After arranging military matters, the generals withdrew, and Zhang Chen also returned to his mansion.
As soon as he entered the door, an attendant came to report that Tian Feng had been waiting in the front hall for a long time.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen quickly went to the front hall and saw that besides Tian Feng, there were two other people in the room.
One of them Zhang Chen recognized; it was Li the Blacksmith, who had forged divine weapons and precious armor for him. The other was an elderly man with white hair, who seemed quite old, nearing sixty.
Seeing Zhang Chen arrive, they all stood up and bowed.
Upon seeing Li the Blacksmith, Zhang Chen already knew the purpose of Tian Feng's visit, so he said, "Please dispense with the formalities, everyone. Mr. Yuan Hao, have you made any progress regarding the Heavenly Crafting Hall today?"
Tian Feng smiled and said, "Lord, you indeed have Clairvoyance. It is precisely about this matter. The Heavenly Crafting Hall has now been completed, and these two are the heads of the Forging Hall and the Luban Hall."
Zhang Chen looked at the two and said, "Li the Blacksmith and I are old acquaintances. May I ask who this elderly gentleman is?"
"This old man is Xu Yuan, paying respects to Lord."
Xu Yuan? Zhang Chen had not heard of this person, but indeed, the names of craftsmen are rarely recorded in history.
Zhang Chen secretly activated Insight Eye to observe the old man.
【Name: Xu Yuan】
【Possesses Traits: Carpentry Mastery (Gold), Learn by Analogy (Purple)】
【Carpentry Mastery (Gold)】: You are an outstanding carpenter, highly skilled in woodworking and joinery. (When crafting items for which you already have blueprints, failure will not occur.)
【Learn by Analogy (Purple)】: You are skilled in imaginative thinking and can draw manufacturing blueprints based on others' descriptions. (Draw blueprints based on descriptions; the more detailed the description, the more complete the blueprint!)
To think such a talent exists!
Zhang Chen couldn't help but be stunned.
This Learn by Analogy allows him to draw blueprints for items based on someone else's description, and once he has the blueprint, with his Carpentry Mastery level, he will definitely be able to craft the corresponding item.
These two traits truly complement each other!
Tian Feng smiled and said, "Master Xu is a famous senior carpenter in Ye City. His ancestors have been carpenters for six generations, and half of the carpenters in Ye City are his apprentices. When Lord mentioned the Heavenly Crafting Hall that day, I thought of this person. The position of head of the Luban Hall is none other than him!"
"Senior, this junior offers his respects." Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen was filled with reverence and quickly bowed.
Xu Yuan hurriedly said, "Lord, please do not do this. You humble this old man."
Tian Feng continued, "Lord, the Heavenly Crafting Hall has now recruited 230 craftsmen, including 160 blacksmiths and 70 carpenters, with a monthly salary of 1,000 coins. Additionally, there are 760 apprentices with a monthly salary of 200 coins. After completing their apprenticeship, apprentices must pass an assessment before they can be converted to official craftsmen and join the Heavenly Crafting Hall."
Zhang Chen listened and nodded with satisfaction.
Tian Feng continued, "However, most embroiderers and seamstresses are women and rarely show themselves in public. The Weaving Brocade Hall has not yet recruited any staff..."
"It's alright, Mr. Yuan Hao, you have handled this matter very well." Zhang Chen said, "As for the Weaving Brocade Hall, allow me to consider it further."
After speaking, Zhang Chen looked at Li Ju and Xu Yuan and said, "Both of you, the Heavenly Crafting Hall is a newly established government yamen, primarily responsible for manufacturing weapons, armor, equipment, and other items required by the military. When you join the Heavenly Crafting Hall, the government will issue monthly salaries. Furthermore, you can continue to operate your own shops. However, if the government has a need, you must prioritize it and not delay."
"Rest assured, Lord, we will certainly do our best." Li Ju and Xu Yuan said in unison.
Zhang Chen nodded and looked at Xu Yuan, saying, "Mr. Xu, there is something I would like to ask you about."
"Please speak, Lord."
Zhang Chen feigned contemplation and said, "I once saw a type of repeating crossbow described in an ancient book. It could fire ten arrows at once and was extremely powerful. Unfortunately, that ancient book only contained a description and no blueprint was passed down. I wonder if Sir can study the method of crafting this item based on its description?"
Xu Yuan's spirits were immediately lifted upon hearing this. He stroked his beard and said, "Could Lord please describe it in detail?"
