Chapter 144: Ying Yuan's Surprising Move

Ying Yuan was dealing with the memorials on hand at this time.

Looking at the memorials recording all the affairs of all places, big and small, Ying Yuan's carefree heart was about to explode.

This is not the life he wants!

He was already annoyed, and when he heard what Chen Ping said, he just sneered.

"plead?"

"I am the regent of the Qin Empire. How can I be so close to this group of merchants that I didn't recognize in the past and don't know in the present?"

"Pass the order down. Anyone who dares to come here will have their legs broken and thrown outside the government gate to dry for half a day!"

"I want to see how many people are willing to sacrifice their lives for money!"

When Ying Yuan said this, Chen Ping on the side nodded slightly, obviously agreeing with him.

At the same time, he felt a little more admiration for this young man.

The four words "decisive and ruthless" seem simple, but how many people turn them into tyranny?

In fact, the biggest difference here is whether you follow the rules you set.

First set the rules, and then kill those who should be killed and arrest those who should be arrested within the rules, but turn a blind eye to those outside the rules.

This is the canonical punishment!
Even if the killing was a little faster, it could still be considered decisive.

If he were not like some kings, he would kill whenever he wanted without even bothering to think of an excuse.

Moreover, what Chen Ping was most satisfied with was the young man's regard for the common people.

This young man really wants to give those people who are stuck in the mud a life with hope.

This is probably what the wise ruler described by the sages is like.

Now it seems that I made the right decision to abandon the increasingly decadent Confucianism and join the young master's school.

Chen Ping was still sighing, but Ying Yuan turned around and asked about what he cared about most.

"Let's make this arrangement for the salt business for now, but what about iron?"

"How is the progress of the iron monopoly?"

Ying Yuan will never forget the matter of iron industry.

Why was the salt and iron monopoly the fundamental national policy for almost most of the time during the thousands of years of feudal civilization?
This is because these two materials are too important in the daily operation and development of the empire.

If this was not in the hands of the court or even the royal family, Ying Yuan would not be able to sleep or eat well!
But when Chen Ping heard Ying Yuan's question, he hesitated for the first time.

"Sir, this iron business matter is a bit troublesome!"

Since Chen Ping had spoken, he didn't hide anything and just talked about his current troubles.

"At present, in the Qin Dynasty, the iron smelting and casting skills of the common people, nobles, and merchants are actually not up to standard!"

"The only skill that can be used in large quantities in the world is the iron smelting technology that the young master gave to Li You to prepare for the composite bow."

"But Li You is now using this technology to build composite bows for the light cavalry."

"Now, let alone replacement and replenishment of spare bows, we don't even have one for each person!"

"The main reason is that there are not enough blacksmiths!"

For Chen Ping, the iron industry was much more troublesome than the salt industry.

The salt industry is difficult because it involves a wide range of people. There are huge interests of "heroes" from all over the world involved.

But it’s not impossible!
At least, for Yu Yingyuan, as long as he is ruthless enough,

The difficulty of the salt industry lies in the fact that it involves too many interests.

But the difficulty of the iron smelting industry is very simple, that is, there are not enough blacksmiths!

The lack of production capacity has resulted in the so-called iron industry monopoly becoming a joke, like taking off your pants to fart.

What's more, iron smelting is much more sensitive than the salt industry.

Hoarding a batch of salt can be said to be for profit.

But if they wantonly developed their own iron smelting workshops and built them on a large scale, it would be a bit of a disregard for the First Emperor. After all, in this era of cold weapons, large-scale iron smelting, casting, and forging are actually no different from the large-scale private manufacturing of firearms in later generations.

Isn't this just a way to flatter the country? !
Therefore, the troubles of iron industry monopoly cannot be solved so simply and crudely.

"If that's the case, then I'll have to think about it a bit."

Ying Yuan muttered softly, his hand scratching his neck unconsciously.

This is not an easy matter to handle.

Chen Ping was actually also worried about this matter.

After all, strategies and tactics can only adjust and arrange existing things.

There was no plan or strategy for the lack of craftsmen.

This is the simplest law and cannot be changed by human will at all.

While Chen Ping was still thinking hard, Ying Yuan's eyes suddenly lit up, and then he slapped the table.

"There is a way!"

Chen Ping was stunned for a moment, then he cupped his hands and said, "I wonder what brilliant plan you have, young master?"

Ying Yuan laughed.

"Mr. Chen, you and I are both trapped in the obstacles of knowledge and understanding."

"Since we don't have enough time to train blacksmiths ourselves, and the scale is not large enough, why don't we let more people train together with us!"

"I decided to announce my iron smelting technology to the world!"

“By then, we’ll have someone to help us get the manpower and even the finished product!”

"The iron industry monopoly can also be implemented!"

As soon as Ying Yuan said this, Chen Ping, who usually seemed as calm as a mountain, stood up in shock.

"Sir, this is absolutely not allowed!"

"There are countless people in the world who are against Qin now, but we could have just let it go in the past."

"They have no weapons, armor, or food. At most, they can just stir up public opinion. It's not a big deal."

"But if you make this iron smelting process public, then wouldn't all the blacksmiths in the world be able to learn this process?"

"By then, all those who are against Qin will have magical weapons in their hands!"

"In the past, the Qin Empire could fight against enemies that were one or ten times its size, but it couldn't stand up to an enemy that had the same weapons and armor as the Qin Empire!"

"Once the iron smelting process is leaked, this kind of situation is bound to happen!"

Chen Ping said this urgently and seriously, as if the disaster was right before his eyes.

But for Ying Yuan, not only was he not in a hurry, but the corners of his mouth slightly curled up.

Chen Ping's performance made him look up to Chen Ping again.

Chen Ping had not yet entered the court, and what he knew about political and state affairs was based on the intelligence collected by Ying Yuan's subordinates and various memorials.

But even with such conditions, Chen Ping still has a vision and perspective that others do not have.

In fact, if there was no Ying Yuan, a person who should not have appeared, then the Qin Dynasty would indeed be the same as what Chen Ping said.

Just a few years after the death of the First Emperor, the entire Qin territory was engulfed in war.

If the situation really came to that, then the Qin Dynasty, having lost its advantage in weapons and equipment, would be in great trouble.

But...since Ying Yuan could bring up this matter, how could he not have thought about it at all beforehand?

He smiled and waved his hand: "Mr. Chen, please don't disturb me!"

"Actually, I have already made arrangements for this!"

"We can take control of the situation from both the channel and the root cause!"

(End of this chapter)