In the twelfth year of Zhangwu, 352 AD in the Han Dynasty, at the beginning of the year, the battle report from the Western Regions came belatedly.
Guan Yu went north to raid Gaochang City and drove back the Huns and Xianbei in one fell swoop.
It was definitely impossible to annihilate more than 100,000 people with 20,000 horses, but they still defeated Xiutu's various tribes, and at the same time headed all the way north to Jiaohe City.
Guan Hai intercepted their reinforcements.
Zhang Fei marched north to the east and cut off the retreat of Xiu's various tribes.
Although the current report of the Warring States Period is only the victory of Gaochang, and the follow-up battle reports have not yet been sent out, but 20,000 people defeated more than 100,000, which still inspired the government and the public.
There is also good news about the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. It has been seven years since Zhang Wu officially started construction five years ago.
All waterways in the south have basically been dredged.
Shipping from Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Huzhou, Guangzhou and other places can already reach Luoyang and Qingzhou.
Now we just need the Yongji Canal in Hebei Province.
After the Yongji Canal is opened, the textile industry in the north will reach several levels. At the same time, the steel industry in Hebei will also start smoothly, contributing to Dahan Heavy Industry.
The main reason is that after the shipping in the south is connected, rubber from Hainan, Luzon and other places can be continuously transported to the north. Now Qingzhou Shipyard has received a large number of steamship orders and is manufacturing them at full capacity.
At the same time, Wu'an Iron and Steel Group and Jinche Coal Group are also under preparation. Needless to say, Wu'an County is a famous iron ore producing area and became famous in later generations because of the wise and foolish Chief Ma.
Many people in Jinche do not know that this was a township at this time. It was the place where Liu Xiu captured Feng Yi, one of the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai. The location was Pingdingshan City in later generations.
As a future steel production area, Hebei will need a large amount of coal for fuel. But now with underdeveloped transportation,
It is actually difficult to transport coal mines from Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and other places to Hebei, so in terms of layout, we have to rely on coal mines in Henan.
Because Pingdingshan is also along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and there are famous coal producing areas in Henan such as Shanyang, Mianchi, Mi County, Xinzheng, Yangcheng, and Yanxian, all of which can be transported to Hebei through the Grand Canal.
These places are the Pingdingshan Coal Mine, Dengfeng Coal Mine, Jiaozuo Coal Mine, Zhecheng Coal Mine, Hebi Coal Mine, Xinmi Coal Mine, and Yima Coal Mine in Henan in later generations.
They are all very famous coal-producing areas.
In comparison, coal mines in Shanxi are also close to Hebei.
However, transportation across the entire Taihang Mountains is far less convenient than using canals, so it is temporarily impossible to develop Shanxi's coal resources.
Moreover, Henan and Hebei were originally provinces with large populations in ancient times. Hebei was mainly based on steel production capacity, and Henan was mainly based on coal mine production, which can greatly stimulate the economy along the route and radiate to more people.
Otherwise, the current jurisdiction of Jinzhou, where Shanxi is located, is Shangdang, Taiyuan, Yanmen and other places. The total population has not exceeded 500,000, and the economic effect that forced development can bring is actually very low.
And just when the country's development was in full swing, the School of Physics brought another piece of good news.
Electromagnetic induction is a physics knowledge that Chen Mu learned in junior high school.
As an outstanding science graduate, he clearly remembers this basic knowledge, and has not forgotten Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction and calculation formulas.
Therefore, Qingzhou Institute of Physics studied electric energy very early and realized power generation capability through electromagnetic induction early.
The only thing that's stuck is the technology for storing electrical energy.
Qingzhou Institute of Physics has been doing this development work for more than ten years. The research team tested thousands of materials and finally developed a lead-acid battery, completing the world's first power reserve feat!
It has to be said that on the road of electric power development,
Although the School of Physics has been working hard for more than ten years,
But it can be considered that many years of detours have been avoided.
First of all, the most difficult electromagnetic induction technology has no threshold at all.
Chen Mu easily pointed it out.
Secondly, Chen Mu also reminded me about the power reserve.
Although electricity was invented, people didn't even know that it could be stored. It was Chen Mu who told everyone that it could be used by people, and the team from the School of Physics had a research direction.
Otherwise, it would be like people knowing that the sea is full of salt, but not knowing how to extract it, and would not consider whether it can be used by others.
After the power reserve problem is solved, a new direction must be developed next—that is, how to manipulate and utilize electricity.
This was again helped by Chen Mu.
The current resistance formula.
Whether it is electromagnetic induction or current obstruction, it is a must-learn knowledge in junior high and high school physics.
Although Chen Mu majored in finance at university, his science knowledge has not improved.
