"So, the problem of Japanese pirates on the Bohai Sea has been solved?"
Guo An couldn't help but look happy.
"Exactly."
Xu Xiang nodded quickly and replied, "The general interrogated more than ten Japanese pirates, and the answers given by the Japanese pirates were almost the same.
This time, the Japanese pirates entrenched in the waters of Goryeo have been wiped out by the general. "
Hearing this, Zhu Di also looked satisfied.
But Guo An slapped his thighs with both hands, looking annoyed.
"This is a big loss, a big loss!"
"Um?"
Zhu Di looked puzzled, "This battle is a great victory, how can Guo Qing think that he has suffered a loss?"
Guo An sighed helplessly and explained: "Your Highness, those Japanese pirates were supposed to be a scourge to the Goryeo Kingdom, but they were wiped out by my guards from Prince Yan's Palace.
In this way, that is to say, without the Goryeo Kingdom spending a penny, I, the escort of Prince Yan's Mansion, fought a naval battle for the Goryeo Kingdom and solved a major disaster for the Goryeo Kingdom.
Moreover, our guards from Prince Yan's Mansion didn't capture anything, and we lost so many guards in vain. Isn't it a huge loss? "
Zhu Di's face turned solemn, "It's just like what Guo Qing said, our Prince Yan's Mansion will suffer a big loss in this battle..."
No, we have to send someone to hand over the credentials to the King of Goryeo. Our Prince Yan’s Mansion has solved such a big trouble for them, so they must give us benefits! "
Guo An said: "Your Highness, the powerful people of Korea are encircling the land and oppressing the people, and the power of the King of Korea has been reduced. I am afraid that the King of Korea has the intention but is unable to do so."
Zhu Di was stunned for a moment, and then his face was filled with contempt, "The King of Goryeo is so weak and unworthy of being a king."
"The King of Goryeo is indeed a bit miserable."
Guo An agreed and then remonstrated with a serious face: "Your Highness, I think this battle should be kept secret and should not be revealed too much."
"Um?"
Zhu Di looked at Guo An in confusion, "Why did Guo Qing say that?"
On the side, Xu Xiang also looked at Guo An nervously.
Guo An said in a low voice: "Your Highness, the incendiary bomb is the secret weapon of our Beiping Mansion, and so far no one outside the world knows about it.
Therefore, as long as the incendiary bombs are kept secret for one more day, Xu Qianhu and other Yanshan guards will have an extra secret weapon.
No matter who wants to plan for our Prince Yan's Mansion, he will not be too wary of incendiary bombs. "
Xu Xiang's expression softened slightly.
Zhu Di curled his lips and said, "Who dares to plan our Prince Yan's Mansion?"
Guo An smiled lightly, "His Royal Highness is the Prince of Ming Dynasty, and ordinary people do not have such confidence.
However, we can't say for sure about the remnants of the former Yuan Dynasty in the north, the Japanese pirates, and even the Goryeo Kingdom. "
Zhu Di nodded slightly: "It should be kept secret."
Guo An said again: "Furthermore, Wei Chen feels that incendiary bombs are inhumane, that is, they are harmful to the world and should not be used by too many people."
"Huh? What does Guo Qing mean?"
Zhu Di narrowed his eyes slightly.
Guo An bowed his hands and saluted, "Your Highness, please forgive me. These are just some conservative advice from a minor minister. If it is inappropriate, Your Highness does not need to pay attention to it."
Zhu Di frowned and thought for a moment, "Once such an incendiary bomb ignites a person, it will never be extinguished unless the person is burned to ashes. It is indeed harmful to the world and should not be used by too many people."
"Your Highness is wise!"
Guo Andao.
Zhu Di turned to look at Xu Xiang aside, with a solemn look on his face: "Xu Xiang, when you go back, you will inform all the soldiers of our orders. They are not allowed to publicize this matter, especially incendiary bombs.
In addition, we must send people to keep a close eye on the incendiary bombs in our army, and we are not allowed to lose any of them. "
"The general will obey the order."
