Chapter 300 Decoding the Blueprints
Just then, a soldier galloped by on horseback. Upon seeing them, he immediately stopped, clasped his fists, and half-knelt before Zhou Heng, saying, "Your Highness, urgent battle reports from eight hundred miles ahead!"
Zhou Heng's expression changed slightly, and then he took the bloody battle report.
Fang Ruyu clearly noticed his gloomy look, so she hurriedly asked, "Your Highness, what happened at the front?"
There was a hint of suppressed anger in Zhou Heng's voice, "Xiangzhou Prefecture has been occupied by Jiang Yongkang."
Fang Ruyu didn't dare to speak and could only look at him with her clear and innocent eyes.
Zhou Heng quickly comforted her, "Don't blame you. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Since Jinzhou Prefecture already knows the firearm blueprints have been stolen, they'll definitely seize the city before we can manufacture the firearms. Not to mention Xiangzhou, I'm afraid even Ezhou won't be able to be saved. But... all this is within my expectations."
This also shows that the drawings Fang Ruyu brought back are real!
Otherwise Xu Zhenying would not be so angry.
But the speed at which the city was lost was too fast!
Zhou Heng now really wants to see with his own eyes what the firearm looks like and why it has such great power!
Fang Ruyu immediately said anxiously: "Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and order the craftsmen to study the firearms blueprints!"
Zhou Heng stared at Fang Ruyu with a guilty look on his face: "In this case, I'm sorry to trouble you again."
"What's so hard about that? Quick, gather all the craftsmen together, and let's start researching firearms right now!"
Soon, all the civil officials, military generals and craftsmen gathered together in Zhou Heng's palace. Firearms were of great importance, so those who could enter to tell the story were naturally selected again and again.
The families of those craftsmen were all detained in the cells, so there was no need to worry about them leaking the news.
They were currently guarding the next room, and Master Meng had already sent the blueprints over for them to study.
The room was filled with men, with only two women, Zhou Ying and Fang Ruyu.
One of these two women came from Jinzhou Prefecture and was familiar with the situation in Jinzhou Prefecture.
As Zhou Heng's younger sister, Zhou Ying had a noble status. In addition, she had made great contributions in stealing the pictures, so she naturally had a place in the society.
Everyone couldn't help but look at Fang Ruyu.
She looked pale and a little tired, with a pair of eyes like black beads, beautiful appearance and dignified manners. She was worthy of being the eldest daughter of the Fang family.
Although women in the harem were not allowed to interfere in government affairs, Fang Ruyu, firstly, had a noble status and secondly, she was familiar with the situation in Jinzhou Prefecture. Therefore, even though her seat was only half an inch behind the Mingwang Palace, the generals turned a blind eye to her.
After all, the manufacture of firearms still depends on her.
Zhou Heng seemed to pay no attention to the quarrel among his men, and only said, "The latest battle report: Xiangzhou has fallen."
Everyone in the room was silent.
Only General Ma spoke up and said, "This is to be expected."
But I didn't expect it to happen so quickly! Of my fifty thousand troops, forty thousand surrendered! Ten thousand fled!"
Zhou Heng was intimidating without being angry, and everyone in the room was trembling with fear.
Zhou Heng suppressed his anger and asked, "Where are the firearm blueprints?"
Master Meng immediately said, "It has been sent to the next room for the craftsmen to study."
"Okay, give them three days. If they can't figure it out, I'll kill them!"
Fang Ruyu, who was sitting behind King Ming, felt her eyelids twitch, and she felt the murderous intent in Zhou Heng's words overwhelming.
This made her think of Xu Zhenying again.
Xu Zhenying would never say anything like taking someone's life!
Even when she was furious, she never lost her temper, never took her anger out on others, and never took the blame for others' actions.
She just makes people feel respect, but never fear.
Master Meng then said, "Your Highness, didn't we have the generals capture some civilians and block them beneath the city walls? Even so, the people from Jinzhou Prefecture still opened fire on us? The people from Jinzhou Prefecture have always valued their reputation, calling themselves a benevolent and righteous army. But using firearms against helpless civilians, how can they be called a benevolent and righteous army?!"
Zhou Heng's face grew even more furious. He threw the military report at Master Meng and said angrily, "Look for yourself!"
