Rebirth of Zhu Di's son

Chapter 179 A weapon for building a city
Half an hour ago.

Hall of Spring Harmony.

Prince's study.

There is a globe about one foot in diameter on Zhu Gaoxu's table, and a booklet is placed beside the globe.

This booklet depicts crops, vegetables and fruits such as corn, sweet potatoes (sweet potatoes), winter potatoes (potatoes), pumpkins, peanuts, sunflowers, peppers, persimmons (tomatoes), and kidney beans (green beans).

"Zheng He, you are going to sea next month. This globe is my gift to you."

Zhu Gaoxu pursed his lips and motioned for Zheng He to pick up the earth.

Zheng He said respectfully: "I'm humbled to thank His Highness the Crown Prince for the reward."

As he spoke, he stretched out his hands to hold up the globe, staring intently at the blue sea on the globe.

At this time, Zhu Gaoxu said: "Zheng He, a few days ago I told my father that the Great Wilderness South Continent produces high-yielding crops such as corn, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, etc. According to records in ancient books, there are many kinds of crops, vegetables and fruits there. For convenience You send people to look for it, and I specially drew pictures of these things, which is the booklet under your nose, you open it and take a look."

Zheng He immediately put down the globe, picked up the book, and opened the cover. The first page was a catalog. The first page in the catalog was not corn, sweet potato, or pumpkin, but a crop called "winter potato."

Seeing Zheng He's doubts, Zhu Gaoxu briefly introduced: "Mature winter potatoes (potatoes) are as big as a person's fist and cannot be eaten raw, but they can be cut into pieces and shreds after being cooked, and can be eaten stir-fried or mixed with sweet potatoes. The same, cut into slices and dry, then grind into powder, similar to flour, and can be made into cakes or bars."

"The growth and development of winter potatoes requires cooler climate conditions, because it grows in the high mountain areas of Dahuang Nanzhou, where the temperature is low all year round, so it is afraid of drought and waterlogging. However, this characteristic is very suitable for growing in Monan, Western Regions, Liaodong, and Planted in the Nurgan region.”

"Under normal circumstances, the yield of winter potatoes per mu can reach [-] jins. If managed properly and the environment is taken into account, the yield can be [-] to [-] jins per mu."

When Zheng He heard this, he felt a little confused. He instinctively chose to believe Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhu Di's ambition to control the western regions and Lingbei of prefectures and counties has never been concealed, and it is easy to establish but difficult to manage. The main reason is that it is difficult to guarantee the yield of rice, wheat and other crops planted there.

The reason why the Western Region has repeatedly escaped from the control of the Central Plains Dynasty is that on the one hand it is inconvenient to transport, and on the other hand the population there is too small to organize an effective military force, which is lower than the invading forces from the north and the west.

As for the fundamental reason for the low population, it is low agricultural output!

In Zheng He's view, these winter potatoes, which yield thousands of kilograms per acre and are particularly suitable for the plateau and Lingbei areas, are simply a gift from God to the Ming Dynasty, so that the crops in the western regions and Lingbei counties of Daming can be harvested!

"Your Highness, even if I risk my life, I will find Dongshu and bring him back to the Ming Dynasty!"

Zheng He's blood surged up and his face turned red as he said.

"Zheng He, I don't want you to work hard."

Zhu Gaoxu said calmly: "In addition to completing the feat of sailing around the earth this time, your most important task is to bring the various crops in this book back to the Ming Dynasty smoothly. Father said that in four years If the time is not enough, then five years. If five years is not enough, then six years. In short, whether it is five years or six years, or even seven or eight years, you just need to complete the mission and return home smoothly. "

"Your Highness, don't worry, I know what's going on."

Zheng He said respectfully: "This time I went to sea, firstly, I sent people to escort the tribute envoys from various countries back to my country, and secondly, I sent people to build cities in Manchuria, Old Port, Java, Borneo and other places in Nanyang to serve as official factories, military towns and The purpose of the material transfer station is to send troops to wipe out the remaining pirates and disobedient forces in Nanyang."

"The fourth is to drive away pirates for the Western countries, the fifth is to bypass the Great Wilderness West Continent (Africa) and continue westward to find the Great Wilderness South Continent and land there, the sixth is to find many crops from the Great Wilderness South Continent, and the seventh is to continue westward with those crops Sailing until returning to the Ming Dynasty and completing the mission of sailing around the earth."

