In the evening, Zhang Ning returned to the Chu Palace to have a meal and then went to the study room to pick up a book and read it for fun. The main thing for people to relax is their mood, and the most relaxed state of mind is to do things according to one's own desires. The same is true for reading a book.
, the purposeful and planned hard reading during the imperial examination was very hard; but reading at this time is very different. If you are interested, you can read it, and if you are interested, you can leave it. It is very casual.
Zhang Xiaomei also came to the study. She tidied up the room first and made a cup of tea for Zhang Ning. She also did some chores and then sat down next to her to do needlework. The two of them didn't say anything and seemed very quiet.
If you see him reading, you probably don't want to disturb him.
She didn't know what she was sewing, but every once in a while, she would bite off the thread with her teeth. Zhang Ning noticed her action and silently looked at the scissors next to her, but she didn't use them. She cut off the thread first.
Straighten it, then put her mouth over it, and make a soft "pop" sound. At this time, whenever Zhang Ning turns around to look, she can always see her biting the needle and thread, as well as the white teeth exposed in her smooth red lips.
This silent atmosphere didn't last long before Zhang Xiaomei finally spoke: "What are you reading? Why don't you read it and let me listen too."
Zhang Ning hesitated for a moment, but did not need to answer. After a while, he recited: "The six kings are finished, the four seas are one, Shushan Wu, A Fang comes out. It covers more than 300 miles, isolating the sky. Lishan Mountain is built to the north and turns west, heading straight to Xianyang.
"The two rivers flow into the palace wall. Five steps to the first floor, ten steps to the pavilion..."
After reading, he briefly explained the literal meaning, and then said: "This is a poem by Du Mu of the Tang Dynasty. It mainly criticizes the Qin Dynasty and criticizes Qin Shihuang for being arrogant, extravagant, lewd, and not practicing benevolent governance. Judging from the poems and poems,
This poem has been passed down through the ages and has reached a high level of attainment; but from the perspective of knowledge, the knowledge of ancient literati did not stop there and was nothing."
Zhang Xiaomei said: "I have also heard people say that the Qin Dynasty in ancient times was very cruel, and that's why the second generation died. Doesn't my brother think it's wrong?"
"At least I have seen two of Qin's far-sighted political strategies." Zhang Ning said thoughtfully, "The first is that Qin's ordnance, staff and other items were standardized in size, so if a carriage breaks down, it is easy to find the corresponding one.
Accessories. The second is Shang Yang’s Legalist approach to governing the country, which is also remarkable..."
It was obviously the wrong person to tell my little sister these things, but she didn't seem to find it boring. Later, she pestered Zhang Ning to tell her what Legalism was, and then naturally, what happened to various schools of thought. Before I knew it, I
It was all completely dark, and time passed too quickly.
...However, the story about Qin gave him inspiration and seemed to make him realize something that could be practical.
Shang Yang's reform encouraged farming and warfare, allowing civilians to earn titles through food production and military exploits. In fact, he established a set of "upgrade" systems and was well versed in human nature; however, this resulted in fundamental conflicts with the nobles of various countries, including Qin, and the hostile class
Too powerful.
People need a way to be promoted so that they can have a head start. This will not only help many people work together to do a big thing well; it can also dissipate people's ambitions and hopes in a relatively mild and stable way, which is conducive to rule.
stability. The Qin Dynasty's method was to pay food and military merits. The Ming Dynasty now uses imperial examinations, which are actually an upgrade system. By formulating a rule, everyone can make contributions and invest time and energy.
You can see your own rising process; and there is a very tempting destination at the top, just like the carrot in front of the donkey... With perfect rules, everyone does not need to be opportunistic and specialize through human feelings; such rules will
Make a department machine run well.
Zhang Ning used to be a very rule-abiding person, but deep down he had another rebellious idea, that is, he wanted to make his own rules. And he thought he could try this idea in the weapons bureau in front of him.
He wanted to experiment with making a flintlock gun, but he had no choice. His original plan was to offer a reward among the officials and craftsmen. It is said that there must be brave men under a large reward; but after just half a day, he himself became interested in this method.
Question, is it really useful?
For a "product" to be mature enough to be put into practical use, it actually contains many technologies. A flintlock gun is actually a project. There is no denying that there are geniuses in the world, but it is obvious that one person can create many technologies through a reward.
The possibility is very slim... Instead of this, it is better to let many people participate in it, and everyone contributes bit by bit to complete this project. The problem lies in how a superior person can "squeeze"
"Bringing out the potential of so many people and letting them work well together.
Zhang Ning feels that doing such a thing is his own job, and it is the work that a person should do after he has power.
Then you can try a "promotion rule" that is directly linked to merit evaluation and contribution. Develop specific standards for rating, divide the level of interest distribution, and rules for promotion of positions; now six parts are being prepared. If a craftsman can use
Entering the Ministry of Industry and becoming an official based on your own talent and hard work... This kind of thing will probably greatly increase people's enthusiasm. After all, in this era, the people at the bottom have nothing to look forward to except studying for the imperial examination, and in the system without compulsory education, some people
It is impossible to study since birth; it is not that easy to be an official or to climb the ranks.
