My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 51: Ming Dynasty Military Industry, Starting with Guns

Looking at Xu Da and Li Wenzhong fighting over the item, Li Min shook his head helplessly.

Actually, my eyes are blurry now.

But we are not related to His Majesty, so let's give up the idea of ​​competing for it.

However, Li Min changed his mind and felt that there must be a deeper meaning behind His Majesty summoning the three of them to come and see him.

Just like last time, several people were fighting for the radio, and finally His Majesty said there were ten.

So this time, His Majesty deliberately put on the glasses to meet the three of them. Was he also implying that, in fact, everyone has these glasses?
Thinking of this, Li Min couldn't help but feel secretly proud in his heart, you big guys are rough and just can't guess the emperor's intentions.

Let's not get involved and just wait for His Majesty to give us the glasses.

In order to avoid losing my composure in front of Your Majesty, and also to let Your Majesty know that I, as the Minister of Works, know how to adapt to the times and when to advance and retreat.

I am totally different from this group of rough guys!

"Li Wenzhong, you are His Majesty's nephew, and I am His Majesty's relative. According to the generation, you should call me uncle. Why are you so ignorant that you always snatch things from your uncle?"

Xu Da also became anxious and started arguing with Li Wenzhong about seniority.

"Xu Da, you are such a shameless fellow. We are the same age, are you ashamed to do this?"

"Hey, your son calls my son uncle, why can't I be your uncle?"

After the two of them had been arguing for a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang finally coughed.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. We know that you all have bright eyes normally, but why are you all so blind now?"

Xu Da smiled awkwardly, "Your Majesty, hehe, I have been looking at maps and doing calculations every night these days, so my eyes don't work well."

Li Wenzhong was not to be outdone and said, "Your Majesty, I feel the same way!"

"Stop arguing, everyone has one!" Zhu Yuanzhang said unhappily.

"Really, Your Majesty?"

Xu Da and Li Wenzhong were delighted when they heard this, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Li Min was very proud in his heart, I knew that His Majesty would definitely have a trick up his sleeve.

However, he was old and shrewd, and did not show any expression on his face. He also followed Xu Da and Li Wenzhong in expressing his gratitude.

He ordered someone to bring glasses, and with Zhu Yuanzhang's approval, the three of them began to choose.

Xu Da fell in love with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses at first sight. They made him look wealthy.

I picked it up and, imitating Zhu Yuanzhang's example, put it on my nose. Wow, I have to say, the view is much clearer now.

Coming to the mirror, looking left and right, Xu Da was satisfied no matter how he looked. He felt that he had suddenly become more scholarly.

With these glasses on, Old Xu has transformed from a fierce general into a gentleman general.

Li Wenzhong and Li Min also picked out glasses that suited them, put them on, and then hurriedly went to find a mirror to look at themselves.

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help laughing when he saw several grown men looking at themselves in the mirror like women.

However, after seeing several people wearing glasses, their temperaments did change a lot. But why did Li Wenzhong look a bit like a gentleman after putting on glasses?
My nephew obviously looks honest and loyal.

After a few people put it on, they were reluctant to take it off, so Zhu Yuanzhang just let them do it.

Then the radio handheld radios were distributed. Xu Da and Li Wenzhong each received 20 for military communications. Li Min was given 50. Zhu Yuanzhang ordered him to distribute the handheld radios to various post stations in the name of the Radio Department of the Ministry of Industry, and began to build the first radio communication network in the Ming Dynasty.

Because the post station was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War, Zhu Yuanzhang issued another decree, asking the Ministry of War to fully cooperate with the Ministry of Works.

At the same time, Li Min was also ordered to formulate corresponding walkie-talkie operation regulations and train relevant personnel.

However, there are still too few mobile phones nowadays. Except for emergencies such as natural disasters, civil unrest, etc., ordinary government orders are still delivered by letters.

As for the remaining ten radios, Xu Da said sensibly, "Your Majesty, I understand. I understand everything. Palace affairs also require radios to convey messages."

What Xu Da said was indeed right. The important security posts in the palace were indeed much faster and more convenient if they used walkie-talkies. In case of an emergency, they could report it immediately through the walkie-talkies.

After everything was settled, Xu Da and others took their leave. Zhu Yuanzhang also had some free time and began to write back to Li Han.

This time, Zhu Yuanzhang's ideas were most subversive since the two had started communicating, so the focus of his reply was only one: how to develop muskets and the formation of musket units.

There are two kinds of firearms in the Ming Dynasty today, muskets and iron cannons.

The fire gun evolved from the Song Dynasty's musket, which uses gunpowder to fire stone bullets, arrows, lead bullets, iron bullets and other objects.

However, the operation of the musket is complicated. Before firing, it is necessary to pour gunpowder into the barrel, ignite the fire, load the bullet, and finally light the fuse to detonate the gunpowder.

This set of procedures is so complicated that sometimes, after a battle is over, some flustered soldiers have not even fired a single bullet.

What’s even worse is that some soldiers, in their panic, either loaded too much or too little gunpowder.

It’s okay if you don’t pretend too much. At most, you can make the enemy look gloomy and scare him.

If you install too much, it will be fatal and you will collapse if you are not careful.

This is why Zhu Yuanzhang formed a musket team but was never very interested in the muskets.

This thing is so unreliable!

As for the iron cannon, it can be used, but it is too heavy, has a slow firing rate, and poor accuracy.

If you want to form a musket unit, you need a musket that is much more powerful than the fire gun. However, Zhu Yuanzhang had no idea where to start.

As for the weapons of the future, Zhu Yuanzhang was naturally very envious. If he asked Lao Li for them with a flattering face, Lao Li would not refuse to give them.

However, those weapons are not suitable for the Ming Dynasty.

The reason is very simple. The Ming Dynasty cannot afford to support it, cannot afford to use it, and does not know how to use it!
Where did the overwhelming explosions, the chariots all over the mountains, the huge iron birds in the sky that can cover the sky and the sun, and the giant ships on the sea that are as tall as mountains all come from?

Of course it is made of pure silver!
After it is made, it costs money to use it, and it costs more to maintain it. Which one doesn't cost money?
In the current Ming Dynasty, it is difficult to even get most of the soldiers to wear boots, let alone maintain those things.

Although the military system of the Ming Dynasty was mainly based on the Wei Suo system, the military households in the Wei Suo usually cultivated the land, so it did not cost much money to maintain the troops.

Zhu Yuanzhang was a down-to-earth person. He abandoned those unrealistic fantasies. The only feasible thing was to ask Li Han how to improve the musket and make it a weapon that could change the current war mode!
Perhaps in the future, the Ming Dynasty will be able to achieve a scene like the one in the painting, but we must not be impatient.

If you don't accumulate steps, you can't reach a thousand miles; if you don't accumulate small currents, you can't become a river.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who rose from nothing to become the most powerful person, understood this principle very well.

Perhaps it all started with that small gun.

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(End of this chapter)