At this moment, there was a loud noise in their ears, which sounded like the sound of heavy artillery.

Zheng He was so frightened that his hands shook and the book in his hand almost fell to the ground.

"nothing!"

Zhu Gaoxu said calmly without changing his expression: "Today, Mo Qiaosi will conduct an experiment of bombarding the stone chamber. This rumbling sound should be the sound of artillery."

After that, he shouted outside the study door: "Zhao Junchen?"

Zhao Junchen entered in response, bowed and said: "This is my humble duty."

"Take my token and go outside the palace gate to meet the messenger Colonel Mo Qiaosi who has come to report the news."

As Zhu Gaoxu spoke, he took out a golden token from his sleeve pocket and handed it out.

Zhao Junchen took the order and said: "I accept my order from my humble position."

After watching Zhao Junchen leave, Zhu Gaoxu turned to Zheng He and said, "Don't panic. According to the rules, regardless of whether this experiment is successful or not, Mo Qiaosi Si Zhengren Ziyuan will send someone to report the news."

"Yes." Zheng He said respectfully.

Zhu Gaoxu ordered: "Open the booklet and we will continue."

Zheng He flipped through the catalog and found a particularly exquisite illustration on the first page of the text. Below the picture, it introduced the growth characteristics, storage and eating methods of winter potatoes.

"These colorful illustrations are all drawn by me based on the records in various ancient books. They may be different from the actual objects. After you land in the Great Wilderness South Continent, you can send more manpower, or you can ask the local indigenous people for help through trade. Look for."

Zhu Gaoxu explained.

Zheng He asked in surprise: "Your Highness, are you saying that there are many indigenous people living in the Great Wilderness South Continent?"

Zhu Gaoxu said seriously: "According to ancient records, tens of thousands of years ago, the nine continents were closely connected. Later, after the vicissitudes of life, they gradually evolved into the nine continents at this time. And the Great Wilderness South Continent and the Great Wilderness East There are many tribes scattered on the continent, and I found from ancient books that these crops may be the daily food of the indigenous people."

"When you lead your officers and soldiers to land, you will find that the indigenous people there all have black hair, black eyes, and yellow skin. They also have cyan birthmarks on the buttocks of babies that are not found in white and black barbarians."

Zheng He was dumbfounded and couldn't believe what Zhu Gaoxu said could be true.

"Those indigenous people also have the custom of being buried with jade, as well as legends such as Tengu eating the moon and flying dragons. They also have Taotie and cloud and thunder patterns on their decorations. They also travel in sedan chairs and have bow-shooting games. There are too many to mention. I guess, Those indigenous people share the same origin with me, the Chinese people."

Zhu Gaoxu continued: "Therefore, after you lead your officers and soldiers to land, don't rush to explore and find these crops. Instead, you must first gain the trust of the indigenous people, establish trade with the locals, barter, and try to use peaceful means to exchange for us." All kinds of crops needed.”

"I understand." Zheng He nodded.

The two chatted for a while, and then heard Zhao Junchen's voice outside the study.

"Zhao Junchen, who is of humble rank, has come to report to His Highness."

"Come in and talk."

Zhu Gaoxu turned around and looked at Zhao Junchen outside the door and ordered.

"Yes." Zhao Junchen said respectfully.

Then, he bowed into the study and presented the token and a letter to Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhu Gaoxu collected the token, opened the letter, read it quickly, and then said excitedly: "Very good, Ren Sizheng did not disappoint me. After three years, the extremely practical stone clay has finally been developed! This The first stone chamber built of stone and mud can withstand the bombardment of ordinary artillery without cracking. This is really great news!"

Zheng He once heard Zhu Gaoxu mention stone mud and knew that it was a building material, but he didn't know that stone mud had such great effects.

Zhu Gaoxu couldn't hide his excitement, and told Kang Ping, who was standing by his side: "Sir, I'm going to see my father to report the good news."

"Yes!" Kang Ping said respectfully.

Just after Zhu Gaoxu left the Chunhe Hall, Li Xing, who came to summon Zhu Gaoxu to Wuying Hall for discussion on Zhu Di's order, happened to meet Zhu Gaoxu's driver.

