Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

The decision has been made, and there is nothing else to say.

The Ming army during the Hongwu-Yongle period was at the peak of its organizational capabilities. As long as the generals above gave clear instructions, even at night, some soldiers were still summoned in an orderly manner. Under the guidance of officers such as Qianhu and Baihu, The leader quickly began to execute the order without causing any accidental bombing of the camp.

In the layered camp of the Ming army, part of the camp facing the direction of the White Lotus Sect rebels was cleared, and the camp wall outside remained standing. However, most of the foundation wooden piles were pulled out, and the two ends were tied with countless thick ropes. Make sure it can be pulled or pushed down directly.

When viewed from the sky, such a figure is formed.

One (camp wall)

concave (front camp)

The clean and recessed part in the middle is a structure similar to an urn city to accommodate the people who are the pioneers. Once the people arrive here, they are in a relatively safe position and cannot overwhelm other camps.

Chen Xuan went to make arrangements, while Liu Sheng, Zhu Gaoxu, and several military cadets accompanied Jiang Xinghuo, who was not sleeping, on patrol in the camp.

In other words, the final preparations before the war.

There was silence all the way, and Zhang Anshi couldn't help but ask.

"Principal Jiang, what if there are White Lotus Sect rebels who sneak into the common people? These people are wearing common people's clothes, jumping up and down the camp, which is also troublesome. How should our army deal with it?"

Jiang Xinghuo looked at Zhu Gaochi's brother-in-law and did not answer him directly. Instead, he had a lot of thoughts.

Of course Jiang Xinghuo knew that the dispute between Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaoxu for the crown prince did not disappear, but was temporarily suppressed by the general environment of the reform. And this kind of competition, even in the near future, Zhu Gaoxu will leave Nanjing and go north to Zhili to preside over The reforms in the north will not disappear, but will become more intense.

Therefore, as the deputy general of the army and the commander of the tax guard, it is not incomprehensible that Zhu Gaoxu does not like Zhang Anshi very much.

But Zhang Anshi is also his student, and Zhu Gaochi is also an important figure who can influence the direction of the reform. Jiang Xinghuo cannot treat them any differently. Not only that, he should also try to win their support for the reform. This is the so-called "letting friends change". Gain more and have fewer enemies.”

Jiang Xinghuo had received a letter from Zhu Gaochi before. It wasn't about anything else, but asking him if it would be convenient for him to teach the young Zhu Zhanji.

Jiang Xinghuo did not directly agree or refuse at that time, but temporarily stayed away on the grounds that the reform affairs were busy at the time.

Now that the chaos in Jiangnan is over, it's time to control floods, provide disaster relief, and build factories. After that, we have to return to Beijing and launch a new round of reforms.

In any case, a decision must be made about teaching Zhu Zhanji, Zhang Anshi's eldest nephew.

Jiang Xinghuo himself had no objections to Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji, the father and son who created the "Renxuan Rule". Although some of the power was controlled by conservative civil servants, which led to the overall contraction of the Ming Dynasty and had a great negative impact, if we look back at that time , there are indeed various practical needs for shrinking forces in the Ming Dynasty.

But from the very beginning, Jiang Xinghuo had a strong opinion of Zhu Qizhen, the Mingbao Sect who didn’t even have a shadow at the moment!

If the throne of the Ming Dynasty is still passed to this guy, it is difficult to be sure that there will not be another "civil revolution".

And Jiang Xinghuo now undoubtedly has the ability to influence the outcome of the battle for the crown prince to some extent.

How he treats his founding disciple Zhu Gaoxu, as well as how he treats Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Zhanji and his son, must be measured. At the very least, he must have a balance in his heart.

"Hey, is Yu Qian the same age as Zhu Zhanji? If you want to take care of a baby, bring Yu Qian with you at this time. I wonder if it will affect his growth? But as the saying goes, character determines destiny. This is Yu Qian's nature. If you accept it, What will become of the teachings of scientific concepts? Will it be possible to become my successor and the new dragon master? Or will the ending be more tragic than in the history of the previous life? "

A series of questions in his mind made Jiang Xinghuo's heart beat slightly faster.

