People in Hongwu, from heavenly master to emperor master

A machine that is constantly powered by energy can actually do many things.

Zhang Yi led his team to conduct experiments in the mine.

Although limited by rubber production and other raw materials, he was able to hand-make a set of semi-automatic mining auxiliary equipment.

This set of equipment has indeed increased the productivity of the mine, and the output has been greatly optimized.

Lao Zhu had a new understanding of the industrialization mentioned by Zhang Yi.

Zhu Yuanzhang was full of expectations for the future of steam engines, and he was also full of desire for rubber planting areas.

He was very lucky that he followed Zhang Yi to plant a large amount of rubber in Qiongzhou. Now, tens of thousands of acres of rubber are the basis for the future of Ming Dynasty.

"Prince, it seems that the second trip to America should be put on the agenda!"

Daming's current rubber cannot meet Zhang Yi's needs.

At that time, it was just a shipment of rubber. Lao Zhu had already felt the scarcity of this thing. It is estimated that the local rubber production in Ming Dynasty will take another two years...

At this time, Lao Zhu was already thinking about shipping back more rubber.

Of course, compared to rubber, his greater hope for America is land...

America is a vaster land than the Ming Dynasty, with vast flat areas and fertile land.

There is the land that the Chinese people and Lao Zhu, an emperor born from a peasant, dream of...

The Chinese people’s desire for farmland is engraved in their genes.

Lao Zhu's eyes turned red when he thought of Zhang Yi's description and Mu Ying's report.

"Father, are you planning to establish a colony this time?"

Zhu Biao asked the emperor that controlling America was originally the national policy of the Ming Dynasty.

Population migration, cultural spread, and the establishment of stable waterways.

These are all things that have been planned.

It's just that in the past, Ming Dynasty lacked both transfer stations like Japan and enough people.

It is unrealistic to want to go to a place thousands of miles away and rule for a long time.

But by the tenth year of Hongwu's reign, the Ming Dynasty's economy had recovered.

Lao Zhu has also embarked on the road of no return in reform, and he must continue along this road.

"Colonialism is out of the question, and I am not a barbaric person from the West.

According to Zhang Yi and others, there is a large amount of land in America that has no country.

Let's go build a capital and avoid those empires.

But if they want to provoke my people of Ming Dynasty, it will naturally be another matter!

According to Zhang Yi, the aboriginal people in the Americas are most likely the remnants of the Chinese Yin Shang who migrated there, and they can be considered their own people...

Just subdue them, educate them, and make them believe in my Central Plains culture!
The future of America will be the place where China will influence me..."

When Zhu Biao heard this, he nodded secretly.

Zhang Yi told them about the future of China's dragon energy moving westward. The most important node is also the advent of the Age of Discovery.

The exchange of species has brought great changes to the world.

But China missed this change because it was stuck in its ways.

Today's Ming Dynasty will not only not miss it, but will also lead this revolution.

Let people from all over the world admire Han culture, and let the power of the world help China's development...

Zhu Biao was very worried that the emperor would choose the same colonial method as those Westerners.

But the Han family still couldn't do it after all.

"The Americas are different from Japan. Everything has to start from scratch. I wonder who my father is planning to let pass this time?"

Both father and son understand that starting from the arrival of the Ming Dynasty in America, the next hundred years will happen!
The resources on this land will become the key to the take-off of the Ming Dynasty, and in such an important place, military rule must be established!
The Ming Dynasty's army is now unique in the world.

The only thing to worry about is that the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, and Ming Dynasty loses control of the Americas.

Zhang Yi had already given many suggestions on how to govern effectively.

There is no need for Zhang Yi to elaborate on the tactics and tactics.

He prefers the subtle influence of culture.

Culture is mainly divided into two types, Confucian culture and religion...

If you want to reduce the dimensionality and attack, it is not difficult to control the Americas.

The difficulty lies in how Ming Dynasty can control those who control the Americas, including the army and the rulers.