Xu Xiang looked serious and responded quickly.
In their army, they can hide some back-up moves that outsiders don't know about. To these generals, it's like hiding an extra surprise force.
Xu Xiang was very happy about this matter.
Afterwards, Xu Xiang hesitated and then said cautiously: "Your Highness, the incendiary bombs on the fishing boat where the general is on have been used up during this battle. I wonder when can I replenish them?"
Zhu Di glanced at Xu Xiang and asked quietly: "The Japanese invasion has been eliminated, why do you still need incendiary bombs?"
Xu Xiang said with a smile: "Your Majesty, I'm just taking precautions. In the vast sea, who knows if another group of Japanese pirates will come?
Or, if the Koryo Kingdom covets His Highness's large ships and sends its navy to plunder the general, then the general's ships alone will be able to be attacked and killed by the barbarians of the Koryo Kingdom. "
Zhu Di's eyes widened and he said angrily: "How dare the traitorous country of Goryeo do this!"
Xu Xiang looked at Guo An with a look of help, "Guo Changshi is very resourceful. I wonder if Guo Changshi thinks that the traitorous country of Goryeo dares to do this?"
Guo An smiled slightly, "I don't know the domestic situation in Goryeo, and I can't speculate."
Xu Xiang's face became anxious and he quickly asked again: "Guo Changshi, where are the Japanese pirates?"
Guo Andao said: "The Japanese pirates will come again if they don't change their nature."
Xu Xiang's face lit up and he quickly looked at Zhu Di, "Your Highness, Guo Changshi has said that the Japanese pirates will never change their nature."
Zhu Di then looked at Guo An, "Guo Qing, do you think it should be supplemented with incendiary bombs for Xu Xiang and other fishing boats?"
Guo An looked confused and a little surprised.
"Your Highness, the minister is just a civil servant, how can he know about military affairs? Your Highness should make the decision on this matter."
Xu Xiang's eyes flashed with disappointment, and he quickly looked at Zhu Di expectantly.
"Your Highness, with the incendiary bombs, when the general and others encounter thieves in the sea, our brothers will be able to save hundreds of lives."
Zhu Di narrowed his eyes slightly and asked calmly: "How many incendiary bombs are left on the ship?"
Xu Xiang quickly replied: "Your Majesty, there are still five incendiary bombs left on each large ship."
Zhu Di said: "In this case, add forty-five incendiary bombs to each ship."
"Forty-five?"
Xu Xiang was anxious and said hurriedly: "Your Highness, are the forty-five pills a bit..."
Zhu Di's face darkened, "Too few?"
Xu Xiang trembled violently, and quickly said with a sneer on his face, "Your Highness misunderstood, forty-five incendiary bombs, plus the five left on the ship, make fifty.
Put these incendiary bombs in the hands of Wei Chen, and one of them can be exchanged for the lives of ten other men. "
Zhu Di already didn't want to pay attention to this guy and turned to look at Guo An.
"We heard that Guo Qing brought several drawings to the Gongzheng Institute, the Iron Smelting Institute, and the Glass Workshop in the past two days?"
Guo Andao: "When I return to Your Highness, it should be two portions."
"Only two servings?"
A trace of pity flashed in Zhu Di's eyes.
Guo An said helplessly: "Your Highness, I also want to get dozens of drawings for workshops such as the Gongzheng Institute, the Iron Smelting Institute, and the Glass Workshop in one day.
However, how many craftsmen are there in Prince Yan's palace today who can read, decipher, and calculate numbers? "
"..."
Zhu Di opened his mouth and said again: "Now there are several fifty craftsmen's families in the Craftsman School, and there are one hundred and twenty descendants of craftsmen's families.
Originally, those scholars were reluctant to come when they heard that the craftsmen and their descendants were being taught how to read and write.
It was only after the king gave each of them a salary increase of one or two that they were willing to go. "
Hearing this, Guo An said angrily: "Are these scholars so arrogant?"
Zhu Di looked at Guo An speechlessly.
