Chapter 72: Hut of the Winding Stream Recalling Antiquity

  Zhu Zhiyu was really interested in the drainage function of the waterwheel, and now the drainage facilities are idle. When needed, by pulling the iron rod, the entire facility can be easily started.

  There is a huge lake in Bayi Tan, and all the water from the canals eventually flows into it. On the lakeside near the dam, two iron pipes as thick as one foot five stretch straight into the water.

  Zhu Zhiyu was amazed and asked: "Can a single iron pipe really lift water to a high place?"

  Qin Wuchao laughed and said: "How is that possible? Please look, sir!" After finishing speaking, he lifted an iron cover, revealing a circle of twisted iron sheets inside.

  Qin Wuchao continued: "At first, we also planned to use the dragon bone waterwheel, but unexpectedly, the dragon bone waterwheel couldn't lift water to a height of one zhang or more. Later, Dian Shi gentleman reminded us to use the Westerner's spiral water-lifting machine, and that's how we made this."

  Seeing Zhu Zhiyu's confusion, Lin Chunhong said: "It was roughly during the Qin and Han dynasties that a man named Archimedes in the West invented this water pump. Alas, for several thousand years, no one in our China has invented it. I also saw this thing in books brought by missionaries."

  Zhu Zhiyu sneered, "What's so strange about this? Our China has always been good at learning from others' strengths. Westerners are knowledgeable in this aspect, and we will eventually learn from them too. It's only a matter of time!"

  Lin Chunhong shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, there are some things that we can't even get!"

  These words deeply hurt the self-esteem of many people. The Chinese civilization has always been proud of itself, and this pride is deeply ingrained in every descendant's bones, whether they are poor or rich, this pride is innate.

  Lin Chunhong saw that everyone was not convinced, touched the spiral of the water-lifting machine and said: "What's difficult about making this water-lifting machine? Our Chinese craftsmen are clever and skilled, it's easy to imitate. However, Archimedes explained the principle of the water-lifting machine very clearly! Everyone look, each spiral plate is equally spaced, but what is the distance between them? Archimedes told us that this distance is equal to the circumference of the iron pipe! Only by satisfying this condition can we lift water up! When we understand this principle, we can use it to create countless machines, where is just one water-lifting machine comparable?"

  Apart from Qin Wuchao, who had already figured it out long ago, no one else knew what was being said. Even Zhu Zhiyu furrowed his brow and pondered for a while before he finally understood.

  Zhu Zhiyu sighed: "Heavy affairs are light, righteousness is easy to change. Heavy human relations are light physical laws, which one can easily change? The way of learning is precious in practice, the learning of sages and worthies is all in practice!"

  Lin Chunhong clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, saying word by word: "Students must change all this, even if it takes hundreds of years to do so!"

  Zhu Zhiyu looked at Lin Chunhong's resolute expression, feeling a little moved. Perhaps bringing peace to the world for all eternity wasn't just an empty phrase...

  After watching the waterwheel and blacksmith workshop, Lin Chunhong took Zhu Zhiyu to inspect the gunpowder workshop, carriage workshop... Fresh things kept entering Zhu Zhiyu's eyes, and strange ideas kept impacting his thinking. All of this made him astonished, anxious, excited... Various thoughts were mixed together, making it impossible for him to make sense of them.

  When Lin Chunhong was about to accompany him to Qingjiang for inspection, he was directly rejected by him. He wanted to go to Qingjiang alone to see how many new things Lin Chunhong had and to sort out his thoughts without being disturbed.

  What's more important is that Zhu Zhiyu saw Lin Chunhong having to deal with a large number of matters every day and couldn't bear to waste his time any longer.

  Lin Chunhong did not decline Zhu Zhiyu's kindness, but instead instructed Ning Dian and Yu Ze to accompany him and take good care of his safety.

  A small flat boat, Zhu Zhiyu sailed upstream and went deep into the clear river.

  Looking at the flat boat becoming a black dot, Lin Chunhong revealed a hint of a smile. Mr. Zhu, Mr. Zhu, I am indeed eager to find talent.

  Lin Chunhong regarded Zhu Ziyu as a turning point in his career. If Zhu could assist him, it meant that the enlightened faction within the Ming dynasty's scholar-officials had begun to accept his methods. Represented by Zhu, many scholars had long lost confidence in the imperial court, and Zhu's repeated refusal to respond to the court's summons was the best evidence. These scholars generally had broad vision and were well-read; if they could be utilized effectively, they would undoubtedly become a great help to Lin.

  Lin Chunhong thinks that his biggest weakness is that he knows too little about Shilin, and maybe Zhu Zhiyu and others will join him and change everything. And Zhu Zhiyu and others will also be influenced by him, achieving results they never dared to think of before.

  Zhu Zhiyu turned around near Qingjiang for half a month and finally set foot on his return journey.

  The tranquility of Qingjiang has been broken by Lin Chunhong, and it has irreversibly fallen into the midst of noise and chaos. Relying on the three major warehouses of Geheyan, Xiaowanzi, and Yazi Kou, as well as the Maliang and Huoshao Ping mining areas, Han people have been pouring in, making Zhu Zhiyao unable to believe that this place was sparsely populated just five years ago.

