Parallel Ming Dynasty: The more he compared, the more devastated Zhu Yuanzhang became.

{Original World: The flintlock musket was terrifying enough; could there be something even more powerful?}

{New World: It's more than just more powerful; compared to a breech-loading rifle, a flintlock musket is utterly worthless junk.}

{New World: Moreover, it's not just these firearms that are formidable; the things manufactured by the Peace Trading Company are far more powerful than guns.}

{New World: That thing is called a cannon. It's a gun with power magnified dozens of times. It can blast a shell thousands of meters away in one go, and then explode with a "bang," and it can blast a large area at once!}

If someone gets hit by the explosion, they have no chance of survival!

{Original World: A gun with power amplified dozens of times, who could even lift it?!}

{New World: It's not that the length and weight have increased dozens of times, it's the power! That cannon is still not even as tall as a person.}

Even one person can operate and manipulate it.

{The New World: Compared to these cannons, even the fiercest cavalry in the world was like an ant trying to shake a tree! There was simply no comparison!}

{Original World: I was so tempted after hearing that...}

In the new world.

Looking at the flintlock musket in the picture, which had been completely crushed into scrap metal by the breech-loading rifle, and then at himself holding the flintlock musket in his hand with a smug look on his face, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that his past self was really too ridiculous.

"It was just a mere flintlock pistol, yet it made me so content back then..." Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his former self, his face burning with embarrassment.

But Zhu Yuanzhang also knew in his heart that when he first saw such a powerful weapon, the joy he felt was genuine.

He even felt a surge of ambition to protect the Ming Dynasty for generations to come.

Thinking of this, Old Zhu suddenly glared at Zhu Duo, "Duo'er, were you secretly gloating back then, laughing at me for being a fool?"

"You equipped me with so many flintlock muskets, while you were researching even better firearms."

Zhu Duo smiled slightly, "Your Majesty, I did not."

"Really not?"

Zhu Duo nodded and said, "No matter what kind of technology it is, it can only be said to be advanced technology at that time. As time goes by, all the advanced technologies at that time will be gradually replaced and become outdated technologies."

Nothing lasts forever.

"Moreover, it was a critical moment for breakthroughs in steam engine research and development, so we didn't think about that much at all."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded thoughtfully.

Indeed, nothing lasts forever.

Neither his life nor the vast Ming Dynasty mattered.

Even if he wanted the Ming Dynasty to last for a thousand years, in the end it might just be like so many dynasties before it, unable to escape the fate of being replaced.

At this moment, Zhu Yunwen suddenly interjected, "Grandfather, I think Zhu Duo might be lying. Since he knows that nothing is permanent, why did he still equip our army with flintlock muskets instead of waiting for rifled muskets..."

"Shut up! What right do you have to judge Zhu Duo?"

A nameless rage, which he could not suppress, suddenly rose in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart.

Zhu Duo didn't mind, but smiled and explained, "Then we can wait a few more years until rifled guns are developed, until even more powerful weapons are developed."

Wouldn't that kind of equipment be better?

Zhu Duo's question immediately silenced Zhu Yunwen, and coupled with Zhu Yuanzhang's reprimand, he dared not answer.

Zhu Yuanzhang added in agreement, "Only weapons that can be equipped as quickly as possible are truly weapons; otherwise, no matter how good the weapon, it is not a weapon if it is not equipped."

When Zhu Yuanzhang compared his two grandsons, he felt that the difference was simply outrageous.

Both were Zhu Biao's biological sons, yet they were worlds apart and completely incomparable.

-

In the video, Zhu Duo is indeed extremely busy.

Because the steam engine, to which he had poured all his heart and soul and high hopes, was finally successfully developed.

With the advent of the steam engine, things that are commonplace in modern society, such as ironclad warships and automobiles, were no longer unattainable dreams in the Ming Dynasty.

The advent of the steam engine marked the true beginning of the Industrial Revolution and represented one of the most significant milestones in the history of human civilization.

The steam engine completely transformed the way humans worked, a method that had persisted for millennia, freeing up human labor to do many other things.

Now that the steam engine is available, Zhu Duo has decided to mobilize the entire Ming Dynasty to fully promote the implementation of the Industrial Revolution.

Therefore, Zhu Duo, in the name of the Peace Trading Company, sincerely invited business leaders from all walks of life to attend the "New Era Summit".

After all, although Zhu Duo's Heping Trading Company was the most powerful in the Ming Dynasty, it could not be all-encompassing and involved in every industry.

Therefore, industry leaders were invited to participate.

Not only industry giants, but also powerful figures from the Ming Dynasty were invited to witness the arrival of this new era.

Of course, the initiator of this summit was still Zhu Duo's front man—the apparent helmsman of the Peace Trading Company—Shen Bi!

The five most important pillar industries of the First Industrial Revolution were textiles, machinery manufacturing, metallurgy, coal mining, and transportation.

