The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 372: Potential cannot be exhausted
Zhu Jianxuan was also filled with emotion when he saw the completion of the North-to-South Water Diversion Project, which reshaped China's northern water network.

Since the Northern Expedition eliminated the main force of the Qing Dynasty and basically controlled the Northeast region, this super water conservancy project started directly. Twenty-six years have passed now.

How many twenty-six years are there in a lifetime?

However, considering the impact of this project, even if a person only accomplishes this one thing in his life, his life would not be in vain.

Zhu Jianxuan brewed his emotions for a while, then heaved a long sigh of relief, looked at Wang Lai who was in a satisfied state and said:
"When we recovered Liaodong and the old territory of Nurgandusi, we started the Sanjiangze Lake and North-to-South Water Diversion Project.

“It took us 26 years to complete it, and in the process we accumulated a lot of experience and technology and trained a large number of craftsmen and workers.

“These valuable experiences, technologies and personnel can now be used in other projects.

"Our soldiers have now taken control of Siberia and Central Asia, and we can almost start organizing the restoration project of the glaciers and rivers.

"Chongqing and the surrounding prefectures and counties have been evacuated, and the Three Gorges Project has been started with full force.

"In the middle and lower reaches of the Congo River in Africa, the initial infrastructure construction has been completed, and there are roads and routes that can enter and exit the Congo Basin.

“Construction of the Congo River Hydropower Station can also begin.

“There is also relatively complete exploration data for the inland areas of Linzhou (South America).

“There are also many places suitable for building reservoirs for power generation in the middle and upper reaches of the Yinhe River and several tributaries of the Great River (Amazon River).

“These projects will gradually start in the next few years.”

The so-called Glacier River Project was also directly proposed by Wang Lai, but it was also one of the engineering plans that Zhu Jianxuan had made in the Soviet Union in his previous life.

The Yenisei River and the Ob River were blocked, and water was stored in lakes in Western Siberia, so that the water in the middle and upper reaches of the two rivers would be diverted to flow southward and enter Central Asia through the Turgay Lowland.

It eventually flows into the Caspian Sea at the Turan Lowland in the southernmost part of Central Asia.

Allow the Caspian Sea to naturally store water above sea level, or build a canal between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea to allow the river to continue flowing westward into the Black Sea-Mediterranean-Atlantic Ocean.

There was a super river along this route during the Ice Age, so Zhu Jianxuan called this plan the Glacial River Restoration Project.

The difficulty and workload of this project are actually lower than the North-to-South Water Diversion Project in Ming Dynasty.

After the completion of this project, the entire Central Asian region will be completely transformed, and the originally very few irrigated farming areas will flourish everywhere.

Goods from Central Asia can also flow all the way to the Mediterranean along the rivers.

The Yenisei River originates from the North Sea, also known as Lake Baikal, which is the confluence of many rivers in the northern part of the Mongolian Plateau.

The most important river among them is the Selenge River. The upper reaches of the Selenge River originate from the northern foot of the Yanran Mountains and flow through many important areas on the Mongolian Plateau such as Ulaanbaatar.

So after this project is completed, it will be theoretically possible to take a boat to the Mediterranean from Ulaanbaatar or even at the foot of Mount Yanran.

With this major artery running across the east and west, the potential and value of the inland areas of the Shenou continent will be greatly enhanced, and the originally desolate and uninhabited areas may become fertile places.

Of course, the Ming Dynasty would not have undertaken this super environmental transformation project before it directly controlled Central Asia.

After the Ming Dynasty controlled Central Asia, it was necessary to open up this major water transport artery in order to make the interior of the Shen'ou continent an integral core territory of the Shenzhou Celestial Empire.

Wang Lai had originally looked like he had nothing to ask for, but after hearing Zhu Jianxuan's words, he jumped up:
"Your Majesty is wise! The Glacier River Restoration Project should indeed begin, and I think we should start as soon as possible.

"We can start by blocking the Yenisei and Ob rivers and storing water, just like we did when we built the Sanjiangze Lake.

“Other construction and water storage processes are carried out simultaneously, which can reduce the total project time as much as possible.

"If everything goes well, this project may take even less time than the Sanjiangze Lake project, and the students should be able to live to see the project's official completion!"

Wang Lai's attention was entirely focused on the glacier river. He had simply skipped over other equally important engineering projects such as the Three Gorges Project and the Congo River Project.

Zhu Jianxuan was very satisfied with Wang Lai's reaction. It was good that he didn't really have nothing else to ask for in his life.

Wang Lai is now the most experienced water conservancy engineer in Ming Dynasty and even in the world. In the future, he will be needed to continue to provide advice and suggestions for the construction of water conservancy projects in Ming Dynasty.

But he won't be asked to work so hard in the future. He can just go to Shuntian Prefecture to give advice when he's tired, and he doesn't have to go directly to the construction site anymore.

He has devoted himself to the project in recent years, traveling across a large area from North China to Northeast China. His lifestyle has been in a disordered state for a long time, and his physical damage is very serious.

