Chapter 519: Today, Tomorrow, Glory Belongs to Great Ming Craftsmen!

The Great Ming Technological Progress Award was originally Wang Chonggu's will, his ultimate move. He originally wanted to use his final ripple to earn a wave of reputation. He had worked like an ox for Great Ming for so many years, and he could only agree to the Emperor's request on his deathbed. His name in history was set in stone, but Zhu Yijun intercepted this plan, yet still left Wang Chonggu's name on the solid gold merit medal.

Li Rusong, son of the Marquis of Ningyuan, deputy commander of the Great Ming Capital Battalion, Assistant Regional Commander of the Cavalry Battalion, and the one who led the way for His Majesty, sat on a white elephant, looking at the procession in front. At the very front was a compass chariot. Both the white elephant and the compass chariot were leading vehicles. Behind the leading vehicles were the Embroidered Uniform Guards wearing iron armor, totaling six hundred people, divided into two columns, carrying the "Su" flag on the left and the "Mu" flag on the right.

Behind the Embroidered Uniform Guards were the Great Han Generals, each sitting on a tall horse, carrying a long ceremonial sword, looking majestic. Behind the three hundred and twenty Great Han Generals was the imperial carriage pulled by eighteen white horses, arranged in three rows of nine, six, and three. On both sides of the imperial carriage were guards composed of the Northern Suppressing Division's mounted scouts.

The carriage had four wheels, half the size of a bedroom. In the carriage were the Great Ming Emperor Zhu Yijun, Empress Wang Yaozhuo, and the eldest legitimate son Zhu Changzhi. Zhu Changzhi was lying by the window, curiously looking outside, pointing, and exclaiming from time to time at scenes he had never seen before. Wang Yaozhuo explained tirelessly, while Zhu Yijun was reviewing the entire process of the ceremony.

Zhu Yijun held a box in his hand, only the size of a palm. This was the protagonist of this award ceremony, the first-class merit medal among the five-class merits—the "Extraordinary Merit Medal." The medal was made of sixteen taels (596g) of solid gold, a rectangular tablet, seven inches and seven fen long, two inches and four fen wide, and five fen thick.

Princes used gold, ministers used silver, officials used copper, and the Emperor used jade. Zhu Yijun originally wanted to make it a jade tablet, but after the Ministry of Rites kept nagging, he finally used solid gold.

The front of the merit medal was engraved with the reason for the reward. For example, Wei Youshan's medal was engraved: "On the 23rd day of the 12th month of the 10th year of Wanli, Wei Youshan respectfully presented auspicious liquid fertilizer, a merit to the people, a merit to heaven and earth, specially bestowed with grace." The back was "Respectfully presented by Wang Chonggu to those who are well-informed." The gold medal was placed in a sealed glass box to prevent the engraving from collecting dirt, and the sealed glass box was placed in a soft-bottomed sandalwood box, on which Wei Youshan's life was engraved. Wei Youshan's original name was Wei Sidao because his family lived at the third intersection in the village. Wei Sidao's father was a kiln worker, his grandfather was a kiln worker, and his great-grandfather was also a kiln worker. Wei Sidao followed his father into the kiln well since he was a child. His father died in the well, and his mother, fearing Wei Sidao would follow in his father's footsteps, changed his name to Wei Youshan.

Wei Youshan was very smart since he was a child, but being smart didn't seem to be of much use in the kiln well until Great Ming began to organize the Western Hills Coal Bureau.

Wang Chonggu emphasized repeatedly, even hanging signs on the doors of every handicraft workshop, telling the craftsmen that neither the Western Hills Coal Bureau nor the woolen factory was his own merit, but the Emperor's imperial order and sacred favor, because the full name of the Western Hills Coal Bureau was: "Imperially Commissioned Western Hills Coal Affairs Bureau," and the woolen factory was: "Imperially Commissioned Yongding Woolen Factory." All grace was because of His Majesty's sacred order.

But the craftsmen still thanked Wang Chonggu for his efforts for the factories. The Great Ming official factory group construction method had always been Wang Chonggu's foundation, just as important as the Examination Method was to Zhang Juzheng.

