Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The Ming dynasty captured over a thousand heads, but the Jurchens on the other side suffered even more casualties.

Some lightly wounded Jurchen soldiers, after retreating beyond the range of the naval cannons, realized that the arrowheads in this shell were different from those before—

It was completely transformed into a long, thin needle shape, making it easier to slip through the gaps in the armor.

It will burrow into the flesh and roll and bend, making the wound even bigger.

Given the medical capabilities of the Jurchens, whether someone who was shot with an arrow could be cured was entirely a matter of luck.

Within just a few days, Huang Taiji discovered that the number of Eight Banners soldiers who had died had exceeded two thousand.

Including those killed directly on the battlefield, the loss of more than 3,000 men was close to half a flag, which made him furious and eager to fight the Ming Dynasty's navy head-on.

Especially after learning that Zheng Zhihu had been awarded the title of Dragon and Tiger General, he was so angry that he almost exploded:

"Too deceiving!"

"This is really too much!"

"The Ming Dynasty has humiliated the late Khan in this way, showing no sincerity in making peace."

"I hereby swear that I will fight the Ming Dynasty to the bitter end."

They offered sacrifices at the mausoleum of the late Khan from afar, and together with the princes, sacrificed a white horse and bled blood to Heaven.

The oath-taking ceremony reunited the people, bringing together the will of the Jin dynasty's leadership, who had been gripped by fear after their defeat.

They all knew that this was a time of crisis and that they should unite.

Even if the Great Khan leads them to defeat, this is not the time to question them.

Having consolidated his power, Huang Taiji quickly suppressed his anger. He stopped thinking about how to capture Niuzhuang and instead focused on arranging defenses.

He will divide the six banners he brought into different areas to prevent Ming troops from launching surprise attacks.

Regarding the Ming Dynasty's warships attacking by sea, he also adopted Fan Wencheng's suggestion to build dikes in narrow sections of the river and install more iron chains and fences to block all ships from passing.

Zheng Zhihu led his fleet in several bombardments, but failed to completely clear the waterway. In particular, the Jurchens drove Han and Korean people to desperately repair the dikes and threw timber, fences, and cages into the river, completely blocking the upstream waterway.

Even though the emperor bestowed upon him the Fierce Tiger Banner, he could only sigh in vain. He led his fleet to patrol back and forth, preventing the Jurchens from using the same method to cut off downstream shipping routes.

After Sun Chengzong dispatched elite troops to replenish the soldiers at Niuzhuang, he saw that the Jurchens had set up defenses outside the range of their naval cannons, and he realized even more that a protracted war was inevitable.
"The Ming Dynasty currently has the advantage in the navy, and the army can defend itself by relying on camps, but field battles are very difficult."

"If another major defeat like Zhao Shuaijiao's occurs, morale will be severely affected!"

Zhao Shuaijiao's underestimation of the enemy and subsequent ambush had a significant impact on the various armies in Liaodong.

The generals of the Guan Ning Army were generally more cautious about field battles.

Another defeat could even cause them to lose confidence in field operations.

Even Sun Chengzong, the commander-in-chief, could not go against the tide.

Therefore, he decided to continue with his previous plan and build a defensive line by constructing a city along the Niuzhuang and Haizhou line.

Using this defensive line as a base, engage in small-scale battles with the Jurchens. Accumulate experience through these small engagements before launching large-scale field battles.

Therefore, the ensuing battle quickly turned into the Ming Dynasty launching attacks along a defensive line stretching for dozens of miles, protected by rivers and camps.

The Jurchens, on the other hand, set up defenses everywhere to prevent the Ming army from rushing over and causing damage.

The two sides engaged in continuous battles. The Ming army initially suffered losses, but became safe once they escaped into artillery range.

In particular, after Zheng Zhihu ordered naval soldiers to use flag signals to guide the direction, the various fortresses and villages quickly learned this technique.

They used the signal tower in the center of the fortress, and then equipped the attacking Ming army with signalmen, so that information observed by hot air balloons could be quickly transmitted to the front line.

From then on, the Jurchens could no longer use their familiarity with the terrain to surround and kill the Ming army. Instead, they had to be careful of the Ming army from all sides attacking from different directions under the command of flag signals, so as to surround and annihilate them.

The Ming army grew stronger with each battle and gradually gained the ability to engage the Jurchens in open field warfare.
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Meanwhile, supplies were being produced in the rear of the Ming Dynasty and sent over during the sea travel period.

This was to ensure that these fortresses could hold out through the winter and launch another attack the following year. Each fortress needed to store at least six months' worth of supplies, requiring a massive production capacity.

In particular, firearms were becoming increasingly important, and the front lines were constantly urging for more firearms.

Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty's current military industrial center is in Tongzhou, which can be directly connected to Tianjin via the canal and is easily accessible by sea.

Zhang Pu arrived here under these circumstances, bringing with him newly recruited researchers from the Institute of Management Sciences.

Looking at the rows of workshops at the Tongzhou Arsenal, they were so shocked they could hardly speak:
"This is the Tongzhou Arsenal. When did this city appear?"

Even Zhang Pu couldn't help but wonder about this.

He had heard that the emperor had invested millions of taels of silver in the arsenal, but he never imagined that in just over a year, the arsenal would grow to such a massive scale.

"No wonder His Majesty sent me to investigate the management system."

"Such a massive arsenal is probably harder to manage than a county town."

Inquiries revealed that the Tongzhou Arsenal had over 10,000 skilled craftsmen, plus 20,000 to 30,000 apprentices. The arsenal's employees and their families could easily form a city.

They relied on this arsenal for survival and initially established a system.

Some people even brought their families over, planning to settle down here.

Zhang Pu and the others saw several children playing a game with toys that looked like muskets.

There were also mule carts loaded with muskets, moving along the cement road.

He asked the accompanying personnel sent by the arsenal:
"That's a musket, was it taken from that person's house?"

"They can build firearms at home?"

The person accompanying them was surnamed Xu, and he had come to the Ming Dynasty with his elder brother.

He and his brother Xu Litie had already acquired Ming Dynasty citizenship.

Xu Litie was a senior engineer at the Tongzhou Arsenal, holding the rank of Junior Honor.

Xu Qifu is a little less skilled; he is currently only a fourth-level craftsman.

However, thanks to his brother's reputation, he gets many good opportunities, such as hosting Zhang Pu and others this time.

Xu Qifu, who was already quite fluent in Chinese, explained to Zhang Pu with a smile:

"That's Wang the carpenter's house; the cart is carrying gun barrels."

"He was originally a senior carpenter at the arsenal, but later he took on several apprentices and worked at home."

"Now I earn much more money doing carpentry than before."

"He can make any wooden parts that don't require high specifications from the arsenal."

"Although this wartime state limits profits, orders keep coming in."

“Wang the carpenter now earns more money a month than my brother.”

These words sounded like envy, but also like a complaint.

After all, his brother was a senior engineer, which was a much higher status than a senior carpenter.

However, their incomes were completely opposite; the senior carpenter actually earned more than the senior engineer.

This made Zhang Pu thoughtful, and he understood another reason why the emperor had sent him here:
Although the Tongzhou Arsenal was prosperous, it harbored hidden dangers.

If everyone quit their jobs at the arsenal like Wang the carpenter and started their own businesses, the arsenal might even collapse.

He had to find a solution to the problem and present the emperor with a satisfactory answer. (End of Chapter)