Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 200 Artillery
Zhu Lang successfully decided to personally lead the expedition to Fujian Province. A hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. He glanced at the people below and said:

"When a large army goes out to fight, weapons and food supplies cannot be neglected. Elder Chen, I asked you to count the weapons and armaments of the Guangdong Provincial Garrison. How is the situation now? How many artillery and armor have you counted?"

"I'm afraid there will be tough battles in Fujian this time. Whether it's siege or field battle, artillery and armor are of paramount importance."

The ministers nodded slightly. After this experience of defending the city, Lu Daqi and others became more and more aware of the importance of artillery. Whether it was defending the city or fighting in the field, the terrifying lethality of artillery left a very deep impression on the ministers. It was not an exaggeration to say that it was a military and national weapon.
Chen Zizhuang saw that everyone in the hall was looking at him, but his expression froze. He was silent for a moment before he spoke.

"Your Highness, you may not know that our dynasty has very strict control over firearms. Before Chongzhen, our dynasty's firearms and artillery were all specially cast by the Beijing Armory and Military Equipment Bureau. Unless there was a special order from other provinces, no matter the three departments or the guards, were allowed to privately manufacture firearms."

"After the reign of Emperor Chongzhen, border affairs became increasingly urgent, and bandits were rampant inland. The imperial court then slightly relaxed the ban on the casting of firearms, allowing local garrisons to cast their own firearms."

"But the imperial court also stipulated that local garrisons were only allowed to manufacture fire guns and light cannons, and local garrisons were still not allowed to privately cast heavy cannons weighing hundreds or thousands of pounds."

"Guangdong Province is close to Macau, and the Macau Red Barbarians have always been good at casting cannons. During the Chongzhen period, the imperial court had specially authorized the Guangdong Provincial Governor to recruit Macau craftsmen to cast cannons."

"But after these cannons are manufactured, they will be immediately shipped to the capital to meet the emergency needs of the nine borders, and will hardly stay in Guangdong Province."

"After Jiashen, the imperial court lost contact and the country was in chaos. Ding Kuichu was only interested in collecting money and basically stopped casting cannons. The craftsmen he had recruited also fled."

"This time, I searched the treasuries in the city and nearby garrisons and only found some fire guns and a number of small cannons weighing less than 100 jin. The red cannons weighing hundreds or even thousands of jin that Your Highness needs are basically not available."

"Some county towns do have some heavy artillery weighing around 1,000 jin on their walls, but some of these were salvaged from rivers and seas decades ago, and some have been exposed to the wind and sun without any maintenance. Even the people of the county dare not use these artillery, and I'm afraid they would be useless even if they were collected by the army."

Zhu Lang's face darkened when he heard this. What Chen Zizhuang said was nothing more than saying that Guangdong Province did not have any heavy artillery, and that this was not a war crime, so he could not be blamed.
Zhu Lang's original plan to plunder the Ming Dynasty and quickly arm the army was over before it even began.

Zhu Lang was helpless when he heard this. He waved his hand and said

"What about armor? It's not possible that local garrisons are not allowed to privately manufacture armor, right?"

"The guards in various places can make armor by themselves. After an inventory, I also found a batch of armor from the guards near Guangzhou, but..."

Chen Zizhuang paused for a moment before continuing.
"But there are some problems with this armor."

"The armors made by the guards in different places are of different shapes and sizes, and the armors they made are just to meet the mission. They are in large quantities but difficult to use."

"Of the various types of armor seized from the garrison warehouse this time, most of the cotton armor was stuffed with willow catkins, and the thick cotton was not visible at all. A knife would tear it apart with a poke. As for the cloth armor, either the armor plates did not meet the specifications, making the armor too heavy to wear, or the armor plates were rotten and sparse, with several holes after a poke. Most of the armor collected this time was like this, and only one in ten was usable."

When Zhu Lang heard this, his face turned completely ugly. If he had no cannon and no armor, what was the point of having so many guards?
"Besides artillery and armor, what about swords, spears, and other items..."

Zhu Lang was a little unwilling to give up and wanted to ask again, but he stopped halfway through.

What he needs most right now is artillery and armor, which are also weapons that can significantly improve the combat effectiveness of the army in a short period of time.
Without these two things, what's the use of having more swords and other things? Can a soldier be equipped with two swords and his combat power be doubled immediately? What a joke!

