Daming: I asked you to hang yourself, but I didn’t ask you to rebuild the Ming Dynasty

The Zhengde Emperor, Zhu Houzhao, had been trying to break the cage woven by civil servants for the emperor, and even lived in a military camp.

Unexpectedly, he was unable to defeat the civil servant in the end and was tragically thrown into the water and executed to death.

He delayed for six months and even proposed to change the imperial doctor several times, even if it was a private doctor.

However, he was cruelly rejected, and in the end even the eunuch around him was replaced.

Although Zhu Houzhao ended tragically, he left a lot of legacy.

During this period, the Ming army's artillery types emerged in endlessly, and their quality became better and better. There were even steel cannons.

Unfortunately, due to cognitive limitations, all of these artillery pieces are front-loading guns.

1517, the 12th year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty.

Ming Dynasty officials discovered on Portuguese warships a small breech-mounted Franco machine gun used to kill enemy ship deck infantry, which was only about 2 pounds.

The breech-loading cannon came into Akito's field of vision.

This was the first time that everyone in the Ming Dynasty knew that artillery could be loaded from behind.

And because of the existence of the sub-gun, the rate of fire of this artillery is much higher than that of the front-loading gun.

Although the Folangji people at that time were contemptuously called "red-haired barbarians" in the eyes of the Ming Dynasty.

However, the open and enterprising mind of the Ming Dynasty was keenly aware of the merits of this kind of artillery.

Especially Zhu Houzhao!

Zhengde, the "faint king", tried his best to get this weapon with extremely fast shooting speed.

However, the Westerners, who were very vigilant, strictly kept the secret of the Western cannon.

Even though Zhengde issued a strict order...

In the last four years of his life, Zhu Houzhao was not satisfied.

But, the seed was planted!

(It can be said that the Folang machine gun and the Hongyi cannon all came from this.)

March 1523, 3, the second year of Jiajing.

A fierce battle broke out between the Ming navy and Portuguese warships at Xicao Bay, Xinhui, Jiangmen, Guangdong.

The Ming army won as expected.

(The Ming Dynasty almost never lost a war against the West. Even if only a few territories along the coast were left in the end, it could still defeat the Westerners.)

In the end, 42 people including Bedulu and Shushili were captured, 35 people were beheaded, and 2 warships were captured. This is known as the "Battle of Xicaowan" in history.

Although this naval battle was small in scale, the Ming army gained a lot.

On the captured Portuguese warship, the Ming army "obtained the artillery machine called Folang."

This kicked off the great leap forward in firepower of the Ming Dynasty.

Although the Folang machines captured in this naval battle were all small cannons weighing less than [-] kilograms.

However, with the support of the government and the opposition, officials have been improving the Fo Lang machine since the Jiajing Dynasty.

This improvement even surprised Western missionaries when they saw it.

The Folang machine has evolved from the earliest small cannon of only a few dozen kilograms to now with various models and sizes -

There are naval guns, urban defense guns, tank guns, field guns, infantry guns (because they are small, Ming people call them guns), cavalry guns (same as above)...

There are dozens of kilograms, hundreds of kilograms, hundreds of kilograms... and even heavy-duty Folang machines that weigh thousands of kilograms.

In the Jiajing Dynasty alone, within just 40 years after obtaining the Folangji, the Ming Dynasty produced more than [-] Folangji!

At this time, the strength of Ming Dynasty’s national power can be seen.

Moreover, Akito, who is good at summarizing, also installed a gun carriage and steering system on the Folan cannon to make it more adaptable to the battlefield.

Even the number of muskets for each artillery piece has increased to seven!

In other words, as long as the Ming army wanted it, the rate of fire of this artillery could be maintained at the fastest rate. (One shot every six seconds.)

A hundred years later.

In 1625, Deng Shiliang (a native of Chibi, Hubei), who was promoted to Guangzhou Prefecture in the Ming Dynasty, salvaged the sunken East India Company "Unicorn" ship.

18 36-pound forward-loading cannons were obtained, and 22 were delivered to the capital.

The imperial court improved it and developed the Hongyi cannon with an ultra-long range.

However, the status of Franco machine artillery did not decline much in the Ming Dynasty.

(Later generations have verified that a Folang machine with seven muskets can maintain a firing rate of ten rounds per minute as long as someone loads the muskets.

This is far inferior to the Hongyi cannon, which can fire one shot in 3 minutes.

Of course, the advantage of the latter is that it is sealed, so it has a longer range and is more powerful. )

Hongyi cannon, this cannon was used by the Qing Dynasty until modern times. Instead of technological progress, it gradually deteriorated. The cavity in the inner wall of the cannon built during the Opium War could hold four bowls of water.

[There is a misunderstanding about the Hongyi cannon. Everyone thinks that Xu Guangqi purchased it first, but this is not the case.

At that time, Portugal's iron casting technology was not as good as that of the Ming Dynasty. At the cannon-making factory in Macao, the Portuguese in Macao were only responsible for casting copper cannons, while the iron cannons were made by Ming craftsmen.

In 1622, the second year of Tianqi, Zhang Tao and Sun Xueshi went to Macau to purchase 22 cannons. However, the Portuguese made a mistake. During the test firing, the first cannon exploded.

Xu Guangqi resigned as a result.

After Deng Shiliang succeeded in salvage in 1625, the Portuguese saw that the technology had been leaked, so they began to think of selling cannons to make money.

In 1628, the first year of Chongzhen, Xu Guangqi was again employed. This time the Portuguese showed real technology and sent out gunsmiths. The Ming Dynasty was also careful. Li Fengjie and Wang Zunde only bought 7 cannons, but none of them exploded.

In the third year of Chongzhen, the Ming Dynasty had imitated and improved more than 400 Hongyi cannons.

It's a pity that in the end, due to Donglin's previous miraculous operation, after Mao Wenlong's death, the remaining general Kong Youde surrendered together with Geng Zhongming, along with Hongyi cannon and cannon-making craftsmen, one and a half years after the Wuqiao mutiny caused harm to Shandong. The Tatars, at this point, laid the foundation for the Tatars to enter the country. 】

……

Zhu Youjian's mind turned and he remembered these past events.

At this time, seeing the joy on Hao Yaoqi's face, he also smiled:

"So, you, Mr. Hao, have made a great contribution."

Hao Yaoqi scratched his ears innocently and grinned.

The credit has been given, he just needs to pretend to be dumbfounded.

Can the emperor miss out on his benefits?

Not long after, Wang Jiayan also came back with a group of prisoners.

The former minister of the Ministry of War, who was an absolute boss with only a handful of people at his head, now became a general leading troops without any complaints.

He looked delighted: "Your Majesty, I have captured more than 300 warriors alive!"

Zhu Youjian smiled with an apology on his face: "It's hard for the Qing family."

Wang Jiayan hurriedly bent down and saluted:

"What did your Majesty say? As the saying goes: The emperor will humiliate and his ministers will die!"

As long as your majesty is fine, even if you ask me to pick up the dung, I will never complain. "

Zhu Youjian took a deep breath.

He reached out and patted Wang Jiayan on the shoulder, pursed his lips, and his nose was so sore that he did not dare to speak.

They are all loyal ministers!

……

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Lao Liu is back, and he has brought 2000 people with him!"

Liu Tichun shouted and yelled all the way and ran back on his horse.

Liu Erhu, the Flying Tiger General, is quite famous in the army...

After Liu Tichun cut off Yuan Zongdi's rear, the soldiers who were cut off had a slight impact. As soon as they saw his flag, they raised their hands and surrendered.