20. Dry kiln and Tagawa River

  Many things are easy to understand but difficult to do. Because there is no crucial thermometer, and because refractory bricks are not like ordinary green bricks or red bricks, Ding Dagong and his team can only cross the river by feeling the stones. By the time Ding Dagong and his team finally produced a finished product, they had already burned out more than a dozen kilns of bricks. Even so, it's unclear whether what they've made is truly qualified.

  Since there was no way to test, Zheng Kezang also rushed to put the ducks on the shelves. However, when he began preparing to burn "artificial volcanic ash cement", he discovered a problem that Ding Dagong had mentioned before, but he had overlooked it - fuel. On the one hand, the Ministry of Works abandoned this place because of the unsuitability of the fuel, and on the other hand, the combustion value of grass and wood was too low, often requiring residual heat for about ten days to burn a furnace, which did not meet Zheng Kezang's requirements for mass production.

  However, Taiwan lacked coal and iron resources, and the larger coal mines were mostly in the north. At that time, the north was only a place of exile for the Ming Zheng regime, with harsh environment, lack of population, and the threat of indigenous people, making it impossible to even protect itself, let alone vigorously develop coal mine resources. In this situation, Zheng Kezang's only solution was to build his own charcoal kiln and produce charcoal on his own.

  "The young master, I've only heard of burning kilns to get carbon, but never heard of anything about drying and parching, can this thing be done?"

  "Let's just try it out and see if it works." Zheng Kezang didn't have much confidence either, the key was that he also didn't know how to design a charcoal kiln, he was just forcing himself to talk. "But if this thing succeeds, not only can we produce charcoal, but also wood tar, which is a great thing, whether for military or civilian use, it has great uses."

  "But what if it doesn't work out, and we end up losing a lot of money and wasting time?" Dabigong couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Zheng Kecang's reckless squandering of silver. "Young Master, how about I come up with an idea," Zheng Kecang nodded nonchalantly, and only then did Dabigong suggest, "Why don't we let the charcoal kiln on that side burn first, and meanwhile, slowly test the flow kiln on this side?"

  "That makes sense." Zheng Kezang smiled. "Ding Dajiang, such a good idea, don't hide it in the future, just speak directly." As he said this, Zheng Kezang turned to look at his chief eunuch. "Jin Shi Jiu, how much spare money do I have left?"

  Jin 19 pulled out an account book and read it one by one: "The renovation of the brick kiln cost 30 taels, building four water mills and windmills together used 115 taels and 4 mace, repairing the gray kiln materials used 137 taels and 7 fen, previously trial-producing firebricks only used 20 taels and 8 mace for soil, afterwards building a cement kiln spent another 171 taels. Adding up these days' workers' wages and rewards, there are still 1824 taels, 7 mace and 2 fen left in the account."

  Zheng Kezang was very satisfied with this number, which was absolutely more than the tens of thousands of RMB spent in Fang Ming's lifetime. So he made a cool gesture: "Let's follow Ding Dajiang's suggestion and build two kilns, one for trial drying and one for direct carbonization of wood, so as not to delay the production of cement."

  ??”

  As soon as he returned to Anping Castle, Zheng Kezang had not yet sat down when the gate guard came to report: "Your Excellency, there is a Japanese man who requests an audience."

  "What's this about the Japanese? Can they just enter Anping City as they please?" Zheng Kezang looked around in confusion, but Jin Shi Jiu seemed to already understand what was going on and stepped forward to explain. Only then did Zheng Kezang realize what was happening. "So it's a representative from the Japanese trading house," he said, since they were suppliers of military goods. "Let's meet him then." Zheng Kezang suddenly changed his mind. "Have someone bring him to the living room and have him wait there until I've finished my bath."

  ??”

  Just as Zheng Kezang had finished washing up and walked into the living room, he saw a completely Ming-dynasty-attired dwarf suddenly kneel down in front of him, followed by his forehead hitting the floor with a loud thud: "I, Tanaka Tarozaemon, pay my respects to your esteemed presence."

  As he was worried that the young Zheng Kezang did not understand what this name represented, this Japanese man named Zuō Wēnmén added a sentence after signing up: "I am from the Hirato River House of Taira."

  Heiuda River House? Isn't that Zheng Yiguan's Japanese wife's house? What does it mean?

  "It turned out to be a distant relative of his great-grandmother, whom he rarely saw." Zheng Kezang was filled with suspicion towards this sudden appearance of a distant relative, especially since the relative was Japanese, a people he had always been wary of. "I heard that the Tokugawa shogunate is currently enforcing its isolationist policies, and any Japanese living abroad are strictly forbidden from returning to Japan, with all returnees being put to death. Could it be that Tagawa Asahiko has come to ask our clan for a letter of introduction, so as to have an excuse when he returns to Japan and faces the shogunate?"

  "Qin Dian smiled and said." The Japanese man's inference about Zheng Kezang's intention to meet him was really laughable, but the other party was a noble child, such children usually have some quirks, so he could only make an explanation. "Although returning home is a dream come true, however, the shogunate's power is too great, I had long given up on it."

  "What brings you here, Tanagawa?" Zheng Kezang asked with feigned ignorance. After he finished speaking and sat down, it seemed as if he suddenly remembered something. "Ah, Tanagawa is still kneeling, get up quickly. It's my fault for neglecting our guest. Someone, bring a chair for the gentleman and brew another pot of good tea to serve."