Electricity is inherently dangerous.
If there were no resistors, electrocution would be common in later generations when electricity was just invented.
Using the resistance formula provided by Chen Mu, the School of Physics experimented with hundreds of materials and finally found a suitable conductor to make a resistor. Finally, humans were able to control electricity.
After the technology for manipulating electricity is solved, the next step is how to utilize electricity.
As the founder and pioneer of physics in the Han Dynasty, Chen Mu, the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, who was praised by later generations as a famous politician, thinker, military strategist, educator, chemist, physicist, mathematician, and astronomer, gave another suggestion
.
Make electric lamps.
Then the School of Physics brought light to the darkness for the first time in the laboratory.
It's just that the filament used by the School of Physics was a carbon rod, which only brought light to mankind for a moment, and then died out again.
But this experiment is epoch-making.
Finally, after countless studies, the college developed a carbonized bamboo filament lamp and used mercury to create a vacuum glass bulb, completing an epic revolution in converting electrical energy into light energy!
It's rather embarrassing to say.
In fact, Chen Mu knew that the best material for light bulbs should be tungsten filament.
But the problem is that he doesn't know what tungsten wire was called in ancient times.
In other words, he has no idea what tungsten looks like, where it is produced, and whether it has been discovered yet.
Our country is the country with the largest reserves of tungsten ore resources. Among the tungsten ore reserves that have been explored in later generations, the countries ranked second to ten combined do not have as much tungsten ore reserves as our country.
However, there are no records of the utilization of tungsten mineral resources in ancient my country. Perhaps it was indeed discovered, but people gave up after finding it unusable.
After all, the melting point of tungsten reaches 3000 degrees. Not to mention that it is not certain whether the existence of tungsten was discovered in ancient times. Even if it was discovered, it would not be forging.
Therefore, Chen Mu could not inform the School of Physics that tungsten wire should be used instead of bamboo wire.
However, now the Institute of Geography is searching for minerals all over the world, exploring and classifying unknown minerals. With my country’s world-leading tungsten ore reserves, it is only a matter of time before tungsten ores are discovered.
And tungsten has many uses. After the industrial revolution, the forging temperature can reach more than 3,000 degrees. If tungsten alloys can be produced, the industry will reach a higher level.
In addition to the Southern Grand Canal being basically opened to navigation and the development of electric power being initially applied, there is also good news coming from all over the country this year.
For example, this year Dahan's grain output has reached a new level. A large number of fields in the two lake basins and the middle and lower Yangtze River basins are used to grow double-cropping rice. In the north, wheat and other basic crops are the main crops, and the output has increased steadily.
During the periods of Emperor Huan and Emperor Kang of the Han Dynasty, it was difficult to estimate the total grain output of the Han Dynasty. However, the statistics department of the Ministry of Household Affairs established under Sikong's rule initially estimated that today's output is more than three times that of that time.
This means that the total output that could support a population of 50 million during the periods of Emperor Huan and Emperor Kang of the Han Dynasty should be able to support a population of 150 million today, and the value of the industry has greatly increased.
At the same time, due to the explosive growth of food production, the annual population growth rate is also rising.
If it weren't for the fact that the level of medical care hadn't caught up and the death rate and infant mortality rate hadn't dropped rapidly, the population growth rate would have skyrocketed.
For example, preliminary statistics last year showed that the population of Han Dynasty was about 43 million, so the birth rate reached 43%.
Because according to the birth rate, the calculation formula birth rate = (number of births in the year / total population in the year) x 1000%, that is to say, there were 1.85 million babies born in the eleventh year of Zhangwu.
However, due to the excessively high mortality rate and mortality caused by diseases and aging problems, the average annual population growth is actually not as much as imagined.
According to Zhang Wu's preliminary statistics for five years, the country's population at that time was just over 40 million.
It is now Zhang Wu's twelfth year.
In seven years, the population grew from 40 million to 43 million.
This means that the average annual population growth is about 400,000-500,000 people, indicating that the annual death toll is quite high.
If the population increased to 43.6 million at the end of the 12th year of Zhangwu, then at the beginning of the year, the population was about 4,300, with an average population of 43.3 million.
According to the population growth rate formula (end-of-year population - beginning-of-year population)/average annual population
As the food problem was solved, the imperial court was also issuing new population growth policies.
For example, families with larger populations will enjoy more favorable tax exemption policies, be allocated more land, enjoy certain subsidies from the government, and have free education and enrollment.
At that time, the annual population growth rate will further accelerate.
The annual population growth in recent years has been around 500,000, and is expected to grow to around 1 million in ten years.
It is foreseeable that if development continues in this direction, when the medical level and productivity improve again, probably in about 30-40 years, the population of the Han Dynasty will exceed 100 million, reaching a peak in the feudal era.
