My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 420: The Frog in the Well Zhang Ziqiao

The debate between the "seclusion faction" and the "opening faction" advisers in front of Liu Zhang ended with Zhang Song's big move "If things fail, I am willing to take the blame", and the "opening faction" won a complete victory.

Liu Zhang nodded and agreed to send an envoy to Pei County with Sun Shao.

After all, if the subordinates are willing to be “temporary workers” and take risks, what else does the boss have to worry about?
At this point, the logic of Wang Lei and Huang Quan's arguments is no longer relevant. Liu Zhang is not a man of insight. He does not care about those big principles. When he makes decisions, he looks at who is more loyal to him and who has the same position as him.

A few days later, Zhang Song, Zhang Su and Fa Zheng made some preparations, took Liu Zhang's gifts, and were about to leave Chengdu, going down the Minjiang River and heading east.

During this process, some minor twists and turns occurred - mainly because Wang Lei and Huang Quan were unwilling to give up, and after losing the debate, they were actively looking for other evidence that was unfavorable to the other side.

Then, Wang Lei actually found out one or two pieces of the latest news from the outside world from Ba County, mainly that "the Xudu court controlled by Cao Cao has removed Liu Bei from his position as Zongbo and transferred him to other positions, but has not touched Liu Bei's position as General of Chariots and Cavalry."

Then, Wang Lei, with the mentality of taking a shot at anything, used this reason to advise Liu Zhang again. His words were similar to what Cai Mao said to Liu Biao, which was nothing more than "Liu Bei should not be involved in this matter now, and ignoring him is in accordance with the court etiquette."

Of course, Wang Lei's wisdom was definitely higher than Cai Mao's, so Wang Lei would be able to think of all the arguments that Cai Mao could think of, and Wang Lei could also think of some additional attack points that Cai Mao could not think of.

For example, Wang Lei lied to Liu Zhang, saying, "The imperial court in Xudu issued an order to remove Liu Bei from his post last month. Sun Shao should have heard about it when he passed through Jingzhou before he entered Sichuan. But he pretended not to know and did not mention it at all when he negotiated with us.

This shows that Liu Bei wanted to get away with it and take advantage of the slow transmission of information in Shu to deceive his lord! From this, it can be seen that no matter whether what Liu Bei's envoy said made sense or not, Liu Bei had bad intentions from the beginning and did not treat him with sincerity! "

This obstruction caused Liu Zhang to waver a little. He also summoned Sun Shao and reprimanded him: "Mr. Changxu! As an envoy, why did you lie to me? Brother Xuande's official position has changed, but you concealed such news. How can you be considered sincere to others?"

Sun Shao's words were similar to those of Yi Ji to Liu Biao, emphasizing that "Whether Liu Bei was the Minister of Rites or the Minister of Imperial Households is not important for this matter. Moreover, our lord would never obey the forged edict of Cao Cao, so he naturally disdains to mention it."

His words showed his disdain for the edicts from Xudu that deceived the emperor.

Liu Zhang was unable to find any direct fault, so the episode was temporarily dropped and did not affect the itinerary of Zhang Song and Sun Shao.

This little controversy will ultimately serve as a potential minefield. If something unexpected happens in the future, the faction in Yizhou that opposes joining forces with Liu Bei can use this as an excuse.

……

It was already the end of the twelfth lunar month when Zhang Song and Sun Shao set out on their journey.

Going down along the Minjiang River, when passing the confluence of the Minjiang River and the Qingyi River (Dadu River) in Nan'an County (Leshan), the group left the boat and walked dozens of miles overland. Then they reboarded the boat downstream of Nan'an and loaded and unloaded the gifts, which was very cumbersome.

Further downstream, this time we took the large river boat that Sun Shao and his party took when they entered Shu. Previously, from the north of Nan'an County to Chengdu, we took small boats from Yizhou.

This is because at the end of the Han Dynasty, the whirlpool at the confluence of the Minjiang River and the Dadu River was too serious. At that time, the Leshan Giant Buddha had not yet been built, and the waterway had not yet been remodeled to reduce the whirlpool convection. Ships passing directly through the whirlpool would often be swept to the bottom of the river by the whirlpool, causing the ship to be destroyed and people to die.

Therefore, ships going to Chengdu must change ships near Leshan to avoid this dangerous area.

It was only after Zhang Song and his party passed Nan'an that they saw how huge the large river ships of Liu Bei's army were.

Because of the remoteness of Shu, people living near the Chengdu Plain had never seen this kind of slender, keeled ship.

