Chapter 584 Do all men like this kind of thing?
Over a small hill and across a mountain stream.
About quarter of an hour later, Wei Changtian and his party arrived at the Tiangong Bureau Yamen accompanied by several officials.
In fact, it is more like a larger workshop than a government office.
However, compared with those ordinary small workshops in the market, the workshop of Tiangong Bureau is several levels higher than the former in terms of scale and all the "supporting services".
Not only is it protected by layers of military forces, the food and drinks inside are also excellent, and there are even brothel girls who come to perform "shows" regularly.
And these craftsmen really deserve such treatment.
The "black gunpowder" they developed alone can't be said to be able to defeat thousands of troops, but at least it can save a lot of lives in the wars between Daning and Dashu in the future.
This really fulfilled what Wei Changtian said when he established the Tiangong Bureau -
Knowledge is power.
“.”
Stand outside the gate of Tiangong Bureau, look at the six words engraved on the right side of the door, and then look at the "Heavenly principles come from human desires" on the left.
Wei Changtian was stunned for a moment, then asked a minor official beside him.
"Who added this last sentence?"
"Reply, young master."
The official was a little surprised, and glanced at Ning Yuke who was following behind Wei Changtian: "It was completed by His Majesty."
Ning Yuke? Wei Changtian looked back at Ning Yuke, with some curiosity in his eyes, but he didn't say much.
Knowledge is power, and the laws of nature come from human desires.
The meanings of these two sentences are almost unrelated, and I don't know how the Tiangong Bureau carved them as couplets on both sides of the gate.
But after reading it a few more times , it actually makes sense.
"Let's go."
"Go in and take a look."
From afternoon to dusk.
An hour later, Wei Changtian and Ning Yuke carefully visited the Tiangong Bureau.
With Her Majesty the Queen present in person, all officials in the bureau naturally have to report on their "work achievements".
Of course, the Tiangong Bureau was established not long ago, and many research projects are still in the "key breakthrough" stage. Apart from "black gunpowder", there is nothing to show for it.
Therefore, Ning Yuke mainly listened to the report from the "Gunpowder Workshop".
"Hearing the news that the four thieves are about to invade, I am extremely angry. I only hope to help Your Majesty to relieve his worries and solve his difficulties."
"So I led my craftsmen to work day and night to prepare the formula for gunpowder, and there were several fires."
"Several craftsmen were unfortunately injured during the incident, but fortunately, we handled the situation in time, so no one died."
"There are many similar things, so I will not tell you one by one. Anyway, for your majesty and the Great Shu, the hardships involved are not worth mentioning."
“.”
In a workshop filled with the smell of gunpowder, a little fat black man vividly described how difficult the process of developing black gunpowder was and how loyal and capable he was.
The dozens of craftsmen standing behind him just smiled foolishly and never said a word.
Perhaps in the eyes of these craftsmen, it was only natural that the little black fat man took away their credit.
Besides, I can eat and drink well in the Tiangong Bureau and receive a good salary every month. It is simply the best job.
If I accidentally say something wrong and this adult holds a grudge against me, and later finds a reason to kick me out of the Tiangong Bureau, I will have no place to cry.
In this way, a group of craftsmen became the background board for the little black fat man to seek credit.
Ning Yuke, who knew all this, did not point it out, but just nodded slightly and said:
"good."
"You have worked so hard for our Great Shu, and now you have even developed black gunpowder. It can be said that your hard work has paid off."
"It's all thanks to your Majesty."
The little black fat man immediately smiled and said, "If it weren't for your majesty and Master Wei's foresight, we would never have had such a great opportunity to serve the country."
"That's true. Someone come here!"
Ning Yuke's expression remained unchanged. She gave a light shout and immediately the eunuchs who were accompanying her came closer.
"Your Majesty, I am here."
"Well, Lord Wang led the Gunpowder Workshop to develop powerful black gunpowder, which is a great achievement."
"After returning, tell the Ministry of Personnel to promote Lord Wang to a higher rank and reward him with a thousand taels of silver."
"Yes, I remember it."
“.”
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"I will do my best to serve your majesty and the great Shu!"
The little black fat man talked for a long time and finally got the result he wanted. He immediately knelt on the ground excitedly, repeatedly expressing his gratitude to the emperor.
The craftsmen behind him naturally knelt down as well, and the scene suddenly became lively.
They are the ones who do the work, but the credit goes to the "leaders".
Although at first glance it seems that Lord Wang is taking credit for the work of his subordinates, this is actually normal.
