Chapter 204 Different Gifts
"Mozi, let me toast you again. If it weren't for you, I would never have been able to become the commander of the Shenji Battalion."
Qin Yumu raised his wine glass to toast Qin Mo, his bright red Shenji Battalion commander's robe highlighting his slightly flushed face, exuding pride and smugness.
"What business is it of mine for you to be the commander of the Divine Machine Battalion? You should be thanking the Emperor, why are you coming to this poor, remote place in Dayuan?"
When the three brothers were summoned to the north in the fourth year of Zhaowu, Qin Yumu encouraged him to settle in the capital, since the officials were from remote and impoverished areas, since officials didn't produce much anyway.
Qin Mo held a grudge, "Who's the country bumpkin? A bunch of bumpkins are laughing at me? I'll show you how to turn lead into gold." Later, mirrors, strong liquor, spices, and so on came into being.
"Mozi, I've been wanting to apologize to you, but I haven't seen you in ages! Last time I came to Dayuan, I was overwhelmed by what I saw! This time, I feel like I'm dreaming. You, Dayuan... you've changed so fast... you've gotten so fat!"
Qin Yumu downed his drink and looked at Qin Mo with envy. There were many cities in the inland areas of Daxia that hadn't changed in decades, but you had no idea what the cities of Dayuan were like because they were always expanding... expanding. If it weren't for the taboo, he would have asked Qin Mo how much money he had.
Seeing Qin Yumu's slightly admiring gaze, Qin Mo felt a little smug. After nearly a hundred years of development, the level of sophistication of modern urban construction was beyond the comprehension of the people of Daxia. There were now dozens of large-scale construction teams in Dayuan, and they were building a brand new Dayuan according to Qin Mo's blueprint.
"Alright, Yu Mu! What brings you all this way to Da Yuan all of a sudden?"
"Hehe! It really is a bit of a problem. I've run into some difficulties, and I had no choice but to come to you for help." Qin Yumu rubbed his hands awkwardly and started grinning at Qin Mo.
Qin Mo found it strange. It was true that this brother was unreliable in his words, but he was never confused in his actions. Since he had come to her for help, he must have really encountered difficulties. Judging from his embarrassed look, he must have some trouble.
"Which official's daughter have you taken a fancy to? Do you need me, the Prince, to act as matchmaker?" Qin Mo teased with a smile.
"Mozi, you're looking at your brother, aren't you? If I were to take a fancy to any girl, with my talent and looks, wouldn't it be a piece of cake for me?"
"......Yu Mu, I'll definitely help if I can." Qin Mo saw the difficulty and reluctance in Qin Yu Mu's eyes, so he stopped teasing her and began to speak seriously.
Seeing Qin Mo's solemn promise, Qin Yumu was moved and ashamed, but she had no choice! Who told her to be under someone else's control?
"Mozi, I was appointed as the commander of the Shenji Battalion not because of your talent, but because of my relationship with you. This was a contingency plan left by the Imperial Family, but I didn't expect it to be used so soon... I'm sorry for what I did to you."
"Get to the point!" Qin Mo was annoyed. What was all this nonsense about, being so hesitant?
Qin Yumu spread his hands, looking helplessly at Qin Mo, and said, "The Royal Workshop's trial production of cannons is not going very smoothly, but His Majesty wants to retake Beihai next spring, so the Shenji Battalion must be equipped with the necessary cannons within six months, so..."
Qin Mo finally understood. For someone like him who had witnessed modern industry, casting a muzzle-loading cannon was no big deal. But the people of Daxia were different. They were used to improving the quality of steel through forging, not improving the level of smelting. They were still using charcoal to smelt iron! A single cannon weighed over a thousand pounds, and the slightest mistake during the casting process could render it unusable. For Daxia's iron smelting industry, where a furnace of iron only weighed a few hundred pounds, casting cannons was an enormous challenge.
"You don't mean to make me hand over the smelting technology to you again, do you?"
Qin Mo's face fell. This time he was genuinely unhappy. All he ever did was demand things; couldn't he just calm down and do his own research?
"The suggestion to transfer personnel from the Ministry of Works was made, but the Empress scolded him, saying, 'Have you no shame? A vast empire is eyeing the possessions of its subjects; how disgraceful!'"
Qin Mo was very happy to hear this; at a crucial moment, it was her own people who were considerate!
"And then what? Did you send me here to have me cast cannons for you?" Qin Mo crossed his legs and began to swagger around, putting on airs.
"Mozi, you're so smart! Calling you a genius is an understatement, hehe!"
Seeing Qin Yumu's lewd expression, Qin Mo asked curiously, "You asked me to forge cannons for you, what's there to be embarrassed about? You... you're not thinking of not paying me, are you!"
"Of course not! Payment is a must! Five hundred taels for a fourteen-pound cannon, six hundred taels for an eighteen-pound cannon. Cash on delivery, no credit. The Divine Machine Battalion will take a five hundred taels order first..."
Qin Yumu suddenly stopped talking because Qin Mo's face had turned very pale, and her eyes were fixed on her.
"Your Shenji Battalion is really rich! You're even paying with gold now? But gold... the price is way off!" Qin Mo's voice had a sinister undertone.
Qin Yumu couldn't respond, so he could only start drinking tea cup after cup. On one side was the Divine Machine Battalion entrusted to him by the Imperial Family, and on the other side were his brothers who frequented brothels together. He was caught in the middle and felt really uncomfortable.
"Who set this price? It couldn't have been the Empress!" Qin Mo said calmly after a long time, her anger seemingly vanished.
"No, although the Shenji Battalion is directly under the Imperial Household Department, it is required to cooperate with the Imperial Guards in combat. Therefore, the Ministry of Revenue is responsible for all expenses, with the Imperial Household Department providing additional subsidies at most. This time, the Shenji Battalion wants to buy five hundred cannons, but when they went to the Ministry of Revenue for funds, they simply couldn't come up with them."
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