Father, I really don’t want to be the emperor

Originally, Ning Fan thought that it would only take half a year to enter the steam age. By then, steam trains would be whirring on the rails and large amounts of goods would be transported across the country.

Ning Fan originally thought that it was just a wish that could be achieved easily, but now he suddenly discovered that he had always thought of the problem too simply.

It is true that making a precise steam locomotive cannot be accomplished by hand forging. Not only does it require mechanical precision, but it also requires that the parts error in each part does not exceed a certain range.

Moreover, steam cars also need to be lubricated by organic oil when running. These are all things that need to be considered. The industrialization process has not reached a certain period of time, and without a few years of precipitation, it is impossible to build a car that can run on rails. train.

"These problems are all things that I have not considered before, but now I think about it, it is not that difficult. Since we can't build the front of a steam car now, let's completely tackle the rail technology first. In addition, I will I recently drew a design drawing of a precision machine tool, and then you have to go back and build it according to the drawing requirements of the precision machine tool."

After Ning Fan thought for a while, he spoke to Shen Mengxi.

Shen Mengxi didn't know what precision machine tools were, and she had no idea what Ning Fan meant by precision machine tools.

"The so-called precision machine tools are those that can process parts with a dimensional error of no more than a hair's breadth, and in the process of processing parts, there is no need for manual forging, and they are completely turned by machines.

"For example, if you want to make a circular gear, if you want to forge it by hand, it is impossible to make a completely concentric gear. But if you want to use a machine to make a concentric gear, then It’s very simple.”

Many things cannot be described using words, so Ning Fan could only briefly explain to Shen Mengxi the basic methods and usage of lathes, etc.

But even if it was just a few words, the amount of information revealed was huge, leaving Shen Mengxi dumbfounded and at the same time looking forward to it.

After Shen Mengxi left, Ning Fan didn't stop for a moment, asking Ergou to quickly pack up his things and take people to the farm in the suburbs. Now the farm in the suburbs has been built into a palace for Ning Fan. Not only is the security impeccable, but the pavilion is also Terrace Pavilion is very suitable for a short stay in every aspect.

The farm in the suburbs also has a palace halfway up the mountain. The altitude is high and the temperature is suitable. You don't have to worry about the heat when you live there.

What's more, since Zhou Qun returned to the court, Zhou Qun will report to Ning Fan on all matters, big and small, for Ning Fan to make decisions. However, many complicated things that need to be worried about are done by Zhou Qun himself. Ning Fan has gone from chaos to complexity. He was completely freed from government affairs and became a hands-off shopkeeper.

Although Ning Fan is still an emperor who holds the core of power, there are many things that Ning Fan no longer needs to worry about.

Externally, there are Jin Yiwei who control all information for Ning Fan, and internally, there is Zhou Qun, the great butler, who manages the court smoothly for Ning Fan.

Before Ning Fan's carriage even left the capital, an urgent message from eight hundred miles away was stopped outside the capital.

"Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from Jiangnan. Song Chengzhou, the governor of Jiangnan, sent someone to send the latest emergency information, saying that signs of locust plague have been discovered in Jiangnan, so that the court can prepare early."

After Ergou got the urgent report, he took a quick look and stood in front of the carriage, telling Ning Fan the content of the information anxiously.

Ning Fan was originally in a good mood, sitting on the carriage, waving the folding fan, looking at the lush woods outside the window, thinking about the design steps of the lathe, etc., when suddenly he heard such shocking news, which almost scared Ning Fan. Falling off the carriage.

What does a locust plague mean in this era? Ning Fan knew very well that good news had just come from the northwest, saying that the last resistance force in the northwest had been eliminated.

Ning Fan thought that he could make a living for a while, but he didn't know that such news suddenly came, which caught Ning Fan off guard and his little heart couldn't bear it.

"What is the specific situation of the locust plague?"

Ning Fan stretched out his hand, and Ergou quickly delivered the express report to Ning Fan. Ning Fan unfolded the memorial and saw the scrawled writing on it, knowing that Song Chengzhou's side was probably in chaos.

Ning Fan jumped down from the carriage, his face extremely solemn. The memorial clearly stated that it had not rained in Jiangnan for several months, and there were already signs of a locust plague in Jiangnan.

Once the locust plague becomes complete, there will be no harvest in Jiangnan. Such a large food gap may cause a huge food shortage in the entire Dakang.

By then, Jiangnan will probably be starved to death, and the Yi people will eat each other!

"Why would there be a locust plague if it didn't rain? Why didn't Song Chengzhou write a memorial earlier?"

Ning Fan murmured to himself.

If we are in modern society, there are naturally many ways to deal with the locust plague. At least using current chemical samples to deal with the locust plague is easy. However, at the current level of Dakang, it is almost impossible to deal with the locust plague. Once the locust plague completely breaks out, , I’m afraid even the gods will be unable to make a comeback by then.

"Since ancient times, Jiangnan has been a hot spot for locust plagues. Especially this year, the climate is somewhat abnormal. The rainfall in the Jiangnan area is sparse. People often say that locusts are coming from extreme drought. I am afraid that Mr. Song has confirmed the signs of locust plagues, and then he dared to write a memorial to the imperial court. To write a memorial without confirmation would be to lie about the military situation."

Ergou noticed that Ning Fan was losing control of his emotions, so he quickly excused Song Chengzhou. After all, when he was in Jiangzhou, Ergou had more contact with Song Chengzhou and knew that this veteran minister was loyal to the court.

Afraid that Ning Fan would do something irrational in anger, Ergou only talked to the inside and put in good words for Song Chengzhou.

"Seeing that the spring plowing is about to be harvested, if there is a locust plague at this time, wouldn't God want to destroy my great health?"

Ning Fan's eyes were red, and all his ambitions had vanished. Without food, it meant that people would not be able to survive this spring. A large number of people would starve to death. It would be a fool's errand to talk about the revival of the entire country.

"Now that something has happened, we have to face it! We won't go to the summer resort outside the city for the time being. Now we are going back to the palace to discuss it with the ministers."

Ning Fan calmed down quickly. There was a locust plague in the south of the Yangtze River. This was a fatal threat to Dakang. All he could do now was to prepare for a rainy day and think about how to resolve this disaster.

When the plague broke out in Kyoto a month ago, Ning Fan was also in such a hurry. But later, he tried his best to solve the problem step by step, and finally eliminated the plague. Now that he has encountered the locust plague, Ning Fan has the same mentality. .