Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Zhu Yunhuan didn't need to worry about the army's march, because many things had already been set up. All they had to do was follow a series of rules that had been set up long ago, and things would go smoothly.

As for the uncles at home who need to lead troops to war, there is nothing to say about it. Just do everything according to the rules.

Zhu Yunhuan came to Wuyuan again and carefully inspected a series of preparatory work for the construction of Wuyuan.

"How are the preparations for the craftsmen going?" Zhu Yunxun looked at Yan Zhenzhi and said, "I don't have to worry about the Ministry of Works. You have to do your job properly. The only problem is that it's not good to handle everything yourself."

Yan Zhenzhi was shocked and quickly explained, "Your Highness, please understand. How dare I covet power!"

There is a very good reason why Yan Zhenzhi is so cautious. Li Shanchang can be regarded as a lesson for him.

Even though Yan Zhenzhi could not be compared with Li Shanchang, if it was interpreted that the Crown Prince felt that the Minister of Works had built the Ministry of Works into an ironclad entity and was greedy for power, then it would naturally be a big trouble.

However, Zhu Yunhuan smiled and comforted, "There is no need to be so nervous. Most of the craftsmen in the world are registered with the Ministry of Works. It's just that sometimes other government offices have things to do, so the Ministry of Works has to release them."

Yan Zhenzhi knew all this, but he couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, there is something wrong with Wuyuan. If Wuyuan needs people in the workshop, we dare not neglect it. But the craftsmen are not returned to Wuyuan and their household registration is changed. This is not appropriate."

This is what Yan Zhen wanted to complain about, and it was also one of the reasons why he felt very dissatisfied.

Wu Yuan was really being too bullying, and some of the things he did were not as simple as just undermining the Ministry of Works.

To be honest, the Ministry of Industry has been very cooperative with Wu Yuan's series of work, whether it is construction or other aspects, they have cooperated wherever they can.

In fact, it was not just the Ministry of Works. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War also did not dare to drag their feet on this matter.

On the one hand, it was because Wuyuan was the order of the emperor and the crown prince, and on the other hand, with the noble Duke of Ying Fu Youde in charge, even the Shangshu Yan Zhenzhi did not dare to make things difficult for him.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Fu Youde and asked, "The craftsman changed his household registration. Is that true?"

Fu Youde complained in his heart, but said on the surface, "Your Highness, the things made by these craftsmen are really too special, and this is the only solution I can come up with."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded as if he understood, "That's true. These craftsmen make weapons and firearms. It's not good for these methods to be passed on to the people. It's best to control them."

Now that things have come to this, even if Yan Zhenzhi wants to complain in his heart, even if some civil servants think it is inappropriate, he can only accept it at this time.

The power of the Crown Prince and the Five Military Commanders' Office is one thing, but the fact that the skills mastered by the craftsmen really need to be kept secret is another.

It is said that many scholars and even Chinese people look down on some barbarians. Apart from the fact that China is a country of etiquette and so on, it is actually because of a series of advanced productive forces, etc., which can make everyone proud.

It's not just tea and porcelain that are our advantages. Technologies in architecture, ironware and smelting are also ahead of the surrounding barbarians.

When the Jurchens conquered Bianliang, they took away not only the Northern Song royal family, civil and military officials, and women, but also countless craftsmen.

The Mongols were driven back to the grasslands, and their smelting suddenly returned to their original level. Now they don’t even have enough ironware for daily life. Not to mention Annan, Luchuan and other places, where smelting is also insufficient.

If the smelting industry cannot keep up, there is no hope for firearms and so on. The gap will naturally be even bigger, and the level will be completely unsatisfactory.

Yu Xin said at this time, "Your Highness, it may not be appropriate to just change some craftsmen into military households. As far as I know, some carpenters have also become military households."

Chang Sheng immediately said in dissatisfaction, "You are also a minister, how can you not know the truth? Carpenter, carpenter is not enough? The ladder used for siege does not need carpenters, do we need blacksmiths?"

Guo Ying also chimed in, "Minister of Revenue, I don't want to say too much. Carpenters are really useful. The gates of the border city pass are best built by carpenters."

Yu Xin could only retreat again and again. He only raised a small objection, and the nobles seemed to be united against the common enemy.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said nothing. The nobles could be quite interesting at times, but overall they were quite united.

