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

"Alright." Zhu Gaoxu turned around. "Send a message to Nanjing, saying that His Highness the Crown Prince is considerate of the border troops and has developed a miraculous medicine to treat frostbite, with excellent results."

Wang Bin was taken aback: "Your Highness, this..."

"Do as I say." Zhu Gaoxu said calmly, "What Father Emperor hates most is when his subordinates do things behind his back, especially things like this that can win over the hearts of the army."

"Yes."

After Wang Bin left, Zhu Gaoxu sat back down in front of the map.

He looked at the location of Xuanfu Town, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

Does he not care about the lives of the border soldiers? Yes, he does.

But he cares more about the power struggles behind these events.

If the prince truly produced that medicine, his prestige among the border troops would be unmatched.

If that medicine is also related to "Drunken Immortal Wine," and to that four-year-old nephew...

"Zhu Zhanji..." he murmured the name, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

"This is such a hassle!"

Meanwhile, on the tenth day after the Xishanzhuang Crafts Workshop was officially opened, Sun San encountered a major problem.

The 500 jin of clean wound dressing requested by Zhao Kang has been delivered on schedule, and the Ministry of Works has sent a truck to transport it away.

But then a new order came: within a month, produce another 1,000 catties of Cleansing Dew, plus 500 catties of "Special Supply Drunken Immortal Brew" (exclusively for the inner court).

"One thousand catties," Sun San looked at the document, his scalp tingling.

With the current three distillation units operating at full capacity, a maximum of thirty kilograms of wound cleansing solution can be produced per day.

Nine hundred catties a month is already the limit, and you want five hundred catties of Drunken Immortal Brew? That stuff requires ten catties of wine to produce one catty of essence!

"Lord Zhao," Sun San said, steeling himself to approach Zhao Kang, "this amount is probably going to be difficult to handle."

Zhao Kang was checking the material accounts, not even looking up: "Difficult? His Highness is waiting for it, the border troops are waiting to use it, and you call that difficult?"

"It's not that I'm a petty person who didn't try my best," Sun San explained.

"There are only three sets of distillation equipment, only so many people, and only so many hours a day."

"Then add more equipment and more manpower." Zhao Kang put down his pen.

"The Ministry of Works can allocate copper materials and provide you with ten craftsmen, but the full amount must be delivered by the end of the month."

Sun San wanted to say something more, but Zhao Kang waved his hand: "Master Sun, don't forget your status. You are an official craftsman of the imperial court, not a craftsman in the countryside. When the imperial court asks you to do something, you have no choice but to do it, not to bargain."

Sun San choked.

He silently left Zhao Kang's office and returned to the cave.

Wu Langzhong and Lin Xiuniang were both waiting for him.

"Master Sun, how is it?" Doctor Wu asked.

Sun San smiled wryly and relayed the order.

Lin Xiuniang frowned: "One thousand catties of wound-cleansing dew and five hundred catties of Drunken Immortal Wine, even if we were divided in half and didn't eat or sleep, we still couldn't finish it."

"Lord Zhao said to add equipment and manpower," Sun San said.

"Adding equipment is easy, but adding manpower is another matter," Dr. Wu shook his head. "The new craftsmen don't understand the craft, so we have to teach them from scratch. By the time they've learned, it will be the end of the month."

The three looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.

At that moment, Li Wei quietly came in and handed over a note.

Sun San took it and went to read it under the lamp. It was a secret letter from Zhu Zhanji:

Master Sun: Orders from officials are hard to disobey, and on the surface, I must do my best to complete them. I can make three requests to Zhao Kang:

1. An additional 300 catties of copper and 5,000 catties of refined charcoal will be allocated; 2. Twenty additional craftsmen will be dispatched; 3. An "Apprenticeship Workshop" will be set up in the manor, where you will personally teach the craft.

In this way, he can demonstrate his responsibility and also take the opportunity to cultivate his own people. The old kiln factory's "experimental workshop" is ready and can be put into use tonight, specializing in the research of "high-efficiency distillation method." Guo Sheng will cooperate.

Sun San felt much more at ease.

The young prince had already devised a way to break the deadlock.

He immediately went to find Zhao Kang and made the requests one by one according to the note.