But now is obviously not the time to think about this. Zhang Anshi and others are still waiting for their answers.

All kinds of thoughts flashed by, Jiang Xinghuo looked at Zhang Anshi again and said.

"Just follow the platoon firing method I taught you before."

Seeing that everyone from Liu Sheng to Zhu Yong and Xu Jingchang looked hesitant, Jiang Xinghuo understood what they meant.

It's not that they don't understand Jiang Xinghuo's arrangements, but they just don't know what to do.

The so-called platoon of artillery straddle fire is to use artillery barrages to separate the main force of the White Lotus rebels from the forwards who have mixed with the people. Dozens of new light bronze field cannons have been transported, which is enough to form a platoon of artillery straddle fire. Come, so that even if the White Lotus rebels sneak into the crowd of people, they will be isolated and helpless and will not cause any harm.

It is no exaggeration to say that this tactic has appeared on the stage of history for the first time in this world!

Why?

Because before the new lightweight bronze field cannon invented under the guidance of Jiang Xinghuo was invented and put into operation, the previous cannons were bulky and fixed to the city head and almost immovable.

Even if someone moved the artillery for field combat, no one formed a group of artillery to block the barrage during the battle.

The reason is very simple. The artillery straddle fire forms a barrage barrier, which requires two basic prerequisites.

One is volley fire, the other is rapid fire.

First of all, the previous artillery barrels were poorly made. If a cannonball was fired a hundred times, it would land on different points with a wide spread range. Secondly, there was a lack of relevant artillery geometry knowledge. If the cannonball hit all directions, it would If you can't form a barrage, you can't talk about blocking at all; and rapid fire is simply impossible, because the artillery in the Hongwu era was generally large-caliber iron cannons or stone cannons, and the reloading speed was appalling.

Therefore, when a tactic that no one has ever used before is put on the battlefield for the first time, who can be confident about it?

"Let's go to the artillery camp first to see the artillery."

The artillery camp was not far away. These artillery pieces were the treasures of Liu Sheng and the others, so they were naturally very precious.

Although there is only one thousand troops in the artillery camp, there are many open and hidden sentries.

"Hello principal!"

A military cadet wearing cowhide armor ran over to greet him.

"Open the warehouse and check the artillery before the battle."

Jiang Xinghuo took out his badge and handed it to him. After going through the formal procedures, dozens of artillery pieces stored in the temporary warehouse appeared in front of him.

The technical indicators Jiang Xinghuo gave to the War Bureau were based on the classic light bronze field cannon that emerged during the military changes during the Thirty Years' War in Europe, that is, the 1628 "Klein Drake" light cannon.

In fact, in Gustav's military reform, the first thing to consider was lightweighting of field artillery. This was one of the important standards for artillery reform. Now it was moved out by Jiang Xinghuo two hundred years ahead of schedule. With the Ming Dynasty's technology, it can be done. Arrived.

This cannon was a three-pounder bronze cannon, often called a legionary cannon.

The original size of the gun is 1225 mm in length, 78 mm in diameter, the barrel/caliber ratio is about 16, and it weighs 300 to 400 kilograms. The weight of the gun carriage is 600 kilograms. Now converted to Ming weights and measures, the gun is made The finished product is not much different from the prototype.

It is usually pulled by two horses and can be operated by only two artillerymen. It can fire the two most common types of ammunition (solid projectiles and shotshells). Solid projectiles can hit 800 to one thousand meters, and shotshells can hit 200 meters.

The reason why it is so light is that the copper cannon has good ductility, and the barrel can be made thinner and tougher than the iron cannon. Compared with the general cannons made of iron or stone during the Hongwu period, which often weighed several thousand kilograms, Ming Dynasty The bronze field artillery newly installed by the army can be said to have achieved comprehensive "downsizing".

That said, pure copper is of course very soft and not suitable for making artillery, but adding the right proportions of tin (91% copper and 9% tin) can produce a tough alloy, commonly known as gunmetal. That is, the bronze used for casting cannons is harder than pure copper and pure tin, and its melting point is slightly lower than that of pure copper but much higher than that of pure tin. The cast cannon is also much lighter than the iron cannon. Weighing only a few hundred kilograms, it is fully capable of rapid field maneuvers using mules and horses.

