Fall In Love with the Technology Tree - Chapter 83

    In the third year of Xiping, Cao Shengxu was twenty.

    This was supposed to be a New Years reunion in Luoyang. After all, it is time for Cao Cao to enlist Xiaolian into officialdom this year; while his stepmother, Hu, has been filial to Hu Guang for one year and is about to be dismissed; No matter which owner of the Cao family, this is a happy New Year.

    Even the more and more depraved official administration has dyed this happiness with a gray color.

    A Sheng got on a huge ship going south at this time. At the helm is an old captain who has been on the route for eight years. He was originally just a fisherman in a small fishing village in Weihai. He was a bachelor, and he struggled for life in the sea every day. Now he has a family and a business. He leads the second-tier salary and benefits of the Cao family, and is only behind the major managers of various ministries.

     “Master, rest assured, even in the event of wind and waves, I know all the islands that can be sheltered on this route.”

    The owner sailed south for the first time, and most of the sailors were nervous. In addition to Ah Sheng’s main ship, even the sailors on the other three ships always like to use ropes to swing over to visit, just to take a peek at what the talented master looks like. This situation was not alleviated until Ah Sheng gave public lectures on the ship.

    The sailors in their 20s and 30s are mostly scumbags, and they are most afraid of being caught by their masters and asking their homework.

    At this time, Zheng Xuan was no longer seasick, and Ah Sheng was free to chat with him about political ideas. When the sky was high and cloudy, they set up fishing rods on the deck. The boat was too high, and the fishing line dropped seven or eight meters before it fell into the water. It was difficult to really catch Shanghai fish in this way, but it was only a wisher who took the bait.

    Kong Mo was also on the boat and had given Zheng Xuan a lot of vaccinations. So Zheng Xuan came up with the first sentence and asked: “Second Young Master also thinks that I am running out of vigor? It’s just a rumor that demons confuse ignorant people, does Second Young Master believe it? As he spoke, his voice fell.

    Party unchaining, it’s too hard. Judging from the virtues of the emperor who grew up and became more absurd, it was tantamount to fooling around. After all, every time he gives amnesty to the world, he has to add a qualifier: Party members will not be forgiven.

    A Sheng’s eyes were fixed on the fishing rod.

    “It’s like, we all live in a big house. The roof is leaking, the windows are leaking, or the door is broken and can’t withstand the beast. Our first reaction is to repair it. A gentleman is someone who is willing to mend it. It has been repaired for four hundred years, and it has collapsed once in the middle. To this day, officials like me can still find a piece of tile that does not leak, and these people—” She pointed to the side Fang carried the orphans’ medium-sized ship, “I didn’t pull them here. What’s the difference between them and sleeping in the wilderness?”

    Zheng Xuan sighed: “Natural and man-made disasters are frequent, and the imperial court can no longer protect the common people. But how does the son know that this mansion can no longer be repaired? Loyalty, loyalty and justice, is it because you know it’s difficult? Did you do it?”

    “Zheng Gong, there is no house in the world that will not decay, just like a mortal without immortality. It’s just that we have lived here for generations, and we have been blessed by it to shelter from the wind and rain, so we have feelings for the big house. Until the last resort, even the foundation is unstable, I dare not admit that it can’t be repaired. It’s just that what can be repaired, and what can be repaired, everyone has their own opinions. Three years ago , I once sorted out Dasinong’s papers for my father. The number of refugees in the world has doubled, and the taxes received by the emperor can no longer support the military funds. Once there is a slightly larger war…

    “The foundation of the so-called dynasty lies in the land and the people. With the land and the people, there are taxes, labor, and soldiers. Today, half of the population is not registered, and a third Before the tax arrives at the central government, it is passed by the wealthy family, then by the corrupt officials, then by the eunuchs, and finally by the empress dowager and the emperor’s private treasury, so what kind of money does he have? Going to raise soldiers? Soldiers’ food and salaries come from wealthy families from all over the world, so they have transformed from soldiers of the imperial court to soldiers of the wealthy family, but there is only one chance.

    “For many years, natural disasters have made the population and land under the control of the imperial court shrinking; the disaster of the party has also caused the population and land in the hands of aristocratic families to leave the imperial court. If the foundation is half destroyed, there must be ambitious people The generation is just about to move, which is why I thought the building was going to collapse.”

    Zheng Xuan stood up abruptly: “Ambitious! Second Young Master absorbs population and land, isn’t he also ambitious?”

    Cao Sheng spread his hands: “I am. That’s why I said, if you want to get on the boat with me, Zheng Gong has to think carefully.”

    Zheng Xuan stood on the spot gasping for breath, he felt like he was soaked in the cold sea water.

    “Don’t get me wrong,” Cao Sheng slowly turned his head to look directly into Zheng Xuan’s eyes, “I have no ill will towards the court and the royal family. After a long time, no matter how strong the beams and pillars were, they will rot and break. , this is a natural replacement, not the fault of mortals. The lifespan of a mayfly is one day, the lifespan of a grain is one year, a human life is sixty or seventy, and a dynasty may be longer, ranging from two to three hundred to seven or eight hundred. Mandate of Heaven has nothing to do with morality. It’s just—

    “Life is up.”

