Wang Yuesheng told everyone that he was in Nanjing, meeting friends because of Qin, and met a Zen master from Japan.
After the Zen master learned that she also had some background in smelting and firearms manufacturing, he talked about the famous Nagashino Castle War in Japan that took place thirty years ago.
At that time, Japan was in the Warring States Period, and the heroes were fighting. Takeda Katsuyori of the Takeda family, in order to establish his authority, surrounded Nagashino Castle of the Tokugawa family. Tokugawa's ally, Oda Nobunaga, rushed to help, and the combined forces of Tokugawa and Oda faced off against Takeda in a wilderness with terrain differences.
The Takeda army tried to take advantage of the cavalry to rush into the formation, but was defeated by 3,000 matchlock guns extended from behind the horse fence by the Tokugawa and Oda coalition forces.
This was the first battle in Japanese history in which firearms restrained cavalry.
After Wang Yuesheng finished talking about the Battle of Changxiao, he looked at the "Artifact Manual" in Zhang Yanke's hand and said: "Sage Kong said that students should be taught according to their aptitude. I thought that people's choice of firearms should also be based on the terrain and the characteristics of the enemy. Changes. Although the Xunlei gun can be fired in five rounds and can be used for close combat with axes and iron guns, it is suitable for large numbers of infantry like the Japanese pirates in the past, as well as the hills and coastal tidal flats in the south of the Yangtze River. Nowadays, Japanese pirates have long been out of sight, and just now Mr. Lu has returned You said you were making firearms because you wanted to invite Xu Hanlin to see them, but you must not have told Xu Hanlin that the Ming Dynasty was going back in time to fight Japanese pirates, right?"
Zheng Haizhu smiled at Wang Yuesheng and expressed his approval.
Her knowledge of Japanese war history was almost blank, but after listening to Wang Yuesheng's story about the battle of Nagashino Castle, she understood what the other party meant.
The Thunder Gun is not only bulky and inconvenient to carry, but also concentrates five barrels in the hands of one infantryman, greatly reducing its mobility and the firepower of a single barrel. If you encounter cavalry, the two extra axes and the central axis iron gun may not be taken out before the cavalry rushes in front of you.
The external military threats to the Ming Empire have been put on the table. Whether they are slaves or bandits, they are the cavalry forces operating in the northern plains or mountains.
Zheng Haizhu couldn't help but look at Wang Yuesheng with admiration.
This brothel woman is not only a good person who sympathizes with the toilers at the bottom, but also a wise and insightful person.
Actually it's not surprising.
The Qinhuai brothel in the late Ming Dynasty was adjacent to the Jiangnan Gongyuan, and the people it welcomed were often the most powerful, wealthy, knowledgeable and insightful men in the empire. Now in Nanjing, Zen Buddhism and Catholicism are very prosperous.
Only brothel girls like Wang Yuesheng, who are not bound to the boudoir and adhere to the so-called women's etiquette, can form their own rich and complex knowledge world through a large number of contacts with men who are studying, serving as officials, and being eminent monks, and then export the knowledge they have forged to the outside world. Insights and information.
The objectification of their bodies is the tuition they have to pay.
If the sun and the moon were different, and the world was different, they would be able to gain knowledge without sacrificing their dignity. How could they be as smart as they are and not be as smart as another gender group?
Zheng Haizhu sighed sadly in his heart, with a look of approval on his face as he said: "Miss Wang has a good eye. Of course we are not creating things for fun, but we want to do our best to contribute to the people of the Ming Dynasty. Xu Hanlin presents firearms that can restrain the thousands of troops of the Northern Cavalry."
Wang Yuesheng placed the qin that he had always held in his arms gently on the stone table. He pointed at the pattern on the qin board that looked like a turtle shell and said, "In this case, you can't go through as much trouble as you did with my Baijiqin. Just for Fengyue Yayin, regardless of performance. So I said that it should be changed to a single-bore automatic gun, so that more soldiers can be assigned fire guns, and the method of dispensing medicine is also more convenient. "
Lu Xiangsheng's eyes fell on Wang Yuesheng's Baina Qin.
He is well versed in both civil and military arts, and is no stranger to the literati's favorite musical instrument, the qin.
Baina Qin is a more time-consuming and labor-intensive system than ordinary Qin.
Chinese violin making has a long history, and the accumulated experience of literati and craftsmen of past dynasties is that for a good piano, the thickness of the original panel must be more than three inches. Such thick wood must meet the conditions of being large, dense, old, and free of insect scars at the same time, which is very difficult.
Therefore, the craftsman used the idea of breaking out of the cocoon to cut out the best small materials from multiple pieces of wood, cut them into six-sided turtle-back shapes, glue them with lacquer in the "shadow room", and then polished them into a smooth piano. plate.
The surface of the Qin made in this way resembles a monk's cassock, hence the name "Baini Qin".
Lu Xiangsheng looked at those jade fingers, as long and as delicate as onion tubes, sliding across the pattern of the Baiyin Qin's board, and was confused for a moment.
