Chapter 213: The armor production cannot meet expectations, and the old minister Shan Anren wakes up the dreamer
In fact, although Zhu Gang had returned to the capital for almost a year, the Jin army's conquest of the grassland did not stop until Deng Zhen and Feng Cheng came to Yingtian Prefecture.

After all, as the top leader of Taiyuan and even the entire Shanxi Province, Zhu Gang only needs to grasp the key points and focus on the main aspects.

He believed that as long as he kept a close eye on the general direction, there wouldn't be any major problems given the strength he had demonstrated so far.

Zhu Gang had already memorized the essential mantra of "focusing on the big and letting go of the small" for leaders to slack off.

Xie Yuer actually didn't care about official matters. She was just worried that Zhu Gang would rely on his personal bravery and lead the troops too far on the battlefield.

In terms of literature, he followed Li Xiyan, and in terms of martial arts, he followed Chang Yuchun.

Her husband is a man of both civil and military talents in the Zhu family.

In addition, he controls 200,000 Black Cavalry and 10,000 Divine Machine Battalions.

Xie Yuer really couldn't think of any reason why Zhu Gang wouldn't be arrogant?
However, just when Xie Yuer was about to say something else, Lu Feng's voice suddenly sounded outside the door.

"Your Highness, the Minister of Works, Shan Anren, requests to see you."

As the first Minister of Works of the Ming Dynasty, Shan Anren was a man of both civil and military talents.

Since he led the people to submit to Zhu Yuanzhang in the second year of Longfeng, he has begun to play his role with all his might.

In the third year of Longfeng, Shan Anren guarded Zhenjiang and strictly ordered the troops.

The enemy did not dare to attack and moved to Changzhou.

In the fourth year of Longfeng, Shan Anren was appointed as the deputy envoy of the Zhejiang Provincial Judicial and Supervisory Office.

In the seventh year of Longfeng, Shan Anren was promoted to the position of Censor of Zhejiang Province.

On November 2, the tenth year of Longfeng, Shan Anren was summoned to be the Zuosi Langzhong of the Secretariat.

In the eleventh year of Longfeng, Shan Anren was transferred to Ruizhou to guard the thousand households.

In the first year of the Wu Dynasty, Shan Anren was summoned to serve as the Minister of Works.

In the first year of Hongwu, Shan Anren was appointed Minister of Works and was promoted to Jiayi Doctor.

In the second year of Hongwu, Shan Anren was appointed Minister of War.

In history, Shan Anren, who was already 67 years old, requested to retire in the second year of Hongwu due to lack of energy.

Old Zhu felt sorry for his hard work and gave him three thousand acres of land and seventy cows.

He was given half of the Shangshu's salary every year to support him for life.

However, it is now almost the tenth year of Hongwu, and Shan Anren continues to be active in the court of the Ming Dynasty as the Minister of Works.

Looking at the gray-haired Shan Anren, Zhu Gang said with concern: "Sir Shan, you should also pay more attention to your health after work. My Ming Dynasty still needs a loyal minister like you."

Shan Anren sighed and said, "I am already seventy-four years old this year. It is rare for a person to live to eighty, so I am afraid I will not live for many more years.

Today, the Ming Dynasty is still in a state of disrepair and the court is in need of personnel, so the old ministers can still make some use of their remaining energy.”

As they were talking, Shan Anren took the initiative to end the pleasantries and went straight to the point.

"The steel mill that Gong Shuqi is in charge of has adopted the method of 'construction and production at the same time' and has now produced the integrated armor that His Royal Highness Prince Jin mentioned."

During the project construction process, the business model of building, improving and producing at the same time is a common means used by some domestic companies in later generations to shorten the construction period.
This not only shortens the time it takes for products to enter the market, but also improves the economic benefits of the enterprise.

However, Zhu Gang did not expect that Gongshu Qi would be able to master this business model without any guidance.

Not long after Zhu Gang and Shan Anren arrived at the steel plant, Gong Shuqi personally delivered to them a full body armor that was 169 cm high and weighed 33 kg.

"Because the weight of the armor is evenly distributed throughout the body, the wearer can still maintain a high degree of flexibility, allowing them to jump, run and move freely. In addition, the armor is articulated and completely covers the user's entire body from neck to toes."

In line with the principle that "practice is the sole criterion for testing truth", Zhu Gang, as a tester, was the first to use the first set of full-body plate armor in the Ming Dynasty.

Although ergonomics did not exist in the Ming Dynasty, the craftsmen under the guidance of Gongshu Qi had already maturely applied the relevant concepts in the production of armor.

This is especially evident in the treatment of joints.

After putting on the plate armor, Zhu Gang's movements were not restricted as imagined, and he could perform almost all tactical moves.

"How long will it take you to make a full set of plate armor like this?"

Gong Shuqi scratched his head. "Based on the current progress, a 26-person armor factory can produce nearly 5 sets of armor within 1600 months."

Zhu Gang, who had just emerged from the plate armor, frowned and said, "The three armor factories combined have an annual production capacity of only 11500 sets.

This is far from what I expected."

Gongshu Qi explained helplessly: "It is very tiring to beat out a solid piece of iron. It depends on the blacksmith to swing the hammer and hit the red iron blank.

Several people hammered the iron blank for a long time but still couldn't hammer it evenly.

In addition, the full body armor protecting the limbs needs to ensure the joints are flexible, which requires even better craftsmanship."

Shan Anren, who was about to enter his eighties, had long planned to apply to transfer Gong Shuqi to the Ministry of Industry.

Now it seems that the other party’s work performance cannot satisfy His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin.

He quickly said, "Since we have adopted the 'construction and production at the same time' approach, both the ironworks and the armor factory are now in a semi-operational state.

This old minister believes that since Your Highness has already established the Shenji Camp, Your Majesty also intends to expand the Shenshu Camp on this basis.

This means that the innovation of weapons is unstoppable, which will inevitably bring about the innovation of defensive equipment.

Traditional armor would undoubtedly become a live target for guns and cannons. In contrast, the cloth armor that was circulated in the previous dynasty, after being improved, could become the main style of our Ming Dynasty armor. "

Zhu Gang then remembered that the armor of the Ming Dynasty absorbed the exquisiteness of the armor of the Tang, Song and Han dynasties, and the simplicity of the armor of the Yuan Dynasty.

Whether in terms of practicality or artistry, Ming Dynasty armor can be regarded as the pinnacle of ancient armor-making technology.

Zhu Gang, who had a premonition of what Shan Anren was going to say next, showed a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were filled with a disdainful look that was difficult to look at directly.

"I would really like to hear how you plan to improve it."

Zhu Gang stared at Shan Anren with sharp eyes, a smile on his lips.

He knew very well that the important court official in front of him was no ordinary person.

If you don't have some skills, how can you take on such an important responsibility as making armor?

Shan Anren took a deep breath, straightened his chest, and answered confidently: "Your Highness, I think it can be used in key areas, such as breastplate and helmet.

Made of stronger materials for increased protection.

At the same time, the overall weight of the armor is reduced, allowing soldiers to move more flexibly during combat, thereby improving combat effectiveness.”

After hearing this, Zhu Gang nodded slightly and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

He knew very well that the war situation was unpredictable and that only by constantly innovating could he remain invincible on the battlefield.

When Shan Anren saw Zhu Gang nod in approval, he was filled with confidence and motivation.

(End of this chapter)