Video Editor

Suning, which was temporarily "shelved" in Beijing, did not feel disappointed or downcast at all; on the contrary, it thrived.

He knew full well that the incident in front of the emperor was merely a necessary sacrifice in the power game, and what the Wanli Emperor and Zhang Juzheng needed was just a way to temporarily quell public opinion.

And he just happened to provide that stepping stone.

Far removed from the flames of war on the Japanese islands and the tit-for-tat impeachments in the court, he was able to extricate himself from the complexities of military and political affairs and devote all his energy to his grand plan that truly concerned the fate of the nation...

To lay out and expand the weak and deformed industrial foundation of the Ming Dynasty.

At this time, although the Ming Dynasty was said to be "the beginning of capitalism," and the handicraft towns in Jiangnan were prosperous, with Suzhou and Hangzhou silk weaving, Jingdezhen porcelain kilns and Foshan iron smelting famous all over the world, all of this seemed so fragile and distorted under the perspective of Suning who transcended the times.

First, the industrial structure is severely unbalanced.

The vast handicraft system was overly concentrated on the production of luxury goods and consumer products such as silk, porcelain, and tea, primarily to satisfy the extravagant consumption of the court, bureaucrats, and wealthy merchants.

And the basic industries that are related to the national economy and people's livelihood, especially steel, coal, and large machinery manufacturing...

However, its scale was limited and its technology stagnated, far from sufficient to support the needs of a nation moving towards modernization.

Secondly, the transmission of technology is closed and rigid.

The rigid system of government-run artisan workshops resulted in low status for artisans, a lack of motivation for innovation, and a reliance on family "secret transmission" of core technologies, making them extremely easy to lose.

The strict rules of traditional folk craft guilds hindered the spread and application of new technologies.

The entire society's technological innovation system is like a stagnant pool.

Third, energy and materials bottlenecks are prominent.

Although it has initially taken control of the Huainan coal mine and the Dangtu iron mine, most of the coal mining in the country still follows the old methods, which are inefficient and cannot utilize deep coal deposits. Iron ore smelting technology is backward, and charcoal is still used as fuel in large quantities, leading to excessive deforestation of forest resources. Moreover, the iron produced has many impurities and low yield, making it difficult to meet the raw material needs of large-scale industrialization.

Fourth, it lacks standardization and systematization.

The wide variety of product specifications and the incompatibility of parts have greatly restricted large-scale production and the manufacturing and maintenance of complex equipment.

Without unified units of measurement and manufacturing standards, the so-called "industry" is more like a simple superposition of countless isolated handicraft workshops.

Faced with this deeply entrenched situation, Suning did not rush to introduce any overly groundbreaking technologies.

Suning chose to use "offering policy advice" and "meeting the needs of the Daming Supermarket system" as a dual cover to begin its subtle and gradual strategic layout of Daming.

His seemingly leisurely residence in the capital was actually the first "industrial development planning center" of the Ming Dynasty.

First, a memorial entitled "Request to Establish Rules and Regulations for Construction Ruler and Weights and Measures" was submitted to the Ministry of Works, suggesting that the imperial court take the lead in unifying weights and measures nationwide, referring to ancient systems and combining them with practical realities, especially in government-run workshops and military production.

At the same time, under the pretext that "Daming Supermarket" needed to customize a large number of shelves, vehicles and standard containers, they privately promoted a set of internal parts specifications and manufacturing standards.

Using his influence, Su Ning pushed the Ministry of Works' Mining and Metallurgical Bureau to "improve technology" in the Huainan Coal Mine. He secretly introduced the mine's support, ventilation, and drainage technologies, which he remembered as safer, into the coal mine production under the guise of "miraculous techniques recorded in ancient books" or "good methods from overseas" through Zhou Zhengjie's channels.

At the same time, they began secretly writing "An Outline of Coke Smelting Method", preparing to promote the use of coke to replace charcoal in iron smelting when the time was right, in order to completely solve the problems of fuel bottleneck and iron quality improvement.

In addition, the intelligent units within the "industrial space" began to reverse engineer and simplify the design of basic machine tool prototypes that could be understood and manufactured in this era, such as simple turning machines, drilling machines, and grinding machines.

These drawings were carefully aged to resemble "treasures from the pre-Song Dynasty" or "illustrated Western artifacts," supposedly "discovered by chance" or "purchased at a high price" by him, and then tested on a small scale by reliable craftsmen.

He knew that these seemingly crude "mother machines" were the foundation for all future precision manufacturing.

Suning also recruited a group of unsuccessful low-level craftsmen and young scholars with some knowledge of physics under the guise of "compiling an illustrated manual of ancient and modern tools," and opened a "Gewu Studio" in his mansion.

