Leaving the palace from Ximen, you can see Taiping Gate to the north. On the left side of Taiping Gate, there are the Ministry of Punishment and the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and to the north is the Dali Temple.
The three departments of the Ming Dynasty were not located within the city like the Ministry of Revenue and the Dudu's Mansion, but outside the city.
This arrangement has profound meaning.
After seeing the city of Nanjing, you will find an obvious problem. The city wall of Nanjing is "irregular". It is not square or rectangular, but turns around to form a siege.
Behind this "irregularity" lies another kind of rule:
Kanyushu.
Ancient royal buildings often had the habit of "following the sky and the earth", that is, arranging the architectural pattern according to the celestial phenomena.
The starry sky and celestial phenomena are divided into three groups and twenty-eight constellations by the Chinese.
Three Yuans refer to the astrology centered on the North Pole, which is divided into Ziwei Yuan, Taiwei Yuan and Tianshi Yuan.
Zhu Yuanzhang was also a person who was superstitious about celestial phenomena and Feng Shui. When building the Nanjing Palace City, he laid it out with "Ziwei Yuan" to show that this is where "the Emperor of Heaven sits and where the Son of Heaven resides."
The palace has gates and purple walls, so the "Forbidden City" that everyone is familiar with comes into being.
The purple in the "Forbidden City" is Ziweiyuan.
In the construction of the imperial city, the "Taiwei Yuan" layout was adopted, including the selection of the locations of the Yamen and the Imperial Palace, which were also designed based on the astrology.
The capital of the Ming Dynasty had thirteen city gates, which were arranged based on the "Six Stars of the South" and the "Seven Stars of the Big Dipper" in the "Tianshiyuan". At that time, when designing the location of the city gates, the first priority was not the inconvenience of transportation, but also the location of the city gates. The road is not smooth, but the talisman is not in line with the astrology.
Don't think that if you donate a few dollars, the emperor can set up a bus stop in front of your house.
In "Tianshiyuan", there is a constellation named "Guansuo", which is responsible for Yin Su.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked up at the stars, then looked down at the city of Nanjing, and found it. The Guansuo corresponded to the left side of Xuanwu Lake and the north of Zhongshan. Okay, the Ministry of Punishment, Dali Temple, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate should all go outside the city. .
So at that time, those who complained about injustice and filed lawsuits generally did not go to the imperial city, they were all outside the city...
Zhu Yunwen walked to "Guqi Geng", which is a small high slope with an archway built with the word "Guancheng" written on it. Continuing walking, you will reach the ten-mile long embankment of Xuanwu Lake, which leads directly to Huangku.
Xuanwu Lake is divided into five islands, named after the states. Walking in from the long embankment is Cuizhou, and further forward is Liangzhou, where the Huangku is located.
The other three states were assigned to the three divisions of the Second Artillery Bureau: the Artillery Division occupied Huanzhou, the Gunpowder Division occupied Yingzhou, and the Gunpowder Division was the least safe and was chosen to be located in Lingzhou, the deepest place.
At present, only the Gunpowder Department of the Artillery Department, Gunpowder Department, and Gunpowder Department has been completed. This is not because the construction progress of the Artillery Department and Gunpowder Department is slow or the workers are lazy, but because Lingzhou, where the Gunpowder Department is located, has a spacious warehouse. With construction, you only need to open a few doors, build a few roads, purchase furniture, and transport materials and personnel, and you can basically start work.
"First Evolution"
The Artillery Department and the Fire Cannon Department are different. They need to build more things. They even need to build several smelting furnaces, blacksmith shops, casting shops, various warehouses, experimental shooting ranges, etc.
There are four guards guarding the entrance of the Gunpowder Department.
After the eunuch Lu An led the people to greet him, he saw Zhu Yunwen and Gu Sanshen wanted to enter the Gunpowder Department, so he quickly stopped them and said: "Your Majesty, this Gunpowder Department is an important place. If you are not careful, you will be in great danger. . Therefore, I ask the Emperor and Commander Shi to carry fire and other flammable objects with them, including iron tools, and store them outside."
Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly. If there is a fire in this land of gunpowder, he can basically fly into the sky.
As expected of the commander of the Security Bureau, he brought three fire sticks alone. This made Zhu Yunwen very puzzled. There was no tobacco in this era. Why did you, a grown man, bring so much fire?
It seems that this guy has done a lot of murder and arson...
Gu Sanshen took off his knife and took out twelve more flying weapons.
