Chapter 68 also features a country using a sky screen.
Fast forward to the day of the expedition. Ying Zheng personally saw his younger brother off. Watching his young brother lead the troops into battle, he was filled with emotion, and had the illusion that the little kid who used to follow him around was no longer there.
Qin casually offered a word of comfort: "I'll be going too, Cheng Jiao will be fine."
She can't save everyone from natural disasters and man-made calamities right now, but she can still protect Cheng Jiao. Unless Yan chooses to go against her, Cheng Jiao will be fine.
Given Yan's personality, she clearly wouldn't do something so foolish. Cheng Jiao isn't some particularly important figure, so exchanging one for one isn't worthwhile at all.
Ying Zheng looked at 'Qin' with trusting eyes and solemnly thanked her.
"Why should we thank each other?" 'Qin' slightly raised his eyes to look at Ying Zheng, his smile gentle.
It was the height difference between the two people that made her uncomfortable. The person opposite her was 1.9 meters tall, while she was 1.7 meters tall, a difference of 20 centimeters, which translates to almost a foot in modern terms.
She subconsciously wanted to raise her hand to touch her head, but it wasn't quite right. Just as she pursed her lips, thinking of putting her hand down, Ying Zheng obediently half-squatted down in front of 'Qin', making Ying Zheng incredibly comfortable stroking the top of his head, just like the warm moments they had shared over the past ten years.
Ying Zheng knew that his mother's height might be related to the size of the Qin state or its population, so he casually said, "I will definitely make my mother grow another foot taller in the future."
Often, the words that come out of one's mouth are the true words. Impulsive words may also be the unconscious expression of one's inner thoughts. 'Qin' believed that Ying Zheng's wish was genuine, after all, she also hoped to reach a higher level.
With current technology, let alone crossing the sea, just thinking about Eurasia would be good.
She decided to go back and get some cotton seeds; she needed to be well-covered when heading north, as fur wasn't as useful as cotton.
****
Zhu Qing'ai did not immediately set off with Cheng Jiao and his team. Instead, she went to find Tai Shujiu first. She thought that since the smelting and coal mining industries were already mature and the supporting industries were almost complete, she would have Tai Shujiu produce honeycomb briquettes as well.
It means that Taishu Jiu's energy wasn't focused on this, otherwise this technology point should have been developed together with the Smelting Institute.
Honeycomb briquettes are simple to manufacture, yet produce excellent results, making them the king of cost-effectiveness.
Taishu Jiu, who had been busy planting technology trees, agreed without hesitation. Although he liked farming, he also completed the other tasks assigned by the system diligently.
Perhaps because they had worked with systems before, they were able to accept tasks more readily, and even seemed to enjoy them.
When it was time to put on the vests and head to the border, the common people near Xianyang found that factories were recruiting workers again. They had become accustomed to the occasional job openings at places called factories in the vicinity.
After a flurry of activity both inside and outside the city, the required number of workers was recruited. Knowing that the factories under the Left Prime Minister provided ample monthly rations for their workers, a large number of people applied, and the recruitment process was so selective that a large number of people were left unemployed.
In the end, it was Taishu Jiu who stepped in. He said that other factories would be built and there would be other opportunities. At the same time, he also took the opportunity to advertise his school, suggesting that anyone with free time could try it out, since it included room and board. All you had to do was work for him after you graduated to pay off your debts.
When 'Qin' arrived at the border between Qin and Yan, the honeycomb briquette factory had already started operating smoothly.
Although the technology involved is not advanced, it does show a hint of an assembly line.
Qin saw this scene in the video, and Cheng Jiao, who was sitting next to him, also stared at the production line on the screen. After watching for a long time, he found that this was indeed much faster and easier to learn than what he had seen at Doctor Ji Yu's place.
Speaking of Ji Yu, this time it wasn't her who accompanied the army, but several apprentices she had trained. Although they hadn't fully mastered Ji Yu's skills, they were still capable of serving as advisors.
If they encounter a difficult problem, Zhu Qing'ai can secretly search the database for them, and that will probably solve the problem.
Besides serving as firearms consultants, they also brought some alcohol produced through chemical experiments. Its purity was inferior to that of alcohol produced by modern industrial processes, and it was barely usable.
As instructed by Taishu Jiu before his departure, the alcohol was to be used for medical purposes.
However, since it is a laboratory product, the quantity of this alcohol is limited, and it is unknown whether it will be enough for a war.
'Qin' could secretly transport some more things from Xianyang, but she was afraid that the items would be blocked from use in the real world if they passed through her hands, so she wouldn't try it unless it was a crisis.
Seeing the rapid progress of the march and the orderly management of the army by Cheng Jiao, Qin thought that even if Cheng Jiao was not good at fighting, he was a master at managing logistics.
Another person shining brightly and working hard for her, it truly makes the country proud.
****
'Qin' did not follow the Qin army at all times, but would occasionally go to various parts of Qin to inspect the situation. Thanks to the promotion of the new Qin dictionary, almost every official, big or small, in various counties had a copy.
Furthermore, there were decrees issued from above, so that not all Qin people, but at least those holding official positions, knew about the spirits of the Qin state.
This has led to a significant improvement in the efficiency of local government orders. After all, this is no longer an era where the Qin king is far away; it's as if the spirit of the Qin king will actually tour the entire country!
There were also those who tried to sabotage Guo Ling, but after only a few steps, the ground became soft and they sank in, leaving only their heads sticking out.
Before this resourceful and adaptable man could even beg for mercy, Qin casually revealed which country's spy he was.
