Chapter 70

Jintian Town, Bauhinia Mountain!
boom!Boom!

Ten Type 65 field artillery were lined up. Under the sunlight, the cold gun barrels reflected the luster of metal.

The cannons each have a serial number. If the cannon has quality problems such as a blown chamber during use, the cannon-casting craftsmen can be held accountable based on the serial number on the cannon.

The gunners were skilled in loading and aiming.

After a roar, the shooting range was filled with smoke.

The grass target in front was hit by projectiles flying from the barrel, causing pieces of wood to scatter and grass clippings to fly everywhere.

After several rounds of rapid fire, the barrels of these ten Type 65 artillery pieces were still intact.

Apart from some overheating, there are no other problems with the gun body.

It can be seen that the quality of these artillery is passable.

This is the result of the Ming Army's ordnance workshops using the iron mold method to cast cannons in recent times.

Zhu Jing'an put down the hand covering his ears and said skillfully painting the cake.

"Hahaha, everyone has been working hard recently. I and His Royal Highness the Supervisor have seen this in their eyes. The rewards that should be given to everyone will not be less."

"The Governor is very satisfied with the recent results of the ordnance workshop. The Ming Dynasty will not forget the contribution you made to the restoration of the Ming Dynasty by those of you who worked behind the scenes."

Hearing this, Guo Dashan just spoke.

"The Ming Dynasty gave me and other craftsmen generous treatment. Not only did they provide food and housing, but the wages were generous, they also gave out rewards from time to time. Even my family members were taken care of and received land rewards."

"We, the craftsmen, have been treated so favorably by the Ming Dynasty, how can we not do our best?"

"These are all things we should do now. I'm really scared to receive such high praise from the Governor!"

Although Guo Dashan was the Minister of Industry in the Ming Dynasty, he was more like a technical official than an administrative official.

Almost every time there was a job, he rushed to do it. Most of the time, he worked hard by himself.

Instead of arrogantly pointing fingers at others.

Obviously, Guo Dashan's thoughts have not changed yet.

But this is fine, Guo Dashan can set an example for others.

After all, the ministers of the Ministry of Industry of the Ming Dynasty were taking the lead in their work, so others naturally did not dare to be lazy.

Zhu Jing'an is quite satisfied with this.

But if this is the case, someone else will have to find someone else to take charge of the administrative management of the ordnance workshop.

Thinking of this, Zhu Jing'an patted Guo Dashan's shoulder again with a smile on his face and asked.

"How are the ordnance workshops' recent research into the production and manufacturing of heavier artillery with larger caliber and longer barrels?"

Guo Dashan couldn't help but look embarrassed when he heard this, but he still spoke.

"Back to the Governor, the research and development of large-caliber artillery in the ordnance workshop has been going smoothly recently."

"There are several foreign cannons purchased by Li Shangshu from Guangzhou as physical reference for research."

"Coupled with the assistance of those Foshan craftsmen and foreign craftsmen from overseas, our research on heavy artillery has now made great progress."

These days, Western countries have no technological blockade against China.

As long as you have money, you can buy anything.

And foreigners travel all the way from the West to the East. To put it bluntly, isn't it just for money?

As long as you can afford the money, let alone letting a foreign craftsman teach you how to make cannons, even if you want to sleep with his wife and let him push her behind.

As long as the money is sufficient, it is not impossible to negotiate.

Foreigners are like this in their bones. They forget their loyalty when they see profit, they are incorruptible and shameless. They have no idea about kindness. They only focus on money. This is their bad nature.

Guo Dashan continued.

"To inform the Grand Governor, in the early stage, the ordnance workshop plans to use sand molds to cast the cannons."

"After the technology of sand mold casting is completed, we will try to use iron molds to cast the cannon to increase the speed of cannon casting."

"Because the technology of sand mold cannon casting is relatively mature, it can avoid waste and ensure personnel safety to the greatest extent."

"I believe we can make a real object soon..."

When Zhu Jing'an heard this, he nodded slightly with great satisfaction.

"very good!"

"The contribution you have made to the Ming Dynasty is all seen by this governor."

"Next, the ordnance workshops must not only focus on the research and development of new guns, but also continue to work hard on the production of Type 65 field guns and cannot relax."

"Next, Ming Dynasty will face great military pressure."

"When the time comes, these artillery pieces will be our weapon against the Qing army."

"The burden on your shoulders is very heavy!"

Guo Dashan nodded to express his understanding.

