Back to the Warring States Period as Zhao Kuo

On the carriage leaving the weapons factory, Ashoka couldn't help but let out a sigh of emotion.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I really wouldn't have thought that the weapons of your Great Han Kingdom would have advanced to this point.

At first, I thought that our Peacock Dynasty had no chance of defeating you, but now I understand that everything has already been doomed by the Buddha. "

When he said these words, Ashoka actually had a very obvious depression in his heart.

It was originally thought to be a 37-open game with a little chance of winning, but now it has been proved that it is actually a 010-open game. This is unbearable for anyone, let alone a very confident person like Ashoka.

Zhao Qian smiled, and said to Ashoka: "I don't know if you still want to go to the next place to have a look?"

Zhao Qian could already see Ashoka's feeling of frustration, and he felt that perhaps the elder needed some time to buffer himself.

Ashoka was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Since I have such a good opportunity to understand your country, of course I will continue to read it, let's go to the next place."

Chapter 1283

Now that King Ashoka said so, then Zhao Qian naturally took him to the next factory.

Ashoka was a little curious, and said to Zhao Qian, "What new things are you going to show me next?"

Zhao Qian looked at King Ashoka in surprise, he didn't expect that the king only slept for a little while, and then he recovered so quickly.

This gave Zhao Qian a new understanding of a person's ability to resist setbacks.

Zhao Qian didn't hold back, and said directly to King Ashoka, "This is our smelting factory."

King Ashoka was no stranger to the term smelting factory. After all, no matter what country it was in, as long as it had an army, it would definitely need to build weapons and equipment, and it would definitely need such a smelting factory.

Ashoka was just a little curious, what is the difference between the smelting factory that Zhao Qian brought him to see and the smelting factories of the Maurya Dynasty itself?

He quickly got his answer.

Just as he got off the carriage, Ashoka had already keenly noticed the difference between the smelting factory in front of him and those he had seen.

Above the smelting factory, tall chimneys rose from the sky, and countless smoke came out of these chimneys, billowing into the sky, covering the sky and the sun.

King Ashoka stopped and stared at the chimneys in a daze. After a while, he said, "I didn't expect your factory to be so large."

Where there is a smelting furnace, there will be a chimney, so as long as a knowledgeable person can easily judge the scale of the factory from the size of the chimney and the amount of smoke emitted.

Faced with Ashoka's words, Zhao Qian just showed a smile, signaling Ashoka to continue to follow him.

After Ashoka saw this scene, he didn't speak, so he continued to follow Zhao Qian.

Anyway, from the current point of view, Ashoka thinks he has received enough surprises today, and he really doesn't mind a new wave of surprises anymore.

After a while, the two walked into a factory building of the factory.

Just from the outside, the area of ​​this factory building is very huge, even bigger than all the factory buildings in Ashoka's mind, but, Ashoka found that he seemed to have already had a crush on this big man. He is used to strange things always happening in the country, so he was really not surprised at all, so he walked in so calmly.

But even though he had done a good job of psychological construction, when Ashoka saw the situation in front of him clearly, he still couldn't help being surprised.

In this kind of factory, there are not as many craftsmen and apprentices as Ashoka imagined.

There are actually some huge machines that Ashoka has never seen before. They are rumbling, burning with huge power, and there are some programs that Ashoka himself can't figure out. .

Only in some key places, there will be people who seem to be craftsmen and apprentices standing there.

These craftsmen and apprentices waved the hammers in their hands and knocked a few times, then handed over the item to the next person, and the next person would continue the process with the help of some machines.

At the end of the production process, the finished weapons one after another were exploded, and they were neatly stacked. Just the feeling of a warehouse full of weapons placed together makes people feel a chill in their hearts.

If these weapons are equipped in the hands of the army of the Han Dynasty, how much impact will it have?

Just thinking about it will give people a new understanding of the military power of the Han Dynasty from the bottom of their hearts.

Ashoka couldn't help but said, "What kind of machine is this?"

King Ashoka had just learned the word machine in the past few days, but for him, most of the Han country vocabulary was new, so it didn't matter.

Of course, Ashoka could also see that the reason why this factory can be completed with so little manpower and material resources is almost equivalent to the productivity of thousands of craftsmen working at the same time. The real source is the machine .

