The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 78: All Good News (Please Order First!)
Now that I have entered the palace, I must go to Ma Xiuying and talk to Li Zhen by the way.

Fortunately, he is married now, so it is convenient for him to enter and leave the palace.

When Ma Xun got home, he immediately called the craftsman and asked, "How is the bow being made?"

The craftsman Lao Zhao replied, "My Lord, everything else is easy to make, but we have never made a bow before, so we need to figure it out."

Generally, the bow body is made of materials such as ox horn, wood and tendon, and the bow arm has a bamboo or wooden bow frame. These are actually not difficult to make and not too expensive.

Many materials are now available, but the bow that Ma Xun wants to make is a little special, so these craftsmen are unsure.

There is no need to worry about large-scale equipment. In history, the cost of Qing bows was not expensive, and the cost of bows in different places was different. In Zhili, it cost one tael and five cents of silver, while in some places it was one tael or nine cents and five cents.

Ma Xun took the crude bow arm, which was about 1.5 meters long. Compared with some bows nowadays, this length was more than a circle longer.

"The bow tip should be made longer." Ma Xun took a closer look and offered his opinion, "And don't forget the bow pad. There's no need to think about exquisiteness or luxury, this is for ordinary soldiers."

Hearing what Ma Xun said, Lao Zhao and other craftsmen breathed a sigh of relief. What they were most worried about was making bows and arrows for some nobles, which required extremely high standards and exquisiteness.

If you just consider ordinary standard weapons, it's not too difficult. They make a living from this, and it's their job.

Ma Xun suddenly remembered and said, "The arrows should be longer, the shafts should be thicker, and the arrowheads should have more patterns."

He Da next to him immediately said, "Uncle, there are many kinds of arrows in the army."

This means that Ma Xun doesn't need to worry too much. Some things are already available and just need to be slightly improved.

If you want to make a Qing bow, it is not enough to simply lengthen the bow tip and the bow arm.

He Da then put forward his own opinion, "My Lord, I think the bow tip is a bit long. If it is a little shorter, it will save a lot of effort."

Ma Xun immediately became serious. Sometimes bows are just a general term. Even the Qing Dynasty bows have different types.

There is a power bow for practicing strength, a hunting bow that saves the most effort, and a war bow used in warfare.

Old Zhao also said, "If you really want to shoot the arrow, you need to thin the bow arm a little bit. It's not good to be too thick, right?"

Ma Xun would naturally listen carefully to the opinions of professional bow makers, and would also consider the suggestions of military users like He Da.

He Da suddenly asked, "Uncle, how tall does one have to be to be able to pull such a long bow?"

Old Zhao said first, "I think it's not difficult to draw the bow, but it's hard to shoot the arrow."

The traditional Qing bow has a pulling force of 60 to 200 pounds, and most trained archers can pull it. If you encounter a strongman, you can use a stronger one.

Ma Xun took the bow with a smile, slightly turned sideways, stuck out his hips, and gestured the posture of drawing a bow, "Isn't this just pulling it open? The arrow will be shot out without touching the ground."

He Da was stunned. The posture of the uncle shooting arrows was ugly. It must be inconvenient to use such a large bow and long-term workers.

Seeing the shocked expressions of He Da and others, Ma Xun just smiled. This was something he had expected.

Although being handsome is a lifelong thing, the first thing to consider on the battlefield is to survive and kill the enemy. You don’t have to care about whether you are handsome or not.

After carefully explaining some of his ideas and requirements, Ma Xun returned to his study. He didn't need to follow up on the bow-making matter all the time.

Ma Xun returned to the study, read a book, and slowly his heart calmed down.

In the evening, Liu Shuning walked into the study, "Husband, father asked you to avoid the morning court if you can."

Even though Liu Bowen said in front of Ma Xun that he could rest assured, he was still worried in private that his son-in-law was being cheated.

This is easy to understand. Even though Ma Xun is very steady and cautious, he can't help but worry. He has only been in the capital for a year, and he has been on the battlefield for most of the year. What experience can he have in officialdom?
The status of the emperor's uncle can only help him avoid being severely punished by the emperor and the empress. However, if he gets involved in some political struggles, he will most likely be used as a gun.

Ma Xun said to Liu Shuning with some pride, "My father-in-law is thoughtful, but I dare not say anything else, but he is very capable in saving his life and escaping."

Hearing Ma Xun say this, Liu Shuning felt relieved. "The court is quite strange right now. It's better for my husband to be careful."

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that since Li Shanchang retired, competition within the civil service group has suddenly become fierce, and various interest groups want to become the new person in charge of the Secretariat.

If you think about it a little more, the retirement of Li Shanchang, the prime minister with outstanding ability and high prestige, might be what Your Majesty had in mind. Your Majesty was worried that Prime Minister Li would control the government for a long time and become too powerful to be removed.

As for Li Shanchang's retirement, it was Ma Xun's "diagnosis", and he also played a role in fueling the incident.

In the current situation, many people are cautious, even a veteran like Li Shanchang is taking every step carefully.

Ma Xun's job was very simple, he just went to court again and continued to petition the emperor to confer titles on the kings. He petitioned once but was rejected by the emperor, so he petitioned again, and this time the emperor softened his attitude.

