Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

In the Wuying Hall, Chief of Staff Yang Sichang spoke eloquently:

"The biggest difficulty on the Liaodong front is the lack of ammunition."

"The New Army relied heavily on logistics in combat; a musket without ammunition was no different from a fire poker."

"We have decided to transport a batch of ammunition over there as soon as possible before the Liao River freezes completely."

This is indeed the most urgent matter, Zhu Youjian inquired:
"Is there any difficulty?"

How much ammunition does the equipment department have in reserve?

Equipment Minister Bi Maokang said:

"The ammunition produced by the Equipment Department in the past few months has been prioritized for supplying the Liaonan New Army."

"To continue resupplying, we need to source supplies from other places."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian flew into a rage and rebuked him:

"What is the Equipment Department doing? They still haven't solved the production problem!"

"If the soldiers on the front lines are fighting and they don't have ammunition, are you going to make them use bayonets?"

"How could you possibly be a good equipment minister? Did you even put your heart into it?"

Bi Maokang was scolded until his face turned red, and Yuan Keli defended him, saying:
"It's not that Minister Bi isn't dedicated; it's that the front lines are consuming ammunition too quickly."

"Especially the cavalry, after the Battle of Haizhou, learned to fire projectiles and concentrate fire, and a battalion could fire tens of thousands of bullets in a short time."

"It was common for each cavalryman to expend hundreds of bullets during a battle."

"The left army has five thousand cavalrymen, who have been pursuing the enemy all the way without encountering any major battles, and have already used up a million rounds of ammunition."

"If everyone fought like that, logistics and production would be impossible to keep up with."

These words prompted complaints from the logistics department, who felt that the soldiers at the front, especially the cavalry, were wasting too many bullets, requiring thousands of rounds to kill a single enemy.

Zhu Youjian laughed upon hearing this, for in his view it was not much at all. He addressed the assembled officials:
"Thousands of bullets can eliminate one enemy, and hundreds of millions of bullets can completely annihilate the Jurchens."

"Is there anything more cost-effective than this? What are you complaining about?"

"Besides, if you can't even handle logistics and production, what right do you civilian officers have to compete with military officers for power?"

These words, though blunt, explained his reason for choosing a civilian officer to lead the military—

With the armies equipped with firearms, they became extremely dependent on logistics and production, which gave civilian officials control over military affairs.

Later armies were mostly led by civilian governments. Strong and brave warriors were more likely to choose to train in sports.

Upon hearing these words, the Privy Council officials were so ashamed that they could no longer utter a word of complaint.

For them, the more ammunition consumed at the front, the better, so that they will become more dependent on the rear.

They shouldn't complain about the wasted ammunition at the front; instead, they should be encouraged to get used to fighting this way.

Bi Maokang could only apologize to the emperor, saying:

"I am aware of my guilt."

"However, I still believe that the consumption of ammunition at the front should be thoroughly investigated."

"To prevent people from hoarding or even reselling it."

Zhu Youjian was very vigilant about this, saying:
"It doesn't matter how many bullets are used, as long as the war requires it."

"But if anyone embezzles, stores or even resells ammunition, they must be severely punished."

"In the future, ammunition will be subject to stricter management. The Ministry of War, the Logistics Department, the Equipment Department, the Military Supervisory Office, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard all have the power to supervise it."

"If there is even the slightest mistake, we must investigate it thoroughly."

Controlling bullets but not guns was Zhu Youjian's consistent strategy.

To him, it didn't matter that everyone had a musket; without bullets, it was just a fire poker.

He is very lenient on weapons licenses; anyone with a public servant status or above can apply for one.

However, they are extremely tight-lipped about the bullets, and the place where the primers are produced is still kept strictly secret.

This is also a factor limiting bullet production, Bi Maokang said:
"Since the start of the wartime state, many nobles and businessmen have applied for equipment production licenses, and the Equipment Department has approved many and issued orders."

"Nowadays, the production of handgun cartridges and horsegun cartridges is mostly handled by these factories."

"These factories actually have enough capacity to produce ammunition; the limitation is the primers."

"Relying solely on the Zhuolu Arsenal to produce primers is simply too slow."

The production of primers is a very troublesome matter, especially since its technology was somewhat advanced for the Ming Dynasty at that time.

In particular, mercury fulminate is very unstable and can explode if handled carelessly. An accident last month led to the shutdown of several ammunition factories.

In addition, mercury fulminate has a wide range of uses; besides bullets, it is needed in artillery shells, grenades, and landmines.

This resulted in the Zhuolu Arsenal, despite its continuous expansion, never being able to keep up with the demand.

Some nobles and merchants suggested to the Equipment Department that they could also be responsible for primer production.

However, Zhu Youjian could not possibly allow it at this time, and he didn't even want to allow production to take place in an uncontrolled location. He said without hesitation:

"If the Zhuolu arsenal is not enough, then continue to expand it."

"What are the current constraints, and what difficulties are there?"

Bi Maokang said:

"Firstly, the technology is insufficient, resulting in many substandard primers being produced."

"Secondly, there is a shortage of skilled workers. They are working overtime and have already pushed their abilities to the limit."

“Last month, a craftsman made a mistake in the rush, causing a major accident that led to the Zhuolu Arsenal being shut down for several days.”

Neither of these problems was easy to solve. Zhu Youjian couldn't solve the technical problem, and craftsmen couldn't conjure things up out of thin air. After thinking it over, he said:
"The Zhuolu Arsenal is under expansion, and personnel can be transferred from other places."

