Chen Xun was persuaded and immediately pulled him along to choose a site.
They first chose the location for the textile mill.
The textile mill was to be divided into two parts: one for researching and manufacturing spinning machines and looms, and the other for spinning thread and weaving cloth.
Cloth was one thing, but looms and spinning machines required massive transport capacity, so the Capital City was unsuitable.
After putting their heads together, the two decided Tianjin Guard was more suitable.
For one, Tianjin Guard was not far from the Capital City; for another, it had a port.
Now that the maritime ban had been lifted, even products for domestic sale could be shipped by sea.
As for the steelworks...
Honestly, nowhere near the Capital City was particularly suitable. The better locations were places rich in iron ore, such as Shandong, Jiangxi, and Fujian.
The two could not agree on the location of the steelworks. Since Pan Yun had provided all the blueprints, they went to ask her opinion. Naturally, to avoid suspicion of forming factions for private gain, they had the Emperor invite her and asked before him.
"Master National Teacher, when you first made this plan, where did you intend to place the steelworks?"
Pan Yun asked, "Where did you just say iron ore was more abundant?"
Hu Cheng said, "At present, the major state-run iron mines are in Shandong, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Yunnan. Of course, there are also some around the Capital City, near Jinghai, but their output is low."
Pan Yun said, "If we speak of the place with the richest iron ore deposits in our Ming Dynasty, none surpasses the Liaodong Commandery."
The Emperor, Yu Qian, and the others were startled. Chen Xun sat bolt upright. "Where?"
Pan Yun said, "Liaodong. You didn't know?"