273: Chapter 273 Yi Kun After the New Year

To achieve the goal of building 10 kilometers of railway a day, Zhao Fusu recruited workers from all over the country, attracting a large number of idle people to build the railway.

At its peak, the number of workers reached a staggering 700,000.

With so many people working together, the railway was constructed at a rate of ten kilometers per day.

Although money was being spent like water, time was the most important thing for Zhao Fusu.

When the railway workers heard that they could earn double wages for overtime, they didn't complain; instead, they worked even harder.

For them, as long as the money was right, nothing else mattered.

This is an innate and excellent quality of the Huaxia People.

In contrast, no matter how much money you give the barbarians, don't expect them to work their lives away.

For them, if earning one day's wage can cover a week's expenses, why should they work so hard?

They would work for one day and then rest for seven.

It is precisely for this reason that many overseas companies are still more willing to hire domestic people to work abroad.

Advancing at a speed of 300 kilometers per month, the railway was basically formed in less than four months.

As for why it couldn't be opened to traffic yet, it was because the railway passed through many river sections that required bridges to be built.

In the long railway of over 1,000 kilometers, the most difficult bridge to construct was the 5-kilometer-long Yellow River Bridge.

There was no way to rush the construction of this bridge; it couldn't be built in sections and then connected.

It could only be built from both banks of the Yellow River toward the middle and then joined together.

Measurement was crucial in this process.

If the construction was skewed, it wouldn't match the blueprints.

The bridge design blueprints provided by the system were not straight; they were arched and curved.

There were considerations for mechanics, navigation, and safety involved.

The construction of the piers was also specific; they had to follow the direction of the water flow as much as possible to avoid constant impact from the current, debris, and floating ice, and to prevent ships from being suddenly pushed into the piers by the current while passing through.

The Yellow River Bridge spanned a vast area, and the water flow direction varied across the regions it crossed. Therefore, different axial directions had to be used in different areas, connected by smooth curves, which resulted in the curved horizontal alignment of the Yellow River Bridge.

The measurement team was personally trained by Zhao Fusu. He had studied surveying and knew how to use not only levels but also theodolites and total stations.

Measure first, then construct, and measure again after construction to ensure the bridge was built correctly.

One Kun Year passed while building railways and bridges.

The railway along the Qin Straight Road was opened, and the railway along the Binhai Road was opened.

The most difficult part of the Qin Straight Road railway was the Yellow River Bridge.

The most difficult parts of the Binhai Road railway were the bridge over the Wei River and the bridge over the Yangtze River.

During the One Kun Year, Zhao Fusu had a daughter and a son with Wang Xia and Jin Xishan.

Zhao Fusu primarily controlled the Xiongnu Tribes in the Southern Desert through military garrisons and economic means.

As for the politics of the Southern Desert, it was self-governed by the Xiongnu people.

The Jintu Tribe was now the Chanyu Court of the Southern Desert Xiongnu.

The Grand Chanyu was Jin Xishan.

The Right Worthy King was Jin Tu, and the Left Worthy King was Zhao Pengcheng, the son of Zhao Fusu and Jin Xishan.

Zhao Pengcheng was effectively the Crown Prince of the Southern Desert; after Jin Xishan's death, he would succeed her as the Grand Chanyu.

In the waters off Kuaiji Commandery, a fleet approached the shore.

On the deck stood an old man, his eyes welling with tears.

Ten years, in the blink of an eye, ten years had passed, and he had finally returned to his homeland.

This old man was Xu Fu.

In 219 BC, during the Second Imperial Tour of Qin Shi Huang, a large group of people performed the Fengshan Sacrifice and inscribed stones at Mount Tai, then proceeded grandly toward the Bohai Sea. Upon reaching the coast, Qin Shi Huang climbed Zhifu Island and gazed out at the view.

Between the sea and the clouds, mountains, rivers, and figures appeared and disappeared fitfully—a magnificent sight that especially captivated Qin Shi Huang.

People today know this phenomenon is a mirage, where water vapor refracts scenes from other places.

But in the Great Qin, even the First Emperor thought these were immortals, and Xu Fu believed it even more.

He imagined that in the sea were three immortal mountains—Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou—where immortals lived and where the elixir of immortality could be obtained.

He had always wanted to explore them, and as it happened, the First Emperor also had this intention and the funds and manpower, so the two of them hit it off immediately.

The First Emperor provided the money, people, and ships, and he led the men to find those three immortal mountains: Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou.

Xu Fu truly wanted to find those three immortal mountains.

If there really was an elixir of immortality, he would definitely eat it himself first!