Lao Zhu's request for this is that he must send his own people there.

A son, like Zhu Xi, makes the prince of the Zhu family the de facto king of that land.

But who to send?

"Erchen thinks that third brother can...but I don't know if he is willing to endure hardship?"

"Your third brother can't do it!"

Zhu Yuanzhang directly rejected Zhu Biao's answer without even thinking about it.

As his eldest sons, Zhu Ping has already divided Japan among himself.
According to Zhang Yi's prompts, Zhu Di found out that Lao Zhu was very interested in his military abilities.

Such a military god must naturally stay in the Ming Dynasty to be cultivated. Maybe one day the Ming Dynasty will need Zhu Di to expand its territory.

Compared to these people, Zhu Fan is relatively ordinary.

But what Lao Zhu cares about most is Zhu Fan's character.

In his heart, he also had the same plot as Zhu Xi. Let alone putting him in a barren land like America, would he be willing?
Zhu Yuanzhang is still the first prince who hopes to control America in the future, and should not be a person with too strong a character.

With people like Mu Ying and Ping An around, it would be better for the prince in America to be weaker in character and less ambitious.

In fact, Lao Zhu already had a candidate in his mind, but he hadn't grown up yet.

"Father, do you want Lao Wu to go?"

Zhu Biao knew the emperor very well, and he understood instantly what Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking.

Zhu Xi did not have the same drive as his previous brothers. As the youngest son of Queen Ma, King Wu had a gentle temper, and Lao Zhu liked him very much.

Let him go to America, and maybe he can complete the task of civilizing the local indigenous people better than Zhu Xi.

"Lao Wu is very suitable. I let him manage Ming Pao to train him!
As a prince, he doesn't have to make as many achievements in martial arts as his brothers!
According to Zhang Yi, the people over there are actually vulnerable!
Let's go over and get along well with the indigenous people first, and then gradually influence and educate...

Using force is not a necessary choice, so Lao Wu, who is good at communication..."

Little did Zhu Yu know that when Zhu Yuanzhang asked him to take charge of Ming Pao's work, he had already set his future direction.

Lao Zhu really wanted his children to live a good life, but when faced with the choice of expanding his territory, he was still prepared to send his sons abroad.

In this unprecedented change in a century, China can only seize the opportunity and strangle the future of the West in the cradle.

Only then can we get a glimmer of hope.

Lao Zhu is a father, an emperor, and a far-sighted person.

"Issuing the order, leave the Japanese battlefield to Chang Yuchun, inform Mu Ying and the others to come back and prepare for an expedition to America!
In two years, I really want to see my Ming Dynasty’s fleet go to sea!

Within five years, I plan to move [-] people there..."

Population migration is never a trivial matter.

When Lao Zhu moved 14 people, he needed Li Shanchang to mediate.

5 people went to sea, which was the largest number of people Zhu Yuanzhang could think of.

When Zhu Biao heard this, he nodded silently.

"I wonder who my father is planning to let take on the important task of educating people when he goes to sea this time?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned when he heard this. He thought for a while and asked:
"What do you think of Konne?"

The New Confucian movement proposed by Kong Ne is now the focus of Lao Zhu’s promotion.

He himself has been in the capital, but Lao Zhu's attitude towards him is very ambiguous, he attaches great importance to him, but does not use him too seriously.

As an ideological leader, Konne has already achieved sufficient status.

He seems to be content with his current situation and is mainly immersed in learning.

Sometimes, he would go to Chunqiu College to teach and teach students knowledge that was not taught in the college. Such a descendant of the Confucius family who did not seek power and devoted himself to education,
He has long been known as the character of the Kong family.

Zhu Biao was slightly surprised. He knew that Lao Zhu valued Kong Ne, but Kong Ne should not be used like this.

The emergence of Kong Na was Lao Zhu's back-up move to regain control of the Kong family and even gradually eliminate the influence of the Kong family.

After all, America is a remote place. It is normal to send people there and die on the road...

