The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 245 Bing Kuan alone is enough

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youtang was seeing his son Zhu Houzhao, and was listening to his son talking about what he had seen and heard in the cannon demonstration.

"...Father, you really should go and see it for yourself. It's really spectacular. I've never seen such a powerful cannon! Shocking and weeping ghosts and gods!"

Zhu Houzhao's gossip there was not fundamentally different from what Xiao Jing and others reported to him before.

Zhu Youtang asked angrily: "Have you seen other artillery? Is there any comparison?"

"Eh?"

Zhu Houzhao was taken aback, then he laughed and said, "Even if I haven't seen it before, I have heard of it. According to my estimation, as long as this thing is located, within a few miles around, you should not be able to see it." son!"

"Daming's city pass, you don't have to worry about Tartar attacks anymore, but I'm just thinking, if you use this kind of artillery to enter the grassland, will the grassland people cry like ghosts and wolves... Hahahaha..."

Hearing this, Zhu Youtang felt terrified in his heart.

Father and son are different. I used to feel that my son was not like me in many ways. Still thinking that this motherfucker was born by me?
But now I suddenly feel that the father and son's expedition to the grassland, even the imagined results, are so similar.

Ok.

It was my own who didn't run away.

"It's outrageous, you don't study hard, and you think about something messy all day? Bingkuan shouldn't let you out of the palace!" Zhu Youtang seemed to be angry.

But in my heart I was very pleased.

Even if he, a father, cannot fulfill his dream of leveling the grassland, his son may be able to help him realize it.

Zhu Houzhao said: "Father, it was Mr. Zhang who sent the son out of the city. If you want to blame him, you can blame him, but it has nothing to do with the son. The son came back immediately after watching the show! If you don't believe me, ask them! This matter Erchen was right about the matter."

"Prince! Are you still responsible?"

Zhu Youtang sternly said.

Only then did Zhu Houzhao realize that he might have said something wrong.

If it were someone else, Zhu Houzhao would not shirk responsibility so quickly, and even take the initiative to take responsibility, but the problem is that it is Zhang Bingkuan...

In name, it was Mr. Zhu Houzhao, but Zhu Houzhao also felt that he was a devil who eats people and does not spit out his bones. He was plotted by Zhang Zhou all day long, so why couldn't he shirk his responsibility?

"Okay, Empress Dowager is still waiting for you to go over for dinner, so hurry up, I have to deal with business tonight, so I won't go there!"

"Yes, Father!"

……

……

"This prince, when will he really grow up?"

After his son left, Zhu Youtang expressed emotion to Dai Yi and other eunuchs.

Xiao Jing said with a smile: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is very peaceful when he leaves the palace today, but the Crown Prince can abide by everything Mr. Zhang reminds, so your Majesty does not have to worry about it."

"Yeah, only Bingkuan can control him now. The other officials may be very decent in their words and deeds, but they just... don't have the strength of Bingkuan... I can't describe it."

Zhu Youtang was still thinking about it.

Why did the prince listen to Zhang Zhou instead of other officials?

Xiao Jing thought to himself, that's not true, the evil nature in Zhang Zhou's body is not found in ordinary people.

If someone can really be as evil as Zhang Zhou, I think you will be disgusted, Your Majesty, but who makes him not an orthodox literati, so no matter what he does, it seems so reasonable?
If Zhang Zhou was allowed to follow the rules, His Majesty would still think that he had taken some wrong medicine, right?

……

……

Inside Kunning Palace.

Zhu Houzhao was bragging to his sister.

After all, Zhu Xiurong has already passed her fifth birthday. In later generations, she will be in the first class of kindergarten, and she has a certain logic in speaking and doing things, and she is about to go to elementary school.

But when her elder brother was talking about artillery and those scenes of flying dogs and dogs, her eyes were blurred, like a little girl who was not yet sensible.

It's almost like listening to the bible.

"Why did it happen in one shot?"

"Will someone die if they stand over there?"

"Why can you go out of the palace, brother?"

Xiao Nizi's head was full of question marks, and she bluntly asked her elder brother.

Zhu Houzhao said impatiently: "Why are there so many questions? I'm so young, I don't know what I'm thinking all day long."

Empress Zhang behind said: "Prince, you still have the nerve to talk about your sister? What are you thinking all day long?"

"Queen, my son is teaching my sister the rules..."

