It was rare to see Zhu Zhanzhen expressing his opinions so firmly. Zhu Gaochi was a little surprised: "Why do you value Jiaozhi so much?"
Zhu Zhanzong did not care so much about the vast grasslands in the north, but he cared more about Jiaozhi in the south and Japan overseas.
Because although there are vast grasslands in the north, there are also rich resources buried under the Siberian plains further north, but they cannot be used now.
The reason I care about Japan is because I won’t allow others to snore next to my bed. Japan has coveted the land of China for a long time in history. As long as it has the opportunity, it will try its best to invade our country. This hidden danger must be solved as soon as possible.
Japan relied on invading the Qing Dynasty to gamble on its national destiny. It would have been impossible if they had not been dealt with early.
As for Jiaozhi, this place will be one of the stopping points for Zheng He’s voyages to the West in the future. If this place is not within the scope of our country in the future, his voyages to the West will inevitably encounter greater resistance. The Ming Dynasty’s current location wants to go south and west
go.
You have to take the South China Sea, pass through Jiaozhi, and then cross the Strait of Malacca into the Indian Ocean. Not only Jiaozhi, but also all the key ports on this route must be in your hands. In the future, prosperous maritime trade will bring huge amounts of wealth, but if
If these places are unstable or even fall into the hands of enemy countries, it will be very troublesome.
Jiaozhi cannot be lost, it is the first stop on the voyage to the West.
"Father, can you let Yunnan Mu Mansion delay the Jiaozhi matter first? We don't ask for immediate suppression, but we can't let the situation continue to expand. If Zheng He returns from the Northern Expedition smoothly tomorrow, he will go to the West. At that time, he will form a double team, and then
Destroy their rebellion."
Zhu Gaochi thought for a while: "This method is not impossible. I will first ask someone to prepare a plan for Mu Mansion in Yunnan. There will be another rebellion within two years of every conquest in Jiaozhi. That place is more chaotic than the north, but it is not as good as the northerners.
Just good at fighting."
"Father is holy."
"You don't need to take care of the banditry in Jiangxi. Let your second brother do it. You go to Zheng He more. According to the report, the steamship has an effect that ordinary ships can't match. Your grandpa just arrived at Shuntian Mansion and praised the steamship.
Never stop talking."
"Yes, father, I will go in the afternoon."
Before going out, Zhu Gaochi stopped Zhu Zhanyi again: "It's cold, please put on more clothes."
"Thank you father for caring."
Seeing that Zhu Zhanyang was at least very attentive to his work, Zhu Gaochi was also very happy. He sighed in his heart that the princess of the Western Regions was really powerful. This lazy son turned into a diligent son, and Zhu Zhanyang was better than him in terms of doing things.
The second brother is much more stable.
Zhu Zhanzhen rushed to the shipyard after lunch. At this time, steel smelting factories, steam engine factories, and firearms factories were being built by the river. They were all being built at an accelerated pace, but they had to maintain quality even further, and they could not be completed so quickly.
"Your Highness, you are here." Zheng He greeted him.
"How many days does it take to build a steamship?"
"Everything is planned, one ship every seven days, and now all the steamships are devoted to transporting supplies."
Zhu Zhanzhen took a look at Zhang San's workshop. Now there are similar simple machine tools in the workshop. There are drills, reamers and other tools on the machine tools. These things were figured out by Zhang San and others themselves. The craftsmen use such
Machine tools can work more efficiently.
There is also a half-developed flying shuttle loom nearby. Now that steamships are in great demand, the development of other things can only be stopped first.
There are many factors that restrict the output of steam engines now, including manual speed, basically no mechanized manufacturing, steel output, and the number of craftsmen.
"Master Zheng, recruit more craftsmen, and ask Zhang San and other craftsmen to continue to observe the use of all steamships. The steam engines must be continuously improved."
"I understand, Your Highness, but the craftsmen need to be skilled. When the Northern Expedition ends, can these craftsmen still be retained?"
"The demand for steamships is definitely not what it is now. Don't worry, the more people, the better."
bang, bang
Suddenly I heard the sound of firecrackers outside.
Zhu Zhanzhen looked puzzled, and Zheng He explained: "It should be Taoka. Although the nearby firearms factory has not been built yet, Taoka refused to drink at all during this period and slept under the unfinished firearms almost every day."
In the factory, we are constantly studying and improving our own fire guns."
"Let's go and have a look."
The two of them walked towards Taoka who was trying out a new gun by the river.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
As we got closer, the sound of the firecrackers became clearer, and five firecrackers sounded in a short period of time.
Tao Ka saw Zhu Zhanzhen and Zheng He and saluted hurriedly: "Tao Ka, a common man, has met His Highness the Fifth Highness and Lord Zheng He."
Zhu Zhanzhen looked at the fire gun in Tao Ka's hand curiously. Based on the original kidnapper's gun, a hand grip was added in the middle of the fire gun. Moreover, the fire gun was made longer, slightly like a modern submachine gun.
appearance.
This greatly surprised Zhu Zhanyi.
"Taoka, what kind of firecracker is this?" It was obviously the first time for Zheng He to see this firecracker.