However, the craftsmen remained grateful for Wang Chonggu's efforts on behalf of the official factories; the Great Ming official factory group manufacturing method had always been the foundation of Wang Chonggu's career, just as important to him as the Performance Assessment Method was to Zhang Juzheng.

Only high pressure, only strict rules and regulations, without reasonable distribution, official factories lack enthusiasm. Do private workshops have enthusiasm? Enthusiasm must always be guaranteed by distribution! Instead of drawing big cakes, craftsmen are not fools. The little silver you give is really hard to do things with.

Taking out less than one-tenth of the official factory's profit for dividends, the craftsmen were already grateful. If they really wanted to explode production capacity, they only needed to pull the proportion of this dividend, and it would explode directly.

Zhang Juzheng's Class Theory, Volume 2, was still exerting force. According to Zhang Juzheng's vision, distributing 30% of profits downward was a healthy and reasonable official factory. Once the proportion of craftsmen in distribution was lower than 30%, it was very dangerous.

Great Ming's dividend silver was one-tenth of the profit, plus daily labor remuneration, and the security mechanism established around the factory craftsmen, that is, welfare. Welfare was not just rice, flour, oil, and grain for festivals, but also the official factory's three-level school, craftsman school, and women's weaving institute, all of which required large investments of silver. These were all real distributions.

The distribution of Great Ming official factories downward, after adding dividend silver, the overall proportion of craftsmen in profit distribution exceeded 35%. That is to say, before the dividend silver system, Great Ming official factories distributed less than 30% downward, but still erupted with strong enthusiasm. This was entirely because the kiln well owners before were really not human.

Treatment is often compared.

Zhu Yijun's carriage finally stopped steadily. Such a massive formation only occurred during suburban sacrifices, that is, when the Emperor personally went to the imperial tombs to worship his ancestors. On weekdays, Zhu Yijun's travel would not exceed three hundred people.

Suburban sacrifices, Zhu Yijun had never been to once, all were handled by the Great High Priest, the Duke of England, the Duke of Cheng, and the Duke of Ding. He was busy sending gifts to the imperial tombs. The new capital Yang family, Altan Khan, were all gifts Zhu Yijun gave to his ancestors. Although he had never been there, he thought the sages of Great Ming should be very satisfied.

The ceremony officially began. The order of the entire scene was maintained by the Capital Battalion, and the viewing platform was set up in the factory's grand auditorium. The auditorium was built in the seventh year of Wanli and could accommodate three thousand people. The auditorium was a place for ceremonies, only opened when rewarding meritorious craftsmen. The place for craftsmen's entertainment was called the theater stage, in various workshops, and there were also operas, storytelling, and other things on weekdays.

The sharp soldiers of the Capital Battalion moved the silver to the front of the square in front of the grand auditorium. This was the first step of the ceremony: distributing money.

This was the first step determined by the Emperor. Distribute the silver first and then talk. The craftsmen received the silver and felt at ease. Naturally, they all had smiles on their faces and were willing to listen to the Ministry of Rites officials nagging for a few words. Otherwise, who would have the heart to listen to what you were saying?

There were only twenty places to distribute money in the square, and one hundred and eighty places in major official factories to distribute money. The silver and copper coins were all sealed. They only needed to sign and press their handprints to receive the reward money.

The whole process was still very fast. After the reward money was distributed, and after the Ministry of Revenue, the inner court eunuchs, and the mounted scouts reported, the craftsman representatives would enter the auditorium to begin the award ceremony.

Zhu Yijun was a tool for awarding awards. He didn't need to say anything throughout the process. His appearance here was the greatest affirmation of the craftsmen.

"What are those Confucian students doing here?" Zhu Yijun looked at the Confucian students of the Imperial College and asked Wang Chonggu. This was not on the list of attendants, and recently, because the Royal Institute of Technology began to recruit students, the Confucian students' monopoly on power was challenged as never before.

Zhu Yijun would be vigilant.

Wang Chonggu bowed and said, "They came themselves, here to watch the ceremony."

"Won't there be any problems?" Zhu Yijun asked with a frown. If the Confucian students made trouble on this occasion, expressing dissatisfaction with the improvement of craftsmen's status, as the Emperor, he could only invite his ancestors to possess him, perform the Imperial Grace Shattering Earth Fist, and tell these ambitious people how tight the bonds of the nine clans were. Great Ming was never ruled by the Emperor and the scholar-officials together; Great Ming's world was ultimately the world of the Zhu family.

