The Young Dragon of the Ming Dynasty: Bound to an Industrial Blueprint from the Start

Chen Gui replied, "The foundation has been compacted and the walls are being built, but the construction period is tight, there is a shortage of manpower, and the transportation of materials is also somewhat delayed."

Zhu Zhanji sat in the corner, his fingers unconsciously tracing the pages of a book, memorizing the key words from the meeting.

The officials discussed the matter, and no one was wary of the three-year-old imperial grandson who was lying down reading a book nearby.

On another day, the meeting discussed trivial but crucial issues such as recruiting laborers, the standards for distributing rations and wages, and how to prevent clerks from embezzling funds.

When Zhu Zhanji heard Li Qing complain that "although there are many refugees in Shandong and Henan, they are not easy to manage and are prone to causing trouble," Chen Gui suggested that "we can imitate the 'artisan household' system of the Song Dynasty, select the strong and able-bodied to form a group, use them for work relief, and strictly manage them."

These fragmented pieces of information, through Zhu Zhanji's logic far ahead of his time, gradually pieced together a clear picture in his mind:

The relocation of the capital faced four major challenges: timber sourcing and transportation, conflicts between local finances and central government funding, competition for border defense and construction resources, and human resource organization and management.

The following day, Chun Tao went out of the mansion and exchanged opinions with Guo Sheng, along with his latest report on the city's situation.

Guo Sheng was overjoyed to receive the information.

Based on the information he had:

Southern timber merchants are worried about securing cargo space on the Grand Canal and finding markets in the capital; the Tongzhou warehouse project is plagued by subcontracting issues, making it difficult for foremen to recruit casual laborers; there is a decent limestone mine near the Western Hills, but mining is inconvenient; the official road from the capital to Tongzhou has been in disrepair for years and becomes muddy after rain...

A bold plan took shape in his mind, and he immediately put it into action:

They dispatched additional personnel and a large sum of money south to directly negotiate long-term, large-volume timber contracts with several powerful timber merchants in Hubei and Hunan provinces, including transportation to Beijing. By taking advantage of information asymmetry and their initial understanding of the canal transport process, they managed to lower the overall price.

Through his connections with that official in the Ministry of Works, he contracted part of the auxiliary works and material transportation for the Tongzhou warehouse under the name of the "Xishan Warehouse Construction Team".

He adopted a "fixed quota and reward for early completion" approach to efficiently organize the displaced people, and even paid out of his own pocket to make simple repairs to a section of the nearby material transport road.

They secretly sent people to contact the owner of the limestone mine near Xishan Village to discuss a long-term cooperation, with "Xishan Goods Store" investing in improving mining tools and roads and buying up most of the output.

A batch of high-quality blue bricks was sold quickly and at a low price to Zhang Wu's garrison under the pretext of "thanking the soldiers for protecting the territory and the people," thus solving their urgent problem.

As the planning continued to deepen, early summer quietly arrived, and the air was filled with the sweltering heat of construction. Guo Sheng's various plans began to bear fruit one after another.

First, the auxiliary works for the Tongzhou warehouse were completed ten days ahead of schedule. The officials who inspected the work were amazed by its efficiency and the solid materials used. When they reported this to the Ministry of Works, they received a verbal praise for the work as "diligent".

The name "Shunda Construction," which was originally non-existent, associated with "Xishan Goods Store," left a faint mark on the edge of official documents for the first time.

Immediately afterwards, the first batch of 300 cubic meters of timber he signed with timber merchants from Hubei and Hunan arrived at Tongzhou Wharf on schedule, with both quality and price meeting the agreement.

The person in charge of receiving the package was the same wealthy man from before. He breathed a sigh of relief and was impressed by Guo Sheng's abilities.

This deal wasn't very profitable, but it earned Guo Sheng something more important: reputation and a stable supply channel to the south.

The batch of blue bricks sold to Zhang Wuwei's garrison had an even more immediate effect.