The First Emperor would only get his leftovers.

To meet immortals and achieve longevity, he was full of motivation.

His pursuit of the divine overcame his fear of the open ocean.

Over nine years, starting from Langya in Shandong, he crossed the Bohai Sea entrance to reach the vicinity of Laotie Mountain in Liaodong, and then sailed along the Korean Peninsula all the way to Northern Kyushu and Okinawa Island in Japan.

It is recorded that he landed in Japan more than twenty times.

Besides the island nation, he also went to a land far to the east of the island nation, where the land was extremely vast, not inferior to the Great Qin.

They left inscriptions along the coast and even used arrows to hunt local wild beasts for food.

Some might think this is nonsense, but there is a real basis for it.

Some scattered artifacts like Qin Dynasty inscriptions and arrows have been unearthed along the coast of Mexico.

Some might question whether the Great Qin had the capability for deep-sea voyages to make a round trip to the other side.

This brings us to the Pacific Garbage Patch—no, the North Pacific Gyre.

From Japan to Canada and the United States, there is the North Pacific Current; down the coast of the United States is the California Current; after reaching the coast of Mexico, there is the North Equatorial Current heading all the way toward Asia; and after reaching the vicinity of Taiwan, there is the Japan Current, which can go all the way north back to Japan.

Speaking of following ocean currents, one must mention the story of Pacific Islanders seeking their ancestors in Huaxia.

On November 19, 2010, six people from French Polynesia in the Pacific sailed a canoe from their home. It took four months and 16,000 nautical miles through ten countries to finally reach Mawei Port in Fuzhou.

Upon arrival, the leader of the fleet, Elia, said in fluent Chinese that his feeling at that moment was not joy or relief, but simply the feeling of coming home. This wasn't just his thought; many Pacific Islanders shared it.

Elia is a PhD in anthropology. From his great-grandparents to his parents, three generations have been archaeologists, a family tradition.

In his teens, he won the second prize in the French National Secondary School Students' Competition for conducting experimental research on the Austronesian people.

Because of this, he had a clear understanding of the ancestors and migration routes of the Pacific Islanders.

He had always wished to retrace his ancestors' migration route. In 2010, coinciding with the local canoe association's "Root-Seeking" activity, Elia signed up without hesitation.

To better simulate the ancestors' navigation route and for safety, the canoe association built a unique canoe based on 1820 blueprints. The boat was 15 meters long, 7 meters wide, and weighed 4 tons.

For this voyage, they abandoned the use of a compass and found a famous local sailor, Mr. Cooper. He could determine direction based on the stars, waves, and currents.

For a firsthand experience, they used as few modern daily necessities and foods as possible, living off fishing along the way. Knowing it was difficult for their ancestors to start a fire on a canoe in the ocean, they chose to eat raw fish directly.

They traveled through ten countries, experiencing countless dangers along the way. The most dangerous time was when they encountered a typhoon with waves 8 meters high; fortunately, they were at the tail end of the typhoon and escaped disaster.

Finally, after four months and 16,000 nautical miles, they reached Fujian, the place where their ancestors once lived.

Xu Fu spent nine years making such a large circle in the Pacific, and he was almost certain that there were no immortals or elixirs.

His purpose in returning to the Great Qin was simply to return to his roots and retire in his hometown.

He could have returned to the Great Qin a year ago.

But Xu Fu had an incredibly realistic dream.

In the dream, as soon as he returned to the Great Qin, he heard about the Burning of Books and Burying of Scholars, where a large number of alchemists were killed.

Xu Fu was also one of the alchemists. If he were to say that he had spent so much of the First Emperor's money and let him be happy for nothing for so long, only to find no elixir of immortality...

It would be a miracle if the First Emperor let him off!

In the dream, the First Emperor came to Langya on an Eastern Tour and asked him how the search for the elixir was going.

How could Xu Fu dare to tell the truth?

He could only cautiously report, "The medicine of Penglai can be obtained, but we are often troubled by giant fish."

Xu Fu meant that the elixir of immortality could be found, but on the way, they were often hindered by giant fish and could not obtain it.

After hearing this, the First Emperor was incredibly angry and personally led the Great Qin elite crossbow battalion to the sea to hunt the giant fish.

The "Records of the Grand Historian: Annals of Qin Shi Huang" records: He then ordered those who went to sea to take equipment for catching giant fish, and he himself waited with a Repeating Crossbow for a giant fish to appear and shoot it. From the north of Langya to Mount Rongcheng, none were seen. Arriving at Zhifu, they saw a giant fish and shot and killed one.