Don't underestimate this. The rapid artillery unit transformed into mules and horses will not be outdated in World War I, but the guns are different.

In addition, copper cannons have many advantages. For example, because copper is more stable than iron, it is less likely to chemically react with other substances to form impurities during the smelting process. The purity of copper cannons is often higher than that of iron cannons, and the furnace temperature is also lower. It's several hundred degrees Celsius, not as brittle as iron, causes less damage from explosions, and is corrosion-resistant, etc.

Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages. Bronze cannons have high structural strength and are light in weight. But the problem is that copper is a monetary metal and an auxiliary coin of the Ming Dynasty, so it is very expensive to build a cannon. You are just burning money into it.

——Copper coins are melted, impurities removed, and cast into copper cannons. This is money burning in the true sense.

In addition, the bronze cannon heats up quickly after continuous firing, which means that it cannot withstand long-term rapid firing. Once overloaded, there is a risk of exploding the chamber, and the service life of the barrel will be drastically shortened.

Now there is no technology to replace the barrel. If it is no longer usable, it must be scrapped and rebuilt.

Cost is undoubtedly a huge obstacle to the large-scale installation of bronze cannons.

Of course, all this will be solved with the occupation of Japan's silver mines.

As long as Jiang Xinghuo's idea in prison was to abolish the status of copper coins as auxiliary coins and monetize silver as treasure notes, then there would naturally be endless copper for casting cannons.

Looking at these rows of bright artillery, everyone's hearts began to gradually calm down, and they were full of confidence in victory.

The soldiers' desire for battle and honor gradually rose in their hearts.

Just when they were about to say something, Jiang Xinghuo suddenly said.

"Artillery still needs to be standardized. Craftsmen make it by hand, which is somewhat slow and not standardized enough.

"What does Master mean?"

Facing Zhu Gaoxu, Jiang Xinghuo did not hide it. He motioned for a few people to sit on the ground and then said.

"The way forward is to use standard machines to replace artificial cotton spinning. The same is true for the casting of gun barrels."

People cannot imagine what they cannot know. This is true for the world after death and the future in this world.

Liu Sheng asked curiously: "Nowadays, the barrel of the gun is drilled with a large iron vertebra. How does Principal Jiang think the machine can cast the barrel of the gun?"

"Use a boring machine, a hydraulic boring machine."

Jiang Xinghuo stroked the barrel of the bronze field cannon next to him, and once again truly felt the changes he had brought to this era.

"In the future, when we make cannons, we no longer need the hard work of craftsmen. There will be corresponding machine tools to do these steps of turning, milling, drilling, grinding, boring, planing, and punching."

Jiang Xinghuo sighed for a while: "In addition, mining, metallurgy, and shipbuilding can all use machine tools, and they must be iterated from generation to generation. From now on, we will be able to master the most advanced and high-end technologies, and we will not have to be controlled by others. "

After saying that, Jiang Xinghuo made some gestures with his hands. Seeing that several people still didn't understand, he didn't care at all, but turned to speak.

"It's normal that you don't understand. Just like many people, they don't understand you either."

As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the warehouse where the artillery was stored suddenly fell silent.

"I know that many people in the Ming Dynasty's military circles do not agree with artillery and firecrackers, so those who insist on this view are usually looked down upon with some contempt."

Liu Sheng, Xu Jingchang and others all nodded silently, and the principal obviously spoke what was in their hearts.

"But I always feel that artillery and muskets can really change war. I want to fight this war!"

After Zhu Yong finished speaking, he lowered his head: "My father didn't believe it, and I couldn't explain it to him clearly, so I was a little angry. Principal Jiang, I want to prove to my father tomorrow that I am right!"

"I also believe you are right."

Jiang Xinghuo nodded and turned to look at the people sitting around him.

"What about you? Do you want to fight this battle? Or do you just have to fight because of your duty?"

"I want to fight."

The reason Zhu Gaoxu gave was simple: "I just like the feeling of cutting off people's heads."

