Chapter 129 Want to Smelt Iron
He read the letter quickly and couldn't help rubbing his eyes to make sure he didn't see it wrong!
Ironmaking? The Queen Mother wants to make iron? Is she planning a rebellion?
It would be better to let him shout on the street.
If he helped the Queen Mother to smelt iron, he would be helping her to rebel. He felt that he wanted to keep his head on her neck for a while longer.
It is true that Qin's iron and copper mines are in his hands, but this does not mean that he can use them at any time. The mining of iron and copper mines must be approved by the king.
In addition, these mines are guarded by the Qin army. If anyone dares to mine these ores privately, it will be a capital crime.
Mi Qi felt that his position as the Minister of the Imperial Household was so hot that he even thought about resigning. Wouldn't it be better to just be the Lord of Changping? Why did he have to do something that could cost him his life?
"Where is the person sent by the Queen Mother?" Mi Qi asked.
The steward replied, "He's still in the front yard. Do you want me to bring him in?"
Mi Qi shook his head, "I'll go myself."
Li stood in the yard, looking straight ahead without saying a word. The servants passing by couldn't help but look at him a few more times.
Crossing the corridor, Mi Qi saw Li from afar. He asked the steward, "What's this man's name?"
The Queen Mother has many capable people around her. Although this person has an ordinary appearance, he has a very calm temperament.
"The man who came said his name was Li."
Hearing this familiar name, Mi Qi raised his eyebrows. Isn't this the Mo family member who rejected him in the past?
He is indeed a talented person!
Mi Qi couldn't help but sigh again, thinking how great it would be if he could have such a person under his command.
Unfortunately, this man had already followed the Queen Mother.
Li realized that someone was looking at him. He looked up and saw a man wearing a dark-colored robe and a jade belt around his waist walking towards him.
The way this person looked at her was exactly like the way the empress dowager looked at her.
Li lowered his head, looking respectful and humble, making it impossible to find fault with him.
Mi Qi walked up to him and looked him up and down. "Do you know why the Queen Mother asked you to come here?"
"I know."
"I can give you the iron tools, but if you want to touch the mines, go back and tell the Queen Mother. I have no say in this matter."
Li bowed and replied, "Yes, I understand."
"There's an iron smelting place near Xianyang City. I can have someone deliver whatever you need right now."
Li had already prepared it. He opened the package on his back and took out the wooden parts.
He smiled innocently, "That's all, thank you for your help, Shaofu!"
Seeing so many strange things, Mi Qi couldn't help but remain silent.
The ironware manufactured by the Qin State was usually to meet the needs of the army and agriculture, but he had never seen most of the styles of these things, and it was impossible for the ironworks to have these things.
He seemed to have agreed too lightly just now.
"Why are you doing this?" Mi Qi couldn't help but ask.
Li is not really good at talking to people, but once he talks about the areas he is familiar with, he can't stop.
He spoke for a long time, explaining the structure of the loom and the direction he wanted to change, and also mentioned the Queen Mother's idea.
Mi Qi was not interested at first, but the more he listened, the more he found the loom interesting. And the elastic material, if it could really be made, could be used for more than just looms.
The Qin Dynasty's bows and crossbows were made of resilient materials. The stronger the elasticity, the higher the energy storage and the longer the shooting distance.
The longer a weapon is, the stronger it is. The same goes for crossbows. If you can kill the enemy with a crossbow outside their range, you will have a huge advantage on the battlefield.
Now even Mi Qi couldn't help but feel excited. Since the Queen Mother had spoken, she must be sure.
Li didn't understand why Changping Jun wanted to bring him into the Qin Palace when he had just talked about the wonders of the loom.
No matter how calm he was, when he was taken into the palace, Li felt like his heart was about to jump out.
He couldn't help but look back. The Xianyang city gate was vaguely visible in the distance. He turned around and looked up at the three big words "Zhangtai Palace".
Is this where their king is?
Mi Qi asked him to wait outside first, then bowed to Lü Le and said, "Eunuch Lü, please inform the king that Mi Qi has something important to discuss with you."
Lu Le turned his head and glanced at Li before speaking slowly, "Lord Changping, please wait a moment. I will report this to the king."
"Let him in!"
Before Lu Le could go in, Ying Zheng's voice came from inside.
Li's heart trembled, and his limbs seemed to have lost their strength. He stood there relying only on his body instinctively. He subconsciously looked at Changping Jun in front of him.
Changping Jun nodded at him and stepped into the hall.
Ying Zheng put down his pen, leaned back, and said with a smile, "What's the important matter that brought Lord Changping here?"
Changping Jun usually has a lot of things to take care of, so unless it is necessary, he rarely comes to see him. The last few times he came were all about the Queen Mother's affairs. Could it be that the Queen Mother came to see him again today?
Mi Qi suddenly felt that he was being controlled by the Queen Mother and the King, mother and son. Other ministers only had to face one monarch, but now he had to accept the orders of two people at all times.
Although a minister cannot serve two kings, if two kings want to use one minister together, the minister has no way to refuse.
Mi Qi calmed himself down, handed the letter sent by the Queen Mother to Ying Zheng, and explained everything again.
When Ying Zheng heard that the Queen Mother wanted to make ironware, he did not think that she wanted to rebel. Anyone in this world could rebel, but the Queen Mother was someone who probably wouldn't even dare to kill someone, so how could she think of rebelling?
After listening to Mi Qi's explanation, Ying Zheng understood the reason.
If such a sharp weapon could be used by the Qin army, it would definitely enhance the combat effectiveness of the Qin army.
But smelting ironware is something that only the government can do. If the Queen Mother intervenes, Ying Zheng can be at ease, but others may not be.
What's more, if someone takes advantage of the situation and those ironwares are lost, it will be a huge loss for the Qin State.
Ying Zheng tapped the tabletop lightly. "What do you think, Lord Changping?"
"Although this is against the rules, the rules limit my words. Your Majesty, please consider making an exception. The Queen Mother never does anything without confidence. If such a weapon is truly developed, it will benefit our Qin State, not harm it."
Ying Zheng nodded slightly, agreeing with Changping Jun's words, but the choice of the iron ore still needed to be cautious.
"Is there a mine near Yongcheng?"
"There's a place on the north bank of the Wei River. Although it's not within Yongcheng, it's the closest. It's heavily guarded, with two iron ore miners on either side and over a hundred craftsmen. It's the most suitable place for the Queen Mother to smelt iron."
"Yes! Take that man to the iron mine and take a look. I will pass on the order to allow the Queen Mother to use the iron mine."
"Your Majesty is wise!" Mi Qi knelt on the ground and bowed. Although he did not gain any benefit, he actually felt happy at this moment.
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