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

"I have three purposes for this northern tour." He didn't mince words and went straight to the point. "First, to inspect the northern border defenses and review the military equipment of the Beijing Garrison, Xuanfu Garrison, and Datong Garrison."

"Secondly, he personally inspected the progress of the relocation project and determined the construction strategy for the Forbidden City."

Thirdly—

His gaze fell on Zhu Gaochi: "The Crown Prince has been stationed in Beiping for more than a year. I want to hear your report in person, telling me in detail about the military and political affairs of the northern frontier during this year."

Zhu Gaochi stepped forward, knelt, and reported: "Your subject obeys the decree."

He was prepared, and took out a thick book of memorials from his sleeve:

"Your subject has remained in Beiping, and has been entrusted by Your Majesty with the overall military and political affairs of the northern frontier. For more than a year, I have diligently followed Your Majesty's instructions, taking 'stabilizing the border defense, ensuring the grain transport, and preparing for the relocation of the capital' as the three major tasks..."

His report was clear and well-organized, presented in a measured and unhurried manner.

First, let's talk about border defense: the defense situation of towns such as Xuanfu, Datong, and Juyongguan, the actual number of soldiers in each garrison, and the autumn defense deployment; then, let's talk about the Grand Canal: this year's water volume of the Grand Canal, the progress of the expansion of Tongzhou warehouse, the amount of grain delivered, and the fact that losses are reduced by half compared to last year.

Finally, the relocation of the capital is discussed: the exploration of the Forbidden City site has been completed, the preparation of materials for the three main halls has been completed, and the recruitment and resettlement of craftsmen have been carried out.

Every item is supported by evidence, and every point has a corresponding solution.

After listening, Zhu Di remained silent for a moment.

"General Wang Gui of Xuanfu Garrison reported last month about frostbite among the border troops. How did you handle it?"

Zhu Gaochi was prepared and bowed his head, saying, "Your subject was just about to report this matter."

He took another book from his sleeve and presented it with both hands:

Last winter, many soldiers on the border suffered from frostbite. Your son and I discussed with our ministers and decided that we should address the problem at its source, rather than trying to fix it afterward.

Fortunately, a craftsman stumbled upon an ancient method and produced a high-proof liquor called "Jingchuanglu".

It is extremely potent; drinking it can ward off the cold; applied externally, it can disinfect and clean wounds, and is remarkably effective for frostbite and external injuries.

"Your Majesty, I ordered a workshop to be set up in Xishan Manor to test and prepare the medicine. The first batch of 500 catties was delivered to Xuanfu last month. General Wang reported back that the medicine had cured 70-80% of the wounded soldiers, greatly boosting the morale of the army."

He finished speaking in one breath before slowly saying, "Your Majesty, I have not yet had the opportunity to report this to Your Majesty. Please punish me."

The hall fell silent.

Zhu Di took the register and opened it to examine it closely.

Inside were a summary of the preparation method of Jingchuanglu (a traditional Chinese medicine), trial records, a copy of Wang Gui's report, and a few pages of naive charcoal sketches.

He recognized it as an improved design of a coal briquette stove, with Zhu Zhanji's crooked annotations next to it: "Master Sun said that with the addition of an air damper, the heat is easier to control, saving 10% of coal."

Zhu Di's gaze lingered on the words "saving 10% of coal" for a moment.

He pointed to the few pages of sketches and asked, "Who drew these?"

Zhu Gaochi's heart tightened, but his face remained calm: "Father, it was Zhanji who drew it."

"He drew this?" Zhu Di's tone was unreadable. "A four-year-old child, could he draw this?"

Zhu Gaochi remained silent for a moment.

He could choose to continue taking credit for himself, which was what Yang Pu taught him, and it was also the best way to protect his son.

But he raised his head and looked at the old man on the throne with piercing eyes.

That was his father, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

He knew better than anyone how foolish it was to lie to this person.

"Reporting to Father Emperor," Zhu Gaochi's voice was calm yet firm.

"Zhanji was intelligent from a young age and had a great interest in various subjects. These ideas for improvement were indeed developed by him after consulting with craftsmen and figuring them out on his own."

He added, "But without craftsmen like Sun San putting it into practice, it would just be empty talk. I believe this is the result of the unity of mind of the ruler and his subjects, father and son, and superiors and subordinates, and not the achievement of one person alone."

The hall became even quieter.

Zhu Di looked at him without saying a word.

a long time.

"Your Highness, you've become more articulate than before."

Zhu Gaochi lowered his head: "Your subject dares not."

"Who is in charge of the workshop now?"

"Your Majesty, Zhao Kang, the Chief Clerk of the Ministry of Works' Department of Forestry and Water Conservancy, was originally appointed to temporarily fill the vacancy," Zhu Gaochi said.

"The core craftsmen, including Sun San, have been transferred to Mingyue Tower, the private property of the Crown Prince, to assist in the development of new products."

He was "reporting" on behalf of his son, bringing the relationship between Mingyue Tower and the Crown Prince into the open.