A knife, a few stones, and two daggers were found from his trouser legs. Zhu Yunwen was stunned for a moment. The people from the Emotional Security Bureau had a full arsenal...
"Your Majesty, please."
Lu An did not dare to search the emperor and commander Shi, so he invited the two of them inside, while the others waited outside.
From the main gate to the inside, there are two more doors, both of which are guarded and guarded by guards.
Lu An explained: "If you want to enter the Gunpowder Department, you must go through three inspections regardless of entry or exit. Those who enter are not allowed to bring dangerous objects, and those who are leaving are not allowed to bring anything outside themselves. Only after thorough inspection can you enter or exit."
Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly, very satisfied with the safety work of the Gunpowder Department.
"Your Majesty, the entire Gunpowder Department is divided into five rooms. The left and right wings are the gunpowder materials warehouse, the main room is the gunpowder workshop, the back hall is the gunpowder warehouse, and the last room is the residence of the guards and craftsmen."
Lu An introduced briefly.
Zhu Yunwen looked at it and walked to the gunpowder workshop.
The gunpowder workshop was quite large. The left and right side rooms were opened and several rooms were built together. It was about 150 steps long. There were more than 20 stone mills inside, and they were constantly grinding something.
"How many gunpowder makers are there now?"
Zhu Yunwen asked.
Lu An opened his mouth and answered: "One hundred and sixty-nine people. Most of the people from the local guard have not arrived in the capital yet. Once they arrive, the number of people will increase to more than 500."
Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly and said, "Tell me, let me know how gunpowder is made."
Lu An led Zhu Yunwen forward and introduced: "Your Majesty, the gunpowder compatibility follows the "Shen Nong's Materia Medica"."
"Wait a minute? Doesn't "Shen Nong's Materia Medica" talk about medicine?"
Zhu Yunwen became confused. Although gunpowder is a kind of medicine, is it appropriate for you to prepare gunpowder according to a medical book?
"This, Your Majesty, is true, but the essence lies in the monarch and his ministers assisting their envoys."
Lu An took a look at Zhu Yunwen's face and explained.
Zhu Yunwen frowned.
Lu An felt uneasy and said quickly: "This method of king, minister and assistant is the method of combining gunpowder. Your Majesty, gunpowder consists of sulfur, saltpeter, carbon and other substances. According to the method of king, minister and assistant, choose saltpeter as the king, sulfur as the minister, and charcoal as the assistant. , the others are used to make it, and when mixed evenly, it becomes gunpowder.”
Zhu Yunwen couldn't help but sigh that although the ancients did not know about monosulfur, dinitrate, and carbon, they created the gunpowder theory of monarchs, ministers, and envoys. It must be said that this was the wisdom of ancient people.
"Huh? Isn't that Luhua?"
Zhu Yunwen was stunned when he saw a craftsman carrying reed flowers passing by.
This is a gunpowder workshop, how did you get flowers?
"Your Majesty, reed flowers are also used as gunpowder assistants."
Lu An explained quickly.
Zhu Yunwen came over, grabbed the reed catkins and looked at them. After throwing them away, he took a step forward, picked up a leaf, and asked, "Don't you tell me, this ginkgo leaf is also a gunpowder auxiliary?"
"This is indeed..."
Lu An looked a little pale.
Zhu Yunwen pointed to the objects on the side, with a gloomy expression on his face, and asked, "Then this bean powder, rosin, Sichuan yellow, um, and sesame oil, are they also used as gunpowder auxiliaries?"
Lu An nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, everything here is needed for gunpowder compatibility."
Zhu Yunwen rubbed his brows. He remembered that black gunpowder didn't have so many miscellaneous things. How come in the Ming Dynasty, everything appeared?
No wonder the power of ancient gunpowder was a bit weak. Craftsmen like Emotion are already accustomed to creative manufacturing. It’s just that the spirit of self-creation should be praised or criticized...
"Your Majesty, this is sulfur."
Lu An pointed to the stone mill nearby, which was grinding sulfur.
Zhu Yunwen reached out and picked up some sulfur, rubbed it on his fingers, shook his head, and said: "It's still too rough. Grind the sulfur a little more finely. The finer the better."
The craftsman quickly agreed and collected the sulfur
Get up and grind again.
"The saltpeter and wood charcoal powder are a bit rough. Go find a few sifters and grind them carefully. Then grind the rough ones again."