"No." Wang Chonggu said very affirmatively, "Our Great Ming Confucian students are not unable to distinguish right from wrong. Since the news of liquid fertilizer came out, even the voices asking for the factories to close have disappeared. Farming is indeed very important."

Great Ming's consensus is that agriculture is the head of all industries. First there is agriculture, then there is heaven. Farming, production is 50% determined by fertilizer. These Imperial College students were organized by the Imperial College libationer specially discussing with Wang Chonggu to come and watch the production of liquid fertilizer. Facing such an unreasonable product as liquid fertilizer, the cheap Confucian scholars also chose to shut up about the official factories. The Coal Bureau, no matter how bad it was, with rolling coal smoke and black ash everywhere, could produce liquid fertilizer, so it was a good factory.

The cheap Confucian scholars couldn't talk about the official factories, nor could they talk about the mistakes of the Royal Institute of Technology. They could only mutter that Wang Chonggu was a fool, using private money to do public things, and that sour taste of wanting to replace him spread from the capital to Lisbon.

This good opportunity to leave a name in history, how much silver could it be exchanged for?

Zhu Yijun's worry was completely redundant. These Imperial College students were young and inexperienced, indeed easy to be instigated, but not all were cheap Confucian scholars. They didn't go directly to the auditorium, but went to the liquid fertilizer factory, leaning against the wall, vomiting. They didn't listen to the craftsmen's advice and insisted on seeing the liquid fertilizer. As soon as they opened it, they vomited directly.

That smell was really unbearable.

And the liquid fertilizer factory clearly proved the previously proposed material is moving material by the Royal Institute of Physical Research because the unpleasant smell of liquid fertilizer spread throughout the factory, and it was stinking even without opening it.

Even so, when the students left the liquid fertilizer factory, they were still excitedly discussing the impact of liquid fertilizer!

Liquid fertilizer is actually distilling organic ammonia in coal ore, and then cooling and dissolving it in water. It sounds easy, but doing it depends on the craftsmen to achieve it.

Land yield increase is beneficial to the students. In the eleventh year of Wanli, to be a student of the Imperial College, who didn't have ten thousand mu of fertile land at home? If you don't, you are embarrassed to say hello to people.

Liquid fertilizer, this thing, everyone in Great Ming is a beneficiary.

The craftsman representatives began to enter. Wang Chonggu stood straight, walked to the front of the stage, stretched out his hand to everyone, and the auditorium suddenly became quiet.

"Today, the Western Hills Coal Bureau's liquid fertilizer factory has officially started small-scale production. It is expected that before spring plowing, it can provide liquid fertilizer to meet the needs of 300,000 mu of land. If effective, it will be promoted in major official factories in the second half of the year and expand production." Wang Chonggu first told everyone that the Western Hills Coal Bureau did not lie. This thing was not paper talk, not cheating the court's funds, but had already been produced on a small scale and could meet the needs of 300,000 mu of land.

"Last year, the Western Hills Coal Bureau's coal-iron joint operation, coal, honeycomb coal, and coke, had a total output of 650 million catties, crude steel output of 2.74 million catties, and iron output of 24 million catties. Compared to last year, crude steel output increased by 670,000 catties, and iron increased by 4.6 million catties. The woolen factory wove 630,000 bolts of coarse woolen cloth and 94,000 bolts of fine woolen cloth, an increase of 180,000 bolts of coarse woolen and 19,000 bolts of fine woolen compared to last year."

"To have such results, all rely on the diligence of the craftsmen."

The total steel output was 26.74 million catties, which was really not much, only about 13,000 tons. Great Ming's annual pig iron output was about 150,000 tons, and 13,000 tons did not even reach one-tenth of the output.

In the seventh year of Hongwu, Great Ming set up thirteen iron smelting official factories, each with one ambassador of the eighth rank and one deputy ambassador of the ninth rank. In the twenty-eighth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict to abolish the iron smelting factories in various places and changed them to iron taxes, collecting two out of every thirty, which is the current widely adopted six out of one hundred.

