Who killed the Ming Dynasty?

"Five breaths and six guns?!"

Zuo Maodi gasped softly, leaning forward and staring intently at the imperial desk.

Zhu Cilang stood at the point where the cannon and the main cannon joined, explaining the essentials of the mechanism to his ministers—

This gun features a modular design, allowing individual replacement of the sub-guns and significantly reducing the pressure in the main gun barrel, drastically lowering the probability of barrel explosion.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Zuo Maodi's voice trembled, unable to contain his excitement.

"This bullet can be replaced individually, just like in movable type printing."

"The might of ten muskets is now at the command of a single soldier, leaving the enemy cavalry with no opening to exploit! This is... this is a divine weapon for defeating the enemy!"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty!"

Wang Zhaoxing, the chief of the Ordnance Bureau, shuddered violently, as if burned by the words "divine machine," and hurriedly knelt down:

"Your Majesty, I dare to remonstrate! The name 'Divine Strategist' was bestowed upon the elite Beijing Garrison by Emperor Chengzu himself, and its prestige resounds throughout the world!"

"How could... how could it be used to name a mere newly manufactured musket?"

"This...this is a transgression of ancestral rules, a grave disrespect! Your Majesty...your Majesty is filled with trepidation!"

Gao Zhuo and Zuo Maodi stiffened for a moment, then quickly exchanged a glance.

Han Zanzhou stood to one side, his fingers unconsciously twirling the handle of his whisk.

Zhu Cilang raised his chin slightly, his gaze falling on the top of Wang Zhaoxing's official hat.

"In the past, the 'Divine Machine Battalion' defeated the Yuan cavalry in the northern deserts, displaying the might of our nation!"

"Now, with this musket, we revive the divine weapon, carry on the will of our ancestors, and continue their glorious achievements. This is truly worthy of our name! Your Excellency Wang,"

He asked in an almost pitying tone,

Do you think this gun is unworthy of the title "Divine Weapon," or do you think I am unworthy of Emperor Chengzu's ambition?

Wang Zhaoxing trembled, pressed his forehead against the gold brick, and dared not utter another word.

"Your Majesty is wise! This gun is truly miraculous..."

Gao Zhuojian quickly chimed in, his voice trembling with tears.

"But the Ministry of Works is currently living beyond its means and is finding it difficult to cope!"

"Six out of ten artisans have fled, and the remaining artisans are owed their monthly wages for more than three quarters."

"The Ordnance Bureau was struck by lightning last year, and the three furnaces have yet to be repaired... This old minister... This old minister is truly..."

He rattled off a string of questions, listing over a dozen difficult problems in one breath. The old minister covered his face with his sleeve and wept uncontrollably.

"Gao Qing!"

Zhu Cilang slammed his fist on the imperial desk! The aftershocks reverberated.

"What I need today is a strategy to defeat the enemy, not to hear you all complaining and making excuses!"

Zuo Maodi had already taken half a step forward, his voice booming:

"Your Majesty, during my inspection of the nine border regions, I personally observed that the range of the firearms carried by the soldiers was no more than a hundred paces."

"Before we could finish reloading, the enemy cavalry had already charged to the front lines!"

"The soldiers are not afraid of death, but rather of the weapons in their hands turning against them!"

His gaze swept over Gao Zhuo,

"We are all aware of the difficulties faced by the Ministry of Works, but how can we sit idly by and wait for the lives of the soldiers on the front lines to be saved?"

Gao Zhuo hurriedly sat up, leaned closer to the imperial desk, and carefully examined the diagrams on it.

His finger hovered about an inch above the paper, trembling slightly, and he hesitated to put it down.

After a moment, he raised his head, his brow furrowed with deep worry:

"Your Majesty, this gun is a masterpiece of craftsmanship. However, upon closer inspection, I have three concerns."

Zhu Cilang nodded slightly:

"Please feel free to speak."

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Gao Zhuo's forehead.

"Firstly, the mechanism of this gun is complex and difficult to manufacture without a skilled craftsman;"

Secondly, forging fine iron hundreds of times is extremely costly, and the cost is a serious concern.

"Thirdly, and this is what worries this old minister the most!"

He deliberately slowed his voice, making it sound earnest and meaningful.

"The time-consuming and costly experimentation with manufacturing firearms during the Wanli reign serves as a stark warning!"

"Your Majesty! Reforming the military equipment is a complex undertaking with far-reaching consequences. We earnestly urge Your Majesty to consider this matter carefully and exercise extreme caution!"

"We must not repeat the same mistakes and waste our national strength!"

