Autumn of the 17th year of Chongzhen

Chapter 169 To Macau Wang Yan to buy guns

In the early Ming Dynasty, firearms took the lead in the world, but gradually lagged behind the West during the orthodox years. During Wanli, Ming Dynasty was above the South China Sea, and fought against Portugal and Holland successively. We knew that Xiyi’s firearms were powerful, but Ming Dynasty did not treat Xiyi like the late Qing Dynasty. However, the government and the public were immediately alert, such as "Book of Congratulations to Fujian Nanda Zhongcheng Ping Hongyi", "Guangzhou Fuzhi", "Ming History, Helan Biography", " Xiyi firearms were depicted successively in "Cu Hai Tu Bian", and the imperial court immediately paid attention to them.

In the late Wanli period, the imperial court first ordered the lands of Fujian and Guangdong to transport the seized Xiyi firearms to the capital, and then picked up more than 20 cannons from the British shipwreck on the coast of Guangdong. Better and more powerful, the imperial court then named it "Hongyi Cannon". Then, under the auspices of Minister Xu Guangqi, it began to buy guns from Portuguese in Macau and hired Portuguese to train gunners.

The imperial court also immediately began to imitate Xiyi artillery, and with the spread of Western learning to the east, works such as "Geometry Principles" were translated and annotated, and the Ming Dynasty made considerable improvements in artillery forging and regulations.

At that time, people once said, "The art of war is the only one that borrows the art of geometry. The major events of the country are the foundation of safety and danger. This is the most urgent way!" In "Begging for Amnesty and Quickly Finding Shu", it is said that those who fired guns in Xiyi were "reasonable and tried to calculate", so that Daming should also teach the gunners.

Daming's firearms went from leading the world during the Hongwu period to gradually falling behind after the orthodox, and then catching up after Wanli, and finally defeated the Dutch in Liuluowan.

From the matter of firearms, we found a huge difference between the Ming and Qing dynasties. The problem was never whether they were behind, but the reaction after realizing that they were behind.

The Ming Dynasty and the West only made contact with the South China Sea, and immediately began to imitate the Franji and Hongyi guns. On the other hand, the Qing Dynasty did not wake up after the Opium War and the burning of the Old Summer Palace. Voice, the Westernization Movement was launched, but in the end it failed because the crowds dragged it back.

It was this diametrically opposed attitude towards advanced civilizations that finally led to the backwardness and beating of modern China.

Both Ming and Qing regard the land under their feet as the world, but Qing is self-styled and arrogant, while Ming is self-confident because he has an inclusive mind and an attitude of humbly seeking advice and striving to catch up. the difference.

The sound of "rumbling" guns rang out, blasting a water column several feet high on the sea.

On the coast, Wang Yan and the others stopped to watch under the flying flags.

At this time, he put down the binoculars in his hand, turned his head and said to Chen Yujie who was beside him, "How does Zhan Yi feel?"

"The Folang robot is firing a cannon, so I really have to be an official to learn." Hearing the words, Chen Yujie raised his finger to the sea and said, "Look, Duke, the Flang robot fired several cannons, but the landing point was almost on a line." Above, the accuracy of grasping the distance is far better than that of the lower officials."

"Zhanyi's cannons are also extremely accurate, but the soldiers in the battalion are not good. If you fire several cannons at once, there must be distances and nears, and the levels are uneven. It seems that in addition to buying cannons, the governor also needs to hire a few Buddhas." You can only learn from Langji!" Wang Yan nodded, picked up the binoculars and looked again.

"Duke, besides this, the lower officials discovered that the Frang machine must be precise in doing things. The regulations for each artillery piece are completely unified, and the amount of ammunition is also customized, so that the artillery can be accurate. In our army, There are many mistakes in this regard, even if the same artillery is used by the lower officials, it is often impossible to hit the same target because the amount of gunpowder filled in each projectile is different." Chen Yujie said: "The lower officials asked the Duke to follow the example of the Frang machine. , to regulate the artisans, the amount of gunpowder must be accurate, and the next official wants to ask the Duke to send a master to the artillery battalion to teach the artillerymen arithmetic."

Hearing the words, Wang Yan couldn't help nodding his head. At the same time, he also understood the difference between Daming and Xiyi in his heart, "My Chinese adheres to the doctrine of the mean, and I don't seek the ultimate in everything, but the Xiyi must seek the best in everything. There are some similarities, but what Zhan Yi said just now, the governor has already remembered, and after returning, he will start to do it."

"Dear Duke, I don't know if you are satisfied with these cannons!" When Wang Yan was talking with Chen Yujie, Bai Yingli and Isusha walked over with smiles on their faces.

"Your Excellency, Father." Wang Yan said with a smile: "The governor is very satisfied with this batch of artillery, but apart from the artillery, the governor just discussed with Yu Zhanyi, and maybe he also needs to hire a number of instructors from Macau so that the governor's subordinate Erlang , to better grasp this batch of artillery, I wonder if you can help me recommend a few talents, I will definitely hire you with a lot of money."

"This is a small matter, I am very willing to serve the respected Lord Duke." After receiving Bai Yingli's suggestion, Yisusha's attitude towards Wang Yan has changed drastically. Our Portuguese trade in Guangdong will also be guaranteed. These cannons will be sold by Portugal at a real price, only 300 taels of silver each. This is Portugal’s friendship with the Duke. I hope that when the respected Duke takes control of Guangdong After that, trade favors with Portugal and fight the damn Dutch with Portugal."

Before Wang Yan decided to buy cannons, he had an understanding of the process and cost of the imperial court's previous purchases of cannons.

During the reign of Tianqi, Mr. Xu Ge asked his friends to find the Portuguese to buy guns. A four-pound gun cost 1000 taels of silver. The current price given by the Portuguese is acceptable to Wang Yan, but he never believes in real prices. Chen Yujie, who is good at making cannons, glanced at him, nodded his head, and said with a smile: "This price, the governor can accept, but the governor hopes that you can equip the artillery with a batch of flowering ammunition in return." In the future, the governor will give priority to cooperating with you in the maritime trade between Guangdong and the West. As for the Dutch, if they do not withdraw from Taiwan and conduct trade honestly, they will be the governor and the enemy of Ming Dynasty. The governor does not mind sending them all. Abandon the sea."

"Oh~ thank God!" Isuza said happily after hearing this: "Dear Duke, you have won the friendship of the Portuguese, and you will be Portugal's most important friend in the Far East. Alright! For friendship, as you I wish, one hundred four-pound guns, each of which will give you thirty shells, a total of 3 taels of silver."

Seeing this, Wang Yan nodded happily, as he had decided on the matter of buying the guns, and then he looked at Bai Yingli and said, "Yesterday the priest invited me to visit the Macao Theological Seminary. Now that the matter of buying the guns has been decided." , then move to the seminary, okay?"

(End of this chapter)