In the early years of Yongle, Zhu Di issued an edict to restore the official factory iron smelting, re-established iron officials, and added Sichuan Longzhou iron smelting and Shuntian Zunhua iron smelting, totaling fifteen official factories.

In the nineteenth year of Yongle, when the capital was moved, the iron tax plus official smelting that year totaled 19.57 million catties.

After that, it was the vigorous "promoting literature and suppressing martial arts." The iron smelting factories were abolished in the first year of Hongxi, ordering the people to mine and smelt themselves. Since then, Great Ming only had the thirty-tax-two, hundred-value-six iron tax, and no iron smelting factories, iron officials, and coal-iron official factories.

Since Wang Chonggu began to build the Yongding woolen factory, the big hat of "greedy and treacherous official" had never left him.

Great Ming's pig iron output was about 150,000 tons. According to the standard of thirty tax two, the Great Ming court could collect about 10,000 tons of iron a year. If there were 10,000 tons of iron every year, Altan Khan would have been smashed to death. How could it be his turn to be fierce?

The iron tax, since ordering the people to mine and smelt themselves, had existed in name only, existing only in the law, and had never been actually collected. This was related to Wang Yun-dao being exiled overseas during the Hongwu years.

In the fifteenth year of Hongwu, Wang Yun-dao, an official of Guangping Prefecture, submitted a memorial saying that iron was produced in Linshui Town, Cizhou, and there was a million-catty iron tax in the Yuan Dynasty, requesting an edict to open the tax. Zhu Yuanzhang issued a clear edict to reprimand Wang Yun-dao, defining Wang Yun-dao as a "disturbing official" on the grounds that "military needs are not lacking and people's livelihood is already settled, restoring this will inevitably disturb the people," and exiled Wang Yun-dao overseas.

Since then, this iron tax was a regulation that was never collected. It was considered the court's grace to set a tax but not collect it. As long as any court official mentioned the two words "iron tax," first a big hat of "greedy and treacherous official" was put on, and then the ancestral law, the old case of the fifteenth year of Hongwu, was brought out. Who dared to mention it easily? Facing the ancestral law, one could only sigh helplessly.

In the thirty-second year of Jiajing, the Ministry of Works reported to the Emperor, saying that the iron smelting in various places had long been stopped, the iron tax was not collected, and the iron stored in the inner and outer treasuries was limited, and military needs were insufficient for annual use, begging the Emperor to bear the scolding and open the furnace for one year, and then stop it again. The Ministry of Works used an extremely sorrowful tone to beg the Emperor to bear the scolding and open the furnace for one year. If it wasn't opened again, there would really be no iron to use.

A clever woman cannot cook without rice. Great Ming had no iron. How could the Ministry of Works build? The military situation was dangerous. Without armor, long and short weapons, and iron arrowheads, how could they resist the enemy?

But the final result was still nothing.

The 13,000 tons of the Western Hills Coal Bureau, even if all were steel, was about the output of Baosteel Group in one hour after energy saving and emission reduction in later generations.

Even though most of these 13,000 tons were pig iron, in the eleventh year of Wanli, it was still the best in the world! The second place in steel output was Songjiang Official Smelting, the third was Shengzhou Official Factory, and the fourth was Henan Iron Smelting.

Great Ming was using coal-steel joint operation to change Great Ming's production relations, using coal-steel joint operation as the core production capacity to drive Great Ming's transformation from a small-scale peasant economy to a commodity economy.

Wang Chonggu said with some emotion: "This is the ninth year of the Western Hills Coal Bureau. In these nine years, the output of coal, iron, and steel has climbed steadily. Around the Western Hills Coal Bureau, there are 3,400 blacksmith shops, which take iron from the Western Hills Coal Bureau and forge it into various iron tools."

"To achieve such results, glory belongs to all craftsmen!"

A phenomenon that the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and the Shipping Department could not understand was that Great Ming iron pots could become the fist product for going to sea. One silver per pot, iron pots that were faster to make money than robbing money, were unexpected. The key was that there was a huge demand for iron pots, whether it was the Mughal Empire or the West, there was a strong demand.

Originally, everyone's eyes were focused on traditional export goods such as silk, raw silk, porcelain, tea, and cotton cloth. Iron pots were incidental, but the profit of iron pots was only second to silk and cotton cloth, exceeding porcelain and tea.

