Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 120: Zhang Shicheng of Gaoyou Salt Gang

Ma Xiuying said she could help organize the manuscript, which is possible.

Anyway, those books were meant to be circulated to the outside world, so I wasn't afraid of people reading them. I was just afraid that she wouldn't understand them, and I wouldn't be able to help her even if I wanted to.

Zhang Yunxiu thought about it and didn't discourage her. Instead, she said, "Please wait a moment, young lady. I'll get you some books to read."

When she went to the inner room and brought back a few handwritten manuscripts, she immediately attracted the attention of several people in the room.

All I saw on the cover were strange titles like "Gongshu Secret Classic·Suanjing", physics, chemistry, biology, etc.

Ma Xiuying took it and flipped through it. She suddenly felt overwhelmed, as if she was reading a book written in a foreign language. She knew every word in it, but she couldn't understand it when they were put together.
She took the chemistry book and first read the preface at the beginning, which clearly stated that the discipline of chemistry originated from Mozi's "matter is infinitely divisible" and the alchemy techniques of the alchemists.

Ma Xiuying's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Could this commander be a crazy person who wants to make an elixir to achieve immortality?
Reading further, fortunately, it was written later that there is no elixir of life in the world. Chemistry is derived from the method of alchemy, but it only studies the methods of refining things and uses them in production and life, which is a practical subject.

Ma Xiuying was immediately puzzled and asked, "May I ask, Madam, how can this alchemy technique be used by ordinary people? Is this really considered a practical science?"

Guo Zhang and Guo Huirong were shocked when they heard this. They were surprised at the content of the book, but also worried that Ma Xiuying's question would offend Lu Jin.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yunxiu was not angry, but explained with a smile.

"Of course it is considered a practical science. Chemistry is all-encompassing. People only know about gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, lead and mercury. However, there are more than just these metals in the world.

"The Marshal once told me about a metal called 'aluminum'. It is hard and does not rust. It is of the same size but only one-third of the weight of iron. Do you know what this means, young lady?

"That is to say, if you use iron to make a suit of armor, it may weigh 60 kilograms, but aluminum armor of the same size only weighs 20 kilograms. Isn't such a light and rust-proof armor a practical science?

"Let's put that aside. Iron is strong but easy to rust, but aluminum won't rust. This alone has countless uses."

Ma Xiuying nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. If they could really make this thing, it would indeed be a practical knowledge.

Zhang Yunxiu added, "In addition to alchemy, chemistry can also be used to make medicines for curing diseases, and even fertilizers for farming. The Marshal once talked about something called 'ammonia water', which can increase rice and wheat production by 20%. How can it not be considered a practical subject?"

Several women were quite surprised when they heard this, "Is there really such a good thing in the world?"

"Of course." Zhang Yunxiu nodded affirmatively. She had seen that Lu Jin had many magical things.

Ma Xiuying picked up the biology book again, "What about this biology book?"

"Living things are what Gong Shujia calls all 'living things', including birds, beasts, plants, crops, and even mushrooms.

"The commander once told me that there are yin and yang, day and night, men and women, and animals are divided into male and female, but no one knows that plants and trees also have genders, and rice and wheat are also divided into male and female, and no one in the world has studied this in depth.

"If we don't even know whether the crops in the field are male or female, how can we know how they produce grain seeds and what they need to be fed to grow better? Even cattle and horses need to eat fine feed when they are working, so what kind of fertilizer should be applied when rice and wheat are heading and setting seeds?

"There are so many agricultural books in the world, does anyone know the difference between them?"

The three women were very surprised.

Guo Zhang immediately asked, "Do crops really have male and female types?"

"Yes, there are diagrams in the book. People have heads, trunks, and limbs. Plants also have roots, stems, leaves, and flowers. The flowers are used for plant reproduction, and the stamens inside are divided into male and female."

When Ma Xiuying heard there were pictures, she immediately started flipping through the book. The theory of distinguishing the sexes of plants was truly subversive, but when she casually turned a page, she suddenly couldn't help laughing. The page she turned to happened to be about the 'artificial egg hatching' technology.

Artificial incubation of poultry eggs is a technology that appeared in the Song Dynasty. At that time, people used the natural heat release of cow dung compost fermentation to incubate chicken and duck eggs on the dung pile.
However, this method of incubation is not very reliable. It was the first attempt of artificial incubation by the ancients. This technology did not mature until the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Therefore, many cities in the Ming and Qing Dynasties had an "incubator".

