Rebirth: Overthrow Song Dynasty

On the seventh day of the first lunar month, the second prime minister and minister of the Government Administration Council was sworn in!

There is a big difference between this administration council and the previous administration council. In addition to the change in the positions of ministers of the DPRK and China, another important change is the addition of the Ministry of Oceanography and the Ministry of Medicine.

The Ministry of Oceans is to manage the ocean affairs of the empire, while the Ministry of Medicine is a practical need.

In this era, medicine is very backward, and the average life expectancy of ordinary people is extremely low. In addition, for the current Song Dynasty, there is an urgent medical problem that needs to be solved, that is, the survival rate of newborns is too low!

In ancient China, it was quite good for ten newborns to survive six or seven, including the current Song Dynasty.

There are many reasons for this, one of the most important reasons is that the ancients did not pay attention to making a living, and newborns and fetuses often suffered from bacterial infections! In fact, if you use boiling hot water during delivery, and the midwife washes your personal hygiene beforehand, etc., the mortality rate of newborns can be greatly curbed! Another point is that the ancients believed that pregnant women should not be able to see the wind. Generally, pregnant women hide in a sealed hut for one or two months after delivery. During this two-month period, pregnant women cannot wash their hair and bathe, and pregnant women cannot get out of bed. Pregnant women can't eat any "cool" things, including all kinds of nutritious fruits, which have a certain impact on the survival rate of newborns! In fact, modern science has already proved that the room in which pregnant women live should not only be airtight, but should be properly ventilated. Pregnant women should get out of bed, wash their hair and take a bath, and eat fruits.

Since coming to this era, Zhao Chen has made many changes, but he seldom gets involved in the development of natural science, because he feels that it is counterproductive! Only after hard exploration can the Chinese truly master various scientific research methods, and the Chinese people's thinking will also be changed in these scientific explorations, forming scientific thinking! However, the survival rate of newborns has a lot to do with it, so Zhao Chen had no choice but to intervene!

After the establishment of the Ministry of Medicine, Zhao Chen personally guided and told the minister of the Ministry of Medicine some of the knowledge he had mastered, so that the minister of the Ministry of Medicine would spread it. Regarding what Zhao Chen said, the medical minister was skeptical, and he found it incredible. However, Zhao Chen's prestige is extremely high, and the medical minister still decided to choose a place as a pilot. If the emperor said it was really useful, he would promote it nationwide.

On the 15th day of the first lunar month, this administration council promulgated the policy plan.

The Government Council plans to use five years to double or triple the growth of the country's agriculture, industry, commerce, education, etc.! The most difficult of these is agriculture!

In order to double the agricultural output in just five years, first of all, it is necessary to vigorously promote the sowing method of two crops a year in the south of the Yangtze River. New way of farming! For the State Council, this is also a huge challenge. If this thing is completed, after five years, China's grain reserves will reach an incredible level, and there will be a lot of surplus grain in the homes of ordinary people. More and more farmers will be liberated from the farmland, and they will I will invest in handicraft workshops, commerce, waiters and other industries. At that time, China will undergo earth-shaking changes again.

*** ***

On March 15th of the lunar calendar, the Yanyun area has entered spring.

Zhao Chen and Yu Yunwen set off from Yanjing to Tianjin Wei, and then they will take a boat from Tianjin Wei to Dengzhou.

On March 19, Zhao Chen and Yu Yunwen landed at a hidden pier in Dengzhou.

This is a shipyard under the imperial court, which is now under the control of the Ministry of Oceans, and Yu Yunwen is the Minister of Oceans in this government, responsible for maritime affairs that are crucial to the empire.

"Your Majesty, my servants!" On the pier, all the officials of the shipyard were here to welcome them.

"How's the ship going?" Zhao Chen asked.

"It's finished, and I'm waiting for Your Majesty to check it out!" said the supervisor of the shipyard.

"You guys take me there now." Zhao Chen said.

At present, the supervisor of the shipyard led Zhao Chen and Yu Yunwen towards the front. After a quarter of an hour, they entered the shipyard, and after walking for a while, they came to a huge dock!

This is a dry dock, from which ships can sail directly into the ocean after they are built, but now there is not a drop of water here.

Dry docks are an epoch-making invention of the shipbuilding industry. Dry docks did not appear in Europe until the 15th century, but dry docks appeared in China in the Song Dynasty, which solved related technical problems.