"Fu" refers to Mount Zhifu in Shandong Province. The Qin Army chased the sea fish from the north of Langya to Mount Rongcheng but saw no giant fish. Finally, they encountered a giant fish at Mount Zhifu in Shandong and shot it dead.

Some say it was a large shark, while others say it was a whale.

According to the "Taiping Yulan," after the giant fish died, its "fat flowed over nine qing."

Sharks don't seem to have that much fat.

The giant fish here should be a whale.

Just as the Tang Dynasty poet Li Shangyin wrote: "Often hearing of throwing at rats, who would dare to shoot a whale?"

Whales are the largest animals in the world, often weighing dozens of tons. How did the ancients shoot and kill whales?

According to archaeological records, whale bones were discovered as early as the Shang Dynasty.

According to "Mammalian Fauna of Anyang Yinxu," whale bones were found among the mammalian skeletons at Yinxu: "Several large vertebrae and limb bones of cetaceans. However, they are all broken and cannot be identified in detail. But the presence of cetacean remains in Yinxu clearly proves the complexity of the Anyang fauna. Some were transported there by humans."

In other words, as early as the Shang Dynasty, the technology for hunting whales had already been mastered.

From the Warring States period to the Qin and Han dynasties, large Siege Crossbows had been successfully developed.

These crossbows were generally used in siege warfare and could destroy large targets. At sea, these heavy crossbows became the best weapons for killing whales.

Under the modification of craftsmen, these Repeating Crossbows could even fire in succession.

It can be said that this kind of Repeating Crossbow was the prototype of the modern Whaling Cannon.

In the dream, shortly after the First Emperor hunted the whale, he died of illness in Shaqiu.

This was also why Xu Fu deliberately delayed for a year before returning to the Great Qin.

He didn't return directly to the port of his hometown, Langya Commandery, but entered Cixi Port in Kuaiji Commandery.

His purpose for landing here was that in his dream, the Chu Region was the place with the most Anti-Qin Forces—people like Liu Bang, Xiang Yu, and Han Xin were all from the Chu Region.

The Great Qin's control over the Chu Region was relatively weak. Xu Fu wanted to see after landing if the First Emperor had really died last year as in the dream.

As long as the First Emperor was dead, he could return to Langya Commandery to retire in peace.

Because the ships of Xu Fu's fleet had a relatively deep draft, they couldn't just find any coast to dock at.

He had to dock at a deep-water port.

Large numbers of fishing boats frequented the port.

The arrival of such a large fleet at the port immediately attracted many onlookers.

Among them, many people secretly reported the matter.

A year ago, Zhao Fusu had placed a large number of informants at coastal ports.

He didn't know which port Xu Fu would land at; some said Langya Port, others said Cixi Port.

Zhao Fusu didn't care which port Xu Fu landed at.

Regardless, he had the local fishermen act as informants. As long as they spotted foreign merchant ships and reported them, there would be a reward.

Over time, the local fishermen developed the habit of reporting any fishing boat from outside the area.

Zhao Fusu's approach was: better to kill a thousand by mistake than to let one go.

He was determined to find Xu Fu!

This move of Zhao Fusu's was indeed ruthless.

Before Xu Fu even reached the shore, he was spotted.

By the time he docked, a large number of Qin Army soldiers had rushed to the port, and mortars were already set up.

If Xu Fu dared to run, they would sink him immediately.

Xu Fu was completely bewildered.

He had no idea what was going on.

He had clearly come to the Great Qin in secret, yet before he even stepped ashore, he had attracted so many Qin Army troops.

Logically, the First Emperor was dead, so why were they still watching him!

"Please disembark immediately, or we will open fire!"

The Qin Army on the shore shouted loudly through a Megaphone.

To let Xu Fu know the power of the mortars, the Artillerymen also fired into the waters around Xu Fu's fleet.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

...

The shelling caused Xu Fu's fleet to shake violently.

"What on earth is that!"

The crew of Xu Fu's fleet were all dumbfounded. When did their Great Qin get such terrifying weapons!

Their hulls were made of wood; if they took a hit, they would sink immediately.

Beads of sweat covered Xu Fu's forehead.

He had wandered the sea for nine years without incident; he couldn't let something happen here!

They quickly raised a white flag.

The origin of using white as a sign of surrender dates back to the Qin Dynasty. At that time, the Qin people used black as the national color to represent victory. The Qin people believed their element was water, and water was black.

At the end of the Qin Dynasty, when Liu Bang entered Guanzhong and approached Xianyang, Qin Zi Ying surrendered. He wore white—the opposite of the Qin people's "national color"—to show his surrender.