Zhu Jianxuan laughed dryly and instructed Wang Lai:

"The construction work of the Glacier Grand Canal is smaller than that of the North-to-South Water Diversion Project. The key is that the depth required to store water on the Siberian Plain is shallower, and the total construction time is likely to be less than 20 years.

"If you retire now, you will definitely see the project completed.

“But if you continue to work as you have done before, you may never see the project completed.

"You don't want to die of exhaustion on a cold Siberian construction site, do you?
“I told you when you left to lead the Sanjiangze Lake Project that this kind of mega project can only be undertaken once by one person, and the responsibility and credit must be shared by everyone.

“When you submitted the plan for the Glacier River Project, I told you at the time that you could no longer be the chief engineer of this project.

“New opportunities should be left to the new generation, and to the students you have brought up. As an old veteran, you can just serve as a consultant to them.

"We will continue to train water conservancy talents for the Ming Dynasty, and continue to make various plans and plans, and hand them over to the young people to realize them."

Wang Lai certainly refused to admit that he was old. He felt that he was not old at all, so he instinctively continued to volunteer:

“Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty, but I am still young.

"Students are not yet fifty years old this year, far from retirement age. Students can work until they are at least seventy years old.

“Students don’t have to be the chief engineers of the Beichuan River Project, but they still have to directly participate in the planning and management of the project.

"For a project of this magnitude, no one has more experience than me. My students can't do it themselves..."

Zhu Jianxuan interrupted him with a wave of his hand and sprayed him with a few words:
"What do you mean you are young? You are indeed less than fifty years old, but people in their sixties may not look as old as you do. It is hard to say whether you can live to seventy at this level!
“Water conservancy projects are the hardest jobs, and if you continue to work so hard on the construction site, you might actually die outside.

"You presided over the transformation of the northern water network and completed the construction of the Shenzhou water conservancy project technology and personnel system. You have made great contributions to the country. I want to ensure that you have a good end.

"All under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people in the world are his subjects. I cannot use a capable person like you to death.

“Other people also have to go out and do the work. If they don’t do the work, they will never be able to do it.

“If you don’t let the new generation of students do things themselves, they will never be able to do it well.

"How did you do it in the first place? Didn't you learn from your predecessors and then practice it bit by bit on your own?
“Now that your experience has been passed down to them, they are now more relaxed than you were then.

“Besides, as the chief engineer, you can only be responsible for one project at a time.

“If you do what I say, you can be involved in multiple projects at the same time, participating in all the important water conservancy projects in the world.

"Your experience is no longer limited to one project, but can be used in many projects in Daming.

"This will be more beneficial to you and the Ming Dynasty.

"It's useless for you to say anything now. I just want you to stay in Shuntian Prefecture. You have to give me advice at any time in the future."

Wang Lai has followed Zhu Jianxuan since he was twelve or thirteen years old and is very familiar with Zhu Jianxuan's personality.

Hearing Zhu Jianxuan say this, he knew that this matter was completely non-negotiable and that he would have to stay in Shuntian Prefecture as a water conservancy adviser.

At the same time, he also knew that Zhu Jianxuan really understood him and knew that his work was really hard. This was the nature of his teacher, the emperor.

He has already made arrangements in advance for those who will work for him in the future.

Just as a country's war potential cannot be exhausted, he will not exhaust the personal potential of his subordinates.

These people will be forced to retreat to the second line when they still have the energy to spare.

The harder the work, the sooner they will be transferred to an easier position, which is what he said to ensure they have a good ending.

Zhu Jianxuan often said, "All under heaven belongs to the king, and all within the four seas are the king's subjects."

But it is not used to declare that he has supreme power over the entire world.

Instead, he reminded himself and his subjects that since the world belonged to the king, development and construction had to be comprehensive and that issues had to be considered from a global perspective.

Since everyone is the king's subject, he must treat everyone equally, and all credit and responsibility must be shared by everyone.

No place or individual should be allowed to bear excessive responsibility, nor should they be allowed to gain excessive benefits.

Zhu Jianxuan felt that he was actually unable to treat everyone equally, so he often kept this sentence in mind to remind himself.

In the eyes of others, Zhu Jianxuan has done a good job in this regard.

Those generals and craftsmen who have retired to the second line can also summarize their own experiences and pass them on to other new generations of craftsmen and generals.

Such an appointment system is a very beneficial arrangement for both individuals and the court.

As his subject and student, I don't need to worry about other irrelevant things. I just need to do my job well.

That's why I follow him wholeheartedly.

Wang Lai stood up with emotion and gratitude, and bowed to Zhu Jianxuan:
"The student thanks your majesty for your great grace."

Zhu Jianxuan's mentality and attitude towards students like Wang Lai, whom he personally brought up, are different from those towards other ordinary ministers.

