Outside the city, there is the Jingying martial arts arena.
Zhang Zhou walked in front, followed by the second-term students of Yanwu Hall, Anyuan Hou Liu Jing and Sui'an Bo Chen Shao. Both of them were old guys who had been heirs during the Yingzong period, and Liu Jing relied on the emperor's pardon to gain his talent. When he returned to Beijing, because of Liu Jing's relationship with the Queen Mother Zhou, he was given special care by the Queen Mother Zhou and made him a second-term trainee.
Compared with the rigorous selection of students in the first phase, the students in the second phase are more "misguided" and basically all are related households, which also greatly reduces the authority of Yanwu Hall.
"My lord, the people you sent have sent us all the new guns. There are a hundred of them. As for the bullets you got, they have a box full..."
Zhang Zhouben was still standing on the high platform of the martial arts arena chatting with Liu Jing and Chen Shao.
These old ministers, unlike others, when it comes to eating, drinking and having fun, none of them are inferior to the young people. They are all the best.
Zhang Zhou said: "Let Sun Qianhu lead people to practice."
Chen Shao on the side asked: "Mr. Lai Guo, may I ask, is there any difference between this fire gun and the previous one?"
At this time, a person came up from below. It was Wei Bin, the eunuch Bingbi who was responsible for accompanying Zhang Zhou to the martial arts arena today. Wei Bin is likely to take charge of the East Factory next, and what he is doing now is more to take over. Xiao Jing.
Wei Bin said with a smile: "Uncle Sui asked well. We have seen this fire gun before, and it is said that it can go off with just a hook of the finger, and the range can even reach two hundred steps. It is very powerful, but I don't know if it can be penetrated." Passing the iron armor of the Tartars."
"Haha, how is that possible?" Liu Jing was smiling.
Just as he was talking, Tang Yin also went up to the high platform. The person who was responsible for bringing the fire cannon was none other than Tang Yin.
Behind Tang Yin, he also brought Lin Ting, the director of the Ministry of Industry, who had just returned from Xuanfu, and Zhang Zhou's brother-in-law. Both of them will also serve as instructors for the second phase of the Yanwu Hall. Following them, there are also those in the Beijing camp. Several generals at the command level also came to observe and learn today.
"Let's begin." Zhang Zhou ordered Tang Yin who was standing aside.
In the past, Wang Qiong was responsible for daily artillery drills and other matters in the Yanwu Hall, but now Zhang Zhou could not count on anyone who was very capable, so Tang Yindu was promoted to the position of daily training officer.
Tang Yin took out the command flag and gave orders to the generals below.
…
…
"Bang bang bang..."
Arrangement of guns emphasizes continuity.
Several baskets of standard bullets were delivered at a time, and forty guardsmen lined up in two rows. Twenty people in the first row were responsible for simulating firing, and twenty people in the second row were simulating loading.
In the Ming Dynasty, fire muskets often relied on three or even four rows to complete the firing of matchlocks, because the window period for firing when facing cavalry was not long, and two rows of guns were most suitable. After all firing, there was no need... After filling the elixir, you can basically enter the state of melee combat.
But things are different now.
Twenty people lined up their guns, and one person fired twice, aiming at a target one hundred and fifty paces away.
Two rows of guns were fired with a very short interval. After the firing, the targets on the opposite side were basically hit. Everyone watching the ceremony on the viewing platform also used telescopes to see the actual situation.
Then the twenty people retreated, and the second row of gunmen stepped forward, and then fired two more rounds.
Wait for the second round to withdraw, and then the first round of reloading ends...
After going back and forth like this for six or seven times, both the lords and generals who were watching the ceremony, and the ordinary soldiers who were maintaining order nearby were all stunned.
"complete!"
After the firing was finished below, Sun Shangqi raised the small flag himself, the Jin Yiwei put away his guns, and then the people who dealt with the aftermath went to clean up the shooting range.
Wei Bin smiled and asked Liu Jing on the side: "What do you think, Marquis Anyuan?"
"It's really amazing." Not to mention that Liu Jing really thought he was amazing, even if he wasn't amazing, he still had to compliment him.
Wei Bin said: "If all the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty can be equipped with this flint gun in the future, the great cause of leveling the grassland will be achieved."
Chen Shao asked: "If it doesn't ignite, why is it fired? Isn't it going to explode?"
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Ignition relies on the impact of flint, but it is not very reliable. It will be improved in the future. There will still be explosions, but the safety performance has been guaranteed. The cast steel pipe used is still average. If it is modified again
, you can increase the range a bit, to three or four hundred paces, which is much better than the range of ordinary bows and arrows. But it’s still incomparable with long-range cannons.”
