This time, Xu Hao took the official passenger boat, the hull is the largest type of river boat, the ship building has three floors, and the cabin at the bottom also has two floors, which can carry 300 people and 15 tons of cargo, which is a water station.

However, because the speed of the boat against the current was relatively slow, and from time to time a large number of slender men had to be requisitioned, and looking at the men who were not dressed to sell their strength to death, which made him think about the steamship again, but his knowledge in this area was almost blank.

Of course, Xu Hao did not give up because of this, and the resources in his hands were almost unlimited, so a year later, the Hangzhou shipyard built dozens of civilian paddle steamers improved according to Li Gao in the Tang Dynasty. Paddle steamer is equipped with a paddle wheel with paddle blades on the side or stern of the ship, and the paddle wheel shaft is stepped on by manpower, so that the paddle blades on the wheel shaft pull the water to push the hull forward, which is very suitable for sailing in the calm and calm lake.

The paddle steamer was called a car ship in the Song Dynasty, it was once very prosperous, among them there was a kind of flying tiger warship, the book recorded that the side of the ship was set up with four wheels, each round was eight, four people swirled Han, and traveled thousands of miles a day. The wing propeller is the wing propeller, and each runner is equipped with eight wing propellers to hit the water.

Yue Fei defeated Yang Mo with the Flying Tiger Battleship, it is recorded that the general Zhang Junjun was mostly ten cars and nine cars in the army, the largest forty cars of the ship may be as long as 36 zhang, five zhang high, not more than 1,000 people are immovable, 36 zhang is about 110 meters, can carry five or six hundred soldiers, the technology of the Song Dynasty is really breathtaking.

The chariots and ships of the Song Dynasty defeated Wanyan Liang, who swept Huainan, and also fought against the Mongols, and in the early Ming Dynasty, Chen Youliang used chariots and ships to engage Zhu Yuanzhang in a water battle at Poyang Lake. After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the vehicles and ships were still the standard warships of Poyang Lake and other inland lakes, but due to the situation of the unification of the world, the river defense lost its importance, and the imperial court did not pay enough attention to it, and the vehicles and ships that were completely military and expensive gradually went out.

Xu Hao can be said to have single-handedly saved the fate of the car and boat, but the car and ship have two shortcomings, one is that they cannot sail in shallow water. Second, they cannot enter the sea, and for sailors, it is not convenient for vehicles and ships to operate in the Yangtze River and other major rivers, and it is far less cheap and convenient than traditional warships, just as warships at sea are increasingly not taken seriously, and there is a lack of investment and improvement in technology.

The Song Dynasty's enthusiasm for warships due to the need for defense was unprecedented, and the gradual elimination of vehicles and ships in the Ming Dynasty was of course due to the conservative thinking of officials, which greatly stifled the progress of technology, but it must also be admitted that the vehicles and ships had the defect of heavy stagnation and unbearable driving.

The vehicles and ships of the Ming Dynasty were not widely used. By the Qing Dynasty, it had basically disappeared. Westerners, however, invented paddle steamers hundreds of years later, and then improved them into modern marine propellers.

Xu Hao did not expect that the chariot and ship could replace the sails and rocking oars, nor did he plan to get strong support from the imperial court, his purpose was to continue to invest in continuous improvement, and sent the relevant drawings to Liaodong.

It is inevitable that the paddle steamer will be replaced by a steam ship, and the cause of the industrial revolution is the emergence of the steam engine, as early as the third year of Hongxi, Xu Hao set up a special research team. A large number of graduates are involved every year, but basic science requires continuous research and accumulation, and according to the progress of history, it may take 100 years or more. It also needs master-level talents who are born out of nowhere, not that it will definitely blossom after investing a lot of money, but in any case, Xu Hao knows that he is on the right path.

In the middle of the night. Xu Hao still didn't feel sleepy, although he was used to the long journey, he was still a little unbearable. The journey takes too much time, and it is no wonder that human beings are tirelessly stronger and faster, and wasting time is really a torture of life.

Suddenly, from the next room, someone quarreled, Xu Hao got up and pushed open the door, and saw a large number of people around.

