King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the blue flame and an indescribable feeling surged in his heart.

This stinky thing can really burn? He has lived for most of his life, how come he has never heard of it?

He couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"This...how is this possible..."

This sigh was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly breaking the cheers and admirations beside the biogas tank.

Zhu Tan was originally immersed in the admiration of the crowd, but upon hearing this question, his brows furrowed suddenly and he shouted sternly:

"Who? Who's sneaking around in there? Get out here!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several soldiers with swords on their waists rushed into the corner where Zhu Yuanzhang was hiding like wolves and tigers. One of the soldiers drew his sword, pointed it at Zhu Yuanzhang's nose, and shouted in a rough voice:

"How dare you, a madman, trespass into the prince's construction site? Surrender now!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the shining blade in front of him and sneered in his heart.

I don't know where these young guys came from, but they dared to point knives at me?

Back then, he had fought his way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood. What kind of battles had he not seen?

He slightly tilted his body to avoid the soldier's blade. At the same time, his right hand shot out like lightning and grabbed the soldier's wrist. He twisted it gently, and with a crisp "click" sound, the soldier's knife fell to the ground and he screamed, covering his arm.

Seeing this, the other soldiers waved their swords and attacked Zhu Yuanzhang.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang was old, he was still very strong.
In a blink of an eye, several soldiers were lying on the ground wailing, each of them with bruised faces and looking in a miserable state.

Seeing that his men couldn't even deal with an old man, Zhu Tan was furious. He pushed aside the guards blocking him, strode over, and roared:
"A bunch of rubbish, get out of here right now!"

He walked up to Zhu Yuanzhang and was about to scold him, but suddenly he was stunned.

I saw the old man in front of me. Although he was dressed simply, he had an upright figure, eyes as sharp as an eagle, and an aura of majesty emanating from his whole body.

He was very familiar with this aura; it was the majesty that could only be developed after being in a high position for a long time.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him coldly and asked in a deep voice:

"What? You don't even recognize your father?"

"Father?!"

Zhu Tan raised his eyebrows, walked quickly to Zhu Yuanzhang, looked him up and down, and confirmed that the old man was not injured, then he breathed a sigh of relief:

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I almost had a fight with you!"

As he spoke, he turned around and glared at the soldiers who were still lying on the ground wailing, "Get out of here! You are a bunch of useless people who can't even recognize their own people!"

The soldiers finally saw Zhu Yuanzhang's face and were so frightened that they stood up, knelt on the ground, and said tremblingly:
"It's a crime... a crime worthy of death! We were blind and offended the emperor. Please forgive us, His Majesty!"

The craftsmen, who were originally terrified and wished they could bury their heads in the ground, were shocked when they heard Zhu Tan's words.

They were so shocked that their jaws almost dropped to the ground. They all looked up at Zhu Yuanzhang, with turbulent waves in their hearts.

This, this old man who is dressed simply but exudes majesty, is actually His Majesty?

"Your Majesty, this, this is..."

A brave craftsman bravely opened his mouth to ask, but before he could finish his words, he was frightened by Zhu Yuanzhang's sharp look and shrank his neck.

"No rules!" Zhu Tan kicked the craftsman on the buttocks and scolded him with a smile, "Why don't you go to see the emperor quickly?"

The craftsmen then woke up as if from a dream, and knelt down on the ground in panic, shouting "Long live the king".

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at them coldly and ignored them. He just turned to look at Zhu Tan and asked in a deep voice:
"Tan Er, can the thing you just mentioned really burn?"

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was interested in biogas, Zhu Tan immediately became interested. He pointed at the blue flame and said with a smile:

"Father, this thing is called biogas, and it's a great thing! Not only can it be used to light lamps and cook, but it can also be used to generate electricity! Just think about it, if we collect this biogas and use it to drive machines, how much manpower and material resources will be saved!"

Zhu Yuanzhang had lived for most of his life and had never heard of such a strange thing. He walked to the edge of the biogas pool and observed the flame carefully. An indescribable feeling came over him.

He recalled his childhood, when he lived in poverty and often had no food to eat. In order to save firewood, he dared not light a fire to keep warm in winter. If there was biogas at that time, life would be much better!