After Li Xingdao made his intention clear, he joined Zhu Gaoxu's team.

After a while, Zhu Gaoxu walked into Wuying Hall.

Wei Guogong, Cao Guogong and others immediately bowed and saluted, "I have met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Gaoxu nodded.

Then, he saluted Zhu Di and said, "I have met His Majesty the Father."

"But you have good news to tell me?" Zhu Di asked with a smile when he saw Zhu Gaoxu in high spirits and with a happy face.

"Father, there is news from Mo Qiaosi that the stone chamber made of stone and mud successfully withstood the bombardment of the general's cannon without cracking!"

Zhu Gaoxu presented the letter in his hand to Zhu Di, and said at the same time: "My son asked Ren Ziyuan to personally lead people to build five stone chambers on the school grounds in the west of the city, which are ready for bombardment experimental demonstrations. The next round can be carried out only after the father's order." shelling experiment."

"My lords, the construction of the city on the Hami border is progressing slowly. First, there are Turpan people who are constantly harassing me. Second, because the materials used to build the city wall are all traditional stone and sand. It is not stable in the first few days after it is built, so it is easy to be bombarded by catapults. gap."

Zhu Di threw the letter in his hand on the imperial table, turned around and looked around the hall and said: "The stone mud developed by Mo Qiaosi can quickly solidify within twelve hours and is as hard as stone, so it is called stone mud. The ultimate fortification weapon!"

Seeing that everyone was looking at each other and not knowing what was going on, he ordered Li Xing: "Set up the school field in the west of the city. I want to show you my Ming Dynasty's powerful city-building weapon!"

"The servants lead the order."

Li Xing bowed to accept the order, and then began to go down to prepare for Zhu Di's trip.

An hour later.

City West Campus.

Xu Huizu, Li Jinglong, Liu Jing, Jin Zhong, Qi Tai, Ren Ziyuan and other accompanying officials such as Zheng He, Zhao Junchen, Wei Xian, etc. walked on the hard stone and mud ground, surrounded by Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu, who had just arrived. In front of the stone chamber that was bombarded.

"Ren Sizheng, how many kilograms of lead did the cannon used to bombard the stone chamber just now weigh?"

Zhu Di looked at the dent marks on the wall of the stone chamber and asked casually.

Ren Ziyuan bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, the lead fired by the general's cannon just now weighs seven kilograms."

The "general cannon" he talked about was actually a vehicle-mounted general cannon that only appeared during the Jiajing period in history. However, under the guidance of Zhu Gaoxu, it had been produced in advance and was an excellent siege weapon.

This cannon is a large artillery piece. It is made of pig iron. It is more than three feet long and weighs several hundred kilograms. It has a star in front and a rear sight. It has a charge of more than one kilogram. The lead (cannonball) weighs three to five kilograms. Its range can be There are multiple reinforced hoops up to a mile away.

This cannon is divided into three types: large, medium and small. It fires lead bullets of seven kilograms, three kilograms and one kilogram. They are all carried on a vehicle. The wheels are high in the front and low in the back. They can be fired directly from the car and have great power.

Seeing that everyone's attention was attracted by the vehicle-mounted general cannon, Zhu Di smiled and said: "This must be your first time seeing this kind of artillery. In that case, I will open your eyes today."

When he said this, he looked at Zhu Gaoxu and said, "Prince, go make arrangements."

"My son leads the order."

Zhu Gaoxu bowed and accepted the order.

Then, he gave a few instructions to Wei Xian, Zhao Junchen, and Zheng He respectively, and the three of them left the crowd one by one.

About a quarter of an hour later.

Wei Xian led his men to drive a group of cows to the school grounds, while Zheng He led his men to pull carts of large stones and piled a small stone mountain not far away.

As for Zhao Junchen, it was even more outrageous. Accompanied by Sai Hazhi, he escorted a group of death row inmates in prison uniforms to the school grounds.

"The cannon truck was pulled a mile away, starting with the pile of stones, then the cattle, and finally the death row prisoners. If any death row prisoners are lucky enough to survive, I will be merciful and send them to Nurgan to cultivate land."

Zhu Di issued an order to Jiang Yu, the commander of the Jinyi Guards.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Wei went to convey the order in person, and then a flagman played a flag. The gunner in the distance received the order and began to load lead.

