Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 444: All Executed
The emergence of a new technology must have a corresponding usage environment and supporting measures, otherwise its fate will most likely be shelved.

Just like this rifling.

Because of its existence, the projectile will rotate at high speed due to friction when flying out of the barrel. Due to the relationship between friction and rotation, the projectile can not only resist the interference of air, but also its exit speed is greatly improved.

Don't underestimate this improvement in anti-interference ability and initial velocity.

The effective range of a rifled gun with added rifling is almost forty to fifty meters higher than that of a smoothbore gun with the same structure and material. It is no exaggeration to say that it crushes the smoothbore gun.

Normally speaking, this epoch-making invention would surely be sought after by all parties as soon as it came out, and it would only take a short time for it to be put into large-scale use.

But the reality is just the opposite.

The earliest record of rifling appeared in an Italian document in 1476, but it was nearly four hundred years before rifled guns were used on a large scale.

This is the result of no usage scenarios and supporting technologies.

While rifling improves accuracy and range, it also significantly reduces the reloading speed.

A skilled soldier can complete four smoothbore musket shots in one minute, and even six times in extreme cases. However, if it is switched to a rifled gun, not to mention achieving such a shooting speed, successfully loading bullets on the battlefield is almost as difficult as climbing to heaven.

As a result, in the hundreds of years after the invention of rifling, except for a few countries that equipped a small number of them, rifled guns became synonymous with impracticality.

This situation lasted for nearly four hundred years until something called the Minié bomb appeared.

The Minié bullet is made of a mixture of lead and tin. Its diameter is slightly smaller than the barrel, and it has a depression at the bottom.

This shape can be smoothly loaded into a rifled barrel. If cork is stuffed into the depression, the edge of the bullet can be pushed to fit tightly against the barrel after the gunpowder is ignited.

In this way, the Minié bullet perfectly solved the problem of difficulty in loading the rifled gun without destroying the airtightness of the musket. The rifled gun replaced the smoothbore gun in a short period of time, and the scene of queuing for execution disappeared.

Of course, Wang Quangui had no idea about this simple yet tortuous process. He just followed the ideas provided by the emperor and put things into reality one by one, but this was unacceptable to Zhu Cilang.

In the final analysis, he wanted to use this strange and erotic skill to train engineers and scientists for the Ming Dynasty.

Otherwise, if the current situation continues to develop, the production of self-propelled guns will inevitably reach a terrifying level within a few years. By then, even if the Ming army can advance all the way, it can directly wipe out the Tatars. Why bother making these instruments?

"Well, not bad," Zhu Cilang said, and then he put the gun barrel back to its original position, and then looked at Li Yongmao again: "Call all the master craftsmen from each academy."

Under normal circumstances, as soon as His Majesty spoke, someone would respond. But this time, everyone present was stunned for a moment, and only when His Majesty's eyes swept over did someone go out to pass on the order.

"Your Majesty, should they bring the steam engine as well?"

"No need."

Seeing that His Majesty just waved his hand to reject his proposal, Li Yongmao immediately became confused.

Man Yingtian knew how much importance His Majesty attached to the factory, but although the factory was divided into so many courtyards, His Majesty still valued the new musket No. A and the steam engine No. B the most.

Needless to say, the muskets were very important. As soon as they arrived, they went straight into Courtyard A. However, the steam engine in Courtyard B was also made under the guidance of Your Majesty. Why didn't they even take a look at it after arriving here?
As his mind turned, Li Yongmao finally suppressed his doubts. Later, the craftsmen from various academies arrived one after another, but he put on a forced smile.

As far as he knew, His Majesty was not the kind of person who would start something great but not finish it. The fact that he only looked at the musket and did not look at anything else must be because he was dissatisfied.

But where does this dissatisfaction come from?
The rifled gun barrel has been trial-produced. Even though the output is lower, this location is near the river, so building a hydraulic drill is not a difficult task.

According to Li Yongmao's estimation, this section could add at least forty large water wheels, which would easily ensure a monthly output of six to seven hundred water wheels.

What's more, Jiangnan has a dense network of waterways, so there is no need to worry about the lack of places to set up water wheels. If one really wants to equip the entire army with new muskets, all one needs to do is build more water wheels, and there is no need to feel dissatisfied.

