The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 137 Knowledge is power
The ceremony of conferring honors on meritorious officials ended like this, which could be regarded as a summary of Zhu Yuanzhang's actions since he started his rebellion.

Everyone also understands that although some people may be able to advance their titles or have the opportunity to achieve great achievements and be granted titles and become generals, the difficulty has obviously increased.

Some patterns have basically been formed, but once these patterns are formed, it is not easy to break them.

Although Ma Xun and Liu Shuning were reluctant to let Liu Bowen go, they still sent him out of the city. Seeing Liu Shuning crying, Ma Xun naturally felt distressed.

But no matter how sad he was, there was nothing he could do, so Liu Bowen just retired and returned home.

Now think about it, Liu Bowen has retired after achieving his goal. He is now away from the troubled times and can do what he likes.

This can be considered a relatively good ending. Moreover, it is not necessarily an absolute ending. It is possible to recover in the future.

"Uncle, we're not going to train today, are we?" Chang Mao ran over and said, "It's raining outside, we can't go to train."

Ma Xun said without even turning his head, "No, it's been raining these few days, and if you guys get frozen, I won't be able to report to you."

Chang Mao nodded. This was not a preferential treatment for them, and the army would not conduct training on such rainy days.

But Chang Mao was very curious, "Uncle, what are you busy with again?"

"Didn't you see I was reading?" Ma Xun said, "Your Uncle Tang is about to go to Sichuan, and I was thinking of helping him."

Chang Mao said with a smile, "Uncle, if you take me to join the army, Tang Bo will definitely be happy."

It is difficult for most people to lead a teammate like me. If a burden like you is added, even the most capable person will find it difficult to lead the team.

What's more, Tang He is a character who can act like a demon in one scene and a god in another. Who knows whether he will be the backbone of the whole team or the main player who drags down the team when he goes to play against Sichuan this time?

Chang Mao was not willing to be lonely, so he came over curiously and asked, "Uncle, what book are you reading?"

"Local chronicles, local chronicles." Ma Xun said casually, "Let's see if there are any good things in Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou. Have you heard of rattan armor soldiers?"

Chang Mao immediately shook his head. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms had not yet been published, so the rattan armor soldiers were basically unknown.

What's more, there is still controversy as to whether rattan armor existed in history.

Chang Mao said with a smile, "Rattan armor, this thing doesn't sound reliable. If vines and other things can be made into armor, I might as well find some wood boards and cloth, which can be used as protective gear when the time comes."

Then Chang Mao continued with a smile, "Wooden boards are fine. It seems that someone has used them before. Refugees and bandits don't have weapons and armor, so they just use pot lids and fire sticks. Uncle also has cloth armor, which looks so nice to wear!"

This kid can't be kept anymore. He will have to be taught a lesson sooner or later. This is more than just the first time that Ma Xun's lungs have been pierced.

Seeing Chang Mao running away with a smile on his face, Ma Xun couldn't help but laugh as well.

I took a look at the cloth armor hanging in the study. It was indeed majestic. It looked nice and comfortable to wear, but it had no real protective power.

Liu Shuning came over with tea and said with a smile, "Chang Mao is less and less afraid of you now."

"Let alone Chang Mao, how many of my nephews are afraid of me?" Ma Xun said with a smile, "There is not much difference in age, it's just because of my seniority, otherwise they would have to treat me as their eldest brother."

Liu Shuning smiled and said, "You and His Royal Highness seem close, and sometimes it doesn't seem like there's a generation difference between you."

Ma Xun also meant the same thing. He and Zhu Biao were only five years apart in age, so there was almost no age difference between them.

Zhu Yuanzhang was six years older than Xu Da, and sometimes they referred to each other as brothers. At that time, Zhu Wenzheng was only eight years younger than Zhu Yuanzhang.

This is really the case when the eldest son is from the youngest branch of the family. Zhu Yuanzhang had such an experience, and Ma Xun now feels the same way.

Liu Shuning picked up the book and said with a smile, "My husband likes these local chronicles the most."

"It's most interesting to see the local customs and local chronicles." Ma Xun did not hide his thoughts. "Nowadays, information is not convenient. Let alone things thousands of miles away, many people have never even been to the county town."

Liu Shuning was naturally aware of this. Many people's understanding of the outside world was basically within the scope of states and counties.

Even for those who are well-read, it is difficult to understand the series of events outside. Even if there are many records in books, it is not easy to understand if you have not seen it with your own eyes.

Liu Shuning said to Ma Xun with some envy, "You have traveled all over the world and seen many beautiful places."

This is also true. Ma Xun has been to many places.

Seeing Ma Xun nod, Liu Shuning also praised him, "Nowadays, many people only like to read books of sages. They say they want to learn the ways of sages, but many people do it for fame and fortune."

Ma Xun said nonchalantly, "That's because my current status is different. I don't have to worry about food, clothing, or the future of my descendants, so I can naturally read books with peace of mind. Otherwise, I would have to think about cheating to make a living."

