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

Chapter 153 The First Step Towards the Throne

Exchanging his position as crown prince is definitely impossible.

The old man was willing, but all the civil and military officials in the court disagreed.

In the end, the old man took out 15000 taels from his treasury to buy vehicles first, and would buy the rest after Zheng He returned.

"Come on, take me around and see if there are any new things in the past six months."

After half a year of development, Tiangongfang has more and more departments.

In addition to military manufacturing, there are also many civilian ones.

The silk that is currently hot-selling in the Veterans Chamber of Commerce is produced in the textile workshop.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Walking in the busy textile workshop, the old man looked at the busy woman using the spinning machine and asked in confusion: "I don't think I've seen this spinning machine before? Is it something new that you guys have researched?"

Zhu Zhanjun explained: "The name of this spinning machine is Feiyun, which means it is weaving the brocade of the sky."

"We modified the spinning model, and the new machine is several times more efficient than the old one."

"As production costs decrease, the price of silk will also decrease accordingly."

"The reason why Veterans Chamber of Commerce silk is so popular is not only because of our good quality, but also because of our price."

"In addition to silk, we also produce cotton cloth, which is of good quality and is very popular among the people."

The old man nodded in satisfaction.

Originally, he thought that the Veterans Chamber of Commerce was just a means for Zhu Zhanjun to win over military households. He did not expect that this business guild has now become an important source of income for Zhu Zhanjun.

After visiting the textile workshop, we also visited the fertilizer production and seed packaging workshops.

The old man picked up a bright red wheat seed and asked seriously, "How many wheat seeds can we invest this year?"

"We can probably invest in a million acres of land with seeds, but half of them will be sent to Fengyang, and the remaining small half will be sold."

The old man nodded and asked, "What about the price?"

Zhu Zhanjun smiled and said, "We don't want any money, not even the fertilizers and pesticides for the later stage."

The old man turned his head and looked at Zhu Zhanjun. He didn't think that his grandson was a sucker who would give things to others for nothing.

Sure enough, Zhu Zhanjun’s next words verified his thoughts.

"We want half of the harvest. If you're willing, sign a contract with us to get the seeds and fertilizers. If you're not willing, leave now."

This transaction confirmed the old man's guess. He did not express his opinion, but smiled and asked:

"Then you are not afraid. They promised you this year that they would just keep the seeds and plant them themselves next year. Then you can only make money once."

"Then they will take their own grain and sell it to others at a lower price than you. If this is passed down many times, your seeds will not be able to be sold."

"Haha." Zhu Zhanjun smiled. "People who come out to sell things worry about this and that, but what are they selling for? It's up to them to do whatever they want. Just don't cry when the time comes."

The old man's heart moved, thinking that this kid must have a trick up his sleeve.

After leaving the seed workshop, the old man saw a tall chimney opposite.

"What kind of production is that? Why haven't I seen it before?"

"Iron making."

The old man turned around suddenly and wanted to say something, but when he thought about the iron equipment of the Shenjiying, he chose to shut his mouth.

The two men walked through the fence separating the two sides and headed towards the military production area.

Security in the military industrial area is the strictest, with each workshop separated by fences and guarded by personnel.

No one can go to other workshops without a warrant.

Even if Zhu Zhanjun came, he had to show his warrant, and only he and the old man were allowed to enter, and the accompanying guards and servants were not allowed to enter.

"His Majesty."

The imperial guards who were protecting the old man looked at him.

The old man waved his hand and walked in with Zhu Zhanjun.

The first place we entered was the gun production workshop, which was the place the old man attached the most importance to.

The workshop is divided into three parts: the parts production workshop, the assembly workshop in the middle, and the test and storage workshop next to it.

Zhu Zhanjun led the old man on a tour and explained: "The various parts of the gun are produced separately, and standard sizes are set."

"Such strict standards mean that if a soldier's gun malfunctions, they can always use multiple guns to assemble a new gun for combat."

"Of all the procedures, the manufacture of the barrel is the most difficult and consumes the most manpower."

Soon, the two men walked into the barrel manufacturing workshop.

The most eye-catching thing is the tall drill racks.

Rows of drill bits, driven by animals and assisted by workers, were drilling the gun barrels with a crackling sound.

The old man raised his hand and pointed to the rack where the gun barrels were drilled and asked, "How many gun barrels can be produced in a day?"

Zhu Zhanjun called the responsible manager, took the order from him, and reported to the old man: "Since we have improved the method of drilling gun barrels, if there are enough gun barrel blanks, we can drill 50 to 60 gun barrels a day, of which 30 to 40 are finished products."

"Too little, add some more."

The old man was very dissatisfied with this number. With such a slow pace, it would take a long time to complete the replacement of the Shenjiying.

