I, Altria, only want to rule China.

In just over two months, the problem of twisting thread was solved. This is not something that ordinary people can do.

"This requires talking about one person. There was a craftsman among the craftsmen who claimed to be a student of Mohism. I think his name was Gongsun Zhi? It was he who helped us solve this problem." Li Lin said after thinking for a while.

"A disciple of the Mohist school?" Liya was a little surprised.

Speaking of Mohism, in history it was a philosophical school in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty of China and one of the Hundred Schools of Thought.

The Taoism represented by Lao Tzu together constitutes the three major philosophical systems in ancient China. In ancient times, Mohism was always considered to be a branch of Taoism and was deeply influenced by Taoism.

The founder of Mohism, Mozi, is said to be a descendant of Lord Guzhu. His original name was Motai, but later changed to Moshi. He is also called Mozi.

Mozi is the only philosopher in Chinese history who was born into a commoner family. He founded the Mohist school of thought. Mohism had a great influence in the pre-Qin period and was regarded as a "famous school" together with Confucianism.

The members of the Mohist School were mainly civilians. They could be said to be an organization or a group, and they were led by a leader called "Juzi".

When talking about Mohism, we have to talk about Mohism's mechanical engineering.

How magical is the mechanism?

The magic of Mohist mechanical engineering can be traced in archaeology and history books. Mozi was a nobleman, but after falling into poverty and becoming a commoner, he worked as a craftsman making tools.

Not only did he use the principle of levers to develop a lever for lifting water, he also made windlasses and pulleys for production and military use. Mozi also conducted a fairly systematic study of plane mirrors, concave mirrors, convex mirrors, etc., and derived a series of basic principles of geometric optics.

It can be said that these are things that can be called great inventions in modern times.

If Mozi were placed in modern society, he would be a scientific madman. Unfortunately, Emperor Wu of Han later "abolished all schools of thought and respected Confucianism alone", which led to the decline of Mohism and eventually it disappeared in the long river of history.

Leah was naturally a little surprised to hear that there was a Mohist disciple under her rule.

"Merlin, bring him to see me." Leah said after thinking for a while.

If the other party has inherited Mohist skills, he might be able to provide me with great help.

Merlin nodded.

After receiving the notice, Gongsun Zhi, with the help of Merlin, quickly came to the Liangzhou Palace from the arms research base.

The moment he saw Liya, Gongsun Zhi was stunned for a moment, but soon he thought of the deeds of the rebel leader and immediately understood who the person in front of him was.

"I am Gongsun Zhi, and I am here to meet General Long." Gongsun Zhi said respectfully.

This respect is absolutely real and sincere, because what Leah does is something that other rulers cannot do.

"Your name is Gongsun Zhi, and are you a disciple of the Mohist school?" Liya asked curiously.

The man in front of him was about thirty years old and had an ordinary appearance. Even if he was thrown into a crowd, he wouldn't have any special features.

"Yes, in my early years, I saved a man from the Mohist School. In order to repay him, he taught me a lot of knowledge about mechanical devices. Later, he told me his identity and left not long after. I have never seen him again since then."

Gongsun Zhi explained

"I see. I wonder how much of Mohist knowledge Mr. Gongsun has mastered?" Leah thought for a moment and asked.

"I don't actually know much about that..." Gongsun Zhi looked a little embarrassed.

"Can Mr. Gongsun understand this kind of thing?" Liya thought for a while, then took a piece of paper and put it on the table. She drew two gears, one big and one small, on it, which were a gear set and a pulley set.

Gongsun Zhi walked over to Liya's desk and looked over, a look of shock appeared on his face: "Is this a ratchet gear? It should have been developed by our Mohist ancestors. Could it be that you, General, also developed it?"

You know, ratchet gears existed in the early Western Han Dynasty, but later disappeared. Now seeing what Liya drew, Gongsun Zhi was very surprised.

"No, I'm not from the Mohist school. I just know a little about mechanical engineering." Leah shook her head.

Gongsun Zhi was a little disappointed when he heard this, but he quickly calmed down.

Since this female general was able to draw this thing, it is said that the gunpowder was also developed by this female general. This shows that this female general's hobbies are not music, chess, calligraphy or painting, but rather she is more inclined to handicrafts. There should be nothing to embarrass herself.

"Do you know what this thing does?" Leah asked.

If you know but don’t understand, then you are not a good learner.

Chapter 44: Scholars, Farmers, Merchants and Artisans

You have to know that gears, although just two iron wheels, are indispensable in modern technology. Once you master their use, you can save a lot of manpower.

For example, a huge rock that requires multiple people to lift can be done by one person using this thing. It can be said that this thing is absolutely epoch-making.

"My master told me the purpose of this thing before, but I don't have the ability to make it."

Gongsun Zhi felt a little ashamed when he talked about this. Although he had learned a lot from Mohism, he was too poor. In addition, he did not know how to recommend himself to the ruler, so he had no chance to show his ability.