Master Meng opened it and took a look. His expression turned sour and he angrily said, "What a bunch of unruly people!"
The general next to him also came forward to watch, "How ridiculous! These unruly people actually voted for Jiang Yongkang!"
Zhou Ying remained silent.
But I was thinking in my heart: You were afraid that Jiang Yongkang would use firearms, so you forced the people in the city to form a human wall. No wonder the people are alienated from you!
Fang Ruyu said quietly, "If that's the case, then Xu Zhenying will probably start spreading the word again. Creating public opinion campaigns has always been her forte."
Master Meng was about to reprimand Fang Ruyu, but Zhou Heng had already asked, "What kind of public opinion offensive is this?"
Fang Ruyu pursed her lips, "Your Highness, do you know about the newspaper?"
"What is that?"
"The newest thing in Jinzhou Prefecture is still Xu Zhenying's idea, and it's implemented by the Propaganda Department. It's currently published once a month, on just one piece of paper—" Fang Ruyu gestured roughly, "It's densely packed with news from various places over the past month, including the latest policies, battle reports from the front lines, and major events that have occurred in various places—"
Master Meng pursed his lips, "So what?"
Zhou Ying grasped the key point immediately, "Are there too many newspapers?"
Fang Ruyu glanced at her. "Last month, 50,000 copies were published! Of those, 20,000 were sent to places outside the Jinzhou Prefecture—"
Zhou Heng's face changed instantly!
But Fang Ruyu continued to say: "I just don't know if there is any in Qiongzhou..."
One of the clerks in charge of military funds immediately said, "Yes! Isn't it called the Provincial Monthly Report?!"
Fang Ruyu nodded.
Everyone in the room instantly looked at the person who had just spoken!
The man immediately replied with trepidation, "Your Highness, it was last month! Last month, some bookstore was selling a monthly magazine. I saw it was all about local customs and smallpox prevention, so I... took a closer look."
Naturally, the chief clerk didn't dare to say that he had kept it for himself.
What if he is accused of treason?
Master Meng immediately asked, "What's written on it? Can I still buy it now?"
"Some students may have collections at home—"
"Master Wang, you are so bold! You actually dared to touch the things sent from Jinzhou Prefecture!"
The chief clerk immediately defended himself, "General Yan, that's not what I said. Who among you hasn't touched anything from Jinzhou Prefecture? Hasn't anyone touched that soap? Hasn't anyone touched that pencil?"
Now you have to use other people’s firearms!
Of course, the chief clerk didn't have the courage to say this.
"Alright." Zhou Heng scolded lightly, "You said that newspaper has spread to our Qiongzhou?"
The chief clerk immediately said respectfully, "Indeed, I'm afraid there are quite a few of us scholars who collect newspapers."
Zhou Heng felt mixed emotions. "Ayu, you're right. The man from Jinzhou Prefecture is truly an expert at creating public opinion."
Fang Ruyu smiled faintly, "His Royal Highness Prince Zhao has always been like this. I believe the newspaper's report was false. She launched this propaganda campaign by publicizing Jinzhou Prefecture to the entire world, perhaps even forcing other places to surrender without a fight."
Master Meng was startled. "Miss Fang, don't exaggerate! It's just a newspaper. How is it any different from any other book or miscellaneous item?"
"Master, a typical book costs at least one tael of silver, and most of its content is disseminated through copying, so it's simply not going to become popular," Fang Ruyu said slowly and leisurely. "But this newspaper... is different."
Zhou Heng asked, "How is it different?"
"The research institute has come up with a new papermaking method. Three or four months ago, the price of paper in Jinzhou Prefecture plummeted more than tenfold. Not to mention the improved movable type printing method. There's no need for hand-copying. All you have to do is send it to the Propaganda Department, where they have a large machine with ink. With just a few people operating it, they can print thousands of copies a day. Do you have any idea how much a single copy of this newspaper sells for in Jinzhou Prefecture?"
Zhou Ying looked gloomy.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Fang Ruyu hid the sneer in his heart, then curled his lips and smiled, "A newspaper is only ten cents!"
"What, ten cents?!"