"They complement each other, they complement each other. Haha." Liu Jing stood next to him with a flattering smile.
Wei Bin said: "Mr. Zhang, I heard that this flint is difficult to mine, and the cost is also high. It needs to be mined in the south. It is of a higher standard than the flint used for ignition. How will this thing... be able to produce energy in the future?
Woolen cloth?"
"It's just a transition." Zhang Zhou pointed to the artillery below that was being pushed forward. "In the future, I plan to use flint cannons even for the artillery. They can be ignited and fired at any time. This eliminates the need to light the match rope, and the airtightness can also be improved. It will also
Strengthen the range. Let’s continue to watch artillery exercises.”
…
…
That day was just a routine firearms demonstration.
After reading it, each of the honorable ministers and generals present were required to write a "Reflection after Viewing", which Wei Bin took back to Zhu Youtang to read.
Because new students have to be transferred from various places, and the cold winter is coming soon, the start of classes may be postponed. When Zhang Zhou came down from the martial arts field, he saw Zhang Rui and Zhang Lun, father and son, accompanied by Yang Mi, the right minister of the Ministry of War, escorting them.
Bring a batch of yellow gunpowder to the martial arts arena.
Because Zhang Zhou had never been to Dianmao of the Ministry of War, he and Yang Mi were just acquaintances, not friends. As the Right Minister of the Ministry of War, Yang Mi basically did the work of the Left Minister.
In terms of etiquette, the two of you still need to be polite.
"Mr. Lai Guo, the Ministry of War has negotiated with the Ministry of Industry. Before the end of the year, a batch of saltpeter will be transferred to Beijing from Huguang, Jiangxi and other places. It is said that it will be transported directly to your private workshop, and then the Ministry of Industry will handle it.
Procurement, at present, the mining of mineral deposits in various places has basically stopped, and the saltpeter that can be handed over may not be enough..."
Yang Mi seemed businesslike.
If you don't count enough, let me tell you in advance, don't say it's us who are causing trouble for you.
But in fact... the imperial court was trying every means to create difficulties for Zhang Zhou's preparations for war in the northwest.
It's not intentional to say that it is intentional, because Zhang Zhou's preparations for war require the use of more steel, black gunpowder, yellow gunpowder, and ironmaking. Zhang Zhou has basically been able to produce and sell iron by himself, but there are still those scarce semi-finished products left.
, they need to be recruited from mines in various places, and the procurement costs need to be allocated by the court.
Even if the emperor gives the green light to go all the way, as long as the simple reasons of "insufficient local output" and "excessive transportation losses" can jam the neck of firearms manufacturing.
The card is still so confident.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "It doesn't matter, we can transport as much as we can. Recently I also plan to open some saltpeter mines around Beizhili. I hope there will be no shortage."
"Okay." Yang Mi didn't take it seriously.
In his opinion, you can't be too fond of me, and since you have nothing to lose to me anyway, it's best if you don't ask for anything from the court, so that everyone can keep the same.
Zhang Rui asked: "Mr. Lai Guo, I heard that there will be a war in Liao Town in the past two days. His Majesty will often summon officials from the listening department to discuss matters. My father has been ill recently, so it won't delay any major events, right?"
Zhang Zhou said: "Things on the battlefield are changing rapidly. There are very few people in the capital who can intervene. Let your father take good care of his health."
Old Man Zhang was ill, whether it was a real illness or a feigned illness. Anyway, from the emperor to Zhang Zhou, no one thought that Zhang Mao could provide any valuable help in the war between Liaodong and Duoyan Sanwei.
Yang Mi arranged his manpower to send all the yellow gunpowder into the military camp.
Liu Jing and Chen Shao also came over to greet Yang Mi, but Yang Mi took out a manuscript signed by Ma Wensheng, the Minister of War, from his arms and handed it to Zhang Zhou.
"Mr. Lai Guo, there is no precedent for the Ministry of War to follow when receiving gunpowder supplies from various places. Since you have to use these things on a daily basis and it involves dispatching and other matters, it is better for you to hand over them in person. The transportation involved
Costs, accounting and other matters must also be communicated with the Ministry of Industry and Taicang in a comprehensive manner, and cannot be left to the Ministry of War."
Yang Mi, as the right minister of the Ministry of War, has climbed up step by step, and he will do things in a business-like manner.
