unclear

Chapter 208
"You don't need to be reliable. I don't intend to hide it from anyone. I can't hide it even if I want to. It's just that I can't start it. I have to let the nobles make trouble and force me to treat everyone equally. I will hand this matter over to the cabinet for discussion. , it’s up to them to decide whether to give it or not.”

Hong Tao was completely indifferent to the old lady's worries and moved his head forward to lower his voice.There is no way, this matter is too sensitive, once the mastermind behind it is revealed, it will cause a huge shock in the court.

"What a snipe and a clam fighting! The emperor has indeed grown up...but I have no contact with the nobles and cannot help the emperor distinguish who is loyal and who is disloyal."

After hearing these words, Li understood what the emperor was going to do without even thinking about it.This time she didn't stop him, with a look of relief on her face, but she still refused to get involved easily.

"It's hard to tell the difference between people's minds. Grandma Huang doesn't need to tell the difference. She only needs to help her grandson persuade someone." Help?Stop talking about it, Hong Tao didn't expect this old lady to step forward and protect him.

Yes, she is her direct grandmother, and she also hopes that the throne will be stable.But don’t forget what the ancients warned, the most ruthless emperor’s family!Let’s not forget what Tian Yi told him before he died. The closer people are, the less likely they are to believe it!If you want relatives to help you with things, there is only one reliable way, which is to form an alliance of interests.

"Who?"

"Left Governor Zheng Guotai! This man comes from a military family. He is rude, illiterate, stingy and greedy for money. He has never been accepted by the courtiers. As long as he gets rich, his heart will be moved, but he will definitely not be able to monopolize such a big thing. Let him come forward to contact Xun It’s a matter of course for me to take over the job together, and no one will doubt me.”

"... What a good plan. Not only is no one suspicious, but he will also complain for the emperor." When she heard the name Zheng Guotai, Mrs. Li couldn't help but hide back. Her eyes when looking at her grandson were no longer full of care and praise, but more A little wary.

Too shameful!Using Zheng Guotai to charge from the front to attract firepower, everyone was happy, and there was no loss if it failed.Zheng Guotai is the elder brother of Concubine Zheng, who is also the uncle of Prince Fu Zhu Changxun. He is naturally antagonistic. No matter how hard he uses his brain, he would never think that he would help the emperor, and it would be more like causing trouble.

The more terrifying thing is not Zheng Guotai, but King Fu.The emperor's evaluation of Zheng Guotai was a bit too derogatory, but it must be particularly appropriate to apply stinginess and greed to King Fu.

Zhu Changxun was pampered by Emperor Wanli and Concubine Zheng since he was a child. When he saw good things, he wanted to get them. He had no concept of whether he could, dare or not.But Mrs. Zheng not only refused to control her, but also helped her find a solution. She was really a loving mother with many failures.

"The palace will be completed soon. Prince Fu has no excuse to stay in the capital. Let's let him become a vassal. Leave the matter of contacting the nobles to Uncle Wu Qing. He is more suitable than the Zuo Governor."

But the palms and backs of the hands were full of flesh. The emperor was a grandson, and Prince Fu was also a grandson. When she thought that the two brothers might completely fall out over this matter in the future and fight each other, Mrs. Li couldn't help but help.

"Imperial grandmother, don't worry. As long as the Zheng family stays in peace, the grandchildren will not do anything to them." Hong Tao still knew who Wu Qingbo was. His name was Li Mingcheng, and he was the nephew of the Empress Dowager Li. He just inherited the title last year.

Contacting the nobles to ask for benefits from the emperor is obviously not a job to take advantage of. If you do it, you will offend the civil servant group. If you fail, you will be complained by the nobles. You are not a human being inside and outside.

The reputation of the Zheng family was not very good to begin with, and their appearance was always ugly. The royal concubine Zheng was once criticized by many civil and military officials of the entire dynasty, and she did not care about getting scolded. It was most appropriate for them to do this job for their brother and sister. "Don't worry, the emperor's maternal great-grandfather Wu Qinghou also did ridiculous things. To this day, the Qinghua Garden in the north of the city is still the largest garden outside the royal family, and its reputation has long been known outside. It's just whether the emperor can provide enough benefits, Xun The expensive ones have huge appetites, and a few possessions cannot bring out their bloody nature.”

Mrs. Li was very determined and even revealed her family scandal in order to reassure the emperor.However, she was not swayed by family affection. In the final analysis, the key to this matter was only one word, money!If there is enough money, anything can be done easily, but if there is not enough money, it will be useless even if the Empress Dowager personally comes forward.

"My grandson will take out the Chengxi coking plant and ironworks for everyone to run together. He also plans to refine an oil that can replace lamp oil and candles. Although these two are ordinary things, they are huge in quantity and profitable. Comparable to salt tea.”

"...The emperor is really generous and courageous! I just don't know if there are specific arrangements and how many families can be accommodated?" Li was quite knowledgeable. After hearing these two items, she only thought about it briefly and was ready to take action.

Coke and iron-making have long been famous. The former is comparable to red charcoal, which is easy to burn without smoke. The latter is even better. It is said that it can make steel hundreds of times like iron-making. Some people come from hundreds of miles away to buy it, and the supply exceeds the demand.

Although it sounds less expensive than chiming bells, glassware, four-wheeled carriages, snowflakes and white sugar, it is not as expensive as salt and tea, which are necessities of life.But as long as you have a little discernment, you can find that their potential is very great, and they can definitely make a lot of money, so much that you can't even calculate it for a while.

"Coke and iron-making are no different. They need to be relatively close to the ore veins before they can be used. There are coal and iron in Handan, Guangping Prefecture, North Zhili, Nanzheng, Hanzhong Prefecture, Shaanxi, and Liangzhou, Wei, Xingdu, Shaanxi, so they are suitable for coking and iron-making. However, Shaanxi Yanchang and Pixian produce oil, so it will not be difficult to build two refineries."

Regarding China's mineral and oil reserves, as a prepared traveler, Hong Tao has collected a lot of information.But after choosing, there are not many that can be used. The key issue is the equipment.

In later generations, there will be relatively advanced coal mining, mining, and oil production equipment. Reserves and quality are the key points, and burial depth is not so critical.But in the Ming Dynasty, reserves and quality had to take a back seat. Burial depth became the only criterion. If it was too deep, it could not be dug out or drilled out. No matter how large the reserves were, it was useless.

There is also a supporting issue. For example, Foshan's ironmaking industry was very developed in the Ming Dynasty, but it produced neither iron nor coal. It relied entirely on water transportation to purchase from surrounding areas, and all it used was charcoal.Hong Tao will not consider large-scale transformation in areas like this, which is meaningless.

After picking and choosing, there are both coal and iron, and the burial depth is not large. There are only four or five places that are relatively easy to mine. Xishan in Beijing and Qianxi in Beizhili have been or are being developed. Only Handan and Nanzhenghe are left. Wuwei three places.There is less oil, and it is easier to exploit only around Yanchang.

"...Let Wang Cheng'en come in. I have to go to Baochan Temple to offer incense. The emperor should have made preparations early. It's just as effective as having something in hand and not talking."

Mrs. Li should be quite satisfied with the quantity, but just saying it is useless. She can ask her nephew to spread the news, and then recruit a few well-connected nobles to work together.But there must always be something real in front of them, so that the pros and cons can be clearly seen before people are willing to pay for it.

(End of this chapter)