Among them, the loudest critic was a Cantonese man, who was an official who went to Yunnan to take up his post, and had several conversations along the way.

Xu Hao opened his mouth and asked, "What's the matter?" ”

The Cantonese said, "Someone stole my stuff." ”

"Who stole it?"

"That's him!"

Xu Hao followed the guidance and looked over, it was a chubby and white middle-aged man next door, wearing a lake-colored robe, a mink cloak, two mustaches on his lips, and a pair of sunglasses, like a smiling Maitreya Buddha.

Xu Hao frowned, this person is the newly elected magistrate of Zhengtang, who got on the boat halfway, and exited all day long, with two subordinates, and his relatives are said to have come later.

The officers and soldiers on the ship soon arrived, Xu Hao stretched out his hand to stop them from stepping forward, and said, "Catch thieves and stolen goods, where is the dirty?" ”

The Cantonese said: "Xu Gongzi, I know it must be him, even if I don't see him stealing with his own hands, he is also a thief." Okay, the official broke the law for stealing the law, if you pretend, the gods can't save you. ”

"Why have you wronged me, you son of a king." The fat man was so angry that he trembled all over, pointing at the Cantonese people and scolding.

"Shut up!" Xu Hao suddenly raised his hand and punched the fat man's nose, and the officers and soldiers surrounded the three of them with a hula, making everyone on the ship change color.

"It's still Xu Gongzi who has insight, how can he open his mouth and scold people casually." The Cantonese people gave Xu Hao a thumbs up, and said to everyone: "I don't make it clear, you must say that I have wronged people, my master and servant live downstairs, the location of the cabin is facing south, and the door of the house is facing the river." I had slept tonight, and the little man on duty was lying at my feet, when I suddenly heard him cry out that there was a thief, and I hurriedly got up and saw that the two satin robes were gone, and the pocket watch on the suitcase was gone, and the lock of the suitcase was almost opened. I chased him out and turned the corner to see him in the way. ”

Someone asked: "If someone comes out in the middle of the night to relieve himself, how can he be said to be a thief?" ”

Cantonese people said disdainfully: "My brother has been catching fast for half his life, and he still has eyesight, he is not a thief, but a thief, which is a common trick in this industry." ”

The man said, "We can't sleep at night, and it's common to go out for a walk, so why do you say that he looks at the wind?" ”

"It's common to go out for a walk, but!" The Cantonese sneered: "But tonight it's cloudy and the moon is dark, and he can't see anything, but he is wearing Mojing glasses, what can he see?" Isn't that clearly pretending to be there? ”

Everyone suddenly felt that it was very reasonable, and the man also smiled: "It is worthy of being born in fast hunting and has rich experience." ”

The Cantonese man said to the fat man, "Am I right? Okay, hurry up and return my things, or let me search your room. ”

Cantonese people live on the next floor, and the fat man lives next door to Xu Hao, Xu Hao said that my things won't be lost, right?

The fat wolf who was bleeding from his nose shouted, "I was appointed by the imperial court. There are so many important paperwork items in the room, do you dare to move them? ”

The Cantonese turned back to Xu Hao and said: "If you have wronged someone, it is my business, please ask Xu Gongzi to testify for me at that time, my brother is grateful." ”

Xu Hao smiled and said: "Search casually, even if there is a holy decree, I can carry it for you." ”

When the big guy heard it, he said in his heart, okay, this boy is really a big mouth, in case he can't find evidence. That's troublesome, but judging by his accent and demeanor, nine times out of ten he is royal.

"Thank you!" The Cantonese people were in high spirits, and immediately walked into the cabin, observed it a little, reached under the bed, and pulled out a box.

"Here you go." Li Dong handed over his dagger, and the Cantonese unceremoniously stabbed it down and drew a circle.

I saw a pile of objects lying in the box. There are jade pen washes, pocket watch sachets, and jade glasses, which can be described as exquisite. When the people saw this, they immediately cried out, and this one shouted, "The wash is mine." How did you get here? ”

The one shouted, "This, this new shoe is mine." ”

"Grandma's, that's a good gift to me."

