Chapter 409: The Weapon for Battle
The Minister of Works invited the young Emperor to his study.
Chu Hongyu was seated in the main position.
He began, "I've come to see you, Minister Chen, to discuss how we can make this device easily deployable and retractable."
The Minister of Works pondered seriously.
If this "boarding ladder" for connecting to enemy warships were truly built and installed on ships, it would indeed need to be retractable—firstly, because space on the ship is limited, and secondly, to catch the enemy by surprise.
On the battlefield, the situation changes rapidly, so the faster and simpler the deployment and retraction, the better.
He paced back and forth in the study.
Meanwhile, Chu Hongyu stood on a chair, browsing books from the higher shelves.
The books here were quite different from those in the palace's Book Collection Pavilion; most were records and specialized studies on water conservancy and machinery from the Ministry of Works.
He found one, opened it, and leaned back in the chair to read carefully.
Suddenly, he spotted a diagram and exclaimed excitedly, "Minister Chen, come quickly and see! Could this tool be used to assist us?"
"This is—a pulley!" The Minister of Works' eyes widened immediately. "Your Majesty is too brilliant! Why didn't I think of it? Wonderful, absolutely wonderful! If we successfully implement this, it will fully realize Your Majesty's vision!"
Chu Hongyu was delighted: "It seems my idea wasn't too far-fetched. Can it be implemented for sure?"
"I will go now to discuss the specifics with the Minister of War. It would be best to add some hidden weapon attacks to this device... Then I'll ask the Minister of Revenue how much funding can be allocated..."
After saying this, the Minister of Works picked up the diagram and the book and hurried off.
He quickly found the Ministers of War and Revenue. Among the three, the Minister of Revenue had the highest standing, as he managed the nation's finances and personnel, making his ministry traditionally the foremost of the six.
Although the Minister of War was a civil official, he was also skilled in martial arts and knowledgeable in various areas. The moment he saw the diagram, his eyes lit up: "Well done, Old Chen! You quietly developed such an impressive thing without anyone noticing. If this can be installed on warships, why fear those Eastern Tomb Kingdom rascals and their surprise attacks!"
The Minister of Works stroked his beard proudly: "This is a weapon devised by His Majesty specifically to deal with the Eastern Tomb Kingdom. We'll install this device on the bow of the warship, with an opening at the front to connect to the ship's derrick. Place pulleys on the derrick, attach ropes, and through this method, we can raise and lower the boarding ladder at will."
"See these long spikes at the bottom? They can tightly lock two ships together," he continued. "Our soldiers can cross the boarding ladder directly onto the enemy's ship and wipe out the Eastern Tomb Kingdom forces completely. They like to launch surprise attacks and then flee, don't they? Let's see how they escape now. Hah, they can still run—by jumping into the sea and feeding the fish. At least their lives wouldn't have been entirely wasted."
The Minister of War pointed and suggested, "Our Great Jin soldiers can cross the boarding ladder, but the enemy can also come over. I propose setting up traps on the ladder that only our troops know about, such as hidden spikes at the bottom..."
The Minister of Works nodded repeatedly: "Is that difficult to achieve?"
"Not exactly difficult," replied the Minister of War. "But it requires funds—a lot of funds."
Both of them turned to look at the Minister of Revenue.The Minister of Revenue slowly sipped his tea: "Not long ago, with various disasters, the national treasury was nearly depleted. After the successive passing of the Empress and Emperor, the funeral expenses were beyond imagination... Now the Empress Dowager proposes sending reinforcements - do you know how much military pay is required for a hundred thousand troops? The previous dispatch of one hundred fifty thousand troops resulted in twenty to thirty thousand casualties, and the compensation for these soldiers alone amounts to fifty or sixty thousand taels of silver... Your ideas are commendable, but there is no silver to realize them."
These words poured like cold water over the Minister of Works, instantly chilling his fervent heart.
The Minister of Revenue stood up: "I have other matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave."
He went directly to the Regent's Residence.
The residence had many Counselors, all newly recruited by Chu Rui. He would set aside time daily to discuss current affairs with them, drawing useful insights from their conversations.
Seeing the Minister of Revenue arrive, Chu Rui dismissed the others.
"Minister Zhu, please sit." Chu Rui's expression was modest. "Minister Zhu has been working hard recently to raise military funds."
"Not at all, it is my duty," Minister Zhu replied. "The dispute between Your Highness and the Empress Dowager has spread among the court officials. It is likely the Empress Dowager intentionally leaked the news to force those neutral factions to make their choice quickly."
A cold smile appeared at the corner of Chu Rui's lips: "Since she has made her move, I need not hold back."
Minister Zhu straightened his back: "Your Highness, please give your orders."
"Spread the word that the Empress Dowager proposes attacking the Eastern Tomb Kingdom with full force. However, with insufficient provisions and military pay, she intends to raise taxes." Chu Rui took a sip of tea and continued, "Before tomorrow's court session, I want this news to reach every alley in the capital."
Minister Zhu stood up and bowed: "Yes, I will see to it immediately."
By that evening, various rumors had spread throughout the capital.
"Have you heard? The Empress Dowager advocates attacking the Eastern Tomb Kingdom!"
"If it weren't for the Eastern Tomb Kingdom causing the death of our Great Jin's Crown Prince, how could a child be emperor now? The Eastern Tomb Kingdom deserves death! The Empress Dowager's decision shows the courage of our Great Jin's subjects. I support it!"
"I support it too!"
"Hah, you people are too naive. Do you know what war means? It means silver, lots and lots of silver. Where will this silver come from?"
"Do you know how much treasury silver was spent on the funerals of the late Empress and Emperor? Our Great Jin simply has no money for war now."
"My wife's brother's wife has an uncle who serves as a Counselor to a high official. I heard that the Empress Dowager plans to increase commercial and land taxes to extort military funds from us common people!"
"Heavens! Why should we common people pay for the country's war? Our lives are already difficult enough."
"Why should state affairs be decided by a woman? The Empress Dowager is only in her twenties - what qualifications does she have to govern behind the curtain and make such major decisions?"
"War is a major matter, raising taxes is also a major matter, yet these were proposed by a woman. Hah, our Great Jin is doomed."
"With a woman interfering in politics, isn't Great Jin bound to fall?"
"..."
Throughout the capital's streets and alleys, countless people were discussing these matters.
Naturally, this reached the imperial court.
During the court session, someone stepped forward first to say: "Your Majesty, the common people are now calling for the prohibition of women's involvement in politics. How does Your Majesty view this?"Yun Chu sat behind the beaded curtain and gave a light laugh: "What do the ministers think?"
"Her Majesty the Empress Dowager governs from behind the curtain firstly to guide the young emperor, and secondly to stabilize the foundation of the state. The foundation of our Great Jin lies with the common people," Minister Zhu of the Ministry of Revenue spoke up. "Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. When the common people gather together, they become a tremendous force. By that time, our Great Jin would face internal troubles and external threats."
Minister Zhou stepped forward from the ranks: "To stabilize the people's hearts, I believe Her Majesty should conclude the regency after His Majesty reaches eight years of age."
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