Baidu otaku as Chongzhen

Chapter 523 Government-run iron smelter
Bi Ziyan did some calculations, and finally understood why the emperor wanted to vigorously promote carriages. Indeed, at first glance, this matter was not worth it, and it was unnecessary. It cost too much, and it was purely a waste of money. When looking at the problem from the height of the entire Ming Dynasty, the perspective suddenly changed. The extra cargo, the extra mileage, and the time saved are massive and immeasurable. With real people's power, if the four-wheeled carriage is promoted, it will give the common people tangible benefits invisibly.

"It's good that Bi Qing's family understands. Regarding the subsidy of carriages, I have already ordered Fu Mingde to classify and classify the carriages, and try to reduce the cost as much as possible, so as to facilitate promotion...; regarding the matter of delivering postal carriages, I have already instructed Liu Mao went to try it out. I still only have a preliminary idea on this matter. The specifics of how to do it will not be finalized until Liu Mao sums up some experience. I have already told Liu Mao to try to open postal carriages and public carriages. , he may be running to Tongzhou at this time..." Yang Reform said with a smile.

"Your Majesty Shengming, this is the best, and it should be more appropriate." Bi Ziyan thought for a while and replied.If you have experience and then promote it, it is indeed better than suddenly promoting it on a large scale.

Sun Chengzong was silent on the sidelines.Sun Yuanhua realized something.

"After talking about the carriage, let me just talk about what is called a heavy industry base..." Yang Reform took a sip of tea, and then said that his mouth was dry just now when he was arguing with his imperial party.

Several people looked at the emperor in confusion, what is this heavy industry base?The name is really weird.

"...There is a problem that I can't figure out." Yang Huaihe took a sip of tea and continued.

"Please make it clear, Your Majesty." Sun Chengzong said, Sun Chengzong knew something about this heavy industry base, but the reasons the emperor said were indeed far-fetched. Regarding this issue, Sun Chengzong was quite cautious. Let’s get over it, this matter has a lot to do with the military, and it’s reasonable to ask about this, because it seems that Sun Yuanhua is the person in charge of the emperor’s heavy industry base, and Sun Yuanhua is a cannon maker, that is to say, this Heavy industry bases are associated with cannon casting and the military.

"Just like what Bi Qing's family said just now, why did my annual steel output exceed [-] million yuan, why did I lose one battle after another in Liaodong, and why didn't even one percent of this billion-dollar steel be converted into weapons? I think, if If one percent is turned into weapons, then we should easily have more than a thousand cannons. If we defend with these thousand cannons, how can the Eastern Barbarians easily attack the city? If these steels can be turned into guns, How many soldiers can you equip?" Yang Reform moistened his throat, and then said with a trace of pain.

"...This..." The emperor's statement made several people present stunned. How to answer this question?There are many issues involved in this, and it is not as simple as an iron issue.

"One thousand cannons per year, but only accounted for one percent of the steel output in our dynasty. How many years has Donglu been rising in Liaodong now? Calculated in this way, how many cannons do we have every year? At least ten thousand or more ..." Yang Reform still said with a bit of pain.

"...This..." Several people's heads seemed to have been hit with a hammer, and they were staring at the stars. They felt really uncomfortable. They felt that what the emperor said was indeed a big problem, but it involved too much. There are too many, but I don't know how to answer them all at once.

"...Your Majesty, these are irons smelted by the people. They are different from the guns and cannons made by the Ministry of Industry and the Bingzhan Bureau, and the iron used for armor. They should not be confused..." Bi Ziyan didn't know where to start, so he could only Pick one at random and argue.

"Does the Qing family mean that there is no relationship between steel and the survival of the country?" Yang Reform said with a little sadness.

"...Your Majesty, this is not what I mean. What I mean is that folks are not allowed to cast cannons, so this..." Bi Ziyan just found an excuse for his rhetoric, and felt that this excuse was not so good. What was it, Bi Ziyan seemed to think of something, but couldn't say it for a while.

