Liu Jie was not the only one who was dissatisfied with the Foundry Bureau?
The three provinces and six ministries of the DPRK and Central Government all complained about the foundry bureau, which was like a "gold-eating beast". The imperial censor even wrote letters of impeachment every now and then. Although the current annual revenue of the state treasury can be said to have "exploded" compared to the early years of Zhenguan, the territory of the empire is so vast and the people of the Tang Dynasty are so prosperous. No matter how much money is spent, it will not be able to "spread the rain and dew equally". It will always be based on the national strategy. As for the adjustment of appropriation, it is inevitable that there will be priority for one and preference for others.
Under such circumstances, the foundry bureau, which had almost "unlimited" funds, naturally became the target of public criticism.
Although the foundry bureau does not receive much funding from the Ministry of Civil Affairs every year, and most of them rely on their own "blood production", but others don't care about this. Since you have so much money, can't you just support your brother units? Do you have to throw it into a bottomless pit and not even hear a sound?
Besides, what is your foundry's money?
Is your foundry bureau still within the establishment of the Ministry of War, and is it still under the jurisdiction of His Majesty?
In particular, the foundry's various so-called "scientific research" has caused widespread slander and constant criticism from both the government and the public...
Pei Huaijie was also heartbroken at this moment: "I often heard about this in Luoyang. They said that Fang Jun was flattering to his superiors and domineering to his subordinates. He was even more perfunctory about political affairs. He only liked tinkering with Lao Shizi's 'new inventions', and even those of that year. College students also He has led him to read less classics and history, and talk less about natural science... He is a traitor and a traitor who has brought trouble to the world! Zhongshu Ling is the prime minister of the world, why don't you write to your majesty and contact the court officials to ban the casting bureau? "< br>
"Uh..."
Liu Jie was slightly stunned, but he did not expect that Pei Huaijie was so resentful towards Fang Jun, but he followed his words. He could only click his tongue and said hesitantly: "Although Fang Jun doesn't know what it means, the foundry bureau is also wasting it." A lot of money, but there are still some results...not to mention that now in Jiangnan Paper mills are popping up everywhere, producing bamboo paper of excellent quality and low price. The 'movable type printing' alone is a pioneering work across the ages, causing the price of books to plummet ten times or a hundred times, allowing countless children from poor families to Reading..."
After saying a few words, he couldn't go on because he realized that the Foundry Bureau, which he had been stuck in in the past, was not as useless as it seemed. Various inventions had even changed the current social situation.
Not to mention the Foundry Bureau's improvement of gunpowder formulas and the development and production of firearms, which allowed the Tang Dynasty to completely crush the Hu people in Fanbang from having an advantage.
Even the so-called "steam engine" that makes all Chang'an people complain about their powerlessness doesn't seem so hateful. The reason why they don't like to see that iron lump is because it explodes every day and has long been a laughing stock. But what if one day it stops exploding? ?
No manpower or animal power is needed, just laying a section of railway track can pull tens of thousands of kilograms of goods... If the railway track is laid to Chencang, Jingyang, Tongguan, Lantian and other places, the army of the Sixteenth Guards guarding Chang'an can move almost as fast as possible. Arriving at any place in Guanzhong without any effort, the whole Guanzhong is monolithic. How can there be another mutiny between the kings of Long and Jin?
Thinking more deeply, if one day railway tracks can be laid out of Guanzhong and directly to Luoyang, Hedong, Shandong, Jiangnan... Hiss!
Although it seems incredible and like a dream, it is indeed possible...
Pei Huaijie was filled with righteous indignation: "Perhaps the poor people in the world have benefited, but Fang Jun's original intention was to earn money and fame, and he was ambitious and looked down upon the wolves!"
"Hey, that's it."
Liu Jie was a little dissatisfied and scolded: "There is no need to doubt Fang Jun's loyalty to His Majesty, and his loyalty to the Tang Dynasty can be expressed every day! Our camps are opposed in the officialdom, and it is right to suppress them by any means, but we cannot ignore it because of the opposition. Facts. How come there are so many eagles and wolves looking at you? Dear brother, be careful!”
"Eagle's Eyes and Wolf's Eyes" is a facial expression in physiognomy. The head can move freely from front to back without moving the shoulders. The eyes are as sharp and fierce as an eagle, seeming to be able to see through people's hearts. People with this kind of facial features have a wolf-like heart and a dog-like lung. They value profit. But those who despise righteousness must be a very evil person.
Legend has it in the history books that Sima Yi, who was known as the "Tomb Tiger" by the world at that time, had such an appearance, and eventually launched the "Gaoping Ling Incident" to steal the imperial power of Cao Wei and use his ministers to seek the emperor...
Saying such words at this time, where does this put the king?
Where will the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty be placed?
Perhaps because he felt that his tone was a bit harsh, he softened it a little and said with sincerity: "My dear brother has been in charge of Henan for a long time and has been a great official in the border areas. Once he says something, everyone will follow him, but this cannot be the case in the court. Fighting requires strategy. We must abide by the bottom line. People with different political views are opponents, but not enemies. There are certain rules that must be followed.”
Pei Huaijie was in a daze. Is this what Liu Jie could say?