Even if merchants from Jingzhou had opened new ships, they would usually only go to Jiangzhou and sell their goods to merchants from Ba County, who would then act as middlemen and make a profit from the difference.

There was no other way. In the past few years, Yizhou had been in constant turmoil, and Ba County and Shu County were almost two independent geographical units. Ba County had produced three waves of forces that obeyed orders but not announcements. How could they miss this opportunity to collect bribes and expand their wealth?

Therefore, the longest ships that Zhang Song and others usually saw would never exceed sixty or seventy feet.

Sun Shao's boat, however, could easily exceed ten feet in length, and the mast was high and steep, and the sail width could exceed the width of the hull. It was obvious that the Shu people had used unprecedented sail-raising and lowering mechanisms and rigging to control the boat. In comparison, the hull width was not much wider than that of a large old-fashioned river boat.

As soon as Zhang Song saw Sun Shao's fleet, he realized how much stronger and more advanced Liu Bei's power was than Liu Zhang's.

"We live in seclusion in Shu, and although we are still prosperous and well-off, we are still frogs in a well. The world is in a time of great contention, and the princes are competing with each other in construction and skills, and it has reached this level."

Zhang Song pondered in his heart and developed a deeper sense of crisis about the technological progress in the outside world.

That feeling was similar to that of the knowledgeable people in the late Qing Dynasty who were able to break the closed-door policy due to powerful ships and guns. They felt that they had to "open their eyes to the world" and learn advanced things from outside.

While Zhang Song was shocked, the sailors of Sun Shao's fleet skillfully cut the anchor and set sail.

A sailor who was not very strong pulled a sail controlled by a pulley system in front of Zhang Song, and raised it directly to its full height, and the speed of the ship gradually increased.

Zhang Song had been to many places and had been on many ships, so he could tell that there was something unusual about the physiques and operating methods of these sailors.

"The sailors we usually see are all very strong and muscular, so that they can raise the heavy sails. Why do the big ships from Yangzhou use such lean and thin sailors to operate the sails?
Although they seem capable of doing it, it is probably because of the strange sail ropes that can save effort. Wouldn't it be easier if strong men were used to operate the sails?"

Zhang Song thought to himself.

Traditional sails use a fixed pulley on top to change the direction of the rigging force, which is not surprising, as earlier ships were designed this way. However, the combination of a movable pulley and a fixed pulley into a pulley block for sails was still very new in the Han Dynasty.

It cannot be said that there was no such technology for moving pulleys among the people, but at least no one had thought of combining this technology with shipbuilding and navigation before.

Zhang Song was also curious, so he caught the sailor and asked him about it. The sailor was not shy, and seeing that a great man like Zhang Song was not ashamed to ask questions, he patiently explained:
"Not only do we have to raise and lower the rigging on the deck, but sometimes we also have to climb the mast and operate the flying boom. Strong men are too heavy to climb. So the princes built this kind of rigging so that thin people can also pull the heavy sails, which saves a lot of trouble."

Zhang Song nodded secretly and observed many new things along the way, including the fine breastplate forged with a water hammer and worn by the guards beside Sun Shao, as well as other fine equipment, which Zhang Song praised.

Moreover, because the mast was equipped with horizontal flying spars, the width of the sail could exceed the width of the hull. The speed of Sun Shao's ship far exceeded Zhang Song's expectations. In just less than two days, it sailed downstream from Nan'an to Baidao (Yibin) and merged into the Yangtze River from the Minjiang River.

On the morning of the third day, when Zhang Song woke up, he saw that the boat had entered the Yangtze River. He was surprised again and found Sun Shao to chat with him and estimate the time required for the voyage.

"I wonder when we can reach Pei County?"

Sun Shao thought for a moment and said, "One month should be enough."

Zhang Song was shocked: "One month? From Shuzhong to Xuzhou? When you came here, you must have walked for more than a month."

Sun Shao: "Is one month fast? When we came here, we went upstream, so of course it was slow. We took the water route, but the return trip was downstream. When we left the Three Gorges, we could travel a thousand miles a day.

It takes less than half a month to travel more than 4,000 miles on the Yangtze River. However, if you follow the current to Guangling, turn into the Han Canal, and head north to the Huaihe River, you will travel slower without the current to travel with.

Zhang Song was amazed, but did not refute, just observed secretly.

Over the next ten days, the fleet really did what Sun Shao said, rushing all the way down the Yangtze River. It was the first time for Zhang Song to rush thousands of miles on the Yangtze River without stopping. Every day, he looked at the green mountains passing by, and he felt heroic. It was a pity that he did not have the poetic talent of Li Bai. Whenever he was in the mood, he could only express his feelings casually.

