Jiuxi

Chapter 979: Xu Zuo's Day Trip

About five miles northeast of Guxian County, there is a new city built next to the Yi River. Three thousand elite soldiers are stationed outside the city, and all entry and exit must be inspected.

"The construction of this city started two years ago, and now the general framework has been completed. The area is much larger than the old county town, and the interior is divided into seven areas in total."

Walking on the flat and wide stone road, Lu Chen introduced slowly, his eyes filled with an unusual pride.

Xu Zuo observed the scene before him. The neatness of the layout of this new city was beyond his expectations. The houses on both sides of the road seemed to be carved from the same mold, and it was almost difficult to find any obvious differences from the outside.

After coming in, he noticed that everyone in the city was over seventeen or eighteen years old. He never saw any teenagers or children, nor did he see any elderly people who were too old.

These people should know Lu Chen's identity, but no one deliberately bowed to greet him. At most, they just stopped and bowed their heads.

Xu Zuo asked with a little curiosity: "It should be very expensive to build this new city, right?"

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Don't worry, Prime Minister Xu. I didn't use a single cent of the national treasury. The total cost of building the city was more than 800,000 taels, part of which was paid by the Seven Stars Gang and the other part was paid by the Lu family business. Because there is no need for tall and solid city walls and complex city defense facilities, and with the help of the brothers and sisters of the Seven Stars Gang, the overall cost is not high. In fact, if it weren't for the convenience of management and to prevent the secrets inside from being leaked, I wouldn't even want the outer circle of walls."

Xu Zuo asked in confusion: "Since the Seven Stars Gang has contributed manpower and money, why don't they move into this new city? Along the way, I found that the city is full of young and strong people, and there are almost no children and elderly people."

"The people of the Seven Stars Gang have settled in the old city and the villages and towns below. This is not actually where they live and farm, but where they and various craftsmen work."

Lu Chen's explanation sounded a little strange to Xu Zuo.

At this time, he noticed a yard at the end of the road ahead, which, judging from its direction, was located in the northeast corner of the new city.

There was a plaque hanging on the gate of the courtyard, with five simple words written on it: Da Qi Firearms Bureau.

A group of people stood at the door to greet us.

Even though Xu Zuo had experienced ups and downs in his official career for decades and his mind was as strong as a rock, Jiang Hui who followed him was just as calm and reserved. After seeing the plaque, they both felt their heartbeats quicken.

The details of the Battle of Lei Ze have long been revealed, and everyone is curious about the magical guns and cannons that could destroy the Jing Kingdom's Black Armor Dragon Cavalry and directly cause Emperor Jing to die on the battlefield.

"Xu Xiang, please."

Lu Chen walked ahead, and the master craftsman Liao Jichang on the opposite side came up with a group of disciples and apprentices. After saluting, he couldn't wait to say, "Your Majesty, we have a plan for the new artillery!"

"What a coincidence?"

Lu Chen turned around and said, "Prime Minister Xu, this is really not my special arrangement. Before you came, Master Liao and his team had reached a critical juncture in their research. I didn't expect that they would have a breakthrough so soon. It can be seen that Prime Minister Xu has brought us good luck."

Xu Zuo quickly shook his head and said, "Prince, this is the credit of the masters, how dare I take credit for it?"

"Prime Minister Xu is still as kind as ever."

Lu Chen smiled and said to Liao Jichang who was eagerly waiting: "Let's go and see your results."

Liao Jichang hurriedly led the way, and the group walked around the neatly arranged workshops and came to the shooting range in the distance.

"Your Highness, Prime Minister Xu, the caliber of the Pojun Cannon we made previously was relatively small, and the barrel was relatively short, so its power was not that great. Moreover, if someone is willing to invest enough silver, it is not particularly difficult to imitate it. After your Highness's suggestion, I and my colleagues worked day and night, and finally changed from the original clay mold casting to iron mold casting, increasing the length of the barrel, and greatly increasing the power and stability."

Liao Jichang's words were actually mainly for Xu Zuo's explanation. He could not hide his excitement and continued, "The stable range of the Pojun Cannon is about 100 feet. The improved new cannon can reach 200 feet!"