He was also thinking about forming two more battalions, which would require even more guns. At the current speed of the workshop, it was obvious that the requirements could not be met in a short period of time. Zhu Zhanjun said helplessly: "My grandson also wants to be faster, but I don't have enough manpower and the apprentices have not been trained yet. If I want to speed up, I can only wait until the apprentices graduate next year."

The old man waved his hand and said, "I can't wait any longer. I'll ask all the people in the Ministry of Industry who can make muskets to come here, and then you can send someone to select them."

"I only have one request for you, no less than 100 finished products per day."

As they were talking, they came to the side to install accessories.

The apprentices piled cartloads of materials next to a master craftsman, who lined up in several rows.

Under the old man's gaze, the first master picked up the buttstock, assembled several parts, and handed it directly to another master beside him.

Then it is passed around in turn, with each person only responsible for a few parts.

By the time the two of them found a master craftsman, the gun had already been formally formed.

A disabled veteran who specialized in inspecting guns took a quick look and confirmed that there was no problem before putting it in the box next to him.

"give it to me."

The old man stepped forward, took it, fiddled with it for a moment, raised it up, took a look, and nodded repeatedly in satisfaction.

Then he picked up the gun and walked to the place next to him to test the gun.

Zhu Zhanjun signed his name on the gun inspector's notebook and followed the old man to the gun testing room.

The gun workshops are very strict. Every finished gun must be strictly registered, and if there is any missing one, all of them will be checked.

Each gun is numbered when it is produced. Once it is lost, the number can be used to identify the person who manufactured the gun and inspected and collected it.

Now that the gun has been taken away by the old man, there is no way to get it back. Zhu Zhanjun naturally has to sign his name in person to prove that the gun has been taken away by him.

Rules are rules. Even as the boss of Tiangongfang, Zhu Zhanjun has to abide by the rules he sets.

"Bang bang bang..."

Several gunshots with different gunpowder loads were heard in the gun testing room.

After the gun inspector confirmed that there was no problem with the gun, he took it off the shelf and handed it to the old man.

Although the old man wanted to do it himself, there was no way to know whether the gun would explode before testing it, so Zhu Zhanjun didn't dare to let the old man do it himself.

After taking the gun, the old man put it on his back and walked out while asking Zhu Zhanjun.

“How much is currently in storage?”

Zhu Zhanjun asked the steward beside him and reported to the old man: "Including today's production, there are currently 1536."

"There are 846 hand-held rifles used by cavalry."

The old man pondered for a moment and said, "First allocate 800 guns to my guard battalion and let them hone their skills first."

"As for rifles, transfer 500 to the Imperial City Guard, and equip the rest to the Divine Machine Battalion."

Zhu Zhanjun nodded and agreed.

Anyway, the old man has already said that he will use that thing as collateral. As long as the old man fulfills his promise, this little thing won’t mean anything.

"What about artillery?"

After asking about the guns, the old man thought of the two cannons that had killed so many people on the battlefield.

"Currently, sixteen light artillery pieces and eight heavy artillery pieces have been built."

"My father's idea is to install these artillery pieces in Beiping City first. It will be the future capital. We should prepare defense measures in advance to save trouble later."

The old man nodded.

It’s just right to leave it in Peking. If a war breaks out, we can just dismantle it and take it away.

After visiting the gunpowder factory, ammunition factory, and various research departments, the old man left with satisfaction.

Outside Tiangongfang.

The old man rode on a bicycle with a gun on his shoulder, and told Zhu Zhanjun: "Come to the court meeting tomorrow. There are some things you should learn. You can't just rely on your father."

"Your father is not in good health, and we can't really tire him to death."

Zhu Zhanjun's heart moved, and he realized that the old man had made up his mind and planned to push him to the front.

When the old man announces the news tomorrow, Zhu Zhanjun was wondering how big a reaction the ministers would have. He looked at the old man and couldn't help but show a hint of worry in his eyes.

Once this news is announced tomorrow, this old man will confront all the civil and military officials.

Feeling Zhu Zhanjun's gaze, the old man reached out and patted Zhu Zhanjun on the head.

"My dear, Grandpa has never lost in gambling all his life. You must work hard and don't let Grandpa down."

"besides……"

At this the old man suddenly fell silent, patted Zhu Zhanjun's shoulder heavily, put force on his feet, and pedaled his bicycle towards the imperial city.

Although the old man didn't say anything, Zhu Zhanjun understood what he meant from his eyes.

The old man wanted to say that since Zhu Zhanjun had taken that position, he should be considered as an old man who had made so many sacrifices and should not make things difficult for others.

But in the end the old man didn't say it, because he knew that if he said it, it would bind Zhu Zhanjun for life.

So he chose to keep silent, and instead expressed his feelings silently with his eyes, hoping that his grandson could understand his feelings.

(End of this chapter)