After a while, only a few gunshots were heard, and the pile of rocks a mile away was blown to pieces. The group of cattle and death row prisoners whose ears were blocked by cotton, everyone who was hit by the shells had their flesh and blood flying everywhere on the spot.

As for the death row prisoners who were not hit by the artillery, they were all frightened to the point of peeing. Then they were thankful that they did not have to be beheaded and escaped with their lives. They knelt down excitedly and shouted words of gratitude such as "Your Majesty is merciful" and "Thank you for your kindness." .

"What do you think of the power of this artillery?"

Zhu Di asked, stroking his beard with satisfaction.

Xu Huizu said respectfully: "Your Majesty, if you place a thousand of these cannons on the battlefield and everyone can fire them, you will be invincible."

Li Jinglong said: "In the early days of Hongwu, cannons were too heavy and difficult to maneuver. Now they can be carried in vehicles and can be used to climb mountains and plains. I estimate that if the people of Beiyuan saw it, they would all be frightened."

Vehicle-mounted guns have many advantages. The first is that they are easy to maneuver. The gunner can push and pull the gun truck and fire it close to the enemy.

The second is to increase the speed of artillery entering the battle and win the fighter.

Finally, it is used to both block and attack the enemy. The artillery carriage not only has the function of a general chariot to block the rapid attack of the powerful northern cavalry, but it can also set up military camps and use firearms and stacked formations to kill enemy cavalry.

Historically, although the artillery of the mid-Ming Dynasty has greatly improved its lethality, it has one major shortcoming, that is, it has no aiming device, and its firing speed and maneuverability are not satisfactory.

Under Zhu Gaoxu's orders, the Military War Bureau focused on improving the artillery's aiming and maneuverability, as well as its firing speed.

Seeing how powerful the artillery was, the ministers couldn't help but look forward to the next experiment of shelling the stone chamber.

"My lords, please follow me to a distance to watch the shelling of the stone chamber."

Zhu Di stroked his beard and said.

After saying that, he took the lead and walked away.

A quarter of an hour later.

Only a few gunshots were heard, and several stone chambers in the distance were hit by lead, but they were all safe, and none of the walls were cracked.

Xu Huizu, Li Jinglong and others were shocked. They had no idea that the stone chamber made of stone mud could actually withstand artillery bombardment.

"When using stone mud, add fine sand and mix it with water. After drying, it becomes as hard as stone, hence the name stone mud. This material can be used to pave streets, floors or walls, etc."

Zhu Di lowered his head to look down at the cement floor under his feet and asked: "The hard stone road that you are stepping on is made of stone and mud. How about it?"

"With this powerful tool for city building, the Western Region can be leveled! I congratulate Your Majesty and congratulate the Ming Dynasty!"

Liu Jing, the sincere uncle, was the first to kneel down and worship.

Seeing this, other people knelt down one after another and saluted: "I congratulate Your Majesty and congratulate the Ming Dynasty!"

In fact, the ministers did not know that the reason why the five stone chambers were able to withstand the bombardment was not only the stone mud that played a role, but also the intricate steel structure inside.

And this is the key to why the city-building weapon became a sharp weapon. Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Di both knew such a core secret, but they would not say it on this occasion.

Ren Ziyuan and other insiders did not dare to disclose it, because Mo Qiaosi's confidentiality regulations stipulated that anyone who leaked company secrets would be executed.

"My lords, I previously ordered the northern capital divisions to increase their troops in seven major fortresses, and also ordered the Huimin Industrial and Construction Bureau to recruit people from the frontier fortresses to assist the officers and soldiers in building bases. One is to prepare for the attack on the grasslands, and the other is to provide backing against the invasion of the northern tribes. "

Zhu Di said loudly: "Now that the stone clay has been successfully developed, it can be transported to Hami and seven fortresses in the north to build cities."

"Your Majesty Shengming!"

The ministers shouted.

"After next spring, I decided to inspect the north and Liaodong. I can not only supervise the construction of the seven major fortresses, but also command the northwest army nearby to wipe out the disobedient forces in Kansai."

Zhu Di continued: "My purpose of inspecting Northern Xinjiang is to let the subjects in the north understand that the imperial court has not forgotten them!"

"Your Majesty is wise, and I will obey your orders!"

The ministers shouted again.

(End of this chapter)