Chapter 978
Chapter 978
Chen Xun was persuaded and immediately took him to choose a location.
First, choose the location of the textile factory.
A textile factory is divided into two parts: one part is for researching and manufacturing spinning and weaving machines, and the other part is for spinning yarn and weaving cloth.
Fabric is fine, but looms and spinning machines require a lot of transport capacity, so it's not suitable to place them in the capital.
After discussing it, the two decided that Tianjin was a better fit.
Firstly, Tianjin was not far from the capital, and secondly, Tianjin had a port.
Now that the maritime ban has been lifted, even products intended for domestic sale can be shipped by sea.
As for the steel mill...
Honestly, the areas near Beijing aren't very suitable; the areas rich in iron ore, such as Shandong, Jiangxi, and Fujian, are more suitable.
The two men were at odds over the location of the steel plant. Since the blueprints were provided by Pan Yun, they went to ask for Pan Yun's opinion. Of course, to avoid any suspicion of forming cliques, they asked the emperor to ask for his opinion in front of the emperor.
"When the Grand Master first started planning, did he intend to place this steel plant there?"
Pan Yun: "You just mentioned that there are more iron ore deposits in certain areas?"
Hu Cheng said, "Currently, the state-run iron mines are mainly located in Shandong, Jiangxi, Fujian and Yunnan. Of course, there are also some around the capital, in Jinghai, but the output is not high."
Pan Yun said, "If we are talking about the richest iron mines in our Great Ming Dynasty, none is more important than the Liaodong Commandery."
The emperor and Yu Qian were startled, and Chen Xun immediately sat up straight: "Where?"
Pan Yun: "Liaodong, don't you know?"
Everyone looked at Hu Cheng, the Minister of Works.
Hu Cheng's face was grim, and under everyone's gaze, he broke out in a cold sweat: "The Ministry of Works has not been able to find out anything about the iron mines there."
Pan Yun said quietly, "Not only the Liaodong Commandery, but also the Nurgan Commandery has a large number of iron mines, as well as coal and copper mines."
Yu Qian suddenly realized, no wonder His Majesty treated other foreign states and tributary states with both kindness and severity, but treated the Jurchen tribe, who had committed a serious mistake last year and was suspected of colluding with the Oirats, with kindness outweighing danger, and even specially sent an envoy team to appease them.
Is this supposed to be appeasement, but actually a patrol?
Yu Qian said, “In that case, we cannot be as lenient with the Nurgan Regional Military Commission as we were during the reigns of Emperor Xuanzong and the late Emperor. Your Majesty, I request that someone be sent to inspect the Liaodong Regional Military Commission, reorganize the Liaodong garrisons, and change the border policy.”
Zhu Qiyu frowned and asked, "Who would be suitable?"
Yu Qian pondered deeply. The border strategy in Datong was flawed, and the situation in Liaodong would only worsen. Therefore, the person sent to Liaodong must be of high status, capable, and have strong enough methods. Otherwise, he would not be able to control them and would have little support in the court.
After thinking for a while, Yu Qian suggested, "I think General Wang Ji is suitable."
"General Wang is sixty-eight years old."
Yu Qian: "Your Majesty may ask him whether Lian Po is old."
He paused, then looked at Pan Yun: "Perhaps, we should ask the Imperial Preceptor. He knows the art of physiognomy, so he should be able to tell, right?"
Pan Yun laughed and said, "I think General Wang Ji is in very good health; three bowls of rice are not enough for him."
This is a recommendation.
Zhu Qiyu then began to think.
Last year, Wang Ji led a large army to Luchuan to hold off the rebels from the southwest and the invasion from Burma.
He was the most trusted military general of the late emperor. After the new emperor ascended the throne, those who were more valued in the court were Yu Qian, Chen Huai, and Kuang Ye, who had fought alongside the new emperor in Datong against the Oirat Mongols.
He has been largely unemployed for the past six months, and he is rarely asked about military affairs or even matters of state.
