Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

More than a month has passed since I returned from the Zixia Sect, and everything seems to have returned to normal.

Shen Lang was still busy shuttling between the new army and the factory.

Three months after the formation of the new army, the new recruits at Shanglinyuan have completed all basic training subjects and have successfully graduated.

On the drill ground, 3,500 officers and soldiers, organized into units of 20 men each, were wearing brand-new, dark blue military uniforms (the revolutionary army uniforms from the Xinhai Revolution period, except that the leggings had been replaced with tall leather boots). Under the supervision of their respective temporarily appointed unit leaders, they were conducting various drills in an orderly manner.

Their robust physique and vibrant spirit are a far cry from the ragtag group they were when they first enlisted.

"Payment is here! Everyone assemble and proceed to the quartermaster to collect your monthly pay!"

As Meng Gong raised the megaphone and let out a loud shout, all the officers and soldiers immediately began to assemble, smiling and lined up neatly, and marched orderly toward the quartermaster.

Inside the quartermaster's office, laughter and chatter filled the air as soldiers gathered in small groups, discussing how to spend their pay after receiving it.

"Lu Meng!"

"To!"

A loud shout rang out from inside the quartermaster department, and Lü Meng strode in with measured steps.

The quartermaster glanced at him, then took out seven taels of silver and a deed.

"Check it out, see if it's correct. If there are no problems, then sign and put your fingerprint on it."

"Yes!"

Lu Meng excitedly picked up his pen, wrote his name on the contract, and then took seven taels of silver from the quartermaster.

Holding the gleaming silver in his hand, Lü Meng was filled with emotion.

He planned to save all the money without touching a single penny, and then bring it to his sister at home during the long holiday.

If I go to the battlefield and make military achievements, I will get promoted and earn more income. Then I will bring my sister to live in the capital and find her a good family so that she will no longer suffer.

There were many soldiers who shared similar thoughts with Lü Meng. The military camp lacked nothing, and they saved their monthly military pay to bring back to their families in the future.

Sending money to family members is the most simple and sincere way to express family affection in this era.

The factory was also bustling with activity.

Apart from the blast furnace, steelmaking furnace, and boiler workshop, four other factory buildings have been completed.

The roaring steam engines constantly emitted the roar of the industrial wave, posing the most intense challenge to this era.

Sweating profusely, Deng Hongyu guided Shen Lang to a stamping machine.

Powered by steam, the press continuously flips and pounds the carbon steel, gradually shaping it into a 600mm steel pipe.

Then a worker used tweezers to pick up the iron pipe with special tweezers and put it into the water spray pool for cooling.

Less than a minute later, another worker lifted the steel pipe with both hands and fixed it onto a continuous drilling machine.

Then, with the assistance of steam power, the drilling is proceeding at a steady speed, slowly drilling through the steel pipe, with the center of the pipe as the starting point.

The whole process takes about thirty minutes.

Soon another worker took the drilled gun barrel and handed it to an alchemist to check whether the inner wall was smooth and flat, and whether the outer wall had cracks or unevenness.

If there is even the slightest flaw, the entire barrel will be discarded and sent for rework. Once it passes inspection, the barrel of a Mauser 98K is considered basically complete.

Next, the barrel is transported to a rifling machine, where the rifling inside the barrel is ground back and forth at a constant speed.

After the rifling is polished and checked to ensure it is correct, apply a coat of black paint and let it dry.

Next, the breechblock, screw thread, stock, special spring, etc., are assembled together with the barrel, and a brand-new Mauser 98K replica rifle is completed.

The only regret is that smokeless gunpowder is still under research, and currently, firing mainly relies on black powder plus mercuric fulminate.

Shen Lang observed the entire gun manufacturing process and was satisfied with the improved skills of the workers on the assembly line.

But once this industrial zone is fully completed, how many people will be willing to stay?

Regarding this issue, Shen Lang had already made an extremely cold decision in his mind.

"Sir, since the assembly line went into production, there is absolutely no problem in manufacturing the quota of 5,000 qualified firearms per month."

According to my calculations, once the workers are familiar with the operation of the equipment, a monthly production of 20,000 units is easily achievable.

