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Chapter 1452 Side Path 2
This is a problem. The firearms used by the Ming army were produced in arsenals, which were guarded by troops, making it very difficult to manufacture them. Bribing craftsmen to manufacture them was an option, but some would inevitably be blinded by short-term gains and forget the long-term dangers.

However, the standard firearms of the Ming army could not be manufactured by just one or two craftsmen. From the selection of materials to the production of matching ammunition, they were all manufactured using large-scale machinery, and the absence of any one link would render them unusable. Moreover, these equipment, raw materials, and technologies were controlled by the military and were very difficult for civilians to obtain.

See, having people and technology alone can't solve product problems; things seem to have reached a dead end. But as the saying goes, where there's a will, there's a way.

Driven by enormous profits, businesspeople unleash unimaginable energy; nothing is impossible for them. With enough effort, even an iron rod can be ground into a needle!

The arsenals of the Ming Dynasty were divided into three main categories. The first and most advanced category was the Royal Gunpowder Factory. Despite its name, this factory not only produced gunpowder but also handled the entire process from gun and cannon research and development to final production. The "Royal" designation was not an honor but a fact.

All the royal gunpowder factories were funded by the imperial treasury, managed and operated by the Imperial Horse Administration, and were purely the emperor's private property. The General Staff and the Ministry of War had no reason to interfere.

However, the Royal Gunpowder Factory focused more on developing new weapons and improving existing ones, and did not engage in large-scale mass production except for manufacturing weapons for the Royal Horse Stables.

The scale is relatively small; only three have been built so far, all located in the imperial estates north of Beijing. Not only are they inaccessible to ordinary people, but the military also finds it difficult to approach them freely.

The second category comprises the largest in scale and output, known as Imperial XXX Armory. This prefix clearly indicates that they belong to the state or imperial court. Armorys under companies like Haihe Machinery Factory, Luanhe Industrial Group, Handan Industrial Group, Songjiang Industrial Group, and Da Nang Industrial Group fall into this category.

These facilities were funded by the Ministry of Revenue, constructed by the Ministry of Industry, approved and supervised by the General Staff, and managed and operated by the Ministry of War. All staff members were military personnel, and they were responsible for manufacturing more than half of the army's weapons and equipment, making them the backbone of the Ming Dynasty's military industry system.

The third category uses place names as prefixes, such as Jia Yihui's Jin County Arsenal. The identity of these military industrial enterprises can be summarized in four words: government-supervised, privately-run!
These types of arsenals are the most numerous, numbering in the hundreds nationwide; they are the most widely distributed, stretching from the Mongolian steppes to Luzon Island; and they are the smallest in scale, typically consisting of only one or two production lines, focusing solely on processing materials for one or a few types of components.

The existence of the first two types of military industrial enterprises is easy to understand. The Royal Powder Factory was Hong Tao's old base for seizing military power, mainly used for research and development. It was placed under the Royal name for secrecy, thus adding an extra layer of protection.

The Imperial Arsenal was a product of the Ming Dynasty's military reforms. After the emperor centralized military power, the manufacture of military equipment was also nationalized from local control, which significantly reduced manufacturing costs and improved efficiency.

However, for such a large country, with nearly a million people in its army and navy combined, the replacement of weapons and equipment takes time and cannot be accomplished overnight. The third type of government-supervised, privately-run arsenals were an expedient measure taken to make up for the insufficient production capacity of the second type of arsenals.

It wasn't just a stopgap measure; while large-scale production was efficient, it wasn't a panacea. Some components and products were unsuitable for production in the Imperial Armory, severely hindering capacity and resulting in subpar quality.

Therefore, after the Imperial Arms Factory system was established, the General Staff did not recommend completely abolishing the government-supervised and privately-run arms factories. Their existence effectively filled some gaps, making arms production more comprehensive and flexible. This view was affirmed by the Emperor, who also decreed that the General Staff could select government-supervised and privately-run arms factories with good equipment, technology, and reliability for appropriate support and investment, enabling them to keep up with technological developments and equipment upgrades, strive to grow stronger, and share more of the burden on the Imperial Arms Factory.

Jin County Arsenal was among the first batch of government-supervised, privately-run arsenals to receive key support from the General Staff Department. It wasn't because Jia Yihui was particularly outstanding, but rather because of its excellent geographical location.

According to the General Staff's strategic plan, the western region has always been a key area. Developing a large-scale arsenal in the Western Regions is not very safe. The Jin County Arsenal is located behind the Western Regions, with convenient transportation and safety. The products can be directly transported by railcart.

The occupation of the Ministry of War's warehouse was the first investment the General Staff made in the Jin County Arsenal. With this leveled land, the variety and quantity of production could be rapidly expanded, doubling the production capacity in just six months.

To acquire muskets used by the Ming army, the first two types of arsenals had extremely strict security measures, making it impossible for even one or two people to make a decision, which was obviously too difficult. Only the third type of arsenal had relatively relaxed management and loopholes that could be exploited.

At first, Jia Yihui was not tempted, mainly because the risk was too great. If he were exposed, not only would he be forced into hard labor, but his whole family would also suffer, which would be a loss for him.

But greed is a stubborn thing; it appears in the seven deadly sins of Christianity and the three defilements of Buddhism. Therefore, greed is not something learned later in life, but is deeply imprinted in human nature. No one can completely eliminate it; it can only be controlled by reason.

Jia Yihui did not completely restrain his greed. He refused to provide Wang Daguanren with a supply of muskets, but he did not completely refrain from corruption. He provided Wang Daguanren with three revolver pistols and several hundred fixed paper cartridges free of charge, as a gift between friends.

Wang Da Guanren understood perfectly and came with good news the next day, telling Jia Yihui that he could invest in a chamber of commerce that specialized in trade with Japan, and that he was allowed to send several of his family members to travel with the ship to further familiarize themselves with the ins and outs of the industry.

With this connection established, the two sides began to interact more frequently. The following year, Wang, accompanied by two friends, made a special trip to Lanzhou to visit Jia Yihui and tour the Jin County arsenal. On the eve of their departure, the two sides met in a secret room in Jia's mansion and reached a preliminary agreement on the supply of firearms and ammunition.

Every month, Jia Yihui would provide Master Wang with thirty rifles and 3000 pre-loaded paper cartridges with primers. Master Wang and his chamber of commerce would not have to pay any money; they could simply invest the corresponding funds in maritime trade, purchasing profitable goods for the Jia family to sell to Japan, with the income ultimately reflected in the dividends.

This not only concealed their activities but also allowed them to completely launder their ill-gotten gains. Delivery was also easier; they could travel with the Jia family's wagons to various locations to purchase raw materials. With military permits, they were exempt from most inspections and even taxed.

How did Jia Yihui manage to smuggle so many guns and ammunition from the Jin County arsenal? Stealing was definitely out of the question; military personnel were involved in both the arsenal's entry and exit, and not a single bullet could have been produced without their signatures.

(End of this chapter)