"Brother Zhu, I have already paid the salaries of both the master blacksmith and the blacksmith apprentice in advance. You only need to take care of their meals when the time comes." Li Shu said to Zhu Ping'an in a tender voice.
It was so thoughtful of her to even prepay my salary. What more could a husband ask for with a wife like this
Zhu Ping'an looked at Li Shu with a touched expression. If it weren't for the fact that the times were wrong, he would have held Li Shu in his arms and bit her.
Li Shu saw Zhu Ping'an's eyes that looked like he wanted to eat her up, how could she not know what he was thinking? It was broad daylight, what was he thinking about? Her cheeks flushed and she glared at him and said, "Let's talk business. There are a few things you need to pay attention to, brother Zhu. The lame blacksmith is called Ou Zhige. He needs to be given one or two hours of free research time every day. He wants to study those dangerous firearms. During this time, you must not get close to him, as his legs are broken by explosions. And the one-eyed blacksmith is called Zhang Hong. He once went to Southeast Asia to learn the Red Barbarian artillery. He is a Hui people from Anxi. He cannot eat pork, donkey meat, and dog meat, nor can he drink alcohol. There is nothing else. And..."
"Yeah, okay, thank you Sister Li for the reminder, I'll make a note of it." Zhu Ping'an nodded with a smile and responded.
"Son-in-law, their salaries are very expensive. Just five blacksmiths earn several thousand taels of silver a year." Qin'er couldn't help but say with a pained look when she mentioned the salaries of the blacksmiths. "Son-in-law, you have to make good use of their abilities, make them work hard, and give them value for money."
"Haha, the wool comes from the sheep. Most of the salary is used by them to buy saltpeter, sulfur, iron ingots and other materials."
Li Shu smiled like a little fox, pointed to the endless stream of carriages full of materials behind her, and explained in a low voice while covering her mouth.
"In any era, talents are the most valuable. Sister Li sent me these blacksmiths, especially the three firearms craftsmen. Their value is immeasurable. If used properly, one firearms craftsman can be as powerful as thousands of troops. The salary of several thousand taels is a bit too much, but it is worth it. With these three firearms craftsmen, my Zhejiang Army will be even more powerful. Sister Li really helped me a lot. In the future, when my Zhejiang Army makes great achievements, you will have half the credit."
Zhu Ping'an thought that the salary of several thousand taels of silver was worth it, as his camp was in urgent need of a firearms craftsman.
After all, I am not a science student. I only know a general idea about gunpowder and muskets. I can provide some ideas and directions for improvement, but I am unable to figure out how to improve them specifically and how to put them into practice.
Now that we have these firearms craftsmen, we have ideas and directions that are hundreds of years ahead. For example, we know a thing or two about black powder, matchlock rifles, flintlock rifles, etc., and we can guide them in the right direction and path. I believe that we can achieve the effect of one plus one being about one hundred.
Zhu Ping'an has become more confident about the future of Zhejiang Army, and the light in his eyes is as bright as the morning sun.
Looking at the confident Zhu Ping'an, Li Shu's eyes were full of stars.
"Suozhu, go to the camp and ask Dagang to bring his logistics battalion out to welcome the blacksmith master and the supplies. No matter what stage their logistics battalion sergeant selection has reached, tell Dagang to put it aside for the time being and bring people over quickly."
Zhu Ping'an stopped a gatekeeper and started talking.
"promise."
Suozhu responded and ran away quickly.
"Thank you all for your hard work in coming all the way here. Now that you are here at Zhejiang Army, it feels like home. Don't worry, our Zhejiang Army will not treat you unfairly." Zhu Ping'an walked forward with a smile and bowed, saying to the blacksmiths and apprentices.
Seeing Zhu Ping'an, the supreme commander of the Zhejiang Army and a fourth-rank official of the Ming Dynasty, treat them with such courtesy, the five blacksmiths and their apprentices were all excited and moved. This was the first time they had received such attention and courtesy.
Ever since Qi State's Prime Minister Guan Zhong proposed the theory of four occupations in the Spring and Autumn Period, dividing people into four major social groups according to their occupations - scholars, farmers, workers and merchants - the status of scholars, farmers, workers and merchants in feudal society has been basically established.
A blacksmith is a kind of craftsman. As the third-ranked handicraft producer, craftsmen were exploited and had no freedom in the feudal society where agriculture was emphasized and commerce was suppressed for a long time. They had a low social status. In particular, there was a saying that "playthings will lead to loss of ambition". They were despised by society and could be dismissed at will.
The Ming Dynasty was the peak of feudal society. The feudal hierarchy was strict and there was a register of craftsmen, which made them looked down upon.
Now, Zhu Ping'an treated them with such courtesy, how could they not be excited and moved.
Soon, Liu Dagang and his battalion came running over, "Sir, meet the Madam."
After Liu Dagang arrived, he greeted Zhu Pingan, and then went forward to greet Li Shu.
Li Shu nodded slightly.
"Dagang, take these five master blacksmiths and their apprentices to the camp and settle them down. Whether it's tents, bedding, toiletries, etc., use the latest and best. The treatment of these five master blacksmiths will be similar to yours, with each person assigned a separate tent. The treatment of the apprentice blacksmiths will be similar to that of sentries, with two apprentices in one tent. Also, ask your camp to drive the carriages to the camp, sort the supplies, store them in the warehouse, and make sure they are moisture-proof and fire-proof. There must be no mistakes, as these supplies are all good stuff."
Zhu Ping'an gave Liu Dagang careful instructions and reminded him again and again.
"Ah, such a high salary?" Liu Dagang couldn't help but exclaimed in surprise when he heard about the treatment of craftsmen and apprentices.
He had typical Ming Dynasty thinking. In his view, these blacksmiths, whether they were masters or apprentices, were just craftsmen who did their work. They were craftsmen by origin, and their status was not even as good as that of farmers. So why were they given such high treatment
"Gao? If I hadn't worn out the tent, I would have given it to them. Dagang, each of them is a treasure of our Zhejiang Army. Each of them is worth a battalion. If used properly, a firearms craftsman is enough to take on thousands of troops. I tell you people in the logistics battalion to be careful and take good care of them. If any of them loses a hair, the person responsible will be severely punished by military law."
Zhu Ping'an patted Liu Dagang on the shoulder, smiled gently and shook his head, emphasizing him again.
"Are they so powerful?" Liu Dagang looked skeptical. How could a mere blacksmith fight against thousands of troops
"Of course, our Zhejiang Army will have to rely on them more in the future. You will know how powerful they are in the future." Zhu Ping'an said seriously.
Although he didn't believe the blacksmith was so capable, Liu Dagang believed in his own master and nodded vigorously, saying, "Don't worry, Master. Since you value them so much, we will definitely take good care of them like treasures and will never let them get hurt. If they get hurt, you will be the only one to blame."