Optimus One Pillar of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 76 Determining Li Ergou’s future
I rode a carriage with Yang Jinshui to the Nanjian River construction site beside the Yongding River in Wanping County outside the city.When Wang Daoqiu came here, it was still densely packed with tens of thousands of people, busy here.

More than 500 meters of the original Nanjian River channel has been filled in. The original hillsides on both sides have also been excavated with rocks to fill the river channel, and are now flat land.

Pointing to the construction site, Yang Jinshui introduced to Wang Daoqiu: "According to the original plan of Brother Wang and the palace, we will fill in the Nanjian River channel, which is more than five feet higher than the normal water level of the Yongding River, and also higher than the Yongding River. The flood level of the river in August and September. In this filled river channel, we have also built two drainage channels more than five feet wide and seven feet deep. In the future, turbines will be installed in these two drainage channels to use water from The power flowing down from the dam drives the turbine to strike iron."

"There are two drainage channels currently being excavated on the mountainside on both sides. The water is on the mountainside. At ordinary times, it can be sent directly to the workshop to cool the ingots. During the flood season, the sluices are opened to discharge the flood at all costs. There is also this along the Yongding River. Along the side of the river, a flat land more than two miles long and four feet wide will also be filled in, which will be used to pile ore. These projects are small things, and craftsmen can do them. We can use the tens of thousands of labor levies until spring plowing. .The main question now is, how to build an iron-making furnace?"

"The Chief of Ceremonies conveyed to the emperor that the furnace in the Jinyiwei Arms Bureau, which can smelt [-] to [-] kilograms of molten iron, is too small, and a larger one needs to be built. In terms of building a large furnace, my brother's Inner Palace Supervisor There is really no one who is good at this, so I can only rely on you, brother. After all, in my Ming Dynasty, brother, you are the number one master in this field. You designed and supervised the furnace in the Jinyiwei Arms Bureau. This matter, brother, You must help brother!"

Yang Jinshui's words were very polite. Listening to Yang Jinshui's compliment, Wang Daoqiu felt a little proud, but he also took this matter more seriously.After all, if this matter is messed up, his own brand will be damaged.

After thinking about it, Wang Daoqiu said to Yang Jinshui: "Brother Yang, I think this land of more than 200 acres will be bounded by the drainage canal on the left side. The left side is the residential area for the craftsmen of the future steel plant, and the right side is The side is the production area. As for the iron-making furnaces, starting from this side of the Yongding River, we will first build three small iron-making furnaces every fifty feet. Five times, that is, one furnace can produce about 30 kilograms of molten iron."

"As for the back, I plan to build two furnaces each capable of smelting millions of kilograms of molten iron. But I'm not sure whether the heat in these millions of kilograms of molten iron and coke will cause the furnace to collapse. So for this furnace, which contains millions of kilograms of molten iron, the outer walls have to be covered with steel and fixed, and a larger support frame has to be built, which costs a lot and requires a lot of workmanship."

Wang Daoqiu said that he could build a furnace that could smelt millions of molten iron. Yang Jinshui was happy when he heard this.Are you doing things for the public? Anyway, everything is done on a big scale. If you succeed, you will get the credit. If you fail, you don’t have to pay a penny. It’s a guaranteed profit-free business!And there is no precedent for something like this. Even if it fails, the emperor will not pursue it. After all, it is just an experiment.

After thinking about this, Yang Jinshui was happy and pulled Wang Daoqiu to let him go to the blast furnace.He also advised Wang Daoqiu that only by doing big things would he be able to make great contributions, and anyway, he didn't have to pay a penny of his own money.

Looking at the greedy look in Yang Jinshui's eyes, he heard Yang Jinshui acting as his life mentor.Wang Daoqiu also seemed to understand why officials like to carry out big projects.At the same time, he also thought of some other tricks, so he lowered his voice and asked: "Brother, you are so enthusiastic about a big project for this steel plant. If I guess correctly, after the steel plant is built, it should be Brother, will you take care of it?"