After all, the Tiangong Bureau cannot have only working craftsmen, these officials in charge of management are also indispensable.
Therefore, neither Ning Yuke nor Wei Changtian exposed the little black fat man's thoughts, and they promoted him and rewarded him with silver as usual.
However, "Sir Wang, I wonder who first tried out the formula for this black gunpowder?"
Suddenly, Wei Changtian, who had been silent, took a step forward and asked with a smile, "Is this person here now?"
"Sir, I'm here!"
The little black fat man immediately turned around and shouted: "Liu Dameng! Come here quickly!"
"Ah! I obey your command!"
Soon, a sturdy man ran over from the crowd and knelt down on the ground in panic.
"I am Liu Dameng, I am honored to meet your Majesty and Prince Wei."
"Hahaha, you don't have to be nervous."
Lifting Liu Dameng up, Wei Changtian said with a smile: "Since it was you who developed the black gunpowder, you should take the lion's share of the credit."
"Now that Lord Wang has been promoted, he will naturally no longer work in the gunpowder workshop in the future."
"Well, from now on you will be in charge of the gunpowder shop. Are you willing?"
“.”
Liu Dameng comes to be the manager of the gunpowder workshop?
Everyone's expressions suddenly became very surprised.
You have to know that in this era, ordinary people had only two ways to become officials: either take the imperial examination or join violent organizations such as the army or the Xuan Jingsi.
People like Liu Dameng, who are illiterate and unable to practice cultivation, are destined to be "common people" all their lives.
Although the official rank of the manager of the gunpowder workshop was not high, he was still a real "adult".
Therefore, Wei Changtian's appointment not only directly changed Liu Dameng's fate, but also opened up a way for the craftsmen of the Tiangong Bureau and even all the people in the entire Dashu who were proficient in "strange skills" to move up in class.
As long as you have the ability, you can become an official in the court.
"Master Wei, I am willing!"
The answer was a little delayed, but crisp and clear.
After hesitating for a moment, Liu Dameng did not refuse and actually agreed to it. It seems that he is a generous person.
“Hahahaha, okay!”
"Then it's settled!"
Laughing and patting Liu Dameng on the shoulder, Wei Changtian turned his gaze to the group of craftsmen not far away who were obviously envious.
"The same goes for you!"
"As long as you do well, Your Majesty and I will never be stingy with rewards!"
"It's not impossible for you to become the Minister of Industry!"
“.”
As soon as Wei Changtian said this, the expression of the Minister of Works behind him became a little embarrassed.
However, the craftsmen on the opposite side became obviously more excited.
"Yes! We will do our best!"
"We can definitely make more powerful gunpowder!"
"Don't worry, Master Wei! Don't worry, Your Majesty."
Soon, the report on "black powder" ended happily for everyone.
The fat black man was promoted, the craftsmen were motivated, and Wei Changtian successfully opened a new door for "selecting the virtuous and capable people for office."
He even made an exception and allowed several "outstanding craftsman representatives" to attend tonight's dinner.
These rough guys had never experienced such treatment before, eating in the same room with the empress. They just sat in their seats like wooden stakes during the meal, not even having the courage to steal a glance at Ning Yuke.
Well, these are all small matters, so I won’t go into details here.
In short, after eating and drinking, Wei Changtian became interested and pulled Liu Dameng and other craftsmen to discuss how to use black gunpowder on the battlefield.
It has to be said that there is strength in numbers.
Soon he heard many suggestions that were very common in his previous life but very innovative now.
What about mixing poison into a gunpowder barrel to make a "poison gas bomb".
What about using a catapult to throw a gunpowder barrel out and make it into a "missile".
Make some small explosive packs mixed with iron sheets, which soldiers can throw to injure the enemy. It is a simple version of "grenade".
Wei Changtian became more and more excited as he talked, and he didn't sleep until midnight. Later, he even went to the "Steam Engine Workshop" to discuss the problems encountered in the development of the steam engine with the craftsmen there.
Of course, Ning Yuke doesn’t understand these things and will definitely not participate.
But in the middle of the night she suddenly had an itch and couldn't sleep, so she quietly ran over and stood outside the house to take a few peeks.
Looking at Wei Changtian and a group of craftsmen in the room who were holding all kinds of strange-shaped iron tools with excited expressions, the empress couldn't help feeling a little confused.
Why does the master look so happy? Do all men like to play with these steel objects?
(End of this chapter)
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