    The sound of the sea breeze and the waves all over my ears, it seems that it took a long time before the human voice sounded again on the deck.

    “No wonder Xun Ciming once said that you can’t talk about history with Cao Sheng.” Zheng Xuan looked lost, “You have no fear in your heart, talking about the replacement of dynasties is like talking about ants. No emotion? Isn’t it protecting your grandparents for three generations? Why is it so indifferent?”

    “Maybe there is, feeling.” Cao Sheng looked at the fishing rod, which was still motionless, in disappointment, “So I just built another grass hut next to me when I felt the danger, and put it back together. I won’t do things like pushing walls. When they’re done with the big house, or when the new house is built, I’ll build a corridor to connect the shed to the big house.”

     “Second son is a genius and a wealthy man. When the day comes, will you be able to restrain your ambition?”

    Cao Sheng smiled slightly: “The Master said: Dao is not good, float on the sea. I will drift farther and implement my ideas on the island. No one can tell what will happen in the future, but right now , I just want people to live.”

    Zheng Xuanqi hummed “you remember” and ran back to the cabin to get sullen. He could feel Cao Sheng’s dissent, but he didn’t expect her to be so bold. In addition, the big ship on the vast sea was like a prison, and he knew that he could not escape, so he was even more depressed.

    It was noon and the sun was shining on the deck, even in winter. Ah Sheng threw down the fishing rod that he had found nothing, and ran to the kitchen to bake muffins.

    Zheng Xuan was already following her thoughts, so she was not worried at all. What’s even more interesting is that “a genius, rich and ambitious”, this great Confucian subconsciously has forgotten that she is a woman.

    Sure enough, after a few days, Zheng Xuan came out to play with the sextant with a stinky face, and he could look at the globe all morning.

    It’s too bad to talk about politics with Cao Sheng, he shouldn’t make fun of himself.

    Before Zheng Xuan could understand the question of “the sun revolves around the earth or the earth revolves around the sun”, they entered a special sea area. Numerous marine fish slammed into the fleet head-on, making a loud slap in the water, and occasionally unfortunate small fish slammed into the solid hull. If it weren’t for the high deck of the Cao family’s sea-going ship, it is estimated that some fish would turn over on the deck.

    Children such as Zheng Yi and Taishi Ci were very happy. It was the first time they saw the sea fish migrating. It was really spectacular.

    “This is the back of the black, just catch some early adopters. When we arrive at the Kaohsiung Port of Liudao, we will eat the mullet roe.” Introduced by the host.

    “I know.” Ah Sheng said, “just like migratory birds, some marine fish also migrate. In winter, they go south to warm waters, and then go north after spawning. A mullet that has laid eggs is not as plump as a mullet that has not laid eggs.”

    “The host is really knowledgeable, and his words are not bad. Now that the spring is coming, the mullet fishing season is about to end. If we set out from Weihai in autumn, we could just catch the mullet spawning, then It’s spectacular.”

    After eating a seafood meal, you can see the huge body of Lyudao showing its shape from behind the sea fog. The ship slowly moved southward, and gradually there were more small boats cruising in the strait, with pointed white sails, and they drove very fast. When we got close, I saw the white rabbit flag hanging on the boat, and quickly went back to report. Then a red-painted medium-sized ship came to lead the voyage, leading the fleet all the way to the port.

    “Kaohsiung Port, a place of repair. You can go around the port during the day and return to the ship at night.”

    Zheng Xuan, dressed in a wide robe and long sleeves, followed Ah Sheng off the boat, and under the guidance of the strong servant, headed towards the military fort: “Why, is it because of miasma?”

      Hill composed of white skulls. On the top of the mound, there are wooden branches entwined with colorful brocade, and wine and meat are enshrined in the front, as if a cruel ancient worship.

    A Sheng took a deep breath: “Don’t let the children come this way.”

    “Don’t worry, master.” An iron-like voice came from the entrance of the fortress, “As usual, Kaohsiung Port is mainly supplied with supplies, and the crew will not leave the port area.”

    Accompanied by the voice, a group of young men with more than 40 people came out of the military fort in full armor, and even the footsteps were uniform. They stood still, posed in a simple formation, waited for the leader to confirm the jade pendants and seals of all the guests, and compared the portraits and faces before sheathing their swords and punching their chests: “I have seen the master!”

    The questioning ceremony was over, and only the younger soldier smiled.

    A Sheng turned to Zheng Xuan and introduced him to the leader who was full of murderous aura: “Twenty-seven, the leader of the family, who started stationing here three years ago.”

    Zheng Xuan sighed again: “It’s an elite soldier.”

    Twenty-seven didn’t talk to Zheng Xuanduo, only chatted with Ah Sheng. “The waves are dangerous, and the miasma is heavy. Why is the master here?”

    A Sheng pointed at the pile of skeletons: “If I don’t come, you will become a devil on the spot.”

    Enter the dock and wash up. When seafood and fruits and vegetables were served on the table, Zheng Xuan was relieved and asked, “The bones in front of the fort…”

    A Sheng put down his chopsticks and his face was heavy: “I didn’t expect to run Liudao so soon.”