Zhu Jing'an pondered for a while, then looked at the middle-aged foreign devil next to him.

His name is John, and he is a Swede. Several generations of his family have been craftsmen who made cannons, and their craftsmanship is quite good.

According to himself, he even participated in the Seven Years' War as a second lieutenant.

It was Li Mu who, under the auspices of the Tiandihui, spent a full year's salary of 300 taels to poach talents from the Bojialao Cannon Factory in Macau.

"John, what do you think of Ming Dynasty's current Type 65 artillery?"

Zhu Jing'an asked.

He wanted to hear what this Western veteran who had participated in the Seven Years' War and this first-class gunsmith said about the artillery currently in service in the Ming Army.

When John heard this, he spoke in a very frivolous tone in half-baked Cantonese with a weird accent.

"Oh~ My dear sir, if I were to evaluate the artillery equipped by your army."

"Then I can only regret to say that this is really a cute children's toy!"

"I have seen too many long-barreled heavy cannons and large-caliber heavy mortars on the battlefields of Europe. Compared with those terrible heavy artillery, these artillery pieces of yours are as worthless as toys. "

"Believe me, my dear Prince, if these artillery pieces of yours arrive in Europe, they won't even be qualified to go on the battlefield."

When the several Ming army generals around him heard this, the expressions on their faces were obviously unhappy and angry.

Everyone frowned and clenched their fists, looking quite unconvinced.

Some people couldn't help but glare at the frivolous and arrogant John.

However, after hearing this, Zhu Jing'an's expression did not change and his mood remained stable.

I don't feel offended or humiliated.

Because he knew that what John said was actually the truth.

Zhu Jing'an has always understood one truth, that is, if there is a gap, we must admit it.

Westerners in this era are indeed several steps ahead of China in terms of firearms technology.

Especially in the context of the era when the Manchu and Qing Dynasties deliberately suppressed the development of firearms and blatantly set back history.

China's current firearms production technology is not even comparable to that of the late Ming Dynasty.

Not to mention compared with the West, which has been developing firearms for more than 100 years in the age of great war.

Even if they are both front-mounted smoothbore artillery, there is a huge gap due to different production and manufacturing processes.

The scariest thing in this world is not defeat and loss to the enemy, but failure to realize the gap and the enemy's progress even after losing.

I have been immersed in the illusion that I am invincible in the world!

Zhu Jing'an believes that sooner or later, China will surpass the West in all aspects and become great again.

Therefore, temporary honor and disgrace are actually not important.

As long as you can learn something, it's nothing to lose face now.

It's nothing more than lying on the fuel and tasting courage, hiding one's strength and biding time.Only the person who laughs last is qualified to talk about dignity and face.

Most of those who care about face will die halfway in the end.

Zhu Jing'an said to John with a smile.

"You're right, so I spent a lot of money to hire you to help me forge cannons for the Ming Dynasty."

"The governor makes a promise here. As long as John can teach my craftsmen to cast heavy cannons, I will definitely give you a generous reward that satisfies you."

While talking, Zhu Jing'an ordered someone to bring up several boxes of silver, and he could open the boxes in front of John and show them to him.

John looked at the little cuties in the boxes in front of him, reflecting the metallic luster under the sunlight, and couldn't help but breathe quickly.

Zhu Jing'an rubbed his face, pointed at one of the boxes, and said.

"This box of silver is my deposit for you."

"A total of 200 taels!"

"As long as you can do what I asked you to do and teach my people how to forge heavy artillery, the remaining boxes of silver will be yours."

"This money is enough for you and your family to enjoy endless wealth and wealth for the rest of your life!"

"I do what I say!"

John's eyes flashed with greed, he rubbed his fingers together and said with a smile.

"My dear Prince, you are truly the most generous person in the world."

"I will prove to you that your money is not in vain. I believe that my craftsmanship will not let you down!"

Zhu Jing'an patted his shoulder and said.

"Hahaha, that's good!"

After saying this, John left.

Seeing this, Han Sigu next to Zhu Jing'an spoke.

"Grand Governor, this foreigner is so rude. He dares to be disrespectful to you. Do you want to find someone to teach him a lesson in secret?"

When Zhu Jing'an heard this, he shook his head and said.

"It's not necessary!"

"Have you ever heard of a saying? It's a man who is shy and endures shame. Foreigners' firearms are really powerful."

"Foreigners have the right to look down on us when it comes to firearms."

