Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 787 Firearms are the Mainstream
In the imperial court, there was little controversy regarding whether to appoint a general commander of the three border regions.

The key point is that the emperor had already informed the cabinet ministers, the Minister of Personnel, and the Minister of War in advance. Given that there was indeed a war in the northwest, it was reasonable for the emperor to appoint the commander-in-chief of the three border regions.

The remaining issue is the selection of personnel.

However, none of the officials nominated at the court meeting passed the recommendation process, and the emperor did not give any instructions on who to appoint. The first court meeting ended in a stalemate, with the emperor only stating that the final candidate would be decided within three days.

The person most excited about this news was Wang Yue.

"Father."

Upon hearing the news, Wang Yue's son, Wang Shi, rushed back to the mansion and found his father staring blankly at the portrait of him bestowed the title of Earl of Weining on the front wall.

At this time, Wang Yue was living in a temporary residence arranged by the imperial court, and his family members were mostly not in the capital.

Upon hearing his son's greeting, Wang Yue casually asked, "Do you know what your father most wants to see?"

"To see the Wang family rise again? To reclaim the lost hereditary title?"

The king asked.

Wang Yue turned his head, shook his head and sighed: "I have always hoped to stand on the right side and always stand with His Majesty, instead of the past, where no matter how many merits I made, they all came to naught in the end."

Clearly, Wang Yue sensed deep malice in the power struggle.

Despite doing so much dirty and tiring work for Emperor Chenghua, winning so many battles throughout his life, and transforming himself from a civil official into a military hero, he ended up taking the blame for everything.

He never made mistakes on the battlefield and could be said to be invincible. However, because he always chose the wrong side in politics, his family fell into decline and he even lost the title he had once obtained.

Wang Shi asked with concern, "Then... Father, are you going to stand on Zhang Guozhang's side this time? As you said when you returned yesterday, His Majesty is not in a hurry to determine the candidate for the Three Borders Commander... Perhaps you really can give it a shot."

Wang Yue's expression was stern: "What's the point of sending me to the three border regions at this time?"

"Does Father mean... it's not the right time for you to step in yet?"

Wang Shi was quite surprised.

Previously, the elderly father had been jumping around anxiously, seemingly afraid of missing a golden opportunity to turn the tide.

Now that we've finally seen a glimmer of hope, my elderly father has become despondent?

Wang Yue said, "Your Majesty seems to have high expectations for the military and political affairs of the three border regions, but I still don't fully understand what exactly he wants to achieve... Speaking of which, the ones who understand Your Majesty's intentions the most right now are probably the Zhang family, the imperial relatives!"

"Then... will Father still go to visit?"

The king asked.

"I'm afraid the Zhang father and son won't see me."

Wang Yue sighed, “What I want to do now is to let His Majesty know that I am wholeheartedly serving the court and devoting myself to the imperial family… My memorial has already been submitted, and if everything goes smoothly, His Majesty will surely understand my intentions when he sees it.”

……

……

The emperor had no interest in reading Wang Yue's memorial expressing his determination.

Because at this moment, Zhu Youcheng had already disguised himself and secretly left the palace to check on the cannon firing situation with Zhang Yanling... In fact, this kind of thing has happened many times recently.

This time, in addition to letting Zhu Youcheng witness the power of the new cannon, Zhang Yanling also planned to show Zhu Youcheng another amazing explosive, namely gunpowder.

After more than a year of preparation, nitroglycerin has finally achieved greater stability and is ready to be used on the battlefield.

"Yanling, you said that the new gunpowder is extremely powerful. Should we bring the people from the court along as well, so they can witness it and boost their confidence?"

Zhu Youcheng and Zhang Yanling arrived outside the training ground, seemingly unwilling to watch the excitement alone.

He wanted to summon all those who opposed his military campaigns in the Northwest, to make them deeply understand that he, the emperor, was not a warmonger, but rather actively and proactively advancing the strategy of sending troops to the grasslands only when he had a high degree of certainty.

Zhang Yanling said, "Brother-in-law, it's futile to let them see it; they'll still object... Actually, it's enough that you understand the power yourself."

As they were talking, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, Qin Chang, arrived with his men from the Imperial Horse Administration.

Qin Yun was still in charge of this demonstration.

The specific process doesn't require building any houses or city walls on the spot to destroy them. Instead, just find a place, dig a pit, bury the gunpowder, and let Zhu Youcheng see the effect after the explosion.

"It's quite far."

Zhu Youcheng took the binoculars and looked around from a distance, then turned to examine his brother-in-law.

Zhang Yanling said, "Brother-in-law, this time it's different from demonstrating it in front of the ministers. We'll show the power of the new gunpowder in actual combat. If the effect is significant, we can prepare a batch and add it to cannonballs to hit the Tatar cavalry from a distance, causing them confusion and casualties."

Zhu Youcheng nodded and said, "Let's begin."

……

……

"boom!"

"boom!"

