The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Yongping Prefecture.

Tang Yin and Zhu Yi arrived without stopping. Before they even entered the prefectural city, while still at the official post station outside the city, they encountered Qian Ning coming to visit.

Tang Yin did not like Qian Ning very much, and they had a very unpleasant encounter when they were exploring coal mines in Xishan.

"Commander Qian, are you here to deliver His Majesty's oral decree?" Tang Yin assumed that Qian Ning was the emperor's messenger.

Qian Ning said urgently, "Sir, save me."

"..." Tang Yin was dumbfounded for a moment.

Qian Ning quickly explained the situation: "His Majesty previously ordered the manufacture of the breech-loading cannon and allocated 10,000 taels of silver, but the cannon was never produced."

Tang Yin said, "Why not just fix it?"

Qian Ning said helplessly, "We have the manpower, the iron, and all the necessary equipment, but... nobody knows how to build it."

Tang Yin thought to himself, "Isn't this a coincidence?"

I can't make it either.

Qian Ning pleaded, "I need you to come up with a solution, sir. His Majesty is on his way and will be heading north to Jizhou Town soon. I have already made excuses by saying that the cannons are in the rear guard. If His Majesty does not see the cannons by the time we arrive in Jizhou, it would be a small matter if I am punished by His Majesty, but it would be a big deal if the progress of this battle is delayed."

Tang Yin thought to himself, "You're quite good at labeling people."

It's clearly your own fault for not doing things well, but you insist on making it sound like you're doing it for the country and the emperor.

How shameless!

Tang Yin said, "Regarding the breech-loading cannon, I... can only say I'll do my best, after all... I haven't dreamed about it."

Qian Ning immediately bowed deeply and said, "Mr. Tang, you are doing this for me, for the soldiers, and for yourself. His Majesty is waiting for your good news. I have brought all the men with me, so you don't need to enter the city. We can stay in a workshop outside the city. Thank you!"

……

……

Tang Yin went to find Zhu Yi with a dark expression.

After he truthfully explained Qian Ning's request, he muttered under his breath, "As you said, the behavior of these people is utterly despicable. They are not acting to benefit the country and its people, but rather to bring disaster to the nation. They are nothing but a bunch of parasites of the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Yi was smiling.

The once spirited young man, having endured a life of hardship and displacement, could not hide his hatred for the imperial court in his later years.

Zhu Yi said, "Isn't it precisely because these kinds of people have flaws that they are easy for us to exploit?"

Tang Yin asked, "Can you build that breech-loading cannon?"

"The specific craftsmanship also depends on the skill level of the craftsmen. The breech-loading cannon was actually a very common type of mother-and-child cannon in the Middle Ages. As long as I have enough materials and craftsmen, it can be cast in a short time." Zhu Yi was very certain about this.

The breech-loading cannon, as a type of smoothbore shotgun, is a type of mother-and-child cannon because it consists of a main gun and a "magazine".

The breech-loading cannon was particularly lethal to Tatar cavalry due to the use of grapeshot.

Although many breech-loading cannons were copied during the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, their quality was questionable. Furthermore, the breech-loading cannons themselves were not very well sealed, had a short range, and were not very effective in actual combat.

According to Zhu Yi, the decline in the combat effectiveness of the Ming army in the mid-to-late period was mainly due to internal corruption. From slow weapon updates and lack of maintenance to low morale caused by corruption, the Ming army's last vestiges of prestige were gradually eroded.

This is also related to the gradual disconnect between the emperor and the ruling class and the lower-ranking officers and soldiers.

If everyone had been like Zhu Houzhao, enjoying going down to the grassroots level and living and eating with the soldiers, thus forming an effective top-down supervision mechanism, the Ming army's combat effectiveness wouldn't have plummeted.

However, it was precisely because of the rise of various artillery pieces in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty that the Mongol cavalry was gradually suppressed.

After the decline of the Mongol cavalry, the Jurchen tribes of Liaodong rose to power.

Tang Yin waved his hand and said, "Since you can make it, then this matter is entrusted to you."

"Why are you also acting like a hands-off manager?" Zhu Yi immediately called Tang Yin back and said, "Qian Ning will definitely be very concerned about this later, and may be keeping an eye on it at all times. If you don't want to be exposed, you'd better focus on building the cannons. You may have to meet the emperor next, so you need to be in top form."

Tang Yin had no choice but to return and patiently listen to Zhu Yi's details about building the cannons.

He wasn't learning how to build cannons, but rather how to deal with Qian Ning and the emperor.

……

……

Four days later.

Zhu Houzhao appeared outside the city of Yongping Prefecture.