"Don't talk about the rules, and don't go out of the palace in the future. If the artillery accidentally hurts you, something will happen to Daming."

"How can it be that easy? Erchen is in good health! It's just... a bit cold today!"

……

……

in the hall.

The Minister of the Household Department, Zhou Jing, is reporting on the plague situation in various places.

The period from winter to spring is generally the peak season for plagues, and the epidemics in various places are generally not reported until the end of spring, and detailed memorials can also be summarized in many places.

One of them involved the spread of the smallpox epidemic around the capital last year.

"...According to reports from various places where the acne medicine has been planted, so far, among those who have been planted with this medicine before the acne spread, none of them have shown any signs of disease."

"In the past, the magic medicine was only planted by people near the capital, and then it was added to Liaodong and Northwest, and other places in the south of the Yangtze River had been promoted before the plague passed last year. At present, in the north of the Yangtze River, there are Henan and Shanxi. In other places, one after another, they asked the imperial court to donate them with magical medicines. In the west of Jiangxi, including Huguang, Sichuan and other places, there are still only one out of ten people who plant medicines. There are people who are tired because of this..."

Verification of something takes time.

Zhang Zhou wants to promote cowpox, the best way is actually to use the royal family as an introduction.

If even the royal family can grow it, why can't the common people grow it?

In the past, the DPRK and China did not believe that this thing worked, and they were all kinds of picky, but as half a year passed, these ministers in the DPRK and China basically planted it, or everyone around them planted it.

If you don't plant it now, you're almost a fool.

The situation was completely different from when Zhang Zhou first arrived in the capital.

After listening to Zhou Jing's report, Zhu Youtang sighed and said, "If this medicine can cure acne, it would be the great fortune of Ming Dynasty. The medicine is available, but... oh! I don't know what to say. Don't let the people Knowing where the medicine came from, within this year, let the people of Daming plant it as much as possible."

Tu Yu, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, came out and asked: "Your Majesty, how is this medicine refined? How can acne, which has been incurable since ancient times, be resolved with this? Should we wait a few years after the verification... and then... What about promotion?"

According to Tu Yu, half a year is still too short.

If it is a chronic poison, it will recur after ten or eight years, and when the people of Ming Dynasty plant the medicine, doesn't it mean that the population of Ming Dynasty will die out?
Zhu Youtang frowned and said: "This medicine was made by Bingkuan, and I have not even rewarded him for it! As for how to make it, do I have to tell you in detail? As for your claim that this medicine is untested...just Let me ask you, is there anyone who hasn't planted it now? I have planted it myself! As I said before, even if it is the most poisonous poison, will that little bit be fatal?"

Tu Yu was speechless.

In fact, there are still some ministers who don't know what to do. Of course, they will not publicize it to the outside world, so as not to be regarded as a different kind.

To put it bluntly, they are still worried.

Since that little bit of medicine is not fatal, why can a little bit of medicine resist smallpox?It doesn't make sense.

"Recently, there have been significantly fewer reports on frontier troubles in the Northwest. Even Yansui has not had any reports for more than a month. The current border troubles everywhere are also due to Bing Kuan's advice, as well as the Marquis of Weining and the Marquis of Anbian, etc. People are brave and good at fighting, and the frontiers of Ming Dynasty have been stabilized a lot, but what I mean is that this year's frontier preparations still need to be strengthened, especially in the manufacture of artillery, and I plan to allocate another 10 taels of money to make artillery."

Now Zhu Youtang is reaching out to ask the court for money.

Not for himself.

However, the ministers always caused some troubles when the emperor proposed to use silver. Generally, the emperor would discount how much money he wanted, and often Zhu Youtang would not argue with them too much. For Zhu Youtang, it was enough.

Zhou Jing, who previously talked about the smallpox plague, continued: "Your Majesty, last year Zhili Fengyang Huai'an Second Mansion and Fengyang Youzhong Ten Guards were flooded. 11 Eight stones are strange."

Your Majesty, don't you want money?
Let's talk about the Jianghuai flood last year.

Zhu Youtang said: "Hasn't this matter already been reported? Why do you have to bring it to the court?"

Zhou Jing felt that the emperor had something to say when he saw it, so he quickly returned to his class.

Zhu Youtang asked: "Is it because you feel that I shouldn't pay more money for the cannon?"

