. Let alone 10 years, it may not be in 100 years. Being able to have enemies can catch up to the level of the Han Dynasty.

Under such circumstances, although the importance of the weapon factory is also very important, from the perspective of the future, it is actually not worth too much investment, and it belongs to the second level of importance.

The real first-class importance is those inventions and manufacturing that can bring about leapfrog progress in society, and enable the Han Kingdom to move directly from an agricultural society to an industrial society in a short period of time, and these manufacturing are all crucial things, of course To be independent.

For Zhao Kuo's words, Fuzhen naturally nodded repeatedly.

In fact, this is what Fuzhen wants to do. After all, Fuzhen had to take the lead in the development of explosives and muskets for so much time in the past, and he had to be distracted to take care of the steam engine. Relatively speaking, his energy was scattered. Yes, this is actually not conducive to research and invention.

Now if this weapon factory can be listed separately, then Fuzhen can devote all his energy to the invention and manufacture of steam engines, which will definitely save a lot of time.

Zhao Kuo continued to speak: "For the rest, we will set up a science and technology research institute, with you as the Minister of Science and Technology, and all the elite soldiers and generals will be drawn together.

Your resources and the money you need, you only need to report to Prime Minister Xu Li alone, and the Ministry of Finance will directly allocate funds to you after his approval, without going through more procedures for approval.

"This is because Zhao Kuo opened a back door for this technology alone. You must know that apart from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the financial budgets of other departments not only need to be approved by the Ministry of Finance, but also have to be reported to Zhao Kuo after approval by the Ministry of Finance. , and Zhao Kuo convened the prime minister and many important ministers to discuss together, and the annual distribution can only be made after the decision.

This also proves that the Ministry of Science and Technology does have an unusual position in Zhao Kuo's heart.

After all, there is a good saying that science and technology are the primary productive forces.

After hearing these arrangements by Zhao Kuo, I can be said to be very happy.

As far as gynecology is concerned, Zhao Kuo's arrangements not only completely solved the problem of Fuzhen's personal treatment, but also helped Fuzhen to fully guarantee all aspects of logistics, so that Fuzhen and his elite soldiers Can concentrate on working in the front line of scientific research.

In such an environment, Fu really believes that he can definitely achieve greater results.

Fu Zhen was very confident, and he said to Zhao Kuo in the tone of a military order: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely use the shortest time to overcome all difficulties and turn the steam engine that Your Majesty wants The front of the car was researched!" Zhao Kuo looked at Fuzhen and nodded with a smile.

If another person said this in front of Zhao Kuo, then that person is likely to be bragging, but if he said this truthfully, it is absolutely impossible to be bragging.

Beside Zhao Kuo, Zhao Qian also looked at this scene with great emotion, and seemed to have a deeper understanding of what an emperor should do in his heart.

This is the so-called teaching by precept and deed. In many cases, education is not only about what parents say to their children, but about what parents can do and what children can see.

Practice is always the best way of education.

And Zhao Kuo undoubtedly demonstrated this point vividly with actions, not only let Zhao Xian understand the importance of technology to society, but also let Zhao Qian understand the necessity of investing resources in technology.

After a while, Zhao Kuo and Zhao Qian left the factory in a carriage.

On the carriage, Zhao Kuo said to Zhao Qian indifferently: "In the next era, you will witness the huge development potential of industry, but as the emperor, I hope you remember one sentence, that is, never Forget about your people.

The industrial revolution of course brought huge development and production and in the end your rule is sustained by the support of the people.

Always remember that the emperor should stand with the people! "

Chapter 1168 The Emperor's Art

From Zhao Qian's point of view, it is actually not the first time he has heard Zhao Kuo say such a thing.

But at this moment Zhao Qian suddenly felt that he seemed to have understood what Zhao Kuo meant.

Zhao Qian thought for a while and said: "Actually, Erchen has an idea that if one day all the children can be added to the academy to study, then there will definitely be a lot of like-minded people among them." Fuzhen is such a great craftsman.

If there is such a day, our Great Han Kingdom should no longer have to worry about the lack of these talents who can participate in the invention.

And in this way, all the lower-level children will also have a chance to make their mark, and they must be more grateful to our royal family. "

Zhao Kuo was a little surprised after hearing this sentence, but then laughed again.

"It's really good that you can think of this layer."

What Zhao Qian said was actually the compulsory education implemented by Huaxia in modern times.

This kind of compulsory education is indeed very effective. It eliminates almost all blindness in China, and allows every talent to have the opportunity to receive education.

If you don't give a child the opportunity to receive education, then he can only be blind forever, and may be able to farm in the fields for a lifetime.

