Last year, the rebels of Xiang's family were wiped out, but the army was wiped out by the army, and he even died. According to the military newspapers afterwards, one was that the Marquis of Xiongshan was careless and underestimated the enemy and was ambushed by the rebels. The other was that the terrain in the south was too complicated, with mountains and rivers everywhere. After the ambush in Yujiang County, the terrain was narrow and there was nowhere to retreat. Finally, the rebels rushed one after another and suffered heavy casualties. Therefore, the terrain in the south was not suitable for large-scale corps formations, and the land in Lingnan was even worse, and the terrain was more complex than that of Jiujiang and Kuaiji County. In addition, rivers as dense as spider webs, it was very difficult to march and transport food and grass. This was also the reason why many generals in the court opposed large-scale dispatches.

But this time it was different. Several Qin troops who had made meritorious contributions had been fighting with the Yue people in Lingnan for three years. They were already very familiar with the terrain and fighting methods of Lingnan. They also occupied a large area of ​​territory, leaving enough space for the Qin army's attack, and logistics support was also incomparable.

And the most important thing is that this time, the invincible imperial army god General Ben was in charge of command. The right time, place, people and people have already turned to the Qin Dynasty. As long as you are well prepared, you will not have much difficulty in sweeping Lingnan in one go.

This is a rare opportunity to win military merits.

Therefore, a group of generals who were idle in Xianyang would naturally not give up this opportunity. If you miss it, you don’t know how long it will take to have the opportunity to lead the war.

"Where are the two generals, Ren Xiao and Zhao Tuo?"

"I'm here!"

Two generals wearing brocade robes and martial arts crowns stood up excitedly.

"I ordered the two generals to be the deputy generals of the conquest of Lingnan, and were advised by my military talismans and the Ministry of War. Three days later, I set off to Yuechengling to pay homage to Tongwu Hou and accept his dispatch to purge Lingnan!"

"Abide by the order!" Ren Xiao and Zhao Tuo laughed so hard that they couldn't stop and bowed to their orders.

Looking at the general Ren Xiao with a slightly literati style and the handsome and burly Zhao Tuo, Chen Xu's face held back and trembled slightly.

No matter how history changes, some basic things still cannot be changed, such as the death of Tu Sui, the emperor now arranges Zhao Tuo and Ren Xiao to conquer Lingnan as generals, but the only change is that Xiang Liang launched an early rebellion, which led to the general who conquered Lingnan becoming Wang Ben.

And this change has made history unjustified.

But according to Wang Ben's attributes, there should not be too many twists and turns to clear Lingnan this time, especially with the assistance of Zhao Tuo and Ren Xiao, two generals who conquered Lingnan in later generations. According to the principle, Lingnan is almost at hand, and the territory of the incorporated Qin Dynasty may be completed in the next year, and it has been completely merged with the territory of China in later generations.

Next, the emperor made another arrangement, and officials from the three provinces and six ministries received the task of cooperating with the dispatch of troops.

Chen Xu was just a listener. The emperor hurriedly brought him back to Xianyang and couldn't wait to call him to come to the court to attend the class, which must be for this big event.

Everything was arranged, and it was almost time for the dynasty to scatter again.

"Your Majesty, I have some suggestions on this dispatch of troops!" Chen Xu stood up after the court calmed down.

"Young Master, please tell me!" The emperor sat on the dragon throne and smiled and nodded.

"With the command of Tongwu Hou, General Ren and General Zhao, there will be no mistakes in conquering Lingnan this time. However, Lingnan has a complex terrain and dense water network. After spring, the rain will increase and the river will surge. It will be very difficult to transport food and grass in this way. It is not suitable for long-term combat. I have a strategy to open up the grain channels, so that the army can supply food and grass and speed up the pace of conquering Lingnan!"

"Oh, my dear, you have such a good idea, tell me quickly!" Qin Shihuang was overjoyed.

"Today, everything is arranged. I ask Your Majesty to move the Infantry Department to check the sand table. This strategy is not difficult, but it requires the digging of an artificial canal, so it requires the cooperation of many civilians..."

