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

As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang left, Zhu Tan sat down on the chair and let out a long sigh of relief.

This old man is becoming increasingly difficult to fool.

I don't know which wicked guy mentioned that "electricity" can be used to fight in front of him, but now, he is staring at me like a ghost, demanding results.

"Electricity, electricity, electricity. I've only just begun to learn about this stuff. How can it be easily turned into a deadly weapon? In the past, people said that young people act too hastily, but now it seems that old people are the most impatient! Look at the old man's attitude! It's a good thing I didn't talk to him about nuclear energy!"

Zhu Tan rubbed his temple while complaining in his heart.

However, what Zhu Yuanzhang said is not without reason. If "electricity" can really be used in military affairs, wouldn't the Ming Dynasty be even more powerful?

Thinking of this, Zhu Tan's mind suddenly emerged with a scene of thousands of troops holding "electric" devices and being invincible.
Very tempting indeed!
But it’s also difficult!
He stood up suddenly and called the guards:
"Go, call all the skilled craftsmen from the Ministry of Works to come to me, and tell them that I have something important to discuss with you!"

Soon, a group of craftsmen who usually looked down on others were brought in front of Zhu Tan.

"Your Majesty, what new things are you planning to do this time?"

An old craftsman with gray hair asked boldly.

Zhu Tan didn't waste any words and directly showed everyone his ideas and drawings of the "electric baton".

"My Lord, this... this thing can really electrocute people?"

Another craftsman pointed at the two metal bars on the drawing, his face full of disbelief.

"Of course! Just follow the blueprint and make it. Don't worry about anything else!"

Zhu Tan waved his hand and said confidently.

However, reality soon gave him a loud slap in the face.

The craftsmen followed Zhu Tan's requirements and worked very hard to finally come up with a prototype of an "electric baton".

But when Zhu Tan held the "electric baton" with great anticipation, ready to experience the pleasure of electric shock.

But I found that this thing could only produce some sparks but couldn't even burn a pig's hair.

"My Lord, this... this thing seems to be of no use."

A craftsman said cautiously, fearing to anger the moody prince.

Zhu Tan's face suddenly darkened. He threw away the "electric baton" in his hand and said angrily:
"Trash! They are all a bunch of trash!"

The craftsmen were so frightened that they trembled and dared not even breathe.

Zhu Tan paced back and forth in the room with a frown on his face.

He understood that in ancient times there was a shortage of electricity, and it was simply a fantasy to create a powerful electric baton.

"Can't 'electricity' be used in military affairs?" Zhu Tan felt unwilling.

He sat on the chair and his eyes accidentally fell on a pack of gunpowder on the table.

Gunpowder! Yes, gunpowder!

A flash of inspiration suddenly came to Zhu Tan’s mind.

Although electric sparks are not very powerful, they are more than enough to ignite gunpowder!
If we could use electric sparks to ignite gunpowder, wouldn't it be possible to create more powerful firearms?
Thinking of this, Zhu Tan suddenly became excited. He stood up suddenly and said loudly to the frightened craftsmen:

"Don't just stand there, hurry up and work for me! This time, I'm going to create an unprecedented weapon!"

The craftsmen looked at each other, their hearts full of confusion, but they dared not disobey the prince's order.

"Stop pretending to be dead. Who are you showing your sad faces to?"

Zhu Tan kicked the craftsman lying on the ground in annoyance:

"Do I look like an unreasonable person? Tell me, you can't make this damn electric baton. Is there something wrong with my blueprint?"

The craftsmen were almost crying. Your Majesty, you are certainly not an unreasonable person. You are just moody!

The gray-haired old craftsman said boldly:

"Your Highness, it's not that we are lazy, it's just that this blueprint... is ingenious and exquisite! But this, this thing can only produce sparks, it can't electrocute people to death!"

"Who said that I was going to electrocute someone?"

Zhu Tan looked at the old craftsman sideways, making him break out in a cold sweat, and then he said slowly:
"What I want is the electric spark, understand? Although the spark is small, it is perfect for starting a fire!"

The craftsmen looked at each other in bewilderment. The prince had no choice but to use the invisible and intangible "electricity" to light the fire. Wasn't this just a waste of time?

Seeing their confused faces, Zhu Tan patiently explained:
"Think about it. To put it bluntly, this fire starter is an open flame that can be ignited at a touch, which can easily expose the target. But electricity is different. It is invisible and intangible. As long as you control the distance well, you can ignite the gunpowder without the enemy noticing!"

