Chapter 1162: No choice?

An hour later, An Miaoyi and Jingren, mother and son, walked out of Ye Cui's courtyard reluctantly and said goodbye, and set out on the road back to their own courtyard...
Looking at his mother walking in front of him on the road, Jingren seemed to be hesitant to speak, as if he wanted to ask something, but looking at the maids and old women beside him, Jingren suppressed his thoughts and obediently followed his mother back home.

After returning to the house, An Miaoyi told Jingren to go back to his room to read and review his lessons. However, seeing that there were only mother and son in the room at this time, Jingren couldn't help but ask his mother curiously:

"Mom, don't you hate Aunt Pei the most?"

After listening to Jingren's words, An Miaoyi was stunned for a moment and then asked in a deep voice:

"When did I ever say I hate your Aunt Pei?"

Jingren hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but whispered:

"Mom, although you never said you hated Aunt Pei, but every time you mentioned Aunt Pei at home, your face turned strange!"

An Miaoyi was speechless after hearing this. Although she was used to acting and disguising herself, it was still very tiring to do so all the time. So even though she was acting outside, when she returned to her own courtyard, An Miaoyi's vigilance would be lowered, and she would involuntarily reveal some of her true emotions!
Facing her son's sincere gaze at this moment, An Miaoyi didn't know how to answer her son's question. After all, she couldn't tell her son that if she didn't speak well of Pei Zhixiu, his father would think that she was the one who instigated the incident and put the blame on her, right?
Thinking of this, An Miaoyi couldn't help feeling a little depressed, and then she spoke to her son perfunctorily:

"Jingren, you're overthinking it. Mother and your Aunt Pei are good sisters!"

Jingren seemed to sense the perfunctory tone in his mother's words, and spoke seriously again:

"Mom! I won't tell Dad!"

An Miaoyi was silent again for a while after hearing this, and then waved to Jingren. Seeing this, Jingren immediately came over. Looking at his son with a serious face, An Miaoyi touched his head and said softly:
"When people live in this world, sometimes they can't help themselves. Jingren, you are still young now. When you grow up, you will understand!"

Jingren nodded thoughtfully. Just when An Miaoyi was about to ask him to read a book, Jingren suddenly spoke:
“Mom, Mr. Gu told me that we have no control over our bodies. However, Mr. Gu told me that people always say that they have no control over their bodies throughout their lives, but most of the time, it is not up to one’s heart, so how can one control one’s body…”

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Yijing, North Gate
Amid the cheers and shouts of tens of thousands of people, tens of thousands of officers and soldiers of the Third Army were ready to go outside the city gate. These young faces were full of determination, bravery and pride. They were eager to make achievements for the Great Zhou, to show off their glorious military exploits with the blood of their enemies, to win honor for themselves and to obtain rewards from the court!
At this moment of great attention, the Third Army Commander Xun Ke also came to the city gate, stood in front of Ye Mingsheng and reported loudly:

"Report to the Marshal, all the soldiers of the Third Army are ready to go! Please give your instructions, Marshal!"

Looking at Xun Ke and his victorious army, Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly in satisfaction. At the same time, the guards beside him brought two glasses of fine wine.

Ye Mingsheng picked up his wine glass and said loudly to the soldiers of the Third Army:
"Zhamukha has received great kindness from the Great Zhou, but he has no intention of repaying the kindness. Instead, he has turned his back on the kindness and colluded with the Golden Horde to commit evil. This is a capital crime. Now that the Great Khan Luobi has submitted to the Great Zhou, the Great Zhou will not tolerate this thief, Jamukha, to act rashly!"

"I hope all the soldiers will unite as one and work together to eliminate this thief for our Great Zhou and protect the peace of the northern part of our Great Zhou. The court and the people are waiting for your good news!"

"I, Ye Mingsheng, would like to use this wine to wish you a speedy and victorious return! Long live the Great Zhou!"

After saying that, under the gaze of nearly 100,000 soldiers and civilians, Ye Mingsheng was very heroic and drank the wine in the glass directly. With Ye Mingsheng's actions, the atmosphere in the venue reached its climax, and the surrounding people also rang out warm cheers and shouts·····························
At this time, Xun Ke, as the commander of the Third Army, also spoke solemnly on behalf of the soldiers of the Third Army, holding up his wine glass:
"I will obey the command of the Marshal! I swear to bring victory back to Yijing! Capture this thief Jamukha and present him to the Marshal!"