"It is not difficult for civil servants. Now the four counties have recruited 100,000 civil servants and prisoners, just a canal. I will go to the Ministry of War with me to check the sand table!" Qin Shihuang stood up with a smile and ordered the preparation of carriages and horses to go to the Ministry of War.

Half an hour later, accompanied by Xuanwu Guards and civil and military officials, Qin Shihuang and Chen Xu drove to the Ministry of War in the emperor's car, and then gathered around the sand table above the lobby.

"Your Majesty, please see..." Chen Xu pointed at a small red flag planted on Yuecheng Ridge with a long bamboo stick. "This is Yuecheng Ridge, this river is Xiangshui, and Xiangshui is a tributary of Dongting. Therefore, I collectively call the rivers in Changsha County the Dongting Water System. There are countless rivers south of Yuecheng Ridge, but these rivers are injected into another big river. These rivers are bounded by Wuling as the boundary, thus distinguishing two different water systems from north to south. Once the army enters Lingnan, the transportation of food and grass will be entirely carried out by artificial cattle and horses through the Wuling Pass to Lingnan. This requires a lot of manpower and material resources, and there is also great loss. I think that an artificial canal can be dug from the Xiangshui near Yuecheng Ridge to communicate with this river in Lingnan..." Chen Xu extended forward along the Xiang River with a bamboo stick and pointed near Yuecheng Ridge, and then the bamboo pole continued to fall south on another river.

"Your Majesty, please see, the Lishui River from Xiangshui to Lingnan is only a few dozen miles away. As long as there is enough manpower, I can also let the Academy of Sciences cooperate with the Taiyi Divine Thunder to open mountains and split stones, and this canal can be completed soon. Once the Xiangshui River and Lishui communicate, the food and soldiers in the Central Plains will continue to be sourced from the river to the hinterland of Lingnan through boats. The Yue tribes of the Southern Barbarians will inevitably be unable to stop it. Once the army occupy several large areas of flat lands and stabilizes its position, it can bloom from all sides to attack the Yue tribe, and the Yue tribe will soon collapse..."

"Hiss~~" All the civil and military officials watching looked at Chen Xu like a gorilla, their eyes full of strangeness, and many people were sucking cold air, even Qin Shihuang was no exception. His eyes fell on Chen Xu for a long time, and Chen Xu blushed before he turned his eyes on the two rivers near Yuechengling. After observing for a long time, he kept nodding: "I have a magical approach. If you dig a ditch to connect the two rivers north of Lingnanling, you can ensure that the army has sufficient food and offensive routes!"

"Yes, this plan of Qinghe Hou seems simple, but it is indeed eye-opening!"

"Although it takes some time to build a canal, it is a matter of one thing once and for all, and it will be easier to rule after conquering the lands of Lingnan!"

"That's true. With this canal, Lingnan will be connected with the Central Plains and will not be separated from each other. The Yue tribe will no longer be able to stop the passage and contact of our army..."

"This plan of the Qinghe Hou is bound to be feasible!"

The civil and military officials who were watching quickly expressed great enthusiasm and praise for Chen Xu's artificial canal plan, especially Feng Quji, a tycoon in charge of the six ministries. Once this river is built, the task of transporting food and grass can be said to be reduced by half. You only need to pack the food and grass in Dongting Lake, and then you can go straight to Lingnan along the Xiang River. This labor volume is simply negligible.

"How could Feng Xiang look at this marquis like this?" Chen Xu was furrowed all over by Feng Quji's eyes full of affection.

"Does the Queen of Qinghe still have the idea of ​​taking a concubine?" Feng Quji smiled.

"What does Feng Xiang want to do?" Chen Xu felt a little chilled in the chrysanthemum.

"Qinghe Hou is so intelligent. I have a granddaughter who is born in the legitimate state. I don't know..."

"Uh, Feng Xiang should take good care of his granddaughter. This marquis has many wives and concubines, and he can't take care of him!" Chen Xu shook his head with a black head.

