"That's because they are incompetent!"
Zhu Di was still a little angry.
Think about it, dozens of craftsmen in my house have been working on it for two months, but there has been no progress at all. Tao Yiping and Yang Ting developed it in less than half a month.
Doesn't this tell Zhu Di that the craftsmen in his house are incompetent?
Anyone who puts it on would be a little angry.
Guo An also understood and chuckled: "Your Highness, now Tao Yiping and Yang Ting are also members of our Prince Yan's Palace."
Zhu Di nodded slightly, "In the future, if Tao Wanhu's disciples come again, they will have to be kept by us."
"That's natural!"
Guo An smiled slightly and changed the topic, "Your Highness, judging from Tao Yiping and Yang Ting, it is the scholars who study the skills of craftsmen who will achieve the highest results."
Zhu Di nodded in agreement, "Scholars have been enlightened by the books of ancient sages. Let them study the craftsmanship. Naturally, they are much better than ordinary craftsmen."
Guo An continued: "Your Highness is wise, now we have glass workshops, cement workshops, wool workshops, Zhangjiawan Wharf and iron smelting workshops in Beiping Mansion, all of which can make thousands of gold per day.
However, the craftsmen in these workshops are just ordinary craftsmen. Although the craftsmen are experienced, they are illiterate and do not have the intelligence of Tao Yiping and Yang Ting. "
Zhu Di seemed to have just noticed this problem, and quickly looked at Guo An, with a strange look in his eyes.
"What Guo Qing means is that our Yan Palace needs to invite some more craftsmen from Tao Wanhu?"
Guo An had no choice but to reply hurriedly: "Your Highness has misunderstood. Tao Wanhu is obviously a craftsman left by His Majesty for His Highness the Crown Prince. I, Prince Yan, are lucky to have Tao Yiping and Yang Ting."
Zhu Di thought of something and nodded subconsciously, "What Guo Qing said is right, because we left Tao Yiping and Yang Ting behind, my father even asked my brother to write to us to inquire.
If we try to take advantage of Tao Wanhu's children again, I'm afraid my father will scold him himself next time. "
Guo An looked at Zhu Di seriously and admonished: "Your Highness, Tao Wanhu was a scholarly family before and was the head of the academy. Only in this way can he cultivate a group of craftsmen who are proficient in craftsmanship.
If His Highness opens a craftsman school with Tao Yiping and Yang Ting as the heads, they will definitely be able to train a group of craftsmen like Tao Wanhu for our Prince Yan Mansion.
In this case, why does Your Highness need to covet other people's craftsmen? Only in this way can Prince Yan's Palace prosper. "
Hearing this, Zhu Di felt something was wrong. He squinted his eyes slightly and turned to look at Guo An.
"When did Guo Qing have such an idea?"
Guo An smiled slowly, without any hesitation, but said directly: "When Weichen wanted to improve the iron-making furnace and develop cement, even recording some processes and data had to be written by Weichen himself.
Even how to operate it must be taught step by step by Wei Chen.
Wei Chen knew that if Wei Chen alone wanted to prosper Prince Yan's palace, he would be exhausted and unable to accomplish it. "
Zhu Di looked a little strange and asked: "Can craftsmen rejuvenate the country?"
Guo An's face turned stern, and he asked directly what made Zhu Di's face change slightly, "I dare to ask Your Highness, if there were no firearms, would the establishment of the Ming Dynasty be so smooth?"
Zhu Di said leisurely: "Thousands of households in Tao Wanhu don't want their seal to be in vain."
Guo An continued: "Therefore, craftsmen are also a part of life that cannot be underestimated. Your Highness, just by calcining transparent glass and cleaning away the smell of wool, how much money have you made for Your Highness with these two skills?"
Zhu Di's expression changed.
Guo An quickly struck while the iron was hot: "And the fishing boat, although it is a few inconspicuous small changes, it can bring huge benefits to the Ming Dynasty.
Wei Chen heard that last year the Ming Dynasty Navy caught tens of thousands of catties of fish from the sea!
Even Prince Yan's Mansion caught millions of kilograms of sea fish with just a few boats. "
“Your Highness, if you are now making money in traditional ways, Your Highness is suspected of competing with the people for profit.
However, if His Highness' Prince Yan's Mansion can always research new objects, no matter how much money it makes.
Then not only would those officials and gentry not be jealous and cause trouble, they would even be able to follow His Highness all the time and fawn over Him, asking His Highness to research more objects! "
"Of course, the most important thing is to research more powerful weapons and more steel swords and armors, so that I, Prince Yan, can attack the Mongols and Japanese pirates at will, so that when these barbarians see my Ming soldiers, they will flee in panic or kneel down. Begging for mercy..."
Zhu Di was already a little moved, and frowned: "Guo Qing should know that many scholars are not willing to farm, let alone be craftsmen!"
Guo An nodded and said: "So, Wei Chen feels that His Highness should cultivate the Yan Palace's own craftsmen, directly recruit the children of those craftsmen, and let their children enter the craftsmen's workshops in advance, and learn to read and follow.
Or, if their children are too young, teach the craftsmen how to read. "
At this time, Zhu Di was really moved, but he also felt a little distressed. You must know that reading and literacy is extremely expensive.
Although, there are hundreds of thousands of taels of silver lying in the warehouse of his palace, which he cannot spend all.
However, he was very reluctant to give up all his money to the craftsmen to learn and read, but the pictures Guo An described were all in his mind.
He, Zhu Di, led tens of thousands of people wearing armor and holding steel knives and firearms on the vast grasslands, annihilating one Mongolian tribe after another!