He had also heard about government affairs. Zhongshu Ling had always been a civil servant leader and tried his best to suppress the military, especially Fang Jun, one of the military leaders. , simply opposing for the sake of opposing.
Now you actually tell yourself that you need a bottom line to fight?
Then your bottom line is too low, right?
But all he could do was look like he was listening and being taught: "What Zhongshu Ling said is absolutely true. I have been in the local government for too long and am very unfamiliar with government affairs. I will need more guidance and help from Zhongshu Ling in the future." That’s it.”
Now that he has stepped into the door of Liu Jie's house today, the outside world will definitely slander him everywhere, so he simply lowers his stance.
Liu Ji was satisfied with Pei Huaijie's performance. Although Pei Huaijie had not made any outstanding achievements in the years he served in Henan Province, and he was even more disgraced when he returned to Chang'an, after all, he was once a feudal official and had a close relationship with the Henan family. , which itself is an extremely high political resource, can be used for one's own purposes, which is of extraordinary significance.
"There is no point in mentioning anything. My dear brother, my words are serious. However, we civil servants who are in charge of government affairs must serve the public wholeheartedly and serve us wholeheartedly. We must not let those arrogant and domineering people in the military cause wars and anger. The energy of the empire is wasted in a meaningless war, which is the foundation of our existence. ”
Listening to Liu Ji's words, Pei Huaijie nodded repeatedly, but felt extremely confused.
One moment he said that Fang Jun's military reform was necessary, and the other moment he said that the military should be suppressed as much as possible. Which one of these is true and which one is false?
*****
Rows of chimneys are neatly arranged along the river. The water channel made of cement and blue bricks makes the water flow from Kunming Pool more and more rapid. The water flow washes the impellers arranged in the water channel and drives the houses on both sides. Various water conservancy installations within.
The weather is getting hotter and hotter, and countless craftsmen are sweating profusely while working in workshops all over the place. They use horse-drawn carriages or carts with guide rails to deliver various raw materials everywhere. Whether craftsmen or laborers, everyone is They were all filled with visible excitement and concentration, and the whole foundry was in full swing.
Suddenly there was a violent explosion in the distance, and even the road beneath my feet seemed to tremble a few times...
Fang Jun, who was inspecting the foundry bureau accompanied by Liu Shi, had no expression on his face. He looked into the distance and saw a plume of black smoke rising behind the layers of workshops, so he asked: "Are there any casualties? ”
Liu Shi said hurriedly: "There are basically no deaths, but injuries are inevitable. However, no matter whether they are dead or injured, there has been no progress in the steam engine experiment. I am ashamed of myself."
The steam engine manufacturing workshop is the top priority of the entire foundry bureau. It gathers the best craftsmen and gives them the best treatment. However, even if it can occasionally operate for a short period of time, the final result is to blow up.
This directly resulted in heavy casualties among the craftsmen, which was also one of the focuses of criticism and impeachment by North Korean and Chinese civil servants.
It is strange that the civil servants who always regarded craftsmen as slaves are now vigorously advocating that "craftsmen are also human beings" and are also citizens of the Tang Dynasty. They cannot be sacrificed without value to the crazy imagination of some people...
However, after Liu Shi improved and updated the test process and resolutely implemented it, the number of casualties was greatly reduced.
However, there has been little progress in the experiment, and the outside world has continued to criticize it, making Liu Shi feel that he has betrayed Fang Jun's trust and is under great pressure.
Every year, millions of pounds of money seem to be thrown into the river without making any sound, which can be said to shock the past and the present. If we have not been able to develop a result that can shock the world, it is conceivable that Fang Jun will eventually be forgotten by the world. What a shame...
Fang Jun didn't take it seriously. He patted Liu Shi on the shoulder and comforted him: "Every failure is one step closer to success. You must insist on the right path. As long as you persist, you will eventually reach success." One day.”
Throughout the ages, scientific research has been the most difficult path.
It’s just a matter of spending countless amounts of money. The problem is that the money spent may not be valuable. Once you go the wrong way, you will never be able to achieve the desired results.
Fortunately, although Fang Jun doesn't know much about materials, he knows how to take this road. As long as he keeps moving forward according to the established route, sooner or later, he will succeed...
The two continued to move forward, occasionally going into the roadside workshops to inspect, chatting with the craftsmen, checking on the research and casting progress of various inventions, and giving some ways to improve them, and never tired of it.
Returning to the official house set up by the river, Liu Shi drove away the officials, poured tea for Fang Jun himself, and then said with worry: "The current affairs of the government and the government are extremely unfriendly to the foundry bureau, especially Liu Xiangdao and his censor. Yan Guan has repeatedly impeached the Foundry Bureau for having too many steel-making furnaces and heavy smoke, which affects the environment around Chang'an and leads to bad air. I hope it will be banned..."
Fang Jun took a sip of tea, looked up at the rising black smoke in the distance outside the window, and felt helpless. Although Fang Jun did not pursue any whimsical industrialization in Datang, the output and quality of steel can quickly promote the development of productivity, especially the changes in social structure caused by such new things, which will put the entire society in a state of active development. , The state of forge ahead has completely destroyed the foundation of Confucianism's "governing by doing nothing". This is a more important progress than the successful research of firearms and steam engines.