My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 260 Su Gonglou and the Royal Cement Plant

Su Ze revised the "Memorial on Providing Shelter to the Poor Scholars of the World," adding suggestions on the construction of new-style cement earthen buildings, and completed the final version of the memorial.

——[Simulation Start]——

Your memorial, entitled "Providing Shelter to the Poor Scholars of the World," was submitted to the Grand Secretariat, and the Grand Secretaries all voted in favor of it.

However, after the memorial was sent to the inner court, the emperor was worried that the construction period would be too long and the cost would be too high, and that the imperial treasury would have to pay for it, so he shelved the suggestion in the second half of your memorial to build a new type of cement earthen building.

The emperor has partially approved your memorial.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige: 1190.]

[To fully approve your memorial, you need to pay 200 prestige points. Do you wish to pay?]

Su Ze decisively chose "yes".

[Prestige points have been deducted, leaving 990 prestige points. The memorial has been submitted in real life; please wait for it to take effect.]

Su Ze sighed. It seemed that Emperor Longqing had been exploited too much by him and had developed a psychological trauma.

With such a small budget from the Ministry of Works, the Emperor was worried that the new cement and earthen buildings would be abandoned and ultimately have to be paid for by the imperial treasury.
Improving the residences of officials was not a high priority for the emperor.

This cannot be said to be Emperor Longqing being harsh on his subjects.

The emperor, raised in the deep palace by women, had no understanding of the hardships of the common people.

The emperor was unaware of the living conditions of these low-ranking officials in the capital, and naturally lacked empathy for them.

If it only costs 200 prestige points to implement this national policy, Su Ze felt it was already a great deal.

This memorial was not merely for the benefit of officials in the capital.

What Su Ze needs to do is naturally promote cement and steel bars in order to boost the development of the cement and iron smelting industries.

Being able to manufacture something is only the first step in industrialization.

Making cement a new industry is not as simple as just producing cement.

Sporadic laboratory output and industrialized production are two completely different concepts.

Many of the laboratory technologies that Su Ze had before his transmigration were already quite stable in laboratory production, and a few graduate students could easily produce decent output by hand.

However, these are still not industrialized production.

Industrialized production requires replicable mass manufacturing, large-scale, continuous, stable, and inexpensive production.

Therefore, "breaking down the barriers between industry and academia" is something that universities used to talk about frequently.

The most important factor in industrial development is demand.

This is also a chicken-or-egg question.

When an industry is thriving and profitable, it will attract more talent to join, improve processes, and reduce costs while increasing efficiency.

Industrialization is a process of continuously replicating and multiplying to increase output, and then reducing costs through intensive production.

However, the early stages of any industry are bleak. Investors and customers need time to accept new products, and without sales and profits, it is difficult to continue investing.

That's why there were so-called industrial policies in the past, which involved using subsidies and other means to develop industries first.

Once the industry has grown and matured, subsidies will be gradually phased out, eventually fostering new industries.

Industrial policies were still too advanced for the Ming Dynasty. Su Ze used a simpler and more straightforward method: government investment.

Just as Su Ze did at the Crystal Palace Expo, he promoted Fangshan's glass industry by showcasing magnificent steel and glass architecture.

Fangshan has now expanded its kiln plant and added three more glass kilns, producing glass day and night.

Just as Su Ze predicted, with the influx of orders, Fangshan Glass Factory is constantly improving its processes, increasing its production capacity, and starting to innovate.

For example, some craftsmen use broken colored glass to piece together mosaic glass. This artistic glass is transformed from waste into treasure and is used as decoration by many powerful and wealthy people, who paste it in bright places in their homes.

For example, a craftsman invented the blown glass method to manufacture flat glass.

This method involves blowing glass through an iron pipe to enlarge it, then flattening and stretching it out, which allows for the production of thinner glass.

However, the downside is that it leaves rings of blow marks in the center of the glass.

This type of glass uses less material and is lightweight. Its only drawback is that it is a bit unsightly, so its price is naturally much lower. As a result, it quickly became a commodity that ordinary families in the capital would rush to buy.

Although Su Ze proposed building the Zhigu Fort, relying solely on the military industry to promote cement would be too slow.

Moreover, the requirements for military use are different from those for civilian use. Military cement can be used without regard to cost, but civilian cement must be used with consideration for cost.

Therefore, as soon as the imperial decree for the new type of cement earthen buildings is issued, people will naturally see the opportunities in the cement industry and spontaneously devote themselves to it.

As a result, the production and price of cement will also increase rapidly, just like glass.
-
The next day.

Just like in the simulation of "Handheld Ming Dynasty", Emperor Longqing frowned deeply after seeing Su Ze's memorial.

Emperor Longqing also figured out Su Ze's "trick" and built low-rent housing for all officials in the capital.

Upon hearing this plan, the Longqing Emperor knew just how ambitious it was.

