Chapter 049 I am a good person II
"Nonsense..." Qi Boyu refuted: "As a monarch of the world, you should behave like a monarch of the world. That carpentry is done by a humble person. The emperor does not do his job properly, but prefers strange and obscene skills. If I were in the capital, I would also be impeached. Your Majesty’s is not.”
"You are talking nonsense..." Chen Cao also refuted Qi Boyu's words: "Let me ask you, if someone says that Mr. Qi likes to play with women after he is on duty, he is not doing his job properly, it is unethical, and he should not be an official, so what?"
Qi Boyu looked at Chen Cao coldly: "It is an elegant thing for officials of the Ming Dynasty to have sex with prostitutes..."
"Hahaha..." Chen Cao raised his head and laughed, then stared at Qi Boyu and said: "You are a little minister, just talking about it is an elegant matter, and the emperor's doing it will be a disgrace to the emperor and harm the country. What do you think you have formulated?" Standard? Don't rush to refute me yet," Chen Cao waved his hand: "His Majesty will eventually break out if you suppress him for too long. Therefore, it must be the Queen Mother who is behind the scenes and acquiesces to Wei Zhongxian, otherwise he will be a small boss. How can I get the seal of the Supervisor of Ceremonies and still ask questions on behalf of His Majesty?"
Qi Boyu's expression changed. Chen Cao's words were like enlightenment, which made him wake up from his daze. Chen Cao saw this and continued: "So, Wei Zhongxian must be the one to fight with you on behalf of His Majesty. If you have self-knowledge and want peace, It's not difficult to get along with each other, but if we press harder and harder, hehe..." Chen Cao shook his head as he said this: "Master Qi, Chen is not an alarmist, but for the sake of being a Confucian, I came here to give you some advice. ah..."
"Do you still have a conscience?" Qi Boyu squinted at Chen Cao.
Chen Cao nodded: "Of course I do. If I don't have a conscience and tell you the truth, I won't even come, and I will find someone to frame me. Do you believe it?"
"Huh..." Qi Boyu said and stopped talking.
Chen Cao didn't want to talk to him more. After all, this old guy was from the Donglin Party. If he revealed too much, he would be the one who would suffer: "Don't think about sea trade. It is inevitable for Navy Commander Cao Jiang to participate in sea trade." Otherwise, how would I feed those soldiers? Also, since I dare to participate openly, you have to know who is supporting me. Mr. Qi, don’t be afraid. Think high, as high as your official position is. , no matter how high the title is."
Qi Boyu's expression was very shocked. Chen Cao dared to say these words to him today. He must have something to rely on, and he was not afraid of informing the capital. Then what he just said must have some background. After thinking about it, he said: "Chen Cao Fuck, what do you think?”
"I thought?" Chen Cao turned around and looked at Qi Boyu: "Sir, you are over fifty, and you don't have the reputation of Wang Shangshu. If I were you, enjoying your old age would be the most important thing. So as not to implicate future generations..."
Qi Boyu didn't speak for a long time. When Chen Cao saw that Chen Cao was about to leave, he spoke: "Is it possible that the situation has reached a point where the two are incompatible with each other?"
"No," Chen Cao shook his head: "It depends on what you do."
Qi Boyu stood up and stroked his beard: "Why did you do this?"
"I am a Confucian apprentice..." Chen Cao opened the lobby door and walked out, and finally said loudly: "Master Qi, I am a good person..."
Chen Cao walked out of the yamen of the Ministry of War, turned to Zhao Xin and said: "Tell the shipyard later that you can build large ships with confidence and boldness."
"Sir, are you okay?" Zhao Xin was curious.
Chen Cao got on his horse: "Of course, if the old guy objects, you will have to drive me away before I finish speaking."
When Chen Cao came out of Fengtianmen Official Street, he rode his horse to Shen Zhuangling's shop. After talking with him, he thought of an important thing.
"This man always thinks about whether things are true or not," Chen Cao said to himself: "Xin Zhao, you go back to work first, and I will go to the White House."
...
Last time, something was wrong with Chen Cao. He was too impatient and didn't speak clearly to anyone, which resulted in a misunderstanding. Today, Chen Cao is here to apologize.
However...
"My lord, please come back. My lady has given orders, but you are missing." The maid guarding the door came out and explained to Chen Cao.
Chen Cao was not a good person, so he immediately became anxious: "Go and tell Bai Yulan that I have her sister's documents in my hand, and I am here to propose marriage today."
"The young lady has said that it is her parents' orders and the matchmaker's words. Although the eldest lady's affairs are very bad, my master still has to decide who she marries." The maid added.
I rub...
