My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 390 Mountain Gun Flames and Grenadiers
The more outstanding the martial arts students, the better they can understand Su Ze's foresight.

Today, there is a consensus among military academy students that when it comes to leading troops and commanding armies, the greatest general of our time is undoubtedly Qi Jiguang.

However, when it comes to strategizing and winning battles from afar, Su Ze is the foremost strategist of his time.

It can be said that he single-handedly reshaped the military system of the Ming Dynasty.

Military students like Li Rusong and Zhu Shikun knew more; Su Ze not only changed the Ming Dynasty's military system, but also the development of its military equipment.

The weapons now widely used in the Ming army were almost all proposed by Su Ze.

Since Su Ze valued the use of mountain artillery, Li Rusong believed that mountain artillery would definitely play a significant role in the suppression of the rebellion in the southwest.

The two chatted for a while longer before Li Rusong and Zhu Shikun reluctantly parted ways.

The thought of his friend going to join the army in actual combat made Li Rusong feel like ants