"Minister, everyone is here."

Just when Li Yongmao was thinking, Wang Quangui on the side whispered something. Then he saw several figures gathering not far away. They waved their hands, and the craftsmen came straight over here.

Needless to say, there was a greeting and praise. When the craftsmen were all excited by His Majesty's words, Li Yongmao gradually tasted some of the flavor.

"I am usually away leading troops, so I have few opportunities to be with you all. I am delighted to see you today, but I also have some requests for you all."

As soon as the voice fell, everyone present was shocked. Zhu Cilang paused for a moment before continuing: "The first thing is to learn to read. Let's not talk about those over fifty years old, but those below fifty years old must learn the Thousand Character Classic."

“Hiss~~~~~.”

After these words were spoken, the master craftsmen did not react much, but there were several gasps of shock from the apprentices around them.

Before the Thousand Character Classic was the Hundred Family Surnames, and before that was the Three Character Classic. These enlightenment books were nothing to a scholar, but for these craftsmen who could not even write their own names, they were an extremely arduous task.

"The second is inheritance. I know that teaching an apprentice will make the master starve to death, but now is different from the past. All skills must be integrated to make further progress. If you still cherish your own skills, you will become a person who lives off your ancestors' capital." Zhu Cilang paused at this point. Seeing that the faces of the masters were unnatural, he smiled and said, "It is said that the emperor does not need hungry soldiers. Later, I will let Li Qing compile the skills of each academy into a book. If there are contributors, I will not hesitate to reward them."

When the news spread, the faces of the craftsmen looked much better.

After all, they have all witnessed His Majesty's generosity, and now that the precious words have come out of His Majesty's mouth, they don't need to worry too much.

Zhu Cilang had anticipated the reactions of the master craftsmen.

As the times have developed to this point, ensuring the interests of innovators is the cornerstone of progress, and the establishment of the patent system cannot be delayed in the slightest.

Zhu Cilang had a clear understanding and firm determination in this regard, but he was not an idle and ignorant young man. He knew that everything in governing a big country had to be done step by step.

Therefore, he only mentioned the reward but did not say anything about patents or anything like that.

"Third." As the requirements were laid out one by one, the mood of everyone present changed again and again. After a long time, Zhu Cilang's voice was no longer heard, and the master craftsmen felt that it was coming to an end. But when they were about to cheer, the voice of His Majesty came again.

"There is one more thing," Zhu Cilang paused, and after a slight hesitation, he turned his attention back to the master craftsmen. "The reason why humans are human is that they use the power of nature. Suiren used fire, Shennong used farming, and today the power of rivers can also be used by humans. Looking to the future, steam machinery will also have great prospects. You have to spend more time thinking about how to use it."

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty."

As soon as Zhu Cilang finished speaking, there was a roar of applause. Afterwards, the master craftsmen from various courtyards left one after another, leaving only him and Li Yongmao under the thatched cottage.

Honestly speaking, the previous requirements regarding details were understandable to both the master craftsman and the apprentice, but the last sentence was confusing to even Li Yongmao, not to mention the illiterate craftsman.

The power of rivers is fine, and if used properly it can indeed make many things simpler, but the steam engine is just a larger kettle. Your Majesty actually puts it on the same level as Suiren and Shennong, which is somewhat an exaggeration.

As his thoughts turned, Li Yongmao began to have some doubts, but before he could open his mouth to ask, Zhu Cilang's voice came first.

"Li Qing, do you understand my last sentence?"

"Your Majesty, please forgive my dullness."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded slightly, obviously having made some guesses.

In fact, he could have told the craftsmen all the uses of the steam engine, and even watched them make a few finished products. However, he hesitated again and again and did not do so. Instead, he made some general remarks that left everyone confused.

This is not because he is being too proud of himself.

In the final analysis, what he knew was limited after all. If he could not cultivate a fertile soil for innovation and development in the Ming Dynasty, no matter how many novel things he could point out, he would eventually be overtaken by others like navigation and machinery.

Then
"You have seen the steam engine, but have you ever thought that it would eventually replace oxen and horses in plowing the fields? Have you ever thought of using it to drive warships?"