Two explosions were heard in quick succession.

The yellow gunpowder that Zhang Yanling used for mining was detonated by burying it, once again demonstrating its powerful force, causing the ground to tremble even several miles away.

Zhu Youcheng had been looking through his binoculars from afar and was about to come out of his bunker when Zhang Yanling stopped him, gesturing, "Brother-in-law, there's another demonstration... it's using artillery to fire new shells and launch the thing containing that thing!"

"Ah."

Zhu Youcheng nodded in relief.

Just from the introduction, he knew that the next step was to use artillery fire, encapsulating yellow gunpowder inside the shells and firing them one by one into the distance.

Then came another series of loud bangs.

"boom--"

"Boom boom——"

The explosions that occurred after the shells landed, though not as powerful as pre-planted explosives, still produced extremely terrifying effects...

The shockwave shattered the area around the landing site, and a slope of earth and rocks several meters high was flattened after a salvo.

Originally, there were some old horse-drawn carriages, wooden-wheeled carts, chevaux-de-frise, and dozens of logs on the slope, which served as markers.

After the explosion, the horse-drawn carriages, wooden carts, barricades, and piles of logs were blown to pieces and scattered within a mile or two by the strong wind.

"it's over!"

The fast horse was responsible for relaying messages back and forth.

Zhu Youcheng said with anticipation, "I want to go closer and take a look."

Zhang Yanling said, "Brother-in-law, you are of great importance, how can you take such a risk? Actually, there is no need for you to go forward in person. You can see the effect from a distance with a telescope."

The group then climbed to higher ground.

At this moment, dozens of elite cavalrymen from the 3,000-strong battalion, as if in coordinated combat, charged forward on horseback, patrolling the areas previously bombarded by artillery shells. After observing through binoculars for a while, Zhu Youcheng exclaimed in shock, "There's almost nothing intact left on the ground."

Qin Chang, holding a telescope, looked over and exclaimed with delight, "Your Majesty, the cannonballs are incredibly powerful! There were many large logs piled up over there just now, and they all seem to have been blown to pieces."

"Ah."

Zhu Youcheng nodded and said, "Even wood has turned into dust, let alone flesh and blood? Yanling, what is this all about?"

Zhang Yanling explained, "Brother-in-law, this is a new type of gunpowder that I used when I was mining. I also researched its military applications. This new type of gunpowder can completely replace the previous black powder. However, its power is too great and it is not easy to control. But it has been stabilized. The next step is to manufacture artillery with a longer range that can fire shells loaded with the new gunpowder."

Zhu Youcheng asked, "So, if we use the new cannons, when the Tatars come, it won't just be the cannonballs that cause damage when they land, but they can also explode and affect a large area? How far exactly will the damage extend?"

Zhang Yanling said, "The previous shotguns could only kill enemies at a distance of a dozen meters at most, and their damage to heavily armored cavalry was extremely limited. But if it were a high-explosive shell like this, it could blast for twenty or thirty meters at a time. Even if the Tatar cavalry around the blast point were wearing the thickest armor, it would be futile."

"very good."

Zhu Youcheng nodded approvingly and said, "I've long heard that the Tatars are good at launching desperate charges with their heavily armored cavalry. Ordinary swords, spears, or bows and arrows have limited effect on them. Even when they use muskets, they are only effective at close range."

Zhang Yanling laughed and said, "Brother-in-law, I was originally planning to show you the newly developed musket, but the number produced so far is not large enough for mass production. In addition, there are still some areas that need improvement, so I'll demonstrate it to you next time."

"hehe."

Zhu Youcheng laughed and said, "Judging from what you're saying, you have something good to show me, right? Where did you learn all this stuff? It always seems... very complicated, but very useful."

Zhang Yanling said, "Perhaps Heaven wants me to help my brother-in-law revitalize the Ming Dynasty... My father has always said that I am a monster."

"Don't say that."

Zhu Youcheng said, "I still want to go up and see for myself... Yanling, will you come with me?"

Zhu Youcheng was clearly a very meticulous emperor.

Upon discovering that they possessed powerful gunpowder and cannonballs, they would insist on personally witnessing it before they dared to feel at ease.

Zhang Yanling nodded: "The officers and soldiers of the Three Thousand Battalion have checked it repeatedly, so there shouldn't be any safety issues. I'll go with my brother-in-law to check it now... Eunuch Qin, please wait here, we'll be back in a bit!"

……

……

After inspecting the site, Zhu Youcheng was very satisfied.

The ground was full of potholes.

This is not loose soil; beneath a shallow layer of soil lies a layer of hard rock.

After the shells exploded, there was hardly a flat area. You could clearly see a large number of scattered shrapnel, lead bullets, and other debris, all of which were used to kill enemy cavalry.

Zhu Youcheng reached out and picked up a few lead bullets, examined them repeatedly in his hand, and finally threw them back on the ground.

"It has a pungent smell."

Zhu Youcheng said.