Under the guise of organizing ancient books, he was actually personally teaching them, systematically instilling basic physics and mathematics knowledge, and exposing them to and studying simplified mechanical drawings.

These people will become the first batch of technical backbones in his future industrial system.

Suning kept to himself and rarely went out, burying himself in blueprints, data and various "ingenious and frivolous skills" every day. In the eyes of the court officials, this former "jinx" seemed to have resigned himself to his fate and indulged in frivolous pursuits.

Only a few discerning individuals, such as Zhang Juzheng, could vaguely sense the immense power that was quietly accumulating beneath the calm exterior of this young man, a power poised to transform the world.

Suning was not sidelined, but rather chose a more fundamental, and more difficult, path...

He wanted to lay an indestructible industrial foundation for this ancient empire.

……

In the seemingly peaceful years in the capital, Suning was methodically weaving a vast network covering the basic industries of the Ming Dynasty with a vision ahead of its time.

He knew that steel was the skeleton, coal was the blood, and chemicals were the wings for future take-off.

All of this was planned not only to drive the progress of the Ming Dynasty, but also to ensure that ultimate control was firmly in their own hands...

The success of industry is the success of Suning.

In the steel industry, he was no longer satisfied with the existing output of the Ma'anshan Ironworks.

Through the optimized blast furnace blueprints and coke smelting processes provided by "Industrial Space," he enabled Zhou Zhengjie to gradually infiltrate and control several state-owned ironworks in Zunhua in the north and Lu'an in Shanxi through "technology as equity investment."

On the surface, these ironworks still belong to the Ministry of Industry, but the actual production process, technical standards, and even the management of some core craftsmen have been quietly incorporated into Suning's system.

The high-quality steel produced was not only supplied to the Ordnance Bureau and the agricultural tool workshops under the "Daming Supermarket", but also some of it was used as raw material for high-precision processing in the "Industrial Space" through secret channels.

In the mining industry, the successful models of Huainan Coal Mine and Shanxi Coal Industry were quickly replicated.

With the help of simplified geological exploration technology and safer mine design solutions provided by "industrial space", Suning has extended its reach to emerging coalfields such as Yixian County in Shandong Province and Jiaozuo City in Henan Province.

He adopted a "government-supervised, merchant-operated" model, with the "Da Ming Supermarket" system under his control providing funding and technology, local gentry or officials coordinating the process, and profits being shared.

A standardized mining operation process and safety regulations were enforced, which greatly improved coal mining efficiency and also implicitly established his technical authority and de facto pricing power in the entire coal industry.

His most forward-thinking move was in the chemical industry.

This is almost a blank in the Ming Dynasty.

Under the guise of "pharmaceutical manufacturing," "soap making," and "improving agricultural fertilizer," he quietly built two "research institutes" in Xishan, Beijing, and Longtan, Nanjing.

From the "industrial space," he produced blueprints for basic laboratory preparation equipment for sulfuric acid and nitric acid, as well as a simplified process for producing soda ash using the ammonia-soda method. These chemical technologies, which seem fundamental in modern times, were at that moment like a magical touch that could turn lead into gold.

When the first batch of sulfuric acid, with a purity far exceeding that of natural sulfuric acid, flowed from the glass vessel, and when snow-white soda ash began to be produced on a small scale, it meant that the Ming Dynasty had finally taken its first step towards modern chemical industry.

The vast majority of the uses of these products are kept strictly confidential, but their potential in metal refining, drug synthesis, and even future gunpowder improvement is exclusively controlled by Suning.

The entire layout process, seemingly complex and multifaceted, appears well-organized with the assistance of the "industrial space" super brain.

"Industrial space" not only provides cutting-edge technical blueprints and optimization solutions, but also enables simulations and predictions of potential technical bottlenecks and resource allocation issues.

It acts as a most loyal and efficient think tank and R&D center, ensuring that every decision Suning makes is based on sufficient data and feasibility analysis.

Over the years, a modern industrial network, with steel as its backbone, coal as its energy source, and emerging chemical industry as its wings, quietly grew and extended beneath the body of the Ming Dynasty.

Most officials in the court only saw that the goods in the "Great Ming Supermarket" were becoming more and more abundant and that the efficiency of mines and ironworks in various places had improved, but few people could see the revolutionary changes that were taking place behind the scenes.

Su Ning stood in the secret room of his mansion, which was filled with blueprints and models, his gaze sweeping over the Ming Dynasty map on the wall, which was covered with various colored lines and symbols.

He knew perfectly well that the industrial sparks he had sown were no longer just a small flame.

They are taking root and spreading on this ancient land, and will eventually spread like wildfire, completely reshaping the fate of this empire.

Those who hold the torch will surely take control of the future.

