Daming: The system rejected my request for salted fish

Chapter 1442

Who gets the spoils?

Upon hearing Zhu Di's words, Wei Wu couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. According to the unwritten rules of ancient times, the spoils of war were decided by the commander-in-chief.

Although most of them would certainly be brought under the control of the imperial court, a considerable portion could still be distributed among the soldiers at the discretion of the general.

It's mainly about giving some benefits to the soldiers who fight for the country. This kind of thing isn't brought up in the open, but everyone knows it's an open secret.

Zhu Di was a veteran who had followed Xu Da on the battlefield for many years. Did he need to ask him about the spoils of war?

While harboring doubts, Wei Wu simply voiced his questions directly.

"Fourth Brother, according to the unwritten rules of the army, shouldn't the spoils of war be distributed 80% to the soldiers and 20% to the officers?"

"You told me this back in the northern desert, so why are you asking me about the ownership of the spoils of war now?"

Zhu Di immediately realized that Wei Wu had misunderstood, so he quickly explained the so-called spoils of war.

"No, Xiao Wu, you've misunderstood. The spoils I'm talking about aren't livestock, cattle, sheep, gold, or silver treasures, but other things."

If not livestock and gold and silver jewelry? Then what could it be, women? No, Zhu Di was not the kind of lecherous man.

Hearing Zhu Di's words, Wei Wu was even more puzzled, but fortunately Zhu Di immediately explained:

"After you left during this Northern Expedition, I continued the cleanup operation. In addition to gold and silver jewelry, we also found a large number of firearms and steam engines."

“These things are a bit different from what you showed me at the Academy of Science and Technology before. They’re not as sophisticated as those at the Academy, but they’re still pretty good.”

Wei Wu wasn't surprised that the Northern Yuan could find these things, since they wouldn't be able to make rifled flintlock muskets without them.

However, Zhu Di classified these items as spoils of war and even pondered their ownership, which puzzled Wei Wu.

"Fourth Brother, is this the spoils of war you were talking about? But what do you need these things for?"

"Of course it's for developing the vassal states!"

Zhu Di said it as a matter of course, and then continued before Wei Wu could speak:

"Before this expedition to the northern desert, my father talked to me and said that after pacifying the surrounding small countries, he would prepare to take up a fiefdom."

"Xiao Wu, you said that the Australian continent is vast and sparsely populated. Although it is rich in resources, it has no industrial base or talent."

"When I went to my fief, my father said he would prepare a group of talents from all walks of life for me, but the number of people in this field is limited."

Upon hearing this, Wei Wu immediately understood Zhu Di's thoughts, and so he directly followed up by asking:

"So Fourth Brother wants to bring these firearms and steam engines that were seized from the Northern Yuan, so that he can have a foundation for development there?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I think."

Zhu Di made no attempt to conceal his thoughts, immediately nodding in agreement and then expressing his concerns.

"But Xiao Wu, as you know, Father has very strict restrictions on the things that the Academy of Science and Technology researches."

"Although I am the emperor's son, that is only for now. After my father and I pass away a hundred years from now, this relationship will be severed."

"Without the father-son relationship to maintain it, my vassal state and the Ming Dynasty may very well end up like the ancient Zhou Dynasty and the vassal states."

After Zhu Di finished speaking, Wei Wu understood what he was worried about: simply put, he was afraid of Zhu Yuanzhang's suspicion.

After all, the Ming Dynasty's current powerful weaponry is entirely due to the advanced industrial capabilities brought about by Cao Cao.

For overseas fiefdoms to develop rapidly, industrial capacity was also indispensable; otherwise, relying solely on the people they brought with them, it would take forever.

The steam engine was the beginning of industrial development; once it became the foundation, many things became much simpler.

The problem was that Zhu Di was unsure whether Zhu Yuanzhang would be willing to let him take this foundation of industrial development outside the Ming Dynasty.

That's why I thought of asking myself, since no one in the world knows more about this than myself.

However, regarding this matter, Wei Wu could only say that Zhu Di was overthinking it; it was just a mere steam engine.

For countries outside of the Ming Dynasty, this thing is indeed a rare treasure, but for the Ming Dynasty, it is already outdated.

Even if Zhu Di took it away, and the relationship between the two countries became distant a hundred years later, it would not pose any threat to the Ming Dynasty.

After all, the Ming Dynasty had already mastered the basic utilization of electricity, which was many times more efficient than the steam engine.

It's like two people traveling together, and one of them gives the other a bicycle so that the other can travel more easily.

This person, however, drives an off-road vehicle that can traverse mountains and rivers with ease; there is simply no comparison between the two.

Until anyone understands the principle of electromagnetic induction, Australia has no chance of surpassing the Ming Dynasty in technology.

A century later, when Australia has perfected steam technology, the Ming Dynasty will be far more advanced than we imagine.

Even if Australia also learns to utilize electricity, let's not forget that the Ming Dynasty still has the advanced knowledge provided by Wei Wu.

Others need to feel their way across the river, exploring little by little, while the Ming Dynasty only needs to follow the strategy provided by Cao Cao.

This is equivalent to Cao Cao drawing each step of development as an arrow to guide the direction, and the Ming Dynasty only needs to follow the arrow and run wildly.

Therefore, Wei Wu saw Zhu Di's concerns as completely meaningless, but he also understood Zhu Di's thoughts.

So he gave Zhu Di a reassuring answer.

"Fourth Brother, if that's what you're worried about, then I can tell you that there won't be any problem with you taking these things with you."

“I can even make you a promise: when I feel better, I will talk to Uncle Zhu and let you take these things with you.”

Upon hearing Wei Wu's promise, Zhu Di immediately smiled.

"Alright, alright, I'm relieved to hear you say that, Xiao Wu. Then I'll thank you in advance!"

Zhu Di knew very well that with Wei Wu's promise, the matter was practically a done deal and completely secure.

So as not to disturb Wei Wu's recovery and rest, Zhu Di only chatted with Wei Wu for a few words before leaving with a smile on his face.

Wei Wu had spoken quite a bit since waking up and was indeed a little tired, so he prepared to close his eyes and rest for a while.

Just then, a beautiful figure appeared outside the ward, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at him and called out softly.

"Husband!!"