"Your Highness is wise!" After all, the old craftsman was a shrewd man and immediately understood Zhu Tan's intention. This was not just about starting a fire, it was clearly a sneak attack!
"Stop flattering me and find a solution for me!" Zhu Tan kicked the old craftsman on the buttocks. "What I want is a weapon that can be used in battle, not this useless thing that only looks good!"

After receiving Zhu Tan's "instructions", the craftsmen did not dare to be negligent and started to work hard.

They first tried to use electric sparks to directly ignite the gunpowder, but found that it didn't work at all.

"Your Highness, this spark is too weak, it can't even light up!"

A craftsman said with a sad face.

Zhu Tan said impatiently:
"Then find a way to make it stronger! If gunpowder doesn't work, try something else. There's always something that can be ignited by electricity!"

The craftsmen had no choice but to keep trying.

They tried using various flammable materials instead of gunpowder, even cotton and hay, but the result was the same, the electric sparks simply could not ignite.

"Your Majesty, please calm down! We have tried our best, but it really doesn't work... How about we think of another way?"

The old craftsman bravely suggested, but he was worried in his heart. The prince has a bad temper, so he shouldn't treat them as flammable objects and set them on fire!

Zhu Tan shook his head.

"Of course, I won't blame you."

He sat down on the chair, grabbed the drawing on the table and crumpled it into a ball.

But at this moment, he suddenly caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye that a wisp of green smoke was coming out of the crumpled drawing!
"and many more!"

Zhu Tan stood up suddenly, snatched the drawing from the old craftsman's hand, and looked at it carefully.

I don't know when this drawing was stained with a layer of oil, and when the sparks flew just now, it was this oil that started to burn first!
"It's oil! Electric sparks can ignite oil!"

Zhu Tan laughed out loud.

He quickly ordered the craftsmen to bring oil lamps and paper, soaked the paper in grease, and then carefully approached the electric spark device.

"scoff"

With a slight sound, the grease-soaked paper was instantly ignited. The bright flame illuminated the entire room, as well as Zhu Tan's ecstatic face.

"It's done! It's done! Hahaha..."

Zhu Tan couldn't help but burst into laughter. He picked up the old craftsman and spun him around several times, making the old craftsman dizzy.

"Your Majesty, be careful. My old bones can't stand your torture!"

The old craftsman begged for mercy with a wry smile, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. It seemed that the prince was really happy this time, and his life was saved.

"Hahaha, good! Good! I will order people to prepare wine and food right away. I will drink three hundred cups with you all today!"

Zhu Tan said with great pride,

My heart is full of longing for the future.

After repeated experiments and improvements, the craftsmen finally developed a simple "electric spark" device. This device consists of two main parts: one is an improved electric spark device that can produce stronger and more stable electric sparks;

The second is special paper soaked in grease, which can be ignited and burns quickly.

In order to facilitate use, craftsmen also specially made some small pottery jars, placed oil paper and electric spark devices in them respectively, and sealed them with wooden stoppers.

When needed, just pull out the wooden plug and press the switch to instantly ignite the oil paper. It is convenient, fast, safe and concealed.

Zhu Tan looked at these sophisticated "electric ignition" devices in front of him and nodded with satisfaction. This is much better than traditional fire starters!

"Your Majesty is wise! With this 'electric ignition', our soldiers will be able to take advantage in night battles and kill the enemy by surprise!"

The old craftsman said excitedly, as if he had already seen the enemy army being defeated by the attack of "electric ignition".

"Your Highness, although this 'electric ignition' is very powerful, it also has a drawback." The old craftsman suddenly looked embarrassed and hesitated to speak.

"Oh? If there are any shortcomings, feel free to tell me." Zhu Tan asked with interest.

"This electric spark device is too delicate. It will malfunction if it gets wet, and..."

The old craftsman paused, looked at Zhu Tan cautiously, and then continued:
"Moreover, the production cost is high and the required materials are very scarce. I am afraid it will be difficult to equip the army on a large scale."

The smile on Zhu Tan's face gradually disappeared. How could he not know these problems?

He waved his hand, signaling the old craftsman to leave:
"I understand everything you said. Go down and rest first. We can discuss this matter later."

……

The next morning, Zhu Tan summoned the craftsmen and several trusted advisers to the study to discuss the improvement and application of "electric ignition".

"Everyone has seen it," Zhu Tan said straight to the point, "This 'electric ignition' is extremely powerful. If it can be equipped on a large scale, our army will be invincible!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" A counselor immediately flattered him, "But this 'electric ignition' is expensive and easily affected by moisture..."