This showed that he was prepared. Chen Cao felt that something was wrong, so he nodded: "I understand. Go back and tell your lady that I, Chen Cao, will come again."
Chen Cao felt strange when he was rejected for the first time. After thinking about it, he rode away. As soon as he arrived at the house, he saw Zhang Fengnian approaching: "Sir, someone is looking for you, saying that he is from Shandong. He has this," Then he handed over Chen Cao's belt: "I was escorted here by the Jinyi Guards."
"Shandong?" Chen Cao frowned and took the badge. Apart from a lot of enemies in Shandong, the only one he knew was Weng Meixin: "Don't tell me, forget it, bring people to see me."
The person who came was a middle-aged man, wearing short clothes, dark skin, and belts on his feet. He must be working at work, but he had an earthy smell on his body, and Chen Cao could guess his origin: "He must be from Caobang. ?”
The middle-aged man raised his hand towards Chen Cao: "Weng Linzhi, a grassroots man, has met Mr. Chen."
"Weng? Who are you, Weng Meixin?" Chen Cao frowned.
Weng Linzhi held up his hands: "That's my little sister..."
"No wonder, what's wrong? Tell me, why do you come to me..."
Weng Linzhi raised his hand and said, "Master Chen, the common people came here today to ask Master Chen for help."
"Unless something happens to Miss Weng, I won't care about your Cao Gang's affairs." Chen Cao said as he put his badge into his arms.
Weng Linzhi knelt down as he spoke: "Mr. Chen, she is indeed my little sister, but this matter has too much to do with Mr. Chen. After much thought, my father has no choice but to ask Mr. Chen for help."
"What's wrong with Meixin?" Chen Cao's heart tightened. He still remembered what happened when Weng Meixin was surrounded by Ren Chengwei after leaving Shandong last time. Although he made a deal with them later, the details of what happened to Weng Meixin were He really didn't know.
Weng Linzhidao: "My little sister was arrested and sentenced to Qiu Jue according to the law..."
"Someone, go find Xin Zhao..."
...
In the evening of the next day, Zhao Xincai hurriedly entered Chen Cao's mansion.
"Sir, we found it." Xin Zhao had a lot of official documents in his hand: "This matter really has something to do with us."
"Tell me in detail."
Zhao Xin spread out the official document and said: "Sir, there is internal strife in the Cao Gang. Pan Yourong is in charge of Weng Shijie. Weng Shijie's Rentang is now blocked in Jinan. Even Weng Shijie was invited to Huai'an by the Cao Yun Governor's Yamen." He stared at Chen Cao and said: "Miss Weng was accused of colluding with the horse thieves because of the last incident. The evidence is conclusive, and she has been detained in the Yanzhou government office. According to reports from her brothers in Beizhili, she will be taken to Jinan in the near future, and then the Autumn Jue ..."
Chen Cao's eyes were cold as he looked at the official document on the desk: "This matter is very strange. Go find Weng Linzhi and let's deal with it."
Weng Linzhi was staying at an inn in the city. Hearing that Chen Cao wanted to meet, he hurriedly followed Zhao Xin. The meeting place was in the lobby of Chen Cao's home, and there were only three of them.
Chen Cao handed over his hand: "Brother Weng, the matter of Meixin is my matter, Chen Cao. I had to know some things in advance out of caution."
Weng Linzhi handed over his hand and said, "The common people know it, they know it."
"I already know the general outline of the matter. Let's get straight to the point. I intend to support your Rentang to be the leader of the Cao Gang. If your father is not willing to do it, I can let you take the position." Chen Cao said and raised his hand to stop Weng Linzhi from interrupting: "Don't be happy for now. Pan Yourong dares to punish you. It means that the Qian family of Yitang is also from their side. If you want Rentang to rise to power, there will be a lot of resistance. I don't know how many Cao Gang members Brother Weng still has at his disposal. ?”
Weng Linzhi stood up and saluted Chen Cao very respectfully: "I don't dare to deceive Mr. Chen. Cao Min still has more than a hundred confidants among Ren cousins under his command. The rest were either taken to Huai'an or turned against them. The other two classes.”
"Well...more than a hundred." Chen Cao knew it in his heart: "You have to find some dead soldiers for these people. They will be of great use."
"Please Master Chen, please save my little sister first." Weng Linzhi was a little anxious.
"I know even if you don't tell me, Meixin is kind to me, Chen Cao, so naturally her life is at stake." Chen Cao stared at Zhao Xin as he said, "As the envoy of Nanzhen, you go there in person with the official document." Jinan, in the name of our Jin Yiwei, transfer Weng Meixin to Nanjing for trial."
"Sir, I am worried that Jinan will not let him go." Zhao Xin frowned: "There must be a perfect reason."