"That's impossible! If you include the cost of paper, pen, and ink, it would cost at least several dozen coins! Miss Fang, don't take advantage of your origins in Jinzhou Prefecture and spread such nonsense here! What movable type printing? What improved paper?! This is pure wishful thinking!"
Fang Ruyu shook her head gently. "Whether it is true or not, you can ask the people who escorted the princess to Jinzhou Prefecture before and you will know."
Everyone looked at the princess pleadingly, even Zhou Heng looked at her with a slightly frown.
Zhou Ying nodded with difficulty, "There are indeed countless new items over there."
This moment seemed to shatter everyone's confidence.
First there were firearms, then printing, and this newspaper—
What exactly does Xu Zhenying want to do?
"I just want to remind you all that the capture of Xiangzhou will be reported soon. Perhaps even some details will be revealed, including the fact that you used unarmed civilians as human walls."
Master Meng's eyelids twitched.
If this happens, won’t you be infamous for eternity?
Although it is somewhat inhumane to use the lives of civilians to block firearms, in this chaotic world, who can care about so many things?
The two Li kings had previously entered the city and massacred the people.
But no matter what you say or do, if it is really printed in the newspaper, it will be a matter of infamy for eternity.
What's more, although this matter was proposed by the King Ming, how could the monarch take the blame? In the end, he would definitely be the one to be scolded.
So Master Meng quickly bowed and said, "Your Highness, we must be on guard against the newspaper incident. It's full of Xu Zhenying's misleading rumors, which are most likely to sway the scholars. We must list it as a banned book. Anyone who dares to spread it, read it, collect it, or buy or sell it will be considered treasonous to the enemy!"
"Accurate." Zhou Heng said without hesitation. "That Queen is really going to great lengths to promote her Jinzhou Prefecture. How despicable! With all my elite troops and generals under my command, can't I produce that newspaper?"
Someone immediately said, "Newspapers are simple, but we can't control the costs."
Zhou Ying also said, "That's right. The reason why that Jinzhou Prefecture newspaper has spread so far is simply because they've been increasing the salaries of their craftsmen, allowing them to master unusual and ingenious techniques. This time, I've also brought a lot of new gadgets from Jinzhou Prefecture. Brother, you can have the craftsmen disassemble them and make replicas. We can emulate Jinzhou Prefecture and sell these novelties throughout the Great Zhou, thus enriching our treasury."
Zhou Heng frowned slightly, and one of his staff members immediately said, "If that's the case, wouldn't we be the merchants? This is inappropriate... Your Highness is of noble status and pure bloodline, how can you meddle in the affairs of merchants? I think it would be better to train a few imperial merchants and let them take charge of this matter."
Zhou Ying said anxiously, "Xu Zhenying has a Ministry of Commerce that specifically helps the Jinzhou government make money. The person in charge of the Ministry of Commerce is equivalent to a minister!"
Unexpectedly, the people below all shook their heads, "How can a scholar be tainted by the smell of money? Doing such speculation and profiteering is truly a disgrace to the identity of a scholar!"
"That's right, just let the businessmen below do it. Merchants only care about profit and forget about morality. How can we promise them high positions and generous salaries? This is simply going against the will of God!"
"That's right. If you give a businessman status, he might just look for an opportunity to make money."
Zhou Ying was so angry that she fell backwards.
She felt that the anxiety in her heart when she returned from Jinzhou Prefecture was suddenly shattered to pieces.
Even Zhou Heng said in an unquestionable tone: "We can discuss this business matter later. The most important thing now is to manufacture firearms as soon as possible. Otherwise, if we wait another month or two, Jiang Yongkang will probably come to our doorstep!"
These words naturally left Zhou Ying unable to refute any further.
Fang Ruyu said, "The firearm blueprint uses the Jinzhou Prefecture drawing method. The craftsmen may not understand it. I'll go over and take a look."
When Zhou Heng saw Fang Ruyu stand up, he immediately followed. Even though he was extremely anxious, he did not show it in front of Fang Ruyu.
Zhou Ying sent a letter in advance to remind Fang Ruyu that if she appeared too anxious, Fang Ruyu would think that this trip to Jinzhou Prefecture was specifically for firearms, not for her.
Fang Ruyu still has value to be used, so Zhou Heng naturally understands the principle of taking it step by step.
