Yongle Emperor's grandson: Zhu Yuanzhang with cheats, Zhu Di went crazy

Chapter 105: Not even a dog can be the Minister of Revenue (Subscription Request)

The old man glared helplessly at the poor monk and waved to Zhu Zhanjun.

"Just keep talking, and ignore this old man."

Zhu Zhanjun flipped open the booklet in his hand and continued the previous topic: "The price of guns is roughly like this. If there are innovative auxiliary tools in the future, the price may continue to drop, but conservatively estimated that within 20 years, ten taels is the lowest price."

As soon as Xia Yuanji looked up, the old man pointed directly at him: "You, shut up and eat."

Old Xia snorted proudly and lowered his head to continue eating the bun.

Anyway, no matter what you say, he can be summed up in two words: no money.

The old man pointed at Zhu Zhanjun and said, "Go on!"

“That’s about the price of a new gun.”

Zhu Zhanjun turned a page and said, "Compared to the large number of guns equipped, the overall cost of artillery is not high."

Hearing this, Old Xia breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the rice porridge and prepared to continue eating.

Zhu Zhanjun read out: "We have tentatively decided on two types of new artillery. One is light artillery, which is lighter in weight and convenient for following the army's actions, so it can be deployed to fight the enemy at any time."

"Heavy artillery is a bit heavier in size and is mainly used for defensive operations and guarding fortresses. Of course, if it is in an open area such as a plain, it can also be transported with a large number of cattle and horses."

"Ammunition can be divided into three types: solid bullets, shrapnel bullets, and shotgun shells."

"Since artillery uses a lot of copper, we estimate the price of light artillery to be around 800 taels, while the price of heavy artillery is slightly higher, around 1500 taels."

"puff!"

Jian Yi wiped his face and looked at Xia Yuanji angrily.

Old Xia didn't bother to pay attention to him, he stood up and asked in shock: "Your Highness, do you have any misunderstanding about money? This price is not high?"

Zhu Zhanjun looked at him speechlessly: "Old Xia, will you let me speak?"

Xia Yuanji said unhappily, "I didn't stop you from speaking. I just wanted to ask Your Highness if you could consider our Ministry of Revenue before you state the price."

"We old guys stay up late every day to settle accounts. We have already lost half our lives. When you come up with your price, you want to take away the other half of our lives as well."

Zhu Zhanjun looked at the old man. He finally understood why the old man would quarrel with Old Xia every time he mentioned money, and sometimes even wanted to put Old Xia into the Jinyiwei prison.

The old man replied with a look that said, "You finally understand my difficulties," and waved to Xia Yuanji.

"Listen first, and then talk after you've finished listening, okay? If you interrupt again, I won't care about your meal, so go home and eat by yourself."

When it comes to money, Old Xia doesn't give the old man any face at all.

"Your Majesty, even if you drive me away, I will still say the same thing: I have no money."

The old man's eyebrows twitched, and he said unhappily, "I know I don't have money, but you let me listen and fantasize about it in my mind, okay?"

Xia Yuanji looked at the old man, nodded and said, "Then I am relieved. Your Majesty, you can think whatever you want. Anyway, there is no money."

After saying that, he turned around and went back to his seat to continue eating.

When he turned around, he found that there was no one around. One or two people sat as far away from each other, leaving Xia Yuanji sitting at a table by himself.

Old Xia glanced speechlessly at his colleague who was hiding far away. Is he that scary?

"Hahaha, this Xia Yuanji is really interesting."

Old Zhu, who was watching from space, was amused and laughed out loud.

Zhu Biao on the side also smiled, but said: "But only people like this can guarantee the finances of the Ming Dynasty."

Old Zhu nodded in agreement and said with emotion: "Old Fourth and the little bastard are so lucky. With such a Minister Xia who can look after the family, the financial support of the court is absolutely guaranteed."

Glancing at the depressed Old Xia, Zhu Zhanjun continued, "Compared to the new artillery, the Tiger Crouching Cannon is not that high. They are modified from the Zhankou General Cannon, and only require a simple modification."

Old Xia breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he found something cheap.

