Before they could finish admiring the soap, Zhu Zaijing took them to a courtyard again.
Zhu Zaiyu saw a few young eunuchs playing with something sticky inside.
Seeing the emperor's arrival, the eunuchs immediately knelt down.
"Isn't it still possible?" Zhu Zaijing looked at the thing and asked.
"Return to Your Majesty, it still doesn't work!"
"It should be a matter of proportion, let's do it again!"
"Yes Yes!"
Zhu Zaiyu was stunned and stepped forward to look at the thing carefully.
"What is this? Your Majesty?"
"Cement, it's not done yet!"
It seems that Zhu Zaijing is still too anxious and wants to make cement just two months after traveling.
Of course, it's more likely because of these eunuchs.
It seems that we still need to arrange some knowledgeable people to do it!
"What's the use of this thing?"
"There are so many uses!" Zhu Zaijing said, "Reinforcing city walls, paving roads, and even building houses are not enough!"
"Really?" Zhu Zaiyu's face did not show the disbelief that Zhu Zaiyu expected.
Also, in this era there were also materials such as blue bricks, lime, and composite earth, which were used in many city walls.
Zhu Zaiyu's suspicion is also reasonable.
"I originally thought that this matter would be kept secret for the time being, so I asked these eunuchs to try it according to the general idea and formula I gave them."
"It seems it still doesn't work!"
"In other words, this thing in front of you is not real cement, is it?"
"Yes!" Zhu Zaijing nodded, "If it happens, it will really become a weapon for the country!"
"I want to see your Majesty's formula and manufacturing method!"
Zhu Zaijing could not hide his inner happiness.
Finally got you hooked!
After a while, Zhu Zaiyu looked at Zhu Zaiyu excitedly after reading the formula and manufacturing method.
"If this thing is completed, it should be very smooth when laid on the ground! This will greatly reduce the time and difficulty of traveling."
Zhu Zaijing nodded happily.
"If cement is made, there will no longer be mud all over the world when it rains or snows."
“How smooth will it be when the cement is laid on it?”
Zhu Houfan looked at the emperor, then at his child who was addicted to cement, and winked wildly.
But the latter's attention was entirely on the cement, and he didn't see the old father's eager expression at all.
Zhu Zaijing lowered his head and stepped on the ground under his feet.
"It's almost the same as the ground in the palace, it's so flat!"
"Could you give it a try, sir?"
Why!
Just waiting for your words!
"Of course! You have been known for your intelligence since you were a child. If you really figured it out, it would be a great help to me!"
"Uh uh... Your Majesty! We will return to the fiefdom in a while!" Zhu Hounan reminded.
"It's okay. Your Majesty, you can stay a little longer, right?"
"I can do that!" Zhu Zaiyu replied.
Zhu Houtan is eager to leave here now.
He is old and no longer has the enthusiasm to serve the emperor and the people of the world.
Besides, last time I just persuaded the emperor, what would happen if my son and future heir failed to do a good job in the Laoshizi cement in front of me?
"Your Majesty, I don't want him to..."
"Don't worry!" Zhu Zaijing said, "Whether he succeeds or not, I will not blame him. You two will no longer be locked up behind high walls!"
"This this…"
"You have no words to joke!" Zhu Zaijing said loudly.
Zhu Houtan had no choice but to close his eyes and nodded.
Zhu Zaiyu didn't seem to hear their conversation at all. He was completely immersed in the semi-finished cement in front of him, poking and touching it.
~~
Time continues to pass.
Zhu Zaijing discussed with the cabinet and asked the southeastern local officials to write a letter for discussion, and finally decided to switch to Ningbo, Quanzhou, and Guangzhou.
The customs were opened, the Japanese pirates stopped making trouble, and the southeast became quiet, and Zhu Zaijing could concentrate on going to the grassland to kill people.
This day just started in March of the first year of Longqing, at Mao hour.
Qi Jiguang looked at the secret order he received the day before, and couldn't calm down for a long time.
The emperor actually wanted to lead his troops northward himself!
Also receiving the secret order were Zhu Shitai and Zhang Rong.
All three of them had a sleepless night.
After a while, Zhu Zaijing took Zhang Yuangong and several internal troops out of the palace and came to the military camp.
Several people who received the secret order came to meet the emperor.
"Your Majesty, I firmly oppose your personal expedition!" Qi Jiguang looked serious.
"I'm not on a personal expedition. What I'm telling the outside world is that I'm patrolling the nine borders."
Zhu Zaijing was wearing armor, and several internal troops were putting a helmet on him.
"But His Majesty is obviously going to Duoyan Guard!" Qi Jiguang said.
"Yes! Once this is gone, the three guards of Duoyan will be completely honest for decades! When the Ming Dynasty grows stronger, it will be up to them whether they want to be the ministers of the Ming Dynasty or not!"
Zhu Zaijing already had the idea in his mind that he could really make the leader of Duoyan Sanwei stay obedient and not make trouble for many years.
"But...if something happens to Your Majesty..."
At this point, Qi Jiguang was surprised to find that he was the only one who had been opposing!
Zhu Shitai, Zhang Rong and his son were silent and had no intention of opposing the emperor.
Don’t they know what happened to the last emperor who personally led a military expedition?
Qi Jiguang had also heard some rumors.
"The three little Duoyan guards are not worthy of His Majesty's personal dispatch. Our Ming Dynasty has not yet reached the point where the emperor has to go to the battlefield!"
Zhu Zaijing ignored him, put on his armor, checked his sword, and walked out.
"This...this...you guys should advise His Majesty!" Qi Jiguang stamped his feet anxiously.
Zhang Rong, Zhang Yuangong and his son didn't say anything. They glanced at Zhu Shitai and walked out.
"Master Commander?" Qi Jiguang frowned.
"General Qi!" Zhu Shitai said calmly, "Zhu believes that His Majesty treats you as a confidant and favorite general, so it is necessary for me to reveal some things to you."
"Before, Zhang Juzheng was your backer. After that, your only backer will be His Majesty!"
"..." Qi Jiguang couldn't react for a moment and stopped talking.
"Your Majesty's trip is definitely not a hot-headed decision! Your Majesty is trying to consolidate military power!"
"What?"
"Most of the guards in the Beijing camp are under the control of the Ministry of War. I know, do you think that with Zhang Juzheng in the Ministry of War, he will object to the emperor taking military power into his own hands?"
"Maybe!" Zhu Shitai asked and answered himself, "Maybe he was thinking about His Majesty, after all, so many things happened just two months after he took the throne; or Zhang Taiyue would side with the scholars at the critical moment. You know that the Ming Dynasty's most civilized officials What you don’t want to see is the next Chengzu and Wuzong, right?”
Qi Jiguang didn't know about these power games. When Zhu Shitai said it, he was absolutely convoluted, and he couldn't tell the stakes in it for a while.
"You are not stupid. From now on, no matter what orders His Majesty gives you that you cannot understand, all you have to do is obey them!"
Zhu Shitai walked to the tent, stopped and looked back at Qi Jiguang.
Zhu Shitai's eyes were full of determination and no doubt.
This look back is quite similar to that of Zhu Zaijing.
"If possible, Your Majesty doesn't want to take such a risk!"
"But military power doesn't just fall from the sky by itself while you sit in a deep palace!"
"What your Majesty wants is that the capital camp belongs to you completely, and that all the people on the nine sides are yours!"
Qi Jiguang put his hands on his hips and his eyes kept moving left and right.
His mind was in turmoil now.
"So General Qi, are you ready to fight bloody battles for your emperor?" Zhu Shitai asked with a smile.
