Chapter 715 814 Finale

The Red Barbarian Cannon, whose prototype is the long-barreled, spindle-shaped cannon invented in Europe in the 16th century, was introduced to China in the late Ming Dynasty and was quickly copied.

All cannons of similar design are collectively referred to as Red Barbarian Cannons, also known as Red Coat Cannons in China.

The Red Coat Cannon is actually not a "homophone". For example, some people say that the Qing Dynasty replaced "Yi" with "Yi" to avoid taboos after entering the Pass. Instead, it was because Ming Dynasty officials usually covered the cannon with a piece of red cloth to show their awe of this powerful weapon.

Compared with the cannons owned by the Ming Dynasty at that time, the Red Barbarian Cannon has many advantages in design. The barrel is long, the wall is thick, the caliber is large, and the overall shape gradually thickens from the muzzle to the tail, which conforms to the principle that the chamber pressure decreases from high to low when gunpowder burns.

There are cylindrical gun ears on both sides of the center of gravity of the gun body. The cannon can adjust the shooting angle with this as the axis and change the range with the amount of gunpowder used; it is equipped with a front sight and a rear sight, and the trajectory is calculated according to the parabola, with high accuracy.

Most red cannons are about 3 meters long, with a caliber of 110-130 mm and a weight of more than 1 ton.

The first red cannon obtained by the Ming Dynasty was not purchased through normal trade channels, but was obtained through salvaging the defense of sunken ships.

In fact, when the barbarians exported the Portuguese cannon to the Ming Dynasty, the red cannon, a muzzle-loading cannon, had already appeared in the West, but it was difficult to manufacture such cannons at that time, so the number was small.

Moreover, because of the advantages in range and power, all Western countries also intended to conceal this weapon from the Ming Dynasty and other countries, and would not trade with the Ming Dynasty.

The first red cannon should be the 22 guns salvaged from the British East India Company merchant ship "Unicorn" that sank off the coast of Guangdong by Deng Shiliang, the then Zhaoqing magistrate, in the 48th year of the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. According to the comparison with the European artillery standards at that time, one of the prototypes of the red cannon was the British shipborne 6-pound, 12-pound, and 18-pound muzzle-loading smoothbore cannons.

However, some historical records also show that the Ming Dynasty seemed to have obtained red cannons earlier. They were Dutch naval cannons salvaged from a small Dutch fleet that was sunk as pirates or Japanese pirates, or "Luzon cannons" brought by craftsmen who cast cannons in the Spanish colonies in the Philippines.

Wei Guangde didn't know these details, but he knew the term "barrel ratio" from the ancient cannon relics he saw in some tourist attractions and some military articles he had read.

When measuring the length of the barrel and the size of the caliber, special attention should be paid to the ratio of "barrel length/caliber", referred to as the barrel ratio. The larger the barrel ratio, the higher the initial velocity and the longer the range.

Wei Guangde went to the Ministry of Works to find Zhu Heng and told him his demands.

"How big is the cannon you are talking about? Shandai, time is so tight, I can't guarantee that I can deliver the things to you on time."

Zhu Heng felt a headache when he heard Wei Guangde say that the Ministry of Works should speed up the casting of a batch of cannons.

The Military Equipment Bureau under the Ministry of Industry can cast cannons, but cannons are not something that can be made casually. You can't just make a shape and use it.

A little mistake in the casting process will lead to the failure of casting cannons, and the risk of bursting will increase greatly.

"This."

Wei Guangde thought for a while, then gestured: "The cannon must be at least ten feet long, with a small muzzle, a thick tail, and a thicker wall. The muzzle is estimated to be three or four inches."

"Do you use copper or iron for this thing? Do you know how expensive it is to make this thing?"

Hearing Wei Guangde's words, Zhu Heng felt a headache. Not only does the cannon have to be large, but the wall must also be thick. How much material will be wasted.

"Also, you think it's easy to cast a cannon. It takes more than a month to make a cannon mold.

Even if it can be made, this thing can't be used casually. We have to test it."

"Stop, stop, stop."

Wei Guangde waved his hand hurriedly, interrupting Zhu Heng's chatter, and whispered his thoughts again. He even thought of the reason for not firing the cannon. The weapon was newly developed by the Military Equipment Bureau, so it was just for display and he didn't dare to try it.

"You..."

Zhu Heng frowned after hearing Wei Guangde's words, feeling a bit like a crime of deceiving the emperor.

"Lord Zhu, let the craftsmen of the Military Equipment Bureau continue to work on this cannon and try to make it. There are no other requirements, just shoot far.

Our Military Equipment Bureau can't just copy what others have made, but also develop some national heavy weapons.

If the Military Equipment Bureau is short of craftsmen, I will find a way to get some craftsmen from the Armory Bureau to help."

Wei Guangde continued to persuade.

The arsenals managed by the central government in the Ming Dynasty were the two yamen of the Military Equipment Bureau under the Ministry of Industry and the Armory Bureau of the Inner Court.

