At the end of the first month, Guo Xun, the Marquis of Wuding, who returned to the suburbs of Beijing from Tongzhou, also saw the light industry park.

The first thing I saw was a lot of strange-looking cars placed on the dock of the Tonghui River.

“…… What is that? ”

Guo Xun is familiar with horse-drawn carriages, this thing looks like a carriage, but the wheels are ...... Odd look.

"Master Hou, the rail-wheeled car will be used as a supervisor, a new thing." The housekeeper of the Marquis of Wuding was all the way to Tongzhou, and at this time he introduced, "The same gears as on the printing press were used, as well as the bearings, cranks, and chains cast by the Baojin Bureau in the foundry over there in the Heavy Industry Park." Mainly, the car seems to be said to be used on railroad tracks. ”

“…… Rail? ”

"That's it, like this...... "the butler gestured," said the butler, "there is a little section of the road on the other side of the Heavy Industry Park that is being tested to see if it can be done." I heard that if it can be done, many throttle wheelers can be connected together, and horses can run fast. ”

“…… It's a novelty. ”

"I heard that we are also trying to make a two-wheeled one in front and one in the back, which is not used with railroad tracks, and rides like a horse."

"Two wheels? One before and one after the other? Guo Xun was shocked, "Then how to hold it down?" ”

Where does the housekeeper know.

Guo Xun sat on the boat and looked over there, and pointed in a direction: "That big house, which company's factory is it?" ”

It's just that the house looks quite big, but it's very simple. The roof has not been deliberately decorated, but if you look at the bay, I am afraid that it has exceeded the limit.

"There?" The housekeeper looked at it from afar, thought about it for a while, and said, "I don't know if it's the quilt factory of the Weaving Bureau or the engraving factory of Ming Pao Bank." ”

“…… A few years after leaving the capital, the appearance has really changed greatly. Guo Xun looked at the southwest with emotion, "Nancheng has not stopped working?" ”

"Nancheng and the Heavy Industry Park are shouting loudly!" The housekeeper said with certainty, "After the kiln and other factories of the Ministry of Industry and Construction Bureau are built in the Heavy Industry Park, the construction of the mansion of the Zhuwang Mansion will begin. At present, Nancheng is mainly just building palaces and paving roads. As for the city wall, I heard that it was prepared to be put to the end. ”

"How much does it cost?"

Guo Xun sighed with emotion, no wonder after the joint performance of the civil and military champions at the end of last year was submitted, the government and the opposition did not know how many voices of rebuttal.

The capital is building a lot of buildings, although it is not a palace, but it is also a palace, what does it have to do with ordinary people? Although Guo Xun knew that the imperial court had operations: the feudal kings gave fields and palaces in the local area, His Majesty actually "bought" them. And to build a new house for them in the capital, it is the princes themselves who pay for it, and His Majesty only gives the land.

This seems very unkind, but under the influence of the Huguang Rebellion, as long as there is a way to live, as long as Your Majesty gives another way out, as long as Your Majesty also promises not to give money from now on, the vassal kings are unwilling to suppress it in their hearts.

Otherwise, the household department would have been required to bear the expenditure of such a large project, and it would have been a big fuss.

"Let's go! Just disembarking from the front, I went around to Nancheng and the Heavy Industry Park to take a look! ”

He is not in a hurry to rush to Datong, His Majesty has a secret will, and Guo Xun does not need to be in a hurry.

It took nearly two hours to reach the northeast of Liangxiang first, and Guo Xun was stunned to see a large row of chimneys.

