Chapter 576 Dahu, we are here (please vote and subscribe)
One by one, the children came forward to hand in their registration forms, and then received their four new books, as well as the gifts from the chief, pencils, brushes, and inkstones, but no paper.
Although the papermaking technology of the Han tribe is relatively advanced, the output is still limited. There are only a dozen production lines. More importantly, the raw material pulp is limited. After using up the natural fiber pulp, they can only produce pulp with wood and bamboo.
In addition, there is no glass now. Almost all the windows of the Han tribe are made of oil paper. The rest have to meet the needs of printing books and a large number of official documents. Therefore, only a small part can be circulated on the market. It is impossible to use it to practice calligraphy. It is already a huge consumption to let each child use paper to write an assignment every day. With so many students, there are tens of thousands of sheets of paper a day.
So after the students received their things, the teacher immediately gave instructions.
"Everyone should protect their books in the future. After you learn to write, you can write your own names on the books to distinguish each other.
And your pens and pencils need to be sharpened before use. You can only buy your own after use. Each of you will also have a brush. After the school officially starts, we will learn to write with brushes. It is best for everyone to prepare some wooden boards and knives at home, which are specially used for practicing calligraphy. Paper is sold in the school, and wooden boards and knives are also sold in the school. You can go and see for yourself after school.
Okay, now I will arrange the duty students. Everyone will take turns to clean the classroom in the future."
A group of students began to whisper. They didn't expect that they had to work at home and learn to write in school. It was so miserable!
In a corner not far from the teaching building, a small pure wooden structure house was completed before the start of school. However, this house did not allow outsiders to enter at all. There was no door on the front, but the upper half of the wall facing the outside was made into the style of windows, and bamboo poles could be used to support half of the wall at both ends.
This is a stationery store similar to a canteen. There are only a few things to sell, nothing more than pens, ink, paper, inkstones, wooden boards, and a palm-sized multifunctional iron plane. The reason for this is that this wood shaving knife not only has the ability to flatten wooden boards like ordinary woodworking wood shaving knives, but also because Luo Chong added a function to it. A round hole was opened obliquely on the wooden seat on the side of the wood shaving knife. If you insert a pencil into it and rotate it, it can be used as a pencil sharpener.
To put it bluntly, a pencil sharpener is a passive iron plane. The structure is a knife holder and a blade. So as long as the angle of the pencil is correct, it doesn’t matter what material is used. It’s not difficult to combine these two things together.
In the teaching building, after the teachers of each class arranged the formal opening of school the day after tomorrow, they directly announced that school was over. Everyone could go home. Those who wanted to buy stationery could go and see for themselves, so many students began to flock downstairs.
Qubing didn't join in the fun. He had quite a few stationery at home, all of which he had borrowed from Luo Chong. He had used pencils before, but he had always sharpened them himself. He even had a newly made portable official document pen. So he took these things and ran to the breeding area of the Han tribe to see his Benben.
The registration and class division activities on the Han tribe side went smoothly, but it was different on Youfu's side. After leaving the vicinity of Youjiang, they continued to move southeast, but after two days of travel, they encountered a choice question.
A fork in the road appeared in front of them. The river, which was originally 400 meters wide, suddenly split in front and became two rivers with almost no difference in priority. The entrances were almost the same width. One continued to flow to the southeast, and the other extended to the southwest to the distance. They were almost more than 300 meters wide.
"Uncle, which way should we go? Do we have to separate the fleet?" You Zhi came to Youfu and asked.
"No, we only have so many people and boats. Only by gathering together can we help each other through the difficulties. We can't separate, otherwise something will happen. Once something happens, others can't save us." You Fu immediately objected.
In fact, the best way is to move forward in two teams, but the fleet has only three sailboats, and it is impossible to distribute them evenly. One ship must act alone, and this team that acts alone, no matter who leads it, You Fu is worried.
What if that person runs away with the boat and never comes back? Or he directly joins a strange tribe on the coast. Who knows if there are other tribes with thousands of people like the Jiang family ahead? It is unlikely that there are no tribes like the Jiang family. It is estimated that no one on the boat will believe it.