"Hahahaha, Brother Xian is really smart. Since Brother Xian has guessed it, Brother Wei will not hide it from Brother Xian. Brother Wei is indeed fighting for this position now. If Brother Xian and Brother Wei work together, they can put together that terrible fire A big furnace capable of smelting millions of kilograms of molten iron was built. With this credit, I guess this position in the steel factory is my brother's. Hahahahaha."

Wang Daoqiu couldn't figure out that the Inner Palace Supervisor next to the emperor had improper handprints, but ran to this barren mountain and far away from the leader.So he asked: "Brother, you, the inner palace supervisor, are so good at making palm seals, why do you want to come to manage this steel factory in this wilderness? When you are working in the palace, beside the emperor, and beside Eunuch Lu, then what? Isn’t it more promising?”

"Hey, dear brother, you don't know something. This Lao Shi's son, the Palace Supervisor, may sound nice, but he is actually just a handyman. When the emperor sends an errand, you dispatch the craftsmen to do it. It's what you should do if you do it well. Do it. If my work does not satisfy the nobles, I should be punished just like the craftsmen. To put it bluntly, no matter how hard you work on the inner palace supervisor's work, you will not achieve any great achievements. And without great achievements, how can you please the master? , how can there be a better job?"

"But this steel plant is different. In a year, there are at least millions of taels of silver and tens of millions of kilograms of steel. Here...? Hehehehe, virtuous brother! I dare to say that this time I only need If you seize the position in the steel factory, you will be able to join the ceremonial department in three years at most."

resource!In the officialdom, rank is not the key, but whether you have real power and how many resources you have.To put it bluntly, officialdom is the same as shopping malls. The basis for cooperation between the two parties is that you must have the resources that the other party wants.

Understanding this, Wang Daoqiu was also happy that he had chosen the right partner.So he confidently promised Yang Jinshui: "In three days, at most three days, I will be able to draw the drawings for my brother. And during these three days while I am drawing the drawings, brother, you will allocate money to build the furnace." The refractory bricks and craftsmen used. After the drawings are out in three days, I will move to this construction site. I will supervise the craftsmen and build those furnaces for my brother as soon as possible."

"Hey, what are you talking about? Then I would like to thank you first. Don't worry, brother, I will fully support you in this matter. I will send two smart little eunuchs here to listen to you. I want you to do this for me. Whatever brother wants to do, just ask the little eunuch to come to the ward to support him."

"Okay, let's do it! But brother, this time I'm going to transfer the craftsmen, please bring that mason Li Ergou to this construction site for me."

"Li Ergou! Brother, isn't Li Ergou's wife a slave to you? Why, where did he offend you?"

"Hey, brother, you don't know how much of a bastard that Li Ergou is. Yesterday after I finished my exam, I went to a restaurant with a few friends to have a big meal. At the table, I felt that the roast duck cooked in the store was authentic. At once………."

Next, Wang Daoqiu told Yang Jinshui in detail about Li Ergou eating the roast duck alone without sharing a bite with Qiu Sao and the little girl Sanniang.After Yang Jinshui heard what Wang Daoqiu said, he was also furious. After all, eunuchs like them, apart from being prisoners, were just poor children who couldn't survive.And Yang Jinshui was a poor child who could not survive. It was because his family was too poor that Yang Jinshui applied for a job in the palace and sold himself to find a way for the rest of the family to make a living.

In Yang Jinshui's memory, he also had a skinny and pitiful sister.Now that Wang Daoqiu was talking about the poor little girl Sanniang, Yang Jinshui immediately thought of his own poor sister.So Yang Jinshui became even more angry with Li Ergou.

