Steel Dynasty - Chapter 471

[Chapter 471 Death of Doctor Sun]

Inside the ordnance warehouse, a row of twenty artillery pieces lay quietly inside. These artillery pieces were a batch of export-type artillery pieces produced by the military workshop.

“Uncle Emperor, these artillery pieces are all ordered by King Liang and King Zhao. They will be delivered soon. I’m afraid they cannot be sold to Uncle Emperor.” Xiao Ming said with a smile.

King Yong was quite disappointed. Now every vassal king was hoarding firearms to enhance his own strength. In comparison, he had lagged far behind. Especially when he learned that these artillery pieces were sold to King Liang, he felt a sense of crisis. .

Although Xiao Ming was dissatisfied when he saw the artillery sold to King Liang, he understood that his nephew always sold arms when he had money. He even suspected that Xiao Ming would sell arms if the barbarians offered a high price.

Thinking of this, King Yong rolled his eyes and said, “My dear nephew, we both belong to the royal family. Naturally, this business is related to each other. How about selling this batch of artillery to the emperor’s uncle first, and then you can produce another batch of artillery for him?”

These artillery pieces were deliberately placed in the warehouse by Xiao Ming. In fact, they were not prepared for King Liang, but he deliberately set a trap for King Yong, because King Yong’s fiefdom was really a treasure land with rich mineral resources.

In order to obtain the mining rights of these mineral resources, he had to come up with some crooked ideas, so he said: “It’s not easy for the emperor’s uncle to want artillery. My nephew can just produce another batch for the emperor’s uncle. If it doesn’t work, my nephew will join the army.” Allocate a batch of artillery to the emperor.”

“Really?” King Yong was overjoyed.

Xiao Ming nodded and said cryptically: “This time King Liang purchased four hundred artillery pieces from me. My nephew has to take care of his uncle, right?”

“Four hundred guns?” King Yong was shocked. Immediately said: “My nephew, the emperor’s uncle has more than Liang Wang. The emperor’s uncle wants five hundred gates!”

“Five hundred gates? Fourth emperor’s uncle, these five hundred gates are not cheap?” Xiao Ming said seriously, “It is said that the emperor’s gate is not cheap.” The uncle’s treasury doesn’t have much silver. These five hundred artillery pieces cost at least six to seven million taels of silver. This…”

King Yong suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. Xiao Ming mentioned his pain point. Now he really doesn’t have much money. , he suddenly remembered the last time Xiao Ming asked him to use coal mines to counteract the artillery, so he said: “My dear nephew, if it doesn’t work, can you circle some more coal mines?”

After experiencing the shortage of iron ore, Xiao Ming is now interested in iron ore. His resentment is deep, and the steam engine is about to be put into use, and the use of coal will also increase significantly, and the current self-sufficient mining volume of Dayu is obviously unable to satisfy him.

However, he did not want to spend too much manpower on mining, but planned to exchange industrial products for mineral resources to let other lords provide him with ore.

After all, even if you mine in their fiefdom, these mines will still be under their jurisdiction and may be taken back at any time if they fall out.

So he might as well just use the artillery in exchange for ore by name, so that these feudal kings can become his mine owners, so he said: “Uncle, my nephew is really powerless. There are only a few people in the fiefdom, why are there so many?” People are mining. Since the emperor sincerely wants to buy artillery, why not just exchange it for coal and iron ore?”

King Yong was a little embarrassed and said, “My dear nephew, the emperor has a few. Coal mines, but there is very little iron ore. “

The fiefdom of King Yong included the present-day Hebei region. In modern times, the iron ore reserves of this place were second to none in the country. It is precisely because of this that it became a steel base. , King Yong is actually in Baoshan and does not know the true face of Baoshan.

Smiling, Xiao Ming said: “Uncle Huang has made mistakes. There are more iron ore mines than coal mines in the imperial uncle’s territory. If the emperor doesn’t believe it, my nephew can help him find a few, but the mining of this iron ore is very limited.” The emperor can only do it himself. “

King Yong has always been a man who relies on mountains and water. Coal and iron can be sold for money, so why not? He said excitedly: “Do you really mean what your nephew said?”

“Seriously,” Xiao Ming said.

King Yong nodded and said: “If it is true as my nephew said, the emperor sent people to mine and exchange the ore for artillery?”

“The fourth uncle is extremely generous, okay, it’s settled.” Xiao Ming’s His eyes narrowed. His first step of the plan had been completed. He had also put a lot of effort into making Dayu a resource supplier for Qingzhou.

For this reason, he didn’t care if they were hostile vassal kings. After all, sometimes the relationship between countries was hostile and exploited each other.

For example, in modern state-to-state relations, while there is shouting and killing, the private economy is still booming. This is the so-called political coldness and economic heat.

After settling the matter, Xiao Ming carefully calculated an account for King Yong. The mineral resources to be exchanged for these five hundred artillery pieces was equivalent to the contemporary exchange of 100 million shirts for a Boeing.

King Yong may have completely become a big mine owner in order to buy artillery. At this time, King Chu has become the owner of his cotton manor, constantly providing cotton for Qingzhou.

After the transaction was completed, Xiao Ming accompanied King Yong to visit Qingzhou for a few days, allowing him to see the changes in Qingzhou before he reluctantly returned to the fiefdom.

After King Yong left, Xiao Ming continued to plan the future of the fiefdom.

For him, the resources in the world are limited. If he eats more, others will eat less. Therefore, in order to eat more, the problem of eating less will lead to constant quarrels between countries.

The prosperity of the contemporary West is based on a high degree of control over the resources of life. Xiao Ming knows this very well, so he is preparing to start a journey to let the whole world work for Qingzhou. Now it is his turn to exchange high-tech products for 100 million A shirt.

While he was busy planning the resource intake plan, an unexpected incident suddenly made the atmosphere in Qingzhou tense.

“Medical Officer Sun is dead!” When Pang Yukun said this, his expression was solemn.

“Dead! How did he die!” Xiao Ming said in shock.

Pang Yukun said: “According to the government’s verification, it is temporarily certain that Dr. Sun was poisoned by arsenic, and now it is rumored among the people that Dr. Sun was forced to death by His Highness. Your Highness, I suspect that someone is adding fuel to the flames, slandering Your Highness, and putting pressure on Your Highness.” .”

Xiao Ming looked cold. He just asked Doctor Sun to go back and think about it. Doctor Sun died just a few days later. Not only Pang Yukun, he also felt very strange.

“Tell me about it.” Xiao Ming was a little irritated. Although he was dissatisfied with Dr. Sun’s rigidity, Dr. Sun was a good doctor no matter what. He was heartbroken that he died like this for no reason.

“Medical Officer Sun is highly respected in Qingzhou City. After this incident, Confucian scholars in Qingzhou talked a lot, pointing out that His Highness’s Bowen College is a heresy. The implication is that His Highness’s Bowen College has broken the rules, is inconsistent with the laws of the ancestors, violates the laws of nature, and is treasonous. ”

(End of chapter)