Tao Ka picked up the fire gun and introduced it: "This fire gun is bigger and longer than the original kidnapper gun, because last time Mr. Zheng pointed out that the firepower of the kidnapper gun was insufficient. A bigger fire gun can increase the power, and a longer gun can be loaded."
For more ammunition, I added a handle here, which can be held by one person with both hands to improve stability. Currently, the test can make it possible for one person to use this firecracker."
This is the prototype of a fucking rifle, Taoka is really a talent.
Zhu Zhanzhen didn't know anything about firearms, so he could only inspire people like Tao Ka to invent and create.
I picked up this firearm and felt it. It is still the first version of the fire gun, which is not refined enough. Moreover, the firing method of the ammunition is still one round and one fire, which is the same as the kidnapper gun.
"How many rounds of ammunition can this blunderbuss hold?"
"Eight rounds max."
"Can I install a sight on the front end?"
"Sight?"
Machine sights are better than nothing.
Zhu Zhanzhen used iron wire to make a sight and placed it on the gun.
"Make a sight based on standardization, and then test where the final center of the sight is within the effective distance. This will allow soldiers to use firecrackers with higher accuracy whether during training or in combat."
"Good idea." Taoka immediately clapped his hands.
"Sir Zheng He, this firearm improvement is working well. It may be useful to send it to the front line, ignite it multiple times, and fire it multiple times, and install it in the Shenji Battalion on the vast grassland."
"Understood, Your Highness."
Taoka was very excited when he heard that his fire gun could be used on the battlefield: "Your Highness, is it really possible?"
"It needs to be improved. All firearms installed in the Ming army must be safe after multiple tests and must not pose a potential threat to users."
"Yes." Taoka nodded heavily, this feeling of being recognized made him ecstatic.
War is a propeller for the rapid development of industry. Historically, Western industries were destroyed a lot in wars, but they also continued to improve during wars.
Those cumbersome fire cannons that require multiple people to operate must be replaced by individual fire weapons that can be operated by one person. Although this fire cannon is currently unable to achieve true continuous fire, Taoka still has the idea.
"Taoka, if one day you can really make the fire gun count at once and fire multiple times, your name will be engraved on the purple and gold stone tablet, not only for you but also for your grandfather."
Taoka was full of confidence: "I will do my best to obey Your Highness."
Zhu Zhanchen thought for a while: "I remember last time I saw a firearm in a firearms factory called [Ten Thousand Enemies]."
"Yes, Your Highness, that is a very powerful firearm and is not commonly used."
[Ten Thousand Enemies] A large explosive and incendiary weapon, weighing 40 kilograms, with a clay outer skin, weighing 40 kilograms, which is equivalent to a large incendiary bomb, but it is troublesome to carry. It is mainly used when attacking and defending cities, but it can be used to deal with barbarians in the north.
Basically useless.
There are many barbarian light cavalry in the north. Such large firearms are of no use without a launching device. They only increase the pressure on transportation, and they do not dare to attack the city.
"Reduce the size of the enemy with ten thousand people, make a wooden handle, extend the fuse, let it explode after a few breaths of time after igniting, so that our soldiers can throw it out."
"Why is Your Highness like this?"
"Such a small-scale enemy of ten thousand people can be equipped individually, which increases the firepower of any soldier individually. Our army's battles with the north are mostly small groups of light cavalry. A single person holds a firecracker, and a single person can defeat ten thousand people.
These firearms can ensure that our army has a larger space for firepower output before the enemy charges or ambush the enemy, reducing our casualties."
Zheng He thought for a moment, if a group of our soldiers were equipped with these two things, and when the enemy came, they would attack with firecrackers, and some of the enemy troops would be missing before they even got in front of them.
If our army makes a surprise attack, throwing a small force of 10,000 enemies first to disrupt the enemy army should indeed have a miraculous effect.
Zhu Zhanzhen's idea was to increase the firepower of our individual soldiers without adding too much weight, so everything had to be light and small. After all, if the cavalry carried too many heavy firearms, they would definitely not be able to keep up with the enemy.
"Taoka, this kind of fire blunderbuss, and the hand-held [Ten Thousand Enemies], I want to see these two types of firearms that can be used before the New Year."
"Yes, Your Highness." Taoka was full of confidence.
Looking at the booming industrial area along the river, Zhu Zhanzhen recognized these Ming craftsmen very much. As long as you give them time, there will be results beyond your expectations.
"Sir Zheng He, once a craftsman makes any reform and innovation, if it is formally applied, rewards can be distributed, and the invention can also be named after him, such as Zhang San's connecting rod.
"
There is no concept of patents yet, but to encourage inventions and creations, patents are necessary to protect the interests of inventors.
"Let's do this. The name of [Ten Thousand Enemies] is too difficult to pronounce, so let's call it Grenade. The thunder in the hand. As for Taoka's fire blunderbuss, let's call him Taoka style fire blunderbuss."
Taoka would never dare to name it after his own name. Doing it well would also be a matter of honor to one's ancestors.
"Your Highness, my grandfather used forty-seven rockets when he flew into the sky. I want to call this fire gun Aka No. 47 Fire Gun."
Zhu Zhanzhen looked at Taoka in disbelief. Is this fate or pure coincidence? How did your grandfather use forty-seven rockets so skillfully?
