pdf-ebookys Chapter 696 Life is tough, Zhu Biao sighs.
Chapter 696 Life is tough, Zhu Biao sighs.
Apart from Jin'er and Yu'er being happy for their husbands, no one cared about the newly crowned Duke of Ying at the moment.
Emperor Zhu and Empress Ma were obsessed with water pumps.
Hu Weiyong was preoccupied with how to take revenge on the gentry and scholars of Jiangnan.
The people of Ningyang County gathered around the water pump, marveling at it and imagining what life would be like after they installed one in their own homes.
It wasn't until quite some time later that Emperor Zhu remembered a newly emerged Duke of Ying.
"Did you just ask us whether this water pump is funded by the national treasury or our private funds?"
Emperor Zhu said with a smile, "We've thought it through. The money will come from the imperial treasury, not the national treasury."
Yang Shaofeng was slightly taken aback and looked at Emperor Zhu, asking, "What? The imperial treasury?"
Emperor Zhu nodded seriously and said, "Yes, the imperial treasury will pay for it."
“Our imperial treasury is drawn from the taxes paid by the people, so it should naturally be used to give back to the people.”
"Don't forget, we said we would share the world with the common people, not with the scholar-officials."
That's it.
Looking at the craftsmen from Ningyang County gathered around him, and then at the earnest-looking old man, Yang Shaofeng knew he was doomed.
Old Deng's words will spread throughout Ningyang County before evening.
In three to five days, the message could travel from Ningyang County to the neighboring Wenshang County and Qufu County.
It will spread throughout Shandong in about half a month at most.
In less than six months, the entire Ming Dynasty knew that Emperor Zhu was not just paying lip service to sharing the world with the people, but was actually putting his governing philosophy of sharing the world with the people into practice.
Then?
The gentry of Jiangnan realized they were doomed.
Even if the White Lotus Sect isn't completely wiped out this time, it will at least be severely damaged.
Old Deng is wise.
In an era when the people universally yearned for a just and upright official to govern them, an emperor suddenly emerged who claimed to share the world with the people.
If he continues to maintain this, he will become the white moonlight in the hearts of all the people of the Ming Dynasty.
As for the money needed to manufacture and promote the water press machine?
That's only a few dollars!
Don't say that the cost of water for a water pump is actually not high. Even if you multiply it tenfold, and calculate based on ten strings of cash for a water pump, it actually doesn't cost much.
Because the total number of people in the entire Ming Dynasty is only about ten million households, and each household has ten strings of cash, the total is only ten million strings of cash.
This number looks alarming, but it actually translates to about 100 million taels of silver.
Most importantly, this sum of 100 million strings of cash does not require the actual allocation of silver; it only requires the printing of paper money, and the payments are made in batches, not all at once.
If all else fails, borrow some from the national treasury or from the Dengzhou border market, and pay it back slowly later.
Compared to the will of the people across the country, this is a multiple-choice question with an easy answer.
The more Yang Shaofeng thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt.
Old Deng gained fame.
The people have benefited.
Even that old scoundrel Hu Weiyong was able to take the opportunity to retaliate against the gentry of Jiangnan.
It seems like everyone is happy.
Actually?
My title of Marquis of Champion is gone.
He got the title of Duke of Yingguo, but it's just a nominal title because Yingguo hasn't been taken back yet.
As for the gold and silver mines that Old Deng promised, that's even more of a pipe dream!
Yang Shaofeng grew angrier the more he thought about it, and was about to say something to Emperor Zhu when he heard Emperor Zhu ask with great curiosity, "Why aren't you drawing up the blueprints for the water press, or writing a memorial to promote its manufacture? What are you doing standing here?"
"Oh, don't worry about your fiefdom yet. We'll definitely deliver on that promise later."
……
Zhu Biao stared blankly at the letter in his hand.
It's normal for my brother-in-law to be granted a title, but the question is why he was granted the title of Duke of Ying.
What good person wouldn't have a fiefdom if they held a noble title?
Furthermore, it's easy to understand using the same methods as manufacturing and promoting harvesters to manufacture and promote water presses, but can someone explain to me what it means to let Zhou Jingxin oversee the manufacturing and promotion of water presses?
I've sent Zhou Jingxin to Huai'an Prefecture to provide drought relief, my dear!
Even if Zhou Jingxin is made of iron, do you think I can split him in two and use him?
Life is tough, Zhu Biao sighed.
After having Emperor Zhu's letter and Yang Shaofeng's memorial delivered to Li Shanchang, Zhu Biao said, "There's progress on the drought situation in Huai'an."
Li Shanchang's heart tightened.
There are letters from Emperor Zhu.
There is a memorial from Yang Dianfeng.
His Highness the Crown Prince sighed helplessly again.
The severe drought in Huai'an Prefecture will eventually turn into a catastrophe that sweeps across the entire Ming Dynasty, forcing countless people to leave their homes and become displaced.
Li Shanchang suppressed his anxiety and began to read Emperor Zhu's letter.
Yang Dianfeng invented a water pump that was not only inexpensive but also easy to manufacture and install, meeting the daily water needs of the people and even solving most of their irrigation needs.
Good guy.
This not only solved the drought in Huai'an Prefecture, but also completely solved future droughts.
Yang the Madman was conferred the title of Duke of Ying.
Tsk.
With such great merit, let alone being granted the title of Duke, it would be fitting to even have him enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple to receive incense offerings.
If we really want to calculate it, you, Zhu Chongba, should hurry back to the capital, then send out an imperial carriage to welcome them, and you should personally greet them at the palace gate. Your eldest son should also personally lead the ox and drive the carriage for them.
You think the Emperor's rank reduction is too low, yet you're so stingy with a mere Duke!
Ok?
Did the government fund the manufacture and promotion of water pumps?
Tsk tsk.
We've seen roosters get their feathers plucked many times, but this is the first time I've ever seen a stingy rooster pluck its own feathers!
While reading Emperor Zhu's letter, Li Shanchang mentally ranted and raved, and then he started reading Yang Shaofeng's memorial.
Then, Li Shanchang's face darkened.
The preceding sections provided detailed information on the structure and manufacturing methods of water presses.
Yang Shaofeng also thoughtfully suggested manufacturing two different sizes: a small water pump for people to install in their homes, and a large water pump for installation in the fields.
The former addresses the water needs of ordinary people, while the latter addresses irrigation needs.
In other words, thanks to the existence of water pumps, even farmland that is far from water sources can be easily irrigated in the future.
Upon reading this, Li Shanchang felt even more strongly that Emperor Zhu was far too stingy.
Does a mere duke's title really think it can replace such an important water pump?
I bother!
The problem lies in the second half.
After describing the benefits of the water press in detail, Yang Shaofeng changed the subject, saying that the iron smelting workshops in Ningyang County were still lacking a few master craftsmen who understood mechanical engineering.
Since large water pumps cannot be operated by humans, it would be best to send a few craftsmen skilled in mechanical engineering to Ningyang County to work with the craftsmen there to study how to convert large water pumps to animal power.
After reading this part, Li Shanchang pictured a scene in his mind: he was holding a meat bun in his hand, and a vicious dog was baring its teeth and staring at him from a distance.
Damn it, throwing a meat bun at a dog, will that meat bun ever come back?
Without saying a word, Li Shanchang handed Emperor Zhu's letter and Yang Shaofeng's memorial to Liu Bowen.