Daming: After self-explosive time travel, Lao Zhu's mentality collapsed

"The crops are gone, and we're probably going to starve to death this year!" "Oh my God, why are the locusts so rampant? God is so blind!" The voices of complaint are endless.

"Don't be afraid, folks, our savior is here!" Chu Ze shouted loudly.

He picked up two spray bottles filled with liquid medicine and sprayed them at the locusts. Suddenly, a pungent smell filled the air.

"Hey, what kind of magic is this?" "Look, the locusts are turning upside down!" "Oh my God, they are all dead! Where did this great god come from?" Exclamations came one after another.

In a blink of an eye, all the locusts on the ground were killed, and the crops in the fields regained vitality. Such an immediate and miraculous effect made all the people present admire it.

"Sir, how much of this magic medicine do you have left?" "Yes, sir, please be kind and give us some. There are too many locusts in the field, and we can't deal with them by manpower alone!" The people rushed forward and begged one after another.

"Everyone, rest assured, there is enough liquid medicine. We have already prepared a large amount of it." Chu Ze raised his hand to signal, and hundreds of medicine barrels on the carriage were unloaded. "Come on, give me one barrel per village, and if it's not enough, go get more. We must restore the farmland of the villagers to its former glory!"

"Thank God! Now we are saved again!" "Your Excellency has eliminated harm for the people, just like a living god descending to earth. We will never forget it!" The people knelt on the ground and kowtowed, expressing their gratitude.

As the news spread, counties and cities across the country that were hit by frequent locust plagues sent people to ask for pesticides. Chu Ze then ordered his men to make them without stopping, so that everyone could get one.

In just half a month, hundreds of thousands of barrels of pesticides were used all over the country. The locusts were not spared, and the crops and fruits and vegetables were reborn. The autumn harvest season was golden again, and the crops were plentiful.

"Lord Chu's medicine cured the disease and saved our people from dire straits. He is truly a living god!" Elders from all directions gave him a thumbs up and praised him sincerely.

Chu Ze's fame spread throughout China, and everyone knew him. The court praised him highly. Even Zhu Yuanzhang was impressed by this loyal minister.

"My dear Minister Chu is indeed a peerless national hero! He was able to avert a mere locust plague. He truly is worthy of being the lucky star of our Ming Dynasty!" Zhu Yuanzhang was delighted and praised him repeatedly.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately promoted Chu Ze to the position of Grand Master, giving him military power. Chu Ze was flattered and immediately fell to the ground to pay his respects.

"Your Majesty, the country is now peaceful and the people are safe, and I have no other requests. But my Ming Dynasty has a vast territory, and there are still many border troubles to be eliminated. If we don't take precautions early, I'm afraid that disasters will arise again!" Chu Ze said earnestly.

"Your words make sense." Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to be thinking, "Do you have any good ideas?"

"Your Majesty, I think we can advance in two directions." Chu Ze said thoughtfully, "On the one hand, we should rectify the border defense and streamline and expand the existing troops. On the other hand, we should train new troops, form new brigades, and equip them with new weapons unique to our Ming Dynasty, so as to achieve both offense and defense. As long as the two directions work together, we will be able to build an iron wall for our Ming Dynasty!"

"Excellent! You are indeed a military genius!" Zhu Yuanzhang applauded and praised, "Let's follow your advice and quickly mobilize the army. Soon we will be able to dominate the world!"

Therefore, Chu Ze personally trained the new army, imparted his experience, and practiced new tactics. On the other hand, he traveled to the frontiers, sympathized with the sufferings of the soldiers, and equipped them with new muskets and cannons.

From the navy fleet in the southeastern sea to the cavalry in the northwest Gobi Desert, the military has been improving with each passing day, and its combat power has been increasing day by day. The successive military reforms have made people take notice.

"Things have really changed over time!" "Isn't it? Those old-fashioned tactics of the past seem so outdated now." "With these new firearms, what are we afraid of from the Tartars?" "That's right, with General Chu in charge, we can defeat them all with just one order from him!" The soldiers were full of fighting spirit and confidence. But just when Chu Ze was concentrating on the military reform, another urgent report came -

"Your Majesty, something bad has happened!" "The Japanese pirates have arrived and have been burning, killing, looting and committing all sorts of atrocities in the coastal counties!" A wounded guard general knelt down in front of the palace, bursting into tears.

"What? Japanese pirates?" Zhu Yuanzhang and all the ministers were stunned. Who would have thought that Japanese pirates would be so arrogant as to rebel against the Celestial Empire?

"Come here, tell General Han to lead the navy to fight the Japanese pirates immediately! Anyone who disobeys military orders will be executed without mercy!" Zhu Yuanzhang was furious and immediately slammed the table and gave the order.

"Wait a minute!" A leisurely voice came, it was Chu Ze.

He stood up calmly and bowed deeply to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Your Majesty, although the Japanese pirates are rampant, they are outnumbered and may not be a powerful enemy. In my opinion, we may as well come up with another good plan."

"Oh? What do you think, my dear?" Zhu Yuanzhang became interested.

"To be honest with you, Your Majesty, our army's firearms have been improving rapidly recently, and we have Chu Ze's fire gun. Such a powerful weapon has not yet been popularized in the navy." Chu Ze was very excited. "Why not take this opportunity to form a new fleet dedicated to coastal defense? Named 'Fire Dragon', it will be equipped with the most advanced artillery and the best officers and soldiers. Once such a fleet is deployed, it will be able to defeat a hundred with one and sweep across the East China Sea!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned at first, then suddenly realized: "So that's it! Although the navy is strong, without the support of new firearms, it will eventually be unable to defeat the barbarians at sea. Now is a good time to innovate coastal defense!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer hold back. He patted the armrest of the dragon throne and said to Chu Ze: "I will leave this matter entirely to you, my dear. You have one month to build the 'Fire Dragon' fleet and wipe out the Japanese invasion! On the day you succeed, I will give you a generous reward!"

"I obey your command!" Chu Ze agreed generously.

Thus, a vigorous naval reform began.

Chu Ze traveled day and night to various ports to recruit sailors and prepare warships. From skilled craftsmen in Jiangnan shipbuilding to veteran sailors in Fujian and Guangdong, all were recruited and trained strictly.

At the same time, he transferred a large number of new artillery from the Beijing Firearms Bureau and rushed to produce them in the dock day and night. One after another, well-equipped warships rose from the ground, magnificent and shining under the scorching sun.

"Look, this is the 'Fire Dragon' battleship!" "Now that we have such a powerful weapon, won't we defeat the Japanese pirates?" "Of course! Do those Japanese rats dare to invade the territorial waters of our Ming Dynasty?" The sailors were jubilant.

In a blink of an eye, thirty "Fire Dragon" warships were assembled, and Chu Ze personally led the troops out to sea, heading straight for the Japanese pirates' lair.

At that time, the Japanese pirates were still burning, killing and looting in the coastal villages, without any defense. Suddenly, earth-shaking cannon shots came from the sea.

"Oh no! It's the Ming army's warships!" "What? How come they are so aggressive?" "Never mind, just abandon the ship and run for your lives! It will be too late if you don't run now!" The Japanese pirates were terrified and fled in panic.

But how could they escape the pursuit of the "Fire Dragon"? With just one order, dozens of cannons opened fire at the same time, and a fire dragon was immediately drawn on the sea, invincible. (End of this chapter)