Zhu Lang looked at the serious-looking ministers and military officials below, his face darkened, and he said

"When two armies fight, whether they have cannons or not, whether they have armor or not, is a matter of great importance in determining victory or defeat. This situation is definitely not acceptable at this time."

Zhu Lang looked at the people below who were silent, and then he spoke directly

"Mr. Chen, you are responsible for this matter. Foshan has many blacksmiths. When you go down, you will immediately search for blacksmiths in Foshan and rebuild the Arms Bureau."

"If we set up an Arms Bureau now, it will definitely be too late to produce the weapons we need right now. But if we don't do it now, I'm afraid we won't have armor or artillery to use when we go to war in the future."

"Foshan has a well-developed iron industry, so there should be no shortage of blacksmiths. This time we are setting up a military equipment bureau and have the local county magistrate cooperate. Whether it's corvée or conscription, we need to recruit 2,000 blacksmiths first."

"These people were paid one ounce of silver per month. After they were recruited, they were immediately divided into two groups. One group specialized in making armor, and the other specialized in making cannons. Pang Tianshou had brought back several cannon-casting craftsmen from Haojing, and he asked those people to learn how to cast cannons from the Haojing cannon-casting craftsmen."

"This matter is of utmost importance. You should do it immediately after we have discussed it."

"I understand"

Chen Zizhuang responded immediately upon hearing this, and Zhu Lang thought for a moment before continuing.

"There will be war on this trip to Fujian. The army still has some armor, but too few usable artillery. If we want to deal with the Tartars, we still have to use artillery."

"It seems that the artillery fire this time will still fall on those red barbarians. Li Chengzhi, bring Pang Tianshou over here."

Li Chengzhi bowed and left the hall. Not long after, he brought Pang Tianshou back into the hall.

"This old slave Pang Tianshou pays respect to His Majesty the Regent."

Pang Tianshou entered the hall and saw Zhu Lang above him. He didn't care about the people in the hall, but knelt down and bowed down with great respect.

Guangdong is not far from Haojing. After Pang Tianshou learned that the imperial court had won a great victory over the Qing army in Guangzhou, he could no longer bear it and rushed back to Guangzhou with a batch of artillery and the craftsmen he had collected.
The imperial court defeated tens of thousands of Qing invaders and seemed to be on the verge of revival. Pang Tianshou had no time to argue with the red barbarians at this time, so he had to return to the imperial court and take up his position.
Zhu Lang waved his hand to get Pang Tianshou up, and then asked

"Mr. Chen is going to set up a military equipment bureau. You will hand over the craftsmen you brought back to Mr. Chen later."

"I understand. This time I have recruited five craftsmen from the Macau Cannon Factory. Among them are Chen Zhu, Zeng Cheng, and Yang Huiqi. They are all masters who have cast red cannons and should be able to assist the court in casting cannons."

Pang Tianshou responded immediately and took the opportunity to report the results of his trip. He remembered that the prince was very concerned about the cannon-casting craftsman.
"Well done. Tell them not to keep their skills to themselves. After you recruit the blacksmiths, send them to work under these people. They all have experience in iron forging, so they should be able to get started quickly."

"Once all the people are in place, have them start casting cannons right away. Start with small cannons weighing 300 kilograms. They will learn as they go. The court will need hundreds or even thousands of cannons in the future, but there is no time for these two or three people to hide their skills and slowly build them. The more cannon makers there are, the better."

Zhu Lang said softly, and when Chen Zizhuang nodded, he looked down at Pang Tianshou and said:

"How much does the Haojing Cannon Factory sell its red cannons weighing more than 3,000 jin for?"

Pang Tianshou brought back 30 copper arquebuses weighing 300 jin this time. It can be seen that this kind of small cannon should be sufficient for the Haojing Cannon Factory.

If he wants to take back the entire Fujian Province this time, he may have to attack the city.
In a siege, these small cannons weighing a few hundred kilograms are useless. If you want to knock down the city wall, you must use red cannons weighing thousands of kilograms or more. Only such heavy cannons can knock down the city wall.

"Reporting to Your Highness, I have written a memorial on the prices of various guns and cannons at the Haojing Cannon Factory, and will present it to Your Highness later. Your Highness requires a 3,000-jin red cannon, and the Haojing Cannon Factory sells it for 2,500 taels."

When Zhu Lang heard what Pang Tianshou said, his face suddenly turned cold and he shouted:

"Two thousand five hundred taels, why don't they just go and rob them!"

"What do these Portuguese want to do? Take advantage of the situation?"