If he died, no one would be able to promote New Confucianism.

"Kong Ne is what I left for you. In my hands, he will not be promoted!
I'm going to let him practice more, and it would be a good idea to go to America!
But he won't be gone for long. After a few years, I will let him come back!

It’s like going to Japan…”

Lao Zhu pondered for a while and said:
"As for religion, let's choose an expert from Longhu Mountain and bring him there together..."

In Zhu Yuanzhang's heart, any religion is worthy of warning.

From a purely emotional perspective, he is actually closer to Buddhism.

It's just that Zheng Yiyi has really helped him a lot in these years.

The humanistic Taoism advocated by Zhengyiyi is also in line with Lao Zhu's interests. As a price for reciprocating his love, Zhengyiyi also followed the Ming Dynasty's army and spread throughout Japan. Now he is going to America...

It was not that Lao Zhu had never thought about Buddhism, but when he remembered that Buddhism was not a local religion, he gave up.

Confucianism, Taoism!
They will form two important symbols of Ming culture in the future.

The father and son discussed many details, and the plan for the second great voyage was basically finalized.

"Brother Zhang's brother said that we should make boiled water affordable for people all over the world!
This incident reminds Erchen of his ignorance back then..."

Zhu Biao's face turned a little red when he mentioned drinking boiled water.

At that time, he did feel a bit young and had nothing to do. Zhang Yi's ideals helped him realize it to a certain extent.

He still remembered that he had sworn in front of Zhu Yuanzhang that in the future, the people of the world would be able to afford boiled water.

Unfortunately, ten years have passed and Zhu Biao still has not fulfilled this oath.

The concept of drinking boiled water has been cultivated among the people, but drinking boiled water is still a luxury for many people.

"The boiling water house that the Zhang family brother is preparing to build seems to have been mentioned in his letter..."

Boiling water room, hot water kettle...

In order to make the people affordable to drink boiled water, Zhang Yi started some businesses in advance.

Among them, the design of the kettle requires glass as the inner tank. Zhang Yi also disclosed the glass manufacturing technology.

Lao Zhu could feel Zhang Yi's determination to change the world.

Glass and glass mirrors have made him a lot of money over the years.

Although some people have cracked the coating on glass mirror manufacturing, the glass manufacturing technology is still a secret.

Zhang Yi's ability to make glass technology public shows to a large extent that he is not a profit-seeking person.

"Let him do the hard work. I am confident that he should be able to come up with something..." The conversation between father and son about Zhang Yi gradually came to an end.

……

"Junior brother, is this a warm kettle?"

One month later, the summer of Hongwu's tenth year gradually came to an end.

Zhang Yi changed several plans and finally made the Ming Dynasty's first thermos kettle with a wooden outer shell and a glass inner liner.

When it appeared, others were curious about its structure. ,
Zhang Yi smiled and nodded silently.

"It can ensure that boiling water is kept warm for a long time. With this, everyone can have a sip of hot water in the future."

"But its structure is made of glass..."

As someone who came here with Zhang Yi, Wu Baohe saw the limitations of this thing at a glance.

Glass, if you use a glass inner pot to make a thermos, you are destined to miss the common people.

“The price of glass is indeed a bit expensive, but it can be bought!

In fact, in recent years, people outside have been exploring glass technology, and there have been many glass factories in these years..."

Zhang Yi smiled, because of the huge profits from glass mirrors and his production capacity of three days of fishing and two days of drying nets, glass mirrors have been firmly occupying the top position of Ming Dynasty's luxury goods.

The crazy demand in the West has prompted many people to study the craftsmanship of glass mirrors.

The coating technology with mercury coating as the core has long been deciphered.

Therefore, a large number of imitation glass mirrors were also important smuggling items during the Ming Dynasty.

However, the coating is easy to imitate and the process of producing high-transparency glass is still firmly in Zhang Yi's hands.

Although the profit of glass has been much lower than before, it can still compete with the fine porcelain produced by the official kiln.