"The iron works in Zunhua have almost all moved over. The Ordnance Supervisor, the War Bureau, the brick kiln factory of the Construction Bureau, the iron factory of the Baojin Bureau, the precision casting factory of the Baoyuan Bureau, and the Jinqi Fertilizer Factory are all here. The housekeeper turned around and pointed to the way he came, "Did Master Hou see it?" The Lugou River is also being dredged, and the Heavy Industry Park also has a wharf on the bank of the Lugou River. When the dredging is completed, the big ship can go straight down the triangle lake and then enter the canal. ”

Zunhua is in the northeast of the capital, and it has been an important iron smelting town since the Tang Dynasty. In the first year of Yongle, the Ming Dynasty built a government-run iron factory in Zunhua. In the four years of Zhengde, it is to open ten Dajian furnaces and 20 white furnaces, which can smelt nearly 500,000 catties of pig iron, nearly 300,000 catties of wrought iron, and more than 60,000 catties of stainless steel a year.

"All moved?" Guo Xun couldn't believe it, "The iron factory over there will be abandoned?" ”

"It's just almost." The steward explained, "I heard that pig iron is smelted all over there, and wrought iron and steel are smelted here. ”

“…… Really. Guo Xun looked to the southwest again, "There are so many craftsmen here, and I am afraid that this good township will gradually become one with the capital." ”

Walking further northeast from here, Guo Xun finally saw the new road leading from the south of the capital to Liangxiang.

"Last year, the Construction Bureau was all about repairing this new road."

Guo Xun couldn't help but open his mouth as he watched the people and cars on the galloping road.

It is said that in the Qin period, the first emperor built a gallop road, the road is fifty steps wide, and the tree is three zhang. The soil of the Daoji is all tamped with golden vertebrae.

Today, how wide is this short section of the new gallop more than 50 paces? It is not a tamped loess, but a layer of gray and white slag.

“…… It's not gravel, is it? Guo Xun asked.

"It's the slag of the iron works. The brick kiln factory received the order, but now it is only simply crushed into slag powder, and I heard that it is going to try to fire a thing called cement. ”

Guo Xun was already a little dizzy, looking at the dust when a car passed in front of him: "...... Cement? ”

"I don't have an eyebrow yet, but Your Majesty is very nervous. Every time I go to the Heavy Industry Park, I must go to the brick kiln factory to see Zheng Kui, who has been named a township. ”

"The craftsman who was knighted when he tried out the printing press?"

"Exactly." The housekeeper was serious, "I heard that Your Majesty promised Zheng Kui again, and if the suitable cement is fired again, he will be crowned a county knight." Not only that, I heard that after the cement was fired, the road would be smooth as a mirror in the future, and it had a lot to do with laying rails. Otherwise, what are so many iron-making blast furnaces in the Heavy Industry Park for? It's just cast iron farming tools, that's too much. Anyway, now, there are many masters in the Heavy Industry Park who are desperately running for the county lord, and I heard that some of the rails are about to be trial-produced, otherwise the Hou Ye would not have seen the rail wheels that were ready to be transported here. ”

Guo Xun seemed to hear his son cursing: If you don't make meritorious contributions, your son will be just a county lord like a craftsman in the future!

“…… Let's go and get into town! ”

Guo Xun didn't walk directly into the Heavy Industry Park, so he didn't see the core area of the Heavy Industry Park.

Here, last year's Bangyan Tang Shu was the head of the Ministry of Labor, but in fact, he has been staying in this heavy industry park. Last year, his only job was to experiment here.

The upper reaches of the Lugou River are called Yongding River.

And this Yongding River also has another name, called Wuding River, which is the Wuding River that is "poor Wuding River bones, still a person in a spring boudoir dream".

The Yongding River is the expectation, and the Wuding River is the reality. The reason is the same as Huanghuai: flooding.

The upper reaches have always been on the Zhangjiakou side, and after flowing between Taihang Mountain and Yanshan Mountain to the outskirts of Beijing, it is as unruly as the Yellow River flowing into the plains.

Tang Shu presided over the construction of a reservoir and a main river channel, consisting of a dam and a discharge dam.

The water stored in it went down through the dam, and on both sides of the newly built drainage channel, many tall waterwheels towered.