Extremely contradictory.
"So, how much money do we have to spend?"
Guo An was a little surprised. He didn't expect Zhu Di to speak so easily.
However, he still said quickly: "Your Highness, teaching craftsmen and their descendants to read is a very long and important task, which will take at least two or three years.
The first step can be to make the craftsmen or the heirs of the craftsmen's families literate, and then based on their performance in the first year, select half of the craftsmen and heirs who are smart and willing to work hard, and let them continue to read and learn.
Then, in the second year, half of the outstanding craftsmen and descendants of the craftsmen were selected to provide them with education and literacy in the third year.
When the third year comes out, although they are not as good as Tao Yiping, Yang Ting and others, they will definitely be better than most craftsmen. As long as they study harder for a few more years, they may even be as good as Tao Yiping and Yang Ting.
As for the remaining craftsmen, they have begun to know some words and are fully able to work.
Of course, if they want to study at their own expense, I, Prince Yan, will also encourage them..."
Zhu Di thought about it carefully and understood Guo An's thoughts. He breathed a sigh of relief and said with satisfaction: "This will not only save half of the money and food for the family, but also inspire the craftsmen and the heirs of the craftsmen's households. They dare not do anything." You're too lazy, Guo Qing is really a great talent."
Guo An's face lit up, "Did His Highness agree?"
Zhu Di shook his head, "This matter is important. We still need to discuss it with Zhu Qing and Master Dao Yan."
Guo An hurriedly said: "Your Highness, Zhu Changshi is busy with the government affairs of Prince Yan's palace all day long, but he doesn't look down on such a lowly profession as a craftsman.
As for Master Daoyan, in order to become a high-ranking monk, he studies Buddhism all day long. Your Highness should not be disturbed by such worldly matters..."
Before he finished speaking, the entire carriage shook violently, and Guo An hurriedly braced himself with both hands.
After a while, it calmed down.
Zhu Di said displeased: "Why is it so bumpy?"
"Your Highness, please forgive me, this section of the road is really bumpy."
The driver said with a panic expression outside.
Zhu Di ignored the coachman, but looked at Guo An, who looked ugly, and said, "We should ride to the gunpowder workshop."
Guo Andao: "What His Highness said is absolutely true."
Zhu Di's expression softened slightly.
Guo An added: "However, Wei Chen feels that the road is so bumpy, so he should find time to pave the road with cement.
Otherwise, the transportation of iron smelting plants, gunpowder workshops and cement workshops would be a huge problem. "
"Um!"
Zhu Di readily agreed. Ever since he saw with his own eyes that Zhangjiawan Pier could bring huge amounts of money to his Prince Yan Mansion, he had seen the benefits of cement roads.
…
Zhu Di and Guo An had just arrived at the gate of the gunpowder workshop when Qiu Fu walked over quickly with two guards.
"Meet His Highness King Yan and meet Guo Changshi."
Zhu Di waved his hand casually and walked straight inside.
"Have the incendiary bombs been made?"
Hearing this, Qiu Fu didn't know what he thought of, a trace of fear flashed in his eyes, and he quickly said: "Your Highness, you have indeed done it."
"Why are you looking like that?"
Zhu Di asked curiously.
Qiu Fu smiled bitterly and said: "Your Highness will know after just one look. There is something weird about the incendiary bomb."
Zhu Di glanced at Qiu Fu and did not ask any more questions, but his pace quickened a lot.
As for Guo An, there is a stronger sense of expectation in his heart.
When a few people came to the gunpowder workshop and saw the two houses dedicated to testing gunpowder, Zhu Di and Guo An took a cold breath and were stunned.
"They are so cruel!"
One of the two experimental houses built with one-foot-thick cement walls was in a state of dilapidation.
Guo An had a feeling that someone with his physique could knock him down with one kick.
Zhu Di looked surprised and said: "The incendiary bomb is so powerful?"
Qiu Fu said: "Your Highness, I have never seen such vicious gunpowder."
However, Zhu Di and Guo An ignored Qiu Fu and looked to one side.
Tao Yiping and Yang Ting walked over holding a black object that looked like an iron ball.
There were two guards on each side of him, guarding him carefully.
Seeing this, Qiu Fu's expression changed greatly, and he quickly said to Zhu Di: "Your Highness, the iron object in the master potter's hand is the incendiary bomb. This object is extremely dangerous. Your Highness, please move to the safe house to take a look."
Zhu Di's face darkened, "What kind of gunpowder have we never seen? It's just an incendiary bomb..."
Before Zhu Di could finish speaking, Guo An also said quickly: "Your Highness, I'd better go to the safe house nearby to watch."
After saying that, Guo An walked to the cement house not far away.
Zhu Di's eyelids trembled, feeling something bad.
Tao Yiping and Yang Ting automatically stopped when they were still twenty steps away from Zhu Di.
"Your Highness, this incendiary bomb is extremely dangerous. Your Highness, please follow me into the safe house to watch."
"Since you insist so much, we want to take a closer look at how powerful this thing is."
With that said, Zhu Di walked towards the safe house.
Behind him, Li Wang and Qiu Fu quickly followed.
Entering the safe house, Zhu Di glanced at Guo An dissatisfied and asked, "Guo Qing seems to know the power of this thing?"
Guo An smiled lightly and said, "Your Highness, Wei Chen has never seen an incendiary bomb before. However, this incendiary bomb was guessed by Wei Chen. Since Tao Yiping and his two men have developed it, its power will be the same as that of Wei Chen." My guess is not much different..."
(End of chapter)
