Seeing Zhu Cixiang's happy expression, Zhou Hou asked with a smile: "Prince, how do you plan to use these firearms?"
When Zhu Cixiang asked, he bowed and said, "My son, seeing how powerful the volley of fire cannons is, wanted to reorganize the Shenji Battalion to frighten the rebellious people in the capital."
"But I was reminded by my mother just now, and I also thought that the soldiers who were outside the Meridian Gate dispersed immediately after learning that Wu Laoliu had returned. This shows that they are not monolithic, but only gathered for profit, and will never sacrifice their lives for each other!"
"So I thought it would be a good idea to send out a strange force to eradicate the rebel forces lurking in the capital, and take the opportunity to demonstrate the power of the volley of fire cannons. This can also achieve the purpose of intimidation, while still maintaining mystery..."
After Zhou Hou listened to his story, he looked at Huang Nilu and said, "Huang Qing, can your continuous fire blunderbuss support the prince's plan?"
Huang Nilu thought for a moment and replied: "There should be no problem with the performance of the Continental Fire Gun, but it's best to do this during the day."
"Because if it happens at night, it is easy to be accidentally injured. Moreover, even if the gunshots are dense, it may not be possible to know that the rebellion is caused by a series of gunshots, and it may not be able to achieve a deterrent effect."
Zhu Cixiang nodded and said: "Yes, I also think it is best to do it during the day and let the news spread as soon as possible to scare the rebellious people outside the city..."
Zhou Hou nodded slightly at first, but then she thought of something and frowned again.
Zhu Cixiang saw this and asked respectfully: "Mother, do you think there is something wrong with this method?"
A trace of hesitation flashed in Zhou Hou's eyes, and then she muttered: "Although your method is good, it can easily break the balance."
"You must know that the capital seems to be surrounded by dangers, but it is also in an invisible balance. If it is broken rashly, it may cause trouble."
"Furthermore...and your father seems to have some plans for this. It is estimated that he will return to the capital soon. If we act without authorization and ruin his plan..."
"Is father coming back?"
Hearing this, Zhu Cixi said with joy on his face: "Mother, did my father tell you when he will arrive in Beijing? Your son must go out of the city to greet him when he arrives..."
Seeing Zhu Cixiang's happy face, Empress Zhou couldn't help but be stunned.
At the same time, a bitter smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, but it returned to normal in an instant.
She secretly checked their expressions, and seeing that neither of them noticed anything unusual, she said, "Your father was probably worried that the news would be leaked, so he didn't send a message to your mother."
"However, according to the information my mother received from Lu Jiude's spy, the dispute between Jin Shenghuan and Mr. Zou Da seems to have been caused by your father secretly."
"Since he has made arrangements, he will return soon. In order to avoid conflicts between the two parties, the Queen Mother feels that it is best for us to maintain a balance at this moment..."
Because Zhu Cihong had a near-blind admiration and trust for Zhu Yuanzhang, when he heard that this method might affect the other party's plan, he immediately denied the plan and thought of another strategy. ..
Seeing Zhu Cixiang's brows furrowing, Empress Zhou couldn't help but feel a pain in her heart, and then suggested: "Prince, in accordance with the mother's opinion, we might as well hold a drill so that everyone can clearly see the power of the continuous fire gun. What do you think?" "
Hearing this, Zhu Cixiang pondered for a while and said, "This method is not bad, but we only have twenty consecutive fire cannons now. If we practice for this reason, it seems too deliberate. Will it be counterproductive?"
Seeing that Zhu Cixiang could point out the flaws of this method in an instant, Zhou Hou knew that as long as his father's affairs were not involved, his talents would not be restricted, and he couldn't help but sigh.
She thought for a moment and then said, "That's okay!"
"Huang Qing has previously improved a lot of firearms in order to develop weapons to deal with the Jurchens. We can display them all together, which will surely suppress those who are rebellious."