Even though these nobles are now divided into Huaixi nobles, or those who have surrendered, or those who have surrendered, or those who are from the Zhongshan King's faction, the Kaiping King's faction, etc., when facing civil servants, they are the noble group.

So even though Lan Yu and Chang Sheng both disliked Fu Youde, when it came to confronting a civil servant, they would "let bygones be bygones" and fight side by side!

This kind of situation is not limited to Chang Sheng and others, other nobles are basically the same.

Fu Youde also said at this time, "Minister Yu, Minister Yan, it's not that I am greedy for power, it's really that the military weapons are a matter of great importance and cannot be neglected."

Perhaps seeing Yu Xin, who had done him a favor, being embarrassed, Xia Yuanji stepped forward hastily, "Duke Ying, the Minister has no other intentions, it's just that the change in the household registration is somewhat in conflict with the system previously established by His Majesty."

"No conflict, not at all." Geng Bingwen stood up and said immediately, "There have been changes to the household registration before, and this is just changing the household registration of dozens or hundreds of craftsmen. There is no need to cause such a big trouble!"

Things have come to this point, even if Yan Zhenzhi, Yu Xin and others are not quite satisfied, they can only choose to keep quiet, as they really cannot win the fight.

The noble group was already very powerful, and coupled with the Crown Prince's silence, the civil officials could not win even if they wanted to compete.

Under such circumstances, we can only know the current situation and there is no benefit in continuing to fight.

Zhu Yunhuan was not someone who just sat on the mountain and watched the fight between tigers. He did not think that he wanted to see checks and balances between civil and military officials. There was no need for that.

Some of the things that Fu Youde did could also be said to reflect Zhu Yunhuan's attitude, but many things did not require him to appear in person, so naturally one could not expect Zhu Yunhuan to speak for those civil servants.

Chang Sheng looked at Yan Zhenzhi at this time and continued, "Speaking of which, I still need to discuss the matter of blacksmiths with Minister Yan. The Zhongdu Liushou Division is in need of blacksmiths whether it is for coal mining, iron smelting, or cannon casting."

Yan Zhenzhi's scalp suddenly went numb, and he quickly said, "Duke Founding, matters like cannon casting are not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works. Naturally, other government offices will do that." There is nothing wrong with saying this. The Ministry of Works is nominally in charge of all craftsmen in the world, but there are some government offices that are really beyond the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works.

For example, the Gunpowder Department and so on, are obviously not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry. The Ministry of Industry is involved in a lot of military equipment manufacturing, but not all craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry are involved.

Chang Sheng said nonchalantly, "I know about this, but those government offices are short of people, so naturally we can only ask you, the Minister of Works, for help. Otherwise, where can we find so many craftsmen?"

Originally, they wanted to get back some skilled craftsmen, but now, it is very likely that they have lost both the wife and the army, which is a huge loss.

These nobles are really unreasonable. They are so thick-skinned that they will hold on tightly and refuse to let go once they get a chance. They are all staring at us.

Zhu Yunhuan immediately interrupted and said, "The Ministry of Works is not having a easy time right now. You should also be considerate of Minister Yan. How can we recruit all the better craftsmen for you?"

Yan Zhenzhi felt like tears welling up in his eyes for a moment. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was considerate of his subordinates and took the overall situation into consideration!

Craftsmen, Yan Zhenzhi now often feels that there are not enough craftsmen, and he now often feels that there is a severe shortage of manpower.

The construction of the imperial city of Yingtianfu and even the city has actually been ongoing. Although the pace has slowed down and the scale has been reduced in recent years, a large number of craftsmen are still needed in the Xiaoling Mausoleum and the Eastern Mausoleum.

Now the Crown Prince wants to build a city and set up a garrison in Tianjin, and also needs to dredge the Grand Canal, etc. These will all require a large number of laborers, craftsmen, etc. The scale of these projects is obviously not small.

What's more, the imperial court had been building water conservancy projects in various places last year, and many students from the Imperial College followed up on the progress, but many things also needed to be completed by craftsmen.

These are not things that can be accomplished overnight. It is understandable that Yan Zhenzhi, the Minister of Works, often feels that there are not enough people and that the country has a lot of major projects.

The imperial court had a series of major projects, which put considerable pressure on both the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue.

However, Yu Xin, Yan Zhenzhi and others also understood that this kind of thing could not be avoided, and in fact, it was something the court had to do.