Zhang Wu was a straightforward military man. He thought Guo Sheng, the merchant, was "easygoing, honest, and capable." He mentioned him a few times while drinking with other garrison officers.

Soon, two more border guards, who were short of bricks and mortar, approached the "Xishan Goods Store" through roundabout means.

Military supplies are highly profitable but slow to settle accounts. However, once trust is established, the relationship becomes extremely stable.

Guo Sheng handled things cautiously, ensuring the quality and quantity of his supplies and offering flexible payment methods, which quickly earned him a good reputation among junior officers.

The charcoal business is steadily growing. After the initial boom in pre-orders and deliveries, positive word-of-mouth for the honeycomb briquette stoves has spread, leading to a constant stream of additional orders.

Guo Sheng strictly controlled the shipment pace to maintain the "scarcity" image, while also starting to accept forward orders for next winter, recovering a large amount of deposits and having an extremely healthy cash flow.

On this day, Zhu Zhanji was unusually allowed to go to the streets of the capital to "broaden his horizons" accompanied by his guards.

At this moment, he was squatting in front of the counter of a shop selling southern goods, his little hands curiously stroking the newly arrived rice from Jiangnan, and when he withdrew them, his fingertips were covered with a little bit of powder.

He was comparing the merits of the grain transported from the canal with the improved rice varieties grown in the village, and figuring out how to "casually" have Chun Tao pass on some seed selection ideas to Eunuch Wang, when the sudden commotion from the street corner interrupted his thoughts.

Suddenly, the rapid, thunderous sound of horses' hooves, mixed with harsh shouts, filled the air: "Get out of the way! Get out of the way, all of you!"

The crowd panicked and pushed to both sides.

Zhu Zhanji's shop was located on a street corner and was fairly spacious, but the driver of the blue-curtained carriage that arrived instinctively turned the front of the carriage outward to avoid the panicked crowd, and it ended up blocking the already narrow street.

"Whoa—!"

Seven or eight fast horses had already arrived. The first horse was jet black and exceptionally swift. The rider suddenly pulled on the reins, and the strong horse reared up. Its iron hooves, as big as bowls, almost grazed the blue curtain of the Crown Prince's carriage and fell down, splashing mud and water high into the air.

"How dare you! Whose carriage dares to block His Highness the Prince of Han's path?!" A burly man with a face full of scars shouted in a loud voice, which was so loud that it made people's eardrums go numb.

He did not dismount, but looked down at the carriage and the few plainclothes guards around him with obvious disdain.

The head of the guards in the Crown Prince's residence frowned, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.

They were ordered by the Crown Princess to protect the eldest grandson of the Emperor, and traveled in a low-key manner without any ceremonial procession, but their status could not be disrespected.

He stepped forward, neither humble nor arrogant: "This is a distinguished guest's carriage. The streets are crowded, and there may be occasional delays. Why are you being so aggressive? Please wait a moment while we move the carriage."

"A nobleman? In this city of Beiping, besides the Emperor and the Crown Prince, who is more 'noble' than our Prince?" The burly man sneered, turning to look at the center of the crowd of riders. "Your Highness, look..."

The riders parted, and on the magnificent black horse, a young man dressed in a red cloud-patterned sleeve and a black cloak slowly rode forward.

He was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, and his face resembled Zhu Di by about five or six points, but his features were more rugged and flamboyant, with sharp eyebrows, slightly sunken eye sockets, and a piercing light in his eyes. When he looked around, he had a fierceness honed on the battlefield and the imposing presence of someone who had long held a position of power.

It was none other than Zhu Gaoxu, the Prince of Han.

He ignored the head of the guards and his gaze swept across the carriage, landing on Zhu Zhanji, who had just been escorted out of the shop by Chun Tao.

The little child, wrapped in brocade clothes, was exquisitely beautiful. His face turned slightly pale from the sudden appearance of the scene, at least on the surface. He held tightly to the hand of the maid beside him, but his clear eyes were filled with curiosity as he secretly observed him.