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Chapter 639 Opportunity Only Favors the Prepared
Donggui Hall.

After a year of experience, the officials were no longer the ignorant fools they once were.

No sooner had Su Lu finished speaking than someone asked in a low voice, "Did someone intercede on your behalf?"

“Yes.” Su Lu nodded. “But things haven’t been finalized yet. In any case, we will definitely prioritize the water supply for the imperial estates. The exact amount of revenue we can receive depends on whether the ‘sudden drilling method’ can be successfully implemented.”

Lu Ying quickly replied, "I was just about to report to you, sir. With the help of the research institute and the Ministry of Works' Water Conservancy Department, we have basically overcome the difficulties and can now drill wells to a depth of twenty or thirty zhang!"

"So fast?" Su Lu was overjoyed. "It seems everyone has been working very hard while I was away!"

"That's right, the officials will definitely ask about the progress when they come back, who would dare to slack off?" the officials said with a wry smile.

Su Lu's meticulous work records kept them on their toes, preventing them from relaxing their vigilance in the slightest.

This is the consequence of the managerial genius becoming a leader...

"Haha, as long as we don't exceed the deadline, there's no need to finish the task ahead of time." Su Lu chuckled awkwardly and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Zihe, make some arrangements, and we'll go take a look too."

Actually, Zhu Zihe did have a courtesy name, which he used as a pen name. But Su Lu always felt it was strange, like 'amputation'. So he always called him by his given name, since it wasn't considered indecent between father and son.

~~
When it was Zhang Xingfu's turn at the maritime transport preparation office, he stood up, hung up the nautical chart he had brought with him, and reported in a deep voice:
"My subordinates have completed the coastal survey. There are three official shipyards along the Bohai Sea: the Tianjin Weihe Shipyard, the Penglai Shuicheng Shipyard in Dengzhouwei, and the Lushunkou Shipyard in Liaodong Commandery."

As he spoke, he pointed out the locations of the three shipyards, which were situated on the three sides of the Bohai Bay.

"Among them, Weihe Shipyard mainly repairs and builds cargo ships, and can also build some small boats such as sea loach boats for coastal defense."

"Liaodong Shipyard mainly repairs ships and has limited capacity. Only Penglai Shuicheng Shipyard in Dengzhou is responsible for repairing and building Liaodong maritime vessels year-round. Its shipwrights are the most experienced and can build 400-ton seagoing vessels. It is also the only place capable of building seagoing vessels in batches."

He changed the subject, his tone becoming more serious: "But right now, Shandong is in great chaos. The bandits led by Bai Ying and Yang Hu have gathered tens of thousands of followers, plundering everywhere and even attacking prefectures and counties. Our colleagues who were sent to Dengzhou to investigate almost lost their lives on the way. Under these circumstances, it's probably hard to count on the Dengzhou shipyard."

Su Lu shook his head and said optimistically, "I think this chaos is precisely our opportunity."

As he spoke, he curled his fingers, “First, from Penglai Water City to Tianjin, you can travel back and forth by boat, and the entire journey is unimpeded. The chaos on land doesn’t affect the sea route; there are no bandits at sea.”

"Secondly, the more chaotic Shandong becomes, the more anxious the local boatmen and shipwrights will be. If we offer them generous terms—not only high wages, but also help them relocate their entire families to the relatively safe Tianjin—wouldn't they be eager to come?"

"I'm afraid it will be hard to leave my homeland," Zhang Xingfu said.

“We’ll sign contracts with them. If they want to go home after five years, we’ll send them back the way we brought them here, and we’ll even give them a severance package based on their performance!” Su Lu waved his hand magnanimously.

"If we can't keep them on our feet after five years, then we deserve to break up!"

"Okay, that solves the problem!" Zhang Xingfu nodded emphatically.

Su Lu thought for a moment and added, "Don't waste the Liaodong area either. We can recruit mainly sailors. Liaodong is bitterly cold, and the local fishermen and garrison soldiers are extremely hardworking, brave, and strong. Besides, who doesn't long to go into the pass for a warmer life? As long as the conditions are right, we won't have trouble recruiting people!"

"In short, combine the resources from these three locations, gather all the manpower and materials you can, and establish our own shipyard as soon as possible! Requisition them in the name of the Mighty General's Mansion!" Su Lu commanded forcefully, then added earnestly.
"A canal is the lifeline of millions of canal workers. Transporting grain by sea will inevitably face fierce opposition and may even trigger riots. Only by taking advantage of the time when the canal transport is cut off and no one can oppose it, can we quickly and decisively establish sea transport!"

"This window of opportunity is very short, perhaps only a year. But building factories, constructing ships, and training sailors all take a lot of time. So when the opportunity arises, we must be ready to respond immediately and be ready to serve! We absolutely cannot wait until the last minute to make a decision, or we will become a sinner for all time like Liu Daxia!"

Zhang Xingfu quickly replied, "Your subordinate will remember your instructions, sir!"

"Therefore, we don't need to be greedy for the newest and largest ship types. We just need to choose the most mature technology currently available, and be able to operate on inshore routes. Small ships are fine too, we can just get a few more!" Su Lu added:
"Once we've established a firm foothold, there will be plenty of time for improvement. The key is to seize the time and build up the fleet first. Skills are honed through practice, but good ships are built through construction. Learning by doing and doing by learning is the right path!"

"Yes! I've got it!" Zhang Xingfu replied again.

~~
Finally, Su Lu's gaze fell on Tang Yin, the director of the research institute, and he asked with a smile, "Brother Bohu, how is the task I assigned you going?"