At the local level, there were also some craftsmen in the various local military governors and guards who could repair or even manufacture armor and weapons.

The predecessor of the Military Equipment Bureau was actually the Baoyuan Bureau of the inner court. At that time, most firearms were made of copper, which was very scarce, so the earliest firearms of the Ming army were cast by the Baoyuan Bureau. Later, the craftsmen were allocated to the Ministry of Industry to establish the Military Equipment Bureau.

The Baoyuan Bureau continued to do its old business, minting coins, and no longer involved in firearm manufacturing.

However, how could the emperor trust the Ministry of Industry to supervise such an important position?

Therefore, for a long time, the Military Equipment Bureau also had internal officials involved in the management, and matters such as the number of military equipment and military craftsmen were reported to the upper level by internal officials.

In the 28th year of Hongwu, the Gunpowder Bureau was established, which was affiliated to the Armory Bureau, which specialized in making weapons such as swords, spears, and halberds. It was under the management of the inner court, allowing the inner court to manufacture firearms.

Despite this, the largest arsenal in the court was still the Military Equipment Bureau, and countless skilled craftsmen were arranged here.

Zhu Heng just smiled, and Wei Guangde's proposal was not feasible.

"The Bureau of War and War can only do what the Ordnance Bureau has to do. How do you expect them to have any craftsmen?"

After Zhu Heng finished speaking, he thought for a moment and then said: 'If it is just a prototype, it should be cast in a month, but does it need to be bigger or longer? ’

"yes."

Wei Guangde smiled and said, Zhu Heng has already agreed, so this is naturally the best.

However, before he left, he still told Zhu Heng that this cannon was not just a showpiece, and the craftsmen still had to study the casting method.

There are specialties in the art, and his little knowledge in later generations can only point out the direction. The specific method of making it is still up to the craftsman.

Wei Guangde still has a clear understanding of this point and will never get involved in it.

After coming out of the Ministry of Industry, Wei Guangde went directly back to his hometown.

In the evening, the concierge reported to the inner courtyard and said that Qi Jiguang, deputy general of the Beijing camp and prime minister of military training, wanted to see him.

"Take people to the flower hall and entertain them happily."

Wei Guangde is playing with his children in the garden at the moment. He spends most of the day at the cabinet handling official duties, so he can only spend time at home with his wife and children after get off work.

For guests who come to visit, you usually wait for a while, then politely go over and say a few words to understand their demands, and then prepare to see them off.

As for the things you want to do, if you can do them, you will naturally have to arrange them later.

If it cannot be done, we will let you know in two days.

He never felt that just because he was a time traveler, he should be an upright and upright official with integrity and clean shoulders, and also set off a wave of reform and opening up in the Ming Dynasty for the sake of the country and the people.

It’s unrealistic, so unrealistic.

It is impossible for a political system to develop beyond the productivity, which will only lead to the collapse of a stable social system.

He could only use his limited knowledge to make minor modifications and fill in the malpractice of the Ming Dynasty, so as to continue this last, relatively fair Han Dynasty as much as possible.

You must know that the most serious problem in the Ming Dynasty was political corruption. However, a ruthless man like Lao Zhu could not change the trend by killing so many corrupt officials. Wei Guangde believed that he did not have the power to accomplish this. .

Gao Gong just wanted to rectify the government, so he was used by Xu Jie to infinitely magnify Gao Gong's harm in the court. Everyone worked together to drive him out of the court, making it impossible for Emperor Longqing to keep him.

Wei Guangde also saw Zhang Juzheng's attitude towards officialdom from the "Six Matters" he presented. Even though he tested the law and urged officials to do things, he did not mention a word about the corruption that had already formed.

Zhang Juzheng doesn't even plan to fight corruption, so he certainly has no confidence to do so.

Wei Guangde set three goals for himself. The first was to open up the sea, revitalize the economy, collect money through tariffs, and alleviate the financial pressure on the court to the greatest extent.

The second is to maintain the whip law and land clearing created by Zhang Juzheng. It is best to use the results of clearing land to fix the taxes borne by the people on the basis of the taxation of prefectures and counties set by Zhu Yuanzhang.

You know, agriculture is just like that, it doesn't generate much wealth at all.

The economies of later developed countries have long since shifted away from agriculture and shifted toward industry. They have successively exempted agricultural taxes and even provided subsidies in reverse.

Wei Guangde knew this very well, but the Ming Dynasty was not suitable for exempting agricultural taxes, but to be honest, the agricultural taxes set by Lao Zhu were really low, the lowest among all dynasties in Chinese history.

The people were exploited mainly because of the imposition of taxes imposed by the local government.

As long as the recruitment of local officials is fixed, although the burden on the people will not be the lowest in history, it will at least be acceptable.

To promote the development of industry and commerce, the Ming Dynasty could not collect much domestic commercial taxes anyway, so he could profit from it.