A large ship with a length of 100 meters and a height of 10 meters appeared in front of Zhao Chen!

The big ship is streamlined as a whole, and the sun shines on the hull of the big ship, giving people a feeling of shimmering light!

When he came to the big boat, Zhao Chen took a deep breath, and he felt a deep shock! Since coming to this era, there are fewer and fewer things that can shock him, but the big ship in front of him is such a thing!

"How many is this captain?" Zhao Chen asked.

"It's forty-two feet long!" said the supervisor of the shipyard.

The length of one foot in the Song Dynasty is not far from the current length of one foot. Zhao Chen really estimated that the ship is more than 100 meters long.

"Is there no problem with such a big ship sailing on the sea?" Standing in front of the big ship, Zhao Chen felt extremely small, so he couldn't help asking.

"Your Majesty, we have produced a prototype ship last year! The prototype ship is basically the same as this ship except that there are no decorations and room divisions. We have been conducting sea trials for half a year!" Shipyard Superintendent road.

"What's the result of the sea trial?" Zhao Chen asked.

"There have been no problems for half a year! No matter whether the ship is running empty or full of goods, there have been no problems! The speed of the sample ship is extremely fast. It only takes ten days from Dengzhou to Hangzhou when it is full of goods. Time!" said the shipyard supervisor.

"It only takes ten days?" Zhao Chen had an unbelievable expression on his face!

It took him nearly a month to go from Hangzhou to Tianjinwei, but now it only takes ten days for this big ship to go from Dengzhou to Hangzhou?

"Yes, it only took ten days! The sails on this large ship have been specially modified, and there are also unique large oars on the ship. Two hundred sailors are rowing at the same time, and the speed is like an arrow!" The supervisor of the shipyard said.

"How many people can be carried on this big ship? How much cargo?" Zhao Chen asked again.

"Including sailors, it can carry more than 600 people! As for the cargo, it can carry 5 million catties!" said the supervisor of the shipyard.

"So many goods?" A shocked expression appeared on Yu Yunwen's face next to him.

"How strong is this ship?" Zhao Chen asked as he walked forward. There were still workers busy on the big ship.

"Your Majesty, no matter how strong the wind and waves are at sea, it is difficult to overturn this big ship! In addition, we used the rest of the ships to conduct collision experiments, and every time the big ship was safe and sound! Your Majesty, you do not know that the key parts of this big ship are made of steel. As a skeleton, the outside is covered with wood, so it is extremely strong! We also conducted a fire attack drill. This ship is made of a special kind of wood in Saipin Province. In addition to being strong, this kind of wood is also extremely difficult to burn! In my opinion, this ship has almost no flaws!" The supervisor of the shipyard looked at the ship as if looking at his own child.

"This is the largest, strongest, and most perfect ship in the world!" Another shipyard official next to him said.

Most of these shipyard officials are promoted from the bottom boatmen, everyone is skilled, and they are very proud of being able to design such a big ship!

"How many ships like this can you produce in a year?" Zhao Chen asked.

"Your Majesty, at most two ships can be produced in a year! First, the production of such a large ship requires the construction of a huge dock, which costs hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. Second, the structure of such a large ship is extremely complicated. It is also very difficult. It takes more than half a year for more than 3,000 craftsmen in our Dengzhou shipyard to produce one! The wood needed for a large ship is also very rare, even in Subinfu. The iron structure of the key parts of the large ship is even more difficult. It is difficult to build! However, Your Majesty, in addition to Dengzhou Shipyard, the imperial court also has Tianjin Shipyard, Hangzhou Shipyard, Quanzhou Shipyard, and Pyongyang Shipyard. These are all very large-scale shipyards, and they can all produce such large ships!" Said the supervisor of the shipyard .

"I see!" Zhao Chen nodded.

"Your Majesty, there is no name for this big ship after it is built, please give it a name!" said the supervisor of the shipyard.

"In my opinion, this ship is the treasure of the ship, so it should be called the treasure ship!" Zhao Chen thought for a long time before saying.

