Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 124 Pirates and Treacherous Officials Collude (Thirteen)
Zheng Hongkui brought back over a million catties of copper from Japan, which finally relieved Song Yingxing's urgent need.

As a result, the production of large spinning machines and looms also surged.

Spinning mills and weaving mills sprang up like mushrooms after rain, and were taking shape in the blink of an eye.

Around 9 a.m. that day, Zhu Jue had just finished reviewing the memorials and then headed straight for the East City with Zheng Zhilong, Wang Chengen, Fang Zhenghua and others.

By this time, the foundations of the spinning mill and weaving mill had already been laid, and the outer walls of the factory buildings were almost as tall as a person. The pillars inside the factory buildings were as dense as a jungle.

More than 100,000 artisans and their families from the eastern part of the city came from all over the place. Hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children worked with great enthusiasm, as if they had inexhaustible energy.

They weren't just there for a full meal. Yuan You had said that once the spinning mill and weaving mill were built, experienced elders from the craftsmen's families could work in the spinning mill, and women and children who had learned to weave could also work in the weaving mill. The wages were not low; both spinning and weaving were paid by the amount of work done, with a minimum of two taels of silver per month. The faster and better the work, the higher the wages.

Now they have a bright future ahead of them. Even if only one woman or child in the family goes to weave cloth, they can still earn twenty or thirty taels of silver a year. If an elderly person goes to spin yarn, that's forty or fifty taels.

Moreover, all the able-bodied men in the craftsmen's households have jobs, and the wages are no less than two taels of silver a month. If two more people from the family go to work in the spinning mill and weaving mill, the annual income will be sixty or seventy taels, which is more than the salary of the county magistrate.

These days of plenty are beckoning to them, so they are naturally full of energy.

Zhu Jue looked at the scene and couldn't help but feel gratified.

Once a person's enthusiasm is aroused, they work incredibly fast. The first batch of over a thousand factory buildings for the spinning mill and weaving mill could probably be completed in less than a month.

When Zheng Zhilong saw these people working like madmen, he was dumbfounded.

He had also ordered his men to build houses. In Beigang, he had his men build a lot of barracks and warehouses. Although his men worked hard, they didn't work as hard as these guys. He really couldn't understand why these people were so motivated.

At this moment, Yuan You had already arrived upon hearing the news. Seeing that Zhu Jue was in disguise, he simply bowed respectfully without saying a word.

Zheng Zhilong quickly returned the greeting with a cupped hand, saying, "You're too kind, Father-in-law Yuan."

Zhu Jue then asked, "Father-in-law, are they learning spinning and weaving?"

Yuan You nodded repeatedly and said, "They are learning, but the machinery factory has limited space, and at most a few thousand people can go each time. So they are learning in shifts according to the village committee, with about five thousand people in each batch, and each session lasts half a day."

Zhu Jue then asked, "How are they learning?"

Yuan You explained in detail: "Weaving is actually not difficult. As long as the women and children in the craftsmen's homes are attentive, they can learn it quickly. Spinning is a bit more difficult, but experienced old craftsmen have been doing this craft for decades, so the difficulty of spinning is nothing to them."

Uh, it's one thing to teach women and children to weave cloth, but you also have to teach old craftsmen who have been doing it for decades to spin yarn?

Zheng Zhilong couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, these old craftsmen who have been doing this for decades probably don't have many years left to live. Are they still able to do the work?"

Do you think most people only live to their forties?

Zhu Jue shook his head slightly, then patiently explained, "They are not actually old. You should know that it's not uncommon for officials in the imperial court to live to their sixties or seventies. Yan Song was still serving as the Grand Secretary at the age of eighty."

A person's lifespan is actually closely related to their diet and medicine. The reason why court officials lived long lives was because they were well-fed and had money to see a doctor and buy medicine when they were sick.

Nowadays, these artisan families only need two or three workers to live comfortably. Next, we'll make medicine so they'll have medicine when they're sick. This way, they can live to at least sixty or seventy years old; forty-something is considered the prime of life.

Upon hearing this, Yuan You couldn't help but exclaim, "Your Majesty, you are truly good to the artisans. It is a blessing they have accumulated over many lifetimes to be able to live under your rule."

Yes, the current emperor is exceptionally kind to artisans. Not only has he built courtyards for every household, but he's also erected factories next door so they can work and earn money. Of the four classes—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—why is the current emperor so exceptionally kind to artisans?

Zheng Zhilong couldn't help but look puzzled.

It seems you don't yet understand the importance of artisans.

Seeing this, Zhu Jue patiently instructed: "Do you know why Ming Dynasty goods can sell well all over the world? Do you know why those colonial bandits are scrambling for our goods? Do you know why our firearms and cannons can be manufactured so quickly and so well?"

These achievements are all thanks to the artisans. If a dynasty wants to feed its people, it has to rely on farmers, but if it wants to develop and lead the world, it has to rely on artisans.

Craftsmen are the foundation of a dynasty's development. Therefore, we must ensure they are well-fed and clothed, extend their lifespans, and encourage them to produce more craftsmen.

"Right now, we can only ensure that the artisans in the capital are well-fed and clothed. Once the business with the Spanish is settled, we will be able to earn tens of millions of taels of silver annually. At that time, we will gradually gather the artisans from the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty to the capital, settle them properly, and ensure that they are all well-fed and clothed."

Oh, no wonder the capital city is so big.

There are at least a million artisan households in the Ming Dynasty. If they were all moved to the capital, the outer city would really need to be as large as this place to accommodate them.

The current emperor is truly farsighted.

Upon hearing this, Yuan You nodded with admiration.

At this moment, Fang Zhenghua suddenly strode over, cupped his hands, and whispered, "Your Majesty, Wang Yingchao has returned."

Hopefully, this time we've made some progress.
Zhu Jue nodded slightly and said, "Yes, let him come over."

Soon, Wang Yingchao strode over, quickly pulled a memorial from his robes, and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Governor-General of Zhejiang, Zhili and Fujian, Xiong Wencan, has submitted a report."

Zhu Jue took the memorial and glanced at it, and a hint of joy appeared on his face.

As expected, the wealthy merchants and powerful families of Zhejiang wanted to use their naval warships to smuggle smuggled goods. This time, Yu Zigao dispatched more than twenty centipede-shaped ships from the Zhejiang and Fujian navies to smuggle smuggled goods.

Once the centipede boats were fully loaded with smuggled goods, they could not row very fast. Zheng Zhibao discovered this and quickly surrounded the centipede boats, seizing thousands of dan of tea and raw silk!
Xiong Wencan is currently interrogating those naval officers and soldiers who were smuggling in their own secrets, and he believes that confessions will be delivered soon.

This time, we really gained a lot.

Now he can get started.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then instructed, "Go to Dongfan first, and let Zixian go back to Suzhou Prefecture with your ship. Also, go and fetch the confession from Xiong Wencan for me."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yingchao immediately bowed and hurried away.

Zhu Jue thought about it carefully again, and then asked, "Zhilong, do you have centipede ships near the capital?"

Uh, I didn't mean to run away.

Zheng Zhilong quickly explained in a low voice, "Your Majesty, didn't you ask Zhifeng to find a way to buy more copper from Japan? The more than one hundred centipede ships he brought back last time are still waiting for Zhou Guozhang's tea and tea set."

Great, this time he can go and get it himself.

(End of this chapter)