"Have Zhang Pu recruit workers from the Tongzhou Arsenal, and recruit reliable personnel to go to Zhuolu."

"Technical issues can also be addressed with the support of the Academy of Sciences."

He ordered someone to summon Zhang Pu and to bring him into play.

Zhang Pu had been at the Tongzhou Arsenal for several months and had already demonstrated his abilities. The Tongzhou Arsenal's output increased dramatically, and Zhu Youjian decided to let him take his experience to Zhuolu.

Bi Maokang completely agreed. If Zhang Pu hadn't increased the output of the Tongzhou Arsenal and nearby ammunition factories, he would probably be in an even worse predicament right now.

Moreover, the copper-based paper-cased bullets perfected by Zhang Pu and some craftsmen were also the reason why bullet production soared in the past few months, supporting the Haizhou campaign.

Upon hearing the emperor mention Zhang Pu, he immediately praised him, saying:
“Zhang Xiuzhuan is exceptionally capable; I believe he should be transferred to the Equipment Department.”

"The model of Tongzhou Arsenal should be promoted to all factories."

Zhu Youjian smiled, agreeing. He said to Bi Maokang:
"Then let Zhang Pu return to Beijing and join the Equipment Production Committee."

"Furthermore, the credit for this victory goes not only to the soldiers on the front lines, but also to the officials and craftsmen in the rear."

“You should compile a list of those who have made contributions and reward those who deserve it.”

"The Ming Dynasty will not mistreat any meritorious official."

"Anyone who feels that their contributions have not been counted can file an appeal."

"Those who falsely claim credit must also be brought to justice."

A periodic reward was given to those in the rear to encourage them to continue production.

The frontline troops deserve even more rewards. Why do the Guan Ning Army fight so hard? It's all for the sake of merit.
Zhu Youjian decided to take advantage of the time spent preparing logistical supplies to reward those who had achieved military merits, granting titles and land to those who deserved them.

In short, we need to stimulate everyone's fighting spirit and keep them going.

Everything will get better once the Jurchens are pacified.
-
The officials of the Privy Council were overjoyed to hear this.

However, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue looked worried. The Minister of Revenue, Bi Ziyan, said:

"Your Majesty, the two million war bonds issued this year have now been exhausted."

"If we are to continue the fight, we need to issue more bonds."

"Especially in winter, the consumption of supplies is too great, and after the Liao River and the coast freeze over, the losses from land transportation will be even greater."

"I estimate that at least two million will be needed just for winter."

"Where will such a large sum of money be drawn from?"

Zhu Youjian remained calm, having anticipated this.

This year's Liaodong campaign was supposed to involve Shanxi merchants paying money as punishment for their unauthorized collusion with the enemy.

However, after the Shanxi merchants made a one-time payment of nine million taels of silver, military expenses were no longer of much concern to them. Now, those Shanxi merchants were happily working as merchants accompanying the army, acquiring land in Guihua and the Hetao region, and developing trade routes on the grasslands.

Zhu Youjian did not want to exhaust the resources of the people, so he naturally could not force them to pay any more money. He addressed his ministers:
"The Ming Dynasty is in trouble, but the defeated Jurchens will only be in more trouble."

"As long as we persevere, we will reap the rewards of victory one day."

He encouraged his ministers to persevere, and then addressed Bi Ziyan:
"There is no need to worry about the grain in Liaodong. The Jurchens left enough fodder in Liaoyang. After the grain is harvested in Dongning, it can be transported there in time while the waterways are open."

"The same goes for weapons. The three million taels of silver provided by the Shanxi merchants for equipment have not yet been used up."

"What needs money are other logistical supplies, which are mainly produced in Jiangnan."

Breaking down the expenses, Zhu Youjian said:
"Aren't the merchants from Jiangnan clamoring to build a stock exchange?"

"Tell them that I have agreed."

"The stock exchange in the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area will open next year."

"The prerequisite is that they have to buy two million war bonds when they open for business."

"All this silver will be used to purchase supplies in Jiangnan."

"Let Liu Lishun make good use of it. I want to see more industrial parks in the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area."

This idea was something the ministers had never considered before.

Those unfamiliar with stock exchanges are completely baffled by this.

But when Bi Ziyan heard this, his eyes lit up immediately, because he already had a premonition:

The Ministry of Revenue's need for two million in war funds can be easily resolved.

why?
Because the stock prices were locked in a state of war, the largest trading volumes on the Beijing Stock Exchange are now for salt permits and Liaodong land certificates.

With the immense wealth of the salt merchants in Jiangnan, two million taels of bonds could be easily acquired.

Bi Ziyan even felt that it was still too little and wanted to propose more conditions.

He proposed to the emperor:
“The land in Pingjiang Protectorate has already begun to be cultivated.”

"I believe that land certificates for Pingjiang can be issued to exchange for official land collected by Suzhou Prefecture."

“If any gentry are unable to move south to Pingjiang, they can sell their land deeds.”

"The imperial court may also sell any land that has not been allocated."

This suggestion surprised all the officials present; they hadn't expected it to be done this way.

They even sell off lands that haven't been fully conquered in advance.

If this were the case in other places, wouldn't we no longer have to worry about military funding when fighting wars in the future?
As long as the land that is expected to be captured is released, military funds can be raised.

Some Privy Council officials, having tasted the benefits of war, were already considering what other lands could be sold ahead of schedule. They planned to send troops to continue the war, as long as someone was willing to pay.

If they win, they can gain merit; if they lose, it's a failed investment for the businessmen! (End of Chapter)