Next to the waterwheel, there is a gear that is much larger than the one you see from the outside. The wheels rotate under the force of the water, and these gears drive a thick steel column to turn, and the situation inside is obscured by the factories that are distributed along the drainage channel.

Tang Shu knew that this was not enough, if he wanted to really tame this Yongding River, he still needed to build another dam upstream to block the water.

That is the Xuanfu border town, and only the Xuanfu border town has no worries from now on.

Whether this method has an effect depends on how it works during this year's summer news. Huanghuai is naturally much more difficult to govern than this Wuding River, but this method of damming and scouring still has some reference effects, right?

At the end of this first month, he wrote a letter to Liu Tianhe: "The teacher has received the sand sampler. In the upper reaches of the Yongding River, the Xuanfu generation has been fighting for many years, and the barren mountains are everywhere. Although the sediment in the river cannot be compared with the Yellow River, the Ministry of Industry is also following the initiative of the students to dredge the river downstream to help the sediment accumulation. If the students' strategy of holding back water and attacking sand in this Yongding River is useful, they can also learn from Huanghuai according to local conditions and learn from one or two ......"

The teachers and students, one south and one north, are still pondering the strategy of water control.

At this time, Guo Xun finally arrived at the range of Nancheng.

This is an area that will soon become the new city of the capital, and the roads are already paved with bricks.

Before Guo Xun entered the gate of the imperial city, he heard many people talking about the land price of the people in the southern city.

“…… What do you mean? ”

"Hou Ye doesn't know, this is a new rule that Hou Ye only came out on the way back to Beijing. Around the Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Earth in Nancheng, His Majesty set aside some places, and the Xu Hu Department sold them to the officials and people in the capital to build private houses. This is on the edge of the Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Earth! ”

Guo Xun opened his mouth wide.

Of course, he knew these two places well, and he had been ordered to worship them before.

The place is indeed very large, the Temple of Heaven has more than 4,000 acres, and the Temple of Earth also has nearly 1,000 acres.

But how sacred are the Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Earth?

This tree-lined and majestic place is ready to be sold and allowed to build private houses by officials and people in the capital?

"Can you really buy some land to build a mansion?" Guo Xun was moved.

Regardless of feng shui, this is close to the aura of heaven and earth, and it is often stained with imperial qi!

"Yes! The Temple of Heaven left a circle inside, but the land that can be bought now outside is also more than 1,000 acres in total. ”

Guo Xun suddenly realized something, and then bared his teeth and gasped: "Your Majesty is so short of money that he wants to sell the land of the Temple of Heaven and Earth to raise money...... Didn't the gentry talk about it? ”

"Some people also say that heaven and earth should be guarded by fireworks and fireworks. And to the west of the altar of earth is the palace of the kings, and the rest of the places must naturally be loyal ministers and good people to buy. ”

Guo Xun nodded: "I am a loyal minister!" ”

The emperor used this method to show that he was short of money, and his loyal subordinates were not allowed to express it?

It's certainly expensive, but it's a great opportunity!

So when he entered the palace, he first cried excitedly and then confessed again and again, Guo Xun asked with a blank eye: "I heard that the land next to the Temple of Heaven and Earth can be bought to build a house, can the minister choose a good land?" ”

Zhu Houxi laughed: "You have been fined for three years, and you are ready to buy land as soon as you return to Beijing, and it seems that you are doing well in Nanjing." ”

“…… After all, the minister was the Nanjing garrison that His Majesty left the marquis by his grace, and those ministers did not push it. But the minister knows in his heart that the minister can't accept the benefits and open the back door, the minister just doesn't spoil some people's business. ”

This part of "human relations" is inevitable. When he arrived in Nanjing, he turned a blind eye, did not shirk like Yan Song, and let others do those bad things to settle accounts after the autumn, this was the general strategy upheld by the "imperial party" to go south.

So Guo Xun said: The three-year fine has little impact, I still made some money for you this time, and now I will return it to you in this way.

