Daming: The system rejected my request for salted fish

Chapter 1526

"Since you've been so cooperative, I can grant you one reasonable request: just say you don't have it and that's it."

Upon hearing Wei Wu's words, Zhang Hao frowned and pondered for a moment before looking at him and saying something.

"Give me a quick death."

"Okay, I promise you."

As soon as Zhang Hao finished speaking, Wei Wu responded decisively, then turned to look at Shen Lin beside him.

"Tell the Embroidered Uniform Guard that they must not torture Zhang Hao. I will go to the palace to see the Emperor first thing tomorrow morning, and His Majesty will decide how to deal with him."

"Yes, Master!"

Shen Lin responded respectfully, then immediately turned and left the cell to go and communicate with the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

After he left, Wei Wu looked at Zhang Hao again, but did not say anything.

He only exchanged a glance with Zhang Hao before turning around and leaving the cell, leading the Impermanence Squad out of the Imperial Prison.

The night passed quickly, and the capital remained as peaceful as ever, with the people living their ordinary and simple lives.

No one expected that in just one night, the infamous leader of the White Lotus Sect would become a prisoner.

When Wei Wu woke up the next day, he waited until noon when the court session ended before entering the palace.

Inside the Fengxian Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao were reviewing memorials as usual. The hall was so quiet that only the sound of eunuchs grinding ink could be heard.

When Wei Wu entered the hall, Zhu Yuanzhang and his son immediately stopped writing upon seeing him.

"Xiao Wu, why aren't you recuperating at the Imperial Hospital? What are you doing here in the palace?"

Zhu Biao spoke first, but before Wei Wu could answer, Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted him.

"You brat, you're here because of Zhang Hao, aren't you!"

Wei Wu was not surprised that Zhu Yuanzhang would say such a thing, after all, Zhang Hao was imprisoned in the imperial prison.

As Zhu Yuanzhang's top henchman, Mao Xiang couldn't and wouldn't dare not report that Zhang Hao was the White Lotus Taoist.

So after Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, Wei Wu immediately nodded in response.

“Uncle Zhu, you know about Zhang Hao’s situation. I asked him almost everything I needed to yesterday, but he had nothing to confess.”

"I've come to ask you for a favor. I promise to give him a quick death, but this matter only counts if you give the word."

Actually, it wasn't that Wei Wu was making a fuss over nothing and insisted on coming; the main reason was that Zhang Hao's identity as the White Lotus Taoist was too sensitive and too special.

Under normal circumstances, for such a leader of the biggest rebels in the land, the imperial court should first use torture, and then parade him through the streets as a warning to the public.

Let the people witness the tragic end of the rebels, which will not only demonstrate the majesty of the imperial court but also serve as a deterrent.

But Wei Wu promised Zhang Hao a quick death, so naturally he had to spare him this ordeal.

It should be noted that, under normal circumstances, prisoners who are paraded through the streets do not fare well; a few suffer minor injuries, but most are left with lacerations and open wounds.

Because people would throw things at it. If it was just vegetable leaves or rotten eggs, that would be fine, but many people preferred to use small stones.

Wei Wu still had a lot of influence; he had barely finished speaking when Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in agreement.

"Alright, we'll give the order later. The White Lotus Taoist's crimes are unforgivable, and he still has followers outside. He should be executed immediately to prevent any unforeseen circumstances."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Having received Zhu Yuanzhang's approval, Wei Wu immediately bowed in thanks, but then spoke again:

“Yesterday I got a lot of information from Zhang Hao. The White Lotus Sect is now defunct in name only, but there are still many remnants.”

"This cult opposes whatever dynasty it is in, and the existence of these people could very well cause the White Lotus Sect to rise from the ashes."

"In order not to alert the enemy, we should deal with these people first, and then announce to the world that we will execute the White Lotus Taoist."

Zhu Yuanzhang clearly thought the same thing, and immediately nodded in agreement after Wei Wu finished speaking.

"This matter will be handled by Mao Xiang. He is responsible for allowing the leader of the White Lotus Sect to infiltrate the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"But considering his loyalty, we'll let him redeem himself by doing good deeds. If he handles it well, we won't hold him responsible."

"Let's arrange these minor matters as they are! Now that you've come to the palace today, let's discuss some important matters."

event?

Upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Wei Wu was taken aback, unable to immediately recall what this important matter was.

However, just as Wei Wu looked puzzled, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke again:

"Nowadays, the surrounding small countries pose no threat to the Ming Dynasty, and the White Lotus Sect and the Jiangnan gentry no longer have any worries."

"With both external and internal troubles eliminated, we now plan to accelerate the construction of the Daming Railway while simultaneously preparing for grain storage and troop training."

"Therefore, we hope that the Academy of Sciences will put aside other matters and focus on fully cooperating with the railway construction."

As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, Wei Wu immediately understood that Zhu was preparing for war to expand the territory.

If nothing unexpected happens, he should be influenced by his own statement about being the "Asian Governor" and want to give Zhu Biao a large territory.

If a country wants to expand its territory, and specifically targets the whole of Asia, then transportation and logistics are absolutely essential.

Food is not a problem. After years of development, potatoes have become widely available and promoted throughout the country.

Nowadays, many kinds of food made from potatoes have appeared in folk cuisine, so people will no longer go hungry in years of famine.

The main issue is transportation. While trains are convenient, laying tracks requires more than just manpower; it also necessitates planning and guidance from professionals.

The only place in the entire Ming Dynasty with talent in this area was the Academy of Science and Technology, and the people there were all incredibly busy.

New projects emerge every day, and once approved as feasible, they are initiated for research, with a particularly broad scope of research.

Today, the Academy of Sciences is no longer a small organization with only a handful of staff; it now has several thousand employees.

The land approved by the imperial court, after the construction of the science and technology institute, still had a large area available for the Impermanence Squad to use as a training ground.

But now, not only training grounds, but even the best farmland in the science and technology institute is no longer used for growing crops; it has all been converted into various research buildings.

This is only possible because it's a science and technology institute. If any other department dared to squander such prime farmland, Old Zhu would have already raised his sword.

Even so, the Academy of Sciences is still complaining about a shortage of staff every day, and many projects have been put on hold due to insufficient manpower.

This is why, if Lao Zhu wanted to accelerate railway construction, he first had to talk to Wei Wu and ask the Academy of Sciences to fully cooperate.