“This…what on earth is going on?”

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but reach out to touch the flame, but was held back by Zhu Tan.

"Father, this flame may look insignificant, but its temperature is quite high. Don't get burned!"

As Zhu Tan spoke, he picked up a wooden stick from the side and put it into the flame. The stick was instantly ignited and a puff of black smoke came out.

Zhu Yuanzhang was shocked beyond words when he saw this scene.

Although he didn't understand any chemical principles, he knew that this thing was definitely not simple!
"Old Ten, tell me, where does this... this biogas come from?"

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was eager to learn, Zhu Tan patiently explained:

"Father, this biogas is actually a kind of gas. It is produced by the fermentation of organic matter such as feces and straw in an oxygen-deficient environment through microorganisms..."

As Zhu Tan spoke, he drew a simple diagram on paper to explain to Zhu Yuanzhang the principle of biogas production.

Although he is not a professional chemistry teacher, he has received modern education and has some basic knowledge of chemistry.

Zhu Yuanzhang was confused by what he heard, but he did not find it boring at all. Instead, the more he listened, the more novel and interesting he found it.

He was like a curious child, constantly asking Zhu Tan various questions, and Zhu Tan patiently answered them one by one.

"Father, do you want to try it yourself?" Zhu Tan said, handing Zhu Yuanzhang a fire stick, "Try to light it with this."

Zhu Yuanzhang took the fire stick and hesitated.

He had lived for most of his life, but this was the first time he had come into contact with something like this, and he couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

"Father, feel free to try it. This biogas is very safe. As long as you are careful, nothing will happen." Zhu Tan encouraged.

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, plucked up his courage, and moved the fire lighter close to the outlet of the biogas tank.

With a "boom", a larger ball of fire rose into the sky, illuminating Zhu Yuanzhang's face red.

Zhu Yuanzhang was startled by the sudden fire, but then a feeling of ecstasy surged in his heart!
"Good! Good! Good!" Zhu Yuanzhang said "good" three times in a row, shaking with excitement. "This biogas is truly a magical thing!"

"Father, this biogas is just some small stuff. If you want to see something extraordinary, you have to look at my laboratory. There are so many strange things in there. I guarantee you will be amazed!"

Zhu Tan's eyes rolled and he suggested striking while the iron was hot.

Zhu Yuanzhang had already been intrigued by the magical biogas, so he had no time to worry about the crime.

He waved his hand, and his deep voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement: "Okay! Lead the way!"

Seeing this, Zhu Tan was secretly delighted and quickly led Zhu Yuanzhang towards his "holy land of science" - the laboratory. Along the way, the father and son talked and laughed, as if the tense atmosphere just now had never existed.

The laboratory was located in a secluded courtyard in the backyard of the palace. Zhu Tan ordered people to open the gate, and a wave of heat mixed with the sound of clanging and knocking came towards him.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the room in front of him, which looked like an ordinary room, and couldn't help but frowned:

"Tan Er, the rare thing you mentioned is right here?"

Zhu Tan smiled mysteriously, pointed at the ordinary wooden door, and said in a pretentious manner:

"Father, the fun is all inside, please come in!"

After saying that, he pushed the door open first and walked in.

As soon as he entered the door, Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned.

I saw that the interior of this room was a different world. Various strange-shaped appliances were placed in the spacious space, including a towering stove and an ingenious and complex gear device.

There are even a few strange "bird men" made of wood and leather.

More than a dozen craftsmen were busy working, some were tinkering with the fire, some were polishing parts, and everyone's face was filled with concentration.

"Father, look, this is the steam engine I designed. It can use the power of steam to drive the machine, which is much stronger than human power!"

Zhu Tan pointed at a large thing that was steaming and introduced it enthusiastically.

Zhu Yuanzhang had never seen such a strange thing.

He walked around the steam engine several times, touching and knocking on it from time to time, just like a curious child.

"And this, this is gunpowder. It's extremely powerful. It can be used as a weapon, or it can be used to blast rocks!"

Zhu Tan pointed to a pile of black powder in the corner and said.

"Weapons?" Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyebrows, obviously more interested in this.

"Father, please look!"