Zhu Houxi looked at him and looked at him before saying, "I haven't caught up with any meritorious opportunities in the past few years, are you unwilling?" ”

“…… To tell the truth, he was a little anxious. ”

It's not unwilling, it's anxious.

Guo Xun learned to speak a little, and Zhu Houxi laughed: "You accidentally interceded for Li Fuda, and bumped into this opportunity." Xiangchengbo won this exercise, but he secretly gave me three tables one after another, and wanted to go to Xuanda. ”

Li Quanli is a staff officer of the Military Affairs Council, and now His Majesty and the Military Council are planning in the border town, he knows very clearly.

With the new victory, with those who are already familiar with it, there is a high probability that many generals will be transferred to the border towns, what kind of opportunity is that?

The commander used his life, made contributions in one fell swoop, and defeated the northern captives, which was the best opportunity to be promoted to the marquis, and the opportunity was imminent.

Guo Xun grinned and said: "The minister has been training for five years, and it should be the turn of the minister." ”

Zhu Houxi nodded, put away his smile and said solemnly: "When I go to Datong, the first thing is to clarify the roads and collect the hearts of the soldiers." ”

When Guo Xun returned to Beijing, the most important thing was to figure out the strategy after going to Datong with the emperor face to face, and at this time he also asked solemnly: "Datong generals, how big is the problem?" ”

Zhu Houxi only replied lightly: "After the Ganzhou Mutiny, in the past five years, the total amount of money and grain paid to Datong alone has exceeded two million taels. Within five years, Datong reported disasters ten times. And last year, if it weren't for the brave and resourceful middle road general Li Jin and Wang Xian's immediate decision to lead the pacesetters to help, the entire territory of Shuozhou might have been looted. ”

“…… It's so daring! Guo Xun couldn't help but scold angrily.

"I don't have the courage to rebel, and I don't have the courage to build the five forts of Xuanning to oppress Fengzhou Beach, but I have the courage to rely on the important money and grain of the border towns." Since Zhu Houxi asked Guo Xun to go to Datong, he didn't hide his attitude from him, "It's just that they have been doing it for so many years, although they have not made great achievements, they have not made great mistakes." There are many places on Zhubian that are like this, and now Datong Town has made new military exploits after all, but it is not easy to investigate and deal with it at this time. I don't do anything to them now, but I can't count on them. ”

Guo Xun nodded: "If all the people are promoted and secretly transferred to other places, there will be many generals on all sides who are not at ease." Nowadays, among the Ming army, although the border town is dangerous, it is also the easiest place to make money and the easiest place to mix capital. The newly transferred generals will be sent to the border towns, and there will be thousands of households and hundreds of households like a net, and the small flags will probably not be as good as the current ones in two or three years. ”

"That's the problem."

The army in the border towns is not simply solved by transferring the generals. In other words, if Zhu Houxi is not prepared to win another game on the frontier as soon as possible to implement the next step, then he can also start to slowly solve this problem after the new law has been preliminarily adopted.

But I answered that I did it first, and I suffered a loss.

Since the possibility of him getting back on the field is quite high, the problem of the border town is urgent.

Zhu Houxi needs to win this battle a big way, otherwise, many subsequent external strategic resistance will be greater.

took advantage of Datong Town's meritorious service this time, and promoted and transferred several high-ranking generals to other places? That's not good, the new generals are not familiar with the generals under them, and they can't exert greater combat power than they are now, but they may be constrained.

In this case, you can only rely on the strategy of the temple.

