The Moon in the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 112 Construction of Zhengguo Canal Begins
After this chuckle, Ying Zheng's calm voice was heard: "My lords, it seems that what Mr. Zheng said makes sense. What do you think?"

Lü Buwei stood up and said, "Reporting to the king, this is just a humble plan of Han. What Zheng said is indeed reasonable, but it did not mention the difficulty of building this canal."

Lü Buwei looked at Zheng Guo and sneered, "Ha! Zheng Guo, you are a guest of Han. Starting from Zhongshan in the east and ending at Hukou in the west, this canal is a full 300 miles long. If it is built slowly, who knows how many years it will take to complete it? If it is to be effective quickly, how much manpower and material resources will it take? Even if the Qin Dynasty puts all its efforts into it, it will be difficult to complete it without ten years of hard work. In this world of great contention, where is there the time and energy to do such a large project?"

Lü Buwei shouted, "This is clearly a plan by Han to weaken Qin's national strength. You are clearly a spy from Han who came here to plot against Qin. Do you dare to deny it?"

Zheng Guo was sweating profusely, his lips turned pale, and he didn't know what to say for a moment. He just cried out in his heart, "How could Qin not see through such a crude plan? Your Majesty, you have caused me so much trouble."

After Lü Buwei finished speaking, Ying Zheng smiled again and asked in a gentle and unhurried voice, "Mr. Zheng, is what Prime Minister Lü said true or false?"

Zheng Guo originally thought that the King of Qin would be furious after being exposed, but he was unexpectedly so calm. Did the King of Qin understand it? Yes, he must have understood it. The King of Qin was known to be smart, so how could he not know?
But this attitude is quite subtle.

Zheng Guo gritted his teeth, decided to go all out, bowed deeply, and shouted:
"I am willing to die. Your Excellency the Prime Minister said the truth. I am indeed a guest of the Kingdom of Han, and I did come here to exhaust Qin. But what I just said is true. If this canal is completed, Guanzhong will be a fertile land, and there will be no more famine. The great Qin will be strong, so how can it be weakened by building a canal? For the Kingdom of Han, this plan is just a temporary solution and a few years of life, but for the great Qin, it is a great achievement for all eternity!"

"Please understand, Your Majesty. This canal will bring a hundred benefits to the Great Qin State, and there is no harm in it. It is true that I am an expert in water engineering. I believe that no one in the world can match me in water conservancy. If I can do it, I will definitely be able to complete it with the fastest efficiency and the least manpower and material resources."

"I can first prepare a plan for this channel and present it to Your Majesty. If it is false, Your Majesty can execute me later."

Ying Zheng said slowly, "What the Prime Minister said is very true. I also know that this is a trick of the King of Han, but I am willing to fall for it because what Zheng Qing said is also true. If this canal is built, there will be no more famine in Daqin. This will be a great thing for all the people of Daqin. It will benefit the people of Daqin, and by then, the six countries will no longer have any chance to resist. I can wait for ten years."

Lu Buwei bowed and withdrew: "I understand."

When Zheng Guo heard this, he felt relieved for the time being, but he still crawled on the ground, not daring to move.

After Lü Buwei returned and sat down, Ying Zheng said, "Mr. Zheng, let's not talk about the Qin-Han issue for now. If this project succeeds, it will be a great deed. It can be said to have saved countless lives and saved the common people. So I am willing to forgive you this time and I believe you can do a good job."

"From now on, I will not pursue the previous events. As long as you do this well, you will receive the rewards you deserve. I can also name this canal after you. I will not be stingy with titles, and your children will inherit everything from you in the future."

"I have only one request. From now on, you are a Qin citizen. South Korea has nothing to do with you anymore. You must work wholeheartedly for the Qin State and do your best. You are not allowed to have any other thoughts."

Zheng Guo bowed his head and said, "I thank the king for his kindness. From today on, I am a Qin citizen."

Ying Zheng said: "Very good, I will send the best water engineers of Qin to assist you, and the Mohists and Gongshuists will also do their best to help you. With the help of mechanical engineering, it can be faster. I have only one request, to complete the work as soon as possible and to perfection."

"I will obey your order and live up to your trust." "Don't let me down. Otherwise, I promise you that everyone you know will die, and you will die a miserable death."

In those days, when ministers from other countries went to work in other countries, they usually had to bring their families with them, otherwise no one would dare to use them. This time, Zheng State did not bring any of its family members with it, which obviously showed that there was a problem.

Ying Zheng has ordered Yan Jin to bring Zheng's family to Qin as soon as possible. Ying Zheng never places his hopes on others, and his weaknesses must be in his own hands.

Zheng Guo bowed deeply: "From today on, I will never have second thoughts!"

Finally, Ying Zheng instructed Xiang Lisheng and Gongshu Chou to send their most elite disciples to assist. This matter was given the highest importance, and Lu Buwei was personally responsible for all logistics and the mobilization of laborers. He asked them to come up with a plan and start construction as soon as possible. For this reason, Ying Zheng stopped the construction of the mausoleum, and all the manpower that could be squeezed out was given priority to digging the canal.

In recent years, the Mohist School and the Gongshu School have developed very well in Daqin. Their influence has expanded, and their disciples have increased dramatically. Moreover, the competition between the two schools is not strong, not because there is no competition, but simply because there is a shortage of manpower.

The king values ​​us craftsmen too much. There are so many jobs available. Instead of competing, we might as well recruit more disciples. Not to mention the daily salaries and rewards, the profits from papermaking and bookmaking are too great. The Mohists and Gongshujia have made a fortune.

In recent years, some people have been jealous and have tried their best to make a name for themselves. They have produced some paper of poor quality, especially for making books. Even if there is no printing technology, people can still copy it by hand. It doesn't matter how expensive it is. Anyway, the supply cannot meet the demand. As a result, Luowang killed several waves of people and burned many workshops before it could barely maintain its monopoly position.

Even the Mohists turned a blind eye to these things because the profits were too great. Ying Zheng's words came true, and now if the Mohists were really asked to release the papermaking technology, they would be reluctant to do so.

Under the instruction of Ying Zheng, the Mohist school was constantly improving its craftsmanship, making less and finer paper exclusively for the nobility. This not only doubled the profit, but the profit was astonishing. After all, the nobility had to have the best, otherwise they would not be part of this circle.

There is one more thing off topic that I have to say: any advanced productive force, as long as it can be connected with human instinct, then no matter how high the cost, there will be someone to do it.

When paper first came out, it led to a revolution in painting. Some nobles spared no expense to hire masters to paint erotic pictures on paper in the most obscene way. People had also painted on silk in the past, but no matter how good the silk was, it was certainly not as light and convenient for painting as paper, and the effect was better. Color paintings had already appeared, and of course, there were also many books.

After all, books are easier to make than paintings.

By now, there are several most popular books and paintings on the market, such as "Mei Xi's Secret Book", "The Thirty-six Styles of King Zhou of Shang", "The Secret Biography of Duke Xuan", and even more daring ones such as "The Twenty-four Hands of Long Yang" and "The Book of a Hundred Flowers and a Hundred Stamens".

Well, it’s true that food, sex and nature are the driving force for human progress.

(End of this chapter)