There have been "treasure ships" in Chinese history, but that was in the early Ming Dynasty! Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, was born as a poor peasant. His parents and brothers all starved to death in the famine. After Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne, he believed that agriculture and mulberry were the foundation of governing the country. Coupled with the invasion of Japanese pirates, Zhu Yuanzhang decreed that "a piece of board and an inch of a boat should not enter the sea." He not only prohibited the Chinese from engaging in overseas trade, but even prohibited fishermen from fishing in the sea, which made China miss the most important era of great navigation in history. Because of this, it has become more conservative and restrained! However, after Zhu Yuanzhang's son Zhu Di succeeded to the throne, he pooled the power of the whole country to build a treasure ship, and then ordered Zheng He to sail to the West. However, Zheng He's voyages were not for trade, but to find Zhu Yunwen who had disappeared. At that time, apart from Zheng He, the folks China's maritime trade was still banned. After Zhu Di, the Ming government burned treasure ships and charts and closed the country again. It was not until the end of the Qing Dynasty hundreds of years later that Europeans and Americans opened the door to China with iron boats and cannons.

Saying the word "treasure ship" in his mouth, Zhao Chen was filled with emotion.

Now that he is in control of the country, he can no longer tolerate such a thing happening!

"Yu Yunwen, your Ministry of Oceans needs to carefully discuss the necessity of equipping treasure ships! If there is really such a need, then send the ship plans of treasure ships to shipyards all over the country to speed up construction! In addition, the ocean is more important to the country. It is becoming more and more important that the Ministry of Oceans must formulate a strategy to subsidize shipyards in various places, not only government-run shipyards, but also private shipyards, and treat them equally! For the inventors of new shipbuilding technology and navigation technology, big rewards will be given. Don't be stingy! When necessary, I can even re-appoint the Marquis!" Zhao Chen said.

"My minister obeys the order!" Yu Yunwen said.

*** ***

Zhao Chen, Yu Yunwen and others stayed in Dengzhou Shipyard for several days. On the third day of April, they took a treasure ship to Quanzhou in the south.

This is the first voyage of the treasure ship. Sitting on the ship, Zhao Chen's biggest feeling is stability! The wind and waves outside are extremely strong, but the boat is extremely stable! In addition, hundreds of guards went south with Zhao Chen and Yu Yunwen. They also stayed on the treasure ship, and there was still not much crowded feeling here.

The ship can store a lot of food, grass, and clean water. According to Zhao Chen's estimation, it can supply the soldiers' needs for half a year! It can be said that such a treasure ship can be regarded as the aircraft carrier of this era. With the assistance of the treasure ship, other accompanying warships can also supply together. With the treasure ship, the Song Dynasty Navy has the ability to fight in the ocean.

The boat traveled extremely fast, and they traveled from Dengzhou in the north to Quanzhou in the south in just twelve days! Both Zhao Chen and Yu Yunwen were very excited in their hearts. Having such a speed is also very important for the governance of the empire! The size of the empire was huge, and important affairs were spread to the north and south by sea.

"Your Majesty!" Zhao Chen, Yu Yunwen and others got off the boat in casual clothes, and the prefect of Quanzhou was waiting for them here.

The prefect of Quanzhou was one of the military commanders back then, and he was also a confidant who was single-handedly picked up by Zhao Chen.

He was about to kneel down when Zhao Chen lifted him up.

"I came here in Weifu, let's go, let's take a look at this pier first!" Zhao Chen laughed.

Everyone moved forward, and the pier in front of them was extremely prosperous, not under Tianjin Wei at all! Tianjin Wei is mainly engaged in domestic trade. The materials from the north and the south are transported to Tianjin Wei, and then transported by river to all parts of the Central Plains! Although Tianjin Wei also has sea trade, the proportion of sea trade is very small, while in Quanzhou, most of them are merchants doing sea trade business.

There are shops everywhere on the pier, people are coming and going, and the sound is extremely noisy. All kinds of goods are shipped from here to overseas, or from overseas to here! There are all kinds of people on the pier. Nearly one-third of them are foreign businessmen. Many of them have yellow hair and blue eyes. After seeing these people, Yu Yunwen and the others showed surprised expressions on their faces. Zhao Chen had a faint smile on his face! He has already sent people to investigate. In this era, there are more than 120,000 Arab and Indian businessmen resident in Quanzhou alone, not to mention some passing Arab and Indian businessmen. Even in later generations, China rarely sees them. A city with so many foreigners.

"Your Majesty, after you changed the tax system back then, Quanzhou has become almost several times more prosperous than before! There are some shops on the pier, and countless workshops in Quanzhou city! Especially after His Majesty conferred the woman Wang as a garment maker a few years ago. , the textile machine spread, and now there are several large-scale prevention workshops in Quanzhou City! At the beginning, farmers were still weaving and embroidering in their own homes, and they only did these things in their spare time. Later, they all came to Quanzhou City, where Work! There is a huge workshop with more than 300 peasant women in it." Quanzhou prefect said.

