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Chapter 941 Create Demand Where There Is none

Upon hearing the words "Eucommia ulmoides glue," Emperor Zhu's face darkened even further.

“We had someone make a trial version of a small rotary tiller based on the blueprints they sent us, and we also made a trial version of a multi-furrow deep tiller.”

"Whether it's a rotary tiller or a multi-furrow plow, the wheels can actually be replaced with wood, so there's no need for Eucommia ulmoides glue at all."

"Even the rotary tiller and multi-furrow plow could be replaced with wood in many places."

Emperor Zhu became increasingly angry as he spoke: "They did it on purpose. That scoundrel and that old scoundrel Li Shanchang, they treated us like donkeys and these messy rotary tillers, multi-furrow plows, steam engines and railways like carrots, dragging us forward, step by step falling into their trap."

Empress Ma smiled and asked, "So what do you plan to do? Knowing it's a trap, are you still going to jump in?"

Without hesitation, Emperor Zhu snorted coldly and said with a dark, sour face, "Jump!"

“That bastard thinks he’s messed with us and the entire court, and Li Shanchang thinks he’s dragged us down with him.”

"Little did they know that the more they stirred things up, the more the people would benefit, and the more stable our Ming Dynasty would become."

"Only a fool wouldn't jump into such a good trap!"

Empress Ma smiled and patted Emperor Zhu's hand, then pointed to the memorial on the table: "So, how do you plan to resolve this matter of Eucommia ulmoides gum?"

As Empress Ma finished speaking, Emperor Zhu's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. After a long while, he coldly snorted and said, "We haven't decided yet."

Emperor Zhu tapped the table with his finger, and said slowly as he considered the matter: "Regardless of what that scoundrel's intentions are in trying to disgust people, one thing is certain: his prediction about the demand for steel is correct, and even somewhat conservative."

"According to the calculations of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Transportation and other government departments, by the time the steam engine is completed and the railway begins to be laid out, even a production of 100 million catties of steel will only be a drop in the ocean in the face of the huge demand for steam engines and railways."

"Similarly, the demand for Eucommia ulmoides gum will continue to grow in the future, and the current production capacity of Eucommia ulmoides gum is simply unable to meet the demand."

"In addition, the demand for livestock such as cowhide and sheepskin will also increase."

"Ningyang County recently submitted a memorial stating that the steam engine needs to use Eucommia ulmoides glue and cowhide for sealing, and that copper is more effective than steel for many parts."

"Hu Weiyong also submitted a memorial, saying that Liaodong needed a large amount of sheepskin and cowhide boots, and even more tung oil."

Emperor Zhu sighed slightly and continued, "Our Great Ming Dynasty is short of copper, but there are copper mines in Burma."

"Our Great Ming Dynasty lacks enough cowhides and sheepskins, but the grasslands have plenty of cattle and sheep."

"As for tung oil, eucommia gum, and the like, they're probably eyeing Kuizhou and Dali."

"..."

The more Emperor Zhu spoke, the angrier he became. His anger, which had just begun to subside, flared up again, and he couldn't help but curse, "These bastards!"

"Tiande needs to keep an eye on Wang Baobao."

"Those two little beasts are obsessed with sealing the wolf's lair."

"Now they've set their sights on Kuizhou and Dali."

"Don't they even consider where our Great Ming Dynasty would get so many troops and provisions?"

"Damn it, even if Zhu Chongba is made of iron, how many nails can he hammer?"

Empress Ma patted Emperor Zhu's hand and said with a smile, "Don't be angry. If you get angry, you'll fall into their trap."

"Especially your good son-in-law, didn't you just say that he's deliberately making things difficult for you and the entire court?"

"Now, just calmly read the memorials, and then throw all the problems back at them, let them have their own headaches."

Emperor Zhu was slightly taken aback, and looked at Empress Ma, asking, "Should we throw the question back at her?"

Empress Ma nodded and said, "Your good son-in-law wants steel, Li Shanchang wants eucommia gum, and Hu Weiyong also wants cowhide and sheepskin. So you should agree to these requests and then tell your good son-in-law to increase his efforts to purchase steel ore, eucommia gum, cowhide, and sheepskin at the Dengzhou market."

"We can't buy enough ore, eucommia gum, cowhide, and sheepskin at the border market. The problem lies with the border market and your good son-in-law."

"What does this have to do with you, the emperor?"

"In addition, you can transfer Zhou Jingxin to the Ministry of Works and let him take charge of increasing steel production."

"If he can solve the problem, great; if he can't, he'll naturally go find someone who can."

“You can entrust the manufacture of rotary tillers and deep tillers to Brother Qi.”

"As for the issue of cowhide and sheepskin, you can leave it to Mao Ge'er and Sheng Ge'er to handle."

"They got it right; it's thanks to your discerning eye, Emperor."

"If they can't handle it, naturally someone will get anxious and frustrated."

Empress Ma smiled and offered advice to Emperor Zhu, but Emperor Zhu's eyes widened even more. If it weren't for his eye sockets, his eyeballs would probably have fallen to the ground.

"It has to be you, girl."

With a fawning smile, Emperor Zhu grasped Empress Ma's hand, saying, "You've not only vented our anger but also solved our problem. Brilliant, truly brilliant!"

Empress Ma smiled and continued, "Don't be too happy yet."

"You know your good son-in-law's personality."

"If we can't mess with you and the court officials this time, we might not be able to come up with any ideas to mess with you next time."

"If you ask me, you'd better throw the problem back at him, and while you're at it, make a fuss about the entire court, so that he won't come up with another plan when one fails."

Emperor Zhu chuckled, "Don't worry, sister, we'll definitely give the entire court a good beating and won't give that scoundrel any chance to plot another evil scheme."

Having resolved the problem, Emperor Zhu felt much better and grabbed Empress Ma's hand, saying, "Come on, let's go take those two sleazy little devils for a walk. They're quite adorable."

……

While Emperor Zhu and Empress Ma were in the capital plotting how to shift the blame, Li Shanchang was staring blankly at the house in front of him.

Instead of using wood, they built houses with red bricks, cement, river sand, river stones, and steel bars, creating two- or three-story buildings.

The house also needs to have a lot of iron pipes installed, supposedly for water pipes, drainage pipes, and heating?

Excuse me, how do you, Yang the Madman, manage to create demand when there is none?

Yang Shaofeng smiled smugly and said, "How's the temperature in the room?"

Li Shanchang wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a dark face, "The temperature inside the house is indeed acceptable, but isn't the cost of building this house a bit too high?"