Chen Biqian did not dare to make a decision, so he called other members of the Ministry of Works together to discuss the matter.
Jiao Xu and Johann Adam Schall ...
"Your Majesty, with the current manufacturing capacity of the Ministry of Industry, we can only produce a maximum of one thousand Lumi guns per month!"
"Immediately arrange for someone to make it! Tell Wang Chengen how much money you need and I will allocate funds from the imperial treasury. At the same time, send some craftsmen to the Armory Bureau to teach the eunuchs in the inner court the detailed production process."
“Remember, quality and quantity go hand in hand!”
"Your Highness obeys your order."
After Chongzhen finished arranging the work of the Ministry of Works, he immediately thought of a problem.
It’s about technology!
The scientific and technological level of the Ming Dynasty was ahead of the world at that time. However, after the Manchus entered the Central Plains, they first killed many talented people and then carried out various forms of literary inquisitions, which led to a decline in scientific and technological level. The Manchus began to fall behind on the world stage.
Now that he has traveled through time, he must solve this problem systematically.
He stared at Chen Biqian, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, and asked, "Minister Chen, in order to solve the problems of shoddy workmanship and low efficiency in the Ministry of Works, I have an idea."
Without waiting for Chen Biqian to ask, Chongzhen said directly: "I plan to set up two new departments, one is the Manufacturing Bureau and the other is the Research Institute."
"Both departments are under the name of the Ministry of Industry. The capital is the General Manufacturing Bureau and the General Research Institute; the localities are the branches and sub-branches."
"The Manufacturing Bureau and the Research Institute recruit skilled craftsmen and talents from all walks of life. Talents in mining, iron smelting, casting, manufacturing, mathematics, medicine, farming, astronomy, geography, etc. are all recruited."
"Ordinary craftsmen go to the Manufacturing Bureau and are responsible for making things needed by the court. There are basic salaries and bonuses. If the quality is good, the more you make, the more rewards you get. There is no upper limit!"
etc...
Is this how you do your job at the imperial court?
Chen Biqian felt something hit his head. He shook his head and continued listening.
"Artisans and scholars with ideas go to the research institute to research new technologies and new things based on their existing technologies. They teach apprentices to write books so that this knowledge can be passed on and developed, and future generations can learn and carry it forward."
"With them taking the lead, the talents of our Ming Dynasty will be as vast and brilliant as the stars in the sky."
Everyone in the Ministry of Works looked at each other.
Chen Biqian frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Your Majesty, our dynasty has a rule that craftsmen cannot leave the bureau and the craftsmen are permanently employed. All craftsmen who are registered as craftsmen cannot leave the craftsman register for generations. Your Majesty's move is probably a bit inappropriate..."
What Chen Biqian said was correct. Not only in the Ming Dynasty, but also in other dynasties, most craftsmen were hereditary. Although they were exempted from corvée labor, they lived without dignity.
Not only would they be given as rewards to princes and nobles, but their marriages would also be controlled by the government.
They have no say and their social status is very low.
Chongzhen thought for a while and said: "The artisan registration system cannot be abolished, otherwise the skills of our Ming Dynasty will be lost. How about this: improve the treatment of artisans, exempt them from corvée service, and let the court cover all the expenses of weddings and funerals."
Chen Biqian thought there was no problem, and immediately raised the second question: "Your Majesty, craftsmen make a living by their skills. There is a saying in the industry that if you teach your apprentice, you will starve to death. Even if some craftsmen are willing to work in the institute, they will not write down what they have learned or teach it to others."
"These are not problems! My research institute needs talents like Jiao Xu and Tang Ruowang. Not just anyone can come in."
"However... in order to prevent the people in the research institute from working without putting in effort, you need to set assessment targets. You should discuss the specific details carefully with the Ministry of Works and the Cabinet, and submit them to me for my approval after you have agreed upon them." Chongzhen reminded.
Chen Biqian and everyone in the Ministry of Works were greatly shocked and admired the Ming Emperor in front of them even more.
His ideas may seem wild, but if you think about it carefully, you will find that they solve many problems.
Especially the problems of craftsmen working shoddily, slowly and slacking off.
The research institute is responsible for the inheritance and development of technology.
Absolutely perfect!
Chen Biqian and the others from the Ministry of Works bowed and saluted: "We obey your order."
After arranging the work of the Ministry of Works, Chongzhen remembered something and hurried to the imperial city.
The third issue of the 17th year of Chongzhen will be printed and released tomorrow morning, and must be reviewed and finalized today.
After entering the imperial city and getting off the carriage, we were still some distance away from the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Chongzhen looked up and found that Empress Zhou was waiting outside the gate of the Palace of Heavenly Purity with a few pieces of paper in her hand.
From afar, Queen Zhou, dressed in white, looked like a pure white lotus, her graceful figure standing in the wind.
Upon closer inspection, the white man in white clothes was even whiter, with skin as smooth as cream, giving people a feeling that it could be blown away.
Chongzhen couldn't bear it and stepped forward.
Seeing the emperor return, Empress Zhou bowed slowly and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
Chongzhen put his arms around Empress Zhou's slender waist. He was immediately refreshed by the scent of her body. He quietly pulled at her clothes with his right hand and said, "Come, let me see the Empress's...newspaper."
Queen Zhou's cheeks flushed. She quickly handed the newspaper to Chongzhen, then turned around to calm her breathing.
Chongzhen laughed loudly, and the tense atmosphere around him was immediately swept away.
He did this to relieve the pressure on the queen.
Queen Zhou has been under too much pressure recently.
First, he prepared to commit suicide if the city was captured under pressure, and then he started to prepare newspapers after the bandits retreated.
She is the Queen of the Ming Dynasty. If this continues for a long time, there will be problems.
The Ming Dynasty already had enough problems, and he didn't want any more problems to arise in his harem.
The two men walked into the Palace of Heavenly Purity and closed the door. Then Chongzhen took the newspaper and looked at it carefully.
This issue of the newspaper is much thicker than the previous ones, and is filled with names.
They were all soldiers and civilians who died in the battle to defend the capital.
"The list was provided by the Ministry of War. I checked it carefully and there are no mistakes." Queen Zhou said, touching her hot cheeks.
"I trust the Queen to do the job!" Chongzhen nodded.
After looking at it for a while, he pointed to a blank space and said, "Fill in two items here. One is to fill in the name of the officials who have been dismissed recently. Write down clearly what crimes they have committed and what punishments they have received."
“This is the attitude of the court.”
"yes."
"The second item is that the Ministry of Industry will recruit skilled craftsmen in the square on Qianmen Street in two days."
"Anyone with special skills or special weapons can go!"
"I've remembered it." Chongzhen said as Empress Zhou wrote.
It was already late when the final draft was completed, but Chongzhen did not hide the fact and directly let Empress Zhou stay overnight in the Qianqing Palace.
This night, the sparse shadows swayed.
The next morning.
Before Chongzhen could get up, he heard Wang Chengen calling softly outside the palace gate: "Is the emperor awake? The emperor? The emperor!"
"Something big has happened!"
Chongzhen's originally anxious expression suddenly became serious. He pushed away Empress Zhou who was lying on him and asked hurriedly, "What's the matter?"
"Pingxibo Wu Sangui has been ordered to come to the defense of the king! He is leading 10,000 Guanning troops to the city!"
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