It's a pipe dream to build rental housing for all the officials in the capital who don't own homes, based on the meager repair costs recovered by the Ministry of Works.

If the project is halfway through and becomes an unfinished project, wouldn't we have to use the government's own funds again?

However, the emperor still approved of the first half of Su Ze's memorial.

Just as the emperor was about to issue the decree, he suddenly paused, looked at the three heads of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs present, and asked:
"Li Fang, why didn't the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs draft a red inscription? What were you thinking?"

For such memorials that were unanimously approved by the cabinet, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs would usually draft a red edict in advance, which meant that the official document procedure for issuing an imperial edict was completed. As long as the emperor approved the memorial, it could immediately become an imperial edict for execution.

However, this time the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs did not draft the memorial in red ink, which aroused the emperor's suspicion.

Li Fang was called out by name, and he was already prepared. He said:
"Your Majesty, I believe that Hanlin Su's memorial is without fault, and Your Majesty should use funds from the Imperial Treasury to sponsor the Ministry of Works in building a new building."

The atmosphere in the imperial study froze as the Longqing Emperor looked at Li Fang.

Li Fang knelt on the ground, her body trembling.

The emperor's gaze passed over Li Fang and turned to Feng Bao, asking:

"What does Supervisor Feng think?"

Feng Bao also knelt down and said:

"Your Majesty, this memorial proposes building houses for officials in the capital. If Your Majesty shelves Su Hanlin's proposal, it may provoke criticism from the officials."

“But if Your Majesty can bestow favors upon your ministers, those ministers who have received such favors will surely not dare to disobey Your Majesty again.”

After thinking about it, the Longqing Emperor seemed to agree with what Feng Bao said.

He finally looked at Chen Hong, who was in charge of the imperial treasury.

Chen Hong also knelt down and said:

"Your Majesty, if you are worried that the imperial treasury is spending too much, I actually have a solution."

"explain."

"According to Su Hanlin's memorial, the most important element of this new-style cement earthen building is cement."

Chen Hong's ability to manage the imperial treasury naturally indicates his talent for financial management.

He was also one of the very few senior eunuchs in the Directorate of Ceremonial who completed his studies at the Society for Research in Chinese Architecture.

In terms of professional competence, Chen Hong was outstanding. The fact that he was able to rank among the three top officials of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, alongside Li Fang, a former official from the Prince's residence, and Feng Bao, who mentored the future emperor, was also due to this ability.

Chen Hong said:

"Your Majesty, the imperial treasury can fund the establishment of a cement plant, and then the Ministry of Works can purchase the cement produced by the plant."

"In this way, as long as the project can be completed, the costs will definitely be recovered."

"Once the new cement earthen buildings are all completed, this cement plant will still be there, and it might even continue to be profitable."

"Therefore, your humble servant dares to offer this advice, urging Your Majesty to reconsider."

Upon hearing the words of his three trusted eunuchs, Emperor Longqing hesitated.

Now that you mention it, it seems like a really good opportunity to win people's hearts.

Moreover, according to Chen Hong's method, the funds allocated by the imperial treasury were used to build factories, and the cement produced was then sold to the Ministry of Works, so the imperial treasury would not lose money.

The Longqing Emperor then recalled that sentence from Su Ze's memorial—

"If such benevolent governance is implemented, and the poor scholars of the world are sheltered, then it can become the prosperous age described by Du Fu, a golden age that will last for ten thousand generations!"

Yes, if only I could have thousands of mansions to shelter all the poor and make them smile!

Thinking of this, the Longqing Emperor said to the three chief ministers:
"Li Fang, draft an imperial edict to allocate 200,000 silver dollars from the imperial treasury to build a cement plant in the suburbs of Beijing to help the Ministry of Works build a new building."

After a series of internal struggles, the Longqing Emperor said:
"The Imperial Treasury will allocate another 100,000 silver dollars to help the Ministry of Works build a new building."

"But the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs must send personnel to supervise, so that no scoundrels can take advantage of the situation."

"only!"
-
On the way back to the Directorate of Ceremonial, the three leaders kept a certain distance from each other.

Although they stand together today, the rift between the three cannot be eliminated by a single collaboration.

The current situation is merely a state of equilibrium where the three parties are mutually deterring each other.

Li Fang stepped forward today at the request of Li Chunfang and Gao Gong, to give face to the two cabinet ministers.

Moreover, Li Fang herself supported Su Ze's memorial.

Feng Bao's intervention was at the behest of the Crown Prince.

Chen Hong's move was driven by the needs of the internal transportation warehouse.

Chen Hong had long been in charge of the Inner Transport Warehouse and had extensive practical experience in the art of commerce. His understanding of money was more profound than that of most officials in the Ministry of Revenue.

Recently, Chen Hongdu has had a question.

