The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 155: The Iron Needle to Stabilize the Sea? Two Water Control Veins, Gun and Yu
In front of his mother, Ying Chengjiao doesn't need to hide his feelings.

The boy looked nonchalant and didn't take the Korean conspiracy seriously at all.

It is clearly written in history books that Zheng State entered Qin to build canals, and Guanzhong became a fertile land of thousands of miles.

Compared with Zheng Guo, the power of mothers in South Korea amazed the teenager even more:

"Mom, you are so great in Korea?
"This canal repair and exhaustion can be considered South Korea's top secret national policy, right? You know this."

Ji Yaoyao pursed her lips and smiled, expressing her joy from the bottom of her heart.

What's the use of Nü Shen Bu Hai? It's not that a woman can be king, and no praise from her son is as good as a compliment.

“Yes.” Her smile was as beautiful as peach blossoms, and her voice was more sweet than that of a lark.

She touched her son's little head and suddenly thought of her "deceased husband".

[Otherwise, why would Qin Zichu marry me...]
On the day she left Xianyang, Prince Chu of Qin did not show up and did not even say a word to try to keep her.

She left the palace, Xianyang City, and Hangu Pass very smoothly.

From the moment she stepped out of Hangu Pass, she thought Qin Zichu was dead.

The word "emotion" is too luxurious for Ji Yaoyao, who was born in the Korean royal family.

Zheng Guo walked into the palace and met Ji Yaoyao.

When he took off his hat, his chin was dark, and the area above his lips was obviously white, with a very obvious color dividing line on his face.

This is the footprint left by the sun.

Ji Yaoyao nodded, her face calm and noble.

She pointed at her youngest son and said in a lukewarm tone:

"This is my son, Prince Cheng Jiao of Qin."

Zheng Guo is in his prime, and is now forty-one years old.

However, his face looked old due to wind and sun, just like an old man who knew his destiny. People around him said that he was an old plumber.

The old plumber was serious and saluted to Young Master Chengjiao.

The boy looked at his mother, feeling somewhat strange.

In his impression, his mother is gentle, like a clear gurgling stream.

He had never seen a noble mother before, so noble that it even made him, her son, feel pressured.

It’s a bit like how I felt towards my father when I heard the news of my great-grandfather’s death.

Ji Yaoyao noticed her son's gaze, turned her head and looked at him, and smiled gently and tenderly unconsciously.

The boy also smiled, his pressure suddenly dissipated, and his eyes felt a little warm.

A mother is a mother.

He could no longer regard his father as a pure father, if he could not even treat his mother simply.

He felt that he couldn't accept...

Turning his head, he looked at Zheng Guo, who looked a bit like a construction worker. The boy's eyes fell on the iron rod in Zheng Guo's hand.

This iron rod looked quite heavy. If it hit his head, it would probably explode immediately.

Although the iron rod has no edge and is a blunt weapon, it is also a very lethal blunt weapon.

The boy leaned closer to his mother and frowned unconsciously.

[Couldn't the officials outside the gate see the iron rod? How could Zheng Guo bring it into the house?]
When Zheng Guo saw Prince Chengjiao's actions, he looked down at the iron rod woodenly, took a step back, and his big feet left a dark footprint on the ground.

"Zheng is guilty of disturbing the prince." The old water engineer pointed at the iron rod and said, "This is the country's water measuring instrument. After I took it from my teacher, I never left it. The instrument is here, and the man is dead. If the instrument is gone, the man is dead."

The boy's mouth twitched.

[What an ancient setting, never leaving the body during sex? There are still many abstract things in ancient times.]
He wanted to step forward and shake Zheng Guo's hand to show his friendliness.

I glanced at the heavy water measuring device and felt that I didn't really care whether it was close to the people or not.

He personally admitted that he was selfish in front of Deng Lingxue and tore off the fig leaf of being a gentleman. What else could he not let go of in front of his mother?
Then he just cupped his hands and said in a deep voice:
"I have heard that Duke Zheng is the best water engineer in the world.

"Duke Zheng is willing to go to Qin to build a canal to benefit the people. I am grateful to you."

Zheng Guo raised his eyes and looked at Prince Chengjiao presumptuously.

I feel that the title of gentleman Cheng Jiao is somewhat credible, but the title of child prodigy is really not in line with his character.

He tilted his head to look at the noble lady Ji Yaoyao, and only spoke after seeing Ji Yaoyao nod hesitantly.

The hoarse voice was so deep that it could be heard clearly even amidst the loud noise of the flood bursting its banks.

"I don't deserve your praise, sir. The best hydraulic engineer is Li Bing. How can Zheng compare to him?

"I am willing to go to Qin to build a canal, but is Qin willing?
"My lord, have you not heard of my name, Zheng Guo?

“My method of water management is the most orthodox, which is different from other water engineers.

"I have walked from Qin to Chu, and from Chu to Wu and Yue. I have been to countless places prone to floods.