"If there is no skin, how can Mao be attached? If the country is gone, who will protect the people? For example, our mortal enemy, Donglu, once he enters the customs, what should we do? Tens of thousands of people in the world will be made by Donglu Slaves? When it comes to life and death, you would rather use a huge amount of steel for profit, but you can’t use [-]% of it to cast cannons to resist foreign humiliation? Don’t you think there is a problem here?” Yang Reform asked sadly and seriously .

"This..." Several people's heads were dizzy from the emperor's question. In fact, there should be an answer, but they just couldn't remember it for a while.

"I've always thought, my Ming Dynasty has a vast territory, thousands of miles of territory, and a population of tens of millions. Why can't I have a small tribe with a population of only a few tens of thousands..." Yang Reform continued to ask, his mouth became dry after talking too much, and he drank again.

"...It's been ten years, at least, from the time when the Donglu was established to the present. It was only then that we hurriedly began to introduce foreign cannons, and only then did we start thinking about casting cannons. The technology of casting cannons has to be compared with that of the barbarians. Humanity, have you never thought about the problems in this?" Yang Reform continued to ask.

"..." Several of the emperor's confidantes were staring at the emperor's question. At first, they thought there were many reasons to say, but every reason they said was a bit far-fetched. They said it was a reason, but it was just an excuse. These words have been stuck in his throat, and he is so uncomfortable. The emperor asked here, and he had some excuses just now, and now he doesn't know how to say it. The ruined things in the court are not the same.

"I remember that I came to the Kingdom of Heaven, but now I have been reduced to the point where it is difficult to even out a small tribe. I am fighting against this small tribe, and what I rely on is the firearms of the barbarians. Regarding these issues, everyone Don't you think it's ridiculous?" Yang Reform asked again.

"..." Several people still had words stuck in their throats. This is not the first time they have heard the emperor say this. It really hurts people and hurts their self-esteem. What happened to the majestic celestial dynasty?Why can't you beat others here, and no one else is good there?

"Do you know who made the cannon first?" Yang Reform asked again.

"Your Majesty, did you mean artillery?" Sun Chengzong asked.

"Well, yes, artillery." Yang Reformed.

"Returning to Your Majesty, if I remember correctly, it should be in the former Song Dynasty. There are records of using artillery to fight, but the power of artillery at that time was far less powerful than it is now." Sun Chengzong replied.

"That's right, gunpowder was invented in China's Song Dynasty, and artillery came along with it. How many years has it been?" Yang Reform asked.

"Back to Your Majesty, at least it has been 700 years." Sun Chengzong replied.

"That's right, it's been 700 years. What was the situation in the far west 700 years ago? Do they know what gunpowder is and what is a cannon? But now? It's my Ming Dynasty that bought their cannons, and their cannons are even more powerful Don't you guys think that for hundreds of years, others have been making progress, but my dynasty is stagnating? If this continues, the cannons and guns of the barbarians will become more powerful, and the firearms of my dynasty will continue to stagnate. What's the situation?" Yang Reform continued to ask.

"Return to Your Majesty, subject to others..." Sun Chengzong replied.

"Wrong, not only is it controlled by others, but there will be days when I will be a subjugated slave in the future. Don't you think that a small Dong captive will make me lose my vitality and exhaust my energy. In the future, those barbarians will have more powerful firearms. We What about the dynasty?" Yang Reformed.

"Your Majesty, I won't do this. I will chase after the enemy, and I will definitely not be inferior to the barbarian's firearms. I am so afraid of a small group of barbarians..." Hearing what the emperor said, Sun Yuanhua became bloody, and he was really uncomfortable. , could not help but argue.

"According to the situation of our dynasty, is the vastness of land and rich resources related to resisting foreign humiliation? Isn't our dynasty producing billions of catties of iron every year? The eastern captives have risen for more than ten years, and how many catties of iron have become firearms? Cannons? Turned into a weapon to resist foreign humiliation?" Yang Reform felt even more uncomfortable. It's okay not to talk about this problem. It just can't be used, which makes people anxious.

