Time flies and two days pass.

There was no new news from Ma Teng, and Chen Xu did not take this matter too seriously, because everything in the Academy of Sciences had not officially begun. However, he secretly increased the number of guards and imperial guards on the construction site, so that Yingbu was stationed at the construction site to closely monitor, and isolated the newly built iron furnace and blacksmith shop on the construction site, the two most important places, the newly built iron furnace and the blacksmith shop. Except for the recruited blacksmiths, who were good at smelting and making weapons, no one else could get close to them, and of course they could not leave.

"Mr. Marquis, I just heard that after the snow melted on the road, the convoy transporting coal, iron and graphite had already set out from Weinan and would arrive tomorrow at most!" Zhao Qing hurried to report the situation.

"Okay, okay!" Chen Xu was sitting on a warm kang in a separate laboratory in the Academy of Sciences and discussed Jiuzhang arithmetic with Zhang Cang. After listening to Zhao Qing's report, he was very happy to get off the kang and put on his shoes: "Let's go, go to the construction site to inspect it. As long as the coal and iron arrive, the construction will be officially started!"

A few days later, the snow had melted. Although it was the warm winter sun, it was still so cold that it was unbearable. As soon as he left the gate of the Academy of Sciences, Chen Xu shivered a few big shivered.

After leaving the city, the river was breeze, and the whimpering sound passed through the wilderness on both sides of the Wei River. The jackdaw flew low and the eyes were withered and yellow. The cold river water also soared for several feet. The Qinling Mountains in the distance continued to roll, and you could still see the white snow on the top of the mountain.

The sky is high and the earth is vast, and everything is depressed.

As he rode his horse down the Wei River, facing the biting cold wind, Chen Xu also felt his body slowly warm up, and his heart was slightly hot.

As long as the iron was smelted, Chen Xu decided to give Qin Shihuang a big surprise at one time, including saddles, stirrups, horseshoes, sabers, and various long weapons suitable for horse battles in later generations, such as Zhao Zilong's gentian bright silver spear, Zhang Fei's 8-year-old snake spear, Guan Guan Yu's Qinglong Yanyue sword, axes, swords, guns, hooks, whip, hammers, boring and crutches, meteors, and all eighteen weapons were made. Qin Shihuang must be able to enjoy a great health care addiction. After all, the disciples of the immortal family should not be too cold.

In the construction site, the new iron smelting furnace has been built again. This time, because Ying Bu led the Imperial Guard to supervise the construction personally, no fault occurred.

This iron smelting furnace was built in the model of the experimental small iron smelting furnace in Qinghe Town. The modification was not big, and the purpose was still a semi-experimental nature, because the pig iron needs to be refined first, and then wait for the graphite to be made to make a large crucible stir-frying furnace for secondary smelting, so that various steel products with different carbon content can be obtained.

In fact, to make good steel, it is best to use coke smelting instead of coal directly, because ordinary coal contains sulfur, which will increase impurities in the iron if the desulfurization is not clean during the smelting process. It can only be reduced by repeated heating and forging. This is also the reason why steel weapons cannot be obtained directly by casting and cutting methods in ancient times. However, for this era, these are not the most important. It is the most important to be able to make carbon steel and then create sharp weapons and various tools. Coking needs to be done slowly, and the requirements for steel are not so strict at present.

Everything can only be taken step by step. As long as more and more craftsmen are proficient in iron smelting, the skills of steel smelting will become more and more perfect in three or five years.

Gongshusheng's health has improved a lot and he can walk with a crutch.

After Chen Xu inspected the iron smelting workshop and the blacksmith shop, he asked someone to take Gongshusheng secretly to the iron smelting workshop, gather all the hemp rods and the craftsmen and slaves in the arrangement, and gave them a strict advice, so that they would start work quickly after the coal, iron, graphite and other ores arrived tomorrow, and instructed Ying Bu to mobilize the imperial guards to take strict supervision.

At noon the next day, under the escort of two hundred soldiers wearing armor and halberds, hundreds of ragged prisoners shouted horns and pushed dozens of ox and horse carriages and came from the southeast along the muddy road after the snow melted.

Chen Xu, who had already been looking forward to it, couldn't wait to wait at the construction site.

After all these ox and horse carriages entered the construction site, the construction site immediately became noisy. According to the steps that had been arranged, a large number of work slaves and craftsmen were assigned to screen and process them. In the afternoon, as a thick smoke from the iron smelting furnace rose into the air, the iron smelting workshop under the Daqin Academy of Sciences officially opened the furnace and smelted the first furnace of iron.

While smelting iron, a smelting furnace for stir-frying steel began to be built.

Although the cold weather was frozen and dripping water turned into ice, the construction site seemed extremely lively. A large number of worker slaves carried vine baskets and pushed wheelbarrows and started to transport coal and ore bricks.

Looking at the soldiers in front of him scolding and beating ragged and thin work slaves and prisoners, Chen Xu sighed silently in his heart.