The group spent the New Year of the ninth year of Jian'an on the boat until a few days before the Lantern Festival, when the fleet passed Wuchang. Taking into account the fatigue of the soldiers and sailors from days of sailing, Sun Shao decided to rest for a day or two. If it really didn't work, he would change a group of sailors to drive the boat in Wuchang.

Wuchang was Liu Bei's base camp, the fief of "Marquis of Wuchang", and a thoroughfare connecting nine provinces, so water transportation was naturally developed. With Sun Shao's identity, it would be easy for him to take out Liu Bei's mission, ask for local cooperation, and replace a group of sailors.

Seeing that Sun Shao was not worried about delaying his mission, Zhang Song was naturally happy to rest in Wuchang for a day or two and see the world.

He had never been to Wuchang before in his life, but he also knew that Wuchang was originally built on the basis of Huang Zu's old nest, Xiakou City, and was not considered an important city in the world.

However, after entering Wuchang City, Zhang Song was still amazed by the prosperous scene of Wuchang.

The official in charge of receiving him, having heard from Sun Shao that this man was Liu Zhang's envoy, naturally tried his best to cooperate. Zhang Song was allowed to visit any place he wanted, and he was even specially guided to take a look at the Wuchang Academy.

Mr. Sima Hui, the Water Mirror, now resides in Wuchang Academy as the principal. His disciple Xiang Lang also serves as the magistrate of Jiangxia County, and his classmate Meng Jian is also doing business in Wuchang.

When Zhang Song saw the scale of the book collection at the Wuchang Academy, he was amazed.

The official in charge of receiving him did not allow him to visit the woodblock printing workshop, but just by looking at the scale of the collection of books, Zhang Song confirmed that the printing technology in Wuchang was very advanced.

Ordinary scholars, as long as they were of clean status and registered in the imperial household, could freely read books in Wuchang Academy. If they wanted to borrow books from outside, they had to meet certain identity requirements.

On the day Zhang Song visited, he saw hundreds of poor scholars who were allowed into the library by the guards of the imperial academy simply after their identities were verified. Even though their clothes were tattered, they could read books at will, which made him look at them with new eyes.

"Under the rule of this General of Chariots and Cavalry, culture and education are indeed flourishing. Even scholars from humble families can have a chance to succeed. It is really lamentable." Zhang Song sighed a few words and casually asked the accompanying official,

"Can anyone of these people come in to read? Doesn't the academy have to worry about theft? Can those ragged people also study?"

The accompanying official replied as if it was a matter of course: "Of course, as long as you are not a person of unknown status, how can poverty be a reason to stop you from studying? It is not a sin to wear tattered clothes. We just require that even if the clothes are worn out, they must be clean. Before entering the library, you must wash your hands and feet and not defile the books."

While introducing, the official pointed to the pools at the entrance of each building. There were many large water tanks, pools, bamboo pipes and bamboo spoons for drawing water. Everyone had to wash their hands and dry them before being let in.

It doesn't matter if your clothes are worn out, but it's reasonable not to get your books dirty.

Zhang Song nodded and sighed: "Although the governance of the Three Dynasties is no more than this, I didn't expect that in this chaotic world, there are still people who can achieve such a level. Today I know that there are always better things."

……

Sun Shao and Zhang Song rested in Wuchang for two days, rotated a group of sailors, and replenished food and supplies before setting off again.

The arrangements made by Jiangxia County Magistrate Xiang Lang were economical and save time. He allocated a fleet of official ships that came from Jingnan via the Xiangjiang River and Dongting Lake, and they were also on their way to Xuzhou to meet the lord. The fleet had surplus sailors, so he directly gave some of them to Sun Shao and asked them to help Sun Shao sail the ships.

However, in exchange, some of the cargo carried by the official fleet from Jingnan was also stuffed into the spare space in Sun Shao's fleet.

Zhang Song couldn't help but feel curious when he saw that his boat was loaded with dozens of baskets of rice.

He asked Sun Shao privately: "Although water transport costs little, it is a thousand-mile journey, and most of the goods being transported are valuable. Why do they transport grain all the way from Jingnan to Xuzhou? Even if Xuzhou is short of grain, it would be more economical to raise grain in Guangling and Wuhui and transport it north, right?"

Sun Shao knew something about the situation, so he explained to Zhang Song: "These are not ordinary grains. I can't explain it to the deputy driver now, but you will know in the future. This fleet was appointed by General Zhang who guards Jingnan. It is escorting the fine seeds that Bu Fujun found in Lingnan.