Zhang Yanling: "This is what you call the smoke of battle."

Zhu Youcheng nodded: "With this, does it mean that the Ming Dynasty's artillery will be invincible in the future?"

“That’s one way to put it,” Zhang Yanling said. “But there’s a major problem: how to lure the Tatars into our trap… After all, our artillery isn’t very mobile, and if they try to outmaneuver us with light cavalry, it won’t be easy to kill them.”

Zhu Youcheng asked, "Then... what's the solution?"

Zhang Yanling said, "We need to rely on handy firearms, especially repeating ones. We are currently working on standard fireballs. Once they are completed and put into service, the next step is to equip our Ming soldiers with them. We will use our cavalry to engage them. In close to medium-range combat, they can only take hits. Once they suffer heavy casualties, they will naturally collapse."

Zhu Youcheng nodded and said, "Musketeers are always lighter and more convenient... So, does that mean that if the soldiers are equipped with muskets, they can pursue the Tatars?"

"Yes."

Zhang Yanling said, "When fighting with firearms, it is mostly one-on-one duels, and victory still requires the overwhelming number of troops and the overwhelming force on the field."

"In the long run, if we can manufacture repeating muskets, especially those that can fire instantly without constantly changing bullets... then we can make the Tatars lose any chance of fighting head-on, and when they encounter our Ming army, they will only have to flee in terror."

Zhu Youcheng said with emotion, "Your idea is excellent, then I'll leave it to you! Come, come back to the palace with me... Your sister misses you!"

……

……

Half an hour later.

The Forbidden City, Kunning Palace.

Zhu Youcheng and his wife were very hospitable to Zhang Yanling, pulling him to eat this and that, as if they were afraid that Zhang Yanling would be too shy to pick up his chopsticks and not get enough to eat.

“You’re doing something important. I don’t know the specifics, but you need to take care of your health and come back for dinner on time!” Zhang Yu frowned slightly and said reproachfully, “You’ve been leaving early and coming back late lately. I have no idea what you’ve been doing.”

Zhu Youcheng leaned closer and said with a smile, "Yu'er, it's all because of the war in the Northwest. I want to fulfill the wish that Father Emperor didn't get to complete back then."

Zhang Yu blinked and asked in confusion, "Do you really have to insist on that? The late emperor never said you should live such a tiring life... Don't you think about it? You haven't been emperor for long, why do you have to add so much pressure to yourself?"
Then she turned to her younger brother, "And you, Yanling, you're always taking your brother-in-law along to do this and that, like you're holding bait in front of him, teasing him and making him follow your lead... You're just bored, aren't you?"

Zhang Yanling shrugged, ignoring his sister's nagging, and continued eating.

"I'm talking to you."

Zhang Yu pouted as she spoke.

Zhang Yanling put down his chopsticks and stared intently at Zhang Yu: "Sister, I didn't do all this for our family. All my purposes were for the good of my brother-in-law and the good of the court. How can you blame me for this?"

"You must understand, my brother-in-law has only recently ascended the throne and his prestige is not yet established. He is currently like a boat sailing against the current; if he doesn't advance, he will fall behind. Only by demonstrating strong governing ability can he keep those veteran officials in check and avoid losing control of the court's finances and personnel, becoming nothing more than a clay idol..."

"hehe."

Zhu Youcheng didn't feel offended by the siblings' words at all, and said with a smile, "It's not as serious as you say, Yanling. After all, the cabinet ministers are my teachers, and they won't harm me... Also, just listen to what your sister says, and don't talk back to her. She's doing it for your own good."

Zhang Yanling thought to himself, whose side are you really on?
The previous conflict was nothing more than a minor argument between you and your spouse.

Because I'm an outsider, you're shifting the focus of your attacks onto me so that the two of you can "unite against a common enemy," right?

Zhang Yanling raised her hands in surrender: "Alright, alright, I'll learn my lesson. I'll let my brother-in-law leave the palace less often in the future... and let him spend more time with my sister. But then again, does a woman really need to monopolize her husband's time all the time? Does she even get to do her proper work? I think Mother did a great job..."

"Hey, I think you're just asking for a beating."

Zhang Yu said angrily, "The older this younger brother gets, the harder he is to manage."

Zhu Youcheng found the siblings' bickering both novel and amusing, and said with a smile, "The children are grown up, why bother with them? Besides, Yanling..."

Seeing his wife roll her eyes, Zhu Youcheng quickly changed his tune, "Yes, yes, Yu'er, I'll listen to you... Feel free to say whatever you want... Yanling, your sister misses you today and wants you to come to the palace to listen to her teachings. Just accept them humbly."

Zhang Yanling was speechless and said, "Brother-in-law, you mean my sister misses me, is that what you're thinking?"

"You, you."

Zhu Youcheng glanced back at his wife and, finding her glaring at him, immediately looked away.

Clearly, this emperor, having displeased his wife, is using his brother-in-law as a shield.

(End of this chapter)