My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 69 What is a Vast Land and Abundant Resources?
He couldn't understand what these were, but Zhu Yuanzhang believed that Li Han would not make random comments.

These things should be of great use.

Let’s read the letter first. But where is the letter?

Zhu Yuanzhang moved the sack off the Buddhist table and finally saw the envelope and a thick stack of papers.

I wonder what this good thing is?
He opened the letter and read it carefully.

"Old Zhu, I received your portrait. It is very good, very spirited, and has the majesty and dominance of an emperor.

But I don’t have anything good to look at, so I won’t send you a portrait.”

After being praised by Li Han, Zhu Yuanzhang's annoyance was immediately relieved a lot, but he felt a little regretful that Li Han did not give him a portrait in return.

Although he was also very curious about what kind of person Li Han was, he had also imagined what he looked like in his mind.

Or he may have white hair and look like an immortal.

Or he may be handsome and talented.

However, such extraordinary people should be extraordinary and unusual.

It’s a pity that we have never obtained his portrait. Perhaps he did not want his appearance to be known to the world.

Aren’t all the hermits like this?
"I think Xu Da, Li Wenzhong and Tang He are all right about how the needle-fired gun should be used in the army.

Before the Ming Dynasty was able to mass-produce guns and ammunition, Tang He's method was the most practical. Using the gun team as the main force and supplemented by other arms could maximize the current advantages of the Ming army.

However, we always have to look further ahead, right?

It is only a matter of time before firearms replace swords, spears, halberds and other weapons. Therefore, Xu Da's point of view actually represents the direction of future development. However, Xu Da also missed an important firearm, the cannon!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. Li Han’s idea coincided with his. However, when it came to cannons, did Lao Li mean iron cannons?

The Ming Dynasty invented the iron cannon in the tenth year of Hongwu. This thing was very useful on the battlefield, especially in the open desert grassland. The range and power of the iron cannon could effectively suppress the remaining Yuan cavalry.

During the Northern Expedition a few years ago, the Ming army concentrated its artillery firepower to launch fierce attacks on the Yuan army in order to weaken its combat effectiveness and create conditions for the cavalry charge.

However, the iron cannon was too heavy and inconvenient to move, and it was easy to lose the opportunity to attack when two armies were fighting.

Moreover, it was complicated to operate and its accuracy was a bit poor. Perhaps after Xu Da saw the firing rate and accuracy of the needle-fire gun, he subconsciously ignored the iron cannon.

"Of course, the cannon I'm talking about here is not the iron cannon currently used by the Ming Dynasty, but a brand new thing that requires the Ming Dynasty to achieve a comprehensive improvement in technology. I won't mention it here for now."

Alas, here it comes again, Zhu Yuanzhang sighed deeply, this is Mr. Li’s temper, there is nothing he can do about it.

“As for Li Wenzhong, he did mention a great idea, which is to use the advantages of the needle-fired gun’s range and accuracy to have sharpshooters ambush the battlefield and shoot enemy generals.

In the future, this will be called a sniper team.

Sniping is to kill the enemy from a long distance. A sniper team usually consists of two people who lie in ambush in secret. One person is responsible for sniping, and the other is responsible for observation and vigilance. After the target is killed by the sniper, they will evacuate quickly.

Of course, the role of sniping is not only reflected on the battlefield, but can also be used to assassinate important enemy targets. In short, this tactic should be explored in depth. Since it was proposed by Li Wenzhong, it means he has this brain, so how about letting him take charge?"

good idea!
Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but applaud. He didn't expect that his eldest nephew could also be recognized by Old Li. This made him, as his uncle, very proud.

If you think about it carefully, this sniping tactic is indeed extremely useful. When two armies are about to engage in battle, suddenly, a gunshot is heard, and the enemy commander falls to the ground. How much psychological shock will this cause to the enemy?
I'm afraid that in an instant, the army will be completely defeated. "Of course, a country's military strength is closely related to its national strength, and the improvement of national strength is inseparable from the leapfrog development of technology.

Daming, it's time for a leap forward in development. This time I have sent you detailed instructions and manufacturing drawings for the steam engine.

The steam engine is the heart of large-scale mechanized production and has a wide range of uses. It can be used in mining, weaving, forging, and even ocean-going ships.

The use of machines to replace manual production began with the steam engine.

The power of the steam engine comes from boiling water. The basic principle is to use coal to boil water to produce steam, thereby generating power far greater than that of humans and animals.

Once the steam engine is built and put into use, it will consume a lot of coal and iron ore. Therefore, I will also send you the mineral map of the iron and coal mines in Daming."

Manufacturing drawings of a steam engine?
Is it the steam engine that ushered in Britain’s Industrial Revolution?

The steam engine that allowed a weaving factory to surpass the entire Jiangnan weaving factory?
Zhu Yuanzhang was ecstatic. Once the steam engine was built, wouldn’t it mean that the Ming Dynasty would also have such powerful manufacturing capabilities?

Moreover, Lao Li was determined to send the mineral map over, which was very thoughtful.

As for how he handled this matter, I, Old Zhu, have only one word to say: it’s very elegant!
After putting the letter down, he couldn't wait to pick up the steam engine drawing and looked through it. Well, he didn't quite understand it. He would give it to Li Min and let him worry about it.

Then he spread out the mineral map, and this time he understood it.

It doesn't matter if you don't look at it, but when Zhu Yuanzhang saw the densely packed mineral icons, he was shocked.
The mineral resources of our Ming Dynasty are innumerable!

Moreover, the storage capacity is expressed in billions, which may be the most "billions" he has ever seen in his life.

But what exactly does the word "ton" mean? It should indicate weight. I wonder which is heavier, "ton" or "stone".

Compared to iron ore, coal mines are even more numerous, especially in Shanxi, Taiyuan, Yangquan, Datong...

The ancients often said that China is rich in natural resources and has a vast land with abundant resources. It was not until today that I, Old Zhu, understood the true meaning of such a term.

"Of course, no one would complain about having too little mineral deposits. As the industry of Ming Dynasty develops, more and more mineral deposits will be used. As for mineral deposits, there are two good places."

Hmm? Is there any place with more vast land and abundant resources than our Ming Dynasty?
Zhu Yuanzhang's interest grew stronger and stronger, and every time he communicated with Li Han, he would have new insights.

"Far north of the desert, there is a place called Siberia. There are countless mineral deposits there. The Ming Dynasty has a chance to control them.

As for the other treasure land, we have to make long-term plans. Further south of Java, there is a land called Australia. The iron ores there are all rich ores with abundant reserves and are easy to collect.

Moreover, the silver mines there are also very rich."

Siberia?

Australia?

Zhu Yuanzhang knew about these two places. He looked at the world nautical map sent by Li Han almost every day, and he knew almost every place on it by heart.

Siberia is a bitterly cold place in the far north, and Australia is even on the edge of the world.

I didn’t expect that there are two precious places in such a remote place?
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(End of this chapter)