HLnovel Chapter 1085 Two Gifts from the Ministry of Industry
Chapter 1085 Two Gifts from the Ministry of Industry
Steel sword, steel armor, steel arrows, strong bow...
Although Su Yan had not personally tried these weapons, he had heard a few things about them from the Zhongwu Army.
The steel sword is indestructible and ordinary swords are no match for it.
The steel armor is extremely solid and cannot be compared with ordinary armor.
He never thought he would be able to use it.
Although he followed Lord Shen, Tongan County was not in the capital, nor was it the Ministry of Works, so he did not have the right to cast weapons at will.
He was not greedy. The most outrageous idea he had was to touch the steel sword when he returned to Beijing.
"Sir, we can protect you without weapons..." Su Yan said tactfully, "We in the Great Zhou have very strict control over weapons. We don't want you to take risks for us..."
He thought Shen Zheng was going to secretly open the furnace and make steel.
If this matter were to be exposed, not to mention how His Majesty would deal with her, the ministers in the court who were keeping an eye on her would definitely seize the opportunity and make things worse for her.
"Su Yan, do you think I would steal ore and make steel?" Shen Zheng said with a helpless smile, "I can't do something that will only hurt myself."
Su Yan was slightly stunned. "What do you mean...?"
No way...
Refining weapons on your own, such a great power, not even the prefects of various prefectures have...
"We in Tongan County can produce steel equipment openly, as long as we report to the Ministry of Industry and the Salt and Iron Bureau regularly." Shen Zheng said.
This was also the second gift given to her by the Ministry of Industry.
The thin piece of paper tucked inside the scroll clearly stated: "Assistant Shen Zheng of the Six Ministries is authorized to operate a furnace to smelt steel and forge weapons within his jurisdiction. However, casting must be based on demand and weapons cannot be hoarded, given away, or sold." The required iron ore and charcoal can be obtained from the Liuyang Prefecture Salt and Iron Bureau. Weapons forged must be reported to the Ministry of Works and the Salt and Iron Bureau on a quarterly basis for review.
The huge pie knocked Su Yan and Xiang He unconscious.
The two were still confused when they heard Shen Zheng say, "My understanding of weapons is not as good as yours, so I will leave the task of counting the types and quantities to you."
"Give it to me?" Su Yan repeated in a daze, incredulous, "Sir, can we apply for any weapon we want?"
He wanted a sword, a machete, and two blades.
Oh, and I want a saber too!
"Of course not." Shen Zheng interrupted his daydreaming. "For basic weapons, each person is temporarily limited to one, but applications must be made based on everyone's abilities and military branches. As for some uncommon special weapons, we will forge them on demand. Su Yan, we must not be greedy."
If she was too greedy, the Ministry of Works and the Salt and Iron Bureau might really invite her for tea.
Su Yan smiled awkwardly and scratched his head: "I am definitely not the kind of person who doesn't know what's good for him..."
Shen Zheng looked at him and said to Xiang He, "Xiang He, you will be in charge of this matter, and Su Yan will assist you. During the time you are on the boat, you will use this table to draw up a rough result. When you return and reunite with the county soldiers, you can finalize the specific number."
After saying that, Shen Zheng gave Xiang He the statistical table that she had prepared in advance.
Xiang He suppressed his joy and accepted the order: "I will definitely live up to your expectations!"
Su Yan regretted it so much that his intestines turned green.
If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have been greedy...
"Are you busy?" At this time, Yu Shizhang came over with Cheng Yu.
Su Yan and Xiang He stood up and saluted.
"I just finished talking." Shen Zheng said to Su Yan and the others, "You guys go and do your work. There's no rush. Take your time."
After the two left, Cheng Yu put the box in his arms on the table.
Yu Shizhang seemed to be trying to take credit for it. "I only gave the thing you asked for a coat of tung oil. So, I wasn't exaggerating, was I? I said I'd finish it in two days, and I won't let you wait until the third day."
Shen Zheng quickly followed up with a few compliments.
The box was opened and everyone on deck gathered around.
Looking at the neatly arranged small wooden blocks in the box, no one dared to touch it. It was Shen Zheng who reached in and took out all the mahjong tiles.
"This is called Mahjong." She gestured for everyone to sit down and began explaining the rules. "I'm going to explain how to play with four players using 108 tiles. Watch carefully and learn."
Everyone subconsciously sat up straight. Shen Zheng arranged the three types of cards, Tiao, Wan, and Tong, and said, "Among the four players, one will be the banker. After shuffling the cards, the banker will draw the cards first. The banker will draw fourteen cards at once, and the other players will draw thirteen."
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Shen Zheng continued, "After the cards are dealt, each player must decide which type of card they are missing. For example, if I decide to miss a stripe, then my final deck cannot have a stripe."
"Does it mean there can only be two types of cards in the end?" Yu Shizhang seemed to understand and began to study the rules: "Why do we need to determine the lack?"
"This is actually a way to play mahjong." Shen Zheng fumbled with the patterns on the cards and explained, "The most practical benefit of Ding Que is that it reduces the burden on the deck, reduces the difficulty of building a deck, shortens the game time, and makes the entertainment process more game-like."
She spoke very clearly and even though the crowd didn't quite understand what she was saying, they still nodded along.
She continued, "Once the suits are determined, the dealer begins dealing. Players should try to play wild cards, that is, cards of the suit that has already been determined, to avoid losing three cards at the end of the game."
"Three-way payout?" Shen Xingjian, staring intently at the mahjong, got straight to the point: "Which hand combinations are considered a win?"
Shen Zheng rummaged through his sleeves, took out the "winning formula" he had prepared long ago, and gave it to them.
"Think about it for a moment. These are the basic winning patterns." Everyone accepted the formula, and she continued, "But there's one thing: winning is divided into different levels. The most common winning number is called a level win, which only has one level, capped at sixteen. The higher the level, the more chips you win."
When Yu Shizhang heard this, his eyes lit up immediately.
"You mean, even if you win, there are narrow wins and big wins?"
Hearing his apt description, Shen Zheng smiled and nodded, "So... sometimes, players can choose to take a gamble, and if they fail, they die."
This is the most famous gambler's mentality.
"This is fun!" Yu Shizhang slammed the table and urged everyone, "Hurry up and take a good look. We'll start playing right away!"
Shen Zheng paused and patted his forehead, "There is another important rule, I almost forgot."
Yu Shizhang asked without even looking up, "What rules?"
"Pong and Kong."
Then, Shen Zheng explained to them the rules of "Peng" and "Gang".
Shen Xingjian's eyes became brighter as he listened, and Shen Zheng saw a strong interest in his eyes.
Shen Zheng clicked her tongue and couldn't help but feel worried for Yu Shizhang and the others.
Shen Xingjian is extremely sensitive to numbers, and the more complex the number games are, the more they interest him.
Facing him...Yu Shizhang and others' wallets were facing an unprecedented crisis.
The rising sun tore through the remaining mist on the river surface. The morning light fell on the playing card, and the warm light shone through the texture of the rosewood.
"Snapped--"
Two quarters of an hour later, Yu Shizhang was the first to slam his hand on the table. "I've learned almost everything. Anyone want to challenge me?"