Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 270 Only Success is Allowed, Failure is Not an Option

After the emperor on his throne uttered the "Outline for the Revitalization of Industry in the Ming Dynasty" word by word, many people present began to feel bewildered.

Wen Tiren frowned, having mentally reviewed all the classics and historical texts he had studied throughout his life no less than a hundred times.

The term "industry" has never appeared in any classic texts of sages and worthies in such a groundbreaking manner, let alone been given the title "Imperial Ming" and elevated to the level of "outline".

He devoted his life to studying the principles of governing the country and bringing peace to the world, but these principles seemed incompatible with the two words before him.

What is reality? What is achievement? Is it practical accomplishment, or...? He dared not think any further, only feeling a chill rise from his spine.

Unlike Wen Tiren, Sun Chuanting did not search for phrases and sentences in old papers.

His sword-like eyebrows furrowed into a knot, his eyes fixed on the figure on the throne shrouded in a halo.

He values ​​practical results and breaks down the word "industry" into its components, pondering them repeatedly.

"Real" refers to substance and foundation; "industry" refers to achievements and sector. Could they be referring to industries fundamental to the national economy and people's livelihood?

Agriculture is the foundation of the nation, a principle that has existed since ancient times. Why does Your Majesty coin this new term?
Sun Chuanting couldn't understand it. He felt a fire burning in his chest, a fire that was half confusion and half a hidden expectation.

He knew very well that this young emperor never did anything without a reason!

Beside the throne, Wei Zhongxian was mostly hidden in the huge shadow cast by the golden dragon pillar. Golden sunlight brushed past half of his body, making him appear both light and shadow, and unpredictable and enigmatic.

His eyes were lowered, and his pale face showed no expression. However, inside the wide sleeves of his python robe, his thumb and forefinger were secretly twirling together. The movement was slow and rhythmic, as if he were caressing an invisible jade bead or stroking a sharp blade about to be drawn.

He was the only one among the many who understood.

During his time in Songjiang Prefecture, he was ordered to investigate farmland and reorganize maritime trade. He also had a secret mission: to make preliminary arrangements for the "Songjiang Cotton Textile Bureau" in His Majesty's strategy.

He had personally witnessed His Majesty's various plans over the past year. First, secret edicts were issued frequently, ordering people to spend a lot of money to collect the most advanced textile machinery from Western countries overseas, and then they were transported back to the capital at any cost.

Afterwards, His Majesty summoned all the best craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty to a secret location in the palace, where they studied day and night.

He had the privilege of seeing the newly created machines and witnessing the craftsmen's countless failures and attempts.

Ultimately, those incredible Western ingenuity devices were actually integrated with the finest three-spindle spinning wheel method in the Ming Dynasty!

Today, the new spinning machines that have been improved countless times are far superior and more powerful than any other machinery in Jiangnan in terms of spinning speed and weaving density!

Although Wei Zhongxian could not fully understand the reasoning behind it, he was already shocked by the terrifying efficiency and keenly sensed the enormous power contained within it, enough to overthrow the world.

That power is pure silver, mountains of resources, and an invisible shackle that binds millions of people together!

Wei Zhongxian didn't understand what "real industry" meant, but he did understand that the Emperor was about to launch a grand and earth-shattering plan.

Bi Ziyan sat upright on one side of the long table, his posture as steady as Mount Tai.

His hair and beard were all white, but his face was flushed with a hint of red from the turmoil in his heart.

As a co-planner of this "outline," he had already spent countless sleepless nights repeatedly going over every detail with the emperor.

Bi Ziyan was well aware of the greatness of this strategy, as well as the difficulty of its implementation.

……

"Attsu."

A soft sound broke the deathly silence in the hall.

Crisp, solitary, yet possessing a penetrating power unique to imperial authority.

The voice seemed to strike directly into everyone's hearts, forcibly pulling them out of their chaotic thoughts, and all eyes instantly focused on that young yet dignified face.

Zhu Youjian withdrew his finger, surveyed the crowd, taking in their expressions, and slowly spoke, his voice clearly reaching everyone's ears:

"My lords, there's no need to guess."

"What I mean by 'industry' is the 'industry' and 'commerce' that have long been the most despised among the 'scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants'."