"Didn't they say that Meixin colluded with the Ma bandits?" Chen Cao sneered: "This is what our Nanzhen Fusi is in charge of. The emperor is working with the army. Do we need to explain to them the reason?"
Xin Zhao thought for a while: "I understand, I will do it now. However, I may encounter backlash from those people later, so please make preparations in advance."
"I know." After Chen Cao finished speaking, he stared at Weng Linzhi and said, "I have something to tell you, you must remember it."
...
In the workshop
"Sir, please see..." Bi Maokang pointed to the can box and said: "According to the drawings of your Excellency, the official and the craftsmen below used fourteen methods to make it, and they succeeded with molten iron while ensuring that the food was not spoiled. Seal the mouth of the jar and put it in water to cool."
Chen Cao took a tin box that was almost the same as a can from later generations and looked at it carefully, and then asked: "How is the vacuuming going?"
"Yes," Bi Maokang said with a smile, "I would like to recommend someone to you."
From time to time, a young man was led to Chen Cao and saluted Chen Cao: "Student Wu Liangju, I have seen you..."
Wu Liang held a ceremony, and Chen Caoxu raised his hand: "Are you still a scholar? Tell me more carefully, was it you who did this vacuuming?"
After Wu Liang raised his head to thank him, he saluted and said: "Master Bi has recruited us to study in the workshop. The student is from Shangyuan County and has been a scholar. However, he has been fond of those strange and obscene techniques since he was a child. The family is very angry. The younger brother is Once I heard that the master's workshop was recruiting people, I came to apply."
Chen Cao raised his eyebrows: "Okay, come and tell me how you did it?"
Wu Liangju held up his hands: "The student first made a bamboo tube, hollowed out the middle, and then used a wooden pole as a support, and put a wooden ring on the wood, and then tried to extract the air from the tank," Wu Liangju said with a smile: "Sir, you They said it was vacuuming, and that the main cause of things breaking was microorganisms in the air. Although the students couldn’t understand it, they asked Father Tang later and they said the same thing.”
"Do you believe in religion?" Chen Cao suddenly remembered the last time Tang Ruowang caught him and made him believe in religion.
Wu Liangju nodded: "Taixi's stuff is very interesting, and the students like it. After understanding it, I tried to vacuum. Although it was a little slow, it can be done." Then he became serious: "The molten iron sealed the wood and all burned, and the students finished it. After being reminded by the adults, it was all made of steel. After another try, it was pulled with water. After a dozen times, all the air was pumped out, and the water in the tank was pumped out."
"Okay..." Chen Cao patted Wu Liangju's shoulder: "You have great ideas. This way, your identity as a scholar cannot be buried. From now on, we will set up a logistics factory in Nanjing Youwei and appoint you as the ninth grade. Factory ambassador, specializing in canned goods.”
Wu Liangju hurriedly saluted: "Student, no, I will lower my rank and thank you for your promotion."
"Don't be happy. If you do a good job in the future, you will naturally be rewarded. I, Chen Cao, only use those unique people who know weird and obscene skills. I have no use for nerds."
Wu Liangju looked embarrassed after hearing what Chen Cao said. He looked at Chen Cao's leaving figure and raised his hands to Bi Maokang: "Master Bi, do you have any prejudice against us literati?"
Bi Maokang glanced sideways at him: "He is a scholar..."
Li Maocai was supervising the work. Chen Cao strolled over and hurried forward to salute. Chen Cao joked: "Hey, Li Maocai, you have a bureaucratic temperament now, right?"
Li Maocai saluted: "You will be appreciated by your superiors, so I don't dare to neglect you."
"Is official talk so polite?" Chen Cao stopped teasing him: "Let me ask you, how is the cement doing now?"
"Sir, as ordered, the entire naval camp was renovated four days ago. From the barracks to the dock, everything was paved with sand and gravel, and then plastered with cement. The current naval camp has a completely new look." Li Maocai said as he moved Chen Cao Leading to the warehouse: "We have prepared more than 10,000 shi of cement finished products, and can produce more than 100 shi of cement every day. If we work hard, it can be 500 shi. Sir, it is more than enough to repair ten Youwei camps now."
"Well..." Chen Cao nodded: "Lime powder, cement, bricks, etc. must be constructed carefully. It will be your benefit in the future."
"Yes, please keep this in mind."
When Chen Cao came out of the cement workshop, he happened to meet Bi Maokang walking to the firearms bureau with a musket, so the two stopped by to see Chen Cao's idea.
Bi Maokang just forgot to tell Chen Cao about the canned food, so he quickly showed Chen Cao the results of the past few months.