"With Ling's temperament and current situation, when I went to Datong, I simply put on a meritorious appearance." Zhu Houxi said to him, "There are two people, you use them well." Yu Dayou, you put it on the West Road to train troops and defend Shuozhou. I have suffered a loss in Shuozhou, and this time if I want to strengthen my momentum again, I can't do it without gnawing hard bones, and the possibility of receiving the enemy again in Shuozhou is even smaller. Li Jin, you put it in the north of Datong to patrol the North Hebei Road, supervise the construction of the five forts of Xuanning, and put it at the front. ”

Guo Xun has already done some homework: "I heard that Li Jin is brave, but a little unlucky." Neither his own life nor the life of his soldiers. Let him supervise the construction of the five forts of Xuanning, I am afraid that he will treat the generals and craftsmen harshly, and it will not be good...... will provoke a mutiny. ”

"The five forts of Xuanning must be built and guarded. In Datong these years, they only have the courage to make money but not the courage to fight, you let them choose, whether to return to the hinterland after building the fort to support them, or to wait until the autumn when the northern captives are the most easy to defend the fort. Zhu Houxi reminded him, "Your son's title has been cut by two grades at once, and you are in a hurry." ”

"......" Guo Xun didn't feel good in his heart, dare to love this for my good work in the past?

He thought for a moment and said, "The Tartars don't necessarily wait until autumn to fight again, although they are stronger at that time. But since he has suffered a defeat and is in a hurry to save his momentum, he is afraid that he will call at any time. Let some war-fearing soldiers go to build forts, but I am afraid that they will shirk in every way. ”

"If that's the case, that's fine. If so, you are justified in asking for impeachment, and you are in a hurry anyway. Zhu Houxi emphasized again, "I naturally pushed the boat down the river and transferred them to the public security departments of some provinces to enjoy Qingfu." ”

"But those thousands of households and soldiers ...... If this chaos is passed, will it not be the emptiness of Datong's defense? ”

"Emptiness is better." Zhu Houxi's eyes sharpened, "Li Jin put it in the north, just to ask me to stop walking when I see his general flag." According to Li Jin's temper, he would not just obediently supervise the construction of the five forts there. If he wants to ask for war and burn the famine, you let him go! ”

"......" Guo Xun asked tentatively, "Do you want to make a pocket in Datong?" I'm afraid this is not enough, unless the Tartars really capture Datong, otherwise they can still easily escape in the north. ”

Whether it is taking the initiative to create a situation where the defense north of Datong is empty, or Li Jin, a person who has carried thousands of elite cavalry on the small Lotus Leaf Mountain and even led dozens of cavalry to counterattack in the end, there is hatred, how do you look like you want to set up an encirclement.

But how can it be set up? The Tartars are not stupid, Xuanda is heavily guarded, in case it goes too deep, it is not a joke.

Zhu Houxi smiled and asked, "I heard that you went to the Heavy Industry Park to have a look before entering the city?" ”

Guo Xun is not surprised at all that the emperor knows his movements, that is normal, as long as he is loyal and obedient, he will be fine.

"The minister is breathtaking, His Majesty is diligent in looking at things, the minister has only been away from Beijing for three years, and he will not know him when he comes back."

"Repair the new gallop road, the railroad tracks, the horse-drawn railroad carriages, many things that are not at all powerless and cannot be done now, I have ordered people to disperse first through Ming Bao." Zhu Houxi looked at him with a smile, "Soon, the Ministry of Industry will take a large number of craftsmen out of Juyongguan to survey the line." ”

Guo Xun: ???

Why?

"First of all, it is the Sanggan River of the Yongding River, where I plan to build a dam to hold back the water into a lake, so that the Yongding River can carry bigger boats. Secondly, I want to build the same heavy industry park in Nahuai, mainly ordnance. Using coal to smelt iron can get better iron, Datong has more coal, so in the end, I am also preparing to build a railway from the capital through Xuanfu step by step to Datong. In this way, it is easier to transport the soldiers and the ordnance is more sufficient, and if I am also very smart, I must not only have trouble sleeping and eating, but also covet the all-round craftsman. ”

Guo Xun: !!

You...... Are you crazy, Your Majesty? Wonders mislead the country!

