After Zhang Ximeng arrived in Peiping, he suffered from a bit of cold. Although he did not fall ill, his knees ached slightly. He did not try to be brave and simply stayed in the city, hiding in his room with Li Shanchang, drinking tea and chatting.
Zhang Ximeng likes the strong bitter tea more and more. The more flavorful, the better. Drinking it is enjoyable and refreshing. On the contrary, Li Shanchang, as he is old and his taste buds have degenerated, the indifferent taste cannot stimulate him. Lao Li actually likes to drink tea.
Add sugar to it, and at Zhang Ximeng's suggestion, add a lot of milk to make it into milk tea.
Li Shanchang drank quite happily, and Zhang Ximeng asked his subordinates to prepare some spring rolls for him. They were stuffed with bean paste and had plenty of sugar. He was twice as happy.
Li Shanchang drank and ate, and chatted casually with Zhang Ximeng. He was very happy.
"Grand Master, in recent days, many barbarians from the north have gone south, and Korea has been affected. Why do you think they don't stay in the north to herd horses and sheep, and insist on going south?"
Zhang Ximeng said helplessly: "If the north can survive, they will not go south... Actually, Brother Li, have you noticed that there is a honeycomb in the north of us, in the center of this continent, between the vast grasslands?"
"Beehive? What beehive?" Li Shanchang was puzzled.
Zhang Ximeng said: "It is a hive of nomadic peoples. From the early Xiongnu, to the Turks, Khitan, and then to the Jurchen Mongolia, they are constantly attacking the Central Plains, creating crises one after another, and constituting continuous infringement on the land of China.
!”
Li Shanchang smiled and said, "It turns out to be this hive... indeed, and the wasps that live in it! The wasps that kill people! Master Zhang, what do you think we should do to completely solve this scourge? Should we launch an army and kill all these people?"
"
Zhang Ximeng smiled and shook his head, "When I say this is a beehive, I mean it will be endlessly killed. When the year is good, the wasps will survive in the nest. When the year is bad and it is difficult to maintain it, they will spurt out and head south.
March... And the empty nests they leave behind will soon be occupied by other ethnic groups. These people live and multiply, accumulate strength, and wait for the next round of explosions, endless, stretching for thousands of years, without stopping!"
Zhang Ximeng concluded with a smile that as the largest continent in the world, there is a vast grassland desert in the middle of the Eurasian continent. This large area covers millions of square kilometers or even more.
"The Romance of Fairy Wood"
Due to the vast territory, there will always be areas with abundant water and grass that can survive temporarily... Therefore, countless nomadic tribes are nurtured on this land.
Some of them are strong, some are weak, and even most tribes can't find their source, as if they appeared all of a sudden.
Their activities are completely controlled by the climate.
When the temperature rises, precipitation increases, water and grass are abundant, and cattle and sheep are everywhere, they live a stable life, pastoral and pastoral, full of poetic distance.
But when the climate changes, precipitation decreases, white disasters increase, and large numbers of people and animals die... they are forced to move south in large numbers in order to survive.
Then they will collide with the farming people in the south.
This is not just the case in the Central Plains, but also in other places.
The most unpromising among them is India. Once they are invaded by nomads, they will have no choice but to kneel down. The new nomads will become Kshatriyas and upper castes, and the other original people will be degraded.
A level.
Due to thousands of years of kneeling history, the indigenous people of this continent, the black Dravidians, have been driven to the south and have become untouchables.
Those who came later with lighter skin became the upper castes and became the masters of the continent.
Those who are more promising than the third brother are the Persians. They also built fortifications, similar to the Great Wall of the East, to resist the invasion of nomads.
Of course, they were not completely successful, and the ancient Persian civilization was also submerged in the iron hoof.
In comparison, the most outstanding thing is the East, the land of China.
Since the Qin and Han dynasties, all dynasties have not only built the majestic Great Wall to resist invasion, but also trained cavalry to carry out decisive counterattacks...
This kind of thing seems to be very common in the history of the East. Only achievements of this level are worthy of praise.
But in the world, when farming peoples fight back against nomadic attacks, it is like sheep attacking wild wolves. This is an outrageous idea!
And the Chinese dynasties not only did it, but also succeeded several times. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty counterattacked the Huns, destroyed the Turks in the early Tang Dynasty, counterattacked the Northern Yuan Dynasty in the early Ming Dynasty, and conquered the Mongols in five times... These actions are absolutely unimaginable in the history of the world. Who can
They are a real fighting nation, maybe they really need to be discussed.
To put it bluntly, the level of the Song Dynasty is not bad. If it were not for bad luck and being stuck in the Central Plains Dynasty, it would be a bully-level existence anywhere else.
Just putting the Song Dynasty in the middle of the Tang and Ming Dynasties made it awkward.
Zhang Ximeng smiled and analyzed the problems in the north with Li Shanchang. It is absolutely remarkable to have the ability to fight back and create peace for hundreds of years.
But to go one step further and completely eliminate the threat so that this hive can no longer sting the Central Plains is undoubtedly an even greater achievement.