But if you give him such an opportunity to receive education, he is likely to grow into a talent in the future, a talent who can change the world.

Zhao Kuo smiled and said to Zhao Qian: "However, if you want to select talents, you still have to have a specific step.

After all, everyone has received education, so how can you know which of them are more suitable for inventing and creating, and which of them are more suitable for being an official? "

After Zhao Qian heard Zhao Kuo's words, he couldn't help being stunned.

To put it bluntly, this is actually an idea that popped up in Zhao Qian's mind suddenly out of interest. He is not a very complete theoretical system, so when Zhao Kuo asked such a question, Zhao Qian couldn't answer it.

Zhao Kuo smiled faintly, and said to Zhao Qian: "Did you forget the exam in your academy?"

After Zhao Qian heard Zhao Kuo's words, he suddenly realized, and couldn't help but slapped his thigh and said, "Father is so right, you can still take the exam!"

In the academy, there will be an exam at the end of each year. This kind of exam is not only an internal exam for each school, but the results will actually be compared across disciplines.

As long as there is an exam, you can make a choice in terms of grades, who is more suitable for which direction, as long as you take the exam, of course it will be clear.

Zhao Kuo looked at Zhao Qian's smile, and the corner of his mouth hooked slightly, revealing a smile.

For Zhao Kuo, all these are traceable after all, who made him come from a very modern country in later generations.

In terms of education, Zhao Kuo attaches great importance to it. If a nation wants to rise, education must never be relaxed.

It's just that Zhao Kuo was very busy before, so he didn't have time to take care of this aspect of education.

At that time, fighting to unify the world was the most urgent and urgent issue, and education was not something that had to be solved immediately.

But now, since the Great Han Kingdom has completed the unification of China and has made overwhelming progress on all fronts, it is time for these long-term projects to start.

When it comes to long-term investment, the education industry is definitely on the list.

Zhao Kuo said to Zhao Qian: "After you go back, you can discuss with some people and come up with a proposal. Then I will discuss with the ministers and see if your proposal can be passed."

This is Zhao Kuo's test for Zhao Qian.

Wanting to inherit Zhao Kuo's throne does not mean that it is enough to be born as the eldest son. Zhao Qian must prove that he has enough ability to match this position.

Of course, considering that Zhao Qian is only a teenager now, it is naturally impossible for Zhao Kuo to demand him with particularly high standards. As long as Zhao Qian can put forward his own opinions with substance, then Zhao Kuo Quite satisfied with it.

After Zhao Qian heard Zhao Kuo's order, he naturally readily agreed to it, and his face showed eagerness to try. Obviously, he couldn't wait to do a big job.

As soon as he returned to the palace, Zhao Qian left immediately, wanting him to find his own team.

Zhao Kuo was planning to go back to work, when suddenly eunuch Ling appeared in front of him and reported a piece of news.

"Your Majesty, just now, several prime ministers brought several ministers into the palace, and they are already waiting for His Majesty's call."

After Zhao Kuo heard the news, he couldn't help being a little surprised. He thought, do these ministers already know about the steam engine?

But soon, Zhao Kuo immediately overturned this conclusion, because Zhao Kuo knew very well that the confidentiality level of the steam engine is quite high, and even Zhao Kuo just knew about these ministers, how could they know in advance and keep it safe? What about here?

So now this matter is very obvious, they should come for other things.

Thinking about it this way, Zhao Kuo became even more curious in his heart. It must be a relatively big thing to be able to dispatch such a heavyweight combination of three prime ministers and several ministers.

So Zhao Kuo quickly arranged this interview in the side hall.

The ministers saluted Zhao Kuo in a polite manner, and then all of them showed eager expressions, and finally locked their eyes on Xu Li.

Xu Li smiled and said to Zhao Kuo: "Your Majesty, the merchant ship that went to the Seleucid Empire just now has returned."

Zhao Kuo understood immediately when he heard it, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Seeing you rushing into the palace in such a hurry, it must be that the business group's profits this time should be very considerable, right?"

For Zhao Kuo, this was actually something that could have been predicted a long time ago. After all, the famous Silk Road in history is here. What kind of country goes to the West to operate this trade route?

After hearing Zhao Kuo's inquiry, Xu Li quickly nodded and said: "Your Majesty said that the profit of the business group this time can be said to be completely beyond the expectations of the veterans, so the veterans and others also hope to be able to immediately Just send new business groups to the Seleucid Empire."

After Xu Li finished speaking, the other courtiers of the Han Dynasty who were present immediately agreed with each other, saying that the development of commerce and trade between the Han Dynasty and the Seleucid Empire is urgent!Zhao Kuo glanced at the ministers in front of him, feeling a little funny in his heart.