Ammunition is guaranteed at 1,200 rounds per rifle per month, but the supply of raw materials seems to be strained; the consumption of coal, iron, and various rare elements has been staggering lately.

To maintain this production capacity, we still need a large supply of raw materials.

Deng Hongyu looked worried. He had put a lot of effort into everything in the factory in front of him. Watching it grow day by day gave him a sense of belonging, and his thoughts began to shift towards the factory.

There are quite a few alchemists with this mindset. Originally, they just wanted to run away after they gained their freedom, but now they are completely devoted to this industrial revolution.

Of course, the Industrial Revolution was still a long way off; these were just the initial stages.

Without the initial accumulation of wealth, even the most advanced technology cannot trigger an industrial revolution.

The idea of ​​colonial expansion overseas and monopolizing maritime and land trade had already begun to take shape in Shen Lang's mind.

"With our current resource reserves, how long can we keep the factory running?"

"At most three months. After three months, if there is no stable and large supply of resources, the factory can only enter a semi-production mode, which is not conducive to long-term development."

"I understand. By the way, how's the research on artillery and machine guns going?"

"It's still in the experimental stage. We just solved the muzzle toughness problem the other day, and we've already started developing new molds for the related parts."

Production and test firing can begin no later than the end of next month.

However, the rapid automatic mechanism of the Maxim machine gun still needs careful experimentation and research, as required by the adults.

Currently, the firing springs we produce cannot maintain such high-intensity, continuous oscillation.

"No rush, let's take it one step at a time. We can start by tackling the artillery with 50mm small-caliber mortars. As for machine gun parts, they not only need to be wear-resistant but also sufficiently precise."

I believe you can do it. Don't worry about resource consumption; I can handle it for you in a few days.

"Thank you for your support, sir."

After leaving the factory, a complete cement road comes into view, stretching all the way from the workshop to the end of the factory.

In the distance, a group of workers were marking lines and laying cement.

This is cement made by Shen Lang by mixing slag, clay, lime, wood ash, and sand. It is the simplest form of cement.

"My lord, this road is really useful. It's flat, intact, and not bumpy at all, and it's also cheap. If the whole world used cement to pave roads, it would save at least ten times the amount of money."

Hearing Deng Hongyu's flattery, Shen Lang's expression remained unchanged.

However, he was right about one thing: cement roads are destined to be widespread throughout the entire Great Chu region.

Even if it affects the interests of many people, even traditional stonemasons.

In fact, Shen Lang didn't realize at this time that his mind had gradually become intertwined with that of the country.

From the moment she started planning the future with Jiang Mengxuan that night, this destiny had already been decided without her realizing it.

Meanwhile, inside the Weiyang Palace.

“Zeng Qian, you have neglected your duties, causing trouble among petty thieves and widespread public resentment in the streets of Jinling. Effective immediately, you are temporarily relieved of your post as Prefect of Jingzhao, and your deputy, Sun Heling, will take over.”

In the main hall, Zeng Qian froze on the spot when he heard Jiang Mengxuan dismiss him without any expression.

Looking up, he met the Empress's clear, unreadable eyes.

Ye Mo, standing at the head of the civil officials, remained silent. Zeng Qian's actions during this period had indeed exceeded his limit of tolerance.

Zeng Qian was the one he instructed to impeach.

You can form a party, but you should at least do your own thing properly.

As a result, in the past three months, due to the outbreak of the power struggle between the emperor's son-in-law and the people taking to the streets at the drop of a hat, the lives of the residents in the city have been seriously affected. What's even more outrageous is that they have come to the outside of the imperial city to support Mu Changge as the emperor's son-in-law.

If it weren't for the relatively relaxed political environment of the Great Chu compared to other countries, and if the Empress hadn't yet come to power, Zeng Qian and those rioting residents would probably all have lost their heads.

"Your humble servant obeys the decree!"

Zeng Qian reluctantly accepted the dismissal punishment, but was filled with resentment.

"Very well, since that's the case, then don't blame me. Let's see how you withstand the overwhelming public opinion!"

Thinking of this, Zeng Qian walked towards the mansion with a cold smile on his lips.