After saying that, Xun Ke drank the wine in the glass. Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng nodded with a smile. What he didn't expect was that after Xun Ke finished drinking, he suddenly said loudly:
"Long live the Great Zhou! Long live it! Long, long live it!"

"Long live Marshal Ye! Long, long live Marshal Ye!"

As Xun Ke finished shouting, tens of thousands of Third Army soldiers under the city wall immediately followed suit and issued deafening slogans!
"Long live the Great Zhou! Long live it! Long, long live it!"

"Long live Marshal Ye! Long, long live Marshal Ye!"

Such a sudden change was also something Ye Mingsheng had not expected, but Ye Mingsheng was also an old hand at this time. Although he was caught off guard, he still did not panic at all. He still smiled and signaled to the soldiers, and then whispered to Xun Ke:

"If you can't beat me, I'll show you how I can deal with you!"

Xun Ke, who was originally feeling a little nervous, felt relieved when he heard what Ye Mingsheng said. He then smiled and reported to Ye Mingsheng:

"If I return victorious from this battle, please make me a marquis, Your Majesty!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded and said:
"According to your!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty..." After the communication, Ye Mingsheng gave the order to go to war. Half an hour later, the departure ceremony was completely declared over. Before leaving the city wall, Ye Mingsheng looked meaningfully at Zhao Han, Yuan Song and others on the side. Facing Ye Mingsheng's gaze, Zhao Han and Yuan Song felt guilty and did not dare to look Ye Mingsheng in the eye!
Ye Mingsheng knew very well that Xun Ke alone would not have the courage to persuade him to take the throne in public, and there must be influence from other people!

There must be more than just one or two people here. It is very likely that this persuasion represents the opinions of the entire military!

Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but shook his head slightly, then took a carriage to the First Manufacturing Bureau, ready to go and see the cement manufacturing in the factory!
Currently, under Cui Shao's recommendation, the Yijing renovation plan has been determined to be led by Yijing prefect Liu Ning. The entire plan has basically taken shape. The goal of the first phase is to build one hundred two-story buildings and fifty three-story buildings to accommodate three thousand people!

According to Liu Ning's idea, if the effect of the first phase is good, then we will continue to expand the scale of the renovation and continue to build two- or three-story buildings!
Of course, if the effect is not good, then the plan will be stopped. Ye Mingsheng also agrees with this. Although he believes that converting bungalows into high-rise buildings to enhance the utilization of urban space is a historical necessity, this is the first attempt after all. Ye Mingsheng is somewhat worried about whether it can achieve the desired effect...
Therefore, Ye Mingsheng also wanted to visit the factory of the First Manufacturing Bureau to see whether the steel and cement they produced met the requirements and could support the construction of these two- or three-story buildings!
Soon Ye Mingsheng arrived at the factory. Accompanied by the responsible officials of the First Manufacturing Bureau, Ye Mingsheng listened to the introduction of the production technology, visited the production process, and talked with the workers of the First Manufacturing Bureau!

Although it was obvious that these worker representatives had been rehearsed and spoke all kinds of official jargon to praise the factory's achievements, from the information that Ye Mingsheng had the Coordination Office collect, the workers in these factories were still guaranteed a living. Their wages and benefits were not enough to allow them to live a decent and prosperous life in a big city like Yijing.

But it basically guaranteed food, clothing, housing and transportation for themselves and their families in Yijing, and they could save at least one or two taels of silver a year, which was already very good for the common people in Yijing!

Seeing them sweating and working hard, Ye Mingsheng wanted to improve their welfare benefits so that they could earn more income. However, thinking of the situation of the First Manufacturing Bureau reported by Chen Changgui before, Ye Mingsheng had to give up this idea!

However, this was only a temporary giving up. Ye Mingsheng secretly made up his mind that when the court's financial situation improved in a few years, he would definitely improve the welfare of these workers so that these people could get more rewards for their efforts...
Ye Mingsheng knew very well that for these workers, no matter how much praise and compliments they received, they were not as real as an extra ounce of silver in salary!
After inspecting the factory, Ye Mingsheng also had a basic impression of the cement currently produced by the First Manufacturing Bureau. The steel and cement currently produced by the First Manufacturing Bureau is definitely not comparable to that of later generations, but it is definitely enough to build some two- or three-story buildings.

