Great Ming Dynasty Wen Chao Gong

Chapter 42 Zhang Xiao’s whimsical ideas

"Zhang Xiao, do you know that many people in the court do not agree with your suggestion. They are not saying that the Japanese will not invade. After all, the Japanese have been harming our coastal areas in the Ming Dynasty for hundreds of years. The Japanese want to rob North Korea. Normal. But Toyotomi Hideyoshi really had so much confidence that he would mobilize the whole country to try and devour North Korea in one bite? Behind North Korea is the Ming Dynasty, and North Korea has been a country for hundreds of years. Even if it is defeated But the Japanese can hold on for a long time," the emperor asked.

"I am just considering the worst-case scenario. After all, if the Japanese dare to launch this war, they must have a clear grasp of North Korea. Maybe Toyotomi Hideyoshi wants to force North Korea to open up the road, or even let North Korea lead the way to invade our country, the Ming Dynasty." Zhang Xiao said.

"So arrogant? Is North Korea still trustworthy?" The emperor's expression became serious when he heard this possibility.

"North Korea will not agree to borrow the road, but their army cannot be counted on." Zhang Xiao insisted.

"I still can't imagine that there are so many cities in North Korea, and it's not difficult to defend them one by one. Unless the Japanese, like you said, landed a large army from Incheon? Where is Incheon specifically? Please point to what Zhang Xiaoqian said himself." the emperor asked, looking at the map.

"Your Majesty, it's on the left side of North Korea's Wangjing, near the sea." Zhang Xiao explained.

"If we can really land a large army from here, I believe that the Japanese can occupy North Korea in a month. But are the Japanese navy so powerful?" The emperor looked at the map thoughtfully.

Zhang Xiao secretly complained in his heart that the last time the emperor asked him about his strategy for Japan, he had a whim and recorded it in history, and he went to a certain five-star general, Marshal Mai. I thought your majesty would just forget it, but he might not remember it. I had no choice but to break some bigger news to divert the emperor's attention. Otherwise, wouldn't my casual remark become the crime of deceiving the emperor?
  "Your Majesty, the Japanese will still gather their troops from Kitakyushu and then cross the sea. This is the safest way for the Japanese. If they land from Incheon, even if the whole army can land by chance, it will be too late to transport subsequent supplies. However, after there are steam ironclads in the future, long-distance sea transportation It's much safer, and there is a possibility of winning from the Incheon landing, but I was negligent at the moment." Zhang Xiao said.

"What is a steam ironclad?" The emperor was indeed attracted by this new term.

"It uses a steam engine as power, and uses the steam burned by burning coal to push the ship forward. Then the iron is used as the hull, which can be called iron armor. When it travels on the sea, it is a steam ironclad ship. It can be unimpeded by wind and waves on the sea, and can transport people and things. There are also a lot." Zhang Xiao explained.

"Zhang Xiao, don't talk nonsense and confess your sins to the Holy One. What is a steam engine? Whether it is good or not is another matter. Iron is heavier than water. If you use iron armor to make a boat, won't it sink in the water?" Chen Ju questioned Zhang Xiao. road.

"Eunuch Chen, Zhang Xiao dare not deceive you. Although the iron is heavier than water, the middle of the iron ship is empty. Just like the iron plate is also made of iron, but if it is made thin, it can still float on the water. Iron-clad ships do not need to be made entirely of iron. The Koreans have made turtle ships. This turtle ship is enclosed and covered with a layer of skin covered with iron armor. It is also useful for naval battles. As for steam engines, the principle There is no problem when boiling water. The steam when boiling water can open the teapot. When more water is boiled, more steam will come out. It is also no problem to open the roof of the boat. As long as you want to make it big enough and practical, just It’s more difficult.” Zhang Xiao explained.

"Well, let's forget about the steam engine for now. When you go back, draw a rough picture of the turtle ship. I will also order people to find the records of the turtle ship. If not, you can just ask North Korea. Zhang Xiao, I really have a point. I’m curious about where you learned from, but don’t say that you have the ability to go to heaven and earth.” The emperor said.