Zhu Cilang looked at the undried sweat on Gao Zhuo's forehead and asked in return:

"Since you, Minister Gao, have mentioned these three concerns, you must already have a solution. Why not speak of it and share my burdens?"

Gao Zhuo's face stiffened, his lips trembled, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"Uh...this...I...I'm racking my brains..."

Before he could answer, Zhu Cilang's voice suddenly rose:

"Although the Ministry of Works' supervision of the construction is difficult, the numerous and complicated matters at the rear make things convenient for those on the front lines."

"The success or failure of this matter rests entirely on the shoulders of the Minister of Works! Minister Gao, are you capable of bearing this responsibility?"

Gao Zhuo hurriedly lowered his head, his voice weak:

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I deserve ten thousand deaths! I fear... I fear I am not up to the task..."

Zhu Cilang suddenly stood up, his voice echoing throughout the palace:

"Emperor Taizong of Tang once said that he dominated the world for thirty years, invincible in every way. What was the secret to his success?"

His gaze, sharp as lightning, swept across the entire room.

"It's simply a matter of 'strong armor and sharp weapons'!"

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting the smoke from the incense burner onto the landscape map on the table, creating flowing patches of light.

"Our great Ming army should forge the sharpest weapons of the Five Thunder Divine Machine and achieve unparalleled feats!"

He pointed to the graphic component.

"I believe this gun can be divided and manufactured separately, like a butcher carving up an ox, with each unit specializing in one weapon."

The finger lingers briefly at the joint between the female and male guns.

"Establish a mother gun battalion, a son gun battalion, and a dragon head gun battalion, each with its own responsibilities."

"Establishing a dedicated assembly battalion to handle standardization will make the process much more efficient."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Zuo Maodi's eyes lit up.

"The dragon head and the cannon were made separately, just like the thirty-two workshops in the Jingdezhen imperial kiln, which were divided into painting, glazing, and firing stages!"

"Minister Zuo understands my intentions perfectly!"

Zhu Cilang took a volume of the "Ministry of Works Register" from the dragon's desk and pushed it in front of him.

The flowchart on the paper unfolded in the sunlight.

The mother gun, the son gun, the dragon head, and other components are all circled in vermilion ink, with the annotation "Each camp makes its own, and they are assembled into a weapon" next to them.

The "Catalogue" specifies that each process is supervised by a designated person and includes meticulously drawn standard template diagrams.

Furthermore, next to the dimensions, the standard tolerance range is specified in tiny characters—

Any parts that do not conform to the specifications and dimensions in the drawings will be returned for remanufacturing.

This set of procedures, characterized by division of labor and meticulous attention to detail, was precisely what Zhu Cilang relied on to shorten the construction period.

"If we want to develop firearms on a large scale, the Ministry of Works alone may not be able to support it. This artisan household system... could turn the impossible into the possible."

The artisan household system of the Ming Dynasty originated from the Yuan Dynasty. The Mongols collected and gathered captured artisans and folk craftsmen, and established an "artisan register."

The government registered them and ordered them to continue this profession for generations.

"The Ministry of Works shall allocate special funds to allow unemployed artisans to form their own workshops to manufacture specific components of the 'Divine Machine Gun'!"

"The work unit has passed inspection; pricing will be based on the number of pieces!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Zhuo almost knelt down, his voice filled with urgent loyalty:

"Your Majesty! Absolutely not! This proposal is a grave violation of ancestral rules!"

He straightened up abruptly, as if defending an ironclad rule.

"Emperor Taizu's decree clearly states: 'Military equipment is exclusively under the jurisdiction of the State Bureau!' This ironclad rule is clear!"

"The advantage of firearms lies in their precision and refinement; the danger of firearms lies in their dispersal! They are a vital national asset!"

His voice suddenly became heavy.

"Once a gun leaves the workshop, a hundred enemy soldiers will learn the method; this is the original intention of our ancestors in strictly controlling the artisan register."

Bi Maokang once said, "What the barbarians fear most about China is its firearms. If we allow them to spread, we may lose the key to controlling the barbarians."

He shouted loudly.

"Your Majesty, we must be careful!"

Zhu Cilang suddenly fell silent.

How could he not know the profound meaning behind Emperor Taizu's strict control over the artisan register?

The Ming Dynasty has always valued the secrecy of weapon manufacturing, stipulating that "the details must be kept strictly confidential and no leaks of the designs are permitted; violators will be severely punished."

Once the skills are leaked, they will either fall into the hands of foreign invaders or become the property of bandits.