Lord Bu is also going to take the opportunity of the New Year to report to the Lord and Zhuge Military Advisor, so he is on the way with us. Ziqiao, do you know about Bu Zhi's deeds in Bu Zishan? Do you want to meet him?"

Zhang Song immediately bowed and said, "Although I am in Shu, I have heard a little about Mr. Bu Zishan's deeds. I heard that he also had great ambitions when he was young, comparable to Ban Dingyuan in the past, who expanded the sea borders, supported Wang Jingxing, and intimidated Shi Xie of Jiaozhi.

There is also a Qianzhong Road in my Shu area that connects merchants and goods to Jiaozhi, and its name is well known. I didn't expect that he would also go north to take up the above position. It is really an honor to be able to travel with him. Please introduce him to me, Brother Changxu."

It turned out that Zhang Fei and Bu Zhi had launched an expedition to Lingnan in the winter of the previous year and captured the area from Shi Xie which was equivalent to Guangdong in later generations. Later, because of the hot spring and summer, they stopped further advancement and prepared to wait until the weather got colder before taking any action again.

Hasn't a year passed already? Now it is winter and spring has come. In the past winter, Zhang Fei and Bu Zhi were not idle and put new pressure on Shi Xie.

As for the natives of Lingnan, their fighting capacity was completely weak. They dared to resist because they felt that respecting the court controlled by Cao Cao was more promising and could help them get promoted. They did not bother to pay attention to the Secret Edict and just regarded the party holding the Secret Edict as rebels.

Now that they have been beaten repeatedly by Liu Bei's army, their only hope is to counterattack when the weather gets hot. But they have been beaten several times recently, and they also heard that Cao Cao in the north was defeated by Liu Bei and lost three counties.

After the news came, under the dual pressure of Zhang Fei's propaganda offensive and military attack, some county governors and county magistrates in Lingnan were shaken again and defected to Liu Bei's forces.

This winter, Shi Xie further lost Yulin County in Guangxi Province, leaving only Jiaozhi County in Vietnam Province still under the control of Shi Xie himself. This was also because Shi Xie had previously held the title of Jiaozhi Taishou/Governor of Jiaozhi and had a solid foundation in the local area, which was his last base.

However, compared to the small matter of gaining one more Yulin County in military terms, what Liu Bei's camp valued more was that this winter, Bu Zhi finally took advantage of the cool weather and made several trips to the South China Sea, finally arrived at the Linyi Kingdom, conducted several trades, and bought back dozens of ships of Linyi rice samples (Champa rice).

Zhang Fei left half of it for trial planting in Lingnan and Jingnan, and divided a few ships into several groups to go to central Fujian. The rest was transported north to Wuhui and other places. Finally, he kept a few grain ships to send to Liu Bei and Zhuge Jin for inspection.

Although the northern part of Xuzhou is not suitable for growing this kind of grain, it is a big deal after all, and some archives should be kept for research, which is also a contribution.

Zhang Song is not one of them now, so Sun Shao will not tell him too many details about the legend of Linyi rice. It will not be too late to show off his muscles when double-season rice is successfully grown in Jiangnan in the future.

Zhang Song was confused and did not understand the truth, but with his keen observation, he could see that Liu Bei's concern for the people's livelihood and for encouraging agriculture to produce grain was absolutely unmatched by other princes.

With Sun Shao's introduction, Bu Zhi soon came over to the boat and exchanged a few words with Zhang Song. The two talked very directly. Zhang Song and Bu Zhi were both talented and would not give in to others. Whenever they discussed the general situation of the world, they did not hide their thoughts and said whatever they wanted.

But this made Zhang Song feel relaxed, as he could be objective and not personal, and didn't have to hide anything. Just like in history, when he arrived in Xuchang, Cao Cao could not tolerate him, but Yang Xiu, who was arrogant because of his talent, had a good relationship with him.

Bu Zhi told Zhang Song a lot of stories and experiences from overseas, which Zhang Song could not understand at all. Hearing that there were so many strange and bizarre customs of the barbarians in the South China Sea, Zhang Song felt more and more that he had little experience and had been like a frog in a well after staying in Shu all his life.

Along the way, Zhang Song's knowledge was refreshed every day. He heard about new things outside, took notes, and organized his diary. Time quietly came to the beginning of February, and the group finally arrived in Pengcheng, an important town in Xuzhou, to prepare to meet Liu Bei.

Liu Biao's envoy Yi Ji naturally arrived more than half a month earlier than Zhang Song.

-

PS: Sorry for being a bit unwell and late today... that's all.

(End of this chapter)