There was another time, which was also "three requests and three refusals". Everyone knew that the emperor would definitely confer the title of prince on all the princes next.

"Or else make a string groove at the tip." Ma Xun returned to the mansion after leaving the court and continued to focus on the manufacture of the bow. "I still think the bow arm needs to be strengthened. I want to shoot heavy arrows."

A long bow tip will inevitably increase the burden on the bow arm, but it also strengthens the leverage effect, which is suitable for shooting heavy arrows.

He Da was standing by and offering advice, "Uncle, why don't we use cotton strings first?"

Bowstrings are not necessarily made of cow tendons. Cotton strings and silk strings are also common bowstring materials.

Ma Xun thought it made sense and immediately said, "Try out a few bows first. You don't need the best materials. You must measure the tension, the aim, and the stability."

Lao Zhao and others quickly took note. Although the bow designed by the king's uncle was a bit strange, everyone got the clue.

In the final analysis, this bow looks special, but in essence it is not much different from other bows and is not difficult to manufacture.

While Ma Xun was still making the bow, a eunuch came running over happily, "My Lord, great joy!"

Ma Xun was stunned for a moment, "What's the big news?"

The young eunuch immediately said, "General Xu defeated Wang Baobao in Shen'eryu and captured his generals Yan Fengxian, Han Zhaer, Li Chahan Buhua and others alive. Wang Baobao fled to Helin with only his wife and several others."

Not to mention Ma Xun, He Da and others were all excited. This meant that the Northwest had been stabilized.

The young eunuch continued, "The general captured more than 1,800 Yuan officials alive and more than 80,000 soldiers!"

This was indeed a great joy, as the threat from the north was almost completely eliminated. After Wang Baobao was driven out of Ningxia, the Yuan court completely lost the initiative in confronting the Ming Dynasty.

Ma Xun took Liu Shuning into the palace immediately. They had to go to congratulate on such a big happy event, as it was a matter of great importance to the country.

All the civil and military officials in the court were rejoicing over Xu Da's great victory, and soon another piece of good news came.

Emperor Shundi of Yuan Dynasty fell seriously ill in the first month of the year, and the crown prince became regent. At the end of April, Emperor Shundi of Yuan Dynasty passed away, and Emperor Huidi of Yuan Dynasty ascended the throne.

Li Wenzhong sent people to find out the situation and led his army to attack Yingchang day and night. Emperor Yuan Hui fled in panic, but his son Maidelibala, concubines, palace maids, kings, generals and hundreds of officials were captured.

Everyone thought that beating Zhang Shicheng into fleeing in fear was the peak of Li Wenzhong's military career, but this time he was even more ruthless and almost wiped out all the royal family members of the Yuan court!

The north was almost worry-free. Emperor Hui of Yuan fled from Beiping to Kaiping and then to Yingchang. The current Yuan Dynasty can be called the Northern Yuan, the Old Yuan, and the Remnant Yuan.

Chang Yuchun also brought good news. Huoerhuda's army in Yunzhou, Hebei was completely destroyed, making it a complete luxury for the Mongols to move south.

The three armies won a great victory almost at the same time. This seemingly powerful victory, like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, was also reasonable.

"Now there is nothing to worry about in the north. No wonder Li Shanchang was allowed to retire earlier." Ma Xun pondered carefully, "Now is the time to start seizing power. There are almost no external threats."

Although forces such as Nahachu in Liaodong, Mingsheng in Sichuan, King Yuanliang and the Duan family in Yunnan and Guizhou still exist, they will not be a real threat to the Ming Dynasty.

Next comes the time for domestic affairs, when the emperor will begin to centralize power.

This also means that many civil officials will begin to fight for power and the arrogance and domineering of military generals will emerge.

Without external threats, many people will naturally shift the main points of conflict to other places.

Seeing Ma Xun and Liu Shuning coming hand in hand, Zhu Yuanzhang joked, "My dear brother, your broken bow is useless. Baoer almost captured the Yuan Emperor. The Tartars are no longer a threat!"

Ma Xun said unhappily, "Why is it useless? The Yuan Tartars have not been destroyed, the Yuan emperor has not been captured, and Wang Baobao is still in Khara-Khara. The court will definitely continue to use troops."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed out loud, "This Wang Baobao is really good at escaping, just like Emperor Yuan!"

Emperor Yuan Hui and Wang Baobao were indeed masters of escape. Many times they slipped away with a few or dozens of people. Even loaches were easier to catch than them!

Li Zhen also smiled and said, "Then I will have a few children as soon as possible, and then I will lead Baoer to capture Emperor Yuan."

"Brother-in-law, it's Bao'er who's leading me, right?" Ma Xun said with a smile, "Bao'er is the Marquis of Guanjun and the General of the Cavalry of our Ming Dynasty. When my bow is ready, let him take me to the battle!"

Everyone in the courtyard laughed. The three armies had won brilliant victories, and the imperial court was no longer threatened by foreign threats. Li Wenzhong had performed so well, and the whole family was of course extremely happy and proud!
Ma Xun was not worried at all that his bow would be useless, as he knew it would definitely come in handy after it was made.

(End of this chapter)