But now, Zhang Yi's idea is to drive down the price of glass mirrors.

His idea of ​​cutting off his own financial resources shocked Wu Bao and the others.

Zhang Yi understood their shock very well, but Wu Bao and their admiring looks only made him smile lightly.

Ready to let go of glass craftsmanship, this is the result of his careful consideration.

When industrialization began, his craftsmanship could not be hidden for too long. Since taking the route of luxury goods would not go far, Zhang Yi simply changed his thinking and took the route of industrialization.

Glass, in addition to jewelry, also has more possibilities in industry.

Before Zhang Yi could see the possibility of mass production, glass as a luxury product could satisfy his needs.

But after he saw that glass could expand the scale of production, mass-produced, cheap, and impactful glass would not lose much of his profits.

With the help of the kettle, he just tried the market.

As a daily necessity for ordinary people in later generations, the kettle is destined to be only a plaything for the rich for a period of time.

But that doesn't matter. After production capacity increases, the price of this thing will definitely decrease.

"Senior Brother Wu, if you want the people to drink hot water, what does a little skill mean?"

Zhang Yi spoke seriously, and those who listened to him admired his mind even more.

"The boiling water room is almost completed, right?"

"Well, it's almost there!"

I want something low-cost so that people can afford boiled water.

The most important thing is to squeeze costs to the limit.

Zhang Yi solved the fuel cost problem to a large extent in this small town where coal mines are prevalent. With the addition of steam engines to pump water, he calculated that if the sales volume of the people could be guaranteed, his water boiling room could indeed control the cost to the same level as burning water. Water is about the same price.

This is the key to whether a boiling water room can be accepted.

Next, it’s market practice.

Along with the boiling water room, there is another thing, which is the briquette factory.

Transforming coal mines into briquettes, a fuel with higher utilization rate, is also what Zhang Yi is doing.

The combustion efficiency of briquettes is much higher than that of ordinary fuels.

The emergence of this kind of thing can be regarded as a small energy revolution for ancient times that lacked fuel.

Of course, the premise is that its cost must come down.

Zhang Yi made some calculations. If he relied on the price advantage of coal mines in coal-producing areas, plus the reduction in labor costs brought about by his use of machine production.

In mining areas, honeycomb briquettes can indeed achieve a price advantage similar to that of charcoal and firewood.

It is temporarily impossible to make big money because the production capacity of coal mines cannot increase.

However, Zhang Yi is very confident in promoting this new thing...

Steam engines are used in coal mines. Zhang Yi and his team have been making improvements based on usage and have entered a virtuous cycle.

Zhang Yi's energy was quickly invested in the production and construction of boiling water rooms and briquette plants.

……

"Your Highness..."

Time passed, and an uninvited guest came to the mine.

Zhu Biao was walking on the mine, and Mao Xiang, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, personally accompanied him.

Zhou Tong walked up to a young nobleman, knelt down to him, and called out his identity.

Prince Zhu Biao, the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty, appeared quietly in this mine.

"Zhou Tong, where is Zhang Yi?"

"Your Highness, the National Master has a briquette processing factory at the foot of the mountain... I will send someone to find him now..."

"No, let me take you for a walk first!"

Zhu Biao watched everything in the mine with great interest and casually asked about Zhang Yi's whereabouts.

He came here this time to see with his own eyes what Zhang Yi was tinkering with on behalf of the emperor. When he came, he did not notify the place.

At this time, the workers and officials in the mine all knelt together.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's personal visit made these officials, who had never seen anyone higher than the county prince, feel frightened.

Zhu Biao gave Zhou Tong a look, and Zhou Tong understood and asked the workers to continue working.

The roaring machines and the hard working figures of the miners restored the liveliness of the mine to its past.

Zhou Tong took the initiative to walk to Zhu Biao and introduce to Zhu Biao everything about the mine.