And about 30-40 years later, the industrial revolution should have reached a preliminary stage, and by then it will happen to encounter the dividends of explosive population growth, and the future of the Han Dynasty will be bright.
However, these things are all in the future. Chen Mu knows very well that the development of a country is not measured in years or decades, but in hundreds or even hundreds of years.
At least when he was alive, it was probably difficult to see the development of the industrial revolution, with trains running across the country and steamships running all over the world.
So he can only try his best to lay the foundation for the future.
Soon in the middle of Zhang Wu's twelfth year, new battle reports came from the Western Regions.
After Guan Yu's victory at Gaochang, he rested for two days, then took advantage of the victory to pursue and attack Jiaohe City.
Because the Huns and Xianbei lost the reinforcements from the Yiwu direction, they were defeated by Guan Yu's army and had to flee north.
As a result, Zhang Fei's surrounding troops successfully cut off their retreat in the Dongqiemi and Wutu Valley areas in the north, and successfully intercepted the Huns in the north and Xianbei in the west.
After a great battle, Zhang Fei killed King Huyan, the Xiongnu Chanyu, and a large number of Huns and Xianbei people surrendered. From then on, the northern Xiongnu and the western Xianbei became history.
The army of the Kushan Empire in the west also learned that their allies were under attack, so they immediately sent troops to assist, and the army went out to attack the Kucha Kingdom in the east.
The Kingdom of Qiuci belonged to Erwuzi before Banchao. When Banchao pacified the Western Regions, the rebels had to fight against the Han Dynasty.
As one of the seven strongest powers in the Western Region, Qiuci State has a population of more than 100,000 and a military force of more than 30,000.
But Ban Chao was a fierce man who descended from heaven to the Western Regions. He easily put down the Kucha rebellion, deposed Yuliduo, the then king of Kucha, and established Bai Ba, the servant of Kucha who was devoted to the Han Dynasty, as the king.
The so-called servants are the kings or princes of the Han Dynasty who sent their sons to the court to accompany the emperor and learn culture. The sons they sent were called servants.
Bai Ba had stayed in Chang'an and knew what a powerful country the Han Dynasty was, so after being made king by Ban Chao, he immediately became a loyal dog of the Han Dynasty, and future generations would look up to the Han Dynasty as his leader.
This time when the Kushan and Xiongnu Xianbei invaded, Bai Shiluo, the king of Kucha of this generation, did not dare to stand in the way. He sent people to resist while asking for help from Wei Lihan's army.
Zhang He's troops were stationed in Weili. After learning about this, they knew that the Qiuci Kingdom had tens of thousands of troops. If these people were wiped out, there would be less strength to fight against the enemy, so he personally led the army westward and went straight to the capital of the Western Regions.
Protect the city and protect it.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The capital of the Kucha Kingdom is Yancheng. During the Western Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty was in the territory of the Kucha Kingdom. It was built thirty kilometers northwest of Yancheng. Since then, it has become a
He moved to the Protectorate of the Western Regions and became the administrative center of the Protectorate of the Western Regions.
In the late Han Dynasty, due to the weakening of national power, it was difficult for the Han Dynasty to control the Western Regions. Therefore, the Western Regions Governor gradually had no one to serve. However, Qiancheng was not abandoned and was controlled by Qiuci.
This city is located to the west of Yancheng, between Qiuci Kingdom, Wensu, Gumo and other countries. It is an important fortress city on the Silk Road.
If the Kushan Empire wanted to conquer the Western Regions, it had to pass through Qiancheng, so Zhang He went straight to this place.
After arriving at Qiancheng, Zhang He immediately asked for the military power of Qiuci Kingdom.
When Zhang Fei went north, he brought fifteen thousand cavalry with him.
After all, they were attacking for thousands of miles and cutting off the retreat route of the Huns and Xianbei. Therefore, they took advantage of the mobility of the cavalry. Each cavalryman carried a large amount of dry food and soybeans, and searched for water and grass along the way to feed the horses, all the way to attack Dongqimi.
So what was left for Zhang He was 20,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry. Adding the more than 30,000 troops of Kucha State, his total force was less than 60,000, only more than 58,000.
The total strength of the opponent Kushan Empire exceeds 100,000, which is obviously a huge test for Zhang He.
But he is still one of the five good generals and the later cavalry general of Cao Wei.
When Zhang He arrived at Qiancheng, he immediately observed the terrain, adjusted his tactics, set up ambush points, and prepared to meet the challenge with ease.
Although the Kushan Empire had a large number of troops, first of all, it was an expedition with troops, and its siege capabilities were somewhat insufficient. Secondly, their siege equipment was far less developed than that of the Han Dynasty. There were no catapults, wells, rams, etc.
