Ming Dynasty: The ghost betrays the Confucian sage, my son Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 293 Fourth Master Zhu: The Ming Steam Age Begins

Beijing, Xuanwu Lake Pier.

Zhu Yuanzhang remained incognito because a fleet from America came back today, and shiploads of gold and silver were transported back. He just liked the feeling of being blinded by gold.

Zhu Yuan, the king of Zhou who went to America with the fleet, also returned. Zhu Yuanzhang saw this boy getting off the ship, holding an unknown thing in his mouth and smoking continuously.

When Zhu Yu saw Zhu Yuanzhang, he quickly came up to pay homage: "My son, I am here to see my father."

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced sideways: "What do you have in your mouth?"

"Father, this is a cigar!" Zhu Xi's eyes were excited. "This is a good thing. The Emperor asked me to set up a cigar factory in America to specialize in the production of this stuff. Now the sales are very good. Southeast Asia and the West are all starting from me. What about the purchase?”

"Remember, the cigarettes I saw ministers smoking some time ago are similar, right?" Zhu Yuanzhang was speechless. "The cigarettes produced by the Emperor's Daming Cigarette Factory look much smaller than yours."

"It's all cigarettes, but my cigar is very refreshing." Zhu Zhu said, "Father, I will light one for you. This is a fine Inca cigar."

Zhu Yuanzhang was in a good mood and wanted to try something new. He took the cigar that Zhu Xi had lit and took a deep puff.

He suddenly felt a strong aroma filling his mouth. The smoke was long and rich, with a unique sweetness that seemed to penetrate every cell in him.

He closed his eyes slightly, savoring the freshness and wonder. The smoke of the cigar swirls in the mouth, bringing an unprecedented sense of relaxation and pleasure.

"This thing is indeed good." Zhu Yuanzhang slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.

"This thing is a standard item for men. If your father likes it, I will give you a special supply of top-quality cigars in the future." Zhu Ju said.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and took another deep breath of the cigar, feeling the unique aroma filling his mouth again. He secretly thought that this might be a little bit of luck in life. It is rare to be able to enjoy such a moment of tranquility and comfort amidst the busy schedule of government affairs.

……

The father and son were thinking about walking downstream of Xuanwu Lake, and Zhu Rui was talking about the situation in America. Now the Ming Dynasty has established seventeen guard posts there and controls many gold and silver mines.

"Father, the emperor of the Inca Empire still wants to come to see you." Zhu Ju said, "We brought them horses, carriages, silks, and porcelain. These things are very popular in the Inca Empire."

"He can come if he wants to come." Zhu Yuanzhang spread his hands, "They are honest, and we will live in peace with them."

"The Americas are very big. Only the Inca Empire occupies such a large area. Our guard base is still expanding northward." Zhu Ru said, "In that infinite territory, you can travel dozens of miles without seeing a single person."

"How about our Ming Dynasty?" Zhu Yuanzhang said proudly.

"Of course!" Zhu Ru said, "Many places overseas are still poor and remote areas, and they cannot be compared to the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yuanzhang held his hands behind his back and held his head high, looking very proud. What he looked at were textile factories, shipyards, iron smelting plants, etc. in the Ming Dynasty. At present, many places still use water power, so all factories are built along the river.

The two of them walked and unknowingly arrived at Xuanwu Academy. Today's Xuanwu Academy is the first academic institution in the Ming Dynasty. It has tens of thousands of optical disciples and has been expanded several times.

Dean Luo Guanzhong heard that the emperor was coming and quickly came out to greet him respectfully. Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and waved his hand: "Dean, there is no need to be polite. We are here incognito this time. We don't want to make a big fuss. You can take us for a walk."

"According to the order." Luo Guanzhong nodded and led the way.

"Dean, we like to read your "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"." Zhu Yuanzhang asked with a smile, "Is your Battle of Red Cliff based on the Romance of Poyang Lake? Back then, Zhang Shicheng was chained to a boat and was burned by us. of."

"Well, the inspiration really came from the Battle of Poyang Lake." Luo Guanzhong smiled.

"In the words of the Supreme Emperor, you can get some royalties from us." Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "It is said that your book made a lot of money, and the entire Ming Dynasty is reading it."

"Just a little money, Your Majesty, you have boatloads of gold." Luo Guanzhong said.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat down on a stone chair and said with a smile: "The Ming Dynasty has made a lot of money in recent years, but it has also spent a lot of money. The Supreme Emperor said that he wanted to build roads, criss-crossing the east-west road from north to south; he wanted to regulate rivers and build canals, hey , throw away a lot of money."

Luo Guanzhong immediately flattered him and said: "Your Majesty is wise. No one in the history of emperors can compare with him. Nowadays, the people's well-being in Ming Dynasty has far exceeded that in previous generations. I feel that even the year of Zhenguan cannot be compared."

"Hey, Dean, you better learn from the Supreme Emperor, he never flatters you." Zhu Yuanzhang said.

"What I said is sincere." Luo Guanzhong looked serious, "The Ming Dynasty has really become rich. It can be seen from the distribution of students in the academy. Most of the students now come from ordinary people's homes, which means they can afford to study. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head: "We are still saying the same thing, we are getting better now, but we are still far from being able to rule the world!"

