Chapter 286 Roman Merchants
"It's unprecedented. Once the flood comes, the water level in the two river basins will rise by at least ten meters!"

"If it's in the middle and lower reaches, the situation will be even more terrifying!"

"When encountering a narrow river channel, the violent torrent will instantly break through the riverbank and sweep across both banks. At that time, the area within a radius of hundreds of miles will become a vast ocean, and all living things will be devastated!"

"Sir, facing such a disaster, our only choice is to lead the people to move to higher ground in time."

"We must resolutely give up all our possessions other than life, such as food and houses!"

Liu Bowen's words were powerful and the scenes he described were vivid.

As soon as he opened his mouth, even someone like Qin Shi Huang, who already believed in gods and ghosts, frowned even more.

The First Emperor then said, "Heng'er, regarding this flood, either you don't believe it at all, or you must take some action."

“If you believe it, you can’t take it lightly.”

"Since Liu Bowen has described the disaster so severely, if we take the attitude of believing it is true rather than not, then we must not take such floods lightly."

"According to his description, the river water level will rise by tens of meters, and with floods raging in all directions, drainage will become a huge problem."

"If a flood of this magnitude breaks out, there will be nowhere to escape!"

"Heng'er, you must think carefully. How can we resist such a disaster with our strength?"

"If you really want to govern, Father will not stop you, but at least you have to transfer the people on both sides of the strait first."

What the First Emperor said made sense. It was the wisest decision a man who had ruled for many years could make.

Even Liu Bowen couldn't help but nod in agreement after hearing this.

"Your Majesty is wise. This is indeed the best policy."

"Relocating the people is the most important thing, controlling the flood is the second, and protecting the property is the third."

"If we use the three strategies above, below and below simultaneously, we may be able to overcome this difficulty."

"But sir, I'm afraid you should be prepared for the fact that the new grain harvest in the plains may not be harvested at all."

Liu Bowen added another sentence.

Regardless of whether his star theory is regarded as nonsense, his response suggestions are impeccable in terms of scientific rationality.

This statement was also unanimously agreed by many people present.

Since the Thirteenth Young Master is determined to face the coming flood, people, objects and money must be properly handled according to priority.

However, the Thirteenth Young Master's answer on the stage made all the ministers frown.

At this point, the ministers have compromised...

After all, even the supreme Emperor Qin Shi Huang had spoken, and people were no longer stubborn about speeding up production.

Saving lives is urgent, and flood control can be considered later.

However, the Thirteenth Young Master strongly opposed it.

He declared decisively: "Order Mojia and Lu Ban to suspend all other production and focus on making cement and steel bars."

"The production of cement was supervised by the Mo family, while the innovation of steel bars was led by me personally, working with Lu Ban to design and produce them."

"Tell Xuanwu to harvest all the potatoes and sweet potatoes on both sides of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers within a month. Even if the fruits are only half the expected size, they must be harvested as soon as possible."

"As for the rice, let them continue to grow. I will do my best to protect them."

"Son!"

Some ministers wanted to persuade him again, but Ying Heng stopped them with a wave of his hand: "Making paper and pens are important things. Producing cement and steel bars are also important national plans. It's just a matter of order."

"In the face of floods, the top priority is infrastructure construction and home reconstruction. Once the rivers are properly managed, it will not be too late to develop culture."

"The plan has been decided, all you have to do is execute it." "Yes, sir!"

Dong Zhongshu and others echoed.

Seeing that the First Emperor also acquiesced, the other ministers did not dare to express their objection on the spot.

Especially for people like Liu Bowen and the First Emperor who firmly believed that a flood was coming, there was always a glimmer of doubt in their hearts.

If such a flood really happens, how can human power resist it?

At this moment in the court, under the influence of the First Emperor, everyone unconsciously centered on the Thirteenth Prince.

At least on the surface, no one dared to openly oppose his decisions.

After all, the examples of Ying Zitian, Fusu, Chunyu Yue and others are right in front of us.

Ying Heng has also appointed Liu Bowen as acting prime minister. Once the flood crisis is over, he will become the official prime minister of Qin.

At that time, no one questioned it anymore.

After all, someone who can predict heavy rains and floods more than a month in advance is more than qualified to be prime minister.

"Everyone, if there is nothing else, today's meeting ends here."

"Those of you who were named just now, follow me to the cement plant, steel plant, and brick factory!"

"Father, you will come and watch later."

"Witness the artifacts I built for the infrastructure of the Qin Empire: steel, cement, and bricks!"

The ministers bowed and said, "I will take my leave."

The First Emperor nodded: "Okay."

So, after the morning court session ended, Ying Heng and the First Emperor walked in front, followed closely by Liu Bowen, Dong Zhongshu, Wang Ben, Meng Yi, Feng Quji and others.

The group marched towards the production base in the eastern suburbs of Xianyang City.

The First Emperor, Liu Bowen and others were eager to see with their own eyes what the steel bars, cement and bricks that the Thirteenth Prince emphasized were and how they were used to control floods.

At the same time, in a royal court on the grassland north of Daqin, Maodun received a group of visitors from the Western Regions.

They called themselves the Roman caravan, with hundreds of merchants but equipped with a protection force of thousands of heavy cavalry.
Moreover, the cold light flashing on the armor and spears seemed to be able to pierce into the hearts of the Huns, making them shudder.

When this was mentioned, they couldn't help but think of the Great Qin's Dragon Rider Corps, which was as terrifying as a silver blizzard. These memories were deeply imprinted in their fear.

The new Xiongnu leader, Maodun, felt very depressed.

Originally, he had unified the cavalry and nomadic peoples, taken control of the Hexi Corridor and the western and northern grasslands, and established a Xiongnu Empire that was comparable to the two great powers of Qin and Rome.

However, a failed sneak attack on the Qin Dynasty had severely damaged their foundations, and now facing the Roman "caravan", they were no longer able to resist.

The Huns needed several years to recuperate.

This time, this group of blond-haired and blue-eyed Romans committed robbery in the name of trade cooperation!
If Maodun had known that there were tens of thousands of Roman cavalry soldiers eyeing the grassland two hundred miles away, he would never have agreed to the deal.

A palm-sized transparent glass cup was actually exchanged for a piece of top-quality sheepskin!

The leader of the Roman caravan, Crane, insisted that the cup was for royal use only and only people of noble royal blood were worthy of enjoying it.

Maodun gritted his teeth and reluctantly agreed to the exchange.

Unexpectedly, the Romans brought out several large boxes filled with exquisite glassware.

Cups, bowls, plates, and various ornaments all required sheepskin or cowhide to be exchanged. If sheepskin was not available, a live cow or sheep could be worth ten skins.

(End of this chapter)