"This"

"Okay, I know you haven't thought about it. You just need to know that it can be used for everything that requires strength." Zhu Cilang paused for a moment, and when he saw Li Yongmao's surprised expression, he continued, "You don't need to mention this to the master craftsmen. Your task is not to deal with trivial matters, but to pay more attention to people with wild and imaginative minds."

Having said this, regardless of whether Li Yongmao could understand the meaning or not, he could only obey the order. Afterwards, Zhu Cilang left the factory. As for what kind of sparks would be created here as a result of his arrival, he could only leave it to fate.

From the perspective of others, this trip was a fruitful one.

The design of the flintlock rifle had been completed, and it could be mass-produced by simply installing a hand drill on a water wheel. The steam engine and textile machine had also made considerable progress, and everything could be said to be going extremely smoothly.

But Zhu Cilang still didn't find what he wanted to see, and he felt a little depressed on the way back to the palace.

According to his original idea, craftsmen were mostly industrial workers of this era, but after this trip, he was disappointed to find that the craftsmen represented by the master craftsmen were almost just turning things around, and were not as advanced as he had expected.

He also knew that there was nothing he could do about it.

Craftsmen in the late Ming Dynasty had become like slaves. Not to mention their subjective initiative, they only did the jobs they were assigned perfunctorily.

Although he built something called a "factory" at this time, it would take a long time to train real industrial workers, and he could not be too demanding and too harsh on the craftsmen who had been slaves for most of their lives.

But then again, although the factory matter is important, Zhu Cilang, as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, cannot possibly focus all his attention on it.

After he returned to the palace, the little disappointment he brought from the factory had long been thrown out of his mind, and the emperor of the Ming Dynasty devoted his energy to one government matter after another.

The developments in Zhejiang need to be kept under constant watch. News from the southwest and central south also keep coming. Things like the maritime trade group and the reclamation group are all considered extremely important. By the time Zhu Cilang had some free time, fifteen or sixteen days had passed.

"Zhou Quan, is there any reward from Zhang Pengyi?"

Looking up at the bright sunshine, Zhu Cilang asked Zhou Quan behind him.

These days, apart from paying his respects to Empress Dowager Zou on time, he has been staying in the East Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace. Only after he has dealt with all the backlog of government affairs in one go did he feel like strolling around the Imperial Garden.

But this man was used to being busy and would always find ways to find things to do. It was only after an incense stick or two that he thought of Ryukyu.

That day, after Jin Yingyuan reported the situation in Ryukyu truthfully, he immediately sent Lu Shaochun to take control of the Ryukyu delegation.

Afterwards, he did not weigh the pros and cons and immediately passed the order to Shen Tingyang.

Of course, this old minister's main job was to build ships, and he was not good at leading troops in battle. Moreover, he had become the de facto admiral of the navy, so it was not his responsibility to deal with a bunch of Japanese pirates.

Therefore, although this imperial edict fell into Shen Tingyang's hands, its content was to ask Zhang Pengyi to wipe out the Japanese army entrenched in Ryukyu, and then go to Satsuma Domain to demand accountability.

According to the opinions of the ministers, Zheng Sen, who had lived in Japan for many years, was actually more suitable for this job than Zhang Pengyi.

After all, the main purpose of this move is to bring an army to bear with the support of powerful military force, not to really do anything to Japan. With the Zheng family's connections in Japan, communication will be more convenient, and the situation will not develop to an uncontrollable point.

But Zhu Cilang finally let Zhang Pengyi, who was stationed in Taiwan, take over this task, and even sent a huge fleet of more than ten main battleships. With such a configuration, not to mention the small Japan, it could even fight against the Dutch. The ministers were naturally very surprised.

However, although it was unexpected, the court officials did not raise any objections.

Going back to the roots, although Japan was a country that Taizu had stipulated would not be conquered, they dared to send troops to Korea during the Wanli period, and now they were recklessly trying to steal Ryukyu's tribute qualification.

It is reasonable to teach such ambitious people a lesson, otherwise the surrounding vassal states will really feel that the Ming Dynasty is on the decline and is no longer the Celestial Empire it once was.

"Your Majesty, General Zhang sent a message last night saying that the Ryukyu royal family has been rescued and the 3,000 Japanese invaders who were entrenched on the island have all been killed. They were preparing to go to Japan when the message was sent."

(End of this chapter)