Qin did not kill him immediately, but instead ordered the arriving officials to investigate and find out the other spies who had been in contact with this man, and she could also decide to exempt them from punishment.
The officials who arrived instantly regained their color, looking at 'Qin' as if he were a savior. They immediately bowed deeply and, in a short time, discovered that the person who had provoked the national spirit was indeed a spy from another country. They also arrested the person's superiors and subordinates.
Later, some people discussed how 'Qin' knew this, and some suggested that perhaps it was because the perspective of the national spirit was different from that of humans, and that it could see the connection between the national spirit and the destiny of a person.
However, this question remains an unsolved mystery even after thousands of years, since no one dared to ask the Qin state about it out of curiosity, and could only speculate about it in private.
The most widespread and reasonable speculation is that those who see each other are connected by fate.
After such an incident, the country was relatively peaceful for a while, but people's hearts are unpredictable. Where there are people, there will be scheming. The former nobles/scholars, whose lives had changed drastically before and after, still embarked on the road to 'destruction'.
The reason Chengjiao would occasionally travel across the country to inspect the nation during her campaign was because of this. While checking on the nationwide chain schools, she discovered certain individuals in Chaoge City of Dongjun who were constantly making small moves.
These people were not limited to former nobles or former scholar-officials; their composition was complex. However, without exception, they were all people who had once held high positions in the State of Wei, but were all dismissed from their posts after Qin conquered Chaoge and established the Eastern Commandery.
The current officials in Chaoge City are a diverse group, and not all of them are old Qin people. 'Qin' was unsure whether there was any collusion among them, so he observed them discreetly from the beginning.
On the surface, it seems that her country's attention is still focused on Cheng Jiao's side. The rumor that Guo Ling usually goes to war with the army and may not necessarily take action on the battlefield, but will definitely be on the scene to oversee things, was spread by her intelligence chief Wang Yuan.
She was telling the absolute truth, but she concealed a part of it: the spirit of the nation is omnipresent. Her spirit can be on the battlefield to hold the line, or she can be in various places in her own form.
Because of the rumors, these people seemed to think that spirits often gather in one place to form human form, and they didn't have time to care about them once they went to the Qin-Yan border.
So when Cheng Jiao led his troops to the Qin-Yan border, these people became even bolder. Some even hung all sorts of random things outside their houses, which looked like common exorcism methods.
This is the Qin state; it's 'Qin' that should get lost. (jpg)
'Qin': ...
You don't think you can get rid of her, do you?
But her indulgence of them was not out of weakness or kindness; she had other plans. Perhaps she was too kind to humans, and since her appearance, she has always shown a benevolent side.
It makes people forget that she is a collective of national consciousness, someone who would prioritize national interests. Since her heart is not in the same place, she is the most suitable person to be used as a warning to others.
At this moment, those people were nothing more than tools for her to kill at the right time.
Zhu Qing'ai, hidden in her disguise, touched the spot where her heart should be. There was no sign of a heartbeat. Yes, she wasn't human!
Just because she has high moral standards and is kind and friendly when she is a person doesn't mean she has to be the same when she is a system. Most importantly, when you're involved in politics, how many people aren't ruthless? She only has a high moral standard for ordinary people.
As for those former nobles or literati, she said that streetlight ornaments have no human rights, haha.
After observing them thoroughly, and also to curb their growing ambitions, 'Qin' chose a time to quietly visit Chaoge City for inspection.
The officials who came to greet them were also taken aback, but according to the legends of the national spirits that circulated in various cities across the country, they accepted the visit of such a high-ranking leader.
It was at this moment that someone arranged by the old nobles 'accidentally' bumped into 'Qin's' carriage. Anyone present could see that the person on the other side was unrepentant and his apology was perfunctory.
However, Qin still expressed his forgiveness in a good-natured manner, and gently instructed people to help the fallen actor up.
The many officials accompanying her had different expressions. The official closest to her, who was also the highest-ranking official in charge of education in the city, noticed something was wrong. She was an official who came from Qingjiu School and was also the official closest to the school.
Seeing Qin's meaningful expression, he glanced at her and tentatively rebuked her. Qin smiled and reiterated that she would not blame him.
They sang in harmony, their coordination was perfect.
But people in various parts of Qin thought differently. As early as when Qin was planning to travel and inspect with many officials from the city, the sky above important cities all over the country was already covered with canopies.
Of course, only those who have the new Qin dictionary can see it, but it doesn't matter if everyone can see it, since commoners are not her target group.
In this era, changing nationality was a normal thing. Without people stirring up trouble, the common people lived well in Qin and would not rebel.
Only those who could afford dictionaries were unstable, and these groups were mainly former nobles and former scholar-officials.
This was also to deter these people. The ordinary families who could afford dictionaries were just an afterthought; it didn't matter whether they looked at them or not.
****
Zhu Qing'ai sighed, realizing that she had also used the Sky Screen technique. After making some minor adjustments, she integrated the live footage.
What had just happened was visible to everyone who could see the sky, including Ying Zheng, who remained in Xianyang.
****
Xianyang City
When the celestial canopy first appeared, the palace attendants were initially alarmed and reported the matter to Ying Zheng. However, once they saw the figure of 'Qin' in the canopy, they immediately calmed down.
What a joke! Since 'Qin' can appear in the sky, it must be an auspicious omen!
Ying Zheng was also curious whether his mother was sending messages from the frontier in this way, but the scope was a bit too wide. He always felt that the canopy had other uses.
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-05-17 20:45:03 and 2024-05-18 20:37:23!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Xiaowu, I don't know what name to give, Bingye, Nuotu, and Yuxi (1 bottle each);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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