Chapter 154 The Trouble with Two Parts
The eunuch handed the two pieces of information to the people under the dragon case. After reading the two pieces of information, everyone's faces became solemn.
"Duke Wei, what do you think?" Old Zhu's tone was already sonorous.
"Your Majesty, I think we can fight!" Xu Da's answer was very simple and clear.
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard what Xu Da said, he burst into laughter. "Great! He is indeed the great general of the Ming Dynasty. Great!"
After saying this, Lao Zhu looked around and said with a cold smile: "Since the barbarians from the north are coming to attack us, let's teach them a lesson."
"If the thieves still have the will to steal again, then we'll chop off their paws. This time, not only will we chop off their paws, we'll also destroy their lair and make them suffer eternal damnation!"
"Your Majesty is mighty, long live the Ming Dynasty!" Hearing that Zhu Yuanzhang had already made a decision on the matter, the ministers present had no intention of objecting and they all knelt down to praise Zhu Yuanzhang's might.
Anyway, when we came, everyone already had an idea in mind. Given Lao Zhu's temper, a fight was inevitable.
Furthermore, over the years, the Ming Dynasty and the Northern Yuan Dynasty could not be said to have loved and hated each other, but they did fight each other endlessly.
However, in these wars, the Ming Dynasty generally won more than it lost, so the Ming Dynasty officials had established a psychological advantage.
Since none of the ministers objected, Zhu began to ask for details, "What is the current situation of the Ministry of War?"
Minister of War Shan Anren quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the call has been issued for the five military camps and their surrounding garrisons, and they are ready to respond to your orders at any time."
"Yes!" Old Zhu nodded and looked at Qin Kui, "Minister of Works, how is the armory prepared?"
Hearing what Old Zhu said, Qin Kui broke out in a sweat. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, the weapons in the five military camps and the garrison armory are still at least 30% ready."
"What? Thirty percent?" Old Zhu's face immediately turned green. "Qin Kui, how did you become the Minister of Works? Why is this happening?"
Before the troops move, the food and fodder must be sent first, and this food and fodder includes military equipment. Seeing that the war with the Northern Yuan people is about to start, his side is actually short of military equipment. How can Zhu Yuanzhang not be angry!
Seeing Zhu's angry expression, Qin Kui trembled all over and said through gritted teeth: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This is all my fault."
"It's because the Ministry of Industry has been busy making cement lately, so they're short on manpower to take inventory of the arsenal, which is why..."
When Old Zhu heard what Qin Kui said, his expression softened slightly. He remembered that Qin Kui was indeed following his orders to let him learn how to make cement as soon as possible, but he didn't expect that it would affect the reserves of Hyogo.
But now military affairs are the most important thing. As the war is about to break out, the court needs sufficient military equipment to go to war, but the Ministry of Works cannot provide anything. Someone must be responsible for this matter.
"Qin Kui, you disappoint me so much. We asked you to make cement, not just cement. Armaments are related to the foundation of the country. You are so lazy. You disappoint me so much!" Old Zhu complained and stared at Qin Kui with his eyes almost emitting fire.
Qin Kui was crawling on the ground, almost curled up into a ball, not daring to make any excuses. Others did not dare to persuade him either. After all, the matter of the Ministry of Works was too big, and anyone who got involved would be asking for trouble. Besides, they had no way to rescue Qin Kui.
After a long while, Old Zhu finally calmed down. He pointed at Qin Kui and shouted, "What are you still standing there for? Go back and give the order. From now on, the Ministry of Works will focus on producing military equipment. If the military equipment is not complete by the time the army sets out, we will hold you accountable!"
Hearing what Lao Zhu said, everyone immediately breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Qin Kui had passed this hurdle.
But Qin Kui did not stand up, still kneeling there obediently, "Your Majesty, I have something else to report to Your Majesty."
"Speak!" When Old Zhu saw Qin Kui's expression, he inexplicably felt something was wrong.
"The Ministry of Industry is producing insufficient weapons. The main reason is a lack of sufficient steel. Even if the Ministry of Industry works overtime now, I'm afraid it won't be able to produce enough weapons in a short period of time."
Hearing Qin Kui's words, Old Zhu laughed in anger. "You told me that your Ministry of Industry is short of steel? I remember that your Ministry of Industry reports how much steel it has in stock every year. How can there be a shortage?"
What Zhu Yuanzhang said was well-founded. After he founded the country, he opened the threshold to iron smelting and allowed private workshops to smelt ironware.
So in Zhu Yuanzhang's opinion, the Ming Dynasty should not be short of steel, at least not of iron materials. Why does it seem like it is short of everything in this situation?
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Industry has sufficient iron reserves, but steel is in short supply because there are very few steel forging craftsmen..."
When Qin Kui said this, he did it with a stiff upper lip. He had to make these things clear to Old Zhu, even if it meant risking his family being confiscated, because he knew that if he didn't say it, it wouldn't be as simple as confiscating his family and exterminating his clan!
Old Zhu had no idea that the Ministry of Industry had sufficient reserves of iron materials, but those were just crude materials and had nothing to do with steel.
The refining of steel has very high standards. Nowadays, the Ming Dynasty's steelmaking method basically relies on manual labor, but the amount of steel that can be refined by manual labor in a day is extremely limited. This kind of thing does not seem to be scary on weekdays, but at this time, it is a big trouble.
In order to obtain enough steel, Qin Kui now needs at least 10,000 skilled craftsmen to forge pure steel day and night, but where can he find tens of thousands of skilled craftsmen now?
After listening to Qin Kui's story, Old Zhu felt very sick, but he couldn't think of any other way, so he could only grit his teeth and say.
"Let's not worry, we'll just do as much as we can. Qin Kui, go back and do it right away, and start now!"
"I obey your order!" Qin Kui quickly stood up and walked out after hearing that.
Having taken care of the Ministry of Works, Old Zhu turned his attention to the Ministry of Revenue. "Minister of Revenue, what is the current situation of the national treasury? Tell us."
Minister of Revenue Shen Liben's mouth was full of bitterness, but he knew that there were some things that could not be escaped.
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue has very little left. Since the Treasury and Banknote Administration has recently stopped working, I am worried that the Ministry of Revenue will not be able to sustain itself with this little money..."
Old Zhu couldn't listen any longer. Even if the Minister of Revenue didn't say anything, he knew it in his heart. The reason why he asked Shen Liben to say it was just for the people present to hear.
But when the people present heard this, they all kept silent and stared at Lao Zhu, who immediately became paralyzed.
Even a good cook cannot cook without rice, and even a penny can make a hero fail! This is almost the situation that Lao Zhu is in now.
"The Ministry of Revenue will use the existing money and grain to support us first. As for the future, we will handle it ourselves!"
Old Zhu gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind to fight.
Although no one knew how Zhu Yuanzhang would fight this battle, at least the Minister of Revenue felt relaxed when he left the Imperial Study.
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