Reading a variety of books can help him calm down. This is because Ma Xun has sufficient material foundation, otherwise how could he have such a comfortable life now.

Liu Shuning asked curiously, "My husband, have you found anything interesting now?" "Not bad, I want to see what specialties there are in Yunnan and Guizhou." Ma Xun said with a smile, "Now I found out that there seems to be more copper in Guizhou, which may be helpful to the court."

Liu Shuning immediately asked, "There are copper mines in Guizhou?"

The Ming Dynasty was short of copper, and many people knew this. If there were better copper mines in Guizhou, Zhu Yuanzhang would definitely take action immediately, and the army might have been dispatched immediately.

Zhu Yuanzhang was a pragmatist. He could do anything if he could be given enough benefits.

"It may not be a big mine." Ma Xun said with a smile, "I have only found some clues from a few words. I will ask the prince to arrange people to search carefully later."

Liu Shuning was accustomed to Ma Xun's behavior and didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Ma Xun read a lot of books himself, and found some clues and clues in the books. He then reported to Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao, asking them to arrange for the people in the headquarters to further organize the information and detailed clues in the vast sea of books.

This seems to be the case now. If there really is a copper mine in Guizhou that can solve the urgent needs of the Ming Dynasty, it must be taken seriously.

Such things cannot be accomplished by Ma Xun alone; such things still require more reliance on the power of the imperial court.

Ma Xun also continued, "I have nothing to do, so I went to see the chieftains in Yunnan and Guizhou. They have not been very obedient to the Central Plains dynasty since the end of the Tang Dynasty, and it is difficult to govern them."

Liu Shuning didn't have any impression of this, because even though she read a lot, she didn't pay much attention to these things.

Ma Xiuying likes to read history books, Ma Xun reads everything, and Liu Shuning prefers astronomy, etc. This is all due to personal interests and current identities.

The young couple still had some common topics to talk about, after all, they had both read some books.

Although there are some differences in interests, hobbies and expertise, fortunately they are willing to listen to each other's interests.

Ma Xun often asked Liu Shuning some very basic questions about astronomy, and Liu Shuning also often asked Ma Xun for advice on some knowledge that she was not good at.

Every man has his own strengths, so just be patient and communicate. Even if you are answering some basic questions, you can still review what you have learned and learn something new.

As the couple was talking, Xu E came over and said, "Master, the wife of Duke Zheng wants you to come over."

Ma Xun asked, "Just invite Madam over? Didn't you ask me to come over for a cup of tea as well?"

Liu Shuning and Xu E were also used to some of Ma Xun's "carelessness".

Xu E smiled and explained, "Duke Zheng's wife said that she wanted you to go over to help mend your wedding dress. Duke Zheng is in the Grand Commander's Mansion now, and no one wants to talk to the master or drink tea with him."

"Engagement at the beginning of the new year, marriage in April." Ma Xun calculated, "We should hurry up, but we have to get married around the New Year."

Zhu Biao and Chang Wan will be getting married next year, and everyone knows this. Now they just have to wait for Zhu Yuanzhang to issue an official decree, and then Li Zhen and Ma Xun will go to the door to present the betrothal gifts.

Liu Shuning took Xu E to the next door to help with needlework, while Ma Xun drank tea comfortably and read a book with his legs on the desk.

After reading for an entire afternoon, Ma Xun stood up, stretched, and looked at the hanging cloth armor with pride.

It looks majestic and is light to wear. It is the best to wear during military parades. Unfortunately, it has no protective power.

It is really rare to wear light and protective armor, especially in some special battlefield environments, it would definitely be more useful to have some light armor.

What is more popular in the army now is the Ming armor, which is made of iron armor. It has excellent protective power but is very heavy.

There is also hidden armor, which is covered with cloth on the outside and inlaid with iron leaves on the inside. It is lighter but has less protective power.

The armor-wearing rate in the army is now very high. Take a garrison as an example, there are basically 5,600 people, but there are 2,000 sets of visible armor and more than 600 sets of hidden armor. The infantry also has a very high armor-wearing rate.

In addition to these formal armors, there are also auxiliary armors such as "arms and hands".

Ma Xun, who was thinking seriously, suddenly patted his head and said, "I don't know how good the rattan armor is, but the paper armor is proven!"

Paper armor began to appear in the Tang and Song dynasties. Its advantages are that it is strong and light.

Especially during the Song Dynasty, light infantry and navy preferred paper armor. The Ming army basically disliked paper armor, not because of its high cost, but because although this kind of armor has excellent defense, it cannot withstand moisture.

When fighting in Yunnan and Guizhou, would paper armor be more suitable?

Thinking about these things, Ma Xun started to get serious.

In history, Qi Jiguang seemed to be particularly fond of paper armor because this kind of armor was suitable for fighting in the southern region.

Weapons don't necessarily just look powerful; suitability is more important!

(End of this chapter)