Daming: The most ruthless tyrant in history

Chapter 1022: The curtain rises and falls (6)

In Zhu Youxiao's eyes, the Ming Dynasty, which was entering the sixth year of the Tianqi reign, was at an extremely important turning point. Whether many things to be done this year could be accomplished would affect the Ming Dynasty ten years later, or even longer. It was no exaggeration to say that it set the tone.

Just like the Chengde Mountain Resort, which was under the charge of the Lifanyuan, if this matter was not done well, it would be difficult to implement the league and flag system.

Even if it can be tried, it can only be done through war to subdue all the forces on the grassland. But if this is really the case, how many years will it take?

Although Zhu Youxiao launched many wars since he ascended the throne, both internally and externally, he was not obsessed with wars.

The essence of launching a war is to divert conflicts. If not, there would be no change in the Ming Dynasty. It was also because of the war that many people died in the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, the strategy for conquering the grassland cannot be limited to war, but also requires diplomatic arrangements. Once this is accomplished, the Ming Dynasty will not be only keen on opening up the sea.

Yes.

As time went by, the Ming Dynasty had undergone tremendous changes in maritime affairs, especially what Wei Zhongxian and his men had done in Dongfan, Ryukyu, and Nanyang. Under Zhu Youxiao's conscious promotion, the most direct benefits of opening the sea stimulated too many people.

No one could bear it. Shiploads of gold and silver arrived at the ports of the Ming Dynasty and were carried down in boxes in full view of the public. The visual impact was too shocking.

It was precisely because of this that many Ming Dynasty citizens, especially those with many brothers, who could not resist the temptation, boarded the voyages to Southeast Asia organized free of charge by the Shaofu in ports such as Lushun, Tianjin, Yantai, Weihai, Qingdao, Lianyungang, Songjiang, Ningbo, Quanzhou, and Xin'an.

In the past two years, more than one million young and strong men of the Ming Dynasty have been transported to Dongfan, Ryukyu, Luzon and other places. Some went to farms, some went to workshops, some signed up to join the army, and some...

In short, it’s just one sentence.

The changes in Nanyang today are certainly due to the efforts of Wei Zhongxian and others, as well as the planning of Zhu Youxiao. The main force that went to Nanyang came from the largest region, Shanxi and Shaanxi!
It’s impossible not to do this.

The land in Shanxi and Shaanxi is too barren to support so many people, not to mention the frequent natural disasters. If Zhu Youxiao had not diverted a group of people, who knows whether anyone would have risen up in rebellion.

But it was precisely because of this that the trend of opening up the sea became so hot that the land strategy was inevitably affected. Zhu Youxiao's attitude towards the basic national policy towards foreign affairs was very clear: it would be more stable to walk on two legs, one on the sea and the other on land, so that the limits of the Ming Dynasty's homeland could be opened up.

"We have failed your Majesty's expectations and trust. Please punish us severely!"

a few days later.

Ok Hee Palace.

The high-ranking officials of the Military Equipment and Cleansing Department, headed by Song Yingxing, all bowed their heads and apologized with shame on their faces. For a study concerning the country's destiny, they conducted research and exploration for nearly a year and spent a lot of special silver, but in the end, there was no breakthrough at all, and even their thoughts were confused.

"It's just some troubles and setbacks."

Seeing this, Zhu Youxiao smiled and said to everyone, "I told you at the beginning that boiling water is not an easy task."

“Although they are all cooked in a pot, this pot is different from other pots.”

"Before the Ming Dynasty, no one had ever tried this. I did share some ideas, but what I said can only be used as a reference."

"How to do it specifically still requires you to explore little by little." "Regarding this matter, you must have determination and ruthlessness. If it doesn't work in five years, then ten years will do. As long as we can figure it out and make it truly finalized and mass-produced, then no matter how much gold and silver we invest, it will be worth it."

When Song Yingxing, Wang Zheng and others heard this, they all showed complicated expressions.

Especially Wang Zheng, although he had some brilliant ideas before, but he faced too many confusions in finalizing the enlarged device bit by bit.

"I summoned you here this time not for this matter."

Looking at the ministers with different expressions, Zhu Youxiao lifted his robe and said, "I have read the memorials submitted by the Military Equipment and Personnel Department. Several models of Hongxi-style muskets have been finalized. I would like to ask you, how much money will it cost to expand the corresponding production lines in northern Zhili, Liaodong, Shandong and other places as soon as possible?"

Although Zhu Youxiao was anxious about the steam engine, he also knew that it was not something that could be developed overnight. After all, this thing was still a very unfamiliar field for the Ming Dynasty.

Unlike the field of firearms and artillery, the Ming Dynasty had many of them before, but because there were too many types and the influence of stubborn ideas, this field almost fell into a state of stagnation.

Take the musket as an example.

The Hongwu style was a flintlock-based musket, with percussion as the main mechanism. It standardized the wide variety of muskets and clarified their sizes. In addition to finalizing the shape of the muskets, it was more for the purpose of setting new standards.

The Yongle style was built on this basis, fully mastering the rifling technology, improving accuracy, increasing range, upgrading corresponding material technology, further perfecting gunpowder technology, and achieving true flintlock.

Read more latest popular novels at 6.9*shuba!

The Hongxi style was even more complicated. The expensive primer technology in the past was thoroughly studied by the Military Equipment Qinglisi, and the Minié bullet technology was mass-produced. From then on, the musket was changed from muzzle-loading to breech-loading.

Because of the breakthrough of the Hongxi-style musket, considerable achievements were also made in artillery, such as rifling technology, gun surface technology, etc. What surprised Zhu Youxiao the most was that the Military Equipment Qingli Division had achieved certain results in its research on breech-loading cannons.

Once this technology is broken through, the power of Ming Dynasty artillery will undergo a revolutionary change!
"Your Majesty, this matter needs to be expanded as soon as possible. According to our previous estimates, it will cost at least 1000 million." Under the gaze of Zhu Youxiao, Song Yingxing stepped forward and bowed.

"Of course, this is limited to the large arsenals in the above-mentioned places. If we want to cover the whole area, this special silver will have to be at least doubled."

"What if it is not covered, and Hanzhong, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou are included?" Zhu Youxiao frowned and looked at Song Yingxing after hearing this.

“It’s not much different in scale.”

Song Yingxing pondered for a moment, glanced at Wang Zheng and the others, and said, "Hanzhong and Sichuan are relatively good, but the terrain under the jurisdiction of Yunnan and Guizhou is complicated. If these production lines want to be expanded, they must build ancillary industries. Otherwise, even if several musket production lines are built, if the raw materials do not meet the standards, the quality of the Hongxi-style muskets produced will be compromised."

“It’s still money.”

Zhu Youxiao sighed after hearing this, but it was also this that made him make up his mind in his heart that something seemed to have to be accelerated, otherwise it would be difficult to raise this special fund.

Now that the Hongxi-style musket has been finalized, it must be mass-produced as soon as possible. Why use an outdated one when there are more advanced muskets?

The reform of the Ming army is in full swing. If the Manchu-Mongolian war really breaks out, Zhu Youxiao doesn't mind using more powerful guns and artillery to teach the Jianlu and the Mongols what a dimensionality reduction strike is. If this can be done well, the Ming will be able to take more initiative! !

(End of this chapter)