"It's not possible to enter the ground. I don't know any magic skills. The ground is soil, and the soil below is stones. If you want to enter the ground, you can only dig. But if you want to go to heaven, you can do it." Anyway, I When I got excited, I even talked about the steam engine, so I simply said something else.

"Oh, how to get to heaven?" the emperor asked.

"Does Your Majesty know about the Kongming Lantern? If people want to go to heaven, they just need to make the Kongming Lantern bigger. However, how to make it, what materials to use, and how big to make it are all require a lot of research and experiments. This thing can It’s called a hot air balloon,” Zhang Xiao said.

"Hot air balloon, that's an interesting name. I thought you were going to talk about the paraglider you used in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes"," the emperor said. "That one requires the help of wind power, and also relies on people to control the wind direction. It is really too dangerous. Hot air balloons are safer." Zhang Xiao explained.

"How to make these new gadgets, what they can be made into, and what they are used for. You can go back and write them in more detail before reporting them to me. If I think it is suitable, I will allocate funds to you, especially the hot air balloon. If it is really made I also want to take a look when I come out, but you can't go to heaven casually, just try it with someone else." the emperor said.

"The minister obeys the order."

"Zhang Xiao, we've finished talking about official matters, now let's talk about personal matters. Are you still renting a house? Do you have a family?" The emperor's tone became gentler.

"Your Majesty, I do still rent a house and plan to rent a bigger house. I came back alone from overseas. I didn't ask the county magistrate in my hometown when I was overseas, so I don't know how many people there are in my family now." Zhang Xiao replied.

"You did a good job in Ningxia last time, but it's hard to publicly mention the credit for eliminating the mutiny. So, you don't have to rent a house. I'll give you a house. The people and things in it are all given to you. It's all ready. You can just move in when the time comes. You can do a few more errands, and then I'll give you the reward for your previous contributions. I'll give you two thousand taels of silver first. If you want to do those studies, the money can come from here. If the expenses are not enough, let me know." the emperor said.

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty." Zhang Xiao replied.

Zhang Xiao said goodbye and left, and only the emperor and Chen Ju were left in the imperial study.

"I have behaved improperly before the emperor, please punish me." Chen Ju asked the emperor for forgiveness.

"You are also an old man in the palace, why are you in such a hurry? Why don't you let Zhang Xiao finish what he said is reasonable or not? Isn't what he said quite reasonable? Another question is whether you can build it. This steam engine, Didn't he make it very clear about the armored ship and the steam engine? Could it be that Zhang Xiao exaggerated a few words and I just cut him down in anger?" the emperor said.

"I am really ashamed of my humble knowledge," Chen Ju said.

"If you have little knowledge, just go and read more and you will know more. Don't worry about Zhang Xiao's writing. If he comes up with those new things, just give him some convenience. If possible, go and see some in person." Eyes. I am really interested in what he said. If that steam iron-clad ship can really be built, then my Ming Dynasty navy will be invincible in the world. All the gold and silver everywhere belongs to my Ming Dynasty." Emperor. said.

"I venture to estimate that the turtle ship is a Korean ship, and it shouldn't be difficult to imitate it. The Japanese country probably doesn't have any decent ships, so this turtle ship might be of some use against them. That hot air balloon should be able to be made by a builder. , I just don’t know if it can fly smoothly and how long it can fly, but at the most, I try a few more times. Anyway, that’s why it can fly. As for an iron ship, even if it can be built, it can’t be rowed with sails alone. The key is the steam engine. . Therefore, the most difficult thing is which steam engine. The minister really can't think of what a steam engine looks like, but if it can be built, it will be of great use." Chen Ju analyzed in detail.

"Don't worry, don't worry, just take a few more glances. If Zhang Xiao is willing to do this, then let him do it." The emperor said.

(End of this chapter)