If this was not the time when Li Lin was recruiting craftsmen, he would have thought about giving it a try, otherwise there would be no chance at all. He also used the knowledge he learned to solve the problem of twisting the grenade thread.

Afterwards, Liya asked Gongsun Zhi a lot of questions, some of which he could answer, but some he could not.

But as far as the result is concerned, Leah is still somewhat satisfied. This guy is a rare talent in this period. As long as she trains him a little, he will be a qualified craftsman.

He knows the principles of many things, but he doesn't know how to apply them. But he knows how to do it.

"Very good, Mr. Gongsun, from now on, I will have someone organize a department called the Ministry of Industry. You will be the Minister of this Ministry, specializing in developing things that are beneficial to the country and making improvements!"

Leah directly promoted him to the head craftsman and asked him to study everything for her.

In fact, Leah could organize what she knew into a booklet and give it to the other party.

However, after thinking about it, Leah decided that this was too risky. One could not judge a person by his appearance, so it would be better for her to let the other party research what she needed. Otherwise, if the other party ran away with her modern knowledge one day, she would suffer a great loss.

"General, what is a minister?" Gongsun Zhi asked curiously.

"You can understand it as the head of this organizational department." Leah said with a smile.

"Thank you, sir!" Gongsun Zhi said hurriedly. He had ascended directly to heaven!

"Okay, go back and wait for notification. I'll let Li Lin cooperate with you later." Leah said.

After Liya asked Gongsun Zhi to leave, Li Lin asked curiously, "My Lord, you seem to value him very much. Is there anything special about him?"

In Li Lin's opinion, the other party was just a craftsman. Although he solved the problem of twisting thread, was it worthy of Leah's attention? He was directly promoted from an ordinary craftsman to the level of the leader of craftsmen.

"Li Lin, don't underestimate craftsmen. Although many Confucian universities say that these things are strange and lewd skills, in fact, it is these strange and lewd skills that can improve the standard of living." Seeing the disdainful look on Li Lin's face, Liya knew that these people were poisoned by Confucianism.

There's something about a gentleman not being able to do this or that. Of course, that's the standard of this era, so it's not their fault.

"Is that so? But lord, what is productivity?" Li Lin asked curiously.

Not to mention Li Lin, even Merlin was a little curious.

Because people must first meet their most basic food needs before they can do other things, the ancients regarded agriculture as of vital importance.

Merchants, craftsmen, and actors do not farm themselves and do not have the power controlled by officials. They cannot stop others from talking, so they are openly discriminated against.

So in the eyes of the ancients, probably only being an official and farming were the right ways, so this is why the scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans were ranked like this.

Seeing this, Leah could only explain to the people here what productivity is.

"As human history has developed to this day, it can be said that these four types of people are very important, whether they are soldiers who defend their country, farmers who produce food, craftsmen who engage in manufacturing, or merchants who travel around. As well as the Confucian scholars who pass on culture, the ministers who manage the country, and the emperors who command and restrict the ministers,

They each have their own role, and without any one of them, the country will be incomplete and unhealthy."

"However, aren't there many countries in this world? Not to mention the distant ones, just look at the Wei, Song, and Goryeo countries around us, as well as the thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions, and even more distant countries."

"Like the Han Dynasty, they are all independent countries. They also have emperors, ministers, merchants, farmers, and craftsmen in their countries... But why are some of these countries strong and some weak?"

"This..." After hearing what Liya said, several people were completely confused.

How should we define the strength of a country? The size of its territory? Military strength? The number of people? Or something else?

Seeing everyone lost in thought, Liya smiled slightly. It felt really good to be a teacher, so she continued, "It's actually very simple. If both sides agree to fight and the number of people is the same, then doesn't it depend on the tools they use?"

"Is this the strength of craftsmen?" After hearing what Liya said, everyone understood.

Liya nodded, "Of course. You know, craftsmen can produce tools, smelt iron tools, make weapons, make farm tools, build houses, build cities... You know, these are things that farmers, ministers, and merchants cannot do."

Merlin showed a look of sudden enlightenment and a smile on his face: "So that's how it is. Without craftsmen making weapons, soldiers can't resist foreign enemies. Without craftsmen making farm tools, farmers can't farm better. Without craftsmen building houses, everyone will be homeless..."

After Merlin finished speaking, he couldn't help but laugh at himself. These were obviously very simple things, but he didn't even understand them and even asked Leah to explain them to him. He was an unqualified teacher.

Liya nodded and continued, "That's right, these things can be said to be productivity. Only when the craftsmen produce weapons, the soldiers will not be unarmed, and the military strength will increase accordingly. When the craftsmen produce agricultural tools, farmers can farm more time-saving and labor-saving, and the grain output will increase at any time... A country's

Whether he is powerful or not depends on his productivity. "

Of course, productivity is also updated and iterated with the evolution of time. Before the Han Dynasty, most of the weapons used by soldiers were made of bronze and were easily damaged.

After the development of iron smelting technology, the military strength of the Han Dynasty advanced by leaps and bounds, making the Han people in the Central Plains famous!