"Haha, Feng Xiang is too anxious. The two dear friends should chat in private!" Qin Shihuang knew that the two were joking, and laughed happily and waved his hands to interrupt the two. "Since the young master has such a wonderful plan, I will naturally not give up. I will leave the canal repair to the young master to arrange the matter. The manpower, money and property required are fully supported by the Shangshu Province. Feng Xiang also asks to cooperate closely, and all dear friends are not allowed to refuse and delay for no reason!"

"I will obey the order!" The Chinese civil and military officials bowed together to fulfill their promises.

Chen Xu had a toothache, and once he returned to Xianyang, he got a thankless errand for himself.

But I made an appointment with a cannon... Well, I have to grit my teeth and arrange it as soon as possible no matter what.

What's more, once the Lingqu canal is fully built, a large amount of goods from the Lingnan region can be quickly transported to the Central Plains, especially the sugar cane sugar that Chen Xu has been thinking about for a long time.

In the history of China, sugar and salt have always been a rare thing. It’s okay to say that salt is, after all, there are thousands of miles of coastlines and countless salt lakes and salt wells, and the output is still guaranteed enough, but production and transportation are a big trouble. However, with the continuous construction of cement roads and the continuous unblocking of roads, it is definitely enough for Daqin, which has only 20 to 30 million people and is widely distributed, but sugar is different. China’s sugar production history is very long, but Daqin is still mainly fructose.

There are also sprouts, but because of the lack of food in the past, the people forbidden to boil sugar. Therefore, sugar is an extremely luxurious item for the people. Although there is honey supplement, the output is negligible and the price is almost equivalent to gold. Even emperors, princes and ministers cannot eat it from time to time. Ordinary poor people don’t have to think about it. They will finally get a little money for money to subsidize their household income. Moreover, the opportunity to get honey is as unreliable as picking up bargains in the cultural and entertainment market in later generations.

The climate in Lingnan is suitable for growing sugarcane. Although it is now wild, it does not prevent it from promoting cultivation. As long as there is sugarcane, brown sugar and white sugar rock sugar can be slowly produced, which will greatly enrich the people's diet and life. Moreover, sugar is also the main raw material for brewing wine. Before oil is found, alcohol will become the main fuel for chemical and physical research.

"Go and find Hu Kuan, Shi Lu and the craftsmen and officials of the Ministry of Works who are proficient in building rivers and ditches. I have important tasks!" Chen Xu came to the Academy of Sciences, walked into the office and told Sun Shujiu to find someone quickly, and then stared at the map hanging on the wall to start research.

On another time and space line, the Qin Dynasty finally conquered Lingnan because of the construction of Linghuan and opening up the transportation line to ensure sufficient food and grass supply for the army. Although it was not known that the flexible-minded person was designed, the role of Linghuan is undoubtedly. With the development of Chinese civilization, although Linghuan was soon abandoned, the Linghuan's status in the history of China was very high, almost comparable to the Dujiangyan water conservancy project. However, Dujiangyan is used for civil irrigation, while Linghuan is mainly used for military purposes. Once there is no war, Linghuan will be less important.

Now the emperor suddenly decided to conquer Lingnan. Hundreds of thousands of troops and the conscripted civilian prisoners would be dragged into this war. According to Chen Xu's usual idea, the sooner this thing is, the better. Otherwise, even if it is successful for two or three years, the agricultural production of the four southeastern counties would be greatly dragged down, which would be unfavorable to the country and the people.

In fact, the rapid conquest of Lingnan is not in Chen Xu's plan. He hopes to rely on Gao Yong and others to slowly grind with the Yue tribe. After ten or eight years, the Yue tribe will inevitably be exhausted. The process of boiling frogs in warm water will not cause the Yue tribe to resist too violently. If a large army breaks into Lingnan, it must fight quickly.

Wang Ben was not Chen Xu, so he naturally didn't know Chen Xu's plan, so he felt that the situation in Lingnan could be resolved in one go. Therefore, after the Xiang family was wiped out, he began to investigate the situation in Lingnan. After careful consideration, he wrote a letter to the emperor to help the emperor complete this plan.