Zhu Biao could see the effect of the steam engine, but he also took credit for Zhang Yi where Zhu Biao couldn't.

"You mean, he re-planned the production process? And the safety facilities on the mine?"

Listening to Zhou Tong's introduction, Zhu Biao was thoughtful.

He is different from others. Having grown up with Zhang Yi since childhood, he understands that many of the details Zhang Yi said are techniques summarized by others through blood and tears.

These things are all new to Daming.

Zhang Yi's management standards will also save them many detours.

After visiting the mine and looking at the coal being transported out, Zhu Biao vaguely remembered Zhang Yi's words about employment.

The mine belonged to the imperial court, but Zhang Yi proposed to the emperor to increase the workers' wages.

This kind of thing seems to increase the cost of the court, but Zhang Yi said that it is actually beneficial to the scriptures and principles of the entire world.

The emperor couldn't understand Zhang Yi's statement that promoting consumption was equivalent to promoting the economy.

The emperor was unwilling to increase expenditures, but out of trust in Zhang Yi, he still made some compromises.

Following the mule cart pulling coal out, Zhu Biao saw a merchant collecting coal and pulling the coal mine to another place.

There is the briquette factory built by Zhang Yi.

Zhu Biao naturally followed him. There were many small vendors setting up stalls on the road.
Zhu Biao also looked at many people and took some standard briquettes out to sell.

"How much do these things cost compared to firewood?"

"It's a bit expensive at the moment. The national teacher said it's mainly because the sales volume hasn't increased, and the cost of mining can't be reduced, so it's like this for the time being!
When the people discover its benefits and problems such as rubber and steel are solved, the price of briquettes can go down a bit..."

The rubber problem limited the production and maintenance of the machine. At this time, Zhu Biao had realized how valuable the boatload of rubber that Zhang Yi had brought back was?
When Zhu Biao entered the briquette factory, he found that Zhang Yi was still instructing workers to solve technical problems.

Zhang Yi did not keep the recipe of honeycomb briquettes secret.

Everyone here wears a mask made of cotton on their face.

But even so, Zhu Biao still recognized Zhang Yi at a glance.

Zhang Yi heard the noise and it seemed like someone had come in.

He turned back, his pupils dilating slightly.

Zhang Yi immediately put down his work and walked towards Zhu Biao.

"My lord, I have met His Highness the Crown Prince..."

Your Royal Highness?

Wu Baohe and other technicians, as well as the workers in the factory, were shocked when they heard that His Highness the Crown Prince had arrived.

For a moment, everyone knelt in front of Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao smiled and said:

"How do you look like a national master like this?"

Zhang Yi stood up and said with a smile:
"Your Highness, it doesn't matter whether you look like a national master or not. Whether the people can get benefits is very important to me!"

"This mouth is very familiar to me!"

Zhu Biao burst out laughing when he heard this.

He took Zhang Yi's hand and said:
"Let's go, show me your place..."

Zhang Yi obeyed and began to introduce the briquette factory to the jewelry. One talked eloquently while the other listened carefully.

"Your Highness, do you think there is anything different here?"

"Although it is remote, it is very prosperous!"

"Your Highness, within five years at most, I can guarantee that this place will be more prosperous than the county seat..."

Zhang Yi saw Zhu Biao's curious eyes and took the initiative to explain:

"This mine needs to expand its production. I estimate that roughly three thousand miners will be needed here, and the families of these three thousand miners will live near the mine.

Forming a town of 1 people is not a problem..."

In later generations, one school might have 1 people, but in this era, many northern state capitals don't have 1 people...

Zhu Biao's expression changed slightly.

Zhang Yi is equivalent to building a state capital based on the mines.

But he didn't understand why Zhang Yi told him this?
Zhang Yi didn't sell it and said directly:

"I know that His Majesty has raised the wages of the miners. Although I haven't said it in my heart, I still have doubts!
But if Your Highness comes to see you next year, you will probably be able to understand what Wei Chen did..." (End of Chapter)