Zhang Chen thought carefully and said, "It is said that this crossbow can be loaded with ten arrows at once. Moreover, it doesn't require human strength to pull the bowstring; it is controlled by a mechanism. Each time an arrow is fired, the mechanism is pressed, and the next arrow is automatically loaded. This greatly reduces the frequency of reloading arrows. Furthermore, this crossbow has a longer range than ordinary bows and crossbows..."
Zhang Chen described the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow according to the image in his memory.
Tian Feng listened and couldn't help but marvel, "Does such a miraculous bow and crossbow truly exist in the world? If so, the destructive power of crossbowmen will undoubtedly increase exponentially!"
Xu Yuan, upon hearing this, twirled his beard and slightly frowned, saying, "May I ask in which ancient book Lord saw this item? Can that ancient book still be found?"
Zhang Chen shook his head regretfully and said, "After so many years, it is truly nowhere to be found. I wonder if Sir can study it a bit. Even if it cannot achieve its full power, it would be good if it could have seven or eight tenths of its power."
Xu Yuan said, "What Lord described is indeed miraculous, but this old man suspects it is not impossible to achieve. However, this old man needs to go back and study it carefully. Lord will need to wait a few days."
There's a chance!
Zhang Chen was overjoyed. This Xu Yuan is indeed a treasure!
If he can truly create this Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, even if it only has seven or eight tenths of its power, coupled with the strong crossbowmen trained by Qu Yi, what kind of combat power would that be!
"No rush, Sir, take your time studying it. If this matter succeeds, Sir will be credited with a great achievement!"
"Thank you, Lord. This old man will certainly not fail Lord's trust." Xu Yuan said, then immediately bowed.
Zhang Chen ordered Li Ju and Xu Yuan to withdraw first, while keeping Tian Feng. He then sent for Ju Shou and Guo Jia.
Before long, the two arrived. Zhang Chen said to the three, "Gentlemen, now that the major affairs in the province are settled, I have asked you to come today to discuss our next strategy."
Tian Feng said, "Lord, Ji Province has fertile land stretching for a thousand li and is a strategic pass of the world. If it can be well-governed, it is enough to support a million soldiers. Previously, due to the ravages of the Yellow Turban, Ji Province was severely damaged, with land abandoned, refugees scattered, and corrupt officials preying on the people, causing the livelihood of the people to be overturned and the people to suffer greatly. Now that Lord has rectified the administration, he should order each commandery to prioritize the welfare of the people, open up wasteland, cultivate agriculture, promote water conservancy, and accumulate grain in granaries. After three to five years, Ji Province will surely be prosperous with abundant resources, which is the foundation for kingship."
"Mr. Yuan Hao is absolutely right." Zhang Chen nodded and said, "I also have this intention. I will soon issue a decree to each commandery, ordering them to pacify the people's livelihood, open up wasteland, and make promoting agriculture and sericulture the top priority in all matters."
Guo Jia added, "Bandits are rampant in various parts of Ji Province, and there are even remnants of the Yellow Turban who cause disturbances from time to time. Your subordinate believes that orders should also be issued to each commandery to suppress the bandits. Otherwise, the region will not be peaceful, and the people's livelihood will be difficult to restore."
Zhang Chen nodded and said, "Yes, for this matter, after the troops are reorganized, I will immediately order each commandery to suppress the bandits and strive for complete success."
Ju Shou added, "Lord, now that the overall situation in Ji Province is settled, the final step of the 'three-step strategy' that your subordinate mentioned earlier can be implemented."
"Is Gongyu saying to unite with the major clans in Ji Province and use their power to strengthen ourselves?"
"Precisely." Ju Shou nodded and said, "Lord now holds a province, is allied with the Zhen clan through marriage, has gained the favor of the General and the Empress, and is also a disciple of the Yuan Clan, who have been 'four generations and Three Dukes'. Lord's current prestige can be described as soaring, even those aristocratic clans cannot compare to Lord. It is timely for Lord to befriend them now. Clans are incomparable to small households in terms of financial resources, material resources, and manpower. If Lord gains their support, there is no need to worry about Ji Province not being settled."
"Well said." Zhang Chen said with great joy, "But, within Ji Province, besides the Zhen clan, which other clans can be courted?"
Ju Shou pondered for a moment and said, "The Cui clan of Boling, the Pingyuan Hua Clan, the Lu clan of Fanyang, the Qinghe Cui Clan..."
The Qinghe Cui Clan?
Zhang Chen was suddenly startled.
He remembered that among the Qinghe Cui Clan, there was indeed a capable official.