Guo An chuckled and said with relief: "Your Highness, please rest assured. As long as they can complete the enlightenment of these more than one hundred craftsmen and their descendants, and teach them arithmetic, the objects made by these craftsmen can be used by Your Highness." I can earn back a hundred times or a thousand times the salary given to those masters.”
Zhu Di snorted lightly, not much happy.
"Those scholars are so proud of their talents because we don't have many available scholars in our house. Now, even in Yingtian City, there are some rogue officials jumping up and down, saying that we are obsessed with craftsmanship all day long and do not educate the people. Responsibility for uncivilization.”
Guo An smiled lightly and said, "Then your Highness will build another academy in Beiping Mansion."
"Build another academy?"
Zhu Di's eyes widened and he looked at Guo An in disbelief, "Guo Qing, does he know how much it costs per year to provide a child with enlightenment and then to learn and read?"
Guo An asked: "Your Highness, is it enough for a child to spend twenty taels of silver a year?"
"Twenty taels?"
Zhu Di was startled and couldn't catch his breath.
"The academy was built in our house, and the paper, ink, pens, and inkstones were all made in our house's workshop. Even the books were printed in our house's workshop.
An academy will only have a dozen more masters, so why twenty taels? "
"So, what are you afraid of, Your Highness?"
Guo An smiled lightly, "Nowadays, His Highness's residence happens to be short of scholars who can serve His Highness. As for the scholars found from outside, they will not be so reliable.
Your Highness might as well build a Confucian academy directly and let the children of officials in the palace study there.
In addition, the heirs of tenant farmers in the village like His Highness can also enroll.
If the descendants of farmers and gentry in Wanping County and Daxing County also want to enter the academy, it is not impossible. "
Zhu Di asked: "If this is the case, wouldn't there be at least a thousand descendants coming to the academy to study? How can the academy accommodate so many students?"
Guo An didn't care, "Your Highness just needs to build the academy bigger, and it will be able to accommodate it."
Zhu Di couldn't help but said angrily again: "How come there are so many masters in Beiping Mansion?"
Guo An said casually: "Your Highness, as long as you increase the salary of the master, there will always be a master who will come."
"What if there is no master here?" Zhu Di asked again.
Guo An replied: "Then I will ask His Highness to serve as the head of the academy."
Zhu Di was shocked, "Let me be the head of the academy?"
Guo Andao: "The academy was built by His Highness with money, and the salary of the master was also paid by His Highness. Even the paper, ink, pen, and inkstone for the students were provided by Prince Yan's Mansion. If Your Highness is not the mountain chief, who dares to be the mountain chief?" ?”
Hearing this, Xu Xiang on the side also quickly followed suit and said flatteringly: "Your Highness, what Guo Changshi said is absolutely true. Your Highness should be the head of the academy."
Zhu Di asked again: "Ruruo Academy's master is still not enough?"
Guo Andao: "Your Highness, this matter should be brought to the attention of Master Daoyan."
Zhu Di was stunned, "What if you want Master Dao Yan to become a master in our academy?"
Guo An was startled, then nodded repeatedly, "What His Highness said is absolutely true. Master Daoyan is proficient in Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. It must be enough for him to just teach some students to enlighten themselves or learn Confucian knowledge.
Moreover, Wei Chen also heard that Master Daoyan has a good relationship with Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. If Master Daoyan is asked to go to various places in the Ming Dynasty to find some great scholars, and invite those great scholars to give lectures in the academy built by His Highness, it will surely attract many scholars. .
By then, there will definitely be indispensable scholars in His Highness’s academy who can serve as masters…”
Zhu Di shook his head slightly and said: "Guo Qing should know that there are far more scholars in the southern Ming Dynasty than in the north, and many scholars like to go to Yingtian City.
As for the remaining scholars, they either stay in their hometowns and become country squires, or some great scholars who delve into knowledge will hide in the mountains and forests and will not come out easily.
Even if we ask Monk Daoyan to invite them, I’m afraid we won’t be able to invite a few..."
…
(End of chapter)
