Liu Tan remembered it very clearly. He had read in the literature that there were already sailing fleets in the Shang Dynasty, so sailing ships had existed at least since the Shang Dynasty.
But since they already had sails as a driving force, why didn’t Mo Shi and the others use it?
Mo Shi explained, "The sails are too restrictive, and the mast and other things are too heavy. The boat is already unstable, and if the sails are added, the risk of capsizing becomes even greater."
Liu Tan said, "How about designing according to my drawing?"
Mo Shi hesitated for a moment and said, "I can go back and try."
Liu Tan waved his hand and said, "Go ahead."
Mo Shi suppressed his anxious mood, bowed and took his leave, and returned to their yard as quickly as possible.
As soon as he entered, he was surrounded by other disciples of the Mo family and asked, "Big Brother, what did His Highness say?"
Mo Shi smiled slightly: "Your Highness gave me a blueprint."
Everyone was stunned at first, many not understanding what he meant. However, someone quick-witted immediately asked, "Your Highness has designed a new ship?"
Mo Shi nodded: "You can say that."
Someone suddenly said unhappily, "Your Highness, if you already have an idea, why did you ask us to come? Are you kidding us?"
Mo Shi's face immediately turned cold: "Mo Jiu, don't talk nonsense!"
Mojiu was a little unconvinced but didn't say anything.
Mo Shi looked around and sighed, "If you really think that, you're foolish. Think about what it means for His Highness to draw the map himself. It means he takes this matter seriously. I originally thought he was just trying to teach you a lesson, but it seems His Highness still wants to use us. Otherwise, why would he bother with all that effort?"
Mo Jiu looked at him in confusion: "But... if that's the case, why didn't you give us the blueprints from the beginning?"
Mo Shi pondered for a moment and said, "In my opinion, there are two possibilities. The first is that His Highness wants to test our capabilities. If we can meet his requirements, he will give us this blueprint. The second is that His Highness is not sure how the current ship is made!"
Mo Jiu was startled: "The first one is fine, but the second one... why does Senior Brother make such a guess?"
Mo Shi didn't say anything. He just carefully took out the blueprint, spread it out on the table, and said, "Come and take a look. Do you have any ideas?"
Everyone didn't know what he was up to, but they still read it carefully.
Their skills varied, but they all saw the problem with the ship.
"This ship... looks nice, but how do we get there?"
"Exactly. Your Highness's design has flaws. It seems he really doesn't know how to design, right?"
Before Mo Shi could say anything, Mo Jiu squatted there and said seriously, "No, if you really don't know how, it's impossible to do it so perfectly in every aspect. I've never seen such a perfect ship."
Someone laughed and said, "Mojiu, weren't you dissatisfied with His Highness just now? Why are you speaking in his favor now?"
Mo Jiu looked up at the man and said, "When have I ever been dissatisfied with Your Highness? I just don't understand why Your Highness didn't bring out this blueprint from the beginning. But now it seems... if this blueprint is brought out, I'm afraid we won't be able to do anything. Look at these component designs for yourselves. Who dares to say that they can compare to the exquisiteness of Your Highness's drawings?"
After he said this, everyone looked at each other and said nothing more. Mo Jiu was right. Regardless of anything else, these parts were indeed very exquisite in design.
Someone was dissatisfied and said: "No matter how beautiful it is, it can only be a decoration. If it is really made according to this ship, it can't be driven."
"But why did Your Highness design it this way?" Someone was very puzzled. "Your Highness also said that he wanted to take His Majesty on a boat trip on the Yellow River. How do you operate this boat?"
Only then did Mo Shi slowly say, "Have you ever considered that the propulsion method of this ship might be different from what we thought?"
Everyone looked at Mo Shi, not understanding what he meant for a moment.
Mo Shi slowly sat down and asked, "Do you remember the rumors about His Royal Highness the King of the North back in Chang'an? No, not just in Chang'an, but throughout the Northern Kingdom as well. Before we came to Shuofang City, we first toured the entire Northern Kingdom. Do you still remember how the people addressed the King of the North?"
Everyone looked at each other, and Mo Jiu hesitantly asked, "Big Brother, are you talking about...the King of the North they're talking about is a deity who has descended to earth?"
Mo Shi nodded slowly, and Mo Jiu smiled and said, "How is that possible, Big Brother? It's because the common people don't understand the mysteries of mechanical engineering, so they think His Majesty the King of the Northern Territory is mysterious and unpredictable. It's not like we don't know that..."
"You know and understand, so what? Can you come up with something like this?" Mo Shi asked decisively.
Mo Jiu choked and muttered, "Not to mention me, even Master can't take it out."
Mo Shi nodded: "That's right, Master can't do it either, doesn't this mean anything?"