The price of a 300-jin Portuguese gun was only 40 taels of silver. Even if the price of a 3,000-jin heavy gun increased in proportion to its weight, it should only be 400 taels of silver. But now the Portuguese are asking for 2,500 taels of silver, which is more than six times higher. Isn't this taking advantage of the situation?

Pang Tianshou saw Zhu Lang's angry expression, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke

"When I was at the artillery factory, I also investigated the prices of guns and cannons from many sources to prevent the red barbarians from falsely reporting prices and deceiving the court."

"According to the craftsman I recruited, the heavier the cannon, the harder it is to cast. For a 3,000-jin red-haired heavy cannon like this, if a craftsman can cast ten cannons and only have two or three usable ones, he is considered a skilled craftsman. That is why the price of this heavy cannon has always been high."

"As far as I know, even when the Red Barbarian merchant ships ordered this kind of heavy artillery from the gun factory, the price was also this high."

Zhu Lang's expression froze when he heard this. He had previously bought small cannons and thought that the prices of cannons in this era were cheap, but now when he heard the price of this heavy cannon, his heart couldn't help but twitch.

If you want to knock down the city wall, a few heavy artillery pieces alone will not do. At least a dozen artillery pieces will have to attack simultaneously to achieve the desired effect.
According to the Portuguese offer, it would cost at least 40,000 to 50,000 taels of silver to organize the firepower for the siege.

Moreover, the artillery of this era is basically consumable. Even heavy artillery has a high chance of exploding. Once it explodes, the artillery can only be recycled as materials and has no value.

Heavy artillery is expensive, but after thinking it over, Zhu Lang decided to buy it.
This time when we enter Fujian, this artillery will definitely be of great use whether we are attacking or defending a city. If we don't buy it now, then we will have to fight desperately with our soldiers.
Although there is no shortage of people in this era, experienced soldiers who have experienced war are still valuable. Compared with the loss of the imperial guards, Zhu Lang would rather spend more money to buy cannons.

Just thinking about the cost, Zhu Lang still felt a pang of pain in his heart. He looked at Chen Zizhuang below and said

"The Arms Bureau must be built as soon as possible. After recruiting the blacksmiths, divide them into groups and try to cast heavy artillery directly."

"If the imperial court can forge its own cannons, the silver it spends on will be much lower. If it has to buy heavy cannons from the red barbarians in the future, the imperial court will not be able to afford to spend as much silver as it has."

Seeing Chen Zizhuang nod, Zhu Lang looked at Pang Tianshou below and asked:

"How many heavy artillery pieces are there in the Red Barbarian Artillery Factory now?"

"Heavy artillery is difficult to cast and is very expensive. If it is not custom-made, the artillery factory will basically not build it. Now there are only three guns available for purchase in the artillery factory."

"Three doors, how can this be enough?"

Zhu Lang frowned when he heard this. He bought heavy artillery at this time to prepare for attacking the city. It would take a long time for three artillery pieces to knock down the Qing army's wall.
"You must immediately return to Haojing and purchase 15 heavy artillery pieces from those red barbarians. The pieces must weigh more than 3,000 jin. Once you have purchased them, immediately load them onto a ship and send them to Chaozhou."

"And you have to find a way to lower the price. The court is buying so much, how can we buy all of it at the original price?"

Pang Tianshou was embarrassed when he heard this. He said

"Your Highness, I can think of a way to get the price, but in this artillery factory, there are only three heavy artillery pieces that meet your requirements. If you want more, I'm afraid you'll have to cast new ones."

"But I heard from the cannon maker that it would take at least a month to cast such a heavy cannon. I'm afraid it won't be done in a short time..."

"The Fujian Province will go to war at any time. I don't have time to wait for them to forge cannons. I want this cannon right away!"

Zhu Lang had a cold expression on his face, completely ignoring Pang Tianshou below, and said in a cold voice
"Although there are only three cannons in this Red Barbarian Cannon Factory, there must be more in other places. Apart from other things, there must be such cannons on these Red Barbarian ships."

"If the treasury is not enough, then let them dismantle the cannons on the ship. In short, when I arrive in Chaozhou, I must let this red barbarian take out fifteen heavy cannons."

Zhu Lang did not know how to cast a cannon, but he knew the origin of the Red Cannon. The so-called Red Cannon was actually the cannon on the Portuguese ships.
The first batch of red cannons obtained in the history of the Ming Dynasty were salvaged from Western shipwrecks off the coast of Guangdong and Fujian.
Pang Tianshou's expression became more and more embarrassed when he heard this. He said

"I have some understanding of the Red Barbarians. They came across the sea for maritime trade."