“But,” he emphasized, his gaze suddenly sharpening, “what I am to do is neither ordinary work nor scattered commerce.”

Before he finished speaking, he had already stood up. The gold threads on his dragon robe flowed in the sunlight, as if a living golden dragon was swimming on it.

Zhu Youjian took down an imperial brush made entirely of ivory, its tip dipped in cinnabar, from the brush holder.

He did not immediately act on the map, but instead turned his gaze to Bi Ziyan, the Minister of Revenue.

"Minister Bi, I ask you this: In Songjiang Prefecture of our Great Ming Dynasty, if an ordinary weaver couple works day and night with a three-spindle spinning wheel, how many bolts of cotton cloth can they produce in a month? And how much do they earn?"

Upon hearing this, Bi Ziyan immediately rose from his seat, bowed, and replied: "Your Majesty, in the countryside, a three-spindle spinning wheel, unless woven by a skilled husband and wife working together, can only produce about ten bolts of cloth per month. After deducting the cost of cotton and exorbitant taxes, the income is only two or three taels of silver, barely enough to make ends meet. If the price of cotton rises or the harvest is bad, they often lose money."

These few words fully express the hardships faced by artisans at the bottom of society.

Zhu Youjian nodded, his face expressionless. With a flick of his wrist, he moved the vermilion brush to a blank sheet of Xuan paper next to the map and gently drew a small square, about an inch in size.

“This is a small workshop.” He pointed to the small red frame, his voice flat.

Immediately, the emperor stretched out his arm and drew a huge red square, several feet square, centered on the small square, easily enclosing the small workshop.

The stark visual contrast sent a jolt through everyone present.

"And what I want to build," the emperor said, pointing heavily at the huge square frame with his vermilion brush, "is a grand hall that can accommodate thousands, or even tens of thousands of people!"

As he spoke, he rapidly sketched within the huge square with the tip of his pen, as if he were depicting an invisible city.

"Inside the workshop, there are not just ten or a hundred traditional spinning wheels, but thousands or even tens of thousands of modern spinning machines, running day and night!"

"Inside the workshop, the processes are interconnected. The cotton is opened, combed, drawn, spun, woven, inspected, and finally the finished product leaves through another gate, is loaded onto carts, and transported away. Each process has a craftsman who specializes in one task, day after day, doing only one thing. Their skill and speed are far beyond what ordinary weavers can match!"

"With such a system, thousands or even tens of thousands of people can each perform their duties, and orders can be issued from the same source, as easily as moving an arm or fingers. The effect of their cooperation is like a large army arrayed in battle, where orders are obeyed without question and they are invincible!"

Zhu Youjian put down his pen, his piercing gaze sweeping over the stunned crowd, and uttered the new name, word by word, with resounding force:
"This, I call—the factory!"

The word "factory" struck Sun Chuanting, Wen Tiren, and others like a thunderclap!

Sun Chuanting suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing with a sharp light!

What he saw was not a weaving workshop, nor a way to make money.

Before his eyes, the "factory" that the emperor had outlined with his vermilion brush instantly transformed into a massive war fortress!

In an instant, his thoughts were drawn back to the yellow earth that haunted his dreams—Shaanxi.

He seemed to see again the border soldiers shivering in the cold wind, wearing thin uniforms patched countless times and whose original color was no longer discernible; he seemed to see again the men who, due to insufficient food supplies, could only eat grass roots and tree bark, their faces pale and thin from hunger, yet still gripping their weapons tightly; he seemed to smell again the stench of decay permeating the wounded soldiers' camp, due to the lack of clean strips of cloth to bandage their wounds...

If such "factories" exist.

Military uniforms, tents, boots, bandages... these military supplies that are crucial to the lives of soldiers, wouldn't they be produced endlessly, like rivers?
A ceaseless, flowing bloodline will run from the prosperous Jiangnan region straight to the frigid Jiubian region!

"Huff...huff..." Sun Chuanting's breathing involuntarily became heavy.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force.

The chronic problems that had plagued the Ming Dynasty's border defenses for over a century could be solved with this method! Profit? A matter of commerce? No! This is the foundation of a strong army, a strategy for national security!
Wen Tiren, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet who had been immersed in officialdom for decades, saw a different picture.