The cannon-making was not yet finished; only two cannons had been built so far, and the remaining cannons were still being built day and night with extra work.

Qian Ning and Tang Yin prepared to welcome the emperor at the gate of the temporary military camp set up outside the prefectural city.

Qian Ning asked with a doubtful expression, "If His Majesty presses the matter, can you handle it?"

Tang Yin thought to himself, "You bunch of people who exploit the people, you've taken all the benefits, and now you're asking me if I can handle it?"

"Commander Qian said that the cannons were all in the rear guard. Now, two cannons have been built in four days. Everything is in place now. The three furnaces are working overtime. If we have another four or five days, we can bring out the remaining cannons. We should be able to set up an ambush in Malangu."

Tang Yin was just giving a perfunctory reply.

Qian Ning said, "We can only use these two cannons to deal with it for now. I hope His Majesty won't investigate further."

Soon, the imperial entourage was seen approaching.

When the imperial carriage arrived, Qian Ning quickly led Tang Yin over to pay his respects. A man stepped down from the carriage, a eunuch named Zhang Zhong, who had a smile on his face with a hint of mockery.

"Eunuch Zhang? Where is His Majesty?" Qian Ning frowned and looked Zhang Zhong up and down.

Zhang Zhong laughed and said, "His Majesty rode off on horseback the night before last, and we don't know where he went. He only took a few close attendants with him, and we haven't heard from him since."

"His Majesty is not here?" Qian Ning was genuinely surprised. "Did he go to Jizhou first?"

Zhang Zhongdao: "How would we possibly find out?"

Qian Ning asked again, "Why wasn't Eunuch Zhang Yong accompanying us this time?"

Zhang Zhong said with displeasure, "In Governor Qian's mind, only that Eunuch Zhang is capable of fighting, but I am not?"

Qian Ning waved his hand, too lazy to even acknowledge Zhang Zhong.

After turning around, he complained to Tang Yin, "The situation in this battle is not good. His Majesty has a group of sycophants around him. They all want to get a share of the spoils, knowing that the emperor is personally leading the expedition to ambush the Duoyan Guard. They have not considered the danger of this battle at all. The more incompetent a group of people are, the more likely something bad will happen."

Tang Yin was thinking, "Are you talking about yourself?"

Qian Ning immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's good that His Majesty is not here. Let's rest for a day or two first. If there is no news, we will set off north immediately."

Qian Ning had only just relaxed for a short while.

Then a commotion erupted outside the camp.

Qian Ning looked through the binoculars and was so frightened that he ran out, almost losing his shoes in the process.

Tang Yin followed along and saw Qian Ning helping to lead the horse of a man in plain clothes, fawning over him.

The man, who appeared travel-worn and without any personal guards, dismounted from his horse in one swift motion and strode towards the camp, saying, "Where are the breech-loading cannons? Fire a couple of shots for me to see! I've never seen one before."

Qian Ning said, "Your Majesty is new here, please rest first! Let me make arrangements for you."

Then the emperor and his minister stopped to look at Tang Yin as he emerged.

Qian Ning quickly waved to Tang Yin.

Tang Yin then realized what was happening and quickly went over, cupping his hands in greeting, "Your subject Tang Yin greets Your Majesty."

"So you're Tang Yin? Seeing is believing, I thought you had some extraordinary air about you, but it turns out you're just like this... Heh. Just another scholar's affectation."

Zhu Houzhao greeted Tang Yin in a very familiar manner.

Clearly, this emperor was not very friendly to scholars, and his words carried a hint of sarcasm.

Tang Yin hurriedly replied, "I have spent half my life studying Confucianism, so this is how it should be."

Zhu Houzhao laughed and said, "It's alright, it's alright. I went north to scout out the enemy's situation first and learned that the defenses along the Jizhou line are currently lax. At some passes, when they saw people riding horses, they didn't even send anyone to investigate. I'll send my entourage to Jizhou to prepare the way and help me mobilize troops. I'll come and take a look. Where are the breech-loading cannons?"

Qian Ning said, "We've only reached two gates so far."

"Then let's examine two cannons first," Zhu Houzhao said. "I need to observe whether these cannons are as powerful as rumored. If they cannot suppress the narrow terrain of Malan Valley, I will have to deploy more troops or think of other methods. What are we waiting for? Take me to demonstrate the cannons!"

"Your Majesty, this way please." Qian Ning looked at Tang Yin again with pleading eyes.

It's as if it's saying, "Victory or defeat hinges on this moment; the task of firing the cannons is now in your hands."

If the goods are really not as described, I'll be in trouble!