After Zhu Yunwen made the arrangements, he was not idle. Instead, he watched the craftsmen mix various materials to form gunpowder powder, then pack them into boxes and transport them to the back warehouse.
Gunpowder workshops in the early Ming Dynasty did not have clear compatibility standards. Although there was an approximation of the dosage, it was close to the ratio of monosulfur, dinitrate, and carbon. However, due to uncertainty, errors would occur from time to time.
As for gunpowder, once the deviation in the compatibility ratio increases, its power will be greatly reduced.
"The Governor's Mansion and the Ministry of War reorganized the three major battalions. The Shenji Battalion used gunpowder, and from time to time there was insufficient power. They analyzed that there was a problem with the gunpowder. How did the Gunpowder Department solve it?"
Lu An looked bitter and said: "Your Majesty, I can guarantee that there is absolutely no problem with the gunpowder department. The Governor's Office and the Ministry of War sent people to ask questions, and I personally tested the fire blunderbuss, and there was no problem. I guess it's a god. The gunpowder in the machine camp is filled too little or there are holes left."
Zhu Yunwen was also surprised that the Shenji Camp was so confident that it put the responsibility on the Military Warfare Bureau, the Science and Technology Bureau, and the Gunpowder Department, pointing out that there was a problem with the gunpowder, but all three companies said that there was no problem with the gunpowder.
"Send someone to ask the Shenji Battalion to send over a box of gunpowder and ten blazing guns. Let Wei Guogong come over as well."
Zhu Yunwen arranged.
Gu Sanshen walked outside the door, arranged for someone to make a quick announcement, and then returned to the gunpowder workshop.
It was almost noon, and the craftsman began to eat.
The craftsman's meal is very simple. A bowl of rice is the staple food, and there is also some cabbage or winter melon. In addition, only the yellow bean paste is left.
Zhu Yunwen watched the craftsmen eating, then walked to an empty seat and sat down, saying, "Give me a portion too."
"Your Majesty, the kitchen has prepared the royal meal..."
Lu An said quickly.
Zhu Yunwen glanced at Lu An sternly and said, "Take it!"
Lu An didn't dare to disobey, so he had to serve the food and put it on Zhu Yunwen's table. Gu Sanshen wanted to check it, but Zhu Yunwen opened it with chopsticks. With so many people dining now, where did the poison come from?
After taking a bite of the rice that was a little uncooked, Zhu Yunwen couldn't help but turn his head, look at the craftsmen on the side, and asked: "Why is this rice not cooked? But the chef is greedy and oppressive?"
Knowing that he was the emperor, the craftsman did not dare to make a mistake, and replied in panic: "Because rice with uncooked ingredients will not make you hungry easily, so everyone wants to eat rice with more uncooked ingredients. This is not to be bullied by the chef..."
"emperor……"
Lu An wanted to speak, but was blocked by Zhu Yunwen's glance.
Zhu Yunwen glanced at the young craftsman in front of him. When he saw that he had finished eating, he stretched out his hand to stop and said, "You are the one who is being crushed, right? Are you forty this year?"
"Back to the emperor, I am a commoner. I am thirty-five this year."
The craftsman replied uneasily.
Zhu Yunwen looked at the empty bowl, his face became gloomy, and said: "I am over 20 years old, and I still eat two bowls with one meal. You are now in the prime of life, and you have put in all your strength, but you only eat one bowl? Lu An, My craftsmen are so poorly fed that they don’t even have enough food in their stomachs, so they can only eat raw rice to fill their stomachs! How do you manage the Gunpowder Department?"
Lu An quickly knelt down and shouted: "Your Majesty, I can't do anything. The imperial court has allocated money and food for the gunpowder department. Apart from the expenses of the craftsmen, there is not much left. It is rare to be able to maintain such a meal."
Zhu Yunwen glanced at Lu An, picked up the bowl and chopsticks, took a few mouthfuls, and then said: "Gu Sanshen, when you go back, ask the War Bureau and the Gunpowder Department to send all the accounts to Wuying Palace. I want to check them one by one. If Those who commit adultery or commit corruption will not be treated lightly."
Shortly after the meal, Xu Huizu led people from the Shenji Camp carrying a box of gunpowder into the Gunpowder Department.
"Your Majesty, I have made some calculations. Whether it is the War Department, the Science and Technology Bureau, or the Second Artillery Gunpowder Department, the gunpowder produced by it cannot hit far out of ten times, and its power is greatly reduced."
Xu Huizu made a small report.