"My subordinates also want to fight." Liu Sheng hesitated for a moment, "My subordinates seem to be born to do this. After seeing Principal Jiang's idea of ​​forming a firearms unit, I feel like grass has grown in my heart, and I will never do it again. I am willing to command other troops. Firearms are very attractive to me and I want to prove it."

"Where are you two?"

Zhang Anshi was honest: "I don't have much preference for firearms, but I want to prove to those noble children that I am capable and I don't rely on my brother-in-law to survive."

Only Xu Jingchang remained silent.

Several people spoke what was in their hearts. Seeing that he didn't speak, they were naturally a little surprised. Zhu Yong hit him with his elbow, and Xu Jingchang grimaced in pain.

Xu Jingchang hesitated for a long time, and then said: "I don't actually need to prove anything, and I don't have any preference for firearms. My family asked me to come. The family has important responsibilities. And I have come all the way here. I don't want to accompany everyone to do such a big thing." , but I feel guilty."

Once the chat box is opened, it will be easier to talk about it later.

Xu Jingchang continued: "You all know the situation of my family, so I won't hide it. My uncle will go north soon and will be responsible for the reorganization of the North Sea King's troops together with the two generals Ping An and Sheng Yong. I won't be able to come back for a few years, and if the Duke of Wei doesn't separate the family, I will have to take responsibility in the future."

What he said was not to show off, but a fact. After the death of King Xu Da of Zhongshan, the Duke of Wei had two outstanding men, Xu Huizu and Xu Zengshou. The other sons of Xu Da were not wimps, and the daughters of the Xu family all married well, so they were still Relatives of the top wealthy families of the Ming Dynasty.

But now, Xu Zengshou was sentenced to death by Emperor Jianwen a year ago, Xu Huizu was transferred from outside, and the Huanghuang Wei Duke's mansion was about to collapse. As the leader of the third generation of the Xu family, Xu Jingchang naturally had to fight hard. Cheer up and make some contribution to the family.

And what can be done now to stabilize the Xu family's position? Naturally, he moved closer to the national master Jiang Xinghuo.

Xu Jingchang, who usually didn't talk much, became more and more garrulous, and the more he talked, the more he spoke more and more boldly. In the end, he simply said.

"National Master, my aunt (Queen Xu) actually asked me to ask something before she left, but I never found a chance to ask. Now that we are facing a war, no one can say whether something will happen tomorrow, so we have to The body wrapped in horse leather has been returned.”

Seeing everyone's sudden strange looks, Jiang Xinghuo said calmly, "Just tell me."

"My sister-in-law Xu Miaojin is still unmarried. Your Majesty and the eldest and empress intend to marry you. In this way, in terms of seniority, you are still the elder of the princes. You are the national master, the emperor's master, and the prince's master. No matter who is in the future, When you are a prince, you cannot run away even if you are a prince or a master."

As soon as these words came out, the warehouse suddenly became a little awkward.

It has always been the Imperial Master who arranged this and that, but today the Imperial Master arranged it, and it was a wedding, which was quite uncomfortable.

"Xu Jingchang!" Zhu Gaoxu on the side finally couldn't bear the atmosphere and shouted coldly.

That's Zhu Gaoxu, and Liu Sheng. Although these three people are his students and subordinates, their status is very high. Zhu Yong and Xu Jingchang can't say when they will become the Duke of the country, but they don't dare to do it on weekdays. Scolded.

Seeing that the second prince Zhu Gaoxu was angry, Xu Jingchang said with a smile: "Your Highness, don't be angry. I just want to explain the difficulties of our family (who is related to Zhu Gaoxu) to the Imperial Preceptor. It would be great if it can be done naturally. If the Imperial Preceptor is unwilling , and it won’t be embarrassing when my aunt comes to ask in the future.”

Hearing this, everyone looked at Jiang Xinghuo, waiting for him to express his stance.

Jiang Xinghuo frowned slightly and said slowly after a long while:

"I have seen Miss Miaojin. She is a beautiful woman with good looks and intelligence, and her family status is high enough. From the perspective of marriage, it will be very beneficial to Jiang himself. After all, she can directly become an in-law with the Duke of Wei and the royal family. No matter what the situation, It’s hard for people to refuse. But Jiang has no intention of this marriage.”