Wei Guangde is not an old scholar. He thinks that a gentleman should stay away from cooks and the smell of copper.

This money must be earned as it should be earned.

As for the last one, that is to maintain the policy of "ploughing the court and sweeping the holes".

Although he didn't know which family Nurhachi belonged to, he knew that the Qing royal family was called Aixinjueluo. As long as this family was eliminated, it would be difficult for the Jurchens to produce another genius within a hundred years.

The Ming court had always been wary of the Jurchens outside the Pass, and would carry out military strikes from time to time based on their level of development to weaken their military strength.

It's just that Nurhachi got a bargain, and Ming Ting misjudged the timing of taking action on him. He was a few years late, allowing him to develop and grow in Jianzhou, and finally reaped the consequences.

Now that Wei Guangde is here, he will naturally not let this happen again.

Well, he felt that as long as he did these three things well, his descendants would have no problem being prosperous and prosperous in the Ming Dynasty for hundreds of years.

No matter how far it is, it means that children and grandchildren will have their own blessings, so don't be a beast for your children and grandchildren.

When society develops to that point, perhaps the Ming Dynasty itself will launch a bourgeois revolution and establish a constitutional monarchy or something.

You must know that the struggle between imperial power and prime minister power in the Ming Dynasty actually began since the Yingzong period.

After delaying a cup of tea, Wei Guangde got up, handed the child to the wet nurse, and went to the flower hall to see Qi Jiguang.

Qi Jiguang did not post anything in advance. He only learned about the discussions among the civil servants on the Grand Reading stage because Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of the Grand Reading, talked to him about it. So he decided to come to see Wei Guangde tonight to ask how to solve the problem.

In Qi Jiguang's view, Wei Guangde's opinions can be regarded as the bottom line of what civil servants want, and they must be done well.

As for being left hanging out for a while after entering the flower hall, he didn't take it to heart.

There were many officials visiting, and he also knew that these officials in the capital liked to put on airs.

This is usually the case even if there is nothing going on at home, as long as it is not a major matter concerning oneself.

It also shows that officials have a lot of affairs, which cannot be seen just by looking at them.

"Yuan Jing is here."

Wei Guangde stepped into the flower hall and spoke first.

"Mr. Wei Ge, I have no choice but to bother you late at night. Please don't blame me."

Qi Jiguang stood up, walked quickly to Wei Guangde, bowed and said.

"You're welcome. Brother Zili told me when he went to Jizhou that of course I have to take care of your business. Sit down."

Wei Guangde walked past Qi Jiguang, entered the flower hall and stood in front of the main seat, speaking to him as he walked.

He motioned Qi Jiguang to sit down and sat down himself.

"I wonder what brings you here at this time?"

Even though both of them knew clearly, they still started like this.

In the eyes of the two of them, the two greetings upon entering the room were enough, and any more would be a bit foreign.

"Mr. Wei Ge, after today's parade, Duke Cheng found the general and talked about the arrangements for the parade."

Qi Jiguang briefly repeated what Duke Cheng Guo had said to him in the afternoon, and then looked at Wei Guangde and said, "Mr. Wei Ge, please give me some advice on how to arrange it appropriately for the general?"

"I haven't noticed this before when I watched the drills of various departments. It only made people feel that it started but ended when we practiced together."

Wei Guangde looked at Qi Jiguang and said with a smile on his lips, "The Jingying camp was trained so well by Yuan Jing that the other battalions, although they also had training, could not compare with the Jingying camp."

"Yes, I feel the same today, but I don't know how to solve it."

Qi Jiguang said helplessly.

"I once proposed that all the cavalry in the Beijing camp be gathered together for another drill. Has Duke Cheng said this?"

Wei Guangde put away his smile and frowned slightly and asked.

"I said it, but doesn't this make Dayue look even more anticlimactic?"

But instead of Qi Jiguang's smile, his brows furrowed deeper.

"Well?"

Wei Guangde was stunned for a moment, then realized, "Yuan Jing, you don't mean to think that the cavalry drill is placed after the Shenji Camp, and the troops from the Beijing Camp are concentrated together, right?"

"Isn't it?"

Qi Jiguang asked without thinking, and then he realized that Wei Guangde's intention seemed to be to move the cavalry brigade's drill to the end, and then he began to think deeply.

Wei Guangde saw that Qi Jiguang had figured it out and remained silent, waiting for him to think for himself.

He didn't know that Qi Jiguang had now overturned his original considerations.

In fact, as the finale, Qi Jiguang had detailed arrangements, which was to use the actual combat experience of Jiubian Elite to conduct a practical version of the drill.

Jiubian Major Town mobilized more than a thousand elites, or as few as a few hundred, for a total of 7,000 people. Therefore, Qi Jiguang planned to have them form a mixed military formation to be reviewed, and the drills were also displayed together, and then they joined the Beijing camp. Cavalry as the finale