"Your Majesty, it is a fact that the country's affairs are difficult, but now that I have Your Majesty in Ming Dynasty, these are just clowns who will be crushed to powder. Your Majesty, don't underestimate yourself!" Bi Ziyan couldn't help but argue, not to argue, but persuasion.This question is really blocking people, even if he has a thousand reasons, he still can't say it, every reason is an excuse.For example, in fact, those iron smelters paid taxes. Can you say that the vast land and rich resources have nothing to do with resisting foreign humiliation?But how much does it matter?The more you talk, the more you can only panic. It is not easy to explain why Daming has become what it is today.

"The Qing family is also a sensible person, and they started talking nonsense again. The Qing family's thinking is still stuck in the dream that they wove for themselves! 'Know yourself and the enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles', the Qing family should also understand this sentence, now The Yi people traveled tens of thousands of miles, and it took a year to come to my Ming Dynasty to preach, but what about my Ming Dynasty? How many people have been to the Yi people? How much do you know about them? How do you grind them into powder? It’s all been taken as a windfall by us, if this continues, alas... the barbarians know the details of my career, but I don’t know the barbarians at all... alas..." Yang Reform lamented.

"Your Majesty..." When Bi Ziyan was criticized by the emperor, his heart became even more blocked. The emperor's self-deprecation made him really sad, and the emperor's words hurt his self-esteem.

"Your Majesty, I think that the barbarians are tens of thousands of miles away from my Ming Dynasty. Even if they can come to my dynasty, it doesn't mean anything. Do they still dare to come and beat my Ming Dynasty? This is not a problem, but to prevent them from taking me It is true that the details of the court have been found out, and they will not worry about it until the ministers build more powerful cannons." Sun Yuanhua hurriedly persuaded the self-deprecating emperor.

"The Qing family is also talking nonsense. The Qing family has also read "The Complete Map of Tianxia Gemyu". How can they say such conceited words? How big is the world? How much is my Ming Dynasty? I don't know that there is no dynasty as big as my Ming Dynasty. Find out the details of my dynasty and come to trouble me?" Yang Reform denied Sun Yuanhua.

"Your Majesty, this, my Great Ming is..., how can those barbarians..." Sun Yuanhua just said a few words, and the rest of the words were blocked, and he couldn't say it. Those who followed Xu Guangqi to learn the knowledge of the barbarians, how can they not know the strengths of the barbarians. At this time, the emperor's question was hot-headed, bloody, and a little excited.

"Don't you think that a country that can make telescopes, astronomy that is more accurate than mine, a country that is more powerful than mine, and a country that can travel tens of thousands of miles across oceans can be summed up by a simple barbarian? You two might as well do the math, these things are involved in those things, how much better is my dynasty than them?" Yang Reform asked, and Yang Reform became more and more talkative.

"..." Bi Ziyan and Sun Yuanhua were speechless when asked. According to the emperor, this Daming is a giant who looks very powerful, but in fact is a pedantic, bloated giant. The so-called powerful is just a giant. It's just a layer of skin.

"Almost everyone has been telling me that my Ming Dynasty has a vast land, a vast territory, rich products, and rich people. Others are just barbarians, uncivilized savages, and it is not worth looking at them seriously. You can think of the situation in the past ten years. Looking at it, it may not be so. Beside my Ming Dynasty, a group of uncivilized savages beat me back and forth, lost thousands of miles, and lost countless people; in the distance, another group of people brought me more powerful cannons, firearms, The binoculars I brought brought a four-wheeled carriage, and there were countless more powerful ones. And I Chao, who seemed extremely powerful, was actually extremely weak. Being defeated by Donglu repeatedly is a good example. Not to mention taxes, In terms of money, just looking at the conversion of less than one percent of steel production into military power is enough to explain the problem. If I went to war with Donglu in the past, I would quickly convert the world's steel production into military power. Strength, turned into weapons, muskets, cannons, armor, not to mention many, one percent is enough to make more than a thousand cannons, if it can be transformed into one percent, at least ten thousand cannons can be made , These continuous firearms, weapons, and armor armed soldiers, can the Eastern captives still be rampant?" Yang Reform asked.

A few people were speechless when they were asked. It is true that the land is vast and rich, and the territory is even more true, and the products are abundant. It is a pity that border gates often fail to pay food and salaries, and the officers and soldiers are even more prone to collapse. There are some firearms. But the powerful ones, such as the red barbarian cannon and the fire gun, have to be imported from the barbarians. Although everyone knows this problem, they don't know how to explain it. There are too many problems in it, not only The question of weapons.

