On October 18th, Wang Chengen, Cao Bianjiao and Yang Guozhu stood in the Qianqing Palace and reported to the emperor the gains of the Tianjin delegation.
Wang Chengen has been really shocked in Fanjiazhuang these days. He has been in a daze on the way back to the capital these days. Even when he is standing in front of the throne, he still has an expression of disbelief. He is usually flexible and smooth. He was thrown somewhere, with a dull expression on his face, as if he had not yet recovered from the shock of the past few days.
Emperor Zhu Youjian looked at Wang Chengen, who had an expression on his face, and called out calmly: "Wang Chengen..."
Wang Chengen did not react. He stood there wondering what he was thinking, and did not answer the emperor's words.
Zhu Youjian frowned, turned to look at Cao Bianjiao, and asked: "Cao Taibao, what are the results of this line of work?"
Cao Bianjiao cupped his hands and replied: "It is clear from the Holy Spirit that the Duke of Jin has agreed to sell cannons to the Beijing camp."
Zhu Youjian's face lit up with joy and he said: "Shan! What's the best way to sell it?"
Cao Bianjiao replied: "Back to Your Majesty, the Duke of Jin is willing to sell 300 heavy red Yi cannons to the Beijing camp at a price of 3,000 taels apiece."
Zhu Youjian asked anxiously: "What about the explosive bombs?"
Cao Bianjiao cupped his hands and said: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, the Duke of Jin is willing to sell 10,000 rounds of flowering artillery shells at the price of twelve taels."
This time Li Zhi sold both the heavy artillery and explosive shells to Zhu Youjian.
The reason why Li Zhi is so generous is that Li Zhi believes that at this stage, the interests of the Ming royal family are basically the same as his own. Emperor Zhu Youjian often sides with Li Zhi in the court, and even confronts the civil servants collectively to protect Li Zhi .To strengthen the strength of the emperor's capital camp now is to add a powerful ally to yourself.
In the Ming Dynasty, there were raging wars, and Li Zhi could not always be left to put out fires. Making the Beijing camp stronger would also allow Li Zhi to build in Tianjin with peace of mind.
Moreover, it is said that once a cannon is fired, gold is worth ten thousand taels, and arms trading has always been the most profitable business. Li Zhi's arms factory did not need much time to produce 300 cannons and 10,000 rounds of ammunition, but he could easily earn one million taels. silver.
As for the emperor's ability to imitate weapons after obtaining them, it is basically impossible. The Beijing camp could not even make bronze red barbarian cannons, so they had to buy them from the Portuguese in Macao, let alone cast iron-core copper body cannons.
The technical content of blooming bullets is even higher. Without lathes and boring machines at the level of the 18th century, it would be impossible to create blooming bullets that could withstand the pressure of the cannon's bore.
In fact, these cannons and explosive shells have been around for several years, and they are not Li Zhi's most cutting-edge weapons. Li Zhi believes that he will soon be able to develop more powerful cannons and maintain the lead in weapons generations.
So after thinking about it, Li Zhi finally felt that the deal was done and accepted the emperor's one million taels.
When Zhu Youjian heard what Cao Bianjiao said, he was a little excited, with a look of joy on his face. With Li Zhi's three hundred cannons, the strength of the Beijing camp suddenly rose to a higher level. With those 10,000 rounds of bombs pressing the bottom of the box, from now on Even if you encounter hundreds of thousands of thieves, you can still defeat them all.
Zhu Youjian patted the armrest of the throne and praised: "I didn't make a mistake. The Duke of Jin is a truly loyal minister."
"A true loyal minister!"
Zhu Youjian was in a happy mood, stood up and walked a few steps in the Qianqing Palace, and suddenly looked at Wang Chengen again.
"Wang Cheng'en, why are you so distracted?"
Wang Chengen finally came to his senses and quickly replied: "Is your servant here?"