After listening to Wang Daoqiu's narration and thinking about his poor sister, Yang Jinshui gritted his teeth and said harshly: "Don't worry, brother, as a brother, I will never spare that Li Ergou this time. I will kill him when I get back." When that dog is transferred to the construction site, I will also tell their foreman that any heavy and dirty work should be done by that dog, Li Ergou, and he will be exhausted to death."

"Okay, okay, thank you very much, brother."

"Hey, dear brother, what are you thanking for? That inhumane Li Ergou should be treated well."

…………

After the matter was discussed, Wang Daoqiu and Yang Jinshui went back.In the next three days, Wang Daoqiu dealt with Yin Zhengmao and the others during the day, and at night he traveled back to the library in spirit to look up information and produce drawings.

Three days later, as agreed, Wang Daoqiu moved to the Nanjianhe construction site.Yang Jinshui was also good at getting things done. During the three days when Wang Daoqiu was drawing the drawings, he not only allocated tens of thousands of yuan of refractory bricks and hundreds of craftsmen.He also built a small courtyard for Wang Daoqiu in a quiet place on the construction site for Wang Daoqiu to live here.

As soon as Wang Daoqiu arrived here, he started planning the foundation vigorously and directed the craftsmen to start work.After a busy day, when it got dark, he asked the craftsmen to call it a day and go back to rest.

At this moment, the Li Ergou sneaked up to Wang Daoqiu and said pitifully: "Master, I know I was wrong. You don't remember the villain's fault. Just tell the person in charge. , let me go back to the city to work! Master, look at this day, the foreman will let me move refractory bricks. The bricks weigh forty or fifty kilograms each, which is exhausting. And I only need to be a little slower, foreman. The whip came off, this made me tired! The eldest sir, the foreman told me clearly that the reason I suffered this is because a few days ago, I ate the roast duck you gave to my little girl by myself. The eldest sir , I was wrong, I was wrong, I won’t dare to do it next time, please forgive me this time!”

After speaking, Li Ergou was shameless and directly knelt down to Wang Daoqiu, pretending to be very pitiful.Li Ergou is so pitiful, kind-hearted people may really be deceived by him, but Wang Daoqiu will not.Because Wang Daoqiu had a library, and because the history books had clearly recorded how bad this future father-in-law of Emperor Longqing, the grandfather of Emperor Wanli, would be after he gained power.

To be honest, for a scumbag like Li Ergou, Wang Daoqiu would still be in need if he hadn't seen Sister Qiu as just thirty.Xiao Sanniang and her two brothers are still young, and they need someone who can support them. He wants to kill this Li Ergou now.

Thinking about Li Ergou's subsequent harm, look at the disgusting look of Li Ergou kneeling on the ground.Wang Daoqiu suppressed his anger and said to the two young eunuchs sent to him by Yang Jinshui: "Take this mangy dog ​​away and tell them to their foreman. Give him twenty lashes and don't allow him to eat at night."

"Oh, sir, you can't do this! You can't do this! I was wrong, I was wrong, I kowtow to you, please spare me, you..."

"Let's go, you mangy bitch..."

Hearing that Wang Daoqiu asked the foreman to reward him with twenty lashes and not give him food at night, Li Ergou was so frightened that he hugged Wang Daoqiu's thigh and began to cry and beg for mercy.

The two young eunuchs sent by Yang Jinshui to serve Wang Daoqiu saw that Li Ergou dared to hug Mr. Wang's thigh.They quickly went up and pried off Li Ergou's hands, one arm per person, then pulled Li Ergou away with his hands cut behind his back.

Seeing Li Ergou being pulled away as he begged, Wang Daoqiu made up his mind.Since we have formed a relationship with this Li Ergou today, if this Li Ergou can change his ways and support his family well in the future, then it will be okay.If he still refuses to change his character in the future and only cares about his own happiness, regardless of the life and death of his wife and children, he will still sell Sanniang to Prince Yu's Mansion in the future.Then Li Ergou can no longer be kept, and he cannot let this dog become the uncle of the country and take revenge on him.

(End of this chapter)