Liang Xiao rushed to the steel mill upon receiving the news to inspect the ore, and Xiao Qing, as the Emperor, accompanied him.
Inside the steel mill’s ventilation system, Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing surveyed the boxes made of lead plates arranged on the ground.
This was Liang Xiao’s requirement, as some minerals might possess radiation that the Ministry of Works could not currently comprehend, and lead plates were effective in blocking radiation. What worried Liang Xiao the most was that the people of the Ministry of Works might suffer if they unearthed radioactive ore.
Following Liang Xiao’s suggestion, the imperial court established a separate "Engineering and Technology" track in the imperial examinations, specifically to recruit talent in engineering and technology, granting them honors and status equivalent to those of the imperial examinations. Initially, scholars were somewhat resistant, but as more and more people found it beneficial, "Engineering and Technology" became another highly regarded path.
After several years of Liang Xiao's promotion of basic education, the Ministry of Works saw a tenfold increase in personnel. These individuals also grasped some simple scientific principles, and even if they couldn't fully comprehend them immediately, they would choose to believe due to their trust in Liang Xiao.
For instance, the dangers of "radiation" were temporarily explained in Liang Xiao’s books as "colorless and odorless, invisibly damaging the human body, comparable to potent poison," thus miners were extra cautious when encountering unfamiliar ore veins.
The current Ministry of Works was equivalent to a scientific research institute, something that would have been impossible to receive court support for in the past. All of this was inseparable from the absolute authority Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing had long established.
Liang Xiao’s discourse on the "divine realm," coupled with the nation's rapid development and significant improvement in people's lives, made the citizens of the Qian clan deeply believe everything he said. Any official document approved by Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing was wholeheartedly supported by officials and commoners alike.
Xiao Qing, unfamiliar with mining, stayed behind Liang Xiao and couldn’t help but observe his reactions.
Joy!
After his inspection, Liang Xiao labeled most of the minerals with their names.
Titanium ore, vanadium ore, pyrite, and their sub-categories…
Some of these minerals might not be immediately useful, and the court could seal and protect them for the time being.
Among them, sulfur and iron and copper were in the greatest demand.
The bright future of the Qian clan required vast quantities of copper wire, and in the future, the central government might even offer to buy back domestic copper coins…
Upon understanding the scale of the ore deposits in the Yizhou region, Xiao Qing was also delighted.
So many minerals were discovered in just the Yizhou region alone!
Of course, this was thanks to the nation’s stability, which allowed for greater investment in various aspects.
According to her Brother Xiao, in terms of land territory alone, the Great Qian Kingdom had surpassed the kingdom he frequented in the divine realm. The precious resources this land contained were immense.
The smelting industry of the Great Qian was further enriched with abundant materials due to the discovery of a large number of Yizhou minerals.
“Although we are blessed with vast resources, we should still explore mining in other places in the future. At that time, local mineral resources can be reserved for future generations, rather than depleting them,” Liang Xiao said with a smile.
Xiao Qing understood and said with anticipation, “It all depends on whether the Eastern Expeditionary Force can capture the peninsula of the Taiji Kingdom. The former Taiji Kingdom used to sell us iron ore for a long time…”
The couple, for the sake of the Qian clan, had embarked on a path of ‘black-on-black’ dealings with the Chuyun Kingdom and the Tianri clan. Their development plans after taking over the Taiji Kingdom were already mapped out.
Upon hearing of his daughter’s pregnancy, Zuo Wuji finally breathed a sigh of relief and rushed overnight to pay respects to his father-in-law and Yue Wenxin’s birth mother.
Yue Hongxiu was overjoyed, staying with the three pregnant women day and night, taking care of them.
With the Saint of Medicine’s care, the Yue family would have descendants!
Since the advent of the steam engine, the Ministry of Works had introduced numerous new inventions, with each person receiving more than twenty taels of gold in imperial rewards. Skilled artisans’ monthly salaries exceeded five taels, a matter that had spread throughout the nation.