Flipping through the booklet casually, Zhu Zhanjun talked about palm thunder and a swarm of bees.

After hearing about the price, Old Xia wanted to stand up several times, but was glared back by the old man every time.

Zhu Zhanjun casually flipped to the last page and glanced at Xia Yuanji. Old Xia rolled his eyes and lowered his head to eat his buns. Everyone instantly realized that this was the most expensive killer weapon, and they all looked forward to it.

They were not looking forward to the price, but were looking forward to how big Xia Yuanji's reaction would be after hearing the price.

It is very boring to deal with so many official duties every day. As long as they do not involve themselves, the quarrels between the censors and the emperor, as well as the disputes among departments over some matters, have become entertainment for those old ministers.

"The Heavenly Secret Arrow is a new weapon with a long range and great power. Now and in the future, it will become the most important weapon of our Ming Dynasty."

"Of course, the things are good and the prices are not cheap."

"The fuel that drives the Tianji Arrow to fly, as well as the new type of gunpowder used in the explosion, are all made with special materials."

"These materials are currently scarce, so the price is a bit high. According to our estimates, on average, one pound of Tianji Arrows costs about three taels of silver."

"Wait a moment." Old Xia couldn't help but speak.

"Your Highness, are you talking about three taels of silver per catty?"

Zhu Zhanjun nodded, confirming that Lao Xia had not heard wrong.

Old Xia's heart sank, and he asked again, "May I ask, how heavy is the Heavenly Secret Arrow?"

Zhu Zhanjun took a look at the data and replied, "The current model we have designed weighs 568 kilograms."

"hiss!"

Hearing the weight and thinking of the price just now, not to mention Old Xia, even the officials who were watching the fun gasped.

The thing they just saw was worth more than 1700 taels each.

The corner of Xia Yuanji's mouth trembled.

"That is to say, those two things just now, just for two sounds, cost more than 3,400 taels of silver."

Zhu Zhanjun nodded: "To be precise, it should be close to four thousand taels. The price I mentioned is an estimate. The materials are scarce at present, so the price is higher than the estimate."

Old Xia twitched the corner of his mouth and looked at Zhu Zhanjun who was serious. He really wanted to call him a prodigal son.

Damn it, just for watching the fun, four thousand taels of silver were gone. What’s the difference between this and throwing money into the water?

One of them flew and achieved the desired goal, so the money was well spent.

What made him uncomfortable was that the first one didn't even move and just exploded on the spot.

Old Xia looked at Zhu Zhanjun and saw his mouth twitching. He suddenly stood up and walked to the middle, bowed to the old man and shouted, "Your Majesty, I am old and I am no longer able to handle government affairs. Please allow me to retire and return home to enjoy my old age in consideration of my hard work for the court for so many years."

Everyone looked at Zhu Zhanjun with admiration.

Whenever His Majesty asked for money in the past, Xia Yuanji would argue with reason and try to change His Majesty's mind.

But this second grandson of the emperor was so amazing that he actually forced the stubborn old Xia to retire and return home.

Wait, Lao Xia can’t leave.

While sighing, some people suddenly reacted.

Although Old Xia is a bit stingy, his ability is unquestionable and he manages the Ministry of Revenue in an orderly manner.

Now, Your Majesty is going to march north and also wants to build these weapons. Some places are still suffering from disasters, and there is also the cost of Zheng He's voyage to the West.

The Ministry of Revenue can be said to be the busiest department in the imperial court.

The position of Shangshu is good, but with the old man’s temper, you might even lose your head.

There is endless work to do every day, and I have to worry about not doing my job well and getting beheaded by His Majesty. This position is not easy to take over.

Therefore, several officials who were qualified to take over the Ministry of Revenue collectively stood up.

At this time, everyone could choose not to do it, except Xia Yuanji.

The thankless job of Minister of Revenue is something that even a dog wouldn't do, let alone them.

ps: There were too many people complaining about the first recommendation, so I made some small changes yesterday. Bosses who are interested can go back and take a look. It’s okay if you don’t read it, it won’t have much impact.

(End of this chapter)