As everyone looked over, a musketry team equipped with new firearms walked in neat steps. When they were still 200 steps away from the straw man, everyone was ready to shoot, light the match ropes, and the first row was squatting and kneeling.

The second row of postures are standing postures, all aiming at the straw man in front and preparing to pull the trigger to fire.

"put!"

"Bang bang bang, bang bang bang."

Following the commander's order, the martial arts arena was filled with smoke. After bursts of gunfire, the straw man wearing cotton armor had already been riddled with holes.

A smile appeared on Zhu Youtang's mouth, thinking that the power of this matchlock gun was not bad. Although it could not be compared with the suifa guns of later generations, it was enough to deter the enemy in the middle of the Ming Dynasty.

"Boom boom boom—"

There was a burst of cannon fire, shaking the heaven and the earth.

Wang Shu and Ma Wensheng heard the sound of the cannon and said excitedly at the same time: "Back to Your Majesty, the test of the artillery invented by Your Majesty was successful!"

In fact, this artillery was just commonly carried by the Qi family army later.

It has a name called Hudun cannon. The earliest invention and improvement of this kind of cannon in history should be during the Jiajing period. However, Zhu Youtang gave some guidance to the people in the Arms Department based on the experience of later generations and elaborated on his ideas.

Thinking that it was really successful and this kind of light artillery came out ahead of schedule, I have to say that the ancients were really smart!

The Ming Empire currently uses large artillery like the Fran machine. It is extremely inconvenient to carry and difficult to use when encountering complex terrain. This kind of artillery is not only more powerful than a cannon, but can also defend against large groups of enemies.

Firearms. The most important thing is that they are lighter and easier to carry with the army than the Franco machine. Especially in field battles, they are more maneuverable and can control dangerous passes during defense.

After the Tumubao Incident, the Ming army lost all its elite troops and was in a state of collapse. Judging from the current situation of the abolition of the Ming Empire's garrison system, even having one or two of the original cannons was already pretty good.

Now the new troops in the Beijing Camp have begun to equip matchlock guns and squatting tiger cannons, and it will not be long before they can be widely used in the entire army. From the perspective of the cold weapon era, the level of such firearms and equipment is enough to be regarded as the first in the world.

Zhu Youtang was happy and helpless as he watched the new troops of the Beijing Camp in the martial arts field practicing with loud shouts.

It can be said that every shot of "gunpowder" they shoot is money, and the basis of military strength is economic strength.

Zhu Youtang was silent for a while and then said: "I am very satisfied with the inspection of the new army in the Beijing Camp today. Please inform the Arms Department to increase the production of firearms and strive to spread them throughout the army as soon as possible."

"Your Majesty, Holy Ming!"

"How come the Tatars have become so much more honest recently? I haven't heard any urgent news from the border." Zhu Youtang asked.

Wang Shu paused and said, "I have something to say, I don't know whether I should say it or not."

"If you have any thoughts in your heart, Aiqing, just say so."

"The Tatars' treacherous intentions have not changed. Although they have not invaded our Ming border recently, they are our Ming's inner circle after all. We still need to pay attention to the northwest border defense." Wang Shu knew that the emperor could invest money and increase the production of firearms. It was already a big deal.

As for the northwest border defense, a large amount of money is also needed, which is also a troublesome matter for the emperor. I originally thought that the emperor would hesitate for a while, but Zhu Youtang didn't even think about it and said directly:

"Well... My dear, what you said makes sense. Tatars have always been a serious concern of our Ming Dynasty. If we want long-term peace and stability, we will have to fight the Tatars sooner or later. Yanhai, please pass on my decree again. The firearms produced by the Arms Department next month will be directly

Send it to the northwest. We can't let the soldiers in the northwest say that I only value my family and ignore them."

…

In the capital city, the capital camp is undergoing drills like tea and fire, while the land of Jiangsu and Zhejiang is in turmoil.

Hangzhou, Hefu.

"Did you really follow what I taught you?"

"Please don't worry, Mr. Bu Tang. I have reported everything to him according to the instructions of Mr. Bu Tang."

The person who spoke was Lin Hongzhi, a businessman from Hangzhou. That day he sneaked into the Jinguan Building and eavesdropped on the conversations of Zhejiang Governor He Maoxun, Chief Envoy Lu Kun, Inspector Zhang Wenzhao, and the great businessman Dong Jianzhong on the stairs on the second floor. It turned out that he

I just wanted to know the situation of salt sales this year from He Maoxun and others so that I could make plans in advance, but I accidentally overheard confidential matters. At this moment, a waiter who was preparing to serve the food spotted Lin Hongzhi and shouted out.

Only then did these latter things happen.

He Maoxun was dubious and said coldly: "You also know the consequences of cheating on me. If Chen Fu didn't come to me today, I would throw you into the sea to feed the fish."

Although the words He Maoxun said were light and gentle, they scared Lin Hongzhi half to death. He quickly knelt down and begged for mercy: "Master Bu Tang, please spare me. I really told Chen Fu what you wanted."

Well, whether he comes or not is his business. Don’t worry, I won’t tell those things.”

Chief Envoy Lu Kun curled his lips and said to He Maoxun: "Don't worry, Minister. Look at his courage. He doesn't seem like someone who dares to speak out."

"Yes, yes, the villain must be tight-lipped and keep these things in his stomach." Lin Hongzhi banged his head twice on the ground to show his attitude.