What Zhao Qian was waiting for was Ashoka's words. He smiled at Ashoka and said, "To tell you the truth, you have already seen this kind of machine before, and it was placed on the front of the train."

Ashoka was stunned for a moment, and the train he was sitting on not long ago suddenly appeared in his mind. The locomotive looked very weird, whining and smoking, dragging many carriages of the train on the rails. .

"It turned out to be this kind of machine." King Ashoka gasped, not knowing what to say.

He is indeed a well-informed emperor, but when things are completely out of his knowledge, then his reaction is actually the same as that of ordinary people.

Zhao Qian smiled proudly, and said to Ashoka: "I think you can see that compared with humans, machines have many advantages. First, they can work around the clock, and second, they don't need to pay anything. Salary, in the end he will not have injuries, and the number of machines can theoretically be infinite, even surpassing us humans.

In general, the work efficiency of machines is unmatched by humans.

Now do you still think that the Han Kingdom, with the help of large-scale machinery, just relied on some luck and fluke to defeat your Maurya Dynasty? "

In fact, in the time just passed, most of them were Ashoka who was questioning or speaking to Zhao Qian in a condescending tone. Now Zhao Qian finally found an opportunity to return these things intact.

Facing Zhao Qian's question, Ashoka fell into silence, and finally showed a helpless smile.

"You're right. Now I finally understand why your father can let you get along with me so reassuringly."

Ashoka knew very well in his heart that when the Han Kingdom was so powerful, the Maurya Dynasty was an out-and-out weak country for the Han Kingdom.

No one will listen to the words of people from a small and weak country. Is there any reason?

Because being weak is the original sin of this world.

Ashoka's country was once weak and small, and then it became stronger step by step, and annexed countless countries that were weaker than him, so he could understand more deeply that this world is a law of the jungle, and he also knew himself more deeply. Zhao Qian said so many self-righteous things in front of him, but it was actually a clown performing.

Ashoka said calmly: "This time, you really won, and I lost. I lost so convincingly that I have nothing to say."

Chapter 1284

When Ashoka uttered these words, there was both helpless despair and a sense of relief in his heart.

Why is there relief?The answer is actually very simple, because he is very aware of the fact that there is such a big gap between the two countries.

Since there is such a big gap between the two countries, it means that Korea's victory over the Maurya Dynasty is a matter of course, so Ashoka naturally will not feel too much sense of loss.

He didn't lose a war that could have been tied or even won, but a war that he should have lost.

After Ashoka finished speaking, he looked at Zhao Qian, wanting to see some complacent or happy expression on Zhao Qian's face.

It disappointed him, because Zhao Qian had no expression at all, and was still as calm as before.

Ashoka couldn't bear to pay attention, and said, "The goal your father wanted you to achieve has been achieved, aren't you happy?"

Facing Ashoka's question, Zhao Qian did not answer immediately, but thought for a while, and then smiled at Ashoka.

"We can actually go to the next place to take a look, are you going?"

Ashoka originally wanted to say no, because after seeing these two steam engine factories, he was completely disinterested and knew that the Maurya Dynasty was indeed not the opponent of the Han Dynasty.

But when the words came to his lips, Ashoka suddenly felt another move in his heart.

He always felt that if he rejected Zhao Qian's proposal, maybe he would really miss something that he shouldn't have missed.

Ashoka took a deep breath and said, "Let's go."

So, they got into the carriage again.

This time, they went to a textile factory.

Zhao Qian pointed to the textile factory in front of him, and said to King Ashoka, "Let me ask, is it customary for you to see women wearing too... well, too little clothes?"

King Ashoka was stunned for a moment, and looked at Zhao Qian with a strange look: "I didn't expect you to have such a hobby."

This time it was Zhao Qian's turn to be puzzled: "What hobby? Can you tell me, senior."

Ashoka laughed suddenly: "So, you're still a little boy, you haven't become a real man, have you?"

Zhao Qian coughed twice in embarrassment, and said, "As long as seniors don't have such taboos, it's fine, please."

After these few words, Ashoka suddenly felt a lot lighter, and walked into the textile factory with Zhao Qian with a smile.