Seeing Wang Chengen's dazed state, Yang Guozhu and Cao Bianjiao looked at each other without speaking.
Zhu Youjian frowned and said: "Wang Chengen, why do you look so frightened? What did you see in Tianjin?"
Wang Chengen cupped his hands and replied: "Back to Your Majesty, I saw the bell tower in Fanjiazhuang..."
Zhu Youjian nodded and said: "I heard Wang Dehua talk about the bell tower. It is said to be very exquisite. I once wanted Duke Jin to come to the Forbidden City to build one, but the people in the Qintian Prison said that the bell was not in harmony with the feng shui of the Forbidden City, so in the end I just
I can give up."
Wang Chengen added: "Not only the bell tower, but the slave also saw the fine steel smelted in the furnace, the windows made of glass, the cheap seafood caught by the trawler, and the citizens who were generally fat because of their wealth. Later, the slave repeatedly
Upon request, Tianjin Governor Li Xing also took his slave to see a ship that can travel at high speeds without sails..."
Hearing Wang Chengen say so much in one breath, Zhu Youjian was also a little surprised.
Zhu Youjian said in surprise: "Using a furnace to refine steel? Using glass to make windows? This..."
Wang Chengen knelt on the ground with a bang and said: "Your Majesty, that Fanjiazhuang is not something new that the servants saw at all, but everything is new and different everywhere. Not only did the Duke of Jin create a well-equipped and strongest army in the world, he also
He is also a genius in administration. The governor of Tianjin took the slave to visit a few places at random, and the slave was dumbfounded in surprise. And there are countless things that the slave did not see."
Zhu Youjian sat back on the throne and said: "It's so magical?"
Wang Chengen fell to the ground and said: "Your Majesty, the things in Fanjiazhuang are not only miraculous, but the people who use these things are even more miraculous. Everyone there is literate and everyone understands public ethics. The government governs the people with fairness and justice, and the merchants do business without bullying.
When I walk on the road and look over, I can only feel that the people there are full of heroism and there is no sense of arrogance at all. It seems that everyone is thinking about convenience for others and making contributions to the country, and they are as full of vigor as the rising sun in the east.
.”
Zhu Youjian pondered for a long time after hearing Wang Chengen's words.
Because of his noble status, the emperor rarely left the Forbidden City for safety reasons. On weekdays, Zhu Youjian rarely had contact with the people in the capital. In recent years, the best way for him to understand the people was to read Tianjin newspapers. Zhu Youjian thought repeatedly, but
I really can't imagine what the people of Fanjiazhuang are like as they are said to be "as energetic as the rising sun in the east".
Zhu Youjian thought for a long time and asked: "How does it compare with the people in the capital?"
Wang Chengen replied: "The people in Fanjiazhuang are like sleeping lions that have awakened, and like dim lamps that have been lit up. Compared with the people in the capital, they only feel bleak and gloomy. It is really a difference between clouds and mud."
"If other parts of the Ming Dynasty do not catch up, they may be left far behind by the people of Tianjin, Shandong and Liaodong. The gap between them may become wider and wider."
After hearing Wang Chengen's words, Zhu Youjian took a breath and looked at Generals Cao and Yang.
Cao Bianjiao and Yang Guozhu looked at each other, and finally Yang Guozhu replied loudly: "Your Majesty, the people in Fanjiazhuang are really impressive. They are all full of vitality. The people there are not only literate, but also very reasonable. Even on the streets
When walking on the street, everyone keeps to the right, and no one is tyrannical."
Zhu Youjian slowly leaned on the back of the imperial seat and sighed: "How can the people led by the Duke of Jin reach this level?"
"The newspaper in Tianjin said that Tianjin was 150 years ahead of the rest of the Ming Dynasty. I didn't believe it before. But after hearing what you said, I believe it."
Sighing, Zhu Youjian said: "If I have the chance, I really want to go to Tianjin and visit Fanjiazhuang." chaptererror;