The censors had always used coal smoke as an entry point to demand abolition. Some time ago, they demanded suspension because of water in the well, but the industrial craftsmen were rich, not empty-mouthed. If the Great Ming Western Hills Coal Bureau collapsed, how would these 3,400 blacksmith shops established around the Western Hills Coal Bureau maintain their livelihood?

They spoke without regard for the livelihood of the common people. This was the direct reason why the Ministry of Works had never responded. The craftsmen were truly rich. At most, they would get some absorption towers to absorb the coal smoke. Stopping production was impossible. If production stopped, these unemployed common people would become displaced people. Who would settle them?

Not to mention the industrial chain around the Western Hills Coal Bureau, just these 21,000 resident craftsmen, they had strength, discipline, and listened to arrangements, and were the best candidates for soldiers. After the resident craftsmen lost their jobs, as long as someone came out to incite them, this would be 21,000 elite troops, the core of rebellion.

Wang Chonggu said very excitedly: "In these nine years, many achievements have been made, and a large number of skilled craftsmen have emerged. And today, Wei Youshan's liquid fertilizer method is the result of the orderly official factories. We solemnly invite Wei Youshan."

Wei Youshan walked onto the stage. He had washed up well and was just an ordinary middle-aged man, simple and honest. He walked to Wang Chonggu.

"Say a few words." Wang Chonggu said with a smile.

Wei Youshan looked at everyone. He was a bit dizzy. The set of words written by the factory clerk before, such as "the world has no forgotten talents," "the world has no forgotten benefits," and "benefits are not in the officials but in the people," Wei Youshan swore that he really memorized them well, but as soon as he got on stage, his brain buzzed, and he forgot everything.

It would be better to ask him when the liquid fertilizer method pulls the cart, when to add coal, and how to look at the wind holes and fire holes. He was familiar with this, just like instinct. Every time the furnace was opened, the great craftsmen had to stare at it to prevent the furnace from exploding.

Wei Youshan held back for a long time, his face flushed, before he said loudly: "Everyone eat well and drink well."

The auditorium burst into laughter. Wei Youshan's words made everyone confused. In fact, the ceremony ended at noon, so there was a grand banquet after the award, which was extra meals in the factory canteen. There was no work in the afternoon, so the Emperor specially bestowed 12,000 bottles of national cellar liquor.

So Wei Youshan said, eat well and drink well.

Zhu Yijun sat on the viewing platform on the second floor and also laughed. Wang Yaozhuo shook her head repeatedly. In fact, most of Great Ming's craftsmen were like this, not very good at speaking, and a bit at a loss in such occasions. Her husband was very kind to the poor and the common people, with a kind face, and never had a bad face, but every time the craftsmen had an audience, they didn't dare to breathe.

Wang Chonggu laughed on the stage. He said: "Okay, eating well and drinking well is fine, then please ask the Chief Assistant to award you."

Zhang Juzheng stood up from the viewing platform on the second floor, came to the Emperor, asked for the first-class merit medal of the Technological Progress Award, and then walked slowly downstairs, handed the merit medal to Wei Youshan, and said: "Today, tomorrow, glory belongs to Great Ming craftsmen!"

Zhang Juzheng also had a set of words, which were also written by someone long ago, but Wei Youshan was the protagonist today. He didn't thank this or that, only "eat well and drink well." Zhang Juzheng didn't take out his set of words either, but repeated Wang Chonggu's words concisely: glory belongs to Great Ming craftsmen.

Liquid fertilizer, bringing the people to longevity and health, summoning harmony to the dome, in all directions, reaching the sky and the earth, all bathing in the sacred grace.

This ceremony looked a bit anticlimactic, but Wei Youshan was not blamed for forgetting his words. He had great merit. Standing on the stage, as long as he didn't curse the Emperor, he wouldn't be blamed.

Zhu Yijun had always believed that violence was gunpowder, steel, silver coins, theory, and human heart.

"Sir, seeing Wang Chonggu so glorious, what is your feeling?" Zhu Yijun asked Zhang Juzheng, who had returned to the viewing platform.

Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment and shook his head: "This is what he deserves."