Since Su Ze submitted his memorial clarifying the distinction between the outer court's treasury and the inner court's transport treasury, the connection between the inner and outer courts' finances has been severed, yet the authority of the inner transport treasury has become even greater.

Chen Hong discovered that the previously fiercely opposed relationship between the inner and outer courts had eased as a result, and the officials of the Ministry of Revenue were no longer cold and sarcastic towards the treasurer in charge of the inner treasury, but were much more enthusiastic.

The status of the Inner Transport Warehouse has even quietly surpassed that of the Eastern Depot.

Chen Hong pondered for a long time, and finally saw a short article by Su Ze in the Yuefu Xinbao, which made him suddenly realize the truth.

Su Ze's article is an introduction published in the "Investigation of Things and Extension of Knowledge" section, titled "On Public Finance".

This is not a systematic theory, but rather a collection of scattered pieces of financial knowledge.

Su Ze wrote in the article:
"Only when money flows and goods circulate can one obtain the benefits of income and interest."

Chen Hong had a profound understanding of this statement; he even went a step further and came to realize a truth:
"Money only has value when it circulates."

The imperial treasury and the national treasury were separate, but during this period the emperor used the imperial treasury several times, causing the money in the imperial treasury to flow to the outer court.

In the past, the imperial treasury only took in money and never gave it out, or it was only used to supply the emperor's own rewards and consumption, which naturally aroused the hostility of the officials.

But now the Inner Transport Warehouse is the "God of Wealth" of the Outer Court, and they are too busy currying favor with it to be hostile.

It was precisely because of the circulation of funds in the imperial treasury that the status of the Imperial Treasury rose day by day.

As the head of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, who controlled the Imperial Warehouse, Chen Hong's power only increased during circulation.

Even if it was for the sake of the Imperial Treasury, Chen Hong still advised the emperor to spend the money.

The three giants each had their own agendas, and in the end, they all reached the same conclusion.
-
[With the unanimous approval of the three heads of the Directorate of Ceremonial, the Longqing Emperor approved your memorial entitled "A Memorial to Provide Shelter for the Poor Scholars of the World."]

The two cement plants, funded by the imperial treasury, became the first truly industrialized cement plants in history, earning a place in the annals of science and technology.

The new type of cement earthen building you proposed was later called "Su Gong Building" by architectural scholars and is hailed as the beginning of modern reinforced concrete architecture.

[National fortune +3.]

[Prestige +1000.]

[Remaining Prestige: 1990.]

Goodness, I just gained a thousand prestige points?
That's right. He submitted a memorial to the emperor to provide housing for all officials in the capital, so that all officials in the capital would be grateful for his kindness.

This is not just about increasing prestige; when other officials also move into "Su Gong Lou" in the future, they will have to think twice before submitting memorials to impeach him.

However, this time the emperor did not directly fund the construction of the building, but instead the imperial treasury funded the construction of the cement plant, which was beyond Su Ze's expectations.

There are indeed many extraordinary people in this palace.

This is much smarter than simply spending money to build the building.

However, this was exactly what Su Ze was thinking. Since someone in the inner court saw the potential of the cement plant and persuaded the emperor to build it, it would naturally promote the development of the cement industry.

This can be considered an unexpected surprise.

But what are the names of these two cement plants?
Royal Cement Plant No. 1? Royal Cement Plant No. 2?

Why does it feel weird?
-
Lengyan Temple, on the outskirts of Beijing.

He Xinyin sat in the meditation room, playing chess with Abbot Fayan of Lengyan Temple.

Abbot Fayan was a master of Go, but He Xinyin's unconventional and imaginative playing style still made him ponder for a long time.

Half a day later, Abbot Fayan finally made his move.

He Xinyin glanced at the chessboard and pushed it open with his hand, saying:

"Master, I concede defeat."

This almost made Monk Fayan faint with anger. He silently chanted Amitabha Buddha more than a dozen times before regaining his composure. He put away the chessboard and pieces and made up his mind never to play chess with He Xinyin again.

"Master, what are your thoughts on that matter?"

Monk Fayan was silent for a moment. He Xinyin had come to him to rent land.

Lengyan Temple is a hidden landowner in the suburbs of Beijing, owning not only registered land for monks, but also a lot of unregistered land held by believers.

“Benefactor He, I understand your Confucian scholars’ ambition to educate the world, but the matter of running a school still needs to be considered in the long term. It will cost a lot of money, and even if you have a sincere heart, it will be difficult to maintain it.”

He Xinyin shook his head and said, "Master, you misunderstand. I want to start a school not for 'righteousness,' but for 'profit.'"

"Prioritizing profit over righteousness?"

He Xinyin said, "Back when I founded Juhetang, I prioritized righteousness, but it ended up being a mess."

"Over the years, observing Su Zilin's work in the capital, I have come to understand a principle."

"What's the point?"

"A wise person should speak of profit first, and then of righteousness."

(End of this chapter)