After hearing this, everyone was stunned, obviously not understanding his answer.

After all, the Imperial Preceptor has always advocated gathering all the forces that can be gathered to promote reforms, and with just a nod, he can not only win the beauty back, but also get the support of top dignitaries like the Duke of Wei, and even be related to the royal family, becoming a Your Majesty's brother-in-law, why not do this?

Moreover, Xu Miaojin is also one of the most beautiful women in the capital, but she is not too arrogant. She is good at piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, and even bow and horse. If she had not seen the predicament of her two sisters during the Jingnan period, she would not get married, fearing that she would not get married. She had already married a long time ago, and it was not Queen Xu's turn to marry Jiang Xinghuo.

In terms of emotion and reason, he probably couldn't get what he wanted.

However, Xu Jingchang seemed to grasp the key point in a daze, and asked tentatively: "Does the Imperial Master feel that he is not worthy of my sister-in-law?"

Zhang Anshi shouted: "A talented man is worthy of a beautiful woman. If the Imperial Master is not worthy of such a talented person, there are few men in the world who are more worthy of her."

"no."

Xu Jingchang continued to ask: "If it's not the case, then why is the Imperial Master unwilling? Could it be that the Imperial Master likes other women? Or is it?"

"No."

Hearing this, everyone heaved a sigh of relief, it would be fine if they didn't.

"No, then why did the Imperial Master refuse?" Xu Jingchang asked again.

Jiang Xinghuo did not answer directly. Instead, he looked at Zhu Gaoxu and asked, "Do you still remember the afternoon when your father came to the prison for the first time to listen to a class?"

Zhu Gaoxu was stunned for a moment, seeming to be briefly lost in memories, with a look of confusion on his face.

Zhu Gaoxu suddenly felt like he was in a dream, and felt that all the people and things in front of him seemed a little unreal. He was still the second prince who ran into the imperial prison in anger when he was angry with his father, instead of leading the tax in front of him. The deputy general of the army who suppressed the rebellion and promoted the reform in Jiangnan.

"I remember, at that time, Shi and Mr. Jiang were talking about the Song Dynasty's drinking of wine to release military power. Time flew by eating watermelon with me under the tree. One year will pass soon."

"As long as you remember." Jiang Xinghuo nodded, "Then what are we doing now?"

Zhu Gaoxu was thoughtful, pondered for a moment, and then said: "Make a big watermelon?"

"Yes, to make big watermelons, I am the one who makes the watermelons, and I am also the one who divides the watermelons. The knife to cut the watermelons is in my hand. I will give more to whomever, and give less to whom. If there is a slight difference, I will be angry. It would be fine if I were selfless and unkind to Cong Sheng, but if there is a conflict of interests, then I am upholding the fairness in my heart, can outsiders completely trust me to be fair and selfless?"

After Jiang Xinghuo said these words, everyone present felt some admiration in their hearts.

The national master's ambition and ambition are admirable.

You know, the vast majority of people in this world live for profit, not for ideals. Many people, after gaining power, will indulge in various material or spiritual enjoyments.

However, the Imperial Master can uphold the ideals in his heart and do not hesitate to give up personal interests for this purpose. This noble character of sacrificing the small for the big is not something that just anyone can achieve.

"I am not a saint, so of course I don't need to dress myself up to be noble, but I still want to tell you that now is the first step in the hundred-mile journey of reform, and there is no room for slacking off or enjoying it."

Jiang Xinghuo vigorously patted the barrel of the bronze field cannon next to him. The hand he patted was a little red, and he said with some emotion.

"Maybe you don't feel it, but I really feel that, including these door cannons in front of me, all of this is too easy, but also too difficult. This thing should not appear in this era, do you know?"

"As for the road ahead to reform, it is too difficult and dangerous. If you are not careful, you will be shattered into pieces and unable to stand up. I will tell you that sometimes, I am really afraid in my heart."