It's better to say it yourself than to let someone hear it from elsewhere later.

Zhu Di glanced at him but said nothing.

After the court session ended, Zhu Gaochi returned to the Crown Prince's residence and went straight to his study.

Yang Pu followed behind, his face solemn.

"Your Highness, during today's audience with the Emperor, I observed that His Majesty's treatment of the workshops and the young prince seemed..."

"What seems to be it?"

"It seems I had heard about it beforehand." Yang Pu lowered his voice. "His Majesty never once asked, 'Why didn't I know about this?'"

Zhu Gaochi paused in his steps.

Yes, Father's reaction was too calm.

The calmness suggested it wasn't the first time they'd heard of it.

He suddenly recalled a few months ago, when the Prince of Han made a seemingly casual remark: "Even my father heard about it in Nanjing."

Zhu Gaochi rubbed his temples, suppressing his turbulent thoughts.

"Where is Zhanji?"

"His Highness is in his own courtyard," the steward replied. "He said he's studying and won't come out before dinner."

Zhu Gaochi nodded and did not send anyone to deliver the message.

Let him study.

Tomorrow, there will be an even more difficult audience with the Emperor.

Meanwhile, in Zhu Zhanji's courtyard.

He was indeed studying.

In Volume 17 of the Zizhi Tongjian, I turned to the section on "Emperor Wu of Han's Northern Expeditions" and was reading about the military strategies employed by Wei Qing and Huo Qubing in their northern expeditions against the Xiongnu.

The following day, Zhu Zhanji received the summons he had expected.

Ma Bin came in person, beaming: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, His Majesty summons you."

Zhu Zhanji changed into his court robes and followed Ma Bin to the main hall of the temporary palace.

He walked steadily, each step firmly planted on the bluestone slabs, his breathing even.

This was not his first time meeting Zhu Di, but it was the first time he had a private audience with Zhu Di as the "Crown Prince".

Inside the main hall, Zhu Di was not sitting on the throne.

He stood before the enormous map of the northern frontier, his back to the palace gate, hands clasped behind his back.

"Grandson Zhanji greets His Majesty the Emperor."

Zhu Di didn't turn around: "Come here."

Zhu Zhanji stood up, walked to the map, and looked up at the huge map that was taller than him.

The mountains, passes, garrisons, and post roads of northern Xinjiang are densely marked on it.

Xuanfu, Datong, Kaiping, Xinghe... he knew these place names by heart.

"How many do you know?" Zhu Di asked.

Zhu Zhanji honestly replied, "Your Majesty, I don't recognize them all, but I do know Xuanfu, Datong, Juyong Pass, and Zijing Pass."

"Did the Crown Prince teach you that?"

"When Father and Uncle Yang were discussing matters, I was listening nearby and took notes."

Zhu Di finally turned around and looked down at the child who only reached his waist.

"I heard you can also draw stoves, cars, and wine bottles?"

Zhu Zhanji blinked: "My grandson just doodled. Master Sun said some of it is still usable."

Zhu Di smiled, a rare occurrence for him.

He moved behind the imperial desk and sat down, gesturing for Zhu Zhanji to sit as well.

"Your father said that you were the one who first had the artisans try the Cleansing Dew?"

"It's a method my grandson found in a book." Zhu Zhanji recited the "standard answer" he had repeated countless times.

There was a book about alchemy that explained how to collect water vapor, and my grandson thought, "Wine is also made of water."

"That's enough," Zhu Di interrupted him. "You can fool your own mother with that kind of talk."

Zhu Zhanji choked.

Zhu Di looked at him, his eyes showing no anger, only a calm that seemed to see through everything.

"I had someone investigate your book. It does contain distillation methods in alchemy, but it never mentions 'cutting off the head and tail and taking the middle section,' nor does it mention 'using 70% concentration for cleaning and 50% concentration for disinfection.'"

He looked at Zhu Zhanji: "Who taught you these things?"

The hall was so quiet that you could hear the candlelight crackling.

Zhu Zhanji lowered his eyes, his heart pounding like a drum.

He had rehearsed this scene in his mind countless times.

"Reporting to Grandfather," he raised his head, his eyes clear.

"No one teaches their grandchildren; grandchildren are simply those who see a problem and then think about how to solve it."

"The farmers burned coal, filling the house with smoke that made people cough. My grandson wondered if it was possible to make the fire burn brighter and produce less smoke?"

"Master Sun said the axle wouldn't turn because it was worn too badly, so my grandson wondered if we could apply something to make it turn more smoothly?"

"Dr. Wu said the wound was festering and there was no cure, so my grandson wondered, since alcohol can disinfect, does that mean the stronger the alcohol, the better?"

He finished speaking in one breath, then lowered his head and added in a low voice:

"I don't know if these ideas are right or wrong, so I drew them out and let Master Sun and the others try them out. If they work, we'll use them; if they don't, we'll just consider them as playing around."

Zhu Di looked at him in silence.

a long time.

"Do you know how many border soldiers' lives you've saved with your 'playing around'?"