As soon as he walked in, Ashoka was taken aback by the rush of heat, and subconsciously took two steps back.

After Ashoka saw the situation inside clearly, even with his emperor's disposition, even though he had just been trained by a weapon factory and a textile factory, Ashoka was still completely surprised.

"What the hell is going on? Why do these women... wear so little?"

Zhao Qian, who had been prepared for a long time, took out a fan from nowhere, shook it, and said to King Ashoka with a smile: "As you can see, if they don't dress like this in this textile factory, they will be at most I'm going to faint from the heat in an hour or two."

It was only then that Ashoka noticed the densely packed steam engines in the entire factory building, and with his ingenuity and insight just now, he came up with the correct answer in an instant.

"This steam engine...can be used to weave clothes?"

Zhao Qian laughed: "Not only can it weave clothes, but it can also smelt and forge weapons. Some of us even plan to let it do farm work."

Ashoka: "..."

After a while, Ashoka said: "Let's go out first and then talk."

Zhao Qian immediately nodded in agreement, knowing that Zhao Qian was already sweating profusely after only being here for a while.

After leaving the factory building, Ashoka looked at the textile factory in front of him and sighed long.

"Steam engine... How did such a magical tool be made?"

Zhao Qian said without hesitation: "It was invented by my father."

Ashoka paused.

After a few seconds, Ashoka said with a strange face: "Your father invented it?"

Zhao Qian nodded with a smile.

Ashoka said: "Is it possible that your father was a craftsman?"

Zhao Qian's complexion changed, and he said, "Senior, you can't talk nonsense. My father's father is also a figure at the level of a prince. In any country, he is only a little bit different from the emperor."

Ashoka came back to his senses, and arched his hands towards Zhao Qian: "I'm sorry, I offended you. In fact, what I want to express is why your father is not a craftsman, but can make such a magical weapon?" ?”

Zhao Qian said with a smile: "Actually, my father put forward the theory, but the success of the specific research is still done by some craftsmen."

Zhao Qian didn't intend to go into too much detail about this matter. After all, the steam engine is now the highest technological achievement in the Han Kingdom and even in the entire world, so it must be kept secret.

It is important to have a sense of confidentiality.

Only then did Ashoka understand, sighed and said: "Even if a theory is put forward, it is a great theory. If someone in our country can put forward a theory like your father, maybe our Maurya Dynasty still has a chance. "

Zhao Qian thought for a while and said seriously: "Senior, with all due respect, there is actually no chance."

Ashoka was stunned for a moment, and said, "Why?"

Zhao Qiandao: "Steam engines actually use the common sense that each of us can see in our daily life. However, if a Buddhist believer sees the common sense of steam, he will only think that it is the Buddha's will." The following rules belong to a kind of words that follow the law.

There's no way to say something like that, right?So this believer will not continue to think about it, but the most important part of the whole thing is actually to think along the phenomenon of steam and regard it as a principle of nature, so that he can finally come to the idea of ​​the steam engine. result. "

What Zhao Qian said was actually a retelling of Zhao Kuo's words.

After Ashoka heard these words, he was speechless for a long time.

Something seemed to be collapsing in the emperor's heart.

He suddenly became very old and tired.

Zhao Qian couldn't bear it, and said: "Senior, why don't we go back to rest? We can continue shopping tomorrow and the day after tomorrow."

Ashoka didn't speak any more, but nodded slowly.

In the following time, until the carriage returned to the palace, Ashoka did not continue to speak.

Ashoka didn't speak again until he got off the carriage.

"I still think this is the test of the Buddha for me, and I will definitely get through it."

When Ashoka spoke, the expression on his face was very calm.

Chapter 1285 Return to Zhao Kuo

Zhao Qian was listening, and after finishing Ashoka's words, he looked at Ashoka for a long time speechless.

At this time, Zhao Qian's mind reappeared a passage from his father, Emperor Zhao Kuo.

"No matter what these believers are, they can interpret it as the will of the gods.

If they encounter setbacks, it is the test given by the gods. If everything goes well, it is the blessings given to them by the gods.

So it would be foolish to say that you should never expect to be able to convince a believer. "