Establishing the Divine Machine Battalion and vigorously developing firearms to promote scientific progress has always been Chen Huai'an's long-cherished wish, something he has wanted to do ever since he transmigrated to the Great Xin Dynasty.
However, when he was the heir apparent of the Prince of Jin, there were many limitations to achieving this grand goal.
It was not only because the Prince of Jin's mansion lacked the financial, human, and material resources, but also because developing firearms privately was a major taboo of the court, suspected of treason and usurpation, and could easily be impeached by someone.
Furthermore, the Great Xin Dynasty had just emerged from a period of chaos and division, and the severe shortage of productivity and talent also affected Chen Huai'an's ideal of promoting the "Industrial Revolution".
This delay has led to the present day.
However, as a time traveler, Chen Huai'an deeply understood the importance of promoting the Industrial Revolution, and he also understood the enormous advantages and terrifying dominance that the technological gap in weapons brought to the battlefield.
Therefore, after he became emperor, he had the ability to unify and allocate the manpower, financial resources, and material resources of the entire dynasty, and the ideals that had been buried deep in his heart sprouted once again.
This time, Chen Huai'an aims to mobilize the entire nation to promote the world's first industrial revolution, laying a solid foundation for the Chinese nation to stand tall in the East.
Let's get back to the main topic.
When the several high-ranking officials of the new dynasty present heard that the emperor wanted to establish the Divine Machine Battalion, the expressions on their faces were extremely complex.
But they all had one thing in common: they were all grateful to have such a wise and courageous ruler with foresight.
Chen Huai'an continued, "My beloved ministers, I have decided to entrust the establishment of the Divine Machine Battalion with the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works taking the lead, with the Ministry of Revenue and the Navy providing full assistance."
"My idea is that the first batch of artillery equipment for the Shenji Battalion should consist of 120 cannons removed from the warships of the naval fleet, and 2,000 naval officers and soldiers familiar with artillery should be selected to form the Shenji Artillery Battalion."
"Of these, one hundred cannons will be carried by the Shenji Cannon Battalion and escorted to the front line in Yongzhou, Nanyue, as soon as possible to assist the Southern Expeditionary Army in recovering Nanyue; the other 20 cannons will be handed over to the Ministry of Works for imitation immediately."
As he spoke, Chen Huai'an's gaze fell upon Hu Zhijun, the Minister of Works, and he said with a serious expression, "Minister Hu, I request that the Ministry of Works upgrade the existing artillery."
"As for the specifics, once the Ministry of Works receives the cannon samples and conducts a preliminary assessment, you can draft a memorial for my personal review and approval."
After a pause, Chen Huai'an continued, "The Ministry of Works can take advantage of this opportunity to replicate the cannons and recruit skilled craftsmen nationwide, with their salaries initially set at the same level as those of seventh-rank officials in the imperial court."
"If the craftsman's skills are exceptional, his salary can be raised to the level of a third-rank official in the imperial court."
"Your Majesty, this—"
Upon hearing Chen Huai'an's words, Hu Zhijun, the Minister of Works, immediately looked troubled.
It wasn't that recruiting craftsmen from all over the country was difficult, but rather that the conditions offered by the emperor were so generous that even Hu Zhijun found it hard to believe.
Furthermore, in the previous dynasty, where martial prowess was paramount, these craftsmen belonged to the "lowly class," with a social status only slightly higher than that of merchants.
This sudden elevation of the social status and treatment of craftsmen to the level of starting as a seventh-rank official in the imperial court and rising to the rank of a third-rank official is somewhat contrary to etiquette and propriety.
After some hesitation, Minister of Works Hu Zhijun still risked his life to remonstrate, expressing his concerns: "Your Majesty, I have a question. These craftsmen were of lowly status in the previous dynasty. Why has Your Majesty bestowed such great favor upon them?"
"Furthermore, if the salaries of artisans were raised to the same level as those of court officials, it would increase the burden on the court several times over!"
