unclear

Chapter 194 People who are ahead of the times
"In addition to the people of Liaodong, I am also worried about another thing, whether the Li family is willing to enter the customs!" The reasons put forward by Shen Li made all the officials present moved. The Li family has been operating in Liaodong for decades and has a stable foundation. Who is the most important? Not willing to enter the customs, his family ranks second and no one can rank first.

If they are forced into a panic, it seems that they cannot be completely sure of the threat just by relying on the Li family members staying in Beijing.After all, Li Chengliang is dead, and the generals in charge of Li's private army no longer need to consider their previous friendship, and may refuse to enter the customs for their own interests.

Those were thousands of elite cavalry who had experienced hundreds of battles, and were particularly familiar with the border defense situation. Whether they fell to the Northern or Jian captives, it would be a huge loss to the Ming Dynasty's defense power.

"I will personally clarify the interests with the Li family, but I don't know which of Li Chengliang's sons is more general-like?" Like all previous questions, Hong Tao answered so easily.

The aftermath of the Liaodong Cavalry must be thought through before giving up on Liaodong, and there is a solution.It's just that I can't guarantee it will work, so I can only give it a try.

As for what to do if the Liaodong Cavalry is really forced to rebel?Two words, cold salad!The Mongolian cavalry, the Jurchen Eight Banners, and the Liaodong cavalry are nothing more than well-trained, experienced, and unified cavalry. It's not like I haven't dealt with them before. They are really not that powerful in the face of hot weapons.

If you are willing to be a member of the Ming Dynasty, you can follow the emperor to conquer the east and west in the future, gain countless military exploits, and be famous forever; if you are not willing to be a member of the Ming Dynasty, it doesn't matter. The worst thing you can do is spend more cannonballs, bullets, and a few more corpses.

"Except for the eldest son Rusong, the fourth son Ruzhang and the fifth son Rumei of the Li family are all brave and have made many military exploits. However, Ruzhang is fierce in nature, while Rumei is calm and resourceful." Shen Li is no stranger to Li Chengliang's family, nor is he. In order to avoid taboos, these two simple sentences not only gave the candidate but also pointed out the characteristics.

"Well, that's very good. Li Chengliang and his son have fought for the imperial court for many years, and they have both merit and hard work. If Ru Zhang and Ru Mei can be of great use, I will not hesitate to give the Li family a great fortune.

It's getting late, and I'm a little tired.Building a factory and withdrawing from Liaoning are both major events. Dear friends, we need to plan them as soon as possible. We can't focus on one and underestimate the other, and we can't deal with it hastily.This spring has not been easy…”

After asking about Li Ruzhang and Li Rumei's past and present day, Hong Tao stretched and stood up to end the imperial meeting.After being the emperor for several years, the only time he could feel that he was in control was at this time, no matter who he faced, he didn't have to worry too much about etiquette, human feelings, etc.

If you can get together, chat a few more words. If you don’t like being slapped on the butt, then leave. No one can stop you. No one can express your anger, let alone curse in a hurry. It’s so cool!

"Go ahead and make arrangements. I will be inspecting the nearby Huangzhuang in the next few days. Let Li Ruzhang and Li Rumei wait at the Haihe Machinery Factory. Inform Xu Guangqi, Li Zhizao, Zhao Shizhen, and Wang Zheng to come from Yongdinghe Iron Works, Royal Gunpowder Factory, and Time The workshop and Liuguangzhai have dispatched top craftsmen to accompany him."

It's a pity that after only a few minutes of fun, I still have to keep busy.The cooperation achieved with the official group using the benefits of building a factory is only temporary and very unstable. In addition to the official group, there is also a distinguished group that needs to be appeased.

The decision to abandon Liaodong would hurt the most, not the civil service group, but the military officers and nobles.If you can't give them some advantages to make up for the shortfall, someone will also be looking for trouble behind your back.

Fortunately, I have been secretly planning for more than ten years, and I have done very thorough preparations. I can come up with attractive benefits at any time and throw them out like meat and bones for the nobles to fight for.It's just that it's easier said than done. It's not enough to deceive with words. You have to show something to be convincing.When the emperor travels, even if it is just to visit his royal estate, the ostentation cannot be underestimated.Hong Tao tried to change this issue many times, but officials from the Ministry of Rites, Taipu Temple and Honglu Temple refused to give up any ground and fought for every inch. The cabinet, the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers and the Imperial Academy were waving flags and shouting, but all ended in failure.

It took three days of walking with a majestic guard of honor to cross Tianjinwei, and it was still 40 miles away from the machinery factory.Compared with later generations, the Haihe River at this time was worthy of the title of the largest water system in North China. The water surface dozens of feet wide was surging with waves, carrying small pieces of ice and rushing forward. Undercurrents could be seen everywhere, which was unfathomable.

There are berm trees a hundred meters away on both sides of the river bank. Judging from their height and thickness, they must be hundreds of years old. The huge tree crowns are held up like umbrellas, blocking the wind and sun for pedestrians and horses on the official road.

It's just that at this time, apart from the generals and honor guards, not a single pedestrian, car or horse could be seen on the official road.A light car and a simple obedience?Private visit via incognito?Dream on, the local government had received a notice from their superiors a few days ago to clean up all the idlers, including merchants and farmers along the way, leaving no one inhabited within several miles.

This is another reason why Hong Tao rarely leaves the palace. Not only is he in trouble, but he also wastes money and people.In order for the emperor to travel, countless businessmen missed their journeys, farmers missed their farming season, and military households worked all day long.

Although he can't make the final decision without guarding the ceremony, he is the emperor after all, and no one can stop him from making small changes within the framework of general principles.For example, the chariot used for traveling has changed from the traditional five-wheeled chariot to a four-wheeled carriage.

This royal carriage was larger than an ordinary four-wheeled carriage and was pulled by six shiny black horses. The carriage was equipped with a soft cowhide hood that could be rolled up for ventilation when the weather was warm and closed to keep warm when it was cold.

The seats inside are distributed around, and there is a liftable storage cabinet, coffee table, and desk in the middle.The interior structure does not require every piece to be expensive and exquisite, but it must be simple, practical and multi-functional, with an obvious later-generation style.

"Zhenzhi, let's not build the fourth lime kiln for the time being, and free up manpower to search for coal and iron veins near Kaipingwei and Luanzhou in Yongping Prefecture. According to Jinyiwei's archived records, coal and iron were produced locally during the Xuande period. If true. , look for a suitable location nearby to build a kiln for refining."

In the carriage were not only the emperor and eunuchs, but also Li Zhizao.In addition to being in charge of the Yongding River Iron Works in the past few years, he has been wandering around the mountainous areas in western Beijing, looking for better quality coal and iron ore, and rarely appears in court.If it hadn't been for the emperor's call this time, we would have taken advantage of the warmer temperatures to dig deeper into the Western Mountains.

"Yongping Mansion? Your Majesty, there is a lot of coal and iron in Xishan. Although the quality is different, it is still suitable as long as you select it carefully. If two or three more blast furnaces are added to the Yongding River, the pig iron production can be doubled in less than half a year."

If you were to ask who were the steel experts in the 17th century, Li Zhizao would probably be ranked among the top ten in the world.Ever since he saw the molten iron flowing into the open-hearth furnace, and when it came out, it had become a hundred steel makings, and most of this relied on precise proportions and calculations. He was originally interested in mathematics and became fascinated by smelting and forging.

(End of this chapter)