Whether it is building cities and setting up defenses or dredging the Grand Canal, it all concerns the country and people of the Ming Dynasty. This is a very important strategy, and naturally we cannot drag our feet on these matters.

The construction of water conservancy projects and so on are closely related to people's livelihood. If anyone dares to tamper with these matters, the emperor will not need to kill many people, but the crown prince will have to be the first to not tolerate any sand in his eyes.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Fu Youde and Yan Zhenzhi and said, "There is no need to say much about the exquisite skills of our Ming Dynasty craftsmen, but we must not be proud and complacent. If there are merits and major improvements, the court should reward them."

Daoyan, who was standing beside him, asked in confusion, "Your Highness, rewarding merits and punishing faults have always been the laws of the court, but there must also be rules for how to reward and punish."

In fact, everyone knows the punishment. Many craftsmen dare not be half-hearted in their work because they are worried about being punished.

It started a long time ago, involving a series of major projects and artifacts, all of which can be traced back to specific craftsmen.

The same was naturally true for the Ming Dynasty. For example, some guns and cannons would be printed with information about specific garrisons and craftsmen. The gold bricks related to the imperial city also had to have information about the craftsmen, etc.

Daoyan continued, "Your Highness must also know that many craftsmen are worried that teaching their apprentices will starve them to death, and that they will lose their skills to make a living after teaching their skills to others, so they always hold back."

Everyone present at the scene was aware of this matter. Not to mention some craftsmen, this was actually true for other industries as well. Many people would keep some tricks up their sleeves.

This is not just about worrying about teaching apprentices and starving themselves to death, or worrying about their own competitiveness declining, etc. It also concerns the livelihood of their children and grandchildren.

A good craft can support a whole family, and a unique skill can allow one's family to live a relatively good life, so that they will never lack food to eat. There are even some jobs that cannot be done without them.

Under such circumstances, it is natural that a series of things will happen, such as the skills are passed down to males but not females. Some apprentices go to learn a craft, helping their masters with washing clothes, cooking, and emptying chamber pots. It is normal for them not to receive any wages during the learning period.

Daoyan continued, "Your Highness, in my opinion, the rewards given to craftsmen by the court are too meager, so some craftsmen are unwilling to work with all their heart."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded in agreement and said, "That's true. The rewards from the court are only money and food, which is relatively small. If we really ask those craftsmen to hand over their unique skills, I'm afraid they won't be willing to do so."

Although this statement was a bit absolute, the people present did not think there was anything wrong with it, because the actual situation was pretty much like this.

The craftsmen's salary was not high, barely enough to support their families, and they did not have a high social status, so naturally they were not willing to put their best efforts in some things.

Trying your best to do things under the existing conditions is also a difficult task for some craftsmen.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "I'll think of a solution later. A big reward will always attract brave men. Don't underestimate some skills. They may be of great benefit to the court and benefit the country and the people."

Daoyan echoed the words, "Your Highness is wise, but you must give a generous reward. I'm afraid those craftsmen would not be interested in ordinary property."

Lan Yu asked in confusion, "Isn't that a bit too much? How can a skilled craftsman be beneficial to the country?"

Many people immediately glared at Lan Yu. This Duke of Liang, also known as the Crown Prince, whose brain was quicker than his mouth, had to take it easy. Otherwise, he would be framed for what he had done.

Daoyan said, "Take Huang Daopo, who clothed the world, for example. How could she not have made contributions? The skills of rolling, spinning, and weaving are simple to say, but if she had not spread the skills she learned and improved the spinning tools, how could Songjiang textile industry be what it is today?"

This is not an exaggeration at all. Huang Dao Po was indeed one of the key figures in making Songjiang a textile center. Her contributions have enabled the people of the Ming Dynasty to now enjoy her benefits.

So don’t underestimate some craftsmen, they are really useful!

Seeing that Lan Yu stopped talking, Zhu Yunhuan said, "What the monk said makes sense. Huang Mu's contribution is indeed great. I heard that the villagers in Qiong and Shanghai have built temples to worship her and sacrifice to her. People with insight have also erected monuments and written biographies for her, honoring her as "Vega" and "Goddess of Cotton". I think this is not enough. For her contribution, the court should also confer a title on her."

The people of the late Song and early Yuan dynasties also deserved to be rewarded by the Ming court, because they had made great contributions and were role models! (End of this chapter)