The Yongding River is naturally navigable. When Meng Yuan repaired Dadu, he opened Jinkou to divert Yongding River water to transport timber and stone, and even built a section of canal to connect the moat of Dadu. At that time, there was also a "Lugou Raft Map", which depicted the appearance of endless boats on the lower reaches of the Yongding River.

But that's downstream.

What about the upstream and the middle stream between Yanshan and Taihang Mountain? It's not that you can't sail, but the conditions are not good.

Now it is necessary to stop the river in the area south of Zhangjiakou to gather a large lake, and then dredge it all the way to the capital to form a waterway that can carry larger boats?

Do you want to build a railroad paved with rails to Datong? How much iron does that cost?

Moreover, the construction of a heavy industry park in the hinterland of Xuanda, which is mainly for the manufacture and manufacture of ordnance, although it is in the hinterland of Xuanda, is also very dangerous!

But Guo Xun is also a reckless man with a very flexible brain: "I can't do it now...... That's fake? ”

"Of course it's true." Zhu Houxi said solemnly, "If you can't do it now, it doesn't mean that you can't do it in the future, so this matter is serious, and the imperial court will take this matter as a major event for the defense of border towns in the future." Therefore, there are really officials from the Ministry of Industry to investigate, and there are really tens of thousands of skilled craftsmen to go over. Soon, next to Xinchi Road in the southern suburbs, there will really be tests of rails and rail-wheeled cars. In addition, I have ordered the Xuanfu to guard the West Road and the South Road with heavy troops. ”

"......" Guo Xun understood, "Pocket in Xuanfu?" How could the Tartars go deep into there, unless Datong was broken......"

After speaking, Guo Xun's face turned pale, and he said with a sad face: "Your Majesty, the minister wants to go to Datong to make meritorious contributions, not to be convicted!" ”

There are a lot of contradictions in Datong Town, is it because you want to think about it, and then deceive it?

But defeat is also defeat!

"Why should Datong be broken? It's just that the north suffered a loss first, Li Jin was also responsible for being transferred, and the edict of the capital was not to lose a city and a fort. How to create a situation that makes me feel that if you try to grab a big handful and run, it will depend on you to deploy your troops on the fly. ”

Guo Xun shook his head again and again: "Isn't the Xuanfu already heavily guarded the West Road and the South Road?" ”

"What if the north of Xuanfu is empty, and the Geyu area is broken? Don't you go back to the Xuanfu? ”

“…… Your Majesty, with the morale of the border towns against the northern captives for so many years, what should I do if I really lose if I make a bad scene? ”

Zhu Houxi nodded: "You think about it right." Therefore, when I went back to Beijing to select pro-soldiers, I ordered another 3,000 people who had suffered hardship, and I went to Huailai to be a craftsman first. The foundation work over there will not be faked. ”

Guo Xun opened his mouth.

Therefore, after you are going to let me beat the Xuanda defenders nervously and hold the fort, when he fights all the way to the hinterland of Huailai to plunder those skilled craftsmen and destroy the dam, railway, and ordnance factory project, he finds that there are 3,000 strong men in the Beijing camp?

How do you hide from the Tartar sentry and eyeliner?

"Remember, be really hard. Half a month later, the Construction Bureau of the Ministry of Industry will be recruiting! Zhu Houxi's eyes were very bright, "I still have to keep my mouth tight, and I know that going to Xuanfu is not to endure hardships, but to make meritorious contributions." ”

“…… The minister dared to ask again: What if the Tartar is not fooled and refuses to take the risk of conceiving? ”

Zhu Houxi said lightly: "After the start of the war, I will choose a date to go out of Yongguan, pass through the civil engineering station, and enter the Xuanfu to show that the imperial driving is personally recruiting to boost morale. After the defeat of Datong, I retreated to Juyong Pass to show that I was afraid, and the court was worried about the recurrence of civil changes. If the timing is right, am I willing to gamble on this? ”

(End of chapter)