Wang Ji knew that this involved more than just the affairs of the new and former emperors; it also stemmed from his grudge against Pan Yun.
The collusion between gentry and officials with pirates in the southeast was involved in smuggling. Whether he knew about it or not, in the eyes of outsiders, he was the one who protected his clansmen and even orchestrated it all.
His nephew was also killed in last year's case of collusion with pirates. In the eyes of the court officials, he, Pan Yun, and Xue Shao were enemies.
Pan Yun was a favorite of the new emperor. Even if she didn't target him, there were many people in the court who would ostracize and attack him in order to curry favor with her.
Moreover, he is also accused of being an accomplice of Wang Zhen.
On the surface, the Battle of Luchuan was won because Wang Zhen supported him, while the court officials vehemently opposed it. He was able to win three battles in a row entirely because he was backed by Wang Zhen.
Therefore, once Wang Zhen dies, his remaining followers should also disappear along with him.
He remained unscathed, merely marginalized, because during the late emperor's northern expedition last year, there was unrest in the southwest and turmoil in Burma. He and the Mu family suppressed the unrest in the southwest, preventing the war from escalating and the southwest from spiraling out of control.
But he had a premonition that if he continued to be marginalized, he would eventually be eliminated.
If this impasse cannot be broken, it will surely slide into the abyss.
Haven't we learned enough lessons from the previous dynasty?
Wang Ji was a veteran general, and he was also a civil official by training. He was very composed. Several of his subordinates and his son were getting anxious, but he knew that he must not rush things at this time, because if he did, he would make a mistake.
In his position, one wrong step could lead to utter ruin.
On the 14th day of the eighth month of the first year of the Jingtai reign, a group of eunuchs led the Imperial Guards carrying a pile of things to the Jingyuan Earl's residence.
It was a Mid-Autumn Festival gift bestowed by the emperor upon Wang Ji, the Earl of Jingyuan.
Wang Ji was deeply moved and immediately went to the palace to express his gratitude after receiving the gifts.
After Wang Ji left the palace, a new imperial edict was issued, ordering Wang Ji to inspect Liaodong and reorganize military affairs.
No one in the court knew that Wang Ji's inspection team included an official from the Ministry of Works and a student from the Imperial Academy. One was skilled in mineral exploration, while the other was very interested in geology and had assisted the Hanlin Academy in compiling related books while at the Imperial Academy.
In addition, the Daolu Division also sent someone to accompany them. He was a low-ranking official of the ninth rank who was originally a Daoist priest and was also an expert in mineral resources.
Wang Ji spent the Mid-Autumn Festival at home, and on the morning of the sixteenth of August, he led his troops out of the city.
His son followed closely behind, his horse leaping over the two carriages to ride alongside Wang Ji at the front. He asked, "Father, they say that this time it was Yu Qian and the Grand Preceptor who jointly recommended you. Lord Yu is your former subordinate, so his recommendation is understandable. Why did the Grand Preceptor recommend you to His Majesty?"
Wang Ji: "Because I am useful to the country."
"But we have a history of grudges with her."
Wang Ji glanced at him and said, "When the late emperor was alive, the court was in chaos precisely because of people like you who couldn't distinguish between public and private matters."
His son was completely bewildered. What did this have to do with him?
Wang Ji gripped the reins tightly and said in a deep voice, "Pass down the order: this journey is solely for the country. Anyone who dares to act for personal gain or bend the law will be punished according to military discipline!"
"Yes, father."
"What did you call me?"
"Father?"
Wang Ji stared intently at his son, who, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, changed his address to "General!"
Wang Ji said expressionlessly, "In the army, there are no fathers, only generals."
"Yes, General!"
Wang Ying felt that not only had the imperial court changed, but his father had also changed, to the point that he could no longer understand him.
When Wang Ji inspected Liaodong, the location of the steel plant was finally decided, in the area of Miyun Mountain.
