What Zhu Yixi didn't know was that this prince, Wang Yu, was known as the "King of South Xu and North" together with Xu Guangqi. He also had close contacts with many missionaries and published "Pictures of Strange Weapons".
Like Xu Guangqi, he also emphasized practical learning to save the country.
And he was Sun Yuanhua's assistant in cannon casting and training. After Kong Youde's rebellion, he and Sun Yuanhua were implicated, and his friends rescued him in many ways, so he survived.
It can be said that in today's Ming Dynasty, after Xu Guangqi's death, he is the only one who knows the most about instruments and Western learning.
Retiring to the countryside for many years, Wang Xi felt a little leisurely, but his desire to serve the country remained undiminished.
"Unknown kid's identity?"
Wang Xi's lips trembled and he asked hurriedly.
"I am the chief medical officer of the Qin Army, and also the head of the craftsman camp. I am currently in charge of the red cannon."
Zhu Yixi said hurriedly.
"Qin Army, Governor Sun!"
Wang Xi murmured a few words and his eyes became brighter and brighter: "I never thought that a man who has died half of his body in old age can still serve the country. What a joy!"
"Go, go quickly——"
Wang Xi grabbed Zhu Yixi's arm and said urgently: "I am too old, so I still have to seize the time and serve the country."
"As long as you kill the intruder, why bother with me?"
"Does the prince understand the red cannon?"
Seeing his reaction, Zhu Yixi was overjoyed and asked again: "Do you know how to use a flintlock gun?"
"Flintlock? Self-generating musket?"
After hearing the words, Wang Xi thought about it and couldn't help but said: "In the eighth year of Chongzhen, Bi Menghou (Bi Maokang) once presented the "Illustrated Description of Military Weapons" to Your Majesty, saying that the flint caught fire and was not afraid of rain, but it was indeed miraculous and difficult to make, and it cost a lot of money.
Several times, the court is empty and it is difficult to control it, so that's it."
Bi Maokang? Zhu Yixi felt that this person sounded familiar, but couldn't remember it for a while.
I never thought that Wang Xi actually knew about flintlock guns. I wonder what the similarities and differences are with Western flintlock guns?
"Does the prince have this book?"
"This is a sharp weapon for the country. I like skills, so naturally I have them."
"That's great!"
Zhu Yixi was overjoyed. She really found a treasure. This trip was not in vain. The flintlock gun and the red cannon were all solved.
Wang Xi was eager to leave immediately, but Zhu Yixi still considered his family and informed him.
The two adopted sons were quite worried about this and wanted to go to Xi'an to serve, while the concubine Shen even asked the whole family to go.
With no choice but to do so, Wang Xi could only agree that moving would be a huge undertaking.
After notifying the clan elders, younger brothers, relatives and friends, it took three days for the group to go to Xi'an City.
On the way, Zhu Yixi and Wang Xi chatted about military training.
Wang Xi once assisted Sun Yuanhua in training his troops and had close contacts with many missionaries. He was quite familiar with the Portuguese and Spanish phalanxes:
"The formation of the Red Barbarians is uniform, everyone is united, and there are many blunderbuss. Therefore, for the enemy, after enduring it several times, it will be crushed."
"Even if the Ming army learned its formation, the damage in the early stage was quite high, especially since Jiannu was good at shooting and had a thick shield in front of him. Once thousands of arrows were launched, it would be impossible for our army to resist, and our morale would be lost and we would have to retreat.
"
"In other words, if you blindly learn from Folangji people, you will only be a toddler in Handan?"
When Zhu Yixi heard this opinion, she couldn't help but feel a little discouraged.
"That's right!" Wang Xi nodded and said: "The morale of our army is too low, and it is difficult to withstand the early damage. It often even collapses at the first touch. Without solving the morale problem, this phalanx will only lose its shape but not its soul."
"I see!"
Zhu Yixi nodded.
The key is people.
With the current model of soldiers passing through like a sieve and soldiers acting as generals, how is it possible to practice the Spanish square formation?
Therefore, we have to start from scratch and develop the soul of a soldier from the root.
To solve the problem of morale, one relies on rewards and the other depends on kindness. As for the issue of national justice, it is absolutely difficult for ordinary people to consider it.
"Then you don't know how to train soldiers?"
Zhu Yixi asked for advice sincerely.
Wang Xi pondered for a moment and then said: "To choose good generals, you must use the villagers, and the rogues and scoundrels in the city must not be used."
"As long as we have enough food and pay, we can arrange military laws, integrate firearms, and improve armor, it won't take half a year to complete the army. Although it won't lead to the Eight Banners in the field, there will be no serious problems in guarding the castle."
"Teach me!" Zhu Yixi nodded seriously. This insight was very wise.
These items may seem simple, but are actually very difficult.
For example, Sun Chuanting's Qin army, even if they tried their best to raid Shaanxi and offended the entire gentry and common people, they still had to train their troops. Therefore, the Qin army defeated the bandits and moved smoothly.
Other armies, even elite frontier troops, still lost consecutive battles without money and food.
Just having enough to pay for the military is the most difficult thing.
Only when military pay is sufficient can we have good generals, purchase armor and have a strong army.
Otherwise, Zhu Yixi would have fled to Hanzhong long ago.
Now is the sixteenth year of Chongzhen. Both the imperial troops and the bandits such as Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong have all been upgraded and are no longer the same.
Based on his knowledge, he felt that Sun Chuanting's Qin army was so elite and was also brutally killed by Li Zicheng in history. This shows that Li Zicheng was not as weak as imagined, and the Eight Banners may be stronger than imagined.
Thinking about the great cause of military training and inheriting the legacy of the Qin Army, Zhu Yixi closed her eyes and started thinking.
The more he thought about it, the more shocked he became.
The carriage rumbled along. The uneven official road had long been in disrepair and was not much better than a country road. It was bumpy and uncomfortable.
Suddenly, bursts of wailing sounds came from his ears.
Zhu Yixi was startled, and quickly opened the car window and looked out. She saw the ditches on both sides of the official road, overgrown with weeds, and there were human bodies lying one after another. Their faces were pale and swollen, and they kept moaning in pain.
"Big Head Plague——"
There was a scream in his ears. Zhu Yixi turned around and saw that Wang Xi was already bent over, gritting his teeth and looking shocked.
"I just left last year, and I never thought I would come back this year."
"It should have been brought here by the victims of the disaster."
Zhu Yixi made a judgment and looked at the people who fell along the ditch. He felt quite sad in his heart, but at the same time, he was also extremely afraid.
In an era before modern medicine, plague, or plague, was a death sentence.
Similarly, due to the chaos of order, people who were once trapped in the villages were able to wander around, thus promoting the spread of the plague.
Zhu Yixi felt vaguely uneasy in her heart: "This place is only more than thirty miles away from Xi'an City, but it is so serious. Even Xi'an cannot escape!"
Zhu Yixi was extremely uneasy to receive such a huge "gift" after only four or five days away.
The city of Xi'an, which originally had a population of one million in the Ming Dynasty, now has only about 300,000. If the plague is also raging, it is unknown how much the population will be reduced.
"Quick, move quickly, don't stop!"
Zhu Yixi hurriedly gave instructions with an extremely serious expression.
Wang Xi also sighed deeply: "How difficult the national destiny is!"