Perhaps, the emperor did not hesitate too much and listened to Chen Xu's words and sacrificed Wang Ben's magic axe, which was definitely the military plan to conquer Lingnan.

In short, the emperor's decree has been issued, and the matter in Lingnan must not be delayed.

"Mr. Marquis, what are the instructions for calling me to come?"

Half an hour later, just after Chen Xu thought about this, Hu Kuan, Shi Lu and a group of craftsmen from the Ministry of Works who managed water conservancy facilities such as rivers, ditches and other water conservancy facilities across the country were all arrived one after another.

Seeing that the people arrived, Chen Xu pointed to the map on the wall with a bamboo stick and said that he had planned to build an artificial canal to cooperate with the conquest of Lingnan. After that, he asked someone to bring a blackboard to set it up. He quickly and simply drew out the rough figures of the Xiangjiang River and the Lijiang River with chalk, and finally connected the two rivers together with one stroke.

"This is my marquis's canal repair plan. Because I marquis did not survey the two rivers on site, but if the two rivers are connected together, they have to think of some other methods and choose a suitable location. Otherwise, the water level is not high enough to make the river water unable to flow and connect, which is a waste of effort. But now I have experience in building the water wheel mofang dam, and the water level can be intercepted and raised through the dam. As long as the two rivers can be connected, this matter will be considered successful. Moreover, the ditches do not need to be as wide or deep as possible. Just take a ten-foot river boat..."

"Mr. Marquis, this is simply a whimsical way!" Hu Kuan's eyes lit up and was amazed after hearing this.

Chen Xu glanced at Shi Lu, who was staring at dazed with his beard.

It is said that this spiritual canal was built by this guy in front of me, but the records in history books are quite chaotic and may not be true. However, Shi Lu was indeed found by Zhao Qing from Changsha County, and his ancestors were also Yue people. He spoke with his tongue and a strong Cantonese flavor. He couldn't hear it clearly without exerting it.

The most important thing is that Shi Lu is really good at building dams, so the historical records are probably not groundless. It is probably at least involved in the construction of the Lingqu.

"Shi Lu, do you think this plan of this marquis can be completed?" Chen Xu asked.

"According to the Marquis's statement, according to the subordinates, there must be no big problem!" Shi Lu came back to his senses and quickly bowed his hand.

"Well, Your Majesty has agreed and ordered the three provinces and six ministries to cooperate fully, and to ask for money and labor, and to speed up the construction of rivers and canals, I will also ask the craftsmen of the Academy of Sciences to cooperate with Taiyi Divine Thunder. I will hand over this task to you and Hu Kuan to complete. Do you have any confidence?"

"Don't worry, Master Marquis has made this clear and clear. As long as we go to the site to investigate the two rivers and find the location to open the canal, we will definitely be able to successfully build the canal!" Hu Kuan was excited.

Once this canal is repaired, the army will soon conquer Lingnan. As the main leaders of the canal, they will inevitably receive heavy rewards. Not to mention the title of marquis, it should be easy to get a title of a doctor, let alone the help of Qinghe Hou, it is very likely to get a 4 or 5th rank from the Ministry of Works.

So Hu Kuan and Shi Lu, with a group of craftsmen, scattered in excitement and went to gather people.

Two days later, under the preparation of the Ministry of Works and the Academy of Sciences, a canal repair team led by Hu Kuan, vice president of the School of Engineering, followed three thousand soldiers led by Ren Xiao and Zhao Tuo, who had obtained the military talismans and the military advisors of the Ministry of War, set off for Lingnan. The carriages, horses and flags were rolled up, and crossed the Weihe Bridge and headed straight for Wuguan along the eastern road.

This canal construction team not only includes craftsmen and craftsmen who are good at building canals in the Ministry of Works, but also craftsmen from the Academy of Sciences who are proficient in measuring and drawing, as well as more than a dozen craftsmen who are responsible for gunpowder and firecrackers. The accompanying carriage was filled with tens of thousands of kilograms of gunpowder.