"I always want to control floods, but no country dares to use me. Are you sure that Qin can use me?"

The young man patted his chest and agreed generously.

"I'll leave this to you, kid!"

Even without him in history, Zheng State would have joined Qin to build canals, which shows that Qin State did not oppose Zheng State.

Now that we have him, it’s just a matter of moving the canal construction forward by ten years. How difficult can that be?
After asking the palace maid to send Zheng Guo away, the young man, under the protection of his mother, brought Lu Buwei, who had been traveling with him, to his side.

As soon as he finished talking about letting Zheng State enter Qin to build a canal, Lu Buwei looked embarrassed.

Prime Minister Qin glanced at Ji Yaoyao, who had an indifferent expression, and was sure that his son had fallen into the trap.

Which country dares to use Zheng Guo’s water control method?

"My mother won't harm me, teacher, just tell me what you want to say." The young man saw the signs and endorsed his mother.

Ji Yaoyao was in a good mood. She liked her son defending her, and she refused to leave just waiting to hear these words.

He touched his son's head, without even looking at Lu Buwei, he stood up, went into the back room and closed the door.

Lü Buwei watched Ji Yaoyao disappear. When he heard the door open, he moved a chair to his disciple's side and said with a bitter face:

"Sir, you've fallen into a trap."

The young man smiled mischievously and said:
"Master, are you trying to say that this is Korea's strategy to control the flood and exhaust Qin? My mother told me that a long time ago.

“But there is no perfect plan in the world.

"As long as Zheng is sincere in controlling the flood, this strategy of weakening Qin will be a strategy of strengthening Qin. It will be another wedding dress made by Han to Qin."

Lu Buwei was stunned.

I suspect that South Korea has switched the identity of Prince Cheng Jiao and put a fake one here.

Where is my smart disciple?
"Sir, how can you believe what the lady said? This..."

Seeing the obvious displeasure on the disciple's face, he looked like saying, "If I don't trust my mother, who else can I trust?"

Lu Buwei immediately stopped talking and did not continue speaking. Instead, he started over again:
"Hey, sir, have you heard of this man Zheng Guo before?"

Ying Chengjiao thought about it.

If the previous life doesn’t count, I have never heard of it in this life.

"No." The boy shook his head.

"Then why don't we talk to the young master about it?" Lu Buwei asked tentatively.

The young man was somewhat puzzled. Looking at Lü Buwei's expression, it seemed that Zheng State, which was only mentioned once in history books, had a great background. Could a hydraulic engineer also be famous throughout the world?
"Sir, your dilemma is not only related to your mother, but also to Zheng State?"

Lu Buwei felt slightly relieved.

Without talking about the lady, the disciple's wit returned and he could grasp the key point by just listening to one sentence.

"Eighty percent of it is Zheng Guo's fault."

Ying Chengjiao became curious and changed to a more comfortable sitting position:
"Please tell me, sir."

Lu Buwei pondered for a moment, thinking about where to start.

After a moment, he opened his mouth and said:

"You may not have heard of the State of Zheng, but you must have heard of King Yu, right?"

"When Dayu was controlling the flood, he passed by his home three times without entering. He was one of the ancient sage kings." Ying Chengjiao answered very quickly.

Lu Buwei nodded and said:
“What you said is correct, sir.

"Before King Yu became king, he was Sikong, in charge of flood control.

"After King Yu became king, he had to deal with the government affairs of the country. He was too busy to focus on flood control. So he passed on the skill of flood control to the best person among his disciples.

"From then on, King Yu's method of controlling floods was passed down from generation to generation, with an iron rod as evidence, and it was named the Sea-Setting Divine Treasure Iron.

"The one who holds the precious iron of the Sea God in this generation is Zheng Guo."

Hearing this, Ying Chengjiao raised his hand to signal the commander to stop, with a strange look on his face.

Lu Buwei closed his mouth and looked at his disciple with inquiring eyes, not thinking that there was anything worth asking here.

Ying Chengjiao blinked, gestured at the iron rod that Zheng State called a water measuring device, swallowed his saliva, and said uncertainly:
"The Dinghai Shenzhen Iron?"

"Yes." Lu Buwei nodded. What's so surprising about that?

"Ruyi Golden Cudgel?"

"My lord, are you asking what the Dinghai Shenzhen Iron is made of... It's an iron rod, not a gold rod."

"Oh, I thought it was made of gold. It's proof that I'm the descendant of King Yu." Ying Chengjiao laughed and asked unwillingly, "Has the Dinghai Shenzhen Iron been taken away by the monkey?"

Lu Buwei was helpless about his disciples' strange ideas.

The ideas in the disciples’ minds can sometimes give people a sense of enlightenment, such as the punctuation mark, but most of the time they are weird.

"No, that Dinghai Shenzhen iron weighs 135 kilograms. What monkey can lift it?"

"Is there really no monkey? Sun Wukong? The Great Sage Equaling Heaven?" The young man, unwilling to give up, kept testing.

What is this talking about... Lu Buwei felt even more helpless.