As Zhu Tan spoke, he took a peculiarly shaped musket from the craftsman, lit the fuse, aimed at a big tree in the yard and pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

After a loud bang, the tree as thick as a bowl fell down. The huge impact force even caused the ground to shake slightly.

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned. Although he had fought on the battlefield for many years, he had never seen such a powerful weapon. One can imagine how shocked he was.

"Good! Good! Good!" Zhu Yuanzhang praised repeatedly, looking at Zhu Tan with a look full of satisfaction, "Old Ten, you really didn't let me down!"

Zhu Tan smiled modestly, but was secretly proud in his heart.

He knew that this move of his had completely dispelled Zhu Yuanzhang's doubts.

"Father, the power of this technology is not just for making weapons,"

Zhu Tan took the opportunity to say, "It can also change lives and allow people to live and work in peace and contentment."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Zhu Yuanzhang became interested.

"Father, think about it, if we can apply these new technologies to agricultural production and increase food production, can we ensure that the people have enough food to eat?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and agreed with it.

"If we can improve the technology of weaving and papermaking and reduce the cost, can we let the people wear warm clothes and use cheap paper?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded again, and his opinion of Zhu Tan changed a little.

"Father, everything I have done is for the great Ming Dynasty and for the well-being of the people!"

Zhu Tan said this, looking at Zhu Yuanzhang with firm eyes.

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent.

After leaving the laboratory, Zhu Tan took Zhu Yuanzhang to the fields.

In the golden autumn season, the fields are full of a scene of harvest.

The golden rice sways in the wind, and the heavy fruits wave on the branches.

The farmers' faces were filled with happy smiles, and the scene was thriving.

"Father, look, this is all thanks to the new policy!"

Zhu Tan pointed at everything in front of him and said with emotion:
"The tax burden was reduced by distributing taxes on each acre of land; the fire consumption tax was returned to the public, which put an end to the exploitation of corrupt officials; the construction of water conservancy projects increased grain production..."

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, and the golden rice fields rippled in the autumn wind, like a golden ocean.

He narrowed his eyes, his gaze deep, as if he was examining the land, and also as if he was examining Zhu Tan.

After a while, he suddenly burst into laughter, with a hint of relief, emotion, and even a bit of self-mockery in his laughter.

"Old Ten, Old Ten," Zhu Yuanzhang patted Zhu Tan on the shoulder, his tone teasing, "I was very angry about the commotion you caused in Shandong. Those old stubborn people came to the capital one by one, pointed at my nose and scolded me, saying that you were making trouble and were going to cause chaos!"

Zhu Tan scratched his head embarrassedly and chuckled.

Those officials and wealthy families in Shandong were not ordinary difficult to deal with. They relied on their wealth and power and deep-rootedness to oppress the people and bully the people in their hometowns. They were even more powerful than local tyrants.

As soon as Zhu Tan arrived in Shandong, he took action against them and implemented new policies, which touched their interests and naturally provoked their crazy counterattack.

"But now it seems," Zhu Yuanzhang's tone changed, his eyes became sharp, "it seems that you are right."

He looked around, seeing the people working hard in the fields, and the satisfaction and joy on their faces, and felt a lot of emotion in his heart. He knew that the reason why the Ming Dynasty was stable and the people could live and work in peace and contentment was not because of those high-ranking officials, but because of these hardworking and simple people.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhu Tan took the opportunity to flatter him. He knew that what Zhu Yuanzhang cared most about was the welfare of the people. As long as the people could live a good life, he was willing to do anything.

"Stop flattering me," Zhu Yuanzhang scolded with a smile, "I am not old and confused yet! Tell me, what other ideas do you have?"

He knew that Zhu Tan was a cunning guy and must have other tricks up his sleeve.

"Hehe," Zhu Tan rubbed his hands, a cunning light flashing in his eyes, "Father, I want to do one more thing."

"What's the matter?" Zhu Yuanzhang became interested. This kid always brought him surprises, or rather, shocks.

"Officials and gentry are one!" Zhu Tan said word by word, his voice was not loud but powerful.

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, his face suddenly darkened.

He knew what these four words meant. This was an act that would shake the foundation of the Ming Dynasty! (End of this chapter)