Pan Yun said there was an iron ore mine there.
The Ministry of Works sent people to explore the area, and sure enough, they unearthed an iron ore deposit a few days later.
So they fenced off the wasteland around Miyun Mountain, intending to open a government-run iron kiln there.
Then, a steel plant will be built at a nearby site.
Upon hearing the news, the magistrates of Miyun County and Fengning County acted swiftly, taking the case first to Shuntian Prefecture and then all the way to the emperor.
Of course, it was a war of words fought remotely with memorials to the emperor.
One argument was that Miyun County was closer to the capital and had better conditions, so the steel plant should be built in Miyun County.
Another argument is that since Miyun Mountain is on one side of Fengning and the iron mine is also on the other side, the steel plant should be located in Fengning County to avoid transportation costs and save effort and money.
Although the magistrates of the two counties did not know what the steel plant to be jointly established by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works was mainly for.
But the phrase "the profits go to the national treasury" tells them that this is a money-making workshop.
Since it's profitable, it might benefit the local economy.
How could they not fight for their county?
The emperor was so annoyed by their noise that he summoned Chen Xun and Hu Cheng and asked, "Where do you think this factory should be built?"
Hu Cheng said, “Your Majesty, I will not show favoritism to any one person. I will send people down to conduct a thorough survey. To build a factory, transportation, water, and manpower are all indispensable. You can tell them that there is no use in arguing.”
Chen Xun had a bias in his heart, but he couldn't say it outright, especially since Hu Cheng had already expressed his opinion. So he said, "Instead of arguing here, let them do their job well. As long as the conditions are met, the Ministry of Works will take it into consideration."
The emperor instructed the eunuch in charge of writing to reply in this manner.
Upon seeing the imperial edict, the two county magistrates immediately returned to the area around Miyun Mountain to repair roads and carry out rural construction, determined to ensure that the officials from the Ministry of Works would choose them when they came down to survey the area.
Pan Yun didn't concern herself with such mundane matters. She provided the blueprints, acted solely as a technical consultant, and then went off to pursue her own interests.
She secretly went home to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with her father and brothers, and then the results of the provincial examination were released.
The four disciples rarely leave the palace to see the excitement.
I squeezed in among a group of students, listening to them discuss national affairs.
Pan Yun heard that, apart from discussing the exam questions, everyone was mostly talking about the land survey policy and the reorganization of military affairs.
For the provincial examination, students from all over the country had to return to their place of household registration to take the exam. When Pan Yue passed the provincial examination, he also returned to Changzhou Prefecture to take the exam.
Because it was a special imperial examination, fewer scholars were able to return to Beizhili to take the provincial examination compared to previous years. However, it was also because of this special imperial examination that many candidates went to the capital early to wait for the provincial examination the following year after the imperial edict was issued.
They were all candidates who had failed the imperial examinations in previous years.
These people were also paying close attention to the provincial examination questions this year, hoping to deduce the inclinations of the court and the examiners from them.
Having discussed the topic, it is natural to then discuss national affairs.
"I think next year we will very likely have to test our ability to plan and strategize simultaneously."
“I agree with this. I heard that His Majesty also sent General Wang Ji to inspect Liaodong. After His Majesty’s birthday, he sent a delegation to Nurgan Regional Military Commission. This shows how much the court values the border.”
"If we don't take this seriously, the Tartars will be riding roughshod over us!"
"They've already gotten too big for their britches; don't forget how the late emperor met his end."
"Shh, are you out of your mind? This can't be mentioned!"
"What is there that cannot be mentioned? Such a great humiliation must be mentioned, and it must be mentioned extensively, so as to inspire us to forge ahead bravely and avenge our country and our late emperor in the future!"
"Hmph, our Great Ming Dynasty is strong and well-equipped. Now that the Oirat Mongols are in internal strife, can't we take revenge now? If we don't, I think it's because some people don't want revenge, or rather, dare not take revenge!" (End of Chapter)