……

Luo Guanzhong made tea himself and chatted with Zhu Yuanzhang while drinking. Speaking of Xuanwu Academy, it has also changed a lot. The teaching materials used are all those introduced by the Supreme Emperor and involve all walks of life, so now there are dozens of subjects in the academy. The campus has various facilities so that students can practice. "We heard that Xuanwu University and Shenwu Military Academy in Peking are better than Xuanwu Academy in Beijing?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"You can't say that, everyone has their own strengths." Luo Guanzhong smiled.

"Shenwu Military Academy is good. A large number of talents enter the Ming Dynasty army every year." Zhu Yuanzhang laughed, "The last time we went to the army, our senses were different. We used to be a bunch of illiterate rough old men, but now it is much better. "The captains are all young people who came from the military academy. They are not only literate, but also have various weapons and weapons at their disposal. We are not good at it, so we can only go into battle with swords."

He was chatting enthusiastically, and Zhu Xi was listening. Suddenly, a scream came, and a student ran towards this side, shouting excitedly as he ran: "It's done, it's done, I'm done."

Zhu Ru stood up warily, thinking he had met a madman. Luo Guanzhong was a little embarrassed. The emperor came to inspect. In such a situation, wouldn't it mean that the academy couldn't do it?

"Afraid!" Luo Guanzhong shouted, "Why are you so crazy if you don't study the subject?"

"Dean, I've made it!" The student named Wa Ke ran over, "I've made the steam engine that the Emperor mentioned."

"You bastard, you haven't met the emperor yet." Luo Guanzhong glared.

Only then did Wa Ze notice Zhu Yuanzhang and immediately knelt down to worship him. Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and raised his hand: "Your surname is Wa? This is a rare surname. Doctor Chu Shicai, Yin, your surname Wa still comes from the Yellow Emperor. Tell me, what kind of steam engine have you made?"

Wa Ze quickly bowed: "Your Majesty, the principle of a steam engine is that it uses heat sources, such as gas, steam and other high-temperature liquids, to heat the water in the warm chamber of the engine, causing it to evaporate into water vapor and expand. The expanded water vapor drives the steam engine's rotation, thereby converting thermal energy into mechanical energy.”

Zhu Yuanzhang: "???"

What are you talking about? What kind of stuff are taught in academies now? Why can't we understand a word?
"Your Majesty, to sum up, the current wind power equipment and hydraulic equipment can no longer meet the needs of development." Wa Ze said excitedly, "But with the steam engine, we can replace them. The steam engine is a more efficient and reliable power equipment. Your Majesty I said, if a steam engine is built, then Ming Dynasty will enter the steam age.”

I don’t know how powerful it is!

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't understand, but he knew it was a good thing, so he waved his hand and said: "Bonus! Wa'er, we will make you the Minister of Industry, so that you can promote your steam engine."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Waxie was overjoyed.

Zhu Yuanzhang was also happy.

Nowadays, the educational reform of the Supreme Emperor has been basically completed. There are primary and secondary schools in many places, and there are universities in Beijing and Beiping. Although there are not many, they are gradually being promoted. The school will continuously provide talents for the imperial court.

……

Alimari City.

Fourth Master Zhu has been accompanying Zhao Xuanzhen these days. When he got up in the morning, his waist felt sore. He found the great shaman and discussed that it was time to continue heading west.

"Are you willing to leave?" The great shaman rolled his eyes.

"A great man, with his ambition in the world, how can he be trapped by beauty?" Fourth Master Zhu spread his hands.

"Haha." The great shaman rolled his eyes again and almost fainted.

She took out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, lit one skillfully, and slowly exhaled the smoke. Fourth Master Zhu on the side was shocked: "Where did you get this thing?"

"Isn't this produced by your Daming cigarette factory?" The great shaman was speechless, "Everyone in the Yuan army is smoking now."

"Hey, you're so prosperous!" Fourth Master Zhu beamed, "I'll pack a few more packs and smoke them when I go to the desert."

He strolled to the streets of Alimari City, looking for a place to buy cigarettes, but found that there were none here. Just as he was about to go back to ask for Zhao Xuanzhen, he saw a Ming Dynasty cavalry entering the city.

"The Supreme Emperor?" The leading soldier saw him, got off his horse and hurriedly came to bow to him, "I really met you. General Zhu Neng heard that you arrived in Alimari City, and asked me to take this letter with me. for you."

"You came specifically to deliver a letter to me?" Fourth Master Zhu took the letter and asked, "What is it, so important?"

"That's not true. We are here to discuss the next march plan with Bei Yuan." The soldier frowned, "According to Jin Yiwei's news, the Empress of Bei Yuan is in contact with the Ottoman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. We are here to warn her not to play dirty tricks. ”

"As long as you know, go ahead." Fourth Master Zhu waved his hand.

The Ming Dynasty envoy headed towards the palace. Fourth Master Zhu stood on the street and opened the letter. It was a letter from Zhu Yuanzhang. It didn't write anything big, it just talked about everyday things. The letter mentioned that a student from Xuanwu Academy had made a steam engine. This was not beyond Master Zhu's expectation. The Ming Dynasty was moving forward, and all preparations were sufficient, and people would naturally invent and create.

With the steam engine, Ming Dynasty will usher in a small technological explosion and enter the steam age. Fourth Master Zhu put away the letter and was looking forward to it.

(End of this chapter)