Zhu Cixiang nodded, looked at Huang Nilu and said, "Huang Qing, how many types of firearms can you display?"
Although Huang Nilu was not very good at political affairs, he knew a lot about firearms and other things. He immediately replied: "Weichen has improved nine types of firearms. Among them, the range of the medium-sized Folang machine has been extended by two meters, and the power of the Crouching Tiger cannon Twice the strength, the cloth armor has built-in light iron plates..."
After listening to Huang Nilu's story, Zhu Cihong also felt that the military exercise was feasible, so he turned to how to spread the word.
When he heard that Zhou Hou said that Liu Chang had defected to the Jurchens through Niu Jinxing, and that Wang Dehua, Lu Jiude and others also had soldiers and horses in Beijing who could use them to convey news, he couldn't help but be shocked.
He was surprised not because Lu Jiude and others were powerful, but because Zhou Hou had already grasped the situation of the rebel forces and why he did not take action to exterminate them.
If we say that Zhou Hou was worried about Liu Chang and others, it would barely make sense.
However, Lu Jiude and Wang Dehua were already wanted. If Jin Yiwei was allowed to capture them later in the week and then take advantage of the situation to attack Liu Chang's forces, the situation in Beijing would never be like this.
"Does the Queen Mother have anything to hide?"
When Zhu Cixiang thought of this, he couldn't help but look at Empress Zhou, his eyes full of worry.
When Zhou Hou saw Zhu Cihong's gaze, he took advantage of the opportunity to discuss with Huang Nilu and avoided it.
Seeing this, Zhu Cixiang felt even more worried.
Because in his impression, Zhou Hou loved them very much and never turned a blind eye to their gaze, let alone avoided it.
So he carefully recalled the situation described by Tian Shuying, Huang Nilu and others, and became more suspicious.
In particular, the assassination of Zhu Cizheng made him even more confused.
You must know that after Tian Shuying came back from North Korea, in order to reward her, Zhu Yuanzhang not only made her a concubine, but also agreed to her request to change her maidservants and let her choose as she pleased.
After Tian Shuying received Zhu Yuanzhang's promise, the people she selected were not only loyal, but also mostly proficient in martial arts.
In addition, she loved Zhu Cixiang very much and had learned from the past, so she protected Zhu Cixiang very closely.
Although only people in the palace knew about this matter, with the power of Liu Chang and others, it should be impossible for them to not know about it.
Therefore, even if they want to test, they should choose someone who is easy to win, and they will definitely not choose Zhu Cizheng as their first choice.
"Is there any other secret behind this?"
"But the Queen Mother also loves Zhu Cizheng very much. If it weren't for the Queen Mother's care, Zhu Cizheng might not be alive today..."
While Zhu Cixiang was deep in thought, he suddenly heard Zhou Hou's voice: "Prince, do you think this is good?"
Because Zhu Cihong had something on his mind, he only heard a rough idea. He didn't dare to reveal it when asked, so he hurriedly agreed.
Empress Zhou seemed to have noticed something strange about him, but she didn't point it out. She just asked him to summon Wu Laoliu to prepare for the exercise.
After Zhu Cihong bowed in agreement, he walked out of Kunning Palace with a heavy heart.
That afternoon, a hasty but orderly military exercise was held in the school grounds.
In order to expand his influence, Zhu Cixi not only ordered Liu Chang and others to watch, but also specifically allowed people in the capital to watch.
When he saw Liu Chang, Zhang Xin and others looking surprised after the Lianzhu Fire Gun appeared, he immediately let go of his worries.
Not long after the exercise ended, Jin Yiwei came to report that many homing pigeons had flown out of Beijing.
Zhu Cixiang was overjoyed when he heard the news. After instructing the Jin Yiwei to strengthen surveillance, he went to visit Wang Jiayan and others in person and asked them about his situation after leaving Beijing.
It was just that he visited for a day and didn't get any useful information.
Just when he was disappointed, Zhou Jing suddenly came to report that Zhou Hou had fainted.