If one person wants to promote the complete transformation of such a large country with the power of one person, it is conceivable that there are too many things that need to be changed, especially the deep-rooted ideas such as abolishing the slavery system, abolishing the custom of burying living people for the harsh household registration system, and the abolition of the strict household registration system. For the current Qin Dynasty, no one is a roadblock. Not only the emperor may not agree, but the civil and military officials in the court will not agree, and the nobles as exploiting classes will not agree.

"Add to continue, whether it is a work slave or a prisoner, the daily rations will be increased to one pound of coarse grains. The canteen is not allowed to reduce any food and let them eat saturated and drink hot water. In addition, the work slaves and prisoners should keep warm and the millet should be laid thicker. If it is not enough, go to nearby farmers' homes to purchase them. The injured must be treated in a timely manner. Everyone must strictly follow the construction site system. Those who dare to violate the rules must be punished strictly without lending!"

"Here~" several managers and lieutenants at the construction site agreed together.

Before leaving, Chen Xu came to the Iron Smelting House again, called Gongshusheng and Ma Gan over and gave him a close reminder before returning to the city. The main reason was to be safe, and then he would create a batch of qualified equipment as soon as possible.

"Mr. Marquis~" As soon as he walked to the gate of the Marquis' Mansion, Huangfu Que, the manager of the Marquis' Mansion, came up with anxiety.

"What's so panicked!" Chen Xu asked nervously.

"Mr. Marquis, half an hour ago, Your Majesty asked the Evangel to come and pass the imperial edict, and asked you to go to the palace immediately after you return to your house!"

I went, scared me! I thought something big happened.

Chen Xu couldn't help rolling his eyes, so he had to instruct the coachman to turn his horse's head to the palace.

When Chen Xu came to the palace, the Wu Dynasty had just scattered, and the civil and military officials had just come out of the court hall. When they saw Chen Xu coming with the eunuch, everyone bowed and greeted with a smile on their faces.

"Hello, sir!" Chen Xu kept bowing. Except for Li Si, Zhao Gao and others, the nine ministers and Chen Xu could not recognize them completely. Other officials of lower levels were even less aware of them, and they could only say hello one by one.

After entering the palace, the eunuch directly brought him into the Zichen Hall. Qin Shihuang, who had just dispersed the court, had not even changed his wardrobe, and was waiting for him after receiving the news.

"Your Majesty forgive me. I have just returned from the construction site outside the city!" After Chen Xu entered the palace, he respectfully saluted Qin Shihuang.

"Marquis Qinghe needs no politeness! Please sit down!" Qin Shihuang smiled and waved his hand, and ordered the palace servants to serve tea. After sitting down, Qin Shihuang said: "I heard that the coal, iron ore needed by the Marquis Qinghe has been transported to the construction site today. I have also heard from people that there was thick smoke rising on the construction site, so I can't wait to ask the Marquis Qinghe to ask about the situation!"

"When you come back to your Majesty, I have improved the method of smelting iron based on the records of the heavenly craftsmanship. You should be able to refine a kind of steel that can be used to forge sharp and tough weapons, and also improve the harness. As long as the full set is equipped, our soldiers of the Qin Dynasty can completely abandon the chariot. After simple training, they can become super pawns with one or ten. Your Majesty sweeps the northwest Huns and the Hu people just around the corner!"

"Be serious?" Qin Shihuang stood up excitedly.

"I dare not deceive Your Majesty. In fact, I have successfully tested the method of making steel in Qinghe Town. However, more skilled craftsmen are needed to promote it on a large scale. Therefore, the smelting workshop outside the city is mainly used to cultivate new steel craftsmen, and the improved horse harness has also been successful. It can be made in two or three days. Please let Your Majesty see it!"

"Haha, okay, okay!" Qin Shihuang laughed happily, and after his excitement, his face became a little serious: "Qinghe Marquis, I asked the general to go to Qinghe Town to ask you about your plan to conquer the Baiyue Land in Lingnan. You have given three strategies, not only Qinghe Marquis, do you still remember it?"

"Your Majesty, I will remember it naturally!" Chen Xu stood up and bowed to answer.

"The best strategy given by the Marquis of Qinghe was to expel the Huns and then pacify Lingnan. This is exactly the opposite of my previous idea. Today, you have improved your horse harness and said that you can make me the horses and horses of Qin take one to ten. Could it be that the Marquis of Qinghe did it on purpose? Can you tell me the reason in detail?" After Qin Shihuang finished speaking, he sat down and looked at Chen Xu quietly.

"I originally planned to report to Your Majesty after the improvement of steel weapons and horse harnesses is completed. Since Your Majesty asks you today, I dare not hide it. Yes, I just hope that Your Majesty can first north and then south, and then slowly pacify the south. From a strategic analysis, the south has many mountains, many rainy waters, high mountains, dense forests, hot and humid climate, poisonous obstacles, snakes, ants, insects and beasts, and the products are not abundant. In addition, Baiyue is all barbaric natives who do not accept the king's transformation. Even if it is forced to conquer, it will not benefit our Qin Dynasty. Instead, it will consume a large number of soldiers and generals to suppress it. Now, 300,000 troops are stationed in the north to defend against the Huns, and there are also millions of surrendered soldiers from the six countries. This huge consumption has been completed.