Now many places in the south of Yuechengling have been recovered. As long as there is enough manpower, it will not take long to build this canal. Perhaps it will be able to be built until autumn is over, so the problems of military delivery and grain supply can be completely solved.

And another important reason is that Wang Ben is like Wang Jian, either Tu Sui, who likes to kill innocent generals indiscriminately. Historical records in later generations were that after Tu Sui attacked Lingnan, he slaughtered Yue people and killed a large number of Yue people's leaders, which aroused the fierce resistance and counterattack of Yue people. Finally, he was attacked by Yue people late at night, and the 500,000 troops were almost wiped out. This battle also consumed too much energy from the Qin Dynasty. The emperor was furious and recruited 500,000 troops to conquer Lingnan again, almost taking the garrison forces and civilians of the southern counties, and even used a large number of prisoners, slaves, son-in-law, and merchants as soldiers. He also plundered the people's food for many years. In this case, it actually left a disaster for the rebellion in the southern areas. The peasants rebelled at the end of the Qin Dynasty, and the land of Jiangxi was the most intense, including many local officials rebelling.

But the situation is completely different at the moment. Wang Ben replaced Tu Sui's command and built the Lingqu in advance. At present, the county of Daqin is sufficient for food and all the conditions are accumulated together. The recovery of Lingnan is indeed a natural trend.

But is it necessary to hold these Chongshan dense forests in Guizhou and Yunnan so early to hold them in their arms?

Chen Xu always felt that the emperor was making a big deal.

It’s okay for Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi. These places are close to the sea. Now there are big sea boats to travel, which is of great significance to the development of navigation. Guizhou, Yunnan and even more primitive Vietnam and Thailand are definitely still rarely visited wild people. It’s useful to make it.

However, this time Chen Xu learned his lesson and decided not to interfere in the fingers, but to calm down honestly, meditate and practice martial arts every night, and then have fun with his wife. He got up in the morning and practiced swordsmanship with Shui Qingru during the day. During the rest of the time, he made some delicious food to reward himself and his family. He spent most of his time sleeping in the Academy of Sciences, School of Engineering, School of Agricultural College, School of Literature, Experimental Factory, Fence Farm and other one acre of land that he was interested in. In addition to teaching physical and chemical experiments in class, he also continued to participate in the research of various mechanical equipment developed by craftsmen.

In the blink of an eye, February is in full bloom. When spring is warm and flowers are blooming, Cuju Commercial Plaza on the south bank of the Wei River begins to end at a daily visible speed. The five-story stands have been completed and entered the internal decoration stage. The three-story commercial building half a circle around Cuju Field is also under construction. As for the entertainment square, which covers an area of ​​thousands of acres, has entered the ground leveling and greening stage.

In order to cooperate with the beautification of Cuju Commercial Plaza, Chen Xu wrote to the emperor to build river embankments on both sides of the Wei River and build a ten-mile riverside garden each. This wild river beach with thorns and reeds is built into a landscape corridor integrating leisure, entertainment and tourism. Public toilets, snack shops, teahouses, etc. have been set up to enhance the overall image of Xianyang.

As this spring comes, the Academy of Sciences and experimental factories that have been preparing for several years have finally accumulated a lot of money and have begun to enter a booming period of scientific and technological innovation and invention.

In mid-February, after repeated design and experiments by countless craftsmen, and fully absorbed Chen Xu's various mathematical geometric knowledge and physical and mechanical principles, and the casting process of iron smelting plants and blacksmith shops gradually improved, the first pair of linkage gears that fully reached the commercial level were finally manufactured successfully.

This pair of gears is almost not much different from the mechanical gears seen in later generations. The only difference may be the materials. Because there is no strict smelting process, the alloy technology is not completely passed, and it adopts pure casting processing, and it still lacks in strength. However, in Chen Xu's view, in this era without high-speed power drive, this pair of gears has reached a stage where it can be fully promoted. In addition, the continuous improvement and maturity of bearing manufacturing processes, the simple machinery era has seen the dawn.

After the successful development of gears, the noodle press, which has been designed and verified, has become the first real mechanical equipment completed by craftsmen.
Chapter completed!