To the First Emperor of Qin: The state has decreed this!

Chapter 355 Steel Plant Expansion!

Ying Zheng looked at the kneeling officials below and a smile appeared on his lips.

He raised his hand and immediately issued the order: "Issue my decree! From this day forward, the entire court shall begin preparations for the battle one month from now!"

"Draft an imperial edict to the entire realm! Proclaim to the people of all counties and prefectures that the Great Qin is about to wage war in the north to wipe out the Xiongnu!"

Ying Zheng turned his head and looked at Zhang Fan beside him.

His eyes burned with passion.

The army's provisions and supplies were crucial to this Northern Expedition.

"At the same time," Ying Zheng's voice rang out again, echoing throughout the entire area, "the problems of grain transportation and logistical supply are entirely entrusted to the Immortal Master to solve!"

Upon hearing this, the ministers lowered their heads and shouted in unison:

"Long live Your Majesty! Long live the Qin Dynasty!"

With Ying Zheng's decree issued, the dramatic court assembly finally came to an end.

Civil and military officials gradually withdrew from the imperial city.

The military officers, all with ruddy complexions and brisk walks, were particularly surrounded by their colleagues, their unrestrained laughter echoing outside the palace gates: "Let's go! Let's go to my residence. Today we must have a good drink to celebrate my son's great victory!"

The civil officials descended the white jade steps and, once out of His Majesty's sight, gathered in twos and threes beside the carriage.

"Solve the problem of food and logistical losses in a month? That's utterly ridiculous!"

A censor with graying temples scoffed, his face full of disdain, "Does he really think that Qin's grain supplies have grown legs and can run to the northern border on their own?"

"that is!"

The steward beside him immediately chimed in, lowering his voice to sneer, "The Northern Expedition is a long and arduous journey, fraught with danger. In ancient times, transporting grain relied entirely on laborers carrying it on their shoulders, pushing it by hand, or using oxen and horses. Does Zhang Fan not even understand the most basic military and political common sense?"

Another official stroked his beard, shaking his head repeatedly, his tone full of mockery: "Gentlemen, do the math! According to the past military practices of our Great Qin, when transporting ten shi of grain to the northern frontier, the laborers and accompanying cattle and horses along the way would have to eat a full three shi themselves to fill their stomachs on the way there and back!"

"At most, no more than seven shi (a unit of dry measure) will actually reach the soldiers on the front lines!"

The official scoffed, pointing towards the palace. "Hundreds of thousands of troops on a long march—how many laborers would that require? Even if the national treasury is overflowing with silver, can silver be eaten? Paving roads with silver bricks won't break the ironclad rule of waste!"

Listening to the discussions of his colleagues, Zong Yu stood in front of his carriage, glanced back at the majestic palace, and a hint of pleasure finally appeared on his gloomy face.

"Does he think he can reverse this age-old deadlock in grain transport just by relying on His Majesty's favor?"

Zong Yu lowered his voice, gritted his teeth, and sneered, "A fool's dream!"

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over several trusted officials. "Colleagues, this is simply an unsolvable arithmetic problem! We don't need to do anything now, just wait patiently for this month."

"I'd like to see how the Immortal Master will explain himself to His Majesty when the one-month deadline arrives and he still can't come up with a solution!"

Zong Yu flicked his sleeves, his tone icy, "Deceiving the emperor and jeopardizing military affairs! We'll see how he falls heavily from his pedestal, shattering into pieces!"

……

Unlike the civil officials waiting outside the palace gates to see them make a fool of themselves.

At this moment, Zhang Fan walked out of the Qilin Hall with a relaxed expression.

"teacher!"

Fusu, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately came forward, his face full of indignation.

"Everything is ready except for the final push. Just now in the hall, those ministers, including Zong Yu, were clearly trying to make things difficult for you, Master!"

Fusu gritted his teeth and said on Zhang Fan's behalf, "Fortunately, the strategy of heading north to attack the Xiongnu has finally been decided. Although the problem of transporting supplies is tricky, Teacher, you don't really need to worry too much."

"When next year comes, potatoes will surely be harvested in abundance throughout the Qin Dynasty. At that time, with plentiful grain, these civil officials will naturally have nothing to say!"

Hearing Fusu's words, Zhang Fan smiled and shook his head.

"Fusu, you don't understand. Even if I don't take on this transportation issue today, His Majesty will still send troops."

Zhang Fan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep. "However, the losses during grain transportation are extremely terrifying. This is a malignant tumor that must be eliminated."

Fusu frowned, looking puzzled, and asked, "Teacher, I really can't understand how the deadlock of transporting grain, which has lasted for thousands of years, can be solved quickly in just one month?"

Moreover, this war cannot continue indefinitely. Once we have pacified the Xiongnu, what use will this transportation method, specifically devised for warfare, be?

After listening, Zhang Fan glanced at Fusu with a hint of helplessness, and then patiently advised, "You need to think long-term. Even if there are no more wars, does that mean Qin's trade and commerce won't need transportation channels anymore?"

"If an efficient transportation line can be established, not only can more than 80% of the losses during transit be eliminated, but the future flow of goods between merchants from the north and south, and the economic circulation throughout the country, will also undergo earth-shattering changes!"

Fusu was stunned.

In his mind, prioritizing agriculture and suppressing commerce was the right path, and how could "trade and commerce" be compared with the grand plan of the Northern Expedition?

Seeing that Fusu still looked like he only half understood, Zhang Fan didn't continue explaining those economic concepts.

"Alright, stop thinking about that!"

Zhang Fan patted Fusu on the shoulder and instructed, "I have an important matter for you to handle. Set off immediately and go to Shangdang County as soon as possible."

"Shangdang Prefecture?" Fusu was taken aback. "What would my teacher want me to do there?"

"Go and oversee the steel mill in Shangdang County. Immediately begin a comprehensive expansion; the larger the better!"

Zhang Fan said solemnly, "All the expansion costs will come from the Institute of Geography's accounts. We recently confiscated Fang Zhengge's assets, and that money will be used to fund the project!"

Upon hearing this, Fusu's eyes lit up, and a scene of clashing swords and galloping horses instantly appeared in his mind.

He immediately clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and delight, "Student understands! Teacher is truly farsighted! Expanding the steel mill must be for the benefit of the Northern Expeditionary Army!"

As long as steel production keeps up, the weapons and armor of hundreds of thousands of soldiers can be completely replaced, giving them a significant advantage on the battlefield! I'll get on with it right away and won't delay your grand plan to suppress the barbarians!

Having said that, Fusu turned around excitedly and hurriedly ran off to arrange the carriages and horses.

Looking at Fusu's spirited back, Zhang Fan hesitated, and finally withdrew his outstretched hand.

"Weapons and armor? They only require a few pounds of iron!"

Zhang Fan shook his head helplessly, turned around and strode towards the Institute of Physics.

The only way to completely solve the terrifying transportation problem of hundreds or thousands of miles is to use a "dimensional reduction" approach and directly implement modern transportation infrastructure.

The behemoth that will be built next will definitely be a bottomless pit that consumes iron.

If we don't expand the steel plant in Shangdang County like crazy, the next plan simply won't be able to be implemented!