"This is an elder of our Meng clan's side branch, and he is also a native.”Meng Fan introduced them.
Youzhi was an official at the township level in the Qin Dynasty. It was appointed by the county level and would usually only be set up in a township with a population of more than 5,000.
From this, it could be seen that Meng Fan's Meng village was quite large, and there were many members of the Meng family.
Ying Zheng and Wang Jian also cupped their hands and returned the old man's greeting. Although their statuses were worlds apart, in ancient times, elderly people were highly respected wherever they went.
Moreover, the two of them were currently hiding their identities.
After greeting the two, the old man turned to Meng Fan.""Xiao Fan, how long will it take for the farming tools I asked you to forge to be completed?”
"Soon. Elder will come to my house tomorrow to get it.”Meng Fan responded.
Hearing this, Ying Zheng could not help but ask curiously,""Little friend, you know how to smelt metals?"
" Hehe, Meng Fan's farming tools are very useful," the old man explained." Not only are they cheap and durable, but they're also very convenient for plowing. The plow he made can be used by just one person and one cow!"”
"A man and an ox can make a plow?" Ying Zheng was shocked.”
"Isn't that so?" The old man couldn't stop smiling, not forgetting to praise him." Meng Fan is a good young man. It's a pity that my parents left early. Sigh, forget it. I won't disturb you from entertaining your guests. I'll go to your house tomorrow to find you."”
After saying that, he nodded at the few of them before turning around and leaving.
After hearing the old man's words, Ying Zheng could no longer remain calm. It should be known that the way the common people plowed the land now was to use two oxen to argue with each other, and the iron plow used required two oxen, or even three people to maintain at the same time to complete the ploughing.
If it was as the old man said, Meng Fan's plow could be used by one person and one cow, then wouldn't it indirectly double the efficiency of farming?
Moreover, cows were a precious resource in this era, and Great Qin's laws forbade anyone from slaughtering cows.
He directly equated cattle with agriculture.
Releasing the power of the bulls was equivalent to increasing efficiency, which meant that Great Qin would be able to open up more fertile farmland, and the food production would also be greatly increased. How could Ying Zheng not be surprised?
"Little friend, you're really well-hidden!”Ying Zheng re-examined Meng Fan, as if he wanted to see him more thoroughly.
Meng Fan chuckled." Hehe, Old Zhao, I'm not bragging, but I know a lot of things. Otherwise, why would His Majesty put me in an important position after entering the court?"”
The three of them got to know each other on the way. Ying Zheng and Wang Jian learned Meng Fan's name and birth. Meng Fan also learned from Ying Zheng that one of them had the surname Zhao and the other Wang.
Hence, for convenience's sake, he directly addressed the two of them as Old Zhao and Old Wang.
On the way back, Ying Zheng and Wang Jian had heard Meng Fan talk about what would happen after he became an official. At the time, Ying Zheng thought the kid was flattering him, so he couldn't help but feel disappointed in his character.
Now, it seemed that what he said might not be a lie!
The plow the old man was talking about was the Quyuan Plow that Meng Fan had created from memory.
In fact, making the Quyuan Plow was quite simple. Anyone who had studied nine years of compulsory education would know how to make it.
The key was the piece of iron in front of the plow.
The reason why the iron-making technology of the Qin Dynasty was not developed was because the furnace fire could not reach the temperature to melt the iron ore.
Meng Fan spent a lot of effort to restore the blast furnace from his memory, and successfully smelted iron with sufficient strength.
It wasn't that bronze was inferior to iron; Great Qin's bronze craftsmanship had already reached its peak, and the bronze products they made were quite practical. However, the key was that iron was cheap!
Strictly speaking, the cost of iron was less than one-tenth of that of bronze!
Bronze was used for weapons and currency, causing the number of copper mines to decrease rapidly, to the point where it was controlled by the state.
With fewer items, the price naturally went up.
Meng Fan's heart ached as he watched the farm tools dig into the soil. Every time they dug, it was money!
So Meng Fan's first step after transmigrating was to make a blast furnace that could smelt iron.
"If young friend can teach me how to make plows, I will definitely reward you greatly!”Ying Zheng said to Meng Fan with a serious face.
The shortcut to improve farming efficiency and increase food production was right before his eyes, so how could Ying Zheng not be tempted?
If Meng Fan had told him this, he might have doubted it, but the man and ox's plow came from the old man with rank, so Ying Zheng naturally wouldn't doubt it.
Meng Fan didn't care." It's simple. I'll show it to you when we get home."”
"This thing doesn't make much money. If you want to make a lot of money, I can give you some advice.”Meng Fan thought about it. Without revealing the method of smelting iron, he decided to " give " some pointers to Old Zhao.
After all, she had promised to compensate him with a hundred gold, plus a month's worth of food and accommodation. If he didn't give her some benefits, Meng Fan would feel bad.
"Oh? Little friend, please speak." Ying Zheng's interest was piqued. He was curious about Meng Fan's method of earning big money.
Meng Fan said," Great Qin is currently dealing with the Bai Yue in the south. You know this, right?"”
Ying Zheng nodded. As the First Emperor, he naturally knew all this.
When Wang Jian heard Meng Fan mention the Bai Yue, he instantly perked up. For a general, there was nothing more interesting than war.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。