The gap is exactly twice as big. Xu Zuo and Jiang Hui naturally understand the significance of this on the battlefield.

About a quarter of an hour later, there was an earth-shattering roar.

Jiang Hui's face showed shock. He saw with his own eyes a ball of fire appearing at the muzzle of the gun in the distance. The next moment, the giant target 150 feet away was blown into pieces.

Xu Zuo murmured, "The power of this cannon is so terrifying."

"Prime Minister Xu, this is just the beginning. The power and range of the artillery will continue to increase. It is even possible that the enemy will suffer heavy casualties from the artillery fire that appears out of nowhere before they even discover our army."

Lu Chen said calmly, "However, due to the limitations of materials and craftsmanship, my current requirement for Master Liao and his team is to build small artillery that can be easily moved and has good power within three years, medium-sized artillery with a fast firing rate that can quickly kill the enemy's manpower, and giant artillery with an effective range of about 800 feet. As long as they can do this, Master Liao can be promoted from Ambassador of the Firearms Bureau to Minister of Works, and everyone else can be promoted as well."

When these words were spoken, all the skilled craftsmen were stunned, and then they were filled with ecstasy.

They were of low status and had spent the past seven years buried in the mountains conducting painstaking research. On the one hand, they did not dare to disobey Lu Chen's orders, and on the other hand, it was because Lu Chen treated them generously and took good care of their families.

I originally thought that this would be the end of my life, but I never expected that I would be able to become an official and benefit my descendants one day.

Liao Jichang was calmer than the others after all. He knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I have been very kind to you. I know my own limitations and I dare not steal a high position in the court!"

"I think you deserve it."

Lu Chen pulled him up and said seriously, "Your achievements are not only these artillery pieces, but also increasingly stable muskets. In the future, you may be able to research even more powerful muskets. In addition, there are more than a dozen types of fire bombs, and grenades that have gradually made progress. These are all magical weapons that can allow Da Qi to unify the world. How can such contributions not be worthy of the position of Minister of Works? Prime Minister Xu, am I right?"

Xu Zuo smiled bitterly. This young prince was obviously taking advantage of the situation to defeat his army. However, he knew what was important and nodded, saying, "If these firearms can really help our army to wipe out the barbarians and pacify the world, then Master Liao can indeed be the Grand Marshal."

"Old Liao, did you hear that?"

Lu Chen raised his hand and patted Liao Jichang on the shoulder, smiling and saying, "The Right Prime Minister of the dynasty always keeps his word, so you guys better work harder."

Liao Jichang and a group of master craftsmen, with tears in their eyes, bowed and said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, we will do our best!"

Next, there were constant thunders on the shooting range, from cannons to muskets to various fire mines. Compared with the scene in the Lei Ze Battle more than half a year ago, the power of firearms has now reached a new level. It can be seen that these skilled craftsmen have not relaxed their research on various technologies while completing the manufacturing tasks assigned by Lu Chen.

After having lunch in the clean and tidy cafeteria of the Firearms Bureau, Xu Zuo and Jiang Hui followed Lu Chen to another place. There was still a simple plaque hanging on the gate, with five big characters "Da Qi Medical Bureau" written on it.

Xu Zuo looked at the old man who appeared in his sight with some surprise, and asked, "Divine Doctor Xue, is that you?"

The person who came was the miracle doctor Xue Huaiyi, followed by his eldest son Xue Zhong.

He also has another identity, which is the only living uncle of the Left Prime Minister Xue Nanting.

Xue Huaiyi naturally understood why Xu Zuo was surprised. He glanced at Lu Chen and shook his head, saying, "I can't help it. The prince personally invited me, so how dare I, an old man, disobey his orders?"

"Uncle, you can't make a complaint in front of Prime Minister Xu." Lu Chen said with a smile, "It was obviously my old man who came forward. Please help me because of our decades of friendship."

Only then did Xue Huaiyi laugh.

Xu Zuo was quite puzzled. He knew that Xue Huaiyi was a miraculous doctor who could bring people back to health. However, medical skills were not like firearms skills which had a standard. It depended more on understanding and experience. For example, Xue Zhong had been practicing medicine for twenty years, but his medical skills were still far behind his father's.