But he quickly broke out of his daze and said sincerely: "It's Lu who is obsessed with talking about war on paper. Indeed, making firearms is not making lanterns, and it may not be possible to cover everything. However, Miss Wang compared it with the Baiyin Qin, which made Xiao Ke suddenly realize. . The Baini Qin has a long lingering sound. The barrel of the combined machine gun should also be lengthened, the ammunition compatibility should also be improved, and the range and potency can be enhanced. When the Bai Na Qin plays high notes, the panel is more likely to drive the vibration of the bass cavity, Zhao said. The same principle applies to the mechanism that Gong drew in the book. When the center moves, the Yin mechanism and the Yang mechanism will move at the same time. The Yin mechanism opens the fire door, and the Yang mechanism pushes the snake rod, and they all move together, completing the result in one battle."
Zheng Haizhu thought to himself, "Oh my god, he is indeed a top student. He has a great ability to draw analogies from analogies to weapons. He can think of weapons from instruments."
She grabbed the "Artifact Manual" in Zhang Yanke's hand, turned to the page of "Handgun" and took a closer look. She immediately smiled and said: "I know this question. Mr. Zhao asked the fire gate of the gun to be blocked when it was not fired." Are you blocking it because you are afraid that the poison will be blown away like pollen?"
Lu Xiangsheng and Wang Yuesheng leaned over at the same time, nodded and said: "That should be the case."
Zheng Haizhu waved his hand that still had burn marks: "Let's do it this way, make it a combined machine gun, and show it to Xu Hanlin then. Mr. Lu, all the masters of the Ge family are illiterate, you have to be a good secretary. After finishing a How much labor is spent on the machine gun, forging it, how much labor is spent drilling the bore tube on a lathe, how much wrought iron and steel are used in the bore tube, how much pig iron is used in other mechanisms, how much gold and stone are used in primers and ammunition , all listed.”
Seeing that they were talking lively, Zhang Yanke just listened and watched silently.
It wasn't until the Ge family masters returned to Fuyuan with mung bean soup that Zhang Yanke stood up and said goodbye: "I'm going to take a night boat back to Shanyin today. I'll go back to the inn to pack my luggage first. Miss Zheng and Miss Wang are here to teach. It’s up to you.”
Zheng Haizhu went to see Wang Yuesheng. Although she quickly stood up and blessed her, she lowered her eyes and said nothing.
Zheng Haizhu said: "Mr. Zhang, let me see you off."
Then he turned to Wang Yuesheng: "By the way, Miss Wang didn't bring a maid. My attendant named Dong Erya is very strong and is waiting at the door. Miss Wang just ask her to help you buy your daily necessities."
Wang Yuesheng felt like he was in the clear mind. He picked up Qin, said "Thank you" and took the first step.
Zheng Haizhu glanced at the mung bean soup on the table, smiled at Lu Xiangsheng and said, "You should drink it all."
…
After leaving the school, Zhang Yanke was silent for a moment. Unable to hold back his anger, he stopped and looked at Zheng Haizhu: "Miss Zheng, my aunt, there is a Mr. Lu in your school. Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"
Zheng Haizhu stared at him and smiled after a moment.
"Master Yanke, don't forget that it was your brother who gave me the idea to find more young talents to come to the library to read. They will be my connections in the future. What? Now I have a connection , are you just nagging and displeased? Even if you are the sponsor, you can’t be so erratic and make people confused."
Zhang Yanke choked and glared back: "You are so powerful with your mouth, I will never be able to speak against you."
After thinking about it, I added another ridiculous sentence: "As long as Mr. Fan Nalu is born with a deer head and rat eyes, I won't worry about my brother."
Zheng Haizhu met his gaze, neither annoyed nor begging for mercy. She just said in a deep voice: "I speak to you straightforwardly precisely because I know that your Young Master Yanke is not really an idiot. Let me ask you, she, Wang Yuesheng, has a A living person, not a cat or dog that I chained to my school. Will she never see another man except your brother in this life? This has nothing to do with whether Mr. Lu is reading books and developing firearms in my school. In fact, It doesn’t matter.”
Zhang Yanke had a straight face, and in his heart he believed that Zheng Haizhu was telling the truth, but there was still a hint of illusory anger on his lips: "Everything you say is right."
Zheng Haizhu sighed: "You two brothers helped me open such a big school. I am really grateful. I have seen Miss Wang in person. She is a good woman. Everyone's situation is different. If your brother doesn't take her back to Shaoxing, I will too. I don’t want to say anything more. The only thing is, she is already free, and I, Zheng Haizhu, am not Qin Huaihe’s mother. I have no time and I am not willing to help you look after people. "
Zhang Yanke's mouth opened and closed, his breath became rapid and then calmed down.
Finally, he raised his hand and wiped it on his face, and said in frustration: "Okay, whether my brother and her dream of being a couple can last a lifetime depends on their fate. I don't care."
Zheng Haizhu walked to a cold drink shop a few steps away, bought two bamboo tubes of sour plum soup, inserted wheat straws in it, and asked Zhang Yanke to sit down.
