The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Malan Valley is located in Zunhua.

The Great Wall here has been in disrepair for many years and looks very dilapidated.

When Zhu Yi and Qian Ning arrived, Zhu Houzhao had arrived two days earlier and personally made arrangements.

From a distance, you can still see Wang Zhuo, who was "kidnapped".

At this time, although Wang Zhuo was nominally the highest-ranking official in charge of local defense, with the emperor's Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) around, he could not even speak without being forced to speak, and in the end, he could only sit there sullenly and get angry.

"Father!" Qian Ning rushed to tell Zhu Houzhao the good news after arriving.

Zhu Houzhao said, "Did you bring the cannons? We've only set up two, which is clearly not enough. We've brought all the cannons we could find around here, but after seeing their power, they're far inferior to the Portuguese cannons."

Upon hearing this, Qian Ning became somewhat more wary.

After all, Zhang Zhong had told him before that the Prince of Ning's mansion might have purchased breech-loading machines from Fujian and Guangdong, and might even have already mastered the manufacturing technology.

If it were discovered that the Prince of Ning's residence was indeed manufacturing cannons, it would be difficult to explain, since the emperor had already experienced the power of the breech-loading cannons.

What is the purpose of building such a powerful cannon?

Qian Ning smiled and said, "Replying to Father Emperor, this time we brought twelve gates again."

"That's... fourteen cannons?" Zhu Houzhao was very surprised.

He originally thought that Qian Ning had already done an excellent job by bringing all ten breech-loading cannons, and he planned to give Qian Ning a generous reward after the victory.

Unexpectedly, Qian Ning delivered an "extraordinary performance"?

Qian Ning said, "That's right. The 10,000 taels of silver allocated at the time was clearly excessive. So I didn't ask for it back. Instead, I ordered the construction of several more cannons, and also ordered a few more cannons to be made. This way, we can replace more cannons and have a stronger continuous firing capability."

"Ah! Qian Ning, how come I never realized you were so capable before?" Zhu Houzhao exclaimed with delight.

Over the past two years, Zhu Houzhao has gradually lost trust in Qian Ning and has begun to trust Jiang Bin instead, and is gradually planning to follow Jiang Bin's advice to develop in the Northwest.

He only just discovered that Qian Ning was so capable; how could he not be overjoyed?

Qian Ning thought to himself, "Is it because I'm capable? I can only say that His Highness and Tang Yin are amazing. Although I brought the raw materials and craftsmen for the cannons, Tang Yin provided the craftsmanship and other aspects. They finished making them so quickly, and even made four more. I have to admire their efficiency."

Qian Ning said, "How could I not do my utmost to serve my father?"

"Alright, you don't have much knowledge, so don't try to act arrogant in front of me. I know you're loyal and capable, that's enough."

Zhu Houzhao appeared very excited.

He was also very cautious and personally went to inspect the twelve cannons that had just been delivered.

Then Zhu Houzhao seemed to notice something unusual and asked, "Qian Ning, why do these cannons all look newly cast? Aren't they rusted?"

Qian Ning thought to herself, "Isn't that right? It's been fresh out of the oven for less than five days, how could it rust so quickly?"

"You're well-maintained," Qian Ning could only reply casually.

Zhu Houzhao, unsuspecting of any trickery, nodded and said, "Those who manufacture and maintain these cannons are all capable people and deserve to be rewarded. Make a note of them all, and when we return to the capital, I will summon them and bestow rewards upon each of them."

Qian Ning thought to himself, "Am I going to drag Tang Yin and the young prince out to be rewarded?"

Why are you always giving me difficult questions?

"Alright, make the arrangements. Have Zaiyi come to see me. I've appointed him as the vanguard this time! When the time comes to prove Tang Yin's prophecy true, he will be by my side, accompanying me on my southern and northern campaigns, becoming my right-hand man... Haha..."

Perhaps the scene Zhu Houzhao imagined was too beautiful, so much so that towards the end, Zhu Houzhao was laughing happily out of longing.

……

……

Zhu Yi went to meet the emperor.

He was given a few instructions and then came out, ready to lead Min Ershisi and his family soldiers, along with Zhong Ning, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and several dozen Embroidered Uniform Guards, as well as the two hundred Shenji Battalion soldiers assigned to him, to the front to lead the charge.

Tang Yin walked over and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

Zhu Yi said, "Mr. Tang, weren't you going to discuss military strategy with His Majesty? You're back already?"

"I haven't gone yet. His Majesty is having his meal and asked me to wait a while before going."

Tang Yin also seemed very flustered. He was about to discuss military affairs with the emperor, but Zhu Yi did not give him any further advice. Now that Zhu Yi was going to serve as a vanguard officer, Tang Yin felt even more uncertain about his future and life.

Zhu Yi glanced around to make sure no one was watching before saying, "The emperor appointed me as the vanguard. Do I have the right to choose? This task should have been given to Qian Ning, but look at him... does he seem like someone who knows how to fight?"

Tang Yin said, "He is, after all, a soldier, while you are merely a member of the imperial family. Aren't you afraid that the emperor is intentionally...testing and distancing himself from you?"

"Hehe, Mr. Tang is worrying too much. If the emperor was deliberately making things difficult for me, he would never have brought up the matter of adoption in the first place. In his eyes, I am just a prince who can fight, and he will only promote people he trusts."

Zhu Yi didn't think Zhu Houzhao wanted him to go and die.

Because Zhu Houzhao was genuinely willing to fight, an adventurous emperor, he even chose a son based on his ideal type.

Others haven't even had the chance to be pioneers yet.

Tang Yin sighed, "Aren't you afraid of death?"

Zhu Yi said, "I'm not going to lead the charge. With firearms at my disposal, I'll feel more confident. Besides, this is an ambush, so I'll be careful."

Tang Yin said helplessly, "Perhaps you shouldn't have commissioned Qian Ning to build cannons. These past two days, he's been deliberately testing me, even asking if the Ning family knows about this technology. Could he be suspecting that the Ning family is secretly manufacturing breech-loading cannons?"

"Hehe." Zhu Yi was still laughing.

Tang Yin said, "You can still laugh? You're not doing this on purpose to make him think that way, are you?"

"I didn't," Zhu Yi said. "To put it another way, the mother-and-child cannons I made are actually better than the Portuguese cannons in terms of quality and accuracy. Even if someone secretly attacks them, as long as the emperor brings the Portuguese cannons here and compares them in person, he will know that the so-called cannons made in Ningfu are completely fictitious."

Tang Yin asked in shock, "You mean, the cannon you built is better than the original breech-loading cannon?"

Zhu Yi laughed and said, "What's so surprising about that? Doesn't this perfectly fit the definition that you learned the technology from the future? So you don't need to worry too much about being slandered. I have my own plans when it comes to making firearms."

Tang Yin said, "No wonder. You could have completely stayed out of it and watched Qian Ning suffer, but you secretly helped him instead. He got all the credit! That bastard..."

Tang Yin was clearly an old angry young man.

Seeing Qian Ning effortlessly claim credit with the emperor, he felt angry and even more aggrieved by what he and Zhu Yi had done.

Zhu Yi said, "There are only two days left until the day the Doyan army is scheduled to attack. The local garrison isn't fully mobilized yet, so you should urge His Majesty to hurry. I need to go to the front lines to set up defenses. If the Tatars are truly routed, I'll be responsible for the pursuit, and that's the real problem. I can only hope that Old Min will achieve something!"