Liu Jian said: "Your Majesty, you should do what you can. If the Tatars have withdrawn now, you might as well cast hundreds of cannons for backup. It seems that Ming's frontier equipment does not need to be completed within a year."

"One hundred?" Zhu Youtang frowned. Obviously, the number could not meet his expectations, but in fact he didn't know much about it. After all, Zhang Zhou had agreed to make the cannons and purchase them in the way of the court. Of course The rules are still set, that is, cannon-making must be completed under the supervision of the court, and if there is no order from the court, Zhang Zhou is not allowed to build cannons privately.

"How much money do you need?" Zhu Youtang looked at Xiao Jing who was at the side.

Xiao Jing has always been in charge of the intermediary contacts.

Xiao Jing replied: "Your Majesty, based on what Mr. Zhang mentioned before, a cannon will probably use 20 to 2000 catties of iron. The price of ordinary pig iron usually costs more than ten yuan per catty. If it is used to cast cannons , you need about [-] taels of silver, plus labor, shells and other costs, a well-equipped cannon will cost [-] taels of silver at most. A hundred cannons will cost about [-] taels of silver."

"2000 taels?" Zhu Youtang was also a little surprised when he heard the number, and frowned, "Is it only 2000 taels for a hundred cannons?"

Xiao Jingdao: "If it is a land with nine sides, even if one place is for one hundred gates, it will cost nearly 2 taels."

Zhu Youtang nodded, and asked Liu Jian, "Mr. Liu Ge, there are only one hundred cannons in each of the nine sides, isn't it a little less?"

Liu Jian was also taken aback.

The emperor came up to ask for 10 taels to make cannons, and they thought it was Zhang Zhou who opened his mouth. After listening to Xiao Jing's accounts, they realized that the cannons that could change the times were quite "affordable" in price.

One thousand guns, with shells, etc., only 2 taels.

Thinking about it this way, Zhang Zhou is much more conscientious than those nobles who purchased for the imperial court in the past. In the past, whenever the imperial court wanted to purchase something, the price they charged...was simply outrageous.

After careful consideration, Liu Jian said, "Your Majesty, I wonder how the cannon is progressing?"

Zhu Youtang pointed at Xiao Jing again, meaning it is still for you.

Xiao Jingdao: "At present the furnace has been opened, and within a month, it will probably be able to make sixty or seventy cannons. This is just a furnace, but Mr. Zhang has said that the coal mines in Xishan have already produced a large number of high-quality coal mines. Coal, in this way, can be refined into pig iron, and can even be smelted directly into steel, which can be used to make guns, and Mr. Zhang has not sought any personal gain from it. Everything is accountable."

Zhu Youtang sighed: "It's no wonder that a cannon only costs 20 taels. It turns out that Bingkuan is dedicated to saving money for the court. This is not good, what should be given to him is still given..."

When the ministers present heard that something was wrong.

Zhang Zhou doesn't seek personal gain, so the emperor wants to help him?
Your Majesty, that money was spent by the court, not your own money!

Don't feel bad?

"Dear gentlemen, do you also think that Bingkuan should not suffer?" Zhu Youtang asked seriously.

Liu Jian said: "Your Majesty, it is his duty to make cannons for the imperial court. Your Majesty grants high officials and generous salaries. If you don't serve the imperial court with your heart, it really shouldn't be."

"Okay, if you want a reward, I will reward it myself. As for the money for making the cannon, the imperial court will allocate it. Then according to the progress of the cannon-making, build a door, and the Ministry of Households will transfer the money for a cannon. Is there any problem? "

"This……"

Liu Jian hesitated.

Listening to the progress of the cannon-making mentioned earlier, it is indeed not fast.

Only sixty or seventy doors are built in a month, and the combined silver is only more than 1000 taels.

But I also said that there are still new stoves ready to be put on the shelves, and they will be built quickly at that time, in case the emperor needs [-] cannons...

Li Dongyang came out and said: "Your Majesty, this method of making cannons should be strictly kept secret, and not too many people should know about it, even the craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty should keep it a secret. Otherwise, if it is known by foreigners, it may cause the frontiers of the Ming Dynasty to rebel." suffer!"

"Oh? Really?" Zhu Youtang seemed to have no idea.

Xiao Jing walked out and said with a smile: "Scholar Li, you are too worried. Our family asked Mr. Zhang before, and he said that the steelmaking required to make guns is very harsh. Craftsmanship, etc. are also very complicated, and he will not teach many things to craftsmen himself."