Of course, You Fu can also send an absolutely reliable confidant to lead the team, such as You Zhi, but this is even more dangerous. What if some brave crew member kills his nephew and throws him into the river, and then hijacks the boat and runs away? Who can say for sure? At that time, not only will the boat be lost, but also a smart young man in the tribe will be lost. It's not worth the loss.
"So where are we going? We can't just stay here forever. Although there are a lot of big fish at the confluence of the two rivers, we can't let everyone eat fish all the time." You Zhi looked at the salted fish hanging on the side of the cabin and couldn't help but feel a little nauseous. No matter how delicious something is, it will hurt if you eat too much.
The crew members around him didn't say anything. They all stared at You Fu, ready to listen to You Fu's plan.
"Let's go to the southwest, let's go together." You Fu thought for a while and finally decided.
"Southwest? Why, didn't we go southeast all the time? Why did we change course?" The captain of the first ship also asked.
"What do you think about the task assigned to us by the leader?" You Fu didn't answer his own thoughts directly, but asked them a question instead.
"Scout the hydrological environment downstream? Open up a shipping channel to the downstream?" The captain answered tentatively.
"Yes, it is to open up the waterway, but why do we need to open up the waterway? Naturally, the leader intends to manage our downstream area, but the southeast is so far away, and it is all unfamiliar. What benefit will it bring to us to manage there? Not only is the initial investment huge, but the effect is also slow."
You Fu analyzed it for everyone. Others couldn't figure it out, but they nodded subconsciously, and then heard You Fu continue.
"But the southwest is different. Our Han tribe is very familiar with that place. If we can open up the southwest waterway, there is no need to invest, and we can see the benefits in a short time. This is more beneficial to the development of our Han tribe."
After hearing this, some people still didn't understand, but You Zhi's eyes lit up.
"Are you talking about the big lake in the southwest grassland?!"
"Yes, we used to go to the grassland by land. We needed to go south from the valley in the middle of the mountain to reach the grassland in the southwest, but we have always known that there is a big lake in the east of the grassland. This lake is very huge. There is no end from north to south. It almost divides the grassland and the world east of the lake into two.
So according to our current position, it is very likely that we have reached the world east of the lake, but it should still be relatively north. If we take the southeast river next, we may really reach the east of the lake, but if we take the southwest river, we may enter the lake.
Think about it, such a big lake, we have been to the grassland several times before, but we have not seen where its water inlet is, and those grassland tribes who were born and raised there also said they didn't know. But does the water source of this lake really come from underground? I don't think so.
What if its water source is the Ming River on land, and the entrance is in the northeast? Then we may be able to enter the lake.
Think about it, if this is true, wouldn't it be very beneficial to our Han tribe and to you?
If we find a waterway that can connect the grassland and the Han tribe and can pass large sailing ships, then it will be more convenient for the Han tribe to trade with the grassland tribe in the future.
Sailing ships are faster than horse-drawn carriages, have more cargo capacity, and can transport a large number of people. No matter how you look at it, shipping is more convenient than land transportation, isn't it?
Think about it, if this thing really comes true, will you be able to lead the fleet for business in the future? By then, I'm afraid you will have to run on the ship every day, with great merits and a lot of salary. Our Han tribe now has less than ten sailing ships in total, but there will definitely be more and more in the future. As the first batch of experienced sailing ship crews, are you still afraid that you will not be reused in the future? "
You Fu gave an analysis and prospect for the future. In his description, money and fame were beckoning to everyone. Everyone was excited and wanted to break out a new route immediately. So someone waved his arms and shouted,
"Captain, there is no need to say anything. Everyone will follow you to the southwest." Another captain in the fleet said proudly with his fist raised to the sky.
"Yes, let's go to the southwest. "Another person shouted.
"Go southwest, go southwest." Not long after, as several big men in the fleet shouted one after another, even the sailors on each ship followed suit.