Zhao Kang listened and pondered for a moment: "The copper and refined charcoal can be obtained. I will do my best to train twenty craftsmen, but as for the apprenticeship workshop..." He glanced at Sun San, "Master Sun, you certainly know how to scheme, using the court's resources to cultivate your own people?"

Sun San's heart tightened, and he hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, please understand. I only wanted to teach the newcomers as quickly as possible so that I could complete His Highness's task. These apprentices will naturally remain craftsmen for the court after they have completed their training."

"Fine," Zhao Kang waved his hand. "Approved, but the goods must be delivered in full by the end of the month. If you miss this deadline," he added, "you might not be able to keep your position in charge."

"I understand!"

After leaving Zhao Kang's place, Sun San breathed a long sigh of relief.

He immediately made arrangements: Wu Langzhong led the existing craftsmen to produce wound-cleansing lotion with all their might; Lin Xiuniang continued to experiment with flower dew; and he himself took two old craftsmen and quietly went to the old kiln three miles away.

The old kiln has already been cleaned up.

Guo Sheng sent people to clean up the site, brought in new copper materials and tools, and also built a simple shed.

Most importantly, there are no supervisors from the Ministry of Works here, no complicated procedures, only Sun San and two absolutely reliable old buddies.

"Master Sun," an old craftsman said, his eyes shining as he touched the newly arrived copper, "this copper is of excellent quality!"

"His Highness said we can try it freely." Sun San rubbed his hands together.

"The goal is singular: how to make distillation faster, more abundant, and better."

The three of them began to ponder.

The existing distillation apparatus consists of earthenware jars with copper tubes, and it takes two hours to distill ten catties of wine each time.

Could you make it bigger? Like a long copper steamer, capable of steaming fifty catties at a time?

Could the fire be made hotter? Could the condensation be made faster?

Meanwhile, in the city, another net is quietly being cast.

After bidding farewell to Zhu Gaochi, Yang Pu sent someone to summon Zhu Zhanji to Mingyue Tower to discuss matters.

Qian Lai arranged a "small-scale tea party" and invited three guests: an old merchant who specializes in trading goods from both the north and south of China, an official from the Guangdong Provincial Department of Revenue, and a silk merchant who had just returned from Jiangnan.

Qian Lai said, "It's better for the young master to hear the truth from the market than to hear what we ourselves have to say."

The tea party was held in a quiet private room.

Qian Lai personally brewed tea, while Yang Pu and Zhu Zhanji sat aside and "listened in".

The old merchant spoke first, talking about the canal transport: "This year, the canal water level is low, and the canal boats are moving slowly. Rice from the south and furs from the north are all stuck on the road. Freight costs have increased by 30%, and the goods are still not all arriving."

A clerk from the Ministry of Revenue sighed, "The court is pressing us hard, but there's only so much silver. Chief Clerk Li is worried about money every day. Vice Minister Chen of the Ministry of Works wants to build roads, and the Ministry of War wants military pay. We can't afford to offend either side."

Silk merchants complained, "This year, there has been a lot of rain in Jiangnan, the mulberry leaves are not good, and the silk production has decreased. We're also worried about the silk getting damp on the way north! Alas!"

Halfway through the tea conversation, Qian Lai casually asked Zhu Zhanji, "Young Master, having heard all this, if you were in business, which problem would you most like to solve?"

Zhu Zhanji thought for a moment and said, "Uncle Qian, I feel that the grain transport boats are moving slowly. Is it because the boats are bad? Or the roads are bad? If the boats could be faster and the roads smoother, wouldn't the goods arrive sooner and be less wasted?"

He thought for a moment and then said, "And there's moisture control. I've seen that when grain is stored in the manor, it's lined with dry straw and has bags of lime in the middle, so it doesn't spoil easily. Could we do the same for transporting silk?"

The old merchant laughed: "Young master, you make it sound so easy. The boats belong to the canal guild, and the roads are controlled by the government. How are we merchants supposed to call the shots?"

The clerk from the Ministry of Revenue seemed thoughtful: "Laying straw and adding lime, this method is simple. I'll mention it to Chief Clerk Li later and see if we can try it in the transport of grain."

Yang Pu glanced at Zhu Zhanji with interest, but said nothing.