Just a few days after the Khitan envoys arrived in Beijing, the Koreans gave in on the matter of Jeonra Island. Guo Shao finally breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had seen the door to a mountain of gold and silver.
The Liao Kingdom hoped to negotiate peace this time.
After years of war and countless deaths, peace finally came. Guo Shao once again confirmed his own concept: the so-called peace is nothing more than a balance created by war; when the opponents understand that they will pay an equally heavy price for going to war, they will cherish peace.
Guo Shao issued an edict, saying that the Khitan had a long history with the Central Plains, and that they were border towns of the Central Plains court during the Tang Dynasty, and that they should live in harmony, which also showed goodwill. But on the other hand, he asked the Liao Kingdom to pay tribute to him in order to establish a righteous relationship between the monarch and his subjects.
As for whether Liao agreed to surrender or not, it was not important. Most likely they would not agree. After all, Liao was still a great power that dominated the northern grasslands. Anyway, Liao did not dare to attack the Central Plains at this time, so it would be useless to negotiate peace. If they really dared to fight, it would be useless to negotiate peace.
The Goryeo envoys quickly submitted a report, respectfully asking about the Daxu court's attitude towards the Liao Kingdom.
Guo Shao asked the Ministry of Rites to reply to Goryeo, promising that the people would have to rest after years of war. The purpose of borrowing Jeonra Island was to facilitate maritime trade with Goryeo, Baitong and Japan, and to accumulate military funds for the national treasury.
Goryeo would never think that Xu Dynasty borrowed Jeonra Island to attack their Central Plains. Even if they wanted to conquer Goryeo, they would do it by land, which was much more convenient. Going to Jeonra Island from the sea was a thankless task with uncertain sea waves.
In early summer, the crops on both sides of the Bian River were lush and green, and everything was full of vitality. The artificial river dug on the Bian River was also full of water. Guo Shao came here surrounded by officials and guards. He could hear the sound of water rushing and the heavy sound of forging hammers from a distance.
Guo Shao looked up and saw that the sky over the Armor Factory was filled with black smoke and there was a lot of noise. If it weren't for the classical walls and buildings, it would have been like entering a factory area.
The area surrounded by the city wall was called the Armor-Making Workshop, where weapons, firearms and other military equipment were actually forged. It was only because it was originally built to forge armor that the name was used.
If you want to know why such a huge Daxu Dynasty is so short of money, apart from the hundreds of thousands of imperial guards who are fed by the emperor, all the craftsmen and strong men in this entire city are supported by the national treasury. In the city, apart from the craftsmen and officials, there are only their families; not to mention the cost of raw materials transported here every day.
Accompanying him were the Military Equipment Supervisor Zan Jurun, the Jiaolong Army Commander Han Tong and others. Han Tong wanted to see the bronze cannons specially cast for the warships. The cannons used by the navy were somewhat different, mainly because some parts had different structures. For example, the gun ears had to be recast in order to use iron chains on the ship to cushion the recoil of the cannons.
Guo Shao was going to inspect the military equipment. The emperor's visit from time to time could play a role, not only to understand the production of military equipment, but also to put pressure on the armor workshops, so that they would not dare to produce shoddy products or engage in excessive corruption.
Guo Shao knew very well that corruption existed from top to bottom. The last time Li Chuyun mentioned that the county officials took bribes, he only saw the tip of the iceberg. Guo Shao had no good solution. People died for money and birds died for food. It was difficult for government-run offices not to be corrupt. Besides, if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. He just hoped that these people would not be too greedy and not be too excessive. They could just do good things with the money they took.
May Your Majesty Live Long and Prosperous. A group of people bowed outside the city gate. Guo Shao did not say anything in the carriage, and after a while, the eunuch Yang Shiliang said: Your Majesty asks you to stand up.
A group of people entered the city gate. Guo Shao lifted the curtain and saw dust and smoke all over the sky, which was completely different from the scene in Tokyo. They then entered another city gate, which led to the important areas of workshops and government offices.
When they arrived at the gate of the government office in the city, Guo Shao got off the carriage. A pattern on the wall immediately caught his interest because it was a scale.
