Chapter 713

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“British?”

The Prince of Chu was confused. He had heard bits and pieces about Europe from the Cao family, but now he realized he knew too little.

Richard did not hide anything from the Prince of Chu. After all, the Prince of Chu had given him a very generous salary during this period. So he explained, “Actually, there have long been talks of steam engines in Britain, but at that time, the steam engines were almost useless, and people in other European countries didn’t care.”

Recalling, he continued, “But no one expected that the British had secretly improved the steam engine long ago and used it in the textile industry. Whether it was the Dutch, the Spanish, or us French, we were all deceived by the British. It wasn’t until recently when they sold steam engines at high prices to other countries that we realized, those cunning British fellows.”

The Prince of Chu felt a little uneasy upon hearing this. He said, “But according to the information I’ve received, Xiao Ming’s steam engines did not come from Britain; they manufactured them themselves.”

“This is also what surprises me,” Richard frowned. In his opinion, this matter was truly baffling.

If this had happened in Europe, he wouldn’t be surprised, but it happened in the Great Yu Empire.

“Could it be people from a secret society?” Richard frowned.

The Prince of Chu grew more confused. He said, “What is this ‘secret society’?”

Richard explained, “This secret society is an association in Britain. Initially, it was formed by several masons, with the aim of monopolizing the new technologies they discovered. Later, this association attracted more and more people who wanted to monopolize technology, and it also put forward the theory that science and technology represent productive forces. At the same time, they began to invite more and more elite scholars to join this association. Gradually, this association’s influence grew, and even our French Revolution had their shadow.”

The Prince of Chu was completely bewildered. He shook his head. “I don’t care about that. Since the steam engine is so powerful, can you sell some to me?”

“Hahaha… Your Highness is jesting. Steam engines are in high demand even in Europe, and it’s impossible to sell them to Your Highness given the vast distance from Europe to here,” Richard denied the Prince of Chu’s idea.

The Prince of Chu felt a little angry, but deep down, he felt more fear. Xiao Ming’s position was becoming increasingly stable, and he was now pushing through reforms despite all opposition.

Now he had even developed steam engines. The Prince of Chu had thought he could surpass Xiao Ming with the help of the French, but now the gap between them was widening.

Snorting, the Prince of Chu turned and left, no longer speaking to Richard, but instead thinking about how to obtain steam engines from Xiao Ming.

After the Prince of Chu left, Richard’s expression suddenly turned grim. In fact, he had always harbored hostility towards this British secret society, because technology was inherently the enemy of religion.

If this Xiao Ming was connected to this secret society, he would have to deal with it carefully, but this also explained why this Great Yu Empire’s prince, starting from nothing, had mastered so many European technologies.

…

In Qingzhou Province, Xiao Ming, while working on matters of the State of Shu, let out a big sneeze. Rubbing his nose, he muttered, “There are truly many people cursing me behind my back.”

Half a month had passed since the last court session. As time went on, a large number of workshops began to be constructed throughout the six provinces. Every day, he received memorials from Pang Yukun and Fei Ji.

For him, everything was proceeding according to the predetermined plan.

As the age of steam arrived, administrative and military reforms in the six provinces were also progressing in parallel.

Especially the army. While establishing the Grand Council, Niu Ben, according to Xiao Ming’s plan, carried out a major reorganization of the army.

Previously, his armies were all divided by prefecture, such as the Qingzhou Army, the Dengzhou Army, etc. Now, to achieve more unified command, he and Niu Ben decided to establish six standing armies using the names of former Great Yu Empire armies.

These six standing armies were the Left Martial Army, the Right Martial Army, the Qianniu Army, the Jinwu Army, the Yulin Army, and the Imperial Guard.

The Imperial Guard was responsible for guarding the capital, while the other five armies were stationed in one to two province each, responsible for border defense and foreign campaigns.

After this reform, his army would become more regularized. At the same time, he also promoted many generals, appointing them to the position of general.

For example, the current Luo Hong, as commander of the Jinwu Guard, was responsible for Chang’an Province and the former Zhao territory. Lu Fei was the commander of the Right Martial Army, stationed in Youzhou Province. Luo Xin, as commander of the Left Martial Army, was stationed in Jinling Province.

Qi Guangyi served as a general of the Qianniu Army, stationed in Liang Province to guard against barbarians. Lei Ming served as a general of the Yulin Army, stationed in Youzhou Province.

The Imperial Guard, which protected the capital, was personally commanded by Xiao Ming. Of course, he was merely nominally in charge; Niu Ben was truly responsible for its management.

Thus, he had completely reorganized the army. From now on, these six standing armies would be commanded by the Grand Council, and the Grand Council would be directly responsible to him.

Having put a checkmark on the memorial submitted by Niu Ben, Xiao Ming put down his pen.

The army was of utmost importance. After this reform, he believed his army’s combat strength would become even stronger.

After all, each army now consisted of musketeers, artillery, cavalry, and chariot soldiers, meaning the overall combat strength of each army was very formidable.

As he was deep in thought, Qian Dafu’s voice suddenly rang out, “Your Majesty, an urgent report from Dengzhou.”

“Present it quickly,” Xiao Ming frowned.

It was snowing heavily outside. At this time, Qian Dafu was covered in white. Shaking the snow off himself, Qian Dafu handed the memorial to Xiao Ming.

Opening the memorial, Xiao Ming scanned its contents, and a shadow suddenly fell over his heart.

This memorial was sent by Yue Yun. As Wang Xuan had reported, Goryeo had actually dispatched warships at this time of year, disguised as Japanese pirates, intending to plunder Dengzhou.

“Your Majesty, the courier outside is still waiting. General Yue Yun is awaiting Your Majesty’s decree,” Qian Dafu said.

After this northern war, Xiao Ming had followed a policy of recuperation, thus reducing foreign military engagements. Yue Yun naturally understood this point.

As the saying goes, “A single cannon shot costs ten thousand taels of gold.” If war broke out, it would be a matter of spending silver.

Picking up his pen, Xiao Ming unhesitatingly put a checkmark on the memorial. Dealing with Goryeo was already part of his plan, and this time, Goryeo had brought it upon itself.

In his opinion, Goryeo must have suffered heavy losses in its war with Japan, and thus thought of taking advantage of his territory.

However, Goryeo was clearly blinded by greed and had chosen the wrong place. In his strategy, he would eventually completely occupy Goryeo and designate it as a province.

Coming from modern times, he naturally knew how much trouble this place would cause him in the future. Rather than that, it was better to solve the problem once and for all.