In addition to giving you Zhang Bingkuan the trouble of mining raw materials, don't expect us to help you with transportation and handover. A series of complicated processes such as freight calculation and handover are left to you to handle in person.
Isn’t Tang awesome? Do your own thing!
As a result, you will have incomplete mining, incomplete transportation, and a lot of trouble when receiving...
We are legitimately causing trouble for you. We cannot keep giving you special approval just because you are a close confidant of the emperor. Is it true that the manpower and other resources of the six ministries such as the Ministry of War are yours to use whenever you want?
Liu Jing and Chen Shao originally thought that the meeting between the two ministers of the Ministry of War was a "friendly exchange".
After listening to a few sentences, I realized that this was a traditional civil servant who was causing trouble for Zhang Zhou, an upstart.
At this time, they are not suitable for listening.
Zhang Zhou greeted with a smile: "Mr. Lin, Mr. Tang, you two come over."
Lin Ting and Tang Yin probably knew it was not a good thing, but they still followed the instructions and stepped forward.
Zhang Zhoudao: "Shilang Yang said that in the future, when it comes to the handover of gunpowder and other materials, Yanwutang will need to send someone personally. I am usually busy with affairs, so I have to let you two do it for me."
Lin Ting glanced at Yang Mi and reminded Zhang Zhou in a low voice: "Only six department heads go to hand over the job, and it will take more than ten days or even more than a month to complete the task."
This is to remind Zhang Zhou that the two heads of the Sixth Department are soft-spoken and have no ability to deal with the big bosses of the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Works and Taicang, let alone the superiors, even some officials at the same level and lower levels. This kind of official work
The handover will also be very troublesome.
Zhang Zhou leaned over and reminded Lin Ting in his ear.
Tang Yin stared with wide eyes. Even Liu Jing and Chen Shao on the side were curious about what this was about. Only Yang Mi himself was not interested in Zhang Zhou's arrangement at all.
"That's it, it's settled." Zhang Zhou said, "The affairs of running the army are inherently complicated. Sometimes I can't do it, and it also causes a lot of trouble to the Ministry of War and other yamen."
Yang Mi cupped his hands and said: "Lai Guogong is also a member of the Sixth Department, so there is no need to say so. Weiwutian Gunpowder has already handed over the official letter, so I can return to the Yamen office as soon as possible after receiving the official letter!"
…
…
Zhang Zhou and Wei Bin returned to the city and headed towards the palace.
Tang Yinze followed Lin Ting to Wang Gong Factory to pick up a new batch of black powder, which was used to make signal bombs on the battlefield.
"It's just making some fireworks. It can be left to the Ministry of Industry to do it. Why do we have to hand it over?" Tang Yin asked Lin Ting on the horse.
The two were similar in age. Tang Yin and Zhang Zhou were originally brothers in name only, and their status was not lower than that of Lin Ting, who had made no achievements in officialdom.
But just because Lin Ting was related by marriage to Zhang Zhou, and because Lin Ting was a son of an official, Tang Yin felt that he still had a lot to learn from Lin Ting, and he usually respected Lin Ting.
Lin Ting said: "This batch of gunpowder was shipped to Liaodong."
"For combat use?" Tang Yin asked.
"I don't know." Lin Ting didn't know how to study it in detail.
Tang Yin asked again: "What did Duke Lai Guo tell you before? All the yamen in the Ming Dynasty are creating trouble with Yanwutang and hindering Duke Lai's actions. I'm afraid there is no good countermeasure now, right? It will cause trouble in the future.
It’s still you and me.”
Lin Ting shook his head and looked puzzled: "Bingkuan said that we don't have to pay too much attention to these things in the future, because we will be independent from the six departments of the imperial court... What I understand is that there is no way for others to set barriers.
"
"is it possible?"
Tang Yin frowned.
In his opinion, his senior brother seemed too idealistic.
People drift with the tide in the court, and often they have no choice but to leave. If you want to leave, just leave?
Lin Ting said: "Probably we should open the mine ourselves. If these outputs come from newly opened mines, then there is probably no need to use others."
Tang Yindao: "You don't need manpower for mining? You also need manpower for transportation, right? And if you are in the court, you will naturally be under the control of the court."
"Bohu, you and I are just doing business, so we don't have to worry about so much. Do you and I want to go to Xuanfu to guard the iron mines? Or to go to Datong to guard the coal mines? Nowadays, most of your and my classmates are still observing politics in the Sixth Department, and I have met them.
I don’t even know what to say... We work as servants in the imperial court, and sometimes we are caught in the middle, but why do you and I, such insignificant characters, care so much?"