Women will naturally be completely charmed by a few sweet words of concern.
What's more, he is trying to control a girl like Fang Ruyu who is ignorant of the world.
Zhou Heng showed a concerned expression at the right moment, "I'll go with you to take a look."
Naturally, everyone could only follow.
Over there, a dozen craftsmen were being held in a small room. They were scratching their heads over the blueprints. When they saw Zhou Heng coming in, they immediately knelt down on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
As soon as Ming Wang saw this scene, he knew the situation was not favorable, and his voice naturally became a little colder. "Half an hour has passed. What progress have you made?"
The leader seemed to be frightened and cried, and hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please forgive me! This firearms blueprint is really... out of this world. We have never even seen a blueprint like this. Ordinary blueprints only mark the length, width and height, but they use all characters. We really can't understand it—"
Prince Ming was immediately enraged and kicked the man who had spoken in the face. "Useless! You claim to be the best craftsmen in Qiongzhou Prefecture, but you can't even understand a blueprint. What use is there for me to keep you around?!"
The man was kicked and fell backwards, coughing up blood, but he still begged for mercy, "Your Highness, it's true that the blueprints from Jinzhou Prefecture are different from ours—"
Seeing this, Fang Ruyu hurriedly said, "Big Brother, don't worry. Open the blueprint. I've taken courses from Jinzhou Prefecture, and I can understand the blueprints to a certain extent. The blueprints from Jinzhou Prefecture are detailed, often annotated with characters, and they have their own unique measurement tools. They're basically two different systems, so it's normal that you can't understand them."
Everyone listened to Fang Ruyu constantly saying words like "measurement" and "system", and thought that it might have come from Jinzhou Prefecture again.
Zhou Heng immediately said, "Hurry up and lay out the blueprints!"
Zhou Heng said to Fang Ruyu with an apologetic look, "Thank you for your help, Yu."
Fang Ruyu smiled faintly, but said nothing more.
Zhou Heng forced a smile. Somehow, he always felt that Fang Ruyu seemed to have changed a lot when she came back this time.
While her appearance had been largely finalized, she seemed to have gained some weight, no longer as delicate and delicate as before. Her eyes, in particular, were somewhat cold, making him feel hot and cold, even anxious.
In the past, just calling her "Ayu" would make her cheeks blush.
This woman doesn't seem as easy to control as before.
Could it be that as Fang Ruyu grows older, she becomes more stable than before?
But it’s better this way, as I can be more like his right-hand man.
The craftsman trembled as he pulled out the drawing, spread it flat on the table, and then respectfully stepped aside.
Fang Ruyu signaled them to come forward, but the craftsmen only looked at Zhou Heng's face. Seeing that Zhou Heng's face looked normal, they moved a little closer.
Instead, Zhou Heng's men rushed forward to look.
"Is this the blueprint for the firearm?"
"Don't mention it, the people in Jinzhou Prefecture really have a unique way of doing things. Looking at the drawings they drew, they are very methodical and easy to understand."
"Don't you see those scribbled characters below?"
"I know. These seem to be foreign characters. They're called Arabic numerals."
"It's Arabic numerals," Fang Ruyu's voice sounded faintly. "It's said that continuing westward towards Loulan, there was a small country that invented a simple way to write numbers, which was later introduced to our Central Plains. Hence the name Arabic numerals."
Someone nodded and said, "No wonder. It's much easier to write numbers like this!"
Fang Ruyu pointed to the note in the lower right corner of the blueprint and said to the terrified craftsmen, "To understand this blueprint, you first need to understand these Arabic numerals. I can teach you that. Secondly, their measurements are different from ours. The Great Zhou Dynasty used units like chi, cun, and li, but the Jinzhou Prefecture is accustomed to using units like centimeters, decimeters, meters, and kilometers, and they have special rulers. Big brother, please bring me the ruler."
Perhaps because Fang Ruyu was a girl and spoke so softly, people weren't so afraid of her. One of the craftsmen, Zhu, bravely asked, "Girl...what is a dimension?"
"A few trees, a few grains of rice, a few meters of road—these trees, grains, and meters are dimensions. Similarly, centimeters, decimeters, feet, and inches are also dimensions."