It is a bottomless pit, and it fills countless food and materials into it every year. If the south is in such a situation, our Qin Dynasty will not be able to support the consumption of these two fronts. Your Majesty's tour of the southeast, the counties of Nanyang and the rivers along the river are all the main grain-producing areas of our Qin Dynasty. But what Your Majesty saw along the way, all the people of our Qin Dynasty were not fed. Once the war started, a large number of civilians would be recruited to participate in the transportation of food, grass and materials, and no one would cultivate the land. What would be the next step was a sharp decline in grain production. If the battle in Lingnan began, it would definitely not be completed within three years. If three years were delayed, Your Majesty could imagine the consequences."

After hearing this, Qin Shihuang remained silent, and the room was so quiet that he could only hear the breathing of the two of them.

"Your Majesty, it's not a malicious speculation. I think the Qin Dynasty seems to be stable at the moment, but in fact people are panicked. The nobles of the six countries and the old and young masters all hope to see His Majesty fall into this chaos of fighting on two fronts, and they also hope that the longer the battle will be, the better!"

Qin Shihuang's skin shook slightly, and Chen Xu's words obviously poked his sore spot.

"The land of Baiyue is actually like a useless rib to the Qin Dynasty!" Chen Xu continued.

"Self-lost? How to solve it?" Qin Shihuang asked in a daze.

"If you eat it, you will be tasteless and will be discarded!" Chen Xu bowed.

After thinking for a long time, Qin Shihuang nodded: "Yes, Lingnan is actually like a useless ribs. I am reluctant to give up, but I hesitated a little. I also know that Lingnan is difficult to obtain, so I have not made up my mind yet. When I toured the southeast last time, I went to the five ridges to inspect the border guards and scouts in detail, but I still hesitated after I returned. What the Marquis of Qinghe said just now is the reason why I cannot make up my mind. Lingnan is difficult to obtain and cannot give up, otherwise I would not have let the general go to Qinghe Town to ask you."

"Since Your Majesty also finds it difficult to choose, why should you make a decision? Why should you put it aside first and discuss countermeasures slowly after the time is ripe. The Yue tribes in Lingnan are mixed, and they are barbaric and not united. Even if they are placed there, they will not have much impact on our Great Qin. The Yue tribe will never gather a group of troops to attack our Great Qin. On the contrary, the Huns and Hu people in the northwest are the life and death enemies of our Central Plains. Whether it is the Yan Zhao or the Great Qin today, they have always been

He was constantly attacked by it, so for hundreds of years, he has been constantly building city walls to try to block the Xiongnu's way south. In fact, the best defense is attack. Only by completing one battle and completely eliminating the Xiongnu can we completely quell the troubles in the north. Therefore, I believe that instead of spending time and troops to pacify Baiyue, which is not threatening to the south, it is better to accumulate energy and determine the north in one go. Once the north is calm, the south is still like taking things from a bag, just to see when Your Majesty wants to take it!"

"What's more, the land of Henan and Hebei is rich in water and grass. The Huns have grazed here for hundreds of years. Even if they are forced to take it down, they will get hundreds of thousands of cattle, sheep and horses. These livestock happen to be scarce in the Qin Dynasty. Wool can weave clothes and cattle and horses can be cultivated. Once millions of cattle and horses are distributed to our main grain-producing areas of Daqin, plus the cultivation method of deep cultivation, in two or three years, the food of my Qin Dynasty can be several times larger. The people across the country have enough food and clothing, and the natural people are at peace. The disasters of the remnants of the six countries will gradually disappear invisibly."

Qin Shihuang nodded: "I agree with the words of the Marquis of Qinghe, but I still want to see the improved horse harnesses and weapons of the Marquis of Qinghe, before making plans. The disaster for the Huns is that they are wandering. It is very difficult to defeat their main force in one go. This is also the reason why I have always wanted to take South Vietnam first and then pacify the north!"

"Don't worry, your Majesty, you will not be disappointed after seeing it!" Chen Xu smiled, "After preparing in a few days, I ask Your Majesty to go out of the city to see the results of the improvement."

"Okay, I'll wait for the good news from Qinghe Marquis!" Qin Shihuang also showed a happy smile on his face.

Chen Xu was quite excited after coming out of the palace.

As long as Qin Shihuang's plan to attack Lingnan first could be changed, history could be said to have been distorted by more than half. In the era without stirrups, the role of cavalry was mainly to harass the enemy with archery, which was called cavalry and shooting. They could not fight in close combat with weapons in their hands, because they could easily be knocked off the horse. With stirrup saddles, a pawn's combat power could be fully exerted. With spears and sabers, it is not a luxury to take one as ten.
Chapter completed!