royal palace
Zhu Youxiao looked at Bi Maokang, who had come to the capital after a long journey. This was the master who developed the self-made fire gun.
This is a firearms expert. The upgrading of Ming Dynasty weapons depends entirely on him.
"Bi Aiqing, thank you for your hard work coming all the way. Please give me a seat!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"This time I am asking Aiqing to return to Beijing for the sake of my great success in firearms. I heard that Aiqing is quite proficient in firearms. I wonder if Aiqing has any good suggestions or ideas to share with me."
This question touched Bi Maokang's heart. He had devoted his life to the study of firearms. His understanding of firearms was probably not matched by anyone in the Ming Dynasty.
"Replying to Your Majesty, I believe that firearms are the top priority. During the Yongle period, the Shenji Camp of our Ming Dynasty relied on firearms to gain its reputation. According to my understanding, it has been more than two hundred years since your Majesty's dynasty. Our Ming Dynasty's Shenji Camp Firearms have not progressed, but seem to be falling behind!"
"Whether it is a matchlock gun, a bird gun, a three-eyed gun, etc., they have always stayed in the same place. I have to say a disrespectful thing. This is the reason why the emperors of the past generations did not pay attention to it. In addition, the work was cut during the production, resulting in even less power. Even before!"
Why doesn't Zhu Youxiao know that the firearms and cannons equipped by the Ming army are still barely usable, and the muskets are just fire sticks. Forget about burning fire sticks, they are still time bombs. Maybe they will kill themselves one day when they are used. Exploded to death.
"I also know this, and the reason why I came here is about firearms!"
"Your Majesty is wise, I wonder how your Majesty wants to change?"
"I would like to ask Aiqing to build a new type of musket. Different from the muskets we use now that require a fuse to ignite, this new type of musket uses flint as the launching device and is not affected by the weather. It can still be used in wind or rain, and it is easy to use. More convenient!"
Isn't what His Majesty said the same as the self-generated fire gun that he is currently researching? How come His Majesty is so proficient in firearms?
"What your Majesty said is consistent with the idea of the new fire gun that I have been studying, but I have made no progress so far!"
Unexpectedly, Bi Maokang had already started working on flintlock guns at this time. Historically, it was only in the eighth year of Chongzhen that he introduced self-generated fireguns in detail in "Illustrated Weapons" for the first time. Unfortunately, the Ming Dynasty at that time was riddled with holes, and Zhu Youjian Basically ignored it, which resulted in the Ming Dynasty not manufacturing self-generated fire guns and equipping the army. Later, the Manchu and Qing Dynasties entered the customs, which also caused China to miss a great opportunity. China has never been able to catch up with the West since then.
I wonder if Ming’s flintlock gun can be released ahead of schedule now that I have my own support.
"It's not urgent. I'm thinking that Aiqing will be promoted to the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, and he will be responsible for new firearms. If you encounter any problems, you can report it to me. I will do my best to make new firearms come out!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"I also want to take Aiqing to a place. I'm sure Aiqing will like it there!"
…
arsenal
Xu Guangqi worked hard on making bronze cannons. He even moved to the arsenal to live in. However, there were some production details that he could not break through. Although His Majesty did not rush him, he himself was very anxious. During this period, he forgot to sleep and eat.
"Minister, please take a rest. You are old after all. If something goes wrong, wouldn't it be a loss to the country?"
Xu Guangqi is fifty-nine years old, so he naturally understands, but precisely because he is so old, he has to work harder to help His Majesty. He, Xu Guangqi, is half buried in the soil. He no longer cares about life or death. He is afraid that he will not be able to repay the favor. Your Majesty's kindness.
"I understand. Eunuch Li doesn't have to look at me like that. I have a sense of propriety."
Li Yongzhen's lips couldn't help but twitch, "How about not looking at you? Our family knows best how much the Emperor values you. If something happens to you, our family will have to live without food."
"Secretary, father-in-law, Your Majesty is here!"
Xu Guangqi and Li Yongzhen hurriedly went out to greet Shengjia, but Zhu Youxiao had already entered the factory directly.
"Master Xu, please forgive me. Master Xu is very haggard!"
Although Xu Guangqi is almost sixty, he still looked energetic before. I don't want him to look much older after working hard for a few days. This man should not be too tired.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I have nothing important to do. I have just received an important task, and I should dedicate myself to it!"
Zhu Youxiao was also very moved after hearing this. The Ming Dynasty never lacked capable ministers, let alone loyal ministers!
"Master Xu, there is no need to be like this. How can I feel at ease?"
"I specially found a close friend for Master Xu!"
Zhu Youxiao turned sideways to meet Bi Maokang behind him and introduced:
"This is the most proficient person in firearms in our Ming Dynasty, and he is also my humerus minister. Master Xu can discuss further training with Bi Aiqing, so that he can take care of him in the future!"
"The lower official Bi Maokang has met the minister!"
Xu Guangqi also bowed his hands in return, and Zhu Youxiao was relieved to see this scene. Because the two great scientists in the late Ming Dynasty had changed their original destiny, he didn't know what kind of chemical reaction they could produce together.
"I heard from your majesty that I've encountered a bottleneck. How about I show my ideas and drawings to my subordinates? Maybe I can find a solution!"
The two of them studied bronze cannons here. Zhu Youxiao was led by Zhang Zhiji to inspect various factories. The arsenal was expanded again. Wei Zhongxian found more than a thousand craftsmen households from Beizhili. The scale of the arsenal was larger than that of some Villages and towns are big.
The arsenal is on the right track, and I have finally accomplished something. In the future, Ming Dynasty's weapons and equipment will be continuously manufactured from here, and it is bound to catch up with the pace of the world!
When Zhu Youxiao returned to the palace, there was finally news in Nanjing.
"Your Majesty, this was initially seized in Nanjing, totaling 12 million taels of silver and 780,000 taels of gold. Your Majesty, your Majesty, asked me to go to Beijing first to report to Your Majesty!"
The gentry in the south of the Yangtze River are rich, much richer than those in the north.
"What was Jiang Nan's reaction?"
"Your Majesty, the gentry and civil servants in the south of the Yangtze River appear to be calm on the surface, but in fact they have become a mess. They are now very dissatisfied with the court and your Majesty. If General Li had not led troops to garrison Nanjing, I am afraid that chaos would have begun."
No matter how many civil servants Zhu Youxiao killed in the capital, the gentry in Jiangnan would be able to accept it, but if the emperor stretched his hands in front of them, it would be equivalent to digging up their roots.
Although there are many people in the court who have interests in collusion with them, that's all. It's just one less person to talk to. Jiangnan is their bottom line.
After Zhu Youxiao read the secret report submitted to him by Tian Ergen, he felt a little nervous. Someone had already proposed to refuse to pay taxes. It seemed that he was not ruthless enough.
In today's Ming Dynasty, 70% of the country's income relies on Jiangnan. They must not let them join forces to choke their own throats. They must understand clearly that in this Ming Dynasty, the person named Zhu has the final say.
"Wang Banban, draft the decree. Wei Guogong Xu Hongji will add Prince Shaobao, Li Zhicai will add the right governor of the former military governor's office, Zhang Shize will command the Nanjing Five City Army and Horse Division, and also ask Li Zhicai to go to Fengyang to recruit 10,000 soldiers."
"Bring my instructions to Tian Ergen, and I will give him the power to act on his own initiative. If anyone dares to cause trouble, his family will be confiscated and his family will be destroyed immediately!"
