Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

Chapter 154 Made during the Xuande Period

The investigation team officially began its investigation on the third day after arriving in Nanjing.

Zhao Rong, accompanied by Zhou Bin, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Works, Liu Yu, an assistant secretary, and four craftsmen skilled in firearms manufacturing, went to the Nanjing Armory.

The Ordnance Bureau was located on the west side of the Nanjing Imperial City, covering an area of ​​several tens of acres, and was divided into four large courtyards: casting, forging, assembly, and storage.

You can hear the clanging sounds coming from inside from afar; that's the craftsmen at work.

They were greeted by Qian Tong, a senior official in the Nanjing Ministry of Works' Water Conservancy Department.

This was the same person who had tried to get close to him at the dock three days ago.

Qian Tong smiled broadly: "Minister Zhao, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Everything has been arranged at the Bureau of Armory; all the warehouses and ledgers are at Zhao's disposal for inspection.

Zhao Rong nodded: "Thank you for your trouble, Doctor Qian."

Qian Tong stepped aside to lead the way: "Minister Zhao, please."

The group entered the Bureau of Armory.

As Qian Tong walked, he introduced, "The Bureau of Armory currently has 872 craftsmen."

Among them, there were 45 master craftsmen, 120 assistant craftsmen, and the rest were apprentices.

Each year, they can produce 300 breech-loading cannons, 2,000 handguns, and 50,000 jin of gunpowder.

Zhao Rong interrupted him: "Doctor Qian, I don't care about these things. I want to see the manufacturing records from previous years."

Qian Tong replied with a smile, "Of course, of course. Minister Zhao, please come with me."

He led Zhao Rong and the others through the forging workshop to a two-story building.

A plaque with the words "Archives Room" hangs at the entrance of the building.

Qian Tong pushed open the door: "Minister Zhao, this is where the manufacturing records are kept."

Records from the Hongwu era to the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong era are all here.

Zhao Rong walked into the archives room, where three walls were lined with wooden shelves, each shelf neatly stacked with hundreds of account books.

Each tent flap had a label attached to its spine: Hongwu year, Yongle year, Xuande year —

Zhao Rong casually pulled out a book, which was a production record from the seventh year of the Xuande reign.

The details of which firearms were made in which month, how much copper and iron were used, how many hours were spent, who the craftsmen were, and who supervised the production were all recorded.

Zhao Rong looked at Qian Tong: "What about during the Zhengtong era?"

Qian Tong pointed to the innermost row of shelves: "Those shelves cover the years from the first to the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong era."

Zhao Rong walked over, pulled out the records from the first year of the Zhengtong era, and opened them.

blank.

He then drew out the second year of the Zhengtong era.

blank.

The third, fourth, and fifth years of the Zhengtong reign—all the way up to the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign.

All blank.

Zhao Rong looked at Qian Tong: "Doctor Qian, what's going on?"

Qian Tong leaned closer for a look, his face showing surprise: "Oh dear, this—how can this be blank?"

Zhao Rong stared at him: "Doctor Qian doesn't know?"

Qian Tong shook his head repeatedly: "This humble official truly does not know!"

Although I am from the Ministry of Works in Nanjing.

However, the Ordnance Bureau operates independently and has its own team.

My role is merely coordination; I never interfere in the specifics.

Zhao Rong didn't speak, she just looked at him.

Qian Tong quickly said, "Minister Zhao, please wait a moment. I will go and fetch the head of the Armory right away!"

A moment later, a middle-aged eunuch rushed over.

This man, surnamed Li, was the head of the Nanjing Military Equipment Bureau and had been in Nanjing for over ten years.

Upon seeing Zhao Rong, Manager Li quickly bowed and said, "This servant greets Vice Minister Zhao."

Zhao Rong placed the stack of blank ledgers in front of him: "Manager Li, what's the deal with these records?"

Manager Li glanced at it, his expression changed, and then he sighed, "Minister Zhao, you don't know, it's not that I don't remember, it's just that I really can't remember."

Zhao Rong frowned: "What do you mean?"

Manager Li said, "Before the fifth year of the Zhengtong era, the Bureau of Armory did indeed have annual manufacturing tasks and funding allocations, so the records are complete."

However, starting from the sixth year of the Zhengtong reign, the funds allocated by the imperial court gradually decreased.

After the eighth year of the Zhengtong reign, it simply disappeared.

Zhao Rong said, "Since there is no funding, what are the artisans in the Armory doing?"

I clearly heard the sound of forging when I entered.

Li Zhangsi smiled wryly: "What Vice Minister Zhao heard were armor and weapons repaired for the Nanjing Garrison, and swords and spears replenished for the Nanjing Capital Garrison."

These funds were all provided by the Nanjing Garrison Command itself.

The Bureau of Armory only provides labor, earning a meager stipend to support the artisans.