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people in the north used earthenware jars or earthen beds, which were heated by fire to incubate eggs. In the south, people used wooden barrels or grain enclosures, where they would heat rice and spread it inside, then bury chicken and duck eggs.

However, in ancient times, there was no specific concept of temperature values, and people did not use light to check whether the eggs were fertilized. Therefore, the hatching efficiency was low and there was a lot of waste.

Lu Jin's article on artificial incubation of eggs did not give specific methods, but he did clearly point out several key points.

The first is the temperature value of the environment. The second is to add water to maintain humidity and soften the eggshells to facilitate the hatching of chickens and ducks. The third is to use light to check whether there is blood in the eggs to see if they are fertilized eggs. The fourth is to turn the eggs over every three hours to prevent the embryo from sticking to the eggshell.

As long as these conditions are met, the method of creating the environment can be adapted to local conditions, and the focus can be on making use of whatever is available.

Why did the ancients think of artificial hatching of eggs? Of course, it was because of the demand that motivated their research.

Chickens are poultry that have a habit of laying one egg every day and saving it. When they have enough eggs to form a nest, they will start to incubate them. They will not continue laying eggs during the incubation period, which means they will not continue laying eggs for at least one month. This is a loss!

You can also take away the eggs it lays every day. If it doesn't have enough eggs to fill a nest, it will continue laying eggs. However, it will not be able to hatch chicks, and the chicken will become extinct.

If there is a way to take away the eggs every day, let the chickens continue to lay eggs, and then hatch them artificially, wouldn’t it be possible to increase the yield and hatch chicks?
Ducks are even more outrageous. They have no habit of sitting on nests. They go out for a swim, lay eggs in the grass and run away, forgetting where they laid them. Therefore, the natural hatching rate of ducks is extremely low, and artificial intervention is necessary. Either train the ducks to lay eggs at a fixed point and let them hatch them by themselves, or find ways to hatch them artificially.

Ma Xiuying flipped through the book and smiled with her hands covering her mouth. This commander was really interesting. A rebellious king who didn't study how to conquer the world, but went home all day to study how to act as a matchmaker for crops and how to hatch eggs for chickens and ducks?
She closed the book and commented, "It is indeed a practical knowledge that benefits the country and the people, but it is indeed a bit abstruse. However, if I just copy and organize the book, it should not be difficult. I am willing to give it a try."

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and said, "Then please take another look at the chemistry and physics books and turn to the back."

Ma Xiuying didn't understand what was going on, so she picked up the book and flipped through it, but all she saw were numbers and chemical equations that she couldn't understand. This was embarrassing, as she really couldn't understand it.

At this time, Zhang Yunxiu said, "If you really want to help, you can first study Gongshuzi and Gongshu Suanjing by yourself. Gongshu Secret Classic is based on Gongshuzi and Suanjing. If you don't learn Gongshu's arithmetic first, it will be difficult to read other books. You really can't understand them."

"I see. Then can I take a copy of these two books back with me?"

"Of course you can. The Marshal wrote this book to practice Mr. Hengqu's teachings of inheriting the lost knowledge of the ancient sages. He hopes that Gongshu's teachings can be widely spread to benefit the people of the world. How could he be stingy about passing on the secret book to others?" Zhang Yunxiu agreed immediately.

Ma Xiuying was shocked when she heard this, and suddenly thought of the four lines of Hengqu: "Set your heart for heaven and earth, set your destiny for the people, inherit the lost knowledge of the past sages, and create peace for all generations." Lu Jin proposed the theory of state responsibility, saying that the Yuan Dynasty gave up state power, and what responsibilities a real country should bear and what it should do for the people, so that it can obtain the mandate of heaven. Isn't this setting your heart for heaven and earth?

Lu Jin couldn't bear to see the brutal Yuan Dynasty oppressing the people, so he started a rebellion and helped the people. Isn't this living for the people?
Lu Jin spread Gongshujia's secret book and prevented it from being lost. Isn't this carrying on the lost knowledge of the ancient sages?

As for bringing peace to the world for eternity, we first have to see if we can conquer the entire world.

Come to think of it, Lu Jin is actually a practitioner of the Four Sentences of Hengqu. Is this general also a dual practitioner of Confucianism and Mohism?

Oh, that’s not right. Lu Jin’s knowledge is obviously very diverse, and includes more than just Confucianism and Mohism.

"Thank you for the book, Madam. I will study hard and help you as soon as possible."

