Chapter 430: One traitor, nine tribes suffer disaster
In addition to the report from the research institute, there is also a report from Huaxing Shipyard and a report from the arsenal.
Huaxing Shipyard sent good news to Zhu Hongyu!
The world's first iron-ribbed wooden hull sailing battleship has been launched!
After preliminary outfitting, this iron-ribbed wooden-hulled sailing battleship showed quite excellent performance in subsequent anti-sinking and seaworthiness experiments.
And more importantly, the hull strength of a battleship with an iron-ribbed wooden hull is far greater than that of a traditional wooden sailing battleship.
In other words, it can withstand the recoil when a more powerful naval gun fires!
Instead of a large-caliber artillery, the hull will crack and fall apart after one firing!
The existence of ships with iron-ribbed wooden hulls will, in the not-too-distant future, even reach the point where a Ming army's third-level battleship can rival or even surpass the second-level sailing battleships of the West in terms of firepower.
The report from the arsenal said that they had made certain achievements in the research and development of new gunpowder.
After experiments, it was determined that the power was far greater than the black powder currently used, and the production process was fully understood.
Product quality is also stable enough!
The only problem now is mass production!
The arsenal is currently conducting joint research and development with the research institute to prepare to overcome the problem of mass production.
There is also work on rifling and mass production of rifled guns!
While manufacturing rifled guns and rifled cannons, we also carried out rifled transformation of the original smoothbore guns and smoothbore cannons.
It can barely meet the current needs of the Ming army for army expansion and equipment changes!
In addition, there are the research and development of breech-loading guns and breech-loading cannons, and the results of technical research, etc.
Zhu Hongyu closed the report with a very satisfied expression.
For now, there is a gap in national strength between the Ming Dynasty and the Manchu Qing Dynasty.
If the world is compared to a complete one, then the Ming Dynasty now accounts for at most one-tenth.
Although Geng Jingzhong, Wu Sangui and others all had some share of the remaining nine-tenths, the Qing court at least accounted for more than half.
Although in terms of mobilization and popular support, Ming Dynasty has certain advantages!
But the gap in hard power between the Ming and Qing Dynasties is still very obvious!
In order to make up for the gap in hard power, Zhu Hongyu could only use his brains in firearms.
…
Zhu Hongyu closed the report and began to review other documents.
At this time, Zhou Tianxu asked for a meeting outside, and Zhu Hongyu said casually.
"Come in!"
Zhou Tianxu opened the door and strode in.
Zhou Tianxu looked a little embarrassed at this time. He didn't sleep at all last night, and he was busy with the interrogation today.
Tiredness is inevitable!
Looking at Zhou Tianxu's bloodshot eyes, Zhu Hongyu said.
"When this time's work is over, Tianxu, you can rest for a while!"
Zhou Tianxu nodded and said.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness!"
Zhu Hongyu then asked about the business.
"How's it going? Is there any result from the interrogation?"
"How many Qing court secret agents are there in Guangdong?"
Zhou Tianxu spoke a few names and gave Zhu Hongyu an answer.
Kang Qiao was able to withstand the torture, even to the point of death, and was then thrown into the solitary room.
But others may not be able to withstand Jin Yiwei’s torture!
Many people failed to finish the first round of the eighteen tortures, and they all gave up.
Zhu Hongyu narrowed his eyes and said.
"Get ready to arrest people!"
"No one can let go. If you dare to be a traitor, you must be prepared to be liquidated!"
Zhu Hongyu's temper was not bad, but he never had much tolerance for traitors.
"Your Highness, what should we do with the captured criminal?"
Zhou Tianxu asked, the specific punishment for those traitors still depends on Zhu Hongyu's wishes.
Whether to kill or scrape, whether to cut off the market in half or quarter into pieces, Zhu Hongyu has the final say!
After pondering for a while, Zhu Hongyu spoke.
"Send all the first offenders to Tai Hospital and let them contribute to the progress of medicine!"
"Accomplices will be sentenced to beheading, right outside the city of Guangzhou, in front of all the people of Guangzhou!"
"The prisoners' family members, regardless of gender, age or child, will all be sent to hard labor camps and will be subjected to forced labor for life. No mercy will be given to them!"
In fact, even for the sake of medical progress, Zhu Hongyu was not willing to let Tai Hospital conduct research on Chinese people.
Is it that the European white skin is no longer fragrant? Or is it that the Japanese dwarf can no longer be used?
But, then again, can traitors be considered human beings?
Of course not!
Since Zhu Hongyu doesn't regard traitors as human beings, why would he still feel uncomfortable about using them for experiments?
He had to kill him ruthlessly so that everyone in the world would know the consequences of being a traitor.
If one person becomes a traitor, all the nine tribes will suffer!
This is the most basic principle!
Zhou Tianxu said goodbye and left.
The arrest operations inside and outside Guangzhou continue.
The Jinyi Guards Tiqi and the Liberation Army acted together and quickly captured all target persons.
…
On the official road leading from Guangzhou to Hunan, several men in black galloped on their horses.
They waved their riding whips desperately, and the horses under their crotches were in pain and neighed in pain.
These people had busy and anxious expressions on their faces, and they turned their heads and looked behind them from time to time, as if there were man-eating demons crawling out of hell somewhere.
Following their line of sight, there was a large cloud of smoke and dust at the end of the road!
Dozens of Ming troops galloping on horseback, almost covering the entire official road.
The two sides chased and escaped, but the distance between them continued to widen!
The Ming army chasing behind them seemed to be very powerful, but in fact they did not really give up the pursuit.
It just keeps hanging, giving the man in black a sense of oppression before fleeing, that's all!
The reason why the Ming army wanted to play this way was not because the Ming army who was chasing these Qing court secret agents surrendered to the enemy. They were just doing things according to the orders from above.
Zhu Hongyu can arrange this situation now!
He wanted to let go of these secret agents of the Qing court and let them pass on the news of Geng Jingzhong's collusion with Zhu Hongyu to the Qing court.
This was used to force Geng Jingzhong to revolt and ensure that Geng Jingzhong could not do it again.
Let the Qing government be prepared to mobilize troops from Hunan, Jiangxi and other places to go to Jiangnan, Fujian.
Just in time, the Ming army could also take advantage of the Qing army's troop mobilization in Hunan and Guangxi, and when the north of Guangxi was not facing threats, they could mobilize troops to attack Guangxi!
To put it bluntly, it means diverting trouble from the east!
As for whether doing this will deceive Geng Jingzhong?
The answer is yes!
If Geng Jingzhong knew about Zhu Hongyu's sexy tricks, he would probably scold his mother.
But, so what?
Zhu Hongyu was the supervisor of the Ming Dynasty, and Geng Jingzhong and him were at most cooperative. No matter what Zhu Hongyu did, he must put the interests of the Ming Dynasty as his first priority.
Now that the Ming Dynasty has finalized the plan to attack Guangxi, it is impossible for the next battle to completely follow Geng Jingzhong's vision.
Of course, if Geng Jingzhong really couldn't withstand the counterattack of the Qing army after he raised his troops, Zhu Hongyu would definitely help and would not sit idly by.
However, before Geng Jingzhong really showed his defeat, the first thing Zhu Hongyu had to consider was the Ming Dynasty's Guangxi strategy.
Guangxi soldiers, Zhu Hongyu has been craving for them for a long time!