"We obey your order." Fan Jingwen and Jiao Xu bowed and said at the same time.
Even if Chongzhen didn't remind them, they knew that this matter needed to be kept secret.
"By the way, how is the iron mold casting of the cannon going?" Chongzhen asked.
Fan Jingwen lowered his head in embarrassment: "Although we have made a lot of iron molds for casting cannons, we have not found the material for demoulding yet, so there has been no progress recently."
"It's okay, it's okay!" Chongzhen comforted him, "Go back and tell those craftsmen to take their time! We can't rush for success, nor can we be lazy and slack off."
"Your Highness, we will obey your command." Fan Jingwen and Jiao Xu bowed again and left the hall.
Looking at the two of them leaving, Chongzhen felt a ripple in his heart.
Is technology important?
It's neither important nor unimportant.
If your thinking is backward, even if you temporarily master cutting-edge technology and possess the most advanced weapons in the world, you will still fall behind sooner or later.
In fact, what is important is not the technology, but the environment that cultivates technology!
If there is something wrong with the environment, even gold will be corroded and lose its luster.
If we want to change the environment, we must not only start with basic education, but also change the method of selecting and employing people through the imperial examination.
The Imperial College, the highest institution of learning in the Ming Dynasty, was under the management of the Ministry of Rites, which was also responsible for the imperial examinations.
Since the source is the Ministry of Rites, we have to investigate with Fan Jingwen in detail. After all, he is also the Minister of Rites.
"Fan Jingwen hasn't gone far, right? Ask him to come back."
Reforming education and the imperial examination system is an extremely complicated and important matter, which not only involves the interests of the court, but also the interests of ordinary people.
If not handled properly, the consequences will be extremely serious.
In the following days, Chongzhen went to court and handled government affairs as usual.
He only worried about two things.
One is personal safety, and the other is Huang Degong.
Previously, the news had been released that Yangwu Hou Xue Lian's head would be chopped off. If someone wanted to harm him, they would probably have been prepared.
He must handle this with caution.
However, at the critical moment when the Jiannu entered the pass, even if someone was against him, he would wait until the Jiannu retreated before taking action.
"Wang Chengen, is there any news from Huang Degong?" The first thing Chongzhen did every morning after court was to inquire about Huang Degong's news.
"My Lord, no."
"Oh! Once you have any news, tell me immediately."
"I obey your command."
Hundreds of miles away in Wei County, Huang Degong was frowning.
Not only Huang Degong, all the generals under his command were thinking about one question: how to defeat Li Zicheng!
This question has been on everyone's mind since the moment they marched towards Daming Prefecture.
"General, the remaining food in Daming City is less than seven days' worth. If we don't find a solution, they will starve to death even without Li Chuang's attack on the city." Deputy General Weng Zhiqi said with a look of regret.
Huang Degong snorted, put away Chongzhen's secret letter and said: "It's time to end this battle."
"Is this what the court wants?"
"No, this is what I mean! The imperial court is afraid that our army will be wiped out, so they would rather give up the Daming Prefecture than let our army take risks!"
"I, Huang Degong, am a general of the Ming Dynasty and I am deeply trusted by Your Majesty. If I am not loyal now, when will I be loyal?"
All the generals present raised their heads with determined eyes.
Since the court solved the problem of wage arrears, these people have gone from being relatively loyal to being extremely loyal.
There's nothing I can do, I gave too much!
In addition to the salary from the Ministry of War and the rewards for military merit, he also received a considerable amount of performance-based silver from the emperor!
The three portions of silver feel heavy in my hand, and my loyalty is instantly maxed out!
"Report!" The messenger's voice interrupted the silence at the scene.
"Your Excellency the General, there is a man named Yin Hongsheng who claims to be here on the orders of Shi Kefa, the Minister of War of Nanjing, to seek an audience."
"Shi Kefa? Yin Hongsheng?" Huang Degong whispered the two names.
He was no stranger to Shi Kefa.
He previously served as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and Right Censor-in-Chief, and later served as the Governor-General of the Grain Transport Bureau and the Inspector-General of Fengyang, Yangzhou, Huai'an and other places.
During his tenure as governor of the Grand Canal, he was promoted to the position of Minister of War in Nanjing for his "meritorious service" in impeaching officials.
On the surface it appears to be an appreciation, but in reality it is a depreciation.
The distance between Nanjing and Beijing, to a certain extent, represents the distance between Nanjing officials and the center of power!
Most of the officials who lost power in the court struggles in Beijing were exiled to Nanjing.
Officials in Nanjing have no real power, and coming to Nanjing means retirement.
However, there is still a chance to make a comeback!
"Who is Yin Hongsheng to Shi Kefa?" Huang Degong asked the messenger with a frown.
"To reply to the commander-in-chief, I didn't ask and he didn't tell me!"
"Let him in."
Not long after, a middle-aged man with a kind face and a medium build, wearing a navy blue gown, walked in.
This man looks to be in his forties, but his gestures and movements reveal that he is in his twenties or thirties.
"Yin Hongsheng greets General Huang!" Yin Hongsheng bowed.
Huang Degong nodded: "You said you came here on the orders of Shi Kefa, do you have any proof?"
"There's a letter!" Yin Hongsheng took out an envelope from his arms and handed it to the soldier next to him.
Huang Degong took the letter from his personal soldier, opened it and read it carefully.
Huang Degong raised his head after reading the contents of the letter: "The letter says that you are a Jinshi in the fourth year of my dynasty. Before that, you served as a military counselor under Jiang Xiang, the general of Datong. Later, Jiang Xiang surrendered to the thief Li Chuang. You disdained to associate with this person, and went south to join Shi Kefa."
"Shi Kefa knew that I was fighting the Jian Nu, so he ordered you to help me?"
"That's right. Our original intention was to go directly to the capital to meet the general. We didn't expect that when we arrived in Jinan, General Huang had already moved his troops to Wei County, so we hurried over to help." Yin Hongsheng explained in detail.
Huang Degong frowned!
Yin Hongsheng's background is too sensitive.
He was fighting a fierce battle with Li Zicheng. Yin Hongsheng had previously served under Jiang Xiang, who had surrendered to Li Zicheng.
Yin Hongsheng didn't come earlier or later, but came at this time.
It's very weird!
He trusted Shi Kefa but not Yin Hongsheng.
When Yin Hongsheng saw Huang Degong frowning, he immediately understood Huang Degong's concerns.
He cupped his hands and said, "I know you don't trust me, but trust needs to be cultivated. If you trust me, I have a way to break the siege of Daming Mansion!"
Huang Degong was stunned at first, then he burst into laughter: "People who are straightforward will speak straightforwardly. Since you are speaking straightforwardly, I won't waste my words on you."
"Just tell me what you want to say. As long as it works, I, Huang Degong, will not only trust you, but I will also kowtow to you!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