But seeing that the disciple was very serious and expectant, he sighed and thought carefully in his mind, and after a moment he said:
“Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, I’ve never heard of him.

"But if you are not talking about monkeys, there really is something related to water engineering."

Ying Chengjiao's eyes widened, and he suddenly became alert. He heard the commander continue to say:

"Because most of the water engineers are skilled in water, they are more comfortable in the water than on the ground and are as agile as a monkey.

"So the water worker has another name, water monkey."

The boy said "Oh" with a hint of disappointment.

Since meeting Zhao Gongming, he thought he could meet Sun Wukong.

After a moment, he adjusted himself and chuckled.

He remembered that one of the stories about Zhao Gongming's origin was that he lived in the Qin Dynasty, so it was not surprising to see him, and he was not some deity.

Sun Wukong, what are you thinking about?

The novel is not entirely based on imagination. Isn't it abnormal for Wu Cheng'en to draw materials from history? Can a Monkey King really pop up?
Lu Buwei was watching from the side, completely confused.

I don’t know what caused the boy’s mood changes, why he suddenly became disappointed and then suddenly became happy.

Aren't we talking about Zheng State? This is just the beginning, and the important things haven't been mentioned yet.

Ying Chengjiao noticed the commander's expression, coughed twice, and twisted his body.

People always like to do unnecessary little actions when they are embarrassed.

He said with a serious face:
“When I first heard about Dinghai Shenzhen Iron, I was a little excited.

"Thinking that this and the Nine Cauldrons were both forged by King Yu, I wonder if I can seize it to prove my legitimacy and have enough excuse to march into the Central Plains.

"If King Wu Lie had not taken the Yongzhou Ding but had gone to grab the Dinghai Divine Iron, then my Qin State would have been able to unify the world by now.

“I couldn’t help myself, so I asked a few more questions.

"The commander continued speaking, and Cheng Jiao did not interrupt."

Lu Buwei was at a loss.

[What's the use of snatching this thing? To prove that he is the orthodox Sikong? To use it to control floods in other countries?]
[The Nine Cauldrons are the royal ceremonial vessels, how can they be compared?]
[And if King Wulie hadn’t died, how could King Zhaoxiang have become king? How could your branch have risen from a minor branch to a major branch?]
[If it is really as you said, where is your presence now? You will not be called a gentleman for long. You should really behave like a gentleman...]
Lu Buwei looked at his favorite disciple with a little worry, a gentleman cannot rule a chaotic world.

He closed his eyes to clear his mind, reorganized his thoughts, and said in a deep voice:

“Water management in the world is divided into two branches.

“One lineage was passed down by King Yu’s father Gun, and it is widely spread.

"The first lineage is the one passed down by King Yu, that is, the Zheng State branch.

“The difference between the two meridians is that one is about blocking and the other is about unblocking.

“All the people who controlled floods in the world, including Li Bing of Bashu, were descendants of Gun, who used blocking.

“Although this branch of the State of Zheng has always been treated with courtesy by other nations and has a place wherever it goes, it has hardly been used since the time of King Yu.

"My lord, are you confused? It is a truth that it is better to drain than to block. Why has no country used the lineage of King Yu to control floods?"

Ying Chengjiao nodded repeatedly. This was indeed too strange. He absolutely could not understand what the other countries were thinking.

Gun was not successful in controlling floods and was executed by Emperor Yao.

Gun's son, Dayu, controlled floods, settled the nine states, cast nine tripods, and gained control of the world.

Isn’t it obvious that there is a wrong answer and a correct answer? The ancients proved it thousands of years ago. Why do people choose the wrong answer?
Ying Chengjiao never looked down on the ancients. After meeting several of the philosophers, he looked at them in a different light. He didn't believe that all the ancients over the past thousand years were fools and there was not a single smart person.

There must be something hidden in this.

His spirits brightened and his demeanor became more serious.

This appearance made Lu Buwei feel relieved. He nodded and said:

“During the reign of Emperor Yao, floods were the biggest threat to the nations.

"The terrifying legend of 'the flood was overwhelming and the mountains and hills were filled with water' has been deeply engraved in people's memory.

"Until now, the landscape of the Central Plains is still hot and humid with much rain in the center, with rivers crisscrossing, abundant water and lush forests.

“You should know, sir, that although drought and flood are both disasters, the harm caused by floods is far greater than that caused by droughts.

"Since King Yu controlled the flood, the saying of 'benefiting water' has been spread all over the world.

“Beneficial water is water that can be used. When the nations were founded, they did not avoid the big rivers, but actively sought water sources.

“But the idea of ​​benefiting water only sounds good.

“If a country were to build itself entirely in the mountains and swamps, it wouldn’t be a good thing.

“For example, the Chu State has vast lakes and rivers that stretch across the country.

"When there were hundreds of countries in the world, Chu only had Yunmeng Lake, which was equivalent to dozens of vassal states in the Central Plains."

(End of this chapter)