The teacup in his hand wobbled slightly, and with a soft "snap," a few drops of scalding tea splashed onto his official robe, but he was completely unaware.

What Wen Tiren saw was power, power concentrated to a terrifying degree!

In his eyes, those were no longer the countless artisans scattered across the countryside, scattered like stars, and difficult to control, but rather huge military camps with strict discipline and obedience to orders! However, these military camps did not train with swords and spears, but with spindles and looms.

Tens of thousands of artisans were gathered in one place, and their clothing, food, housing, and transportation were all controlled by the government.

The vast wealth they produced no longer passed through the hands of layers of exploiting gentry, brokers, and merchants, but flowed directly into the royal treasury like rivers flowing into the sea!
What terrifying control this is!
What immense financial resources this is!
This is tantamount to uprooting the most active and prosperous economic lifeline of the entire Jiangnan region from the hands of deeply entrenched local forces and then firmly grasping it in the palm of the emperor alone!

This move is tantamount to cutting off the fuel supply!
This policy will not only destroy the livelihoods of people in Jiangnan, but also the social order and laws established since the founding of the Ming Dynasty!
Wen Tiren's heart sank. He realized that once this policy was implemented, the balance of power in the court and even the world would be completely reversed!
Hidden in the shadows, Wei Zhongxian subtly curled the corners of his mouth upwards.

With more money, the emperor's back becomes even stronger!
When the Emperor straightens his back, the knife in his hand naturally becomes harder too!

……

The emperor didn't give them much time to process the shock.

What I just said was just the beginning; what follows is the real thunderous force.

He held the vermilion brush high, the vermilion ink at the tip of the brush as red as blood under the bright sunlight, dazzling to the eye.

"My guiding principle, the first step, is to establish six major royal bureaus in this Jiangnan region!"

His voice was as firm and resonant as metal striking stone.

"Firstly, the Songjiang Cotton Textile Bureau!"

With a pause, he added a heavy dot to the southeast of the map, marking the location of Songjiang Prefecture!
A striking red dot was imprinted on the map.

"Based on the new spinning machine that far surpasses the civilian 'three-spindle spinning wheel,' we will gather thousands of weavers and produce millions of bolts of cotton cloth annually! One for military needs, and the other for civilian use. I want the soldiers of my Great Ming to have thick clothes in winter and strong tents in battle!"

"Secondly, a new era for Suzhou textile manufacturing!"

With a turn of the brush, like a dragon or snake, a circle was drawn around the location of Suzhou Prefecture.

"Specialize in silk! Improve the 'flower loom' to weave 'cloud brocade' and 'tribute satin' with patterns so intricate that they must be unparalleled in the world! They can be used by the inner court and nobles, and should also be exported overseas to exchange for the mountains of gold and silver in the hands of those Western foreign countries and Japanese pirates!"

Thirdly, Nanjing Longjiang Shipyard!

The red brush was withdrawn with great force, carving the map of Nanjing onto the ground!

His gaze swept across Tianjin in the north of the map, and Ningbo and the Fujian coast in the southeast. His voice became serious: "Although shipyards have been established in Tianjin, Ningbo, and Fujian, in my opinion, even if all the ships are running at full capacity, it will only be a drop in the ocean! The Ming Dynasty's coastline stretches for thousands of miles; the Ming Dynasty's trade routes reach across the ocean. We don't have nearly enough ships!"

His voice suddenly became impassioned: "Therefore, the old site of the Nanjing Longjiang Shipyard must be revitalized! Not only revitalized, but far surpassed in the past! Not only to build treasure ships, but also to build warships! Adopting the sturdiness of the Western 'gallen' and supplementing it with the ingenuity of our dynasty's 'watertight compartments,' build me giant ships that can sail across the oceans! My fleet must be able to cleave through the waves of the four seas and traverse the seven oceans!"

Everyone present felt their blood boil!
Zhu Youjian did not stop, his red brush continuing to dance across the map.

"Fourth, Hangzhou Printing and Dyeing Bureau! Develop new dyes using advanced methods. I want vibrant colors that last a long time and are unprecedented!"

