In the late Ming Dynasty, military technology had been fully developed, but it was stuck at a certain node, which forced the hot and cold weapons to be mixed to maintain the combat effectiveness of the army. The cavalry was still extremely powerful and could determine the outcome of the battle. Armor equipment was the key to strengthening the army.

Therefore, in Zhou Shixian's plan to strengthen the army, he retreated to the south. He was seriously insufficient in high-quality war horses. If he wanted to maintain the strong combat effectiveness of the army, he had to give full play to the role of firearms.

In other words, since there were not enough cavalry, he had to come and get the guns and cannons to bring them together. He used muskets and cannons to support the warriors and military formations, and then supported by cavalry to cover the battle. This was his strategy to deal with the Eight Banners soldiers of the Qing Dynasty.

In this era, the most suitable artillery for field battles is not the "Red Cannon".

The "Red Cannon" was originally a long-barrel cannon on a warship, which was very bulky, and the so-called Fran machine cannon was not powerful enough, and neither was suitable for field combat.

However, because the artillery technology of the Ming Dynasty had lagged behind the West, it lacked artillery manufacturing theory and could not carry out successful self-innovation. In addition, the artillery of the Qing Dynasty was completely inherited from the Ming court.

Therefore, on the East Asian battlefield, both sides can only use it as a weapon to siege the city.

The "four-pound cannon" whose fire rate is better than that of the medley gunner in the hands of skilled artillery gunners is the most suitable artillery for field combat during this period.

Of course, the four-pound cannon is also called the "Royal Cannon" in its master, Gustav Adolf II's Swedish army.

Of course, in addition to the "four-pound cannon", there are also "six-pound cannons" and "eight-pound cannons". The ranges and sizes of the projectiles fired are different, but unlike the combat requirements of naval cannons, their appearance makes them lighter and more suitable for performing missions on land.

As for firearms and artillery, Zhou Shixian had to rely on Johnson Chan as an intermediary to ask him to invite red-haired craftsmen, or even buy ready-made ones directly.

"Mr. Tang, if you brought the craftsmen back from Macau, how long will it take to create a four-pound cannon that can be used for actual combat?" Zhou Shi asked with conspicuous eyes and urgently.

As a retired officer with a little knowledge of muskets and cannons, he naturally would not ask about flintlocks. The flintlocks in this period were not impossible to produce, but were too expensive, too many parts, and frequent failures, and were not suitable for large-scale equipment of the army.

Moreover, there are so many mature and inexpensive mechanics to choose from, which can form an armament advantage for a strong army, and there are also various land war artillery, why should Zhou Shixian be obsessed with flintlock rifles?

Of course, research still needs to be continued. A mature flintlock rifle is far more powerful than a combroach, but it is impossible to invest in already precious war resources to give priority to the production and research of flintlock rifles.

Tang Ruowang narrowed his eyes and muttered something in his mouth, as if he was calculating something. After thinking seriously for a while, he finally replied:

"If you go to Macau to hire skilled craftsmen and then pilot the production in a workshop in Nanjing, it should be five months, but if you want to produce in large quantities, I'm afraid..."

"I'm afraid what?" Zhou Shixian asked quickly.

He came from later generations and had much richer knowledge. He knew that it would take three or four months for both the "lost wax method" or the "mud mold method". Moreover, the "lost wax method" also has weather requirements and can only be used when the temperature is relatively low in winter.

"I'm afraid it's necessary to debug and experiment, because the quality of the iron material used in the artillery will also affect the quality of the artillery. Some iron materials are brittle, while others are harder. The cycads in Nanjing are different from the Fujian Iron in Fujian, so it may take more than one year to be truly mass-produced."

Joshua Chan frowned slightly and continued:

"The artillery used for actual combat should not be negligent, otherwise it will be the lives of millions of people on the battlefield. After the artillery is manufactured, it is necessary to prepare a set of measurement and aiming tools and train special gunners. These will take a lot of time."

Zhou Shixian only knew some of this knowledge, but naturally he did not know this expert, Johnson Chan. After hearing this, he could only settle for the second best. What he needed was more advanced weapons. When the enemy was strong and we were weak, he launched a sudden attack to stabilize the situation. He did not have to build it himself.

"Is there any way to buy four-pound cannons in Macau and Nanyang? Where is the turtledove-legged gun?"

Now, Zhou Shixian only needs to equip a field artillery unit on a small scale, twenty four-pound cannons, two or three hundred people. Even if three or four hundred original turtledove-footed guns are added to deal with the Qing Dynasty's charge cavalry, there are only about one thousand people.

He did not think he could convince Li Zicheng that such a huge military group could not change his established strategy just because of one of his notices.

In other words, the Shun Army is likely to be unable to defeat the Qing army, and the Qing Dynasty will most likely be the same as in history. One year later, it will lead its troops south to attack Jiangnan.

Moreover, even if the situation is the opposite, the Shun Army resisted the Qing army at Shanhaiguan, it would be just a matter of the Shun Army going south. The Manchus entered the Pass with great chance, and after this failure, there would be no chance.