At this time, he nodded slightly with satisfaction and reached out to pick up a copy of the question book at hand:
"This is your new arrangement. The official imperial edict will not come down until a few days later. When you go back, take a good rest for a few days and prepare for your new job."

Wang Lai quickly took it with both hands, then bowed again to express his gratitude, and said goodbye and left the palace.

When Wang Lai faced Zhu Jianxuan, he was also quite nervous, but compared to the nervousness of ordinary ministers meeting the emperor, Wang Lai felt a sense of closeness that was natural.

It was more like a student meeting his teacher or even his parents, because Zhu Jianxuan had indeed been with his teachers since he was a child, giving them lectures and doing experiments in person.

After Wang Lai left the palace, he also breathed a sigh of relief and quickly opened the little notebook to read.

The imperial edicts drafted by Zhu Jianxuan himself were all simple and straightforward.

The arrangement for Wang Lai was first to enter the cabinet as a Grand Secretary, then to be given the title of Shangshu and be in charge of the planning and construction of water conservancy projects, and finally to be granted the title of a county marquis to enhance his status.

After reading it, Wang Lai was stunned.

Although Wang Lai is old enough now, he is only 48 years old after all, and he is a craftsman.

A 48-year-old craftsman enters the cabinet directly?

The current Grand Secretaries of the Ming Cabinet are directly involved in the decision-making of the highest affairs of the Ming Dynasty and even the world. They are the people closest to the center of power in the entire world.

Not to mention that the people of the Ming Dynasty before the Tiangong Dynasty did not dare to think about it, even now few people would have such a fantasy.

Since the Tiangong Dynasty, the cabinet has always had at least one Grand Secretary of Craftsmen, but they are usually very old craftsmen, usually from engineering-related departments.

Because of his qualifications, Wang Lai knew that he would most likely enter the cabinet in the future, but he had never thought about entering the cabinet directly.

Wang Lai felt that he might have to work in the Academy of Engineering for a few years, or work as a government official in the Ministry of Water Resources for a few years, and then join the cabinet when he was in his fifties or even sixties.

Wang Lai had originally expected to become the first craftsman to enter the cabinet before the age of sixty.

As a result, now it’s before the age of fifty.

Wang Lai did not expect that Zhu Jianxuan's request for him to stay by his side and give him advice meant that he would directly enter the cabinet as a Grand Secretary, and a Grand Secretary was indeed the one who gave advice and plans to the emperor.

In fact, because the world unification war is about to end, the Ming Dynasty is about to truly unify the world.

Zhu Jianxuan is about to become the true ruler of the world, and the future development plan of the Ming Dynasty is the development plan for the entire human race.

The focus of the entire court will be more on engineering construction and technological development, so the status of craftsmen in the court will continue to increase.

As for the additional title of Shangshu, it also surprised Wang Lai, because of his age. He has now become the youngest Shangshu since the Tiangong Dynasty.

After Zhu Jianxuan's Northern Expedition, he greatly increased the number of court departments and changed the heads of each department to assistant ministers of the third rank.

Shangshu became an additional title for someone who was temporarily in charge of some important temporary affairs.

It is set up for a purpose and removed when the matter is done.

But like many temporary titles, they will be established and revoked normally at the beginning, but will gradually solidify over time.

The emperor himself was actually unwilling to face the ministers from dozens of departments directly.

Gradually, several fixed ministers were set up, each of whom was in charge of several departments or specific affairs.

However, these Shangshu were different from the previous six ministers. They did not have their own yamen or fixed offices, nor did they have their own subordinates.

All affairs needed to be implemented through several yamen under his charge, and he would also run between several yamen.

Wang Lai had never expected to be directly conferred the title of nobility.

After Zhu Jianxuan's Northern Expedition, the titles of nobility in the Ming Dynasty were not limited to military merit, but could also be awarded for contributions in other areas.

Moreover, dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons were divided into different levels according to tradition, and the two levels of viscount and baron were restored, with the addition of gentry and country gentry. Now the difficulty of obtaining a title has been reduced.

But now the strategy for managing titles is "lenient in granting and strict in promotion", that is, it is easy to get in but extremely difficult to be promoted, and high-level titles are difficult to grant.

In terms of the most traditional military achievements alone, the Northern Expedition to conquer the Qing Dynasty, a war of unification, could have earned several dukes according to the standards of the Hongwu and Yongle dynasties.

However, Zhu Jianxuan only conferred titles of nobility on a few counties at that time, and the first batch of heroes who followed the emperor to the throne did not have the title of duke until they retired.

It is even more difficult to be awarded a high-level title through other contributions.

The title of county marquis that Wang Lai has now obtained is the highest non-military title at present.

The highest title for other nobles who did not have military merit was the title of Zhoubo.

If there are no major faults, your pension will usually be increased by one level when you retire.

Therefore, Wang Lai is now guaranteed to be a county duke.

As for whether one can eventually become a Duke, it has little to do with specific contributions. The key lies in how the emperor, the teacher, evaluates it.

(End of this chapter)