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

Zhu Zhanji shook his head: "Grandson doesn't know. Grandson just thinks that if the uncles on the border didn't have to suffer from the cold in winter and could recover from injuries faster, Father wouldn't have to worry so much."

Zhu Di was taken aback.

He recalled the Crown Prince's words from yesterday: "Your subject believes that this is the result of the unity of mind between ruler and subject, father and son, and superiors and inferiors."

The child's initial motivation for doing all this was not to seek credit, not to ask for rewards, and not even for grand ambitions like "serving the country and the people".

I just didn't want my father to worry.

Zhu Di suddenly understood why the usually cautious Crown Prince was willing to take risks for his son and put the workshop and Mingyue Tower on the table one by one.

It wasn't because he believed his son could create miracles.

It was because he trusted his son's heart.

"Zhanji," Zhu Di's tone softened unconsciously, "come here."

Zhu Zhanji walked to the imperial desk.

Zhu Di pointed to the winding northern border defense line on the map: "This time, I am going on a northern tour, heading out of Juyong Pass to the northern grasslands. The army numbers in the tens of thousands, and there are countless supplies and provisions. If you were to plan this, what would be the most important thing?"

Zhu Zhanji looked at the map, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke:

"In my opinion, the most important thing is not soldiers, generals, or provisions."

Zhu Di raised an eyebrow: "Oh? What's that?"

"It is the road."

Zhu Zhanji pointed to the line on the map that led from Beijing to Juyong Pass:

"My grandson has seen it in the village. The same cart can travel eighty li a day on a good road with less than 10% of the grain lost; but on a muddy road, it can only travel thirty li a day, and the grain is broken and damp, resulting in a loss of more than 30%."

His voice was young, yet exceptionally clear:

"When the Emperor goes on his northern tour, he leads tens of thousands of troops and consumes tens of thousands of catties of grain every day. If the journey is delayed by one day, the grain will be consumed for another day. If the road conditions are bad, the loss will increase by another 10%, which means tens of thousands of catties of grain will be wasted."

"Therefore, I believe that the key to the northern expedition lies in the maintenance of roads. If the roads are open, the troops can advance quickly; if the roads are level, the grain supply will be reduced."

Zhu Di looked at him, and something in his eyes was changing.

"You make it sound so easy," he said. "The official roads stretch for thousands of miles in the northern frontier and have been in disrepair for years. How can they be repaired overnight?"

"No need to repair the whole thing." Zhu Zhanji pointed to the map. "Grandfather, please look. From Beijing to Xuanfu, the most important sections are three: the mountain road after Juyong Pass is the most rugged and needs the most repair."

From Huailai to Xuanfu, the soil is heavy and clayey, prone to sinking in rain. Adding sand, gravel, and lime can improve the roadbed. For the remaining sections, simply leveling potholes and clearing ditches will greatly improve the situation.

As he spoke more and more fluently, he simply took out a few folded pieces of paper from his sleeve and presented them with both hands:

"These are some road construction methods drawn by my grandson. Master Sun said that the roads in the village are built by mixing lime with soil and ramming it, so that there is no dust on sunny days and no mud on rainy days. My grandson is wondering if the official roads can also be built in this way?"

Zhu Di took the paper and unfolded it.

It's another one of those simple yet clear charcoal drawings.

The cross-sectional diagrams, material ratios, and construction steps are all clearly marked.

He stared at it for a long time.

"Are these also just your 'wild imaginations'?"

Zhu Zhanji honestly replied, "Partly yes, and partly I heard it from the villagers. Their ancestors built roads and they have some traditional methods."

"Traditional methods," Zhu Di murmured.

He looked up at the winding northern border defense line on the map, then at the child in front of him who was not even as tall as his waist.

"Anything else?" he asked. "Besides the road, what else is there?"

Zhu Zhanji thought for a moment and said, "There are also carriages."