He Maoxun remained unmoved and said calmly: "I still can't let you go. If you lie to me, I will be in trouble with you in the future. Let me ask you, after you talked to Chen Fu that day, what was his attitude?

"

Lin Hongzhi was silent for a moment, thought for a while and said: "Chen Fu was very angry and scolded several gentlemen. He called Mr. He an old fox."

"Huh?" After hearing this, Lu Kun immediately changed his expression and glared at Lin Hongzhi.

"Ah, the villain said it wrong, the villain slaps the mouth, the villain slaps the mouth."

Compared with Lu Kun's anger, He Maoxun laughed. He said: "Lu Kun, if you want to do something big, are you afraid of being scolded? If we are all small-minded and can't even listen to these small things, you and I

Sooner or later, your head will have to move."

Lu Kun nodded and said, "Thank you for your teaching."

At this moment, a family member ran in in a panic and shouted: "Master, Master, Master Chen is here."

When Lin Hongzhi heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up and he said excitedly: "Look at me, I didn't lie to you. He is here!"

Lu Kun and He Maoxun looked at each other and said, "You go down first, remember to go through the back door!"

He Maoxun and Lu Kun quickly arranged their clothes and calmed down. Lu Kun asked, "Can he believe it?"

"Chen Fu is just a foolhardy man. Just look at my eyes and act."

Just as the two of them finished talking, Chen Fu walked in with a livid face.

"What are you thinking about, Bu Tang? If we don't sell the salt this year, we won't sell it. Why are you lying to me?" Chen Fugu asked straight to the point as soon as he walked in.

He Maoxun said with a smile: "Chen Fu, you sit down first. If you have anything to do, let's sit down and talk about it."

Chen Fu sat down on his butt, but his anger was still lingering, and he said with a blushing face: "Bu Tang, let's be honest, I have been working hard for you over the years, and I have been selling all the private salt for you in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

, most of the money from the sale was given to you, why did you deceive me?"

He Maoxun looked confused and asked: "Chen Fu, I watched you grow up. Your father died early, but I have always treated you as my own son. You can't speak without evidence. When will I lie?

Pass you?"

"You told me not long ago that the imperial court was going to send a salt patrol censor, right?"

"Yes, the governor came to Zhejiang yesterday." He Maoxun answered neatly.

"You said that the imperial court sent people to investigate the salt law in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The limelight is tight and we have to avoid it in the second half of the year. But why did you hand over the salt to Dong Jianzhong and let him sell it?" Chen Fu continued to ask.

He Mao

What about the insurance? It just so happened that Dong Jianzhong, who was extremely wealthy, came to Hangzhou and wanted to buy all the salt yin and said he would sell it in his name, so the department gave him the salt yin."

Chen Fu suddenly slammed the table and shouted: "Now, you are still uniting to deceive me! The name of the salt inspector is Peng Shao. He is from Hankou, Putian, Fujian. He is a fellow villager with you! You must have known each other before.

, even if he comes down to check the salt law, he can't find anything on you. I've already inquired about it, that Dong Jianzhong packaged all the salt for takeout, and the money for each salt is more than what I sold before.

I need an extra tael of silver. Are you afraid that this is why you gave him all the salt?"

Lu Kun was about to speak when he was interrupted by He Maoxun: "Don't say anything. Since you already know it, there is no need for me to hide it from you. You are right. That Dong Jianzhong not only has a rich family, but also has many connections.

If you sell it to him, the profit can be more than double yours. In this case, why should we struggle with the money?"

Chen Fu gasped and said: "Give me the salt and I will raise the price and guarantee that the profit will be doubled by the end of the year!"

Lu Kun's eyes widened when he heard this, and he said: "Chen Fu, you are still young and I understand that you are young and energetic, but you can't just say this kind of thing without any guarantee."

Chen Fu vowed: "I keep my word. If the profit does not triple by the end of the year, I will not only stop selling salt in the future, but I will also kill myself to apologize!"

After hearing this, He Maoxun laughed loudly, patted Chen Fu on the shoulder and said: "Good boy, I really did not misjudge you. Okay! I will send someone to get Yanyin back from Dong Jianzhong, and you will still sell it this year!"

Chen Fu said calmly: "Thank you so much, I'll leave first if I have something else to do."

After Chen Fu walked away, Lu Kun gave He Maoxun a cup of tea with a flattering smile and said: "You are so clever, but how do you know that Chen Fu will definitely snatch this batch of goods from Dong Jianzhong?"

He Maoxun said disapprovingly: "As I said in the conversation just now, I watched him grow up, and I understand his character. This child is competitive, brave and foolhardy, but he is also a very loyal person."

"Since you said you have always raised him as your own son, why did you push him out to take the blame this time?"

"There is no other way. The chief minister wrote a letter asking us to find a scapegoat to take the blame. In the past few years, we have not shown up behind the scenes. He has always been hired by him to sell. He is too conspicuous. Before long, Peng Shao will definitely

We will find out on his head. Maybe he will confess us then. But if we use provoking methods to anger him this time and let him sell again, then he will be caught by Peng Shao and he will not tell a word even if he dies!

Dong Jianzhong is a fat fish, we can't let him die. If he dies, how will we get the money to give to the chief minister?"

Lu Kun was convinced and said: "Then do you think we can go to the capital next year?"

"The chief minister said that as long as the money continues to be provided this year, we will have a chance to join the cabinet. Isn't it because of the chief minister that you and I can sit in such a high position today? I still believe what he said.
Chapter completed!