He looked at the Northern Plow and the harvester he had finally bought in the yard and said, "These things may seem ordinary, but the fact that they can be thought of in that way is already very impressive. However, Master once said that the things His Royal Highness the King of the Northern Territory brings out seem to have been refined through countless trials and tribulations. If you try to trace them back to their origins, you can't find any trace of them at all, as if they appeared out of thin air."
Mojiu looked down at the blueprint thoughtfully: "Just like this ship."
Mo Shi nodded seriously: "What if this ship is not driven by human or animal power, but by magic?"
Everyone widened their eyes, thought about the magic arts and techniques they knew, then looked at the boat. After thinking about it... it seemed that this was really the case.
The magic of immortals can make people fly into the sky and hide in the ground, and even the immortals' carriages can float in the clouds. This boat also seems to be driven by immortals.
Mo Jiu swallowed his saliva: "This...it's so easy for us to guess His Highness's identity. Did His Highness do this on purpose?"
Mo Shi shook his head: "It shouldn't be. When I raised the question, His Highness was obviously a little surprised, and his expression was as if he had accidentally overlooked something."
Mo Jiu frowned: "His Royal Highness the King of the Northern Territory is a meticulous person, how could he be so careless?"
Mo Shi looked at the blueprint and said, "Perhaps... this kind of thing is too common for His Royal Highness the King of the Northern Territory, so common that he doesn't need to pay attention to it."
Everyone gasped in surprise. What seemed to them to be exquisite and beautiful could actually be something that could be found easily in the fairy world?
However, when I think about it carefully, it seems to be true.
Mo Jiu couldn't help but be fascinated for a moment: "I don't know what the fairyland is like. The things they casually take out are so exquisite."
Mo Shi reached out and tapped his head, saying, "Don't think about that for now. Your Highness obviously missed this thing when he wanted to get a boat. Although the blueprints have been given to us, our advantage is that this boat still needs to be modified to be suitable for human use. It's better than the blueprints Gong Shujia got, which have almost no room for modification."
When everyone heard this, they all agreed that it made sense. It was because of their shortcomings that they had room to display their abilities, and this was how their abilities could be demonstrated.
Then the group of people became cheerful again and started chattering about their ideas.
Liu Tan had no idea that the Mohist disciples had already gossiped about his origins and were convinced that he was an immortal who had descended to earth.
But even if he knew, there seemed to be nothing he could do.
Many people from Chang'an to the Northern Border Kingdom spread the same message. What could he do? He was also desperate.
There is no way to explain it, otherwise how can we explain the things he took out?
A person who can make achievements in one area can be considered a talent, and one who can create top-notch things is a genius. Now he has dabbled in too many areas, and he is also young, so there is no way to explain it and we can only accept it.
Liu Tan’s current focus is on preparing for the New Year on the one hand, and on selecting candidates for the Protectorate and the Colonel’s Office on the other.
These two places are different from county magistrates, and they must be managed by experienced generals.
However, the Northern Kingdom lacks experienced personnel in all aspects.
He can promote civil servants as an exception, as long as they are not given too much power, it will not have much impact. But this is not the case for generals. Not to mention the reactions when encountering real dangers, just convincing the public is not easy.
Liu Tan pondered for a moment, then turned and called Wei Deng and Li Ling, asking, "Do you want to take charge of the Commandant's Office?"
Wei Deng and Li Ling's eyes widened immediately. After they looked at each other, Wei Deng said hesitantly, "I'm afraid we're not old enough."
Liu Tan chuckled, "When Marquis Jing Huan was named Marquis Guanjun, no one said he was underage."
Li Ling was a little embarrassed: "How can we compete with Guanjun Hou?"
Becoming a champion is the dream of many young people.
Liu Tan said, "It's not much different, but I told you to go. It means you can go. Besides, you don't need to do much. Just guard the Colonel's Mansion, help each other, and most importantly, obey the orders of the Protectorate."
Wei Deng asked somewhat foolishly, "Listen to the Protectorate? Then...should we listen to His Highness or the Protectorate?"
Liu Tan stared at him intently. Li Ling, standing beside him, couldn't help but elbow him and whispered, "Are you stupid? Doesn't the Protectorate also have to obey His Highness?"
Wei Deng thought so too. If he didn't obey, his highness would definitely not let him be the captain of the Protectorate.
He rubbed his hands and chuckled, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your appreciation. I definitely want to go..."
Liu Tan nodded. "Actually, I'm not sending you there just to promote you. You'll likely be leading new recruits there. You'll train those soldiers the same way you train the elite regiments. I want all the soldiers in the three prefectures to be trained according to the standards of the elite regiments. Do you understand?"
Wei Deng and Li Ling's eyes suddenly lit up. You know, even if the Colonel's Mansion has few people, it will not be less than a thousand, which is equivalent to one of them commanding an entire elite regiment!
Liu Tan knew that the matter was settled when he saw their expressions. Wei Deng couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, then... who will be the captain of the Protectorate?"
Liu Tan lowered his eyes and thought for a while before saying, "Let your brother go."
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