In the late Tang Dynasty, people invented the curved plow, and irrigation tools such as the barrel cart and the rotating barrel cart became popular, which led to an unprecedented increase in the country's grain production...

It can be said that the improvement of productivity makes a country stronger, and all these things are inseparable from the presence of craftsmen.

Chapter 45: Becoming King

"My Lord, I understand. You mean that we should improve the status of craftsmen and allow them to better improve their productivity. When productivity improves, the country will become stronger!"

Thinking about what Leah had said, all emphasizing the importance of craftsmen and productivity, Li Lin almost thought he understood what Leah was thinking.

Unexpectedly, Leah nodded and then shook her head.

Liya looked at the puzzled crowd and said with a smile: "Productivity cannot be improved by craftsmen alone. It is true that we should value craftsmen and give them better treatment, but craftsmen only provide and create production tools."

Seeing that everyone was stunned after hearing her words, Liya could only continue to explain: "Although productivity is related to all aspects of a country, businessmen do business, pay taxes, and create economy for the country, which is also a kind of productivity."

"For example, if the craftsmen produce farm tools, but without the hard work of the farmers, the grain output will definitely not increase."

"In addition to craftsmen, merchants and farmers are also related to all aspects of a country's productivity and are equally important."

"What I mean is that in today's society, scholars shouldn't dominate the society. Everyone should contribute to the country, and there shouldn't be such a huge disparity between high and low."

"The industry that craftsmen are engaged in is the source of a country's productivity and is of paramount importance, so we should pay attention to it and make some changes. But at the same time, we should also look at the merchants and farmers, who are also important and should not be classified as menial jobs."

In Leah's opinion, scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans should not be divided into different levels, nor should there be a chain of contempt. Everyone is equal, just having their own duties.

Everyone looked at Liya with some admiration. It was really true that "listening to your words is worth ten years of reading!"

However, since the curved plow was mentioned just now, Leah thought that this thing could be put on the agenda earlier, so she started drawing it on the chopping board.

Everyone looked at Leah curiously as she wrote and drew on it, but thinking about what Leah had done before, they knew it would definitely not be just simple writing and drawing.

As expected by everyone, a few minutes later, Leah drew the latest type of curved plow that she had seen in her previous life.

"My lord, this thing you drew is a plow, right? But it is a little different from what I have seen." Li Lin looked at the drawing drawn by Leah for a while before confirming that it was a plow.

The plow of the Han Dynasty had basically taken shape, but the plow of the Han Dynasty was a long straight-beam plow. It was not flexible enough to turn around when plowing the land, and it was laborious to move the soil, so the efficiency was not very high.

"Well, I call this the Liya Plow. It is much more advanced than the straight plows used by the people nowadays. It is probably the pinnacle of handicrafts in this era!"

Leah shamelessly named this invention after herself. Of course, Leah did this because this thing could greatly enhance her reputation.

Once her reputation among the people becomes as high as it can be, no one will say anything even if she ascends the throne as empress.

Although she can defeat people with force, the Central Plains still emphasizes that those with virtue should rule the country, so she would not use force if possible.

Furthermore, if she made many inventions that benefited the people and named them after herself, how would she be recorded in the future?

The first empress of all time?

If I really recovered the Central Plains that had been ruled by foreign races for a long time, and raised the country's civilization from a feudal society to an industrialized level, then no one would be able to compare with me, right?

What Qin Shi Huang and Han Wu, they are just for yourself! Just thinking about it, Liya feels so good!

Of course, this is just Leah’s delusion now, and how future generations will evaluate it is up to them.

The plow that Leah is using now is actually the long curved-beam plow that appeared during the Tang Dynasty. You should know that this curved-beam plow was used until the time of China's reform and opening up, which shows how awesome it is.

Because of its flexible rotation, the plow body can swing during operation, which is maneuverable and convenient for deep plowing. It is also light and flexible, easy to turn, and can greatly improve the efficiency of productivity.

After hearing Leah describe the function of this thing, everyone in the room looked at her with admiration.

In fact, there are not only Li Lin and Mei Lin in this room, but also many other generals and civil officials, but they have no names yet~

"Li Lin, go help Gongsun Zhi set up the Ministry of Industry in a while, and then give this blueprint to Gongsun Zhi, and ask him to make the Liya Plow and test it to see if there are any problems. If there are no problems, you can start mass production."

Liya folded the drawing on the table and handed it to Li Lin.

"Yes, my lord." Li Lin took the drawing and stepped aside.

Liya thought about it and decided to make the water wheel, which is an automatic water-lifting device, so that there is no need to worry about the impact of the dry season on the paddy fields. As for the name, it will also be called Liya Car!

Liya glanced at the dozen people in the room and said, "Everyone, I have now taken over the entire territory of Liangzhou. I plan to become the king. What do you think?"

Leah considered the issue of her title. To put it bluntly, she was now just a commoner, and it was not easy for others to call her that. It would be better for her to be called a king first.

After she becomes king, she can officially confer official titles on her subordinates, and then those who follow her will feel much more at ease.

But now most of her subordinates are military officers.