Hearing Hu Guang's reprimand, Chu Qian and several other upright officials lowered their heads in shame.
Then Hu Guang bowed to Liu Hong and said loudly, "Since they dare not go, this old minister requests to be sent as an envoy to the Xianbei. Even if I fail, I am willing to follow the example of Su Wu and never bring shame to my great Han Dynasty. At the same time, I will let them see the integrity of the scholars of my great Han Dynasty!"
Hu Guang's words were resounding and powerful. The civil and military officials in the court looked at Hu Guang with respect in their eyes.
"Your Majesty, the Minister of Works is advanced in years and may not be able to withstand the long journey. Although I am not talented, I am willing to go on a mission to the Xianbei to demonstrate the might of our great Han Dynasty!"
Fa Zhen, who was a high-ranking official, stood up with a flushed face and excited expression, and asked Liu Hong for permission to take charge.
"Your Majesty! Your subject wishes to travel to the grasslands as an envoy to the Xianbei!"
"Your subject wishes to go on a diplomatic mission to the Xianbei!"
"Your Majesty, I am also willing to go!"
In a short time, many young and middle-aged officials stepped forward and volunteered to go on a mission to the Xianbei. As Hu Guang said, the story of Su Wu's loyalty greatly inspired his passion, and he was willing to risk his life to leave a name for posterity.
Chu Qian and several other upright officials, their faces flushed, stared at their colleagues who had volunteered to go on the mission. For a moment, they felt as if an invisible hand was constantly slapping their own mouths! They all wished they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
"Your Majesty, since this matter was brought up by me, I shall go."
After struggling for a long time, Chu Qian stepped forward, ignoring the astonished looks of his colleagues around him.
"Are you sure you mean it?"
Chu Qian declared loudly, "I swear before Your Majesty and all the officials in this hall that even if I die on this mission to the Xianbei, I will never allow anyone to show the slightest disrespect to my Great Han!"
Liu Hong looked at Chu Qian with some surprise. He didn't expect Chu Qian to have such courage. It seems that among the Qingliu group, besides those who talk big, there are also passionate people.
Liu Hong nodded, looked at Chu Qian, and said in a deep voice, "Very good. I am very pleased that you have done so. Effective immediately, I hereby promote you to Grand Chancellor and send you on a mission to the Xianbei. I also order Tan Shihuai to lead troops to attack the Northern Xiongnu!"
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. I will certainly live up to your expectations!"
Chu Qian's chest heaved slightly. At first, he was indeed afraid when the emperor sent him as an envoy to the Xianbei, but now he felt fortunate for his later decision.
At this time, Chu Qian also changed the impression many officials had of him. Regardless of his past, at least he dared to stand up for the Han Dynasty, which made him worthy of their respect.
After the discussions on the migration of displaced people and the military matters concerning Youzhou, Bingzhou, and Liangzhou were concluded, Liu Hong couldn't help but look at Sikong Yuan Feng and said with a smile:
"Sikong, have you made any new discoveries at the Engineering College lately?"
Yuan Feng stepped forward and said, "The Marquis of Moyang, along with the disciples of the Research and Manufacturing Division, is currently researching and improving the 'harvester.' Once the improvement is successful, it will be handed over to the College of Engineering for manufacturing and promotion, and is expected to be put into use next year."
Furthermore, the Imperial Workshop has submitted a new improvement plan to me, entitled "Water-Powered Forging." I believe it has great potential, and I hope that a new workshop can be built north of the Luo River for experimentation!
"Very well! I approve this. If you need anything, just go to the Grand Minister of Agriculture!"
Liu Hong nodded in satisfaction. He had already given Mo Shang some pointers on the idea of water-powered forging, and now that Mo Shang was experimenting with and promoting it through Yuan Feng, the process must have met his requirements.
Utilizing the power of nature can not only improve production efficiency but also free up a large amount of labor. If this can be widely implemented, forging alone could free up a significant amount of labor for use in the development of other industries.
Liu Hong naturally wouldn't refuse the suggestion.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Yuan Feng bowed to Liu Hong and then said, "In addition, I recently recruited a craftsman who claims to be a descendant of Gongshu Ban. He told me that he has improved a furnace that can greatly increase the speed and output of iron smelting!"
As soon as Yuan Feng finished speaking, the civil and military officials in the court were in an uproar. Since the invention of iron, the standard for measuring the strength of a country has been the production of grain and steel.
After hundreds of years of development from the Warring States period to the present, the iron smelting technology of the Han Dynasty can be said to be the best in the world. However, its output still cannot meet the daily needs of the army and the people, which greatly restricts the development of the country and the army.
Now that they heard that someone could actually increase the speed and output of iron smelting, not only the civil and military officials in the hall, but even Liu Hong was extremely excited.
"A descendant of Lu Ban?"
Liu Hong, sitting on the throne, looked at Yuan Feng and asked urgently, "Where is this person?"
"This person has been placed in the Engineering College by me and has already begun to work on building the new furnace. I will report the good news to Your Majesty once the experiments are completed!"
"Okay, okay!!"
Liu Hong said "good" three times. Whether it was Yuan Feng or the craftsman who claimed to be a descendant of Lu Ban, they must have been confident in making such a statement in the imperial court.
Then Liu Hong looked at Cao Song and said, "Grand Minister of Agriculture, the national treasury needs to provide full support at this time. Give them whatever they want. If the Han Dynasty doesn't have it, find it outside. In short, we must meet their needs no matter what!"
"Your subject obeys!"
Cao Song quickly stood up and respectfully replied that the increase in steel production would provide an unimaginable boost to the national treasury's revenue, and this old miser would naturally offer his support without hesitation.
Seeing the emperor so pleased, Yuan Feng seized the opportunity to speak, saying, "Your Majesty, I have a request, and I hope Your Majesty will grant it!"
Liu Hong chuckled and said, "Please, Sikong, speak freely!"
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