Zhang Yunxiu immediately smiled and said, "No need. If you two really want to thank me, just come early tomorrow. Miss Guo, don't forget to bring your musical instrument."

"Yes, I will definitely remember it."

Guo Zhang had accomplished her mission. Both of her daughters had been given tasks here and had the opportunity to enter and leave the inner courtyard. This matter would certainly reach Lu Jin's ears, and the next thing would be a natural thing.

The mother and her two daughters achieved their goal and immediately asked to leave on the pretext of preparing musical instruments. Zhang Yunxiu personally sent them to the door and then watched them leave.

On the other side, the central hall in the front yard of the Marshal's Mansion.

Lu Jin was reviewing the revised "Luzhou Provisional Criminal Law" and Li Yinbing was waiting beside him. While he was reading, a guard suddenly came in with a message.

"General, I am here to see you, Chief Bao."

"Let him in."

A moment later, Bao Heng hurried in with a look of joy on his face.

"Marshal, we have found the iron smelter and iron casting craftsman you were looking for."

"Oh? Where did you find it?" Lu Jin looked up at Bao Heng. He didn't expect that Xu Jichuan had no results, but Bao Heng had some gains.

He did give the task to Bao Heng at first, but there was no news afterwards, so he asked Xu Jichuan to look for it.

"This..." Bao Heng glanced at Li Yinbing next to him.

Lu Jin understood immediately. After reading the decree in his hand, he revised a few places and handed it to him. "That's it. Revise these few places and find someone to print it. We may have to use this temporary decree for several years. It's better not to let anyone copy it. Just print it directly."

"Yes."

After Li Yinbing left, Lu Jin looked at Bao Heng and asked, "Did your brother Bao Yu find the craftsman from the other side of the river?"

Bao Heng was stunned, and immediately flattered him, "The Marshal is really a man of foresight and foresight."

Lu Jin rolled his eyes. Isn't this nonsense? Bao Yu was working in intelligence before and he hadn't returned from the port city of Heyang. Dangtu, opposite him, was the largest iron smelting base in the south.

Lu Jin has been looking for iron smelting craftsmen for a long time. If Bao Heng asked him to help find one, Bao Yu would definitely send someone to cross the river to take the risk to find him.

Seeing him admit it, Lu Jin immediately asked, "Is there anything wrong with risking crossing the river at this time? Isn't there any patrol on the other side to check the passing ships?"

Bao Heng immediately said, "No, my brother said that the people he sent went there on the salt merchant's boat, so they were not questioned."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin was immediately surprised and asked, "Don't they know that we have already taken this place? How dare there be salt merchants coming over here?"

Bao Heng immediately took a few steps forward and spoke in a low voice.

"General, they are private salt dealers. They sell private salt in the first place, so they are naturally not afraid of the Yuan government.

"And I heard they were from the Gaoyou Salt Gang, which is very powerful, with thousands of salt transport ships and tens of thousands of salt workers. The one who came to Wujiang to sell salt this time was a salt smuggler named Lu Zhen. It was he who helped my brother send people across the river and brought those craftsmen and their families over."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin immediately became alert. The Gaoyou Salt Gang was smuggling salt, with thousands of salt-transporting ships and tens of thousands of salt workers.

Lu Zhen, isn't this Zhang Shicheng's top general? The one who was finally captured alive by Chang Yuchun?

Zhang Shicheng, intelligence warfare, Gaoyou Salt Gang, salt trafficking network.

No wonder this guy's intelligence channels are pervasive. Lu Jin finally reacted. He immediately took the news seriously. Now is a good opportunity, a chance to insert people into Zhang Shicheng's side. Although Zhang Shicheng will not revolt for another one or two years, it will not prevent him from making arrangements in advance.

It might even be possible to use some tricks to lay eggs and establish a relationship with Lu Zhen to see if he could help Luzhou solve the problem of digging salt wells and boiling salt.

Zhang Shicheng was good at intelligence warfare, and what he relied on most was of course the salt trading network and the interpersonal relationships he had accumulated over the years of selling salt.

But if Luzhou could produce salt on its own and not buy or sell salt from outside, then Zhang Shicheng's intelligence network would be destroyed by at least half, and only interpersonal relationships would remain.

Lu Jin immediately asked, "Where are your brother Bao Yu and those ironworkers?"

"He Yang hasn't come back yet."

"Bring them back immediately!"

(End of this chapter)