"Take a sip and feel better. Third Young Master, what do you think of my blunderbuss?"
Zhang Yanke bit the straw and his eyes returned to his fox-like charm: "I understand, you are short of money."
Zheng Haizhu laughed: "I earn more and spend more, but I am always short of money."
Zhang Yanke raised his eyebrows: "Don't you want Xu Hanlin to report to the court to get money to make firearms?"
Zheng Haizhu said: "Yes, the money came from the imperial court, and we made the weapons. Who made the firearms for the imperial court in vain? Yes, I know that the previous practice was that various places paid tribute to the imperial court for various raw materials, and the ones in the capital were The Bureau of War is responsible for unified management, the Bureau of War, the Bureau of Ordnance store storage, and the Bureau of Internal Affairs conducts verification. In short, the men from the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War, as well as the eunuchs, hold this power. But I have already inquired with Eunuch Liu, because The number of craftsmen in Beijing was greatly reduced, and the firearms produced were so poor that the imperial censor continued to impeach them. Just last year, the imperial court allowed Sichuan and Huguang to make firearms, and sent officials from the Ministry of Works to oversee the affairs and internal officials attached to the Shenji Camp to supervise. This is not It’s almost the same situation as Jiangnan Sanwei. The Han family can trade cotton cloth for the imperial court, so why can’t your Zhang family trade firearms for the imperial court?”
Zhang Yanke swallowed the sour plum soup and said nothing.
Zheng Haizhu asked him in a friendly voice: "How much did you buy the Xuande stove that you played with and burned out yourself last time?"
Zhang Yanke rolled his eyes: "Two hundred taels, maybe."
"Two hundred taels! My ancestors, two hundred taels can make thirty or forty muskets. You good men, what are you playing with the flower porcelain incense burner? Aren't the firearms fragrant?"
Zheng Haizhu rarely used an exaggerated tone and added: "Shaoxing used to be the country of Yue, a place where copper and iron were cast and smelted."
Zhang Yanke was quite amused.
In just three words, Miss Zheng pretended to be asking for money, which was exactly what made him happy.
Deep in his heart, he had complicated feelings about Zheng Haizhu.
She made him feel novel, made him feel reassured, and made him a little jealous.
This feeling has already broken out of Zhang Yanke's usual stereotype of having only three perceptions of women: "relatives, lovers, and passers-by."
Because of this, he likes to see her asking for something from him the most, which is much cuter than her teaching him a lesson.
Zhang Yanke chuckled: "You want me to join you? Do you regret not being more polite to me just now?"
Zheng Haizhu took a sip of the sour plum soup: "Third Young Master, I am not a porcelain dealer selling Xuande stoves. Your hesitation is not because I am not wagging my tail at you like a pug, right?"
Zhang Yanke smiled even wider, but looked away, looking at the boats passing by on the Moon River.
After watching for a long time, he spoke again: "This matter is not as simple as opening a kindergarten and being a good person. My father was also an antique master who made friends with princes in the capital, and my uncle worked as an aide in Prince Lu's Mansion. You are not stupid." , understand what I’m worried about.”
Zheng Haizhu pouted: "You still want the court to nod first."
Zhang Yanke stared at her: "Don't I know your appetite? Do you still want to make cannons later? Making machine guns can also be said to be used by servants to protect the courtyard. If you make cannons and the court doesn't agree, how dare you make them? What? Do I dare to create it?"
Zheng Haizhu remained silent.
On the contrary, I felt happy.
I was not wrong about Zhang Yanke.
He is bohemian in small things, but very clear-minded in big things.
Keep interacting with smart people and you will benefit a lot.
Zheng Haizhu then said sincerely: "You are right. However, the reason why I want to work with you, not the Han family or the Gu family, is really not because I don't care about the safety of your Zhang family. They are also the nephews of a wealthy family, but they have different personalities and can Making a good deal is also different.”
Zhang Yanke was slightly moved.
Of course he understood that this was actually a compliment to his Third Young Master Zhang.
But he was not smitten by this woman. He was still worried that if he accepted this hot potato, it would be a disaster rather than a blessing for the Zhang family.
He lowered his eyes for a moment, took out a banknote and handed it to Zheng Haizhu: "I don't dare to pay too much money. I was originally going to buy a famous seal in Nanjing for these fifty taels, but with my sharp eyes, I saw that it was a Xibei guy. , this money was not spent in Nanjing. Let me shoot you some blunderbuss for fun first."
Well, fly legs are also meat. Zheng Haizhu took it without hesitation and praised: "Thank you Master Yanke for your patriotic donation."
Zhang Yanke didn't pay attention to the new words that the woman kept popping up, and just warned: "It's best for you to buy the wrought iron and steel for the gun barrel in person. I don't think Mr. Lu is very smart. Mo Teach people to lie."
Zheng Haizhu smiled: "So you also know how to blacksmith."
Zhang Yanke chirped: "What don't I understand?"
He stood up, dusted off his robe, and said warmly to Zheng Haizhu: "Don't send me off, stay here, and be nicer to me next time. I'll have a quarrel with you every time I come back, ugh."
