Whether it's the State Affairs Hall, the Three Departments, the Academy of Sciences, the Ordnance Bureau, or even the Censorate and the Hanlin Academy, they all now have an important task.

The emperor has made it very clear that within two years, he will launch a five-pronged attack on Xia!

The key point mentioned here is the establishment of the firearms battalion. Just how difficult was it to establish the firearms battalion that the emperor wanted?

Everyone knows it's incredibly difficult!

For the Ordnance Bureau, manufacturing a single musket was nothing special, but manufacturing a thousand or three thousand muskets was a completely different matter.

It's not just about needing a large number of people; it's also about ensuring that these people are all proficient in manufacturing firearms.

Firearms manufacturing was a newly developed technology, and even Sima Qi and Chen Gui themselves were not yet proficient in it, let alone teaching others.

But now that the emperor has asked for it, the pressure from the emperor is like Mount Tai. Whether you want to accept it or not, you have to. After you accept it, all the government offices and supervisory departments will start to give their subordinates two-year tasks and put pressure on them.

The budget for this newspaper needs to be submitted in advance, and the necessary preparations need to be made as soon as possible.

Do you think the emperor said he wanted your head just for fun?

Perhaps during Emperor Huizong's reign, the emperor's tasks could be dealt with halfway. Even if only half of them were completed, Emperor Huizong would not say anything, at most he would reprimand a few words, and if anyone tried to cause trouble, they would only be exiled.

But the current emperor is different; he cannot tolerate the slightest perfunctory attitude.

Otherwise, he could tell you in a heartbeat that your head could be displayed at the city gate at any time.

Some time ago, Sima Qi sent over the "Records of Metallurgy," but the various government offices didn't take it seriously.

They even claimed that the forging time, iron content ratio, and furnace temperature were all unreasonable.

The newly arrived Sima Qi dared not say anything, so he turned a blind eye.

But now, the attitudes of all the major government offices have suddenly changed 180 degrees, and a trend of studying the "Ye Zhi" has emerged!

People also comment on it from time to time.

I would have no regrets even if I died to witness such splendor in my lifetime!

Like a sudden awakening, viewing this work is like opening up the Ren and Du meridians, as if walking on clouds, gazing at colorful clouds and auspicious omens, a magnificent and ever-changing scene!

Wonderful! Wonderful! I have often heard that the works of sages are like the unseen voice of the Great Way. Now, reading your work, I am enlightened, as if I am soaring through the universe and wandering the eight directions! What? You don't know what I'm talking about? I don't know what I'm talking about myself.

...

While everyone was praising Sima Qi, he was studying the "Su's Iron Forging Manual" given to him by the emperor, nodding from time to time: "Wonderful! Wonderful! If that's the case, it will take even less time!"

The "Metallurgical Records" focuses more on methods such as furnace temperature, amount of iron ore added, and calcination time.

"Su's Iron Forging" focuses more on the construction and operation of this blast furnace iron forging equipment.

This blast furnace calcination method is clearly an improvement on the current calcination method. The improvement is very ingenious, and both the time and material consumption are greatly reduced compared to the past.

These two books should be combined.

In the freezing cold of the twelfth lunar month, although construction was underway everywhere in Tokyo, many people were already preparing for the New Year as the year drew to a close.

This year's New Year is more festive than ever before.

First, the Song Dynasty won the southwestern campaign and recovered the lost territories of China. Some passionate young people were proud of this and gathered in teahouses every day to discuss politics and military affairs.

Secondly, the large-scale investment in construction by the imperial court has brought in many previously unemployed migrants, giving them a decent income.

It is said that there are far fewer beggars on the streets. A family of three who were begging around Donghuamen last year were wearing new clothes and going to a small restaurant outside Donghuamen for their New Year's Eve dinner on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month this year.

The children, in particular, were emaciated last year, but this year they are wearing tiger shoes, holding small rag dolls, and smiling as they eat fish and meat at the table, telling stories about playing with the little girl next door.

Everyone seems to be changing. In the past, people moved at a leisurely pace, not knowing what to do all day long, just getting by day by day.

Those who are wealthier have it easier; they have a solid family fortune to support them. When they are really bored, they can talk about current affairs or drink and make merry.

But those who are poorer have nothing to do and no income, so they can only go hungry, and they look listless, negative and hopeless.

However, such negativity and despair are rarely seen nowadays.

Many people have realized that as long as they are willing to work hard, they can at least afford to eat, and even have some left over, enough to buy toys for their children.

When ordinary families in Tokyo chatted, the topic shifted from hunger to what delicious food they had eaten that day.

In short, the restaurants outside Donghuamen were no longer exclusively for the wealthy.

Those who were broke now have some money and want to try some delicious food, so that their trip won't be in vain.

Starting this year, the government has also become more extravagant, constructing various buildings and roads, thus channeling a large amount of money into the pockets of ordinary people.

They even set up lampposts along the roadside.

At night, someone would go there specifically to light oil lamps.

The whole street looks brighter and more welcoming.

This international metropolis transforms into a place of elegance and grandeur every night.

Wealthy young men dressed in brocade and silk rode fine horses, while elegant young ladies from noble families rode in precious carriages, traveling along the wide streets on a snowy winter night to attend a banquet.

Five-story buildings have been constructed along the roadside, stacked one on top of another, with flying eaves and pavilions arranged in a staggered and orderly manner, adorned with lights, like a celestial palace in the clouds, revealing its grandeur and pride in the snowy night.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!