  "Thank you, Your Excellency." Tanigawa Saemon bowed again and slowly got up, half-sitting on the chair with his buttocks, apparently having fully Sinicized. "Actually, I have two things to discuss this time. First, I heard that Your Excellency intends to purchase Japan's three-barreled long guns. After consulting with the Japanese in the chicken coop, I am willing to offer one thousand free of charge."

  "This is how it is," Zheng Kezang waved his hand repeatedly, as the saying goes, "no good deed goes unpunished", and he didn't want to swallow the bait of the Japanese. "You people are willing to take the risk of not being able to return to your country and stay in Taiwan, just for survival and profit, how can I let you lose money? This matter is not feasible."

  "Your kindness is renowned, and it's not an exaggeration." Tanigawa Saemon said with respect. "Please listen to my second request before refusing, Your Excellency." Zheng Kezang knew that what was meant to come would eventually arrive, so he nodded and listened as Tanigawa continued. "Due to the harsh policies of the shogunate, many Japanese people have been unable to return home and have been stranded in Taiwan for years, and I have come to regard Taiwan as my second homeland. I am willing to do something for Taiwan. Now that I hear Your Excellency is recruiting boy scouts, I would like to offer my son to join the camp, but I don't know if you will accept him."

  "Hiss!" Zheng Kezang sucked in a cold breath, so the Japanese were planning this all along, truly an enormous scheme. "I'm afraid I won't be able to take charge of this matter," Zheng Kezang subconsciously pushed back. "The source of the Boy Scouts was arranged by Lord Chen Yonghua, I'm just reaping the benefits, Tanaka should go find General Chen to discuss it."

  "Chen Zongzheng has already agreed to the proposal from that side, and he is very appreciative of your sincerity. He has promised to come. However, I think that since Tongziying is under Your Highness's jurisdiction, it would be better to inform Your Highness about this matter. Therefore, I have come to report to you, hoping for your approval."

  "Oh? President Chen has already agreed!"

  Zheng Kezang was secretly shocked, he knew that there were many Japanese descendants among the Zheng army officers, but he did not expect Chen Yonghua to agree to the Japanese request without consulting him. What is this? Did Chen Yonghua really think of himself as a foolish young man who only knows how to pass the days? However, although Zheng Kezang was shocked, his face did not reveal too much. On the one hand, the small number of Japanese people in Taiwan's politics, economy, military and other aspects were all subordinate, and could not shake the foundation of the Zheng regime. On the other hand, absorbing some Japanese descendants would also help to gain the support of the Japanese in the Zheng army, which could give him an extra trump card in his future struggle with the powerful ministers.

  "Since President Chen has already agreed, I don't have much to say," Zheng Kezang narrowed his eyes, looking at Tian Chuan who seemed to be suspicious of instigating discord. "But let's get the ugly words out first, although the children's camp is not as good as the regular army, the military rules are just as strict, if you can't take it, don't blame me for not being sentimental."

  "That's natural," Tanigawa Saemon's eyes also smiled into slits, as he heard Zheng Kecang agree to his request, and he deliberately ignored Zheng Kecang's hidden murderous intentions. "Although I am now a merchant, my ancestors were all warriors, and they have always constrained their children with the requirements of a warrior, so naturally I know the severity of military discipline."

  "It's fine, just that?" Seeing a punch land on the weak cotton, Zheng Kezang hesitated for a moment before deciding to postpone the Japanese boy's enlistment for another year. This way, he could use seniority as an excuse to place these people in relatively unimportant positions later on. "The thing is, my Tongzi Camp only recruits new soldiers once a year, and this year's quota has already been filled, so the Japanese boy can only be placed in the next batch."

  "Great prince, can't you find a way to compromise?" Tanigawa understood the principle of "delayed then changed" after being in China for a long time. "If you feel that the inferior offerings are not enough, I am willing to persuade the Japanese merchants from Kyushu to provide 50 high-quality iron cannons from Tanegashima Island to the great prince."

  "Tanigawa, be careful what you say! I'm still short of fifty iron cannons!" Zheng Kezang's face suddenly turned stern. Seeing Zheng Kezang's expression, Tanigawa knew he had misspoken and hastily apologized, bowing his head. Zheng Kezang waved his hand. "Get up," he said. After Tanigawa carefully sat back down, Zheng Kezang explained in a half-serious tone. "The training of the Child Battalion is different from that of the regular army. The drills they learn must be gradually introduced in sequence. This year's batch of children has already been training for several months. If we were to insert Japanese children at this time, on one hand, they would not be able to keep up with the training, and on the other hand, the team would have to be reorganized...

  ??”

  Tagawa seemed to understand, Zheng Kezang was actually saying that if the Japanese suddenly cut in line, it would disrupt the plan and make the Chinese children who had been training for a long time feel dissatisfied. Among these children, there were many high-ranking officials and aristocratic sons, who were originally superior, and it was inevitable that they would be instigated to isolate the Japanese children. Moreover, isolation is a small matter, what's feared is that this will form a long-term enemy, which would make Tagawa's plan almost in vain.

  Now that he understood, Tian Chuan was confused again. He deliberately took a peek at Zheng Kezang and thought to himself: "How could the thoughts of this teenager be so intricate? Could it be that someone had taught him beforehand?" It didn't seem like it, as there was no one around. If he wanted to say something, how could the other person guess it unless they were a god or a Buddha? If Zheng Kezang really said it himself, then Taiwan's future...

  ??

  Want to go back, but the words still have to be returned, and Zheng Kezang's decision seems to be good intentions, so Tian Chuan can't help but nod: "If it's so troublesome, then let's do it according to your lordship's idea!"