Achievements reaching far beyond the Han and Tang dynasties!
"Brother Li, you suggest recruiting some young men and throwing them into the river to fight. I fully agree. As long as we are given twenty years, we may be able to solve the problem once and for all."
Li Shanchang frowned slightly, "Can you? Master Zhang, what can you do?"
Zhang Ximeng said: "This matter needs to be viewed from a development perspective. The most important move is naturally the advancement of transportation. Take now, for example, our maritime transportation is so strong that soldiers, horses, money and food can travel through the Liao River and penetrate deep into the hinterland.
Send troops and horses to Liaoyang and other places. Under normal circumstances, border troubles are no longer a concern. Now, a rail carriage has been built between Peiping and Dagu. If this can be extended through Shanhaiguan to Liaodong, the situation will be greatly different. If we continue
New means of transportation can be developed and the transport capacity can be increased ten thousand times. At that time, even if the Jurchens don’t want to sing and dance, they will still sing and dance!”
Li Shanchang was slightly surprised and couldn't help but sit up straight, "Master Zhang, can you explain it more carefully?"
"Okay... I heard from Qitai and the others that they are researching new machinery, and they are a little bit frowning." Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "This machine is used in coal mines, and can be used to extract water from mines... Theirs
Meaning, since we can extract the water below, can we change the direction and pull the vehicle forward? After all, this is the category of mechanics, and the principles are the same!"
Lao Li still couldn't figure out what mechanics was for a while. After all, at his age, it was difficult for him to keep track of the latest academic progress.
But Li Shanchang understood that Zhang Ximeng would not talk nonsense. Since he said it, it is very possible to do it.
As Zhang Ximeng said, the transport capacity that can be increased ten thousand times is absolutely unlimited!
With such a huge transport capacity, just mobilizing soldiers and generals seems too small.
The vast grassland is vast and sparsely populated, and there are too many mining resources buried underneath, the value of which is incalculable.
The reason why it cannot be mined is that transportation is the biggest constraint.
There is a lack of labor force. Once mined, it is difficult to transport, so we can only guard the treasure mountain to beg for food.
But once the transportation capacity is solved, large quantities of labor, including food, clothing, mining tools, etc. can be transported from the Central Plains, and then the treasures of the grasslands can be transported back to the Central Plains for smelting.
And the people on the grasslands can also get a share of the trade.
Without the pressure to survive, ghosts are willing to ride south and rob for a living.
Two enemies who have been enemies for thousands of years do not have to completely eliminate the other to solve the problem.
In fact, if you eliminate the opponent, others will soon join in, and you will never be able to kill them all.
The fundamental way is to change the economic foundation and put the grassland on a new path of survival. Only then can all problems be solved.
After listening to Zhang Ximeng's introduction, Li Shanchang pondered for a long time and was speechless.
Zhang Ximeng gave him more milk tea, "Brother Li, why don't you speak?"
Li Shanchang rolled his eyes, "What else can I say? In twenty years, I will only have a handful of bones left. Master Zhang, when the grassland is calmed down, all you have to do is burn a newspaper for me. I will
I am also happy with you!"
Zhang Ximeng paused and said with a smile: "Don't worry, I will definitely burn it for you, and I will burn some more money for you...Brother Li, this time the advice is effective, I will definitely find a way to repay you."
Li Shanchang hummed softly and said: "Master Zhang, please don't cheat me. I understand your kindness, but I really can't bear it!"
Zhang Ximeng chuckled and said, "Brother Li, if you are not blessed, won't your children and grandchildren also be blessed?"
Li Shanda was shocked, "Master Zhang, why do you still want to take advantage of my juniors? They can't fight you, so you can't bully the younger ones!"
Zhang Ximeng shook his head and said: "You are totally wrong. You know that sugar cane in Luzon Island is very profitable, right?"
Li Shanchang hummed: "Who doesn't know? That's not sugar cane, that's silver and gold everywhere!"
Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "That's right, but I'm thinking that it won't be long before a place like Luzon will be merged into the Ming Dynasty... I'm afraid that plantations that burn people's lives will no longer work. There will definitely be no such thing in Luzon in the future.
With today's efficiency, we can't make so much money. But cane sugar is definitely the most valuable thing right now. I'm planning to find another place, an island with a hot and humid climate, to grow sugar cane there to supply Daming and other places.
"
Li Shanchang said with a stern face, "Master Zhang, you might as well explain it clearly. I am getting old and my brain is not good anymore."
Zhang Ximeng said: "Brother Li, what I mean is, let's find an island in America. Isn't Europe a mess now? We get labor from Europe and send it to American plantations, let them produce sugar cane, and then sell it to Europe.
, or Persia and other places... What do you think of this business?"
Li Shanchang was preoccupied with how much money he could make, and he did not realize how interesting it would be to use Europeans as laborers to grow sugar cane.
Li Shanchang pondered again and again, "Master Zhang, I'm already at my age. If you still want to play tricks on our family, I will turn into a ghost after my death and take you away!"
Zhang Ximeng laughed loudly, "Even if we go to hell, I believe there are far more ghosts on my side than on your side!"