In fact, Zhao Kuo was able to understand why these ministers said this, because they all sent business representatives to the Seleucid Empire in accordance with Zhao Kuo's previous orders in the family.

As the saying goes, it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times. When these commercial representatives saw with their own eyes how popular ginseng silk and porcelain, such specialties from the Han Dynasty, were in the Seleucid Empire, the next Everything about it becomes completely logical and logical.

Zhao Kuo nodded with a smile, and said: "This is indeed the truth. The business delegation is still very beneficial to us. On the one hand, we can earn money from Seleucus, and on the other hand, we can also use Taking the opportunity of doing business, we will spy on the situation in various parts of Seleucid, so that we can conquer the Seleucid Empire in the future.”

For Zhao Kuo, conquering the whole world is his dream, so the Seleucid Empire must be a part of it, and it goes without saying.

It's just that Zhao Kuo is actually exploring a new government model now, that is, whether he can conquer these places in a more gentle way.

There is a better advantage of conquest in a gentle way, that is, the local resistance will not be particularly strong. In this case, the next step will be to rely on the extensive and profound Chinese civilization to integrate the other party and everything will be OK.

Of course, if you want to achieve this, you must have a very comprehensive understanding of the Seleucid Empire.

And it is well known that businessmen have always been one of the most suitable espionage identities throughout the ages.

After Zhao Kuo's voice fell, several ministers immediately applauded in unison and put forward their own opinions.

"Your Majesty is really right. We must have a good understanding of the Seleucid Empire, and by the way, make a lot of money from them to enrich the treasury of our Han Kingdom."

"There are also some chambers of commerce in the old minister's family.

The veteran is also willing to do his part for the Han Kingdom in this commercial activity, and hopes to get His Majesty's approval. "

"The veteran's family also has a part of the silk industry. If His Majesty agrees, the veteran can also participate in it."

Although on the surface these courtiers of the Great Han Kingdom were very humble and made a request to Zhao Kuo, the fiery light in their eyes had already shown what they thought in their hearts.

This is not to say that these ministers love money too much, but that the people in the Seleucid Empire have a lot of stupid money, which really surprised the ministers of the Han Dynasty. If you don’t make a lot of money like this, I just feel sorry for myself.

Besides, as an important minister of the Great Han Kingdom, this row of noodles needs to be maintained at ordinary times, and a large group of retainers also needs to be raised, but His Majesty is not allowed to collect people's fat from the instructions of his Great Khanate, so find a way to do it Doing business is also a normal thing.

Zhao Kuo looked at the crowds of turbulent courtiers in front of him, with a smile on his face.

"There is no problem at all. I can issue an order today. In the future, any business organization or individual in the Han Kingdom can freely enter and leave the borders of our Han Kingdom and the Seleucid Empire to do business.

Of course, the premise is that tax evasion is not possible! "

The reason why commercial activities can promote the development of national trade and the revenue of the treasury, the most important of which is of course commercial taxation, so in this regard, Zhao Kuo absolutely does not allow anyone to evade taxes, because this is tantamount to robbing Zhao Kuo of money .

After hearing Zhao Kuo's words, the ministers in front of him naturally responded repeatedly.

For them, as long as they can go to Seleucus and open up this business route, other things are naturally easy to talk about.

Zhao Kuo looked at the courtiers of the Han Kingdom in front of him, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and he said with a smile: "When you go out, you should pay attention to it. You must know that the previous chamber of commerce was mainly from me. No one in the business group sent out by the Shaofu will lower or bargain with each other, but the next caravan will be completely different in the second round."

After hearing Zhao Kuo's words, the complexions of all the ministers of the Han Kingdom present changed, and their gazes at each other became a little vigilant.

There is a good saying that colleagues are enemies. Although the ministers of the Han Dynasty present have different official positions, they are out-and-out colleagues in this matter.

Seeing this, Zhao Kuo immediately laughed and became happier.

In fact, it's nothing, just a bad taste.

Looking at Zhao Kuo with an obviously teasing smile on his face, the important ministers of the Han Dynasty who were present came back to their senses.

Xu Li coughed heavily, and said: "Your Majesty is laughing, the old minister will naturally coordinate these matters when the time comes.

There was nothing else to do, so the old minister left after waiting. "

At Xu Li's reminder, the other courtiers of the Great Han Dynasty came back to their senses and bid farewell to Zhao Kuo.

After all the courtiers had resigned, Zhao Kuo looked at the business report from the Shaofu that Xu Li had just submitted with a smile on his face.

According to common sense, Shaofu, as Zhao Kuo's private treasury, does not need to go through the prime minister's mansion at all, but can directly report to Zhao Kuo, so this kind of behavior is deliberately done by Zhao Kuo.