Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 601 Development of Firearms
"Three thousand spring wheel pistols, when will they be delivered?"

Zhu Jing was pleasantly surprised.

"One month is enough."

Wei Sheng gritted his teeth and clenched his fists: "But you are an exception. You need to apply from the Ministry of War, approve from the Ministry of Industry, and approve money from the Ministry of Households."

"Hahahaha!" Zhu Jing smiled, pointed to herself and said, "I am patrolling the border, and my immediate boss is the Minister of the Ministry of War. Are you afraid that you will not be found?"

"Let's do it first. I don't know how long it takes to go back and forth from Beijing. If something happens, I will personally apologize."

Thinking of Zhu Jing's relationship with Datianting, Wei Sheng stomped his feet: "Okay, for Brother Zhu, I will make an exception."

And at Yuquan Villa hundreds of miles away, the emperor's family left the icy Forbidden City and came here to celebrate the New Year.

Although it is said that the winter solstice and New Year's Day will be back for a few days, the harem stays here comfortably and is reluctant to leave.

Surrounded by children, surrounded by pink and greasy, immersed in this gentle hometown, Zhu Yixi was reluctant to leave.

"Do you know why you like this place so much?"

Wearing a fur coat, Zhu Yixi strolled on top of the snow, and the trees, flowers and plants in the distance were all covered by snowflakes, and she could see them all.

"How can the old minister guess what His Majesty is thinking."

Feng Xianzong, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, followed behind him in a regular manner, and said softly.

He was just in his early thirties, and when he was in Luoyang, he had the opportunity to enter the shogunate and served as the deputy head of the staff department.

Now he has been the minister of the Ministry of Industry for many years, and he is no longer depressed as before. Instead, he is full of enthusiasm, and the ambition to work hard for the emperor for 100 years appears on his face.

Although, as time goes by, his qualifications will become deeper and deeper, and his position in the cabinet is extremely secure.

"Hahaha!"

Zhu Yixi smiled and said quite indulgently: "I'm not going to hide it from you, there are no rules here, and there are no disturbances in every way. It is much better than the cold and boring Forbidden City."

Speaking of this, the emperor continued: "I have already spoken to the cabinet. The winter solstice and New Year's Day are both here."

"Although the main hall in front is not as good as Beijing, it can still do."

I had thought of it a long time ago, and I bought a house nearby.

Feng Xianzong frowned, and when he was about to speak, the emperor stopped him and changed the subject.

"As far as I know, the Forbidden City has been struck by lightning thirteen times during the 300 years of the Kingdom Dynasty alone?"

"That's right!"

Feng Xianzong knew this well. After all, every repair of the Forbidden City was done by the Ministry of Industry.

"The first time was during the Yongle period, when the three main halls were struck by lightning and caught fire, and its main hall, the Fengtian Hall, was burned to the ground. The most recent time was during the Jiajing period, when the three main halls were also damaged..."

"If Emperor Sejong hadn't transported the Yongle Grand Ceremony in time, I'm afraid it will be lost, and the country's great regret..."

The Forbidden City, which has been plagued by disasters, was not only struck by lightning, but also had five fires alone. Especially in the 17th year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng evacuated Beijing, and it was a joy to set it on fire.

Only Wuying Hall, Jianji Hall, Yinghua Hall, Nanxun Hall, surrounding turrets and Huangji Gate were not burned, and all other buildings were destroyed.

Later, it took Shunzhi two or three years of repairing, and Jiang Yueguang's repairs, and finally it was barely perfected.

Speaking of this, Feng Xianzong realized that the emperor was really afraid of death this time.

"Fire and lightning strikes are beyond human reach."

Zhu Yixi sighed: "So what about the grandeur? Isn't it suitable for people to live in?"

"What Your Majesty said is very true." Feng Xianzong could only agree, he would never be able to persuade the emperor to go back and enjoy the danger!

After saying that, the two came to the house.

Stamping his feet, the emperor proudly said: "There are only a few places in Beijing that have underfloor heating, but here it is everywhere. There is no difference between winter and spring."

Saying this, a group of maids suddenly came and changed the emperor's clothes.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be clothes for going out.

"Your Majesty—" Feng Xianzong knew that the emperor liked to travel in modest clothes, but he didn't expect to change his clothes in front of him. Isn't he too shy?
"Don't talk about what's there or what's not."

The emperor squinted at him, not giving him the slightest chance:
"I'll go see you today."

Just when Feng Xianzong was in a daze, the emperor wrapped himself in a woolen sweater, which looked simple and unpretentious on the outside, but was unusual on the inside.

"I'm not fooling around. The Ordnance Division has researched something new. Come with me to have a look."

After saying that, Feng Xianzong walked quickly out of this small palace city.

Outside the villa, there is snow in front of your eyes, covered with white snow, which almost covers the whole world, making people feel a little dazed for a while.

"Auspicious snow heralds a good year, good!"

"Since the year of Shaowu, there have been few droughts in the northern land, and even the plague has disappeared. It is indeed the blessing of the ancestors. Your Majesty's virtue is what the world feels today, and the blessings of the people..."

Seeing that there were only two people here, and there was no living man following them, Feng Xianzong no longer concealed it, and it was a compliment to bow his hands.

Although a bit blunt, it really sounds good.

"Yes, it is God's will."

Zhu Yixi was startled, then laughed.

This is one of the foundations of Confucianism, the interaction between heaven and man.

Although there are still remnants of the Little Ice Age, it is much better than before, and the world should recover.

After walking for half an hour, the two came to the Ordnance Department.

Since the emperor came to Yuquan Mountain Villa last year, the six government departments have also set up offices here, and the Ordnance Department and other institutions that study artillery all day long have to stay away from Beijing and come to Yuquan Mountain.

The Zunhua Iron Works was nothing more than a foundry, and the establishment of improvement departments was still under the eyes of the emperor.

Different from the blind research in the past, today's Ordnance Department has benefited from the emperor's suggestion, followed by a group of priests for advice, learned to draw pictures with a ruler, and the style is clear at a glance.

And what entertained the emperor was definitely not these blueprints, but the real things that were actually made.

"Please look, Your Majesty, this is a large flintlock gun that I have been researching and testing for several months."

As he said that, a large-caliber flintlock gun appeared in front of his eyes:

I saw a musket with a caliber of 25 centimeters in front of my eyes, and the wide muzzle could almost fit a baby's fist.

The body of the gun is not too long, only a little over three feet, the barrel is two feet, and the handle is one foot.

This is not a musket, this is simply a small artillery.

"You?" Zhu Yixi hesitated, stepped forward and picked it up, only to feel that it was much heavier than an ordinary flintlock, about one and a half times.

He felt that he might have misled these people.

Perhaps it is because the effect of lifting the gun of giganticization is too great, so that these craftsmen put their minds into gigantic.

A while ago, there was even a [-]-jin cannon, which almost scared Zhu Yixi. Now, the appearance of this large-caliber flintlock gun makes people feel nothing but astonishment.

"Your Majesty, this gun works!"

A craftsman in his forties, with a blushing face and a thick neck, pointed to the barrel of the musket: "This gun can stuff dozens of marbles into it, and as long as it is fired, it can sweep the area!"

(End of this chapter)