"Sir, please take a look," Bi Maokang handed a bolt-action rifle to Chen Cao: "I developed it according to your drawings with Father Tang and the craftsmen from Taixi."
Chen Cao took the rifle and pulled the bolt. Only then did he realize that this rifle was too crude. However, being able to build such a rifle in this era was also a step-change in progress: "Well, very good, you guys keep working hard. See if you can use a pine or mahogany gun stock. Also, the bolt should be positioned further back. After the gun is designed, it will be the bullet. Don't rush to build this kind of gun now. Make the flintlock gun first. As long as you are perfect, there is no need to rush this."
"By the way, Master Bi, how is the artillery I want?" Chen Cao suddenly remembered this weapon.
"John and Conrad are making the Tiger Crouching Cannon, but the kind of cannon you want will take time," Bi Maokang explained.
"Tiger crouching cannon?" Chen Cao frowned. This thing is actually useless. It can only be shot at close range, and its power is no different from a large-caliber gun: "Tell them to stop building that cannon. It is useless. Also, melt all the Tiger Crouching Cannon you made, and put the iron flowers on the new cannon for me."
'Boom...'
Chen Cao heard a dull sound, and then felt the soles of his feet trembling, and a lot of dust fell from the beams on the roof.
"What's going on? The chamber exploded?" Chen Cao first thought of the chamber explosion.
A craftsman ran into the house excitedly, and saw Chen Cao there. He quickly saluted: "It turns out that your Excellency is here too. Congratulations to Your Excellency, congratulations to Your Excellency, it has become..."
"What happened?" Chen Cao asked.
The craftsman said: "Father Tang, Master Song and the craftsmen from Taixi made the forced... forced..."
"Mortar?" Bi Maokang frowned.
"Yes, mortar. Just now Father Tang personally put the shell in, and the cannon flew out with a bang and landed in the shooting range three miles away, making a big crater. Mr. Song asked the younger one to hurry up and help Bi Your Majesty, please report the news and then pass it on to your Majesty.”
Chen Cao had a joyful smile on his face and hurriedly followed the craftsman to the shooting range.
All the craftsmen gathered around the mortar, observing it carefully, nodding and saying something from time to time. Seeing Chen Cao's arrival, a group of people quickly saluted in unison.
"Quick, let me see what's going on?" Chen Cao couldn't hold himself back.
"Oh, thank the benevolent God for sending such a great inventor to this world, so that we can praise him together..." Before Chen Cao could squeeze in front of the mortar, Tang Ruowang blocked Chen Cao's way: " Dear Mr. Chen, you are really amazing. This is the first time I have seen this kind of cannon..."
Chen Cao was very uncomfortable with Tang Ruowang. He seriously suspected that this guy was trying to deceive him into believing in religion: "Father Tang, I won't say the words to praise you for now. I need to know how you did it, and whether the cannon has any split."
Song Yingxing heard this and ran over to take a look. Sure enough, the cannon body had a small crack: "Sir, it's really cracked..."
Everyone, including Tang Ruowang, turned around to look, and then there was a sigh...
"Song Yingxing, how are you?" Chen Cao was a little concerned.
"Sir, the barrel of the cannon has a small crack. If it is fired again, it will probably explode." Song Yingxing responded.
Bi Maokang also participated in the research and manufacturing: "Sir, according to your drawings, this mortar consists of a base, a barrel and a bracket. There is a firing pin in the barrel. However, the shell is extremely difficult to make. It took John nearly a month to make it. Create such a shot."
Chen Cao walked over and inspected it carefully, then stood up and said: "You need to add something to the molten steel. You can test it yourself. The gunpowder needs to be improved. The gun body needs to be forged repeatedly. If the thousand-layer steel doesn't work, just make ten thousand layers. Anyway, there is water. hammer."
"yes..."
Tang Ruowang approached Chen Cao, praised it again, and then said: "Such a powerful thing, after it is developed, I will definitely pass the technology back to my hometown, so that our Germans can sweep away the Tsarist Russian cavalry on the frontal battlefield of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania."
Tang Ruowang's casual words made Chen Cao suddenly have murderous intention in his heart, but it passed away in a flash. Then Chen Cao gave Bi Maokang a few more words and left out of the workshop gate.
After meeting Xu Kai, Chen Cao ordered: "I will assign you a secret mission to monitor Tang Ruowang and the others. Open all their letters and read them. If they involve firearms, they must be corrected. If they find out, ..."
After Chen Cao finished speaking, he made a gesture of wiping Xu Kaixian's neck. Xu Kaixian was shocked: "Sir, what if Father Tang finds out?"
"Immediately imprison him. If he wants to die, he will be allowed to die. If he wants to live, he will be monitored at work."
Xu Kaixian took a breath: "I understand..."