The actual production of firearms ceased after the ninth year of the Zhengtong era.

Zhao Rong then asked, "What about the batch of firearms that were transported to Beijing in September of the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign?"

Manager Li said, "That was an order given by Eunuch Cao, who came from Beijing last year."

It was said that the situation in Beijing was urgent and firearms were in dire need.

"Then we had the Ordnance Bureau clear out all the old stock and transport it over there."

Zhao Rong looked at him: "Old stock from the warehouse?"

Manager Li nodded: "Yes, they were all made during the Xuande period, the early Zhengtong period, and some were even made during the Yongle period."

It's been sitting in the warehouse for many years.

Some of them got damp, and some rusted.

The servant reported this to Eunuch Cao at the time.

Eunuch Cao said it was alright, let's get it there first.

Zhao Rong was silent for a moment: "Take me to the storeroom."

The warehouse was located at the deepest part of the armory; it consisted of several huge warehouses filled with wooden crates.

Manager Li opened one of the rooms, and a musty smell hit him.

Zhao Rong went inside, and Zhou Bin and several craftsmen followed behind, opening the wooden boxes one by one to inspect them.

Half an hour later, Zhou Bin walked to Zhao Rong's side and whispered, "Minister Zhao, we have inspected thirty boxes, and they were all made during the Xuande period."

The gun barrels are severely corroded and all are unusable.

Zhao Rong nodded without speaking. He looked at Manager Li and said, "Manager Li, these firearms were all made during the Xuande era."

The Xuande era was more than 20 years ago.

According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, firearms stored for more than ten years must be inspected regularly, and those with severe corrosion must be scrapped and recast.

Why didn't your Ordnance Bureau carry it out?

Manager Li's smile froze for a moment.

He looked at Zhao Rong and said with a wry smile, "Minister Zhao, this servant knows all of this."

I opened and inspected the chests the year I first came to the Bureau of Armory.

The servant immediately wrote a memorial stating that these firearms had been in disrepair for many years and should be scrapped and recast.

The folded paper was handed over but never received.

The following year, I wrote again, but still received no reply.

The third year, the fourth year, I wrote every year, but there was no reply every year.

Later, an old eunuch told the maid: "Don't bother writing anymore, it's no use writing it."

Scrapping and recasting costs money, but where does the money come from?

If the imperial court doesn't provide funding, submitting a report is pointless.

If you really scrap this batch of firearms, the Ordnance Bureau's inventory will be more than half empty.

The voice of Manager Li revealed a hint of weariness: "I figured it out later."

"These firearms are simply stored in the warehouse; that's all there is to them."

As long as it exists, it will look good on paper.

Every year during inspections, as long as the boxes aren't opened, who knows how rusty they are inside?

Everyone pretended not to know, and the matter passed.

Zhao Rong remained silent.

Zhou Bin whispered from the side, "But what if we need to use these firearms?"

Manager Li glanced at him: "Last September, when Eunuch Cao sent people to transfer firearms, I mentioned it."

Those firearms have been stored for too long and are no longer usable.

But the person who came said that whether it could be used or not was not up to me.

The servant had no choice but to comply.

The servant even wrote a list at the time.

Each batch of firearms boxes was labeled: "Made in a certain year of the Xuande reign, stored for many years, uninspected, please carefully inspect before use."

Zhao Rong suddenly looked at him: "Are you sure you put those labels up?"

Manager Li nodded: "This servant personally supervised the pasting process, and every single box was pasted with it."

"I'm not stupid. If something goes wrong, I need something to prove I've done my duty."

Zhao Rong fell silent. He had never seen those labels when he inspected firearms in Tongzhou!

After a long pause, he looked at Manager Li again: "Manager Li, where are the records of the funding allocation for the manufacture of firearms by the Ordnance Bureau over the years?"

Manager Li said, "The Bureau of Armory only records how much it receives, not how much the Ministry of Revenue allocates."

If Vice Minister Zhao wants to investigate the expenditures, he should inquire at the Ministry of Revenue.

Qian Tong quickly replied, "Minister Zhao, Vice Minister Li is investigating at the Ministry of Revenue. I'll go and inquire about the situation immediately."

Zhao Rong waved his hand: "No need, I will ask myself."

As he left, Zhao Rong looked back once more.

Manager Li was still standing at the door of the archives room, watching them from afar.

Their eyes met across the courtyard.

Manager Li suddenly bowed deeply and remained seated for a long time.

Zhao Rong didn't say anything, turned around and got into the sedan chair.

As the sedan curtain fell, he sighed softly.

Tens of thousands of firearms have been sitting in the warehouse for over twenty years, with no one caring, no one asking, no one paying for their scrapping, and no one paying for their reconstruction.

Until one day, Beijing said it urgently needed them, so they were all loaded onto ships and transported away.