"Now that we know that foreigners have an advantage in firearms, we should sacrifice ourselves to learn from foreigners."

"Instead of pretending to be an ostrich, burying your head in the sand and pretending not to know, this is not advisable. Being arrogant and stubborn will sooner or later be eliminated by history."

Looking around and seeing everyone's unhappy faces, Zhu Jing'an continued to speak earnestly.

"I'm actually not afraid of embarrassment. To me, you shouldn't be afraid of embarrassment either."

"As long as we can be aware of our shame and then be brave enough to catch up in areas where we are inferior to foreigners, then the loss of face now will be nothing."

"Isn't this foreigner arrogant? Then I will hold him up to the sky, hold him high, let him get carried away, let him be arrogant, let him spit out everything he knows with pride. Teach us.”

"One day, when we have learned all their stuff and surpassed them in what they are best at, we will then point our noses in their noses and say, you can't do it either!"

"Wouldn't this be more satisfying than beating him up?"

Hearing this, everyone nodded vigorously.

They all felt a surge of blood all over their bodies.

Zhu Jing'an turned his gaze to Guo Dashan and said.

"Guo Shangshu, the burden on your shoulders is very heavy. I have placed great hopes on you. You must not let me down."

Hearing this, Guo Dashan nodded.

"Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief, I will send a few clever apprentices to follow those foreigners later. They will help them dress and eat every day. I will ensure that the foreigners are satisfied and learn all their skills. .”

When Zhu Jing'an heard this, he laughed.

"Very good, I believe you can do it."

"We, the Chinese, are the smartest, bravest, most hardworking, and most advanced nation in the world. I believe there is nothing we can't do."

"What foreigners can do, we can do, and what foreigners can't do, we can still do!"

"Sooner or later, we will be able to point our noses in their noses and tell them that you foreigners are nothing in the field they are best at."

When everyone heard this, they couldn't help bursting into laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

It is obvious that Zhu Jing'an is tirelessly instilling nationalist ideas in these high-ranking officials of Ming Dynasty.

I want to turn them all into nationalists!
In later generations, nationalism proved to be narrow-minded, distorted, and a dregs that did not conform to the times.

But the reason why it was abandoned is, in the final analysis, because productivity has been sufficiently developed and society has progressed.

Even without the banner of nationalism for external expansion, most people can still have enough to eat.

In addition, most countries in the world are multi-ethnic countries, and nationalism can easily intensify internal conflicts.

Therefore, it has been abandoned by countries around the world.

But even so, the idea of ​​nationalism has never disappeared, and countless people are still its supporters.

It can be seen that it also has certain merits.

But in today's era, nationalism is still a common weapon used by countries around the world to unite people's hearts during wars.

This is the simplest way to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy, unite people's hearts, and downplay class contradictions.

Now that he knew this, how could Zhu Jing'an not use it?

This is the main job of the thinking instructors in the Ming army.

Promote nationalist ideas to the Ming army and brainwash them with loyalty to the emperor and patriotism.

In order to increase the cohesion and centripetal force of the army!

For an army, cohesion often means combat effectiveness.

Zhu Jing'an's words did not make them feel inappropriate to the generals of the Ming army.

how to say?

One duck and two ducks have not happened yet, and the Eight-Nation Alliance is still more than 100 years away, and there is no trace of it.

It has never happened that a few thousand foreigners have forced a large country to cede territory and pay compensation. The capital city, which symbolizes imperial power and the pride of the Celestial Kingdom, has never been captured by foreign soldiers.

Chinese people in this era are still very proud.

The pride of the Celestial Kingdom that has lasted for thousands of years will not allow them to bow their heads and bring shame to their ancestors.

Each and every one of them looked down upon the foreigners.

To say they are white-skinned ghosts is to be polite.

Even if some people realize that there is a certain gap between China and the West in some aspects, they will not feel inferior.

I just feel that the foreign devils are not worthless after all.

Rather than being like some banana people in later generations, when they see the gap, they can't help but want to kneel down to the foreign adults. From the bottom of their hearts, they feel that the Chinese people are simply not as good as the foreign adults.

……

In the 42nd year of Qianlong's reign, on the tenth day of the second lunar month, outside Guilin!

The flags outside Guilin covered the sky, and Qing soldiers wearing green camp uniforms stood in a loose formation.

Boom!dong dong!

Accompanied by the dull sound of war drums, Guangxi Admiral Gao Sheng rode out of Guilin City with his Goshiha.

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(End of this chapter)

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