"Looking across the entire country, there are at least 80,000, if not 100,000, which is far more than the number of officials of the seventh rank or above in the imperial court. I am afraid, I am afraid..."
Hahaha!
Before Minister of Works Hu Zhijun could finish speaking, Chen Huai'an burst into hearty laughter.
He then continued, "Lord Hu, are you afraid that I cannot afford the salaries of all the artisans in the country?"
Hu Zhijun wiped his sweat and said, "Your Majesty, I was thinking that with the new dynasty just established, there are far too many places where money is needed. It's really unnecessary to spend money on unnecessary things."
"Your Majesty, I assure you that there is no need to pay the artisans such generous salaries. I can also share Your Majesty's burden by bringing together skilled craftsmen from across the country to replicate the cannons of the Divine Machine Battalion!"
Um!
Chen Huai'an nodded, gave Hu Zhijun an approving look, and then said, "I am very pleased that Lord Hu is always thinking of me and the new dynasty."
"but--"
Then, he changed the subject, saying, "My recruitment of skilled craftsmen from all over the country is not simply for the purpose of replicating the cannons of the Divine Machine Battalion!"
Chen Huai'an's eyes were firm as he spoke, word by word: "What I want is for a new wave of invention and creation to rise in the new dynasty, using the imitation of cannons as an opportunity to promote the upgrading and iteration of weaponry, and to create..."
The people present didn't hear a word of what Chen Huai'an said afterward; their minds were filled with new terms like "invention" and "iteration."
They recognized and understood all these words.
No one present understood what it meant to combine them together.
Even Qi Jiguang, who came from the Ming Dynasty, only understood part of it.
The only clear thing is that the emperor intends to vigorously promote reforms in the new dynasty.
If the previous dynasty valued martial prowess, then the new dynasty will value skill, making skilled craftsmen the backbone of the new dynasty.
While everyone was still confused, Chen Huai'an spoke up again.
He said, "My beloved ministers, you may not understand my intention to promote the Industrial Revolution in the new dynasty in the short term, but in ten or twenty years, you will surely understand my good intentions."
As he spoke, Chen Huai'an called out towards the outside of the imperial study, "Xiao Po!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
Soon, Xiao Po, the commander of the Imperial Guard, hurriedly entered the Imperial Study and stood in front of Chen Huai'an, awaiting orders.
Chen Huai'an said, "Last time I was on the Yangtze River, I investigated how much wealth the treacherous minister Qin Ruhui had amassed over the years. Tell me the total amount in front of these officials!"
Without hesitation, Xiao Po replied, "Your Majesty, a total of twelve million taels of gold, ninety-seven million taels of silver, and jade, calligraphy, paintings, and jewelry were confiscated, with an estimated value of eight million taels of gold!"
Um!
Chen Huai'an nodded, then turned his gaze to Jiang Xiao, the Minister of Revenue, and said, "Lord Jiang!"
"Your subject is here!"
Jiang Xiao, the Minister of Revenue, stood up instinctively.
Chen Huai'an said, "Lord Jiang, effective today, I hereby formally transfer these twenty million taels of gold and ninety-seven million taels of silver to the Ministry of Revenue for unified management."
"Of these, the thirty million taels of gold are earmarked for my purpose of promoting the Industrial Revolution and recruiting skilled craftsmen from all over the country. No one is allowed to misappropriate them. Do you understand?"
"Your humble servant obeys the decree!"
Jiang Xiao, the Minister of Revenue, immediately bowed to Chen Huai'an and accepted the imperial decree.
Then, Chen Huai'an turned his gaze back to Hu Zhijun, the Minister of Works, and said with a smile, "Minister Hu, I have already resolved your Ministry of Works' concerns. The rest is up to your Ministry!"
"Your humble servant obeys the decree!"
Minister of Works Hu Zhijun also hurriedly got up to receive the imperial decree.
Chen Huai'an spoke again: "My beloved ministers, I hope that you can unite sincerely and work together to strive for the creation of a new dynasty and a prosperous era!"
"My lord, I obey the order!"
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