After inspecting the situation, Ye Mingsheng asked Chen Changgui, the director of the First Manufacturing Bureau, to share his thoughts and opinions on Liu Ning's plan.
"Marshal, this factory is our First Manufacturing Bureau, the first factory that can mass-produce cement. Although it can already mass-produce cement, the process is still not perfect, and the cement produced is still very limited. Therefore, I think the production capacity of this factory is not enough to meet the needs of Governor Liu's plan!"

Listening to Chen Changgui's words, Ye Mingsheng also fell into deep thought. According to Liu Ning's plan, it would take one or two months to acquire the land, and two months to demolish the houses. The subsequent construction would inevitably not be fast because of the use of new materials and new construction techniques.

Therefore, it will take at least half a year to build these small buildings...
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng asked Chen Changgui:

"You want to expand production?"

Facing Ye Mingsheng's gaze, Chen Changgui nodded without hesitation and said:
"Yes! Marshal, this cement was jointly developed by our First Manufacturing Bureau and the Second Manufacturing Bureau. All colleagues in our First Manufacturing Bureau and the Second Manufacturing Bureau agree that this cement has a very broad development prospect. Therefore, we want to expand production capacity and promote the application of cement in Da Zhou!"

Listening to Chen Changgui's thoughts, Ye Mingsheng also keenly realized that Chen Changgui's thoughts involved a very critical issue!

“How much silver is needed to expand production capacity?”

Facing Ye Mingsheng's question, Chen Changgui hesitated and said:
"At least 150,000 taels of silver!"

Ye Mingsheng frowned slightly when he heard this. Seeing this, Chen Changgui said to Ye Mingsheng:
"Marshal, you know that our First Manufacturing Bureau used to specialize in producing firearms and other military supplies for the army. We don't have much money on our account, so this time we plan to cooperate with the Second Manufacturing Bureau to expand cement production capacity!"

"I communicated with Director Su Junjie. Director Su said that the Second Manufacturing Bureau can provide 60,000 taels of silver, and our First Manufacturing Bureau can provide 20,000 taels of silver. The total is 80,000 taels of silver. Therefore, there is still a gap of 70,000 taels of silver left for the plan to expand production capacity..."

"We reported this situation to Minister Chen, and he also communicated with the Ministry of Revenue several times, but the Ministry of Revenue's attitude was not very clear!"

Looking at Chen Changgui's hesitant expression, Ye Mingsheng also understood his thoughts. All departments of the court are now asking the Ministry of Revenue for money. Each of them has practical needs, but the Ministry of Revenue has limited money, so the Ministry of Revenue naturally cannot meet the needs of all departments for money!
The First Manufacturing Bureau and the Second Manufacturing Bureau are now under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry, and the Minister of Industry, Chen Fu, is a surrendered official. He does not have a high status and little experience in the Yijing court. Therefore, even if he goes to the Ministry of Revenue to fight for it, the Ministry of Revenue will not buy his account!
After a pause, Ye Mingsheng said to Chen Changgui:
"You all know that the court is in financial difficulty right now, so you should also understand the difficulties faced by the Ministry of Revenue!"

Hearing this, Chen Changgui became a little anxious and said to Ye Mingsheng:
"Marshal, cement is the research direction you pointed out. You are the one who knows its value and function best!"

Ye Mingsheng waved his hand to signal him to be patient, and then said:
"I know what you're thinking. Give me some time to resolve the silver issue. I'll solve it for you!"

"I have only one request to you, the First Manufacturing Bureau, and that is that you complete the production of products with guaranteed quality and quantity."

As soon as these words came out, Chen Changgui's face suddenly showed joy, and he immediately assured Ye Mingsheng:

"Don't worry, sir. As long as the money is in place, if there are any other problems, I, Chen Changgui, will come to you with my head!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded upon hearing this, and after encouraging Chen Changgui, he ended the inspection. When he returned to Ye Mansion, it was already evening. Ye Mingsheng wanted to finish his meal and rest, but unexpectedly, Ye Cheng reported to him at this time:

"Marshal, the Left Censor-in-Chief Xiao Lingyu brought a file and said that he has something important to report to you..."

(End of this chapter)