Although the cities in the Western Regions are as simple as a town in the Han Dynasty, some places are built with loess and some are simply built with wooden fences, and their defenses are pitifully poor.
But under Zhang He's ingenious arrangements, it was renovated and a certain defensive capability was restored.
Soon after, the Kushan Empire came all the way from Weitou Kingdom and easily conquered Wensu. Therefore, Mo and other small countries along the way arrived outside Wensu City.
Zhang He gave the enemy a head-on blow here and blocked them for more than twenty days.
Just when the attacking army of the Kushan Empire was very tired, the Han cavalry stationed in Yancheng suddenly attacked. They cooperated internally and externally, and took advantage of the enemy's attack on the city to suddenly rush out and defeat the Kushan Empire's front army.
Although they were not defeated directly, they were forced back to Wensu. Gumo and other cities did not let Qiuci fall under the iron heel of the Kushan Empire.
Blocking the enemy outside Kucha is obviously good news for the Han Dynasty. As long as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei return to the defense, Shanshan Kingdom, Kucha Kingdom and the Han coalition attack again, then the Kushan Empire's expeditionary force will be completely wiped out. The day will be just around the corner.
And at a time when the great man was prospering and the country was prosperous and full of vitality, the thirteenth year of Zhang Wu also quietly came.
At the end of the twelfth year of Zhangwu, the urban area of Luoyang was expanded again, and the planned area of Fang City reached 104 square kilometers. Not only did the area of Luoyang's urban area return to the heyday of Luoyang in the Eastern Han Dynasty, but the population also reached its peak period at that time.
According to the Luoyang ruins of the Eastern Han Dynasty unearthed in later generations, the urban area of Luoyang reached 100 square kilometers during the Cao Wei Dynasty, while the Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty was only 87 square kilometers.
In terms of population, the combined population of all counties under the jurisdiction of Luoyang in the fifth year of Yonghe exceeded 1 million, and in the Tang Dynasty it reached 1.85 million.
But that's the population of the jurisdiction.
At present, the urban population of Luoyang City is over 1 million, and the total population of the jurisdiction has reached 1.8 million, which is almost the number during the Tang Dynasty.
This is because Luoyang is the center of the canal. With the opening of the Southern Canal, the population from the south began to flow to Luoyang, and people from Guanzhong could also go east to Luoyang by boat, making business gradually prosperous and the population increasing rapidly.
Just as in later generations, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen became big cities with an influx of people, at this time, as Luoyang became the center point of the Grand Canal, the population will naturally converge to this center point, greatly increasing the floating population.
As the population increased, the urban labor force increased, and the urban area planning naturally began to increase. Therefore, a large number of squares were built. Over the years, the imperial court has nearly doubled the urban area of Luoyang.
If the Royal Palace of Luoyang is called the first ring, and the original east and west cities are called the city center of the second ring, then the urban area of Luoyang has now reached the third ring area and is extending to the surrounding suburbs.
At that time, surrounding towns and villages will slowly be annexed by the city, and demolition work to compensate residents outside the city will also appear for the first time in the society of the feudal era.
But no matter what, when the end of the year comes, the whole city is bustling.
Lanterns have been hung up in various squares and decorated with lanterns and festoons.
At the end of the year, Qingzhou's popular fireworks and firecrackers followed steamships all the way west and entered Luoyang City.
The once deserted New Year time suddenly became lively and full of gongs, drums and firecrackers.
At the same time, in the new year, the imperial court will also hold a grand Luoyang Annual Meeting.
The emperor ordered that on the New Year's Day, there would be a banquet for all the ministers and the people of the city.
The grand banquet is for all Luoyang officials to have a meal.
All the people in the city are giving out money.
Each household has about a hundred bronze treasures from the Han Dynasty. The money is not much, but it is for fun and good luck.
At the same time, the whole city played music and danced, and dance bands paraded through the streets.
Each state will also send representative teams to present special products and performances to the people of Luoyang City and the emperor.
In order to prevent various regions from competing for wealth and favor, the imperial court also ordered that the specialties donated by various regions were not allowed to be valuable items, and the value was not allowed to exceed a hundred Han silver coins.
And it is required to emphasize etiquette rather than affection, to show the style of various prefectures and counties as well as local folk customs, and to express the momentum of the great Han Dynasty that embraces all rivers.
For this reason, all the states and counties also racked their brains, built dojos in snail shells, and tried to find ways to create gifts that fit the imperial court's wishes.
soon.
On December 29, the twelfth year of Emperor Zhangwu of the Han Dynasty, the first day of the annual meeting in Luoyang, Luoyang became even more lively.