Tang Yin quickly stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and all traces of the dejected air of a fallen scholar vanished. He was full of energy as he said, "Reporting to the Prefect, following the ideas you provided, I, along with the master craftsmen from the Bureau of Armory and the Ministry of Works' Ordnance Bureau, tackled each problem one by one. We have already completed six technological improvements!"

He was extremely secretive and didn't reveal the specific improvements to the process, only smiling and saying:
"These improvements not only solved the chronic problem of gun barrel explosions, but also significantly increased power, accuracy, and rate of fire. Prototype guns and cannons have now been produced, and the test firing results are far superior to the old-style guns and cannons!"

"Excellent!" Su Lu clapped his hands and laughed. "His Majesty likes these things the most. I'll go ask the Emperor later if he's interested, and we can go take a look together."

"Then let's wait a bit longer?" Tang Yin, the older he got in the martial arts world, the more timid he became. "Our prototype guns and cannons are still very immature and need time to be perfected."

“Working in isolation is not advisable.” Su Lu waved his hand and said, “His Majesty is a military genius. It would be excellent to ask him for advice.” In fact, it’s about giving the Emperor a sense of involvement in areas that interest him, so that he will always feel that this is his own cause.

"Alright," Tang Bohu reluctantly agreed.

"Since we've already alarmed the Emperor, let's arrange for the mint and well-digging to be done as well." Su Lu didn't show favoritism and added everything to Zhu Houzhao's itinerary.

Yes, he could directly draft the emperor's itinerary because he was the emperor's chief secretary...

~~
Because he hadn't been back to the yamen for a long time, the meeting lasted a bit longer than usual, and by the time it ended, the Emperor should have been getting up. Su Lu then went to Tengxi Palace to prepare to dine with the Emperor.

"Oh dear...you're finally back! I'm so bored!" Zhu Houzhao yawned widely, lazily letting Zhang Yong help him put on his everyday clothes without even lifting his arms, while urging Su Lu to hurry up:
"Quick, get something fun to cheer the brothers up."

Su Lu then smiled and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will make the arrangements immediately."

He paused for a moment, feigning hesitation, before asking, "If Your Majesty has some free time this afternoon, would you like to come with me to see some interesting things?"

Zhang Yong couldn't help but glance at Su Lu. "My nephew's way of speaking is starting to sound more and more like ours."

"A few fresh ones? Good, good, good!" Zhu Houzhao immediately perked up, clapping his hands and laughing, "This time, you can't let it be like a worm eating a toad, making everyone anxious to death!"

Su Lu has always adhered to the principle of slow and steady wins the race, restraining himself from introducing new gadgets, all in order to keep things fresh...

This is important; relationships that lose their novelty can easily become mundane.

"Not at all, not at all," Su Lu replied with a smile. "This will definitely be a great time!"

~~
During the meal, Zhu Houzhao couldn't contain himself and asked him what the plans were for the day.

Su Lu then said, "I intend to take Your Majesty to see first how these Zhengde silver coins are made."

"How else could it be made?" Zhu Houzhao scoffed. "Isn't it just craftsmen hammering it out?"

"No, no," Su Lu shook his head and laughed, "We need to issue tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of silver coins. How can we possibly produce them by manpower alone?"

"If not human effort, then what magic power?" Zhu Houzhao laughed.

"Pretty much." Su Lu smiled and said, "Then Your Majesty, please take a look at how coins are minted using water power."

"Very well, let's go see how to make silver coins with water!" Zhu Houzhao was indeed intrigued. He finished his meal in a few bites and immediately ordered the carriage to leave the palace!
Su Lu then accompanied the emperor onto the imperial carriage, which proceeded in a grand procession towards Xizhimen.

Exiting Xizhimen, one sees a newly erected, imposing wall on the left bank of Gaoliang Bridge—that is the Imperial Mint.

On the right bank of the river was the mint of the Ministry of Works' Baoyuan Bureau. The two mints faced each other across the river, very close, with several huge waterwheels turning slowly along the Gaoliang River, making a rumbling sound.

Zhu Houzhao asked curiously, "Why build the mint outside the city? And why right next to the Baoyuan Mint?"

Su Lu then explained, “The location of this mint is not easy to find. First of all, there must be a stable water flow all year round, and there must be no shortage of water even in years of severe drought. There are very few places that can meet this requirement... The waterways in the city are narrow, the flow is insufficient, and the flow rate is too slow to drive the large machinery in the factory.”

"But the mint can't be too far from the city, otherwise security can't be guaranteed." He pointed to the sorghum river in front of them.

"After much deliberation, we found that the only suitable place was the Gaoliang Bridge near the Ministry of Works' minting site. This long river was the main waterway through which Guo Shoujing diverted water from the Western Hills and Yuquan Mountain to the city. The water is clear with little sand, the water volume is stable all year round, and the sluice gates and dams are well-maintained, which can regulate the water level and create a stable drop, enough to drive large machinery such as water turbines and pumps."

He chuckled and said, "Besides, it's so close to the capital, and we can support the Baoyuan Bureau. Of course, we've chosen to be their neighbor."

"Look at you grinning so slyly, you must have taken advantage of others quite a bit, right?" Zhu Houzhao nudged him with his elbow.

"It's all for the Emperor's sake, just coordinating manpower and resources. It's harmless, harmless," Su Lu said with a guilty smile.

"I heard you've practically emptied out the Ministry of Works! The Baoyuan Bureau is sure to fall into your clutches too!" Zhu Houzhao laughed loudly.

"Your Majesty, they are slandering me out of thin air." Su Lu widened his eyes and said shamelessly, "They only borrowed a little bit, how could they have emptied the place?"

Okay, actually it's just a tiny bit...

(End of this chapter)