Whether for fame or fortune, more and more families supported their children in studying engineering and technology.
The old craftsmen of the country were both pained and happy, as the threshold of their homes was almost worn down by those seeking knowledge.
Craftsmanship, once considered mere trickery by scholars, was gradually gaining respect as long as it was legal.
The mindset of this generation was in a period of transition between old and new, making the change incredibly difficult. Liang Xiao relied entirely on the absolute trust of the Qian clan’s citizens to promote various fundamental principles of "mathematics, physics, and chemistry."
One cannot achieve great things overnight, and haste makes waste. Liang Xiao dared not rashly promote more profound knowledge to the Qian clan’s citizens, only privately giving books to Zhang Yang and others to read as leisure material.
Zhang Yang and a portion of the exceptionally talented individuals recruited by the Ministry of Works, however, became increasingly enthusiastic as they studied…
Due to the unprecedented efficiency of textile factories across the Great Qian, the court sold cotton-padded clothes at cost price before last winter, bringing immense gratitude from countless shivering citizens.
The state valued its people, yet the national treasury was still maintained for contingencies.
Excluding Xiao Qing’s private stash, the national treasury currently held reserves equivalent to eighty million taels of silver, a sum that even the Ministry of Revenue found dreamlike…
The Great Qian Kingdom had not embarked on a path of militarism and exploitation of its people. Instead, through several wars, it had consolidated its national spirit and captured a large amount of enemy matériel, sufficient to offset most military expenditures.
The wild cattle and sheep, along with the property and supplies of the Jiaozhou warlords, aristocratic families, and the Tianri clan, as well as the lands and mines acquired later, had a real value far exceeding military expenses!
The next day, Lü Yi, who had been succeeded by Nan Jiyun, finally arrived in Yanzhou. He prostrated himself before Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing, overwhelmed with emotion.
Although he had not participated in the grand unification ceremony, after learning about it in the western territories, he couldn’t help but shed tears of joy.
This was the prosperous era that Emperor Wen had yearned for. He had played a part in it, pouring his heart and soul into it, thus proving worthy of Emperor Wen and all living beings!
Considering that Lü Changhe was already capable of independent command, Lü Yi had requested retirement. Xiao Qing did not agree, retaining his title as Great General, although his duties were temporarily distributed among the Ministry of War, the Four Regional Generals, the Four Garrisons Generals, and Lü Changhe and Nan Jiyun.
The Great Qian Kingdom did not witness the tragedy of "the rabbit dies, the fox is cooked." With Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing present, there was no necessity for such a scenario. All civil and military officials who had served the country were bestowed upon with fortunes and honors that were envied by their contemporaries.
After hosting a welcoming banquet for Lü Yi, Liang Xiao returned to the capital with his family.
Xiao Xun, being healthy, intelligent, and benevolent, had been officially designated as the Crown Prince. The Second Prince, Xiao Qian, was enfeoffed as the King of Heng, and the brothers maintained a harmonious relationship.
Lin Xiu, as the Prefect of Jiaozhou, had taken up his post, implementing Li Xiuyun’s original policies, earning widespread praise from both the military and the populace.
News of the Yizhou mineral deposits reached the capital, causing great jubilation throughout the Ministry of Works.
They could once again "tinker" with peace of mind!
Blast furnace iron smelting, as of now, was not easily achievable for the Great Qian; continuous improvement was required.
Liang Xiao was well aware of the difficulty of blast furnace iron smelting. Protagonists in films and literature who traveled to ancient times and easily achieved it were insulting the intelligence of the readers.
Pure oxygen and various materials to improve the quality of molten iron were challenges that had to be overcome.
Not to mention the fundamental changes in production relations brought about by the explosive development of productivity. If not handled properly, it could lead to another national catastrophe, perhaps even after he and Xiao Qing were long gone.
“Your Majesty, Emperor, the Ministry of Revenue has submitted this year’s ‘financial report’.”