My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 253 Dragon Controlling Heavenly Secret Furnace

When the news of victory reached the country, the whole country was immersed in a joyous atmosphere.
Although the southern expedition army led by Xu Da was still on its way back to the capital, the people had already made preparations to welcome the triumphant return of the soldiers.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang did not have much time to share happiness with the people at this time. There were still a lot of things waiting to be dealt with before him.

The first problem to be affected was transportation, and this southern expedition exposed the transportation problem to the fullest.

According to the original battle plan, after Xu Da and Li Wenzhong defeated Nguyen Duc's army in Laos, they should have immediately attacked Annan without giving Le Qui-mayne any time to react. However, because it took too much time to replenish ammunition, the Ming army lost the best opportunity to fight.

Fortunately, the Ming army's weapons had an overwhelming advantage over Annan, which allowed the combat plan to be implemented smoothly.

This is only one aspect, and it is even more prominent in industrial production and trade.

All major factories are now concentrated in Yingtian Prefecture and Songjiang Prefecture, but various mineral deposits such as iron ore are too far away from the factories.

The iron ore is fine. There are Maling Iron Mine and Fenghuangshan Iron Mine near Yingtian Prefecture. The mining scale is about a thousand tons per day, which can barely meet the factory production.

But copper mines were very scarce. Although there was a Jiuhuashan copper mine nearby, it was too small. Whether the Ming Dynasty was making copper coins, bullets, or other copper products, they had to be transported from Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou and other places.

However, the journey was too long and only a few dozen tons could be transported each time, which was not enough to meet production needs.

Of course, Zhu Yuanzhang had thought about opening a factory directly near the mine, but on the one hand, there were not enough high-quality workers in the local area, and on the other hand, the transportation of bullets was also a problem.

Many times, the factory has to wait for the arrival of ore before it can start production, which makes Yang Siyi so anxious that his hair falls out.

Now, Yang Siyi has long gotten rid of the low tastes of scholars and has become a penny-picking accountant. In his hands, every penny should be spent wisely. If this factory starts operating but fails to produce any value, it will be more painful than cutting his flesh.

In addition, due to the development of maritime trade, domestic trade in the Ming Dynasty was also in full swing, but the long distance became a shackle that hindered the development of trade.

For example, if the Ming Dynasty wanted to transport goods from the mainland to the desert, Goryeo and other places, it would often take two to three months to arrive. This made it impossible to increase the trade volume, and also slowed down the implementation of Zhu Yuanzhang's plan to control Goryeo and the desert through trade.

The desk was piled with various memorials, most of which were related to production and trade, which made Zhu Yuanzhang laugh.

When did I, a person who hated businessmen the most, become so materialistic? What I thought about most all day long was doing business.

Of course, the benefits brought by trade are also real and visible. Not to mention the huge profits brought by the first maritime trade, the taxes collected from domestic trade during this period alone have exceeded the fiscal revenue of the previous year.

In the long run, the mineral resources in the desert, Annan and even Siberia are also to be used by the Ming Dynasty, so the transportation problem must be solved.

Therefore, the problem of transportation is already imminent.

Just as I was thinking about writing a letter back to Li Han, I heard the eunuch's voice coming from outside the door.

"Your Majesty, Minister of Works Li Min requests to see you."

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment. What was Li Min doing here? He put down his pen and said, "Announce!"

Li Min hurried in. After paying his respects, Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Lord Li, why are you in such a hurry?"

Li Min smiled and said, "Your Majesty, this is a great event!"

Zhu Yuanzhang saw Li Min's joyful look and was infected by his smile. He asked, "Where does your joy come from?"

Li Min did not keep the secret and said directly: "I am happy to come from the Craftsman Academy!" "Craftsman Academy?" Zhu Yuanzhang immediately became interested. "Isn't it a place for training craftsmen and studying? What happened there that made you, Minister Li, so happy?"

"Hehe, Your Majesty, let me be frank. The students of the Artisan Academy have used new steel to build a brand new steam engine. Its size is about half that of the one used in the factory, but its power is more abundant. It is perfect for the construction of steamships."

Li Min was so happy that his face was beaming with joy. After all, he was the nominal chief priest of Jiangzao Academy. If the academy had any achievements, he would be proud of it.

"Are you serious?" Zhu Yuanzhang was immediately delighted. The steam engine was the heart of Ming Dynasty's industry. Improving the steam engine meant that production efficiency could be further improved. At the same time, using it as power on ships meant that larger ships could be built.

“So I invite Your Majesty to go to the Craftsmen Academy together to test the students’ masterpieces.” Li Min said with a smile.

"Let's go!"

After hearing what Li Min said, Zhu Yuanzhang became impatient and hurriedly urged Li Min to go out of the palace. He didn't need any ceremonial procession and directly called a few guards and then rode his horse to the Craftsmen Academy.

When he arrived at the Jiangzao Academy, Zhu Yuanzhang saw that the flat ground of the academy was surrounded by students, and among the students, there was a peculiarly shaped machine.

I guess it must be the new steam engine. After the new machine was built, the students stopped attending classes and came to see the new thing.

Walking into the academy with Li Min, the students saw the emperor coming and knelt down to pay their respects. Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, signaling everyone to stand up, and then he couldn't wait to come to the new steam engine.

Even the great scholar of the time, Wu Daoxing, was watching from the side, his eyes full of surprise.

This steam engine looks similar to the original one, but it is indeed much smaller. At this time, the boiler of the steam engine is boiling water, continuously supplying power to the bearings, and it also makes a "woohoo" whistle sound from time to time.

"Okay, okay!"

Zhu Yuanzhang said delightedly: "The craftsman who built the academy is worthy of being the pillar of the Ming Dynasty. He has made such a fine machine, which is a great contribution to the Ming Dynasty!"

Wu Daoxing said: "Your Majesty, this is my first time seeing a steam engine. It's like a divine work of art descending to earth. Clouds and mists are rising to the sky, and the roar of iron horses shakes the universe. This is a miracle that cannot be created by human power. The raging flames boil water and turn it into a soaring dragon. It is a spectacular sight that has never been seen before. It is truly breathtaking!"

Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his beard and thought to himself, this great scholar is a great scholar, he speaks eloquently, but this steam engine is truly amazing.

"Mr. Wu, this is the power of science!" Li Min continued.

"What Li Jijiu said is very true. I have studied Confucianism all my life, but now I understand that science is the way to make a country strong!"

Wu Daoxing sighed that since entering the Craftsmen Academy, the new knowledge has opened his eyes and made him feel once again what it means to learn a boundless ocean and work hard.

At this time, Li Min said, "Your Majesty, please write an inscription for this new steam engine."

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned, then laughed and said, "Okay, Li Min, you called me here for this purpose, bring me a pen!"

Everyone hurriedly brought the four treasures of the study to Zhu Yuanzhang. He thought for a moment, then picked up the pen and wrote on the paper.

When everyone looked, they saw Zhu Yuanzhang wrote five big characters——————————

————Dragon controls the Tianji furnace!

(End of this chapter)