"...Your Majesty's words are true. Our court seems to be powerful, but in actual fact, there is no one in a hundred in terms of converting national power into combat power. Calculated in this way, our court's combat power is really pitifully small. Alas, your majesty, this matter It’s not something that can be explained at once! It’s important to convert steel into weapons and assemble soldiers, but the corresponding food, supplies, and training involve more, and this tax is…” Sun Chengzong said helplessly.

Sun Chengzong was fine, and his expression remained calm, but Bi Ziyan hurt his self-esteem, and Sun Yuanhua was even more panicked.

"Master Sun is right. In my dynasty, the conversion of national power into combat power is often less than one in a hundred. The power of the whole country is often insufficient to deal with a small tribe. If we can quickly convert national power into combat power, there is no way to make things right. This problem has troubled me for a long time. After much deliberation, I feel that only a batch of things that are related to the lifeline of the court can be firmly grasped in my hands. When wartime comes, they can be quickly transformed into weapons, firearms , cannons, and rapidly expand the strength of our dynasty to avoid a situation similar to that of the Eastern Captives... Therefore, there is the saying of today's heavy industry base." Yang Reformed.

"What does your majesty mean?" Bi Ziyan asked the emperor, confused.

"What I mean is to build a heavy industry base, so that the steel output of this heavy industry base will account for more than a few percent of the world's output. Usually, it will sell cast iron like a civilian, and buy and sell to support itself. When it comes to wartime, the civilian production capacity can be used Transform it into military use and rapidly expand armaments. If the steel output of our heavy industry base accounts for 1000% of the world's steel output, then in wartime, we will expand our armaments. With one order, [-] million catties of steel will be turned into weapons instead of Now it is only after the war that we think of introducing advanced weapons, and only after the war does we think of casting cannons, and only in this way can we bring out the power of our dynasty..." Yang Reform explained.

"...I understand." Sun Chengzong said, he really understood the emperor's thoughts.

"...I understand." Bi Ziyan followed suit, and Bi Ziyan finally remembered something and understood what the emperor meant.

"...The minister also understands." Sun Yuanhua looked at the two people in front of him, and finally said.

"Okay, all of you are my confidantes, it's good if you can understand, this move, some people may say that I am militaristic, let them talk about it, some people don't want to see, don't want to know, and don't want to solve the difficulties that I am facing. These problems can only be left to me, and to you all." Yang Reformed.

"I understand." Several people replied.

"The matter of the heavy industry base has now begun. Sun Qing's family casts cannons in Tianjin, which is the core of this heavy industry. I plan to move him to near Fengrun. This place has iron mines and coal mines. It is close to Tianjin. Near the sea, transportation and resources are extremely rich, it is a good place..." Yang Reformed.

"Your Majesty, Fengrun? Isn't this the Zunhua Iron Smelting Works?" Sun Yuanhua suddenly figured it out and asked suddenly.

"Zunhua Iron Works?" Yang Reform didn't quite understand.

"Returning to Your Majesty, yes, this place, the government-run iron smelting plant that used to be used to smelt hundreds of thousands of jin of iron for the imperial court every year, but now it has been abandoned. It really makes sense! The imperial court must have enough iron smelting fields in its hands, otherwise, when it really comes to war, they can only be caught blind... Your Majesty is right, in fact, I have always done this before the imperial court Yes, I thought about it because I was afraid that if a war broke out, the imperial court would not have enough steel. Alas, it is a pity that it is all abandoned now! The minister thought that this matter should be taken seriously. Now that I am facing foreign enemies, the imperial court You must have iron in your hands..." Sun Yuanhua said.

"..." Yang Reform was depressed. I didn't say it earlier. I said that there was a government-run iron smelting factory in the past. It was still in this place, so I just followed it. Why did I waste so much talk?Talking dry, drinking a few cans of tea, and wasting countless expressions, the Ming Dynasty is not all rice buckets!No, it should be said that those who came later were all idiots, Yang Reform thought depressingly.

(End of this chapter)