"This king summoned you all here today precisely to solve these problems!"

Zhu Tan slammed the table and interrupted the counselor. "Can you guys improve the waterproofness of this 'electric ignition' and reduce the cost?"

Several old craftsmen looked at each other, and no one dared to speak rashly.

"Your Majesty."

Finally, the old craftsman stood up:
"This electric spark device requires a lot of copper wire and magnets. The cost is really hard to reduce! As for waterproofing..."

He shook his head with a bitter face:

"I am really powerless."

Zhu Tan frowned, he knew that the old craftsman was telling the truth.

"Your Highness," a counselor stepped forward and said, "I have a plan."

Zhu Tan's eyes lit up: "What brilliant idea do you have? Tell me quickly!"

"Your Majesty."

The counselor said calmly:

"Although this 'electric ignition' is ingenious, it is a new thing after all, and it is bound to have defects. Instead of thinking about large-scale production now, it is better to try it on a small scale first to see the effect."

"Trial?" Zhu Tan pondered, "You mean..."

"Your Majesty, you can first select an elite force and equip them with 'Electric Ignition' to use for special missions such as night raids or surprise attacks."

The counselor explained:
"In this way, we can take advantage of the advantages of 'electric ignition' while avoiding the risks of large-scale production."

Zhu Tan's eyes lit up. This was indeed a good idea! He couldn't help but praise, "You have a good idea! I'll do as you say!"

"In addition," the counselor continued, "we can also try it out while looking for alternative materials and ways to simplify the process, so as to achieve large-scale production of 'electric ignition' as soon as possible."

"it is good!"

Zhu Tan slapped the table and said excitedly:
"That's it! I will select the best soldiers and generals right now, and make sure to bring the power of 'Electric Ignition' to its fullest!"

When Zhu Tan returned to Prince Lu's Mansion, it was already late in the evening. The afterglow of the setting sun gave the glazed tiles of the mansion a layer of gold.

As soon as he entered the study, he saw Zhu Yuanzhang sitting upright on the armchair with a book in his hand. He didn't know whether he was really reading or waiting for him.

"You're back?" Zhu Yuanzhang put down the book and stared at Zhu Tan with a sharp gaze. "How's the 'electric ignition' going?"

"Replying to Father, it went smoothly."

Zhu Tan answered casually.

Old Zhu has an impatient temperament. If he knew the various defects of "electric ignition", he would probably be furious again.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, with a barely perceptible gleam in his eyes:

"Well, you are a man of conscience. You haven't forgotten what I told you to do."

He paused and then said:

"But don't think I don't know. You've been running out every few days recently. Have you been fooling around in some brothel again?"

"Father is wronged!"

Zhu Tan smiled bitterly and complained, "I have been working very hard recently. In addition to going to the workshop to supervise the production of 'electric ignition', I also have to go to various counties for inspection. How can I have the time to go to such a place?"

"Hmph, stop playing tricks on me, kid!"

Zhu Yuanzhang blew his beard and glared:

"How could I not know what you are thinking? Tell me, have you fallen in love with another girl and want to keep her in your golden house?"

Zhu Tan sighed helplessly. His father always liked to look at him with such an old perspective. As the Prince of Lu, even if he really wanted to find a woman, there was no need for him to do it in secret.

He said seriously:

"Father, what I said is true. When those counties implement the new policy, they will inevitably encounter some resistance. As a vassal king, I must go there in person to ensure the smooth implementation of the new policy."

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him sideways, seemingly not believing his words:

"Oh? If that's the case, then tell me how the new policy is being implemented? Do those nobles give you, the King of Lu, face?"

"As for face, it must be given in person, not behind the back. Why don't you go for me?"

Zhu Tan said with a smile,

Zhu Yuanzhang blew his beard and glared, then slammed the teacup heavily on the table:
"You little brat! You only know how to cause me problems! I am old now, and I still have to clean up your mess!"

"Isn't it because you are wise and powerful that you shock the world? Those noble families, who wouldn't tremble when they see you?"

Zhu Tan playfully massaged Zhu Yuanzhang's shoulders and back, showing the demeanor of a filial son and grandson.

"Don't give me that!"

Zhu Yuanzhang said he disliked it, but he enjoyed it in his heart.

Although this boy is a little lazy, he is still filial after all.

The next day, Zhu Tan left home early, saying that he was "going to the laboratory."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his son's back, who was running faster than a rabbit, and shook his head helplessly.

This kid is really a jerk who will tear down the roof if he is not punished for three days! (End of this chapter)