Li Dongyang disagrees.

How confident is Zhang Zhou? He feels that everything is under his control?

"And Mr. Zhang also said that this is not the best cannon he can develop." Xiao Jing also told the news that the ministers present were blown up, "He said that he can build a better one later."

"what!?"

The ministers present were really shocked.

Xie Qian said with a smile: "Then we can't wait for better ones to be manufactured in large quantities? Now that we make some ordinary ones, will we have to replace them later?"

Xiao Jing also laughed and said: "Mr. Xie Ge, you are too worried. Mr. Zhang said, it is better, it means that the range is longer, and the effect is similar, but on the battlefield, the distance of the artillery also needs to be matched. Those that can launch five miles, and those that can launch two miles, what do you think?"

"False!" Xie Qian retorted unceremoniously, "If it can be launched for ten miles, can it not be launched for two miles? Why bother?"

"Yup!"

Many ministers present agreed.

Since the one that can shoot ten miles can also shoot two miles, why do we need to make one that can shoot two miles?

Xiao Jing continued to laugh and said: "Mr. Xie Ge, think about it, how much steel is needed for the gun that shoots ten miles? Can the cost of the gun body and shells be the same as that of the gun that shoots two miles? This kind of artillery is all If it has a lifespan, it is impossible to make a cannon that can be used all the time, so the cost of maintenance is the same as that of the second-mile gun?"

"This……"

It was only in this way that Xie Qian knew that he was the one talking on paper.

Xie Qian was also upset.

Why didn't I think of this layer?
It seems that because of the eloquent Zhang Bingkuan, even these gentle-looking eunuchs like to argue?

Those who are close to vermilion are red, those who are close to ink are black!
Zhu Youtang couldn't listen anymore. He found that everything had to be discussed in the court, and it was better to listen to Zhang Zhouzhou alone. At least at the decision-making level, there were not so many nonsense.

"My lords, I don't want to listen any more, so I ordered it like this. After that, the household department will fully cooperate with Zhang Zhou's cannon building. If there are more than a thousand cannons, it will be brought to the court for another discussion. There may be new cannons in the future, or It’s a new firearm, and it can be brought to the court to talk about it, that’s all!”

The ministers present also lost their temper this time.

Wanting to set up barriers for the emperor and Zhang Zhou and save money for the court seems to be no use.

……

……

After the court meeting ended.

Zhu Youtang returned to Qianqing Palace, sat down angrily, slapped the table and said, "I don't even know what they are talking about!"

Dai Yi and the others immediately realized that this was not a question.

There is no need for them to repeat what those ministers said.

More like the emperor whining.

"Where's Bingkuan?" At a critical moment, Zhu Youtang thought of his subordinate again.

Dai Yi reminded: "Your Majesty, today is the day of marriage between Mr. Zhang and Lin Shilang's daughter!"

"Na Cai? Isn't it a concubine?" Zhu Youtang frowned.

Is this also because of Zhang Zhou's taking a concubine and delaying asking Zhang Zhou about it?

Dai Yi said: "Your Majesty, this is the matchmaker provided by the Empress Dowager. The marriage granted by Your Majesty, even if it's just a concubine, may be more formal than the official marriage of the Ming matchmaker."

"Oh."

Only then did Zhu Youtang realize that the original instigator was himself.

"What is Bingkuan doing recently? I haven't seen him for several days!" Zhu Youtang said.

Dai Yi thought to himself, I haven't seen you for a few days, so I thought it was like this?
Dai Yi looked at Xiao Jing, meaning that you Xiao Jing often followed up with Zhang Zhou, you know what he does better than me.

Xiao Jingdao: "Your Majesty... Mr. Zhang, it seems that he is editing books..."

"What book do you want to study?" Zhu Youtang was puzzled.

Xiao Jing tentatively said: "It seems to be "Da Ming Hui Dian". Mr. Zhang said that he has almost completed it, and he plans to find someone to study it in the near future. Initially, he decided to find the Minister of the Imperial College Jijiu Lin, and the leisure time in the capital. Cheng Minzheng, a former Hanlin scholar who lives here, asked the two of them to make some references."

"What? This is his business alone?" Zhu Youtang was even more puzzled.

Xiao Jing said: "Specifically... I don't know much about slaves."

(End of this chapter)