"Is there such a thing? Take me to have a look!" Zhao Chen said.

They headed all the way to Quanzhou City, where there are many inns and hotels, and it is also a bustling scene.

Half an hour later, Zhao Chen, Yu Yunwen and others came to the workshop mentioned by the Quanzhou prefect. The owner of the workshop had already been notified, knowing that the emperor had gone all the way from the north to the south to inspect the situation of Quanzhou's maritime trade. He was both pleasantly surprised and apprehensive , followed with a nervous expression at the end of the crowd.

"Your Majesty, this is where the spinners work!" Came to a huge yard, the owner of the workshop bent over with a humble expression on his face, said.

Zhao Chen nodded. He strode in here, and saw hundreds of women crowded together in the yard, and the humming of the looms could be heard continuously. These women didn't look up when they saw someone coming in. Still working.

"Your Majesty, let them come to see you." The owner of the workshop was nervous, with sweat on his forehead, and said in a low voice.

"No, keep going, how did you calculate their wages?" Zhao Chen said.

"They will be paid as much as they do! Your Majesty, the villain will never treat them badly. They make more money in a year than their family does farm work in a year!" said the owner of the workshop.

Zhao Chen nodded and continued walking forward.

Soon they came to another yard, where the weavers worked.

After coming out of here, it is the place where the garment workers work, and then there are some other processing.

Zhao Chen observed carefully and asked earnestly everywhere he went, and the owner of the workshop answered nervously.

This textile workshop with more than 300 workers is somewhat similar to the "streamlined operation" of later generations. The boundaries between spinners, weavers, garment workers, and post-processing are clear. The efficiency of the workshop is extremely high, exceeding Zhao Chen's expectations.

After coming out, Zhao Chen stood there, seeming to be thinking about something, and the owner of the workshop had a nervous expression on his face.

"Your Majesty, is there something wrong?" In the end, the workshop owner couldn't help but asked cautiously.

"There is nothing wrong! Very good, I really did not expect that Quanzhou has such a large handicraft workshop! I want to teach you a trick, or to introduce more technology, and see if anyone can make a better textile machine. Also, if someone does a good job, you can ask her why she did it well, and then spread the experience! Your place is not a workshop anymore, I think it can be called a textile factory!" Zhao Chen said.

"Thank you for the name, Your Majesty!" The owner of the workshop was overjoyed, and immediately knelt down, saying.

"Come to your place, I feel that this trip is worthwhile!" Zhao Chen said again.

"Your Majesty, the villain has prepared a feast, and it's getting late, please enjoy it!" the workshop owner said again.

"No need for this, I have come to Quanzhou, and I have to go to other workshops to have a look!" Zhao Chen laughed.

No matter how the owner of the workshop was persuaded to stay, Zhao Chen still headed towards other places. During this day, he visited five handicraft workshops, three of which were so large that they could be called "factories".

In the middle of the night, in the Quanzhou yamen, Zhao Chen was extremely happy. Quanzhou is more prosperous than Tianjinwei, Dengzhou and other places in the north, and the handicraft workshops here are also very developed!

While the rest of the world is still in the primitive and barbaric era, China has gradually got rid of the farming era and is moving towards the commodity era!

In fact, ancient Chinese civilization has always been ahead of the world, even in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, China still leads the world in many aspects! Only in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the autocratic monarchy became stronger and stronger, and Zhu Yuanzhang even abolished the prime minister. In order to maintain the monarchy, these monarchs continued to suppress new discoveries, new things, and new technologies. They were afraid that these uncontrollable new discoveries, new things, and new technologies Technology has affected the autocratic monarchy, and they are only willing to maintain the old system and old traditions. As a result, the Chinese nation has completely sunk, far behind the world.

Unlike the kings in the Ming and Qing dynasties, Zhao Chen was only filled with joy when he saw these new things appear.

The next day, Zhao Chen continued to inspect the handicraft workshops and sea trade shops. The news that the emperor of the Song Dynasty came to Quanzhou spread quickly. In the middle of the night, hundreds of merchants in Quanzhou City came to Quanzhou Yamen to meet Zhao Chen. .