"When I woke up from a dream in the middle of the night a few months ago, I often asked myself, can I really accomplish such a big thing that will change the world, or even change history? My abilities, determination, knowledge, and conduct are really worthy of mine. Is it ideal?”

"But after thinking about it, I realized that it was all in vain and that it was just self-inflicted. In the end, I simply didn't want to think about it anymore."

Jiang Xinghuo simply stood up: "Every truth in the world must be down-to-earth and put into practice. It is the saying of the Three Kingdoms, if you cry day and night, can you cry to death Dong Zhuo? It is the same now, think about it day and night, If one thing is not done, can the reform be implemented out of thin air? And if you want to do something, you have to do it within the range of this artillery."

"I understand. The Imperial Master upholds the supreme law of heaven."

At this time, Zhu Yong on the side suddenly said: "But in this way, even if the reform is successful, the National Preceptor will be regarded as the prime minister who saves the time. But in the future, I am afraid that he will still be criticized by civil and military officials and courtiers."

"You said it tactfully. You might as well say it bluntly. Isn't it the ending of Shang Yang's fifth division?"

Jiang Xinghuo smiled and said, "What are you afraid of? Since Jiang is the principal of a military academy, he is also half a soldier. The last thing he is afraid of is death."

Zhang Anshi on the side didn't say anything, but he was secretly grateful. Fortunately, he followed his sister's advice and enrolled in the Ming Dynasty Royal Military Academy. Otherwise, he would have missed out on such a heroic figure as the National Master, which would be a real regret in his life!

This kind of mind and courage are truly a role model for our generation!

Xu Jingchang originally planned to shut up, but in the end he couldn't help but ask a question for his sister-in-law.

"Then what kind of woman does the Imperial Master like? In other words, what kind of woman does the Imperial Master think is a good match?"

Jiang Xinghuo was in a daze for a while, and many memories seemed to flash through his mind, but in the end they all turned into fragments.

Jiang Xinghuo said firmly: "What I need is not a good match, but someone with the same goals."

"What does it mean to be like-minded?"

"Have the ambition to save the common people in the world, be able to put aside your small family and self-interest; handle things with benevolence, justice and fairness, be open-minded and open-minded, and lead China on the path of light."

Xu Jingchang thoughtfully replied: "I understand."

"Maybe you don't understand it yet, you all don't understand it yet, but I really hope that you and I will remain like-minded people until the end and won't part ways."

Jiang Xinghuo stood up and waved his hands and said: "Let's stop talking tonight. You just need to arrange the garrison of the troops. Don't underestimate the enemy tonight. In addition, please pass on the order to let the soldiers in the front camp rest and recuperate after working hard." , there will be a decisive battle tomorrow morning."

This is the official order.

"I obey!" Everyone said in unison.

In the final mobilization before the war, everyone cheered up.

"Now our army has absolute advantages in all aspects. In addition, our army is well-equipped and has sharp artillery. As long as the rebels dare to confront them head-on, we will have enough confidence to defeat them."

"It's best to catch them all in one go. By that time, the entire Taihu Lake will become empty. As long as we can wipe out the Taihu water bandits in time and win over the people, the Taihu Lake area will once again be under the rule of the Ming Dynasty."

Jiang Xinghuo continued: "Of course, if the White Lotus Sect rebels don't fight us, we will force them to fight. If we think about the worst and the rebels really want to retreat, we can also use this opportunity to annihilate the rebellion. It’s a good opportunity to completely clean up the waters of Taihu Lake.”

"As for success or failure, I believe in myself and you."

After finishing speaking, Jiang Xinghuo turned and walked towards the warehouse door.

The night is getting dark, but it will eventually dawn.

I will devote myself to this ideal that is either a blessing or a disaster, regardless of my own life, and will never admit defeat or look back.

Even if there is no one to share it with.

PS: [Important reminder (there is no charge for this content)] Chapters 316 to 356 are about the rectification of officialdom and the suppression of rebellions in Jiangnan. They do not contain any theoretical knowledge. They are all practical content. If you are not interested, you can jump directly to Chapter 366. "Class" will contain theoretical knowledge content from now on.