"But all this is because of you, sir. If you hadn't insisted on enriching the country and strengthening the army, there wouldn't be these today." Zhu Yijun still affirmed Zhang Juzheng's contribution. Without the restoration of administrative power, Wang Chonggu would still be the local emperor in Xuanda. He couldn't do the engineer battalion or the official factory group construction.

Bureaucrats are a sharp double-edged sword without a handle. If used well, they are invincible; if not used well, they hurt others and themselves.

"I just did some things that should be done. Someone has to do it, right?" Zhang Juzheng didn't claim credit either. In the early years of Wanli, it was really very, very difficult. Now everything had become relaxed.

Zhu Yijun asked curiously: "Sir, hasn't the third volume of Class Theory been written yet?"

"Your Majesty, there is no third volume." Zhang Juzheng said with great certainty: "There are only two volumes, no more."

"Oh, okay." Zhu Yijun nodded, didn't argue with Zhang Juzheng, and wasn't in a hurry. The second volume was completely enough now. Instead, he talked about the Confucian students. The Confucian students didn't make trouble and were very excited, rejoicing at the appearance of liquid fertilizer.

Zhang Juzheng also said with emotion: "Your Majesty, in fact, when the world is exhausted, corrupt officials can't scrape much money. They are all poor, so where is the silver to scrape? Yan Song and Yan Shifan, everyone says their Yan family is rich enough to rival the country, but in fact, there is not much. On one hand, they have to resist the Northern Barbarians, and on the other hand, they have to suppress the Japanese pirates. These are all places where money is spent like water."

"The powerful and wealthy are the same. They are greedy by nature, but they also hope for stability and harmony."

Zhu Yijun looked at the crowd and asked: "The Ten Kings City has been completed. I will issue an edict tomorrow to move the vassal kings in Henan to the capital. Sir, do you think it will cause a rebellion of the vassal kings?"

"If they rebel, just suppress them." Zhang Juzheng said quite calmly.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 520 =====

"Sir, seeing Wang Chonggu in such a glorious light, what are your thoughts?" Zhu Yijun asked, looking at Zhang Juzheng, who had returned to the viewing platform.

Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "This is what he deserves."

"But all of this is because of you, Sir. If you hadn't insisted on enriching the country and strengthening the military back then, none of this would exist today." Zhu Yijun still affirmed Zhang Juzheng's contributions; without the restoration of administrative power, Wang Chonggu would still be acting as a local warlord in Xuan-Da, and he wouldn't have been able to accomplish any of the engineering corps or official factory manufacturing projects.

Bureaucracy is an extremely sharp, double-edged sword without a hilt; used well, it is invincible, but used poorly, it harms both others and oneself.

"I have merely done what needed to be done. Someone had to do it, didn't they?" Zhang Juzheng did not claim credit. In the early years of the Wanli reign, it was truly difficult, very difficult, but now everything has become much easier.

Zhu Yijun asked curiously, "Sir, has the third volume of your 'Theory of Class' not been written yet?"

"Your Majesty, there is no third volume," Zhang Juzheng said with great certainty. "There are only two volumes; there is nothing more."

"Oh, alright then." Zhu Yijun nodded. He didn't argue the point with Zhang Juzheng, nor was he in a rush; the second volume was perfectly sufficient for now. Instead, he brought up the Confucian students, who were not causing trouble but were, in fact, extremely excited and rejoicing over the emergence of liquid fertilizer.

Zhang Juzheng also remarked with deep feeling, "Your Majesty, in truth, when the world is exhausted, even corrupt officials cannot scrape together much money. Everyone is so poor that they are rattling with debt; where would the silver come from to be embezzled? People say that Yan Song and his son Yan Shifan were as wealthy as a nation, but in reality, they didn't have much. On one hand, they had to repel the northern invaders, and on the other, they had to pacify the Japanese pirates—these are all places where money flows like water."

"The powerful and wealthy families are the same; they are greedy by nature, but they also hope for stability and peace."

Zhu Yijun looked at the bustling crowd and asked, "The Ten Kings' City has been completed. Tomorrow, I will issue an edict for the vassal kings in Henan to move to the capital. Sir, do you think this will cause a major disaster of vassal rebellion?"

"If they rebel, we shall simply pacify them," Zhang Juzheng said quite calmly.

(End of chapter)