The craftsmen nodded frequently, "We understand."
"Look here again." Fang Ruyu pointed, "This is the scale. It's marked 1:10, which means the length, width, and height of the blueprint and the real thing are all reduced tenfold. Forty centimeters on the blueprint is four meters in the real thing."
A ruler was handed over. Fang Ruyu placed her fair wrist on it, pointing to a straight line on the drawing. She said, "This line is marked 40 centimeters. Take the length of this ruler and divide it into 40 equal parts. Each part is 1 centimeter. This will give you the measurement method of Jinzhou Prefecture."
The leading craftsman, whose surname was Jin, now boldly said, "Miss... besides the dimensions of this blueprint, there are also things written on it, such as graded steel, gunpowder, shock-absorbing rings, and Tianyuan beads. We have never heard of these things and have no idea what they are."
Another person also said: "In the entire Zhou Dynasty, we have only heard of bronze and iron tools, but we have never heard of what steel is."
"It's not your fault. These things are all new items developed by the Jinzhou Prefecture Research Institute. I'm afraid that other places in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty don't have them except Jinzhou Prefecture."
This remark shocked everyone, and Master Meng was even more panicked, saying, "So, in that case, this blueprint is completely useless!"
Zhou Heng was more direct, "Is there any way to buy other materials?"
Fang Ruyu shook her head. "These things are all controlled items in Jinzhou Prefecture. Ordinary people probably can't get them. Take gunpowder, for example. It's the most crucial ingredient in a firearm. Without it, it can't ignite or explode. Ultimately, the blueprints are important, but the raw materials are even more important. We have to find a way to get the gunpowder used inside and the steel used for the outer body."
Zhou Ying asked, "Is that Tianyuan Pearl... round and shaped like transparent glass?"
Fang Ruyu nodded. "That's right. There aren't many in Jinzhou Prefecture, but there should be some on the market. But they're astronomically expensive."
"That's right, one is worth at least fifty thousand taels." Seeing everyone looking at her, Zhou Ying smiled wryly and said, "I was fortunate enough to see one at a banquet hosted by the wife of a prefect down below. It's said that the Tianyuan Pearl is an extremely rare item, only found in the imperial harem of the Great Zhou Dynasty or in the homes of extremely wealthy families."
The whole room fell silent.
No one seemed to expect that there was so much knowledge involved in this firearm.
I thought that if I could steal the blueprints, I could make firearms, but I didn't know that this was just the first step of a long journey.
Listening to Fang Ruyu talking about the Tianyuan Pearl, it seems that this firearm is quite expensive.
"Firearms are not that easy to imitate. This is the technical barrier that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao often mentions."
A general immediately said in a sarcastic tone, "Now that Miss Fang has come to our Qiongzhou Prefecture, how can she still call that female rebel "Your Highness"? Could it be that Miss Fang still has some attachment to Jinzhou Prefecture? In our Qiongzhou Prefecture, there is only one "Your Highness", and that is His Highness Ming Wang!"
Zhou Heng was about to speak when Fang Ruyu replied with a deft move, "Xu Zhenying is a formidable enemy. I respect her, but that doesn't stop me from leaving my family behind and coming to Qiongzhou Prefecture. But if you all still don't understand Xu Zhenying correctly, you'll definitely suffer greatly on the battlefield in the future!"
Zhou Heng said, "That's right. We can tell a lot from firearms. Jinzhou Prefecture's development is bound to exceed our imagination. Even I have to admit that Xu Zhenying is a hero of her generation. We can't look down on her just because she's a woman. Let alone the future, we've already suffered countless defeats in the past six months. They say heroes cherish each other. She is worthy of being my opponent!"
After Zhou Heng spoke, the others naturally had nothing to say.
"Speaking of these raw materials, is there any way to get them?"
Fang Ruyu said, "When I was in Jinzhou Prefecture earlier, I overheard my cousin and Ning Mo discussing something. They said someone was secretly selling rare items from Jinzhou Prefecture elsewhere. His Royal Highness Prince Zhao has repeatedly banned this, but he hasn't even found the source. You can see if there are any such channels in Qiongzhou Prefecture. If you can get some gunpowder and Tianyuan Pearls, that would be the best."
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