Lin Ting is quite tolerant.
When working with Zhang Zhou, it seems that his current official position is not beyond the scope of official positions that a new scholar can hold.
But at least the future is better than others, and being qualified to serve the court can be regarded as realizing one's ideal... Do you care about so many intrigues... By the way, two new scholars are also entangled in the issue of the court's faction?
Lin Tingdao: "I have recently met those who are the same age and they are all asking if there is a chance to enter the Yanwu Hall. There are a lot of people who want to do what you and I don't want to do. Whether you can gain a foothold in the court depends on your ability.
It also depends on the attitude...Bingkuan also worked for the imperial court, and he did nothing wrong after all."
"Oh." Tang Yin nodded.
I still feel that Lin Ting is trying to find psychological comfort.
It was difficult to convince Lin Ting, so Tang Yin had to accept the reality of his fate.
If you don't want to get on this ship, you will follow this ship and sail on the ocean. There is no way out.
…
…
"Bingkuan, I just learned the news that the little Tatar prince has withdrawn from the West Road of Ningxia, and there seems to be signs of heading eastward. Qin Hong told me that maybe Batu Munch will invade the country again from the side pass and other places. There were signs, and he said he might enter the Loop..."
Zhang Zhou and Wei Bin entered the palace and met Zhu Youtang. Zhu Youtang hurriedly brought the battle report he had just received to Zhang Zhou.
Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty, now that winter is coming, Tatar activities should also slow down. Now we should pay more attention to matters in Liaodong."
"Alas!" Zhu Youtang sighed, "Everywhere in Beiguan, whenever there is some news, I tend to think too much. Sometimes I want to connect everything together, but I can't get the point."
As he spoke, Zhu Youtang looked restless like a bride about to be married.
Xiao Jing, who was standing aside, smiled and said: "The little Tartar prince has withdrawn his troops. This should be a good thing for the Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Youtang said: "But they still robbed six people and hundreds of livestock... There were already people in the court who were impeaching Cheng Guogong Zhu Fu for failing to fulfill his duty to defend against the enemy, so they were impeaching him. .Even you, Bingkuan...are criticized by them."
This is called borrowing a topic to play.
The Dayan tribe sent out 30,000 cavalry and plundered six people and hundreds of livestock. It sounds like a lot, but compared with the losses incurred by the Tatars this time, the losses were actually within a reasonable range.
After all, in such an open area, even if you hunted rabbits in the past, it was impossible to catch only six Ming people.
Moreover, strictly speaking, whether these six people are considered border residents of the Ming Dynasty is a matter of debate.
After all, there are many small tribes in Ningxia and other places that have taken refuge in the Ming Dynasty. This time, Batu Mengke wanted to establish prestige for these small tribes.
"Your Majesty, according to my analysis, the Tatar withdrawal may also be because Huoshii's troops have stationed in Hetao and show signs of continuing to move westward." Zhang Zhou said, "Currently, it seems that the little Tatar prince and Huoshi will be in Ningxia. Outside of Yansui and other places, there was a lot of fighting and no attention was paid to matters in Liaodong, which was helpful to the advancement of the war in Liaodong."
"But there is still no news. In the court this morning, Mr. Li Ge also mentioned to me that if the Ming Dynasty enters the grassland and cannot find the main force of Duoyan's three guards to fight, it is better to withdraw the troops early and wait until the spring comes. Fight again. I was a little angry at that time, and my tone was a little harsh, and I told them that if there is no result in preparing for a war, it will greatly damage the morale of the soldiers, so we must gain something. The ministers in the DPRK will definitely think that I am too extreme. .”
Zhang Zhou felt the pressure Zhu Youtang was under.
The decision to send troops was not within the scope of the court's decision. It was the decision of Zhu Youtang and him. If the troops were sent smoothly, the ministers would have nothing to complain about.
But as time went by, the war did not come, and there were no results. In the eyes of the ministers, it was a waste of people and money. The emperor said that he did not care, and turned around to teach those ministers who were the opposite, but how could the emperor not feel it? The pressure exerted by those ministers?
Xiao Jing asked eagerly: "Sir, when things come to a close, you should do your calculations. Did this war happen? What was the outcome? Didn't you say that the closer the incident is, the more accurate your calculations will be?"
If things don't work out, I just want to obey fate.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Based on the time, the three guards of Duoyan should be moving westward in the next few days, and ambush operations will also take place within these few days. It can take as short as four or five days, as long as ten days, and the results of the battle will be reported. Your Majesty, a moment later install."
