Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 109 The Embroidered Uniform Guard! What a fine Embroidered Uniform Guard!!

The silence was broken by a rapid knocking.

The man, who was always very polite and dressed like a scholar, nodded reluctantly to the person who opened the door and then quickly went inside.

Their steps were hurried, almost as if they were running.

Upon arriving at the depths of this secluded courtyard, one could faintly hear the sounds of string and wind instruments, along with laughter.

In recent days, perhaps because a huge weight has finally been lifted from his heart, Wu Liang has spent almost half of his time here.

The visitor was Wu Liang's confidant, who knew his master's temperament.

At times like these, it's most annoying to be disturbed by others.

But this time the incident happened suddenly and the situation was urgent, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and come.

"Master! Master! We have distinguished guests at home!"

He shouted.

It drowned out the sounds of string and wind instruments and suppressed the soft whispers and singing.

Wu Liang, whose mood had been ruined, was immediately enraged, his eyes bulging out one at a time.

"I won't see him. Let him wait!"

His voice, filled with anger, rang out.

I've been busy for so long, worrying a lot about the large ship project, but now that everything has settled down, I can finally relax.

Now, all this has ruined my mood!
Old Gao is getting more and more clueless.

They actually came here looking for me, and then started yelling at the top of their lungs.

"Sir, this is truly an honored guest, an extremely honored guest. You should meet him as soon as possible."

The tall, thin man continued to shout, his voice tinged with anxiety.

Upon hearing this, Wu Liang, though still furious, stood up and ordered someone to quickly help him change his clothes.

Even after he had already said all that, Lao Gao still wouldn't give up.

It seems we have some really important guests at home.

There are very few people in the entire Ming Dynasty who can be called an honored guest by Lao Gao and who insist on coming here to ask him to go back.

There are only two here in the capital now.

One is to ascend to the throne, and the other is to become the crown prince.

Normally, whether it's the emperor or the crown prince, they would notify the family in advance if they wanted to visit.

Why are you coming here without saying a word?

Why?
Suppressing his doubts, Wu Liang quickly walked out of the house.

Old Gao hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to greet him.

Wu Liang didn't ask any questions, but simply led Lao Gao outside.

Once outside, as he boarded the carriage, Wu Liang's legs suddenly went weak, and he almost fell.

He was helped up by Lao Gao.

Wu Liang boarded the carriage without changing his expression and waved for Lao Gao to get on as well.

"Is it the one who has ascended to the throne, or the crown prince?"

He leaned back, half-lying there, and looked at Lao Gao, asking a question.

"Sir, it's not a distinguished guest, it's...it's about the ship; the Emperor has discovered it!"

The old man lowered his voice and leaned closer to Wu Liang to tell him the truth.

"What?! The Emperor has discovered the sale of the ships?!"

Wu Liang jolted awake, and his languid and tired demeanor vanished instantly.

I feel much more energetic now.

He jumped up in a flash, as if his backside was on fire.

With a loud 'bang,' he was startled and bumped his head against the carriage.

Judging from the noise, the impact was clearly quite severe.

But he couldn't care less about that at the moment, and didn't even realize he had been hit.

He just stared intently at Lao Gao.

Amidst the fear, there was also a great deal of disbelief.

They've done this three times before; this is the fourth time, so they're incredibly skilled at it.

Longjiang Shipyard is under its own management.

Jin Shu, the supervisor of the treasure ship, was also his confidant and very capable.

When the Longjiang Shipyard was first built, it was still at war with Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng and others.

To prevent the treasure shipyard built outside the city from being destroyed by the enemy and causing significant losses.

Upon arriving at the capital, he immediately ordered the construction of high city walls to enclose the area.

It was built to be extremely sturdy.

There have always been soldiers stationed there.

Although there is no longer any war now, the shipyard is no longer under martial law as it used to be.

The soldiers also withdrew.

But the walls are still there, and the system is still there.

The shipyard rarely interacts with the outside world.

Behind closed doors, it becomes a separate, independent territory.

Chang Jinshu, the magistrate, was the local tyrant of the Longjiang Shipyard.