He went up to observe and saw that it was a fine straight line engraved on the marble with scales on it. Immediately, an official came up and bowed and said: All workshops in the city should use this scale to avoid different sizes in each workshop and difficulty in division of labor.
Guo Shao turned around and said to Zan Jurun: This city has been built for several years and it is indeed effective.
Zan Jurun was praised with a delighted look on his face, and bowed: “It is all thanks to your majesty’s wisdom.”
Guo Shao stood in front of the screen wall for a while and did not go in. Only some eunuchs and officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Revenue went in to check the accounts.
The ministers and generals followed Guo Shao directly to the workshop for an on-site inspection.
As soon as he entered the workshop, it was extremely hot and the noise was deafening. Guo Shao followed the rustling sound and saw a rough and complex structure. A copper cannon was placed on a shelf, the cannon body was clamped on it by a cast iron object, and a wedge was inserted to fix it. The muzzle of the cannon rotated rapidly, which made Guo Shao very interested.
It was rotating like a big drill. Guo Shao looked closely and saw that the transmission was a hydraulic transmission wheel like a forging hammer, with an iron chain extending and retracting on the big wheel, and then using the twisting force to make the drill rotate back and forth. A shirtless craftsman was wiping the sweat from his forehead while applying oil to the iron chain.
Zan Jurun said: "Your Majesty, this is grinding the barrel. After the bronze cannon is cast, the barrel is rough and uneven, and it needs to be polished smooth and flat. The drill bit is made of grindstone. At first, the armor workshop used human drills, but the drill was too heavy and it was really slow. Later, everyone asked the craftsmen to make this thing according to the water wheel of the forging hammer.
It was a smoky place, but Guo Shao was a little excited. This thing in front of him was far from being called a machine tool, mainly because the vise that fixed the object, the gun barrel, was too crude, and the drill bit was not very useful. But the armor workshop had gradually learned to make tools to process weapons, which was a great progress.
Guo Shao pondered for a moment and pointed at the chain drive wheel: This thing is inefficient and can be replaced by gears. Let's think of a way to try.
Zan Jurun was a little confused.
Guo Shaodao: I will draw it for you when we get back to the yamen.
He pointed at the rack that held the gun barrel and said: "This rack can also be improved, as can the drill bit. No matter how hard the grindstone is, it has a limit and can only be used for a limited time. No wonder you are so slow in casting cannons. Make some rules to reward those craftsmen who have figured out the results, and give them positions as officials of the Military Equipment Supervisor and the Ministry of Works, and don't hesitate to reward craftsmen who have made great contributions."
Zan Jurun clasped his fists and said loudly: I obey your order.
Everyone went to another workshop, where craftsmen were making matchlock guns. Many of them were using simple but ingenious tools to drill and grind the gun barrels. Guo Shao had seen that kind of tool before. It was not invented by him, but by Lu Ban's apprentice. It was mainly used by carpenters. The principle was probably to use the twisting force of hemp rope. The craftsmen pushed and pulled the wooden tools up and down, and the awl drill bit in the middle rotated back and forth.
The musket used by Xu Jun has limited range and lethality, but it takes a lot of work to make it. Many people are divided into different processes.
Guo Shao asked the workshop's foreman to take the list to see the management division of labor, and proposed some improvement methods on the spot. Guo Shao had never studied management, but he knew the most basic concepts: assembly line and standard operation. In fact, this set of things was known in the Qin Dynasty, but later dynasties forgot the ancestral methods.
This armor workshop has been in operation for several years. Guo Shao inspected it and saw its progress. As long as the basic things are built and there is soil for development, Guo Shao believes that everything will evolve.
At noon, Guo Shao came out of the workshop and stood in front of the waterfall-like hydraulic engine. His mood was very different.
The huge noise of clanging and clattering in the workshop seemed to Guo Shao like a beautiful symphony, or like the beating heartbeat of a huge machine. From here, many dreams will become possible.
The sun is quietly shining on the earth in the sky, and everything will be a new beginning under the sun. Guo Shao is waiting for a huge amount of money to inject new impetus into his dream.