"The sea is in chaos right now. Without the cannons, I'm afraid these ships won't be able to sail and trade. Those red barbarians who come here for profit may not be willing to dismantle the cannons and serve the court."

Zhu Lang heard this, but his expression turned cold and he said

"It's not up to them. They can sell it if they want to, or they have to sell it if they don't want to!"

"The Ming court has shown great grace and allowed these red barbarians to live in Haojing for decades. They trade goods from the Central Plains every year and make countless profits. Now that the court is in danger of buying artillery from them, if they still dare to refuse, then these red barbarians are ungrateful and have evil intentions!"

"You should make it clear to those red barbarians. If they are unwilling to sell, then they don't need to live in Macau anymore. Let them get out as soon as possible."

"Otherwise, when I return from Fujian Province, I will definitely send troops to wipe out the red barbarians on the island."

"You live in my Ming land, but you don't obey the orders of my Ming court. What use do I have for this red barbarian?"

Lu Daqi and others below were also shocked when they saw Zhu Lang's murderous aura.

This Regent is good in every way except that he is too harsh. After the great victory in Guangzhou, he has become even more arbitrary.

However, despite this, no one among the ministers spoke up at this time, because the attitude of the ministers present was exactly the same as Zhu Lang's. They were just a few red barbarians who lived on the islands, not Tartars. How could they have the courage to negotiate with the court?
Pang Tianshou looked at the cold-looking Regent, and a trace of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He quickly responded that he had just defended the Red Barbarians, not to excuse them, but because he did not know how to deal with the matter and was afraid of messing up his job.
Now that His Highness has given the order, he will naturally follow it. Although those red barbarians have given him silver, that little silver is not worth the risk for him to make excuses for them.

Zhu Lang ignored Pang Tianshou's thoughts and looked at Su Guansheng below.
"Lord Su, I remember your last report that the righteous merchant Hai Shuzu who donated rice seemed to be a maritime merchant. You asked Hai Shuzu to send a search ship and go to Haojing with Pang Tianshou."

"Pang Tianshou, when you go to Haojing this time, first buy those three cannons, then load them directly onto a ship and ship them to Chaozhou, and then ask that red barbarian to bring out more cannons, do you understand?"

"I understand."

Pang Tianshou immediately agreed, and understood His Royal Highness the Regent's intention. The court bought the three cannons first, so that no matter what the attitude of the Red Barbarians was, the court could get the three heavy cannons first.
If the red barbarians obey orders and dismantle the cannons, then everyone will be happy. If the red barbarians finally choose to disobey the imperial order, then the imperial court can also weaken the firepower of the red barbarians in Macau.

Zhu Lang waved his hand, asking Pang Tianshou to leave, and then looked towards the hall and said

"During this expedition, Lord Chen and Lord He will stay in Guangzhou to continue to allocate food and grass from Guangdong and Guangxi to supply the front line. Lord Lu and Lord Su will take another hard trip and follow me to Fujian Province."

Chen Zizhuang and He Wuzuo were both from Guangdong Province, so they were just right for the task of raising food and money. Lu Daqi was familiar with the situation in Fujian Province and was the best candidate to go with the army.

"The troops in Guangzhou will leave 2,000 men to guard Guangzhou. The Longxiang Army led by Jiao Lian and the Tengxiang Army led by Ma Bao will follow the court to attack Fujian Province. Do you have any questions?"

Upon hearing this, the ministers below also responded directly.

This is the advantage of Zhu Lang personally leading the troops to the battle. When Zhu Lang personally led the troops, the entire army of the court could be dispatched to enter Fujian Province.
In addition to the 2,000 Longxiang troops staying in Guangzhou, Jiao Lian's 8,000 Longxiang troops, 17,000 Wuxiang troops, and Ma Baoteng's 6,000 Longxiang troops will all go to Fujian Province.

These 30,000 men were almost all the troops that could be mobilized by the court at the time. Zhu Lang wanted to take advantage of the Qing court's weakness at this time and prepare to drive the Qing army out of Fujian Province in one fell swoop!

Seeing that all the ministers nodded in agreement, Zhu Lang no longer hesitated and waved his hand to dismiss them.
As the ministers left, Guangzhou, which had just relaxed, began to speed up again like a tightened spring.

(End of this chapter)