Zhang Ning thought of the method and immediately felt like he was forgetting to eat and sleep. He didn't even sleep. He stayed in the study all night to plan. The general direction had been figured out. The key was how to formulate reasonable rules. Who will judge the merits? How to prevent those in power from using
The public pursues private interests and takes care of private individuals. How to check and balance this?
The flintlock gun was a hundred or two hundred years ahead of the world, but he believed it could be made.
Just like since artillery was created by humans, both the Yuan army and the later Ming army could only use large-caliber short-barreled mortars, cup-mouth blunderbuss, bowl-mouth blunderbuss, general... long-barreled field cannons.
It is almost impossible to create a firearm with high muzzle velocity; why? Because the bore pressure of a long-barreled gun is too high and the casting technology is limited. If the wall of the tube is not smooth or has sand holes, the chamber will explode. But in the end, Zhang Ning and a group of craftsmen were not allowed to
It was tinkered with. The gun body is made of copper core and iron, and it is hollow and water-cooled... The method is always thought up by people. Difficulties in the world can only be done by those who are willing to do so.
Moreover, Huguang is extremely short of copper, and even the whole of China is short of copper. Zhang Ning's conditions are not good. For this reason, Huguang's economy has been affected by the Ordnance Bureau. There is an urgent shortage of copper coins in the market, and copper materials are used to make cannons.
The local gold and silver reserves are not enough, and now the Suzaku Army Council cannot issue military salaries, so the solution is to print paper notes; however, this thing is completely different from the Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes issued by the Ming Dynasty, and the banknotes of later generations. Its main function is
Letting civil and military officers and soldiers take tickets to the shops in the treasury in exchange for needed supplies, grain, silk fabrics, handicrafts, various animal skin raw materials, etc., which is equivalent to paying in kind. Huguang's economy has regressed to the level of barter.
…
The next morning, he came to the government office and wanted to find a civilian official to help him perfect his idea; to formulate the personnel inspection rules for the Ordnance Bureau, there was no need to keep it confidential within the Council of Ministers, so he could find someone to help. But after thinking for a long time, he couldn't find anyone who could.
If Zhu Heng was in Wuchang, the conspirators should be able to discuss it with him. But Zhu Heng is currently at the Yongding camp somewhere between Wuchang and Jiujiang and has not returned.
I have no choice but to figure it out on my own, and it will take some time. There is no rush.
At this time, General Chen Gai entered the official office and mentioned something: "Today, the Fourth and Fifth Army of Yongding Battalion will conduct a drill at the school ground in the north of the city. The soldiers have been training for more than two months and have been quite effective. Do you want to watch it, Your Majesty?"
Zhang Ning thought for a moment and decided to follow Chen Gai and other generals to check out the situation. The security of Wuchang City now mainly depends on the Changde Camp in the west after crossing Dongting Lake in the east, and the main camp of Yongding Camp in the southeast;
The deployment was that Wuchang City was threatened, and the armies from both sides sent reinforcements to the middle. However, the city defense could only rely on the fourth and fifth armies in Wuchang City. The men and horses built by the two armies had never been on the battlefield. So Zhang Ning had to pay attention to them.
status.
From the end of the second year of Xuande to the beginning of this year, the three battalions of the army and one battalion of the navy under the Suzaku Army have gone through a series of organizational expansions, but the scale is limited because they cannot effectively mobilize the young men everywhere. The Yongding Battalion stationed in Wuchang City
The Fourth and Fifth Armies were the product of this military expansion. Except for the officers, they were all rookies, and most of them were refugees and urban bankrupts.
The school grounds of Wuchang City are in the north, not far from the government offices. To the west of the city, along the river, there are several wharves with no place to build school grounds. The population in the suburbs in the south and east is too dense, and the population attached to the big cities and towns gathers here. It is estimated that there are tens of thousands of people.
Wanji. Only a school ground was built in the north of the city, and the Suzaku Army gathered here for large-scale training.
A group of generals surrounded Zhang Ning and rode to the north school field. They saw thousands of people lined up on two sides, with bright flags and armor, and the lines looked like they had been there for two months.
Zhang Ning asked Chen Gai and others if the soldiers had learned to use matchlocks, and the general replied, "They will be proficient in it in a month." He thought to himself: When the flintlock guns enter the mass production stage, it will be time to mobilize and organize the army.
Moreover, the advancement of weapons will further narrow the gap between elite veterans and soldiers. A group of farmers can be put on the battlefield after a short period of training. A soldier and a person who is proficient in archery, horse riding, and archery can hold the same firearm.
The firing and killing effects are the same. But like those elite soldiers in the imperial court, they cannot reach that level of toughness without tempering for ten or eight years. As long as they are lost, they cannot be replaced by equivalent soldiers from the private sector.
Zhang Ning started from scratch and did not have any experienced retainers or elite soldiers at hand, so the firearms unit was his only choice.
A military general next to him was reporting on the day's training content: "The entire army will not be issued lead, only gunpowder. We will line up to a distance of twenty steps and let them face each other and fire a volley to practice their courage. Some people fled after the gunshots.
Just use a whip until he understands the rules...In the afternoon, the cannons will be fired and the queue will advance, so that they will be familiar with when to fire the cannons and when to move forward..."