……

The high red walls of the Forbidden City could not contain the young emperor's curious heart, which was full of curiosity about the world outside the palace.

After the turmoil on the Japanese islands subsided, it gradually became an unspoken rule in the palace for Emperor Wanli, Zhu Yijun, to visit Suning's residence to "seek guidance on the principles of things."

On this day, Wanli Emperor, accompanied only by a few personal eunuchs, once again appeared in front of the Su residence in a small entourage.

He shed his heavy dragon robe and donned the simple robes of an ordinary wealthy young man, his face bearing a lighthearted expression rarely seen in the palace.

"Mr. Su, I have come to bother you again today." Wanli walked through the corridor with familiarity, his tone friendly yet dignified.

Su Ning was already waiting at the door of the study, bowing respectfully: "Your Majesty's arrival is an honor to my humble abode. However, my room is cluttered and I fear it may offend Your Majesty's eyes."

"Ah, in the palace, I see nothing but memorials and rules every day, it's so boring. It's much more interesting here, sir." Wanli said, his gaze fixed on the steam engine model in the corner of the study. "Is this the machine you mentioned last time, the one powered by steam?"

"Your Majesty has a good memory." Su Ning stepped forward and demonstrated skillfully.

As the model hummed under the steam and the wheels began to turn, a childlike light shone in Wanli's eyes.

"Excellent! If this power were used to drive boats and carriages, wouldn't they be able to travel a thousand miles a day?"

"Your Majesty is wise. Given time, our Great Ming's canal and sea transport can both be reformed with this power."

"I will certainly ride in it myself and see how this steel behemoth runs!"

Such scenes were commonplace in the study of the Su family mansion.

Emperor Wanli showed great interest in every novel thing Suning displayed: the intricate structure of clocks, the microscopes that could see microorganisms, and even the simple electrical experiments captivated him.

But Su Ning knew that mere tricks and skillful techniques were not enough to win the heart of a king.

In his explanations, he would always intentionally or unintentionally connect these technologies with the national economy and people's livelihood: "Your Majesty, please look at this new type of spinning machine. If it is widely adopted, one person's work efficiency can be equivalent to that of ten people, the price of cloth will surely drop significantly, and all the poor people in the world will be able to get clothes."

"This improved farming tool can deeply till the land. Combined with the fertilizer powder that I am currently developing, the yield per mu may increase by another 30%."

At such times, Wanli would fall into deep thought.

Although he was young, he was deeply aware of the hardships faced by the people under Zhang Juzheng's strict tutelage.

What Su Ning described to him was a future that was tangible and distinct from the pale numbers in the memorial.

Sometimes, Emperor Wanli would also raise pointed questions: "What you plan, sir, seems to far exceed that of ordinary officials. Some in the court say that you have great ambitions. What do you think?"

Su Ning calmly replied, "My only wish is to see the Ming Dynasty become prosperous and strong, and for Your Majesty to become a wise ruler for all time. If I have any ambition, it is to be recorded in history as an opportunity to accompany Your Majesty in creating an unprecedented golden age."

This answer, which was both frank and left room for maneuver, greatly satisfied Wanli.

Looking at his elementary school teacher, Wanli suddenly realized that Su Ning was more insightful than Zhang Juzheng.

The thought of Zhang Juzheng, in league with Empress Dowager Li and Feng Bao, constantly restricting him filled Wanli with a rebellious spirit.

While Wanli learned the way of being a ruler and the methods of governing a country from Zhang Juzheng, he saw a possible path to realize these ideals from Su Ning.

As their interactions became more frequent, Wanli even had his own desk at the Su residence, where he would occasionally review some less important memorials.

Feng Bao once offered a tactful remonstrance, suggesting that the emperor's frequent visits to the residences of his ministers were improper, but Wanli dismissed it with the statement, "I am studying practical knowledge for governing the world."

Zhang Juzheng remained silent on this matter.

He was pleased to see the emperor become interested in practical matters, but he was also secretly wary of Suning's influence.

However, he had to admit that behind the "miracle skills" that Suning displayed did indeed lie powerful forces.

As the sun set, Emperor Wanli reluctantly set off to return to the palace.

Before leaving, he looked at the new waterwheel model being tested in the courtyard and suddenly asked, "Mr. Su, do you think that one day, the territory of the Ming Dynasty will become larger because of these machines?"

Su Ning bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, machines are expanding not only the territory, but also the boundaries of people's hearts."

Watching the emperor's departing entourage, Su Ning knew that he was cultivating the most powerful "product experience officer" for the Ming Dynasty.

Once the seeds of technology are planted in the emperor's heart, it's only a matter of time before the entire empire transitions to the industrial age.

...(End of chapter)