  The grandeur of the three warehouses shocked Zhu Zhiyu, inside the warehouse, local aborigines spoke half-fluent Mandarin, familiarly haggling with merchants over prices. Who would have believed that five years ago, they were almost still monkeys squatting in trees? Their clothing and decorations rivaled those of the citizens of Jingzhou Prefecture, making Zhu Zhiyu certain that their standard of living had almost caught up with that of the people of Jingzhou, perhaps this was what Lin Chunhong often referred to as "educating the local officials"?

  In Ma Lian and Huo Shao Ping, Zhu Zhiyu witnessed the grand scene of ten thousand people working together: standing on the mountain waist, these ten thousand people were busy like ants, no wonder they were called "Yi Min". The ore they dug from underground was transported to the riverbank in carts, after smelting, it became a sharp weapon in Lin Chunhong's hands!

  Has the world really changed? Is the imperial court really unable to adapt to these changes?

  Zhu Zhiyu continued to ponder this issue and went on to the Sina Longguan Temple and the Baixia Cave Longguan Temple. He found that Lin Chunhong's words were more effective here than those of the local officials, not to mention that as long as the goods left the jurisdiction, they had to pay a 10% exit fee to Lin Chunhong. The locals didn't feel it was excessive at all, but instead were grateful to Lin Chunhong and treated Zhu Zhiyu's group with extreme luxury.

  When Zhu Zhiyu met Peng Jian, the head of Baiyadong Village, Peng Jian's words were full of desolation: "Now the villagers can't be controlled at all, only what Guo Dazongguan says is useful. Alas, I think this old man has become useless, let Tianshi appoint someone to take charge..." Although Peng Jian was a famous rich man far and near, he had forever lost control over the affairs of his clan.

  Lin Chunhong has developed the warehouse into a hybrid entity that takes care of both economic and administrative management!

  What he had seen and heard in the past half month finally made Zhu Zhiyu make up his mind: The imperial court was hopeless, and maybe following Lin Chunhong could really lead to a way to bring peace to all ages!

  Zhu Zhiyu's insight is quite extraordinary. When he changed roles and carefully considered the issues, he discovered many problems. Perhaps by solving these problems, the entire Bontai Group can be reborn!

  When Lin Chunhong learned that Zhu Zhiyu had set foot on the return journey, he hurriedly boarded a boat to welcome him. At the Xie Pavilion, everyone met and went ashore to visit the Tiger Tooth Mountain.

  The reason for staying in Yiling Pavilion is that the reputation of Yiling Pavilion is too loud: Lu Xun's fire burning camp for 700 miles, Western Jin conquering Wu's Suqiao War, and Yang Su conquering Chen's Jiangguan War all took place here. It can be said that Yiling is the gateway from Sichuan to Jingzhou, so Yiling Pavilion is the throat!

  Yunting, situated at the mouth of the Yangtze River Gorge, has steep cliffs and precipitous walls on both its southern and northern banks, with peaks overlapping one another. The Tiger's Tooth Mountain to the north and the Jingmen Mountain to the south have blocked the throat of the Yangtze River. On the sheer cliff face of the Tiger's Tooth Mountain lies an ancient plank road three miles long, which is a strategic location that has been contested by military leaders throughout history.

  Lin Chunhong and his party stepped onto the ancient plank road, the autumn wind blowing fiercely, and it seemed that the sound of drums and horns echoed in their ears again. Lin Chunhong thought that from now on, he might be a soldier for life, feeling deeply moved, and said to Zhu Ziyu: "If our students have a foundation, even if the Ming dynasty is full of thieves and the Hu barbarians are strong and powerful, what's the big deal?"

  Lin Chunhong's heroic spirit infected Zhu Ziyu, who asked: "Without a foundation of land, what is the point of having a foundation of land? Dare I ask about your ambition in the face of history?"

  Lin Chunhong tightly grasped the wooden sword at his waist and loudly said: "I think of Yue Fei in those years, with golden armor and iron horses, swallowing the air of ten thousand miles like a tiger. As a student, I pay my respects to Yue Wu Mu, and learn from him how to support the imperial court and establish achievements that will last for ten thousand generations! And also that Yu Shaobao who 'dared not fear even if his body was crushed into powder, wanting to leave a clear name in the world', who turned the tide of chaos in times of crisis!"

  Zhang Daohan's face changed greatly. In this situation and place, mentioning these two people seemed too unlucky! Both of them were wrongly killed!

  Who would have thought that Zhu Zhiyu smiled and said: "Continue with the story, Zhiyu knows that your ambition is not limited to this!"

  Lin Chunhong turned around and tightly grasped Zhu Zhiyu's arms, excitedly saying: "Those who know me are Mr.! The unjust deaths of Yue Fei at the Wind and Cloud Pavilion and Yu Qian being wrongly killed are simply a great shame for my China! Every Chinese citizen should think about what kind of problem our China has, why can't we accommodate these two towering heroes! As an unworthy student, I vow to change this system that cannot accommodate heroes!"

  Zhu Zhiyu clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "The ambition of Dian Shi is what I, Zhiyu, think about day and night. I am willing to follow Dian Shi's lead and do my best for him!"

  After finishing, he clasped his hands together and bowed solemnly. Lin Chunhong was shocked and hastily supported Zhu Zhiyu, saying: "How can a student like me receive such great courtesy from you, sir? It is the good fortune of all people that you, sir, have come out to take action!"

  Zhu Ziyu said: "Ziyu travels all over the world, occasionally thinking about it, and has some insights. Please speak to the historian about the trend of the world!"