He took a piece of paper back from Zhu Di, turned it over, and pointed to another sketch:

"Grandson, look at the grain carts on the official road. Most of them are two-wheeled, with limited load capacity, and they are prone to getting stuck in the mud. If they were four-wheeled, they could carry 30% more grain and would be more stable."

"But four-wheeled vehicles are difficult to steer, so my grandson wondered if the front two wheels could turn independently. Master Sun said that this is called a 'steering axle'."

"Also, when the cart travels on bumpy roads, the grain is easily crushed. My grandson wondered if we could add some soft padding between the carriage and the axle. Master Sun tried it and used multiple layers of cowhide to pad the bottom, and half of the grain was crushed."

He raised his head: "Grandfather, I don't know if this cart can be made, but if it is, it can transport more grain on the same route at once, and the grain will be in better condition."

Zhu Di did not answer.

He looked at those papers over and over for a long time, so long that it got dark outside the hall, so long that Ma Bin came in and added lamps twice.

Finally, he carefully folded the paper and placed it in the center of the imperial desk.

"Ma Bin."

"This servant is here."

"The Minister of Works, Song Li, and the Right Vice Minister, Chen Gui, are to have a meeting before the Emperor tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM)."

"Yes."

Zhu Di turned to Zhu Zhanji, and a rare hint of gentleness appeared in his usually stern eyes.

"I accept your 'wild ideas'," he took a deep breath.

Zhu Zhanji felt a great weight lifted from his heart and respectfully kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Rise," Zhu Di said. "Have a meal with me."

The grandfather and grandson ate their dinner for most of the day.

Zhu Di asked many questions: the craftsmen in the manor, the business of Mingyue Tower, the origin of Zuixian Brew, and the usage of Jingchuang Dew.

Zhu Zhanji answered honestly.

Say what can be said, gloss over what cannot be said, and leave the blame to the craftsman.

Zhu Di did not pursue the matter further.

After the meal, Zhu Zhanji took his leave.

As I stepped out of the main hall, the autumn night wind already carried a chill.

He adjusted his cloak and slowly walked towards the Crown Prince's residence.

Chun Tao, following beside him, couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Your Highness, His Majesty didn't make things difficult for you, did he?"

Zhu Zhanji shook his head.

He looked up at the starry sky and suddenly smiled.

"Chuntao, do you know that the questions my grandfather asked me weren't an interrogation?"

"What is that?"

"You're asking me," Zhu Zhanji lowered his head, "what kind of person do you want to be in the future?"

He didn't say anything more.

But at that moment, something that had been hanging over him quietly settled down.

The next day at Chenshi (7-9 AM), in the main hall of the imperial palace.

Minister of Works Song Li, Vice Minister of Works Chen Gui, Principal of the Ministry of Revenue Li Qing, Director of the Ministry of War Liu Zhao, and Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince Yang Pu... all the principal officials of the relevant departments on the Northern Inspection Tour gathered in the palace.

Zhu Di, seated on his throne, got straight to the point:

"The grand plan for the northern tour was discussed by me and the Crown Prince yesterday, and there are three key points."

The hall fell silent.

The Crown Prince? The four-year-old one?

Ignoring the astonished looks on everyone's faces, Zhu Di continued speaking:

"Firstly, road repairs: the official road from Tongzhou to Xuanfu was repaired in three sections; the mountain road from Juyongguan was paved with bluestone and widened to three zhang; the dirt road from Huailai to Xuanfu was rammed with lime and sand to prevent rain and sinkholes; and the remaining road sections were leveled and potholes were cleared."

"A deadline of one month, with the Ministry of Works in charge and the Ministry of War allocating laborers to assist."

Song Li and Chen Gui exchanged a glance, then stepped forward, knelt, and reported, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Chen Gui couldn't help but ask another question: "May I ask Your Majesty, what is the method for governing roads?"

"Presented by the Crown Prince," Zhu Di said calmly. "What, do you have doubts?"

Chen Gui immediately shut up.