Therefore, Zhou Shixian had only one year, and he had to prepare to block the first wave of Qing army, or the Shun army's advance southward and suppress the southern warlords.

As long as the enemy's first wave of attack can be stabilized, the confidence of the Ming generals, and the state machinery will be back on track, the Ming Dynasty, which still has half of the country, will still be saved.

"It should be available in Macau, but there may not be much inventory. There was almost no demand for four-pound cannons before the Ming Dynasty. The turtledove-legged gun may be able to buy more than four hundred."

Joshua Chan thought about it and suddenly said, "But even if there is no Macau, the Dutch people should have some, so we can buy it from them."

"How many can I buy? Do you have a correct number?" Zhou Shixian immediately became angry when he heard this.

However, when Chau Wang saw this, he couldn't help but feel worried, and he was even sure that this Ming prince-in-law was very fanatical about war.

Although it was only four or five days on the way south, Zhou Shixian showed leadership abilities, broad insights, and vigorous ambitions far exceeded everyone that Johnson Chan had met in the 20 years of the Ming Dynasty.

He had never seen anyone in the Ming Dynasty have such an in-depth understanding of European countries. The knowledge and vision shown in a few words are even more amazing. It is not comparable to those so-called Ming court officials and scholars who are enthusiastic about Western learning. Even his old friend Xu Guangqi is probably slightly inferior.

The most important thing is that this prince consort is only seventeen years old. How did he do it? It’s a miracle!

After all, before being robbed into the "Ten Kings Mansion", John Tang had never heard of Zhou Shixian's name. This prince-consort seemed to have suddenly appeared.

In fact, the Han bureaucratic class in the late Ming Dynasty held a welcome attitude towards Western learning. This was not only to learn artillery technology and fight against the Qing Dynasty outside the pass, but also many literati and doctors out of academic research and personal interests, and even formed small circles of Western learning.

And this is far from being just emerging from the semi-tribal slavery and semi-feudal system, and only the military-strong Manchus. Not to mention, in order to maintain its own rule, the Manchus' destruction of Chinese civilization was irreversible.

Of course, for Johnson Chan, who is dedicated to missionary preaching, these are not important. Everything he does is just for missionary service.

It is precisely because of this that Johnson Chan attaches so much importance to his relationship with Zhou Shixian.

Because he had gone south all the way, he found that the Ming prince-consort was not only extremely supported by the two important officials, but also successfully subdued those arrogant soldiers. Even Emperor Chongzhen, who had always been arbitrary, trusted him very much and even stopped interfering in specific matters.

Tang Ruowang had gone to war with the army not long ago. He knew how terrible the soldiers were. This young prince-in-law could actually use thunder to suppress them, and his methods were probably no better than those in commanding thousands of troops.

In this way, after arriving in Nanjing, Emperor Chongzhen regained power, then this princess, who is of extraordinary civil and military proficiency, will surely gain unparalleled power in the new dynasty.

You should know that what the Ming court lacks most now is people who are good at military affairs; what they need most is to build a strong military force.

By then, if he can get the value of the prince-consort and become his confidant, he will definitely have a place with Emperor Chongzhen.

With official support, it will be very simple to spread religion in densely populated and economically developed southern provinces.

Moreover, Johnson Chan also discovered that the young prince-consort had a knowledge of religion far beyond his imagination, and even far beyond the rest of the country.

This should be extremely beneficial for his missionary preaching.

"In addition to the Portuguese, the Dutch Netherlands East India/Di and the British East India/Di trading companies should have a source of goods.

If both companies can buy it, twenty or thirty doors should be fine, but the specific number must be found in Macau to find out."

Johnson Chan entered the Ming Dynasty twenty years ago through Macau and has always maintained contact with the missionaries at this transit station.

Moreover, as the situation in the western Liao Dynasty deteriorated, Emperor Chongzhen repeatedly asked him to study firearms, which made him very familiar with the arms trade in Southeast Asia.

"Okay, then I'll do it for Mr. Tang." Zhou Shixian nodded, then smiled and said:

"In addition to artillery, more importantly, the teacher also needs to help Daming with superb skills and young and experienced firearm instructors in Macau and Nanyang.

After the emperor arrived in Nanjing, the Ming Dynasty would set up a new firearm workshop in Jiangnan to train the new army. Both needed more excellent craftsmen and military talents."

If Zhou Shixian wanted to deal with the Qing Dynasty and the Shun army, he had to form his own new army and then match it with a systematic system of soldier training and officer training.

Zhou Shixian knew very well that the so-called four towns in Jiangbei and the weak soldiers in the south could not stop the fierce Manchu cavalry.

"Although the prince consort is safe, both craftsmen and instructors are not a problem, and there are definitely these in Macau."

Like the others in the convoy, Chau Wang has now been impressed by the courage and courage shown by Zhou Shixian, and he has no doubt that the other party can take him to the south safely.
Chapter completed!