The fleet weighed anchor and set sail again. The sailors adjusted the direction of force on the sails, and this time they all sailed towards the southwest tributary.
The goal of opening up new routes filled the minds of everyone in the fleet. In addition, the fleet had sufficient supplies and did not need to stop for supplies. Moreover, the space on the ship was limited. Even if they found something useful, they might not be able to fit it on the ship. So this time they simply didn't dock. The fleet never stopped. As long as there was a way forward, they could keep going.
The advantage of having sufficient personnel is that they can be divided into three shifts and sail non-stop day and night. Since entering the tributary, the sails have never been lowered, and they have been sailing at full sail. After five days and five nights, the fleet made another new discovery.
"Another fork in the road. "You Zhi said while standing on the second deck above the cabin and looking out.
"Such a wide river, and it comes from the north, could it be the Jinsha River under the Rushui River, flowing all the way south, and then merging with this tributary of the Liuyang River." You Fu held the compass in his hand and speculated while identifying the direction.
"It is very likely, so should we continue to move downstream?" asked the captain of the lead boat.
"Of course, if we continue to move downstream, the big lake must be still in front of us, and it is impossible for it to run behind us. "You Fu said firmly.
In fact, there was nothing wrong with You Fu's judgment, because they were at an inverted Y-shaped river fork, and when they found the fork, they had already entered the wider river in front. This time it was not a multiple-choice question, but a free-score question, and the fork appeared behind them.
The only large river to the west of the Liuyang River should be the Ruyang River and the Jinsha River. The direction of the Jinsha River after leaving the Wuxia is also flowing to the southeast, but no one knows where it flows to. Now it seems very likely to merge with the southwestern tributary of the Liuyang River. If this is true, then it can be confirmed that from Hanyang County and Ruyang County, it is also possible to take a boat directly to the grassland lake.
After passing this fork, the fleet traveled at the same speed for another two days and one night. At dawn on the third day, the river was covered with fog, and You Fu had to order the anchor to stop. Continuing to move forward at full speed in such weather would be courting death. They were not in a hurry, so there was no need to take such risks.
"Uncle, have a bowl of porridge. "You Zhi took a bowl of meat porridge from the big pot and handed it to You Fu.
"Well, what's the matter? I saw you carving something these days." You Fu took the bowl and asked with a smile.
"Ah? No, nothing." You Zhi was shocked and subconsciously covered his chest.
"Hehe, you are still hiding it from me. It's a comb, right? You are going to give it to the girl with Jiang?" You Fu looked at his nephew of the same clan with a smirk.
"You saw it, well, I was bored on the boat, and I was free anyway, so I just carved it casually, hehe." You Zhi scratched his head and smiled embarrassedly.
"What's the matter, you are not young anymore. This time when we go back, everyone will definitely make contributions. When we get rewards, you should get married earlier. You like the girl named Lei, so let's take her with us on the return trip, and then we won't let her leave, and keep her for you to be your wife." You Fu arranged casually.
"Will this work? Will they be willing to join our Han tribe? "You Zhi asked unsurely.
"What are you afraid of? Our leader will naturally find a way to deal with this kind of thing. When the time comes, as long as the leader knows that the You Jiang family has more than 2,000 people, do you think the leader will let them go? He will definitely try his best to absorb them.
Besides, if your marriage with the You Jiang family can facilitate this matter, it may be another great achievement. This is a good thing. Anyway, you will not lose anything." You Fu drank porridge while analyzing the feasibility of this matter to his young nephew.
The two of them ate and chatted. When everyone on the boat finished their meal, it was almost nine o'clock in the morning. The fog on the river began to dissipate. A ray of sunlight penetrated the fog and shone down, making the vision in front of them suddenly bright.
"Uncle, the river ahead is so wide that you can't see the edge." You Zhi shouted excitedly.
"It's a lake, that's a lake. We should have arrived. The entrance to the big lake is in front. Come on, raise the anchor, hoist the sail, and go full speed ahead."
(End of this chapter)
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