"Fifth, the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Bureau! Reform the imperial kiln, implement 'assembly line production,' and establish 'standard shapes,' so that it can produce millions upon millions of exquisite porcelain pieces for me, allowing the Portuguese to exchange gold for the bottles, plates, bowls, and cups of my Great Ming!"

"Sixth, the Xuancheng Papermaking Bureau and the Huizhou Inkmaking Bureau! Using the new method to make paper, the paper is as white as jade and the price is low! Monopolize the best Huizhou ink and pine soot ink, so that all the scholars in the world will use my paper and my ink!"

With six strokes, six vermilion marks were firmly nailed into the heart of the most prosperous region of Jiangnan.

The entire map seemed to be infused with life by these six strokes, exuding a powerful and domineering aura.

Inside the hall, all was silent.

Wen Tiren's brain had almost stopped thinking.

This is hardly an "outline"; it's clearly a proclamation condemning wrongdoing!

This is to completely overturn and redefine the financial lifeline and ownership of resources in the entire Jiangnan region!
This matter is of great importance; a single move could have far-reaching consequences, and the risks involved are immeasurable.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, composed himself, bowed, and stepped forward, his voice trembling slightly.

"Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance and involves many far-reaching interests. The gentry in Jiangnan are deeply entrenched. In my humble opinion, perhaps we could first select one or two locations to conduct a pilot program, observe its effectiveness, and then expand it further..."

"No need!"

Before Wen Tiren could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a sharp shout.

"Snapped!"

With an even louder bang, the emperor slammed the ivory imperial brush heavily onto the long table. The sound of the brush striking the hard pear wood tabletop made everyone's hearts skip a beat.

Inside the hall, you could hear a pin drop.

Zhu Youjian's eyes flashed like lightning, shooting out a terrifyingly cold light as he stared intently at Wen Tiren, his gaze seemingly trying to pierce through him.

"I'm not talking about a pilot program!"

"This is a war between nations! It is a battle for national interests, a battle against the heavens, a fight for victory or certain death. It is not to be attempted!"

"What I want is not some worthless result, but absolute success! For this, I will spare no expense!"

His gaze was sharp as a knife, sweeping over everyone present.

"The Ministry of Revenue has no money? I'll give it to them! My own private treasury, and all the proceeds from the confiscation of property in Jiangnan, will be used to fill that gap!"

"The Ministry of War is short-handed, I will mobilize them! I can also mobilize the Beijing Garrison and the border troops to protect the factory!"

His gaze finally settled on Wei Zhongxian, his eyes filled with undisguised murderous intent.

"Anyone who dares to obstruct us, no matter who they are—gentry, wealthy merchants, or even officials in the court—will be killed! Their entire clan will be exterminated!"

Wei Zhongxian, who was standing in the shadows, trembled slightly under that gaze and then bowed deeply.

Zhu Youjian withdrew his gaze and scanned the entire room again:
"I'll say it again!"

"Success is the only option; failure is not an option!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire Fengtian Hall seemed to be filled with this domineering and unparalleled imperial will.

Sun Chuanting felt his blood boiling, and he couldn't wait to put on his armor, mount his horse, and charge into battle for this grand cause.

Wen Tiren's face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat had soaked through his inner garment. He knew that in this matter, there was no reasoning, no conditions to negotiate, only obedience, or... death.

A long time, a long time.

The hall was completely silent, with only the heavy, suppressed breathing of the crowd. The lingering power of the thunderous rage still hovered above everyone's heads, like a massive boulder.

Amidst this extreme oppression, Zhu Youjian slowly sat back on the throne.

The rage on his face receded like a tide, and he returned to his previous calm, as if the murderous and awe-inspiring man who had just been there was not him at all.

The emperor picked up the teacup on the imperial table, gently stirred the floating tea leaves with the lid, blew on it, and moved with elegance and composure.

Then he turned his gaze to Bi Ziyan, who had not uttered a word from beginning to end, yet had already grasped all the intentions.

“Minister Bi.”

The emperor's voice softened again, revealing no trace of anger.

"I have already drawn the chessboard for this game. Now, you shall explain to all of you how to place the pieces and how to strategize."

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze instantly shifted from the throne to the Minister of Revenue.

(End of this chapter)