However, through Xue Zhong's introduction, the role of this medical bureau gradually became apparent to Xu Zuo.

Revising medical books, clarifying the efficacy of medicinal materials, and establishing a clearer set of standards, although it cannot solve those difficult and complicated problems, it can at least deal with some simple symptoms, which are precisely the problems that are most easily ignored by the general public in the world and ultimately lead to worsening of the disease.

Organize the origin information of medicinal materials, and strive for the government to establish a consultation and pharmacy system in the future to stabilize the prices of medicinal materials so that ordinary people can see a doctor and take medicine when necessary.

They recruited young people with aspirations to become apprentices and taught them medical skills. Great doctors led by Xue Huaiyi no longer hoarded their medical skills or treated them as a secret to make money for their family.

Formulating hygiene guidelines, starting from daily life, and under existing conditions, keeping people away from habits that are prone to disease is also a huge project that requires the government to take the lead in promoting it.

There are many kinds of them.

The more Xu Zuo listened, the more silent he became.

Although many professional matters had to be figured out by Xue Huaiyi and other old doctors, he knew that Lu Chen was the initiator.

To be fair, are these things hard to think of?

No.

The difficulty lies in the ability to coordinate the overall situation, the determination to break through resistance, and the benevolence to care for the people.

At this moment Xu Zuo felt very ashamed.

As the right prime minister of the current dynasty, he should have paid attention to these major issues concerning the people's livelihood, but he only thought about the imperial power. On the contrary, the young prince in front of him, who was suspected by countless people, was only thinking about pacifying the four barbarians and restoring the prosperity of the Great Qi Dynasty, and was only thinking about how to make the people live a better life.

How could he not feel ashamed?

He even began to doubt whether he had seriously understood the words of sages after reading their books for decades.

Xue Huaiyi roughly knew what the Right Prime Minister was thinking, and he sighed and said, "In fact, I have had similar ideas, but it is difficult to implement them due to reality. Your Majesty has such a broad mind, and I am willing to risk my life for it, so the Left Prime Minister doesn't know that I am working here. Let's not talk about this. Other things are fine. Your Majesty's other proposal is truly amazing. If it succeeds in the end, I wonder how many women and babies can be saved!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Zuo and Jiang Hui's expressions changed.

Next, when they finished listening to Xue Huaiyi's introduction and on-site demonstration, there was a little more awe in their eyes when they looked at Lu Chen again.

Xue Huaiyi still sighed: "I have been practicing medicine for decades, but I never thought that such a simple forceps could save countless women from the brink of death. It shows that there are people in this world who are truly gifted by God."

Lu Chen said embarrassedly: "Uncle, didn't I say this before? This is a method I came up with by chance, and I haven't actually put it into practice yet, so it may not be useful."

He was indeed a little embarrassed, because when he was preparing to set up the Medical Bureau, he suddenly remembered that there was such a simple invention in his previous life that saved countless lives.

Xu Zuo looked at Lu Chen intently, then asked Xue Huaiyi, "Old doctor, are these forceps really so effective?"

"The craftsmen under the prince's command are very capable, and the forceps they made are very good. Although I am not completely sure at the moment, this method will definitely work. Even if there are problems later, as long as adjustments and improvements are made in time, I guarantee that those women with difficult births can have a 70% chance of survival."

Xue Huaiyi looked serious and resolute.

Xu Zuo no longer hesitated. He believed that with Xue Huaiyi's medical skills and ethics, he would not talk nonsense on such a matter concerning human life.

Thinking of this, he turned to face Lu Chen, raised his hands and bowed, and said solemnly: "Xu Zuo, on behalf of all the pregnant women and their families in the world, thanks His Majesty for saving our lives!"

Jiang Hui also bowed deeply.

Lu Chen quickly helped Xu Zuo up and said gently, "Prime Minister Xu, you are too kind."

There seemed to be a lot of emotion in Xu Zuo's eyes.

Lu Chen looked around and changed the subject, "It's getting late. We've only visited two places today. Would you like to continue tomorrow, Mr. Xu?"

Xu Zuo said without hesitation: "It's my honor!"

The two looked at each other and smiled.

The afterglow of the setting sun in the sky shines on the world, bringing a warm feeling.

(End of this chapter)