The most arrogant in history

Chapter 651 The Prince’s Rival.

Ye Kun shook his head: "I just don't announce the route, but launch a surprise attack to check the performance of local officials. If I announce the route in advance, local officials will deceive their superiors and subordinates and use superficial efforts to deal with me."

Huang Ye lowered his head and said, "But without a specific route, we are worried that we may not be well prepared for supplies."

"Just the usual supplies and food, and the matching carriages."

Ye Kun waved his hand and said, "I will announce the route on the day of departure. Anyway, we will not take the train or the ship this time. We will travel by carriage or horseback the whole way."

Huang Ye didn't dare to ask any more questions and prepared according to his own ideas.

In the blink of an eye, it was March 20th.

Ye Kun led a huge team, set out from the south gate of Zhuo County, and headed directly south to the Central Plains.

This time, Ye Kun deliberately took a detour, passing through Hebei and patrolling all the way.

The main purpose is to see the road construction and the folk life along the way.

Huang Jingzu led two hundred people and cleared the way.

Cheng Yulong led two hundred people to support the rear.

Ye Kun also rode a horse and asked several princes to ride horses as well, and they chatted as they walked.

Xie Baochan's son is named Ye Shusheng. Because he was born in Yizhou, Bashu, he is only fourteen years old this year and also accompanied them to Yizhou this time.

Ye Kun looked at the childish Ye Shusheng and asked, "Shusheng, your mother should have told you about the customs and habits of Yizhou. Tell me, what is your impression of Chengdu?"

When Ye Shusheng was four or five years old, he went to Xiangyang with Ye Kun and Xie Baochan. By then, he could no longer remember what Chengdu looked like.

However, Ye Shusheng often heard his mother talk about Chengdu, and said with a smile:

"Father, I know there is a Dujiangyan in the Chengdu Plain, which is a land of abundance and fish and rice. I also know there are salt wells there that produce salt and there is an endless supply of natural gas.

I know that the people there live a rich and comfortable life, and it is the most comfortable place in the world."

Ye Kun laughed loudly and gave some advice:

"The land of abundance there was also created by countless predecessors who transformed nature. For example, the Dujiangyan Irrigation System has greatly improved the local irrigation conditions, leading to the prosperity of the Chengdu Plain today."

Ye Shusheng took over the conversation: "So, my future mission is to learn from my predecessors, continue to transform nature, and strive to make the people live a better life."

Ye Kun was surprised and nodded, "The emperor has great ambitions and deserves praise."

Ye Shusheng clasped his fists in thanks.

Ye Kun asked again: "After all this journey, my fellow princes, what do you think is the biggest problem in our current development?"

Several princes expressed their opinions.

Some say it is because of insufficient population;

Some say that they need to rest and recuperate;

Some say that technology is not developing fast enough...

Ye Shusheng thought for a moment and said, "I guess what father meant. The biggest problem at the moment is still the inconvenience of transportation."

Ye Kun was even more surprised when he heard this, and said with a smile: "Shu Sheng is very good, he knows what I am thinking."

The biggest problem with touring is the inconvenient transportation.

Although the roads now are much better than they were ten years ago, they are wider and have been straightened as much as possible.

But the road surface is not good, it is very bumpy.

The speed is not good either, and the walking is slow.

Ye Kun brought fifty passenger carriages on this trip, all with rubber tires.

The carriage is also equipped with the latest spring shock absorbers and leaf spring shock absorbers, and everyone feels very comfortable.

But Ye Kun knew that this was the experience of driving at low speed.

If you accelerate, the shock absorption performance is still not enough.

The only roads now are cobblestone roads and gravel roads.

The gravel road was relatively flat at first, but soon it became rutted and uneven, and water accumulated.

It is impossible to make a stone road smooth, and even if it is made by force, there will still be the problem of rutting in the future.

Ye Shusheng was praised and was very happy: "Father, when we have more cement in the future, we can build more cement roads. At that time, carriages can run on them."

Ye Kun nodded and said with a smile:

“Transportation is a complex system. Roads and vehicles must match each other. For example, if we have a cement road, we must ensure that horse-drawn carriages and other vehicles on the road have rubber wheels.

Otherwise, those wooden-covered iron wheels will quickly damage the concrete road surface.

At present, it is impossible to build cement roads on a large scale or to promote rubber wheels on a large scale.”

There is only one cement highway in the whole country now, which is the one from Luoyang to Xingyang, with a total length of 200 miles.

In addition, there are some cement roads in the imperial city and inner city of Zhuo County.

After several years of use, the road surface of Xingyang's cement avenue has begun to deteriorate and requires constant maintenance.

One of the reasons for this situation is the quality of cement, which is not as good as cement of later generations;

One is the wood-covered iron wheel and the horseshoes are very harmful to the road surface.

Ye Kun also thought about prohibiting wooden-clad iron wheels from going on cement roads, but this is obviously not feasible because wooden-clad iron wheels are still the absolute mainstream.

Rubber wheels are just starting to gain popularity, and it is not known how long it will take for them to be widely promoted.

Ye Shusheng said, "Father, don't worry. We will first build a gravel road and lay a good foundation. When the time is right, we can lay cement on the road surface, which will save a lot of trouble. By then, there will be more and more rubber wheels, and the life of the cement road will be extended."

"Shusheng, you are young, but you have your own opinions, which is very good."

Ye Kun nodded, confirming his son's opinion again.

However, Ye Kun also had some concerns.

Although Shu Sheng is young, his knowledge seems to be no less than that of Crown Prince Ye Feng.

If this prince gains power in the future, he may be a rival to Crown Prince Ye Feng.

Xie Baochan was very happy to know that his son was praised, but he was also worried that his son might say something wrong, so he said during the break:

"Shusheng, don't show off your little knowledge in front of your father. Listen more, watch more, and ask your father more."

Ye Shusheng nodded hurriedly: "Mother is right, and it was my father who asked me to say it just now. I dare not say it, so I can only talk nonsense."

Ye Kun smiled and said, "All the princes are very smart and study hard. However, I have seen their homework and I think Shusheng is a little better. Although he is young, he writes well."

Ye Shusheng smiled and said, "Father, that's also because the teacher taught me well. I picked out some sentences and copied them."

Ye Kun nodded, but said seriously: "But if you want to achieve success, you still have to work hard on scientific research. From now on, China's Kyushu will belong to your elder brother Ye Feng.

But overseas territories are unlimited and richer than China. My princes, as long as they have the talent to be kings, can go overseas and become kings."

Ye Shusheng was shocked when he heard this, and hurriedly clasped his fists and said:

"Father, from now on, I will obey the orders of my elder brother, the Crown Prince, and serve you like a slave. As for overseas territories, I have no ambitions and I dare not covet them."

Xie Baochan was also afraid and whispered, "Your Majesty, this world belongs to the prince, and Shusheng dare not have any second thoughts."