There is no doubt that the fat man is a thief, and nine times out of ten he is still an impersonating official. Xu Hao glanced at the seal of "Hunan Jibu County Main Hall" posted on the box, and said in his heart that this guy is really bold, and he dared to sneak into the official ship blatantly.

The key was retrieved from the stunned fat man. When he opened his cage and checked, most of them were all kinds of men's and women's clothes, most of which were stolen stolen goods, but they didn't find Cantonese things.

The Cantonese shouted, "Where is my cheongsam?" ”

The fat man's face was as pale as paper, and he said with a sad face: "My lord, I didn't steal your things. ”

The Cantonese man stretched out his hand and gave him a big mouth, and shouted, "I only ask you for it." ”

"The little one will take you." The fat man hung his head.

Xu Hao said in surprise: "Are there other theft gangs on this ship?" Then his face became gloomy, and he didn't need to ask, he must have colluded with the crew, and maybe a boatload of people was sitting on the ground to share the spoils.

The officers and soldiers around him were all dressed up as brocade guards, and several soldiers of the escort ship were drunk and didn't come, Xu Hao said angrily: "Check, check to the end!" ”

Not to mention that Xu Hao happened to crack a theft case on the Yangtze River, and more than 100 people were arrested in total, and more than 30 officials and soldiers participated in it.

Besides, Yongshun side, Liaodong people are not good birds, everyone started a false account, calculated, more than 16,000 taels of silver, and planned to ask for a price.

They ran to the flower hall together to ask to see the prefect of Wang, and after Wang Xian came out, the miner said angrily: "My lord, do you know who invited me?" Which school did I graduate from? Am I anyone? ”

Wang Xian knew that although the other party was not an official, his identity and occupation were not trivial, as a very experienced professional miner, in Xu Hao's eyes, he was much more valuable than an official, and talents were scarce and rare, otherwise he would not have come all the way.

Wang Xian smiled bitterly: "This official understands, please say something if you have something." ”

The miner said: "Under your rule, we should have protected us thoroughly, but there is no need to say anything about what happened, and now we accept your good intentions and keep us living in the yamen, but the people who get it will not be tried, and the lost things will not be traced, and we are not qualified to criticize the adults." Now, we don't want your government to run a person, and we don't want you to compensate us for our luggage, just ask you to borrow a few coils, so that we can go back to Wuchang for business. As for the troublemakers, since you don't do it, the political envoy will always do it, and the lost things have accounts here, a total of more than 16,000 taels of silver, and when we return to Wuchang, we won't be able to lose a penny. ”

This remark made Wang Xian confused, and hurriedly said, "What are these words?" The troublemakers have been beaten and put in prison, what else will happen? ”

The miner said: "Thanks to the county lord and the officers and soldiers who helped to get people, to put it mildly, I expect the lord to be dead long ago." ”

Wang Xian was suddenly angry and annoyed, and said, "That's it! I have promised a thousand two hundred taels of what you have lost, is it not enough? Besides, all this silver is my own savings, so why don't I still exploit the people? ”

"We didn't see a thousand two hundred taels of silver." The miner sneered, "Who did you hand it over?" A total of 16,000, which one of these 1,002 will be paid? ”

Wang Xian said angrily: "One thousand two is one thousand two, how can you regret what you clearly said?" ”

Yang Kun didn't tell the Liaodong people about it, and he couldn't help but be embarrassed when he was confronted by him, so he quickly stood up and persuaded him, so as to interrupt the conversation, and said to the miner: "It's been a few days since we came out, and we have to go back quickly." If not, one thousand and two will be enough for us to go back, and the matter here, fortunately, Lord Wang also has to tell the top, and see what the top means, and then make sense. ”

The miner originally wanted to go out and argue, but when he saw Yang Kun say this, he gave up.

However, Wang Xian was a loyal person in the end, and he was grateful to Yang Kun for solving problems for him, and said: "One thousand and two is ready-made, and no matter how much it is, it can't be made up, when will you set a date so that the county can prepare." (To be continued......)