Of these five pillar industries, Zhu Duo firmly controlled four of them.

In the coal mining industry, Heping Trading Company held a leading position, but not a monopoly.

After all, coal mining requires a deep understanding of geography and geology, and the mines are too scattered to be fully controlled.

But merely holding the top spot is enough for the transition of the First Industrial Revolution and the major mines under the Peace Trading Company. (The novel "Parallel Ming Dynasty: The More You Compare, the More Old Zhu Collapses" - with its stunning writing and dramatic plot twists!)

Moreover, even if more coal mines are needed in the future, Zhu Duo can simply acquire them directly.

and so--

In summary, Zhu Duo at this point had become the uncrowned king of the Industrial Revolution! The New Era Summit begins.

The new type of textile machine is making fabric merchants extremely envious;

The powerful steam engine excited the canal transport merchants, logistics merchants, and officials.

Boiler metallurgy amazed officials and foundry workers;

And the simple car made everyone's eyes widen, exclaiming that they would never need a horse-drawn carriage again!

……

Industry leaders were particularly curious about the various novelties exhibited at the summit.

The things that Peace Trading Company displayed were things that no one had ever seen before.

Furthermore, even Zhu Yuanzhang attended this summit in simple attire.

He wanted to see what kind of business the Peace Trading Company was currently involved in, and why it had such a great influence among the people.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang was unsettled after hearing Shen Bi's vision for the future of the Peace Trading Company.

"This is simply creating a whole new world!"

"I must admit, the Peace Trading Company has immense potential, and it can even transform the entire Ming Dynasty!"

This meeting truly influenced the future of the Ming Dynasty.

Fortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang did not object, and the Peace Trading Company was able to continue its steady operation.

The reason Zhu Yuanzhang did not object was because the Peace Trading Company had sold all the flintlock muskets it had manufactured to the imperial court.

In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, as long as they control the weapons, no matter how powerful the Peace Merchants are, they cannot rebel!

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang allowed the Heping Trading Company to continue to develop.

Furthermore, they secretly sought assistance from the imperial court!

And so began the first industrial revolution in the Ming Dynasty, with each day bringing new changes and constant emergence of new things.

Zhu Duo remained behind the scenes, controlling key core technologies and guiding the positive progress of the First Industrial Revolution.

Although Zhu Duo's Peace Trading Company controlled five pillar industries of the Industrial Revolution, he was not greedy. Despite the monopoly, he did not set prices arbitrarily, but tried to keep prices reasonable while ensuring his own profits.

Therefore, the people below had no complaints whatsoever, and almost all of them showered the people with praise.

The First Industrial Revolution replaced workshops with factories and manual labor with machines; the backward mode of production of the self-sufficient peasant class was gradually replaced, and the industrial class formed and grew stronger.

In the following years, the Ming Dynasty experienced an astonishing surge in productivity.

Fortunately, thanks to the great development of transportation, Zhu Duo was able to sell his products to neighboring countries, reaping huge profits and acquiring a large amount of resources.

By exploiting the surrounding areas, the people of the Ming Dynasty quickly became wealthy.

While it's said that they were exploiting neighboring countries, they were actually helping them solve their basic survival crisis. Zhu Duo, on the other hand, gained access to the hidden resources of those countries.

It's a win-win situation!

{The New World: Those were truly magnificent and incredibly magical years.}

{New World: Looking back now, it still feels a bit like a dream.}

{New World: In just a few short years, I went from a life of not having enough to eat to a life where I can have meat in every meal.}

That's amazing!

{The New World: Children born today can hardly imagine what our lives were like before. Prince Judau has completely changed the lives of all of us.}

{The New World: It's been a complete upheaval.}

{Original World: We all live in the Ming Dynasty, so why are we living in such poverty? Many of us are struggling to make ends meet!}

{Original World: Suddenly, I'm really envious of your lives.}

{Original World: We both live in the Ming Dynasty, yet our Ming Dynasties are so different, so vastly different.}

New World: Don't rush. Now that you've seen our current lives, you'll definitely learn how many amazing things are made from the videos.

Your lives will undergo tremendous changes from now on.

The people of the new world felt immense sympathy for the people of the original world, but they were powerless to help and could only offer this consolation.

New World: Perhaps we can tell you how some things were created. You can take notes and then create them in your world as well.

While it's impossible to reach our level in a short time, we can at least change a lot.

After all, if you're still hungry, nothing else, no matter how good, will be of any use.

People in the new world actively offer advice to people in the other world.

The officials from the original world, however, had their eyes light up when they saw these comments.

-

In particular, Yu Nong, the Minister of Works, suddenly slapped his forehead, regretting that he hadn't thought of this approach.

You could try asking the comments section how those things were made and what materials were needed.

This way, at least many things can be changed, so that they don't have to create solely based on memory.

While this still can't cover everything, it can at least be of great help!

[It's settled then, let's do it!]