He has always been cautious in his actions.

This whole thing happened within the territory of the two brothers, so how did the emperor find out?
impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
This completely unexpected news was like a bolt from the blue for Wu Liang.

"Master, this... has been discovered by the Emperor."

"We have received definite news..."

As Lao Gao spoke, he lowered his voice even further and whispered in Wu Liang's ear.

Wu Liang listened attentively, his expression constantly changing.

A moment later, he suddenly plopped back down on the stool.

I don't know if my legs were always weak, or if they're even weaker now.

His expression was extremely unpleasant, and his legs were trembling slightly uncontrollably.

Clearly, what Lao Gao said earlier was very convincing to Wu Liang.

He has come to believe that this thing, which he believes should absolutely not happen, is true.

Jinyiwei!
What a fine Imperial Guard!
We finally managed to get the emperor to abolish the Imperial Inspectorate, and now the Embroidered Uniform Guard has appeared!

Take the emperor's sudden abolition of the Imperial Guard Commandery and the establishment of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, for example. This was no simple matter.

Although there was a pretext to purge Cao Xiu, it still felt somewhat abrupt.

In retrospect, the emperor was indeed harboring malicious intentions!

What a good idea!

They really showed absolutely no mercy!
The newly established Embroidered Uniform Guard secretly reinstated its function as a secret agent.

Moreover, it's even more excessive than the initial inspection.

In the past, the main responsibility of inspectors was to gather intelligence on the enemy.

The covert surveillance of officials was merely incidental.

Judging from the current situation, the main function of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is to secretly monitor officials!

How many lives and how many merits did the two brothers have served the emperor?

But he was the emperor's confidant.

Now, the emperor actually distrusts his own brother so much that he secretly sends the Embroidered Uniform Guard to monitor him.

That's really going too far!

Such behavior truly chills the hearts of loyal ministers!
"Quickly, immediately send a message to Chang Jinshu, telling him to set fire to the Longjiang Shipyard."

They burned the account books and the place where the large ship was stored!

"We need to be fast!"

After closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths, Marquis Wu Liang of Jiangyin opened his eyes.

He gave the order in a somewhat low voice.

He didn't want to do this kind of thing in the first place.

If things just pass peacefully, that's fine.

But now, the emperor, so utterly heartless, has actually discovered this matter.

So he had no choice but to bring out the fire dragon.

Originally, the Longjiang Shipyard only needed to lose twelve large ships of two thousand liters each, and that would have been the end of it.

Now, because of the emperor's incompetence, it is necessary to set off a great fire.

They burned even more ships, houses, and piles of shipbuilding materials.

It will also cost the lives of many innocent people.

All of this is because the emperor was not benevolent!
"Tell Chang Jinshu that I will take good care of his family."

This way, he won't have to worry about anything.

He uses all his money for his family.

I will also guarantee that they will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of their lives.

I will do everything in my power to cure his son's illness.

If he really can't be cured, I will definitely take good care of the son born to the concubine he secretly married outside.

I will tell his son that his father was killed in the fire while trying to put out the fire and save the shipyard from further damage.

His father is a good man.

He was worthy of the nation and worthy of his position as the head of the Treasure Ship Administration.

He truly deserves to be called a man who followed the emperor from the end of the Yuan Dynasty, fighting against the Tartars and conquering the land!

Wu Liang gave the order again, his voice even lower.

Chang Jinshu is a very reliable person.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been given such an important position at Longjiang Shipyard.

He truly couldn't bear to see Chang Jinshu die.

But there was no other way; things had come to this point, and Chang Jinshu had no choice but to die.

Dying while fighting the fire would have been the best outcome for Chang Jinshu.

He died while fighting the fire. With me here, I can still fight for him and get a lot of things done.

If I were alive, my family might be implicated.

The blame for this can only be placed on the emperor for interfering so much.

It was the emperor who killed Chang Jinshu.

This forced Chang Jinshu, a man who dared to fight and kill and had shed blood for the Ming Dynasty, to abandon his family and perish in the flames.

"By the way, you should arrange for someone else to deliver the message; don't do it yourself."

At this time, there are most likely the emperor's spies outside the shipyard. Don't expose yourself.

Seeing that Lao Gao was about to leave to handle some business, Wu Liang spoke up again to give him some instructions.

The reason they said they didn't want Lao Gao to be exposed was actually because they were afraid that if Lao Gao was exposed, it would implicate him.

If that's really the case, then things could get a bit complicated.

Since the strategy is to sacrifice the pawn to save the king and cut off the tail to survive, it must be done thoroughly, without any lingering involvement.

To absolve oneself completely.

Even if the emperor wanted to find fault, he couldn't.

"By the way, immediately arrange for someone to meet the Second Master on the way to the capital. Make sure he knows this news before he arrives in the capital!"

Wu Liang remembered something else and called out to Lao Gao again, giving him instructions.

The "Second Master" he mentioned was his younger brother, Marquis Wu Zhen of Jinghai.

He naturally knew that his younger brother had been summoned to the capital by imperial decree.

After learning the news, he also cursed those Japanese slaves in his heart, saying they deserved to die.

Why did they have to choose this crucial moment to plunder?

This caused some changes in the situation.

Upon suddenly learning this news, they were shocked to realize that all of this was just a smokescreen put up by the dog emperor as a matter of course.

The real reason he summoned his younger brother to the capital was not the invasion of Japanese pirates in Laizhou.

It's about the ships!

The emperor's actions are truly insidious; he is increasingly distrustful of his loyal ministers and generals.

Guard against these loyal people of your own, as you would guard against thieves!

Such behavior is utterly outrageous!

The emperor has indeed changed.

"Tell Second Master that Liu Dabao, the commander of a thousand men under his command, is incredibly audacious. He actually colluded with some people from the shipyard to steal large ships and sell them to pirates. He is truly despicable."

Fortunately, there were other loyal and brave men under Second Master's command who discovered the heartless and treacherous behavior of this man.

They intercepted the ship immediately, saving a significant amount of losses.

The thief Liu Dabao was extremely arrogant, fiercely resisting the government troops. He was shot by an arrow, fell into the water, and died.

As he said this, Wu Liang's face showed anger.

It's as if these things were really done by Liu Dabao, and as if they have already happened.

Old Gao shuddered inwardly, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

One was the Director of the Treasure Ship Management Office, and the other was a powerful commander of a thousand men; both were extremely loyal to the brothers Wu Liang and Wu Zhen.

Now that something has happened, they just kill people without warning.

Throw it away like a worn-out shoe.

It inevitably evokes a sense of shared sorrow, like the death of a rabbit among foxes.

Today it's Liu Dabao and Chang Jinshu, so... will something similar happen to me someday?

"Old Gao, don't overthink it. Things have come to this point, there's no other way."

The emperor, being ruthless, secretly sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to spy on them, and they have already discovered this matter.

Regardless, neither Lao Chang nor Liu Dabao can survive.

Doing so at this point gives you more options.

Otherwise, Lao Chang and his group would have suffered an even worse fate.

Things have gotten out of hand, and even my second master and I can't take care of it anymore.

There was no other way but to choose the lesser of two evils.

In life, it's impossible to be perfect in everything.

Even for me and Second Master, many times we are not in control of our own lives!

"My lord, I understand."

Lao Gao nodded vigorously.

"Life is difficult, so this is the only way. When it is my turn, I will do so without hesitation or complaint."

Wu Liang reached out and patted Lao Gao on the shoulder without saying a word.

"Master, where should we go to greet the Second Master?"

Lao Gao changed the subject, shifting the focus to the most urgent matter.

"Send some people by both water and land."

Wu Liang thought for a moment and then spoke up.

He understood that, given his younger brother's personality, if he received such an imperial edict without knowing that the emperor had discovered the sale of the ship, he would definitely set off for the capital immediately.

It is highly likely that they will choose a faster horse and gallop for days on end.

Choosing a light boat means the chances of going against the current are slim.

To avoid encountering those large ships on the river, and in case something goes wrong, I'll choose to ride a horse.

But now the situation is critical, and in order to ensure that he can inform his second brother of this information before he goes to Beijing.

Some people will also need to be sent by water.

Old Gao nodded, indicating that he understood...

The carriage did not go to the Jiangshui Waterway Administration Office, but instead circled around several times before heading towards it.

By this time, Wu Liang was the only one left in his carriage; Lao Gao was nowhere to be seen.

Wu Liang sat there, his body swaying slightly with the gentle jolting of the carriage.

His face was somber as he pondered something.

After a while, he let out a long breath.

One commander of a thousand households and one supervisor of the provincial administration department—that's enough influence.

With these two lives saved, the emperor would surely be satisfied.

That would be enough to shut the emperor up.

It's impossible to keep persisting like this.

He and his brother were the emperor's confidants and held positions in the Temple of Meritorious Officials on Jilong Mountain.

With control over river and sea defenses, even if some mistakes were made in this matter, the emperor would not hold a grudge.

If they give each other a good talking-to, and the two brothers show a better attitude, then this matter will be over...

……

"How's the cannon I told you about coming along?"

After arriving at the place where no outsiders were allowed, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Tao Chengdao and spoke.

"Your Majesty, this... is indeed a very good idea."

I gained a lot of inspiration and benefited greatly from it.

However... this cannon is much thicker and larger than the cannons of the past.

Casting is not an easy task.

Furthermore, the new gunpowder was very powerful, and it would be difficult to make a good and usable product using iron.

It could easily explode.

After saying this, Tao Chengdao thought for a moment and added, "Not only cannons, but even muskets, after the use of new gunpowder, those that were originally of good quality became more prone to exploding."

Zhu Yuanzhang was not surprised; having returned from the modern era, he was not entirely unaware of this.

Gunpowder should be as powerful as possible, and it would be even better if more advanced explosives could be developed.

However, the advancement of firearms cannot be achieved simply by increasing the power of gunpowder.

A comprehensive improvement is needed.

For example, right now, the Ming Dynasty's steel smelting technology is not up to par, making it difficult to manufacture the Red-Clad Cannons.

Even though he had already given a detailed explanation of how to make the red-coated cannon.

Even with a firearms master like Tao Chengdao present, they still couldn't get it out immediately.

This was certainly not because Zhu Yuanzhang's method was ineffective, nor was it because Tao Chengdao, the Ming Dynasty's chief gunpowder master, was too unreliable.

Rather, it is constrained by the current technology for smelting steel.

The increased power of gunpowder made even a normally qualified musket prone to exploding, which is a very obvious example.

"This new type of cannon is really too big, and His Majesty also requested that it be able to be loaded with new gunpowder."

As the power increases, the thickness of the cannon barrel must also increase.

Pig iron won't do; steel is necessary.

It's really not easy to create a cannon barrel that's this thick and this big.

Difficult to forge.

Moreover, it is difficult to achieve a seamless, one-piece design when the cannon barrel is forged...

As for the musket barrel, if new gunpowder is used, steel must be used to ensure that it does not explode.

The barrel is thin, so it's relatively easy to forge.

The cost will increase significantly.

Steel is limited in quantity, and often even with money, it is difficult to obtain enough steel.

Moreover, if the barrel is forged from steel, the speed will be greatly reduced..."

Technicians don't have that many clever ideas.

Since the emperor had brought it up, he made no attempt to hide anything and told the emperor about the difficulties he had encountered.

"Baiqiang, what's wrong with your eye? Is it cramping?"

Looking at the disciple who kept winking at him, Tao Chengdao asked with concern mixed with some dissatisfaction.

Didn't you see His Majesty was present in person?
How can you be so insensitive, blinking like that all the time?
They really have no sense of priorities.

"Uh... teacher, I don't know what's wrong with my eyes, they feel really uncomfortable."

As Li Baiqiang spoke, he rubbed his eyes vigorously and lowered his head.

Upon seeing this scene, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

It has to be a technician, someone who's straightforward.

"Why can't we use the casting method?"
I remember that the cannons and gun barrels used to be cast in place, right?

Why do we have to forge everything now?

Zhu Yuanzhang either didn't understand or was deliberately asking a question he already knew the answer to.

"Your Majesty, so that Your Majesty may know."

In the past, cannons were mostly made of copper, which could be smelted into water and then poured into the cannons.

Steel is difficult to melt.

Our Great Ming Dynasty is also short of copper.

His Majesty wants to produce many more of these large cannons, which requires a lot of copper.

Moreover, such cannons, once manufactured, would certainly be very powerful.

With the addition of new gunpowder, even if it were cast in copper, it would be difficult to achieve sustained, long-duration firing.

Steel is more suitable for making gun barrels.

Since steel cannot be melted, the only way to make cannon barrels is by forging.

Pig iron can be melted and cast, but it is too brittle.

"Using new gunpowder will inevitably cause the barrel to explode..."

Tao Chengdao was extremely depressed when he said this.

He was extremely excited when he saw the design of this new type of cannon provided by the emperor.

They couldn't wait to get started and prepare to get it out.

When they actually started doing it, they encountered numerous difficulties.

The problems with materials and technology are a major headache.

"If we want to reduce costs, we have an idea: how about using copper to encase iron?"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and offered a suggestion.

According to historical records, the copper-clad iron composite cannon was already in existence when Jiajing, the fourth son of the emperor and an extremely filial son, became emperor.

This type of gun barrel has many advantages.

For example, it is cheaper, lighter, and much sturdier than cannons made of pure iron.

And its heat dissipation effect is also very good.

The current conditions in the Ming Dynasty are sufficient to make it happen.

Copper-clad iron cannon barrel?
Upon hearing the emperor's words, Tao Chengdao's eyes lit up.

It felt as if the fog that had surrounded me had been suddenly torn open by a bolt of lightning.

Pure copper is too expensive. The Ming Dynasty lacks copper and money, and acquiring a large number of copper cannons would be too costly.

Furthermore, bronze cannons are prone to overheating.

Iron is too brittle and prone to exploding, often blowing up one's own before killing the enemy.

Furthermore, for cannon barrels of the same size and thickness, iron is heavier than copper, making it inconvenient to transport.

But iron also has its advantages.

For example, it is cheaper than copper, has a hard texture, and is more heat-resistant than copper.

Both materials, when used alone to cast cannons, have many drawbacks.

If that's the case, why can't we use both materials?

Just as His Majesty said, let's make copper-clad iron!

It is made of iron inside and copper outside.

This reduced the price, and the cannon was also much lighter than a pure iron cannon.

Because it is tightly wrapped with a layer of copper, the iron pipe inside will no longer be so easy to explode!
Furthermore, because the interior is made of more heat-resistant iron, it comes into direct contact with gunpowder.

Therefore, the overall heat resistance of the cannon barrel is greater than that of a pure copper cannon barrel...

It has many benefits!

God!

That's truly amazing!
Why didn't I think of using copper and iron together to cast cannon barrels?
Tao Chengdao truly lived up to his reputation as the foremost firearms manufacturer; upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, he immediately understood the numerous advantages of this method.

With this thought brimming with excitement, he prepared to speak.

But then they heard Zhu Yuanzhang's voice, which then rang out.

"This is just one solution; we have an even better one."

Ok?
Tao Chengdao was stunned for a moment.

In his eyes, the copper-clad iron cannon barrel was already a stroke of genius.

The emperor then said there was an even better solution?
What other method could be better than copper-clad iron?

Tao Chengdao, along with Li Baiqiang and Han Dapao, all stared intently at the emperor.

Waiting for the emperor to continue.

They genuinely wanted to hear what the best approach was...

……

At almost the same time, a team of more than ten people transporting timber approached Longjiang Shipyard.

One of the people inside looked no different from the others, but upon closer inspection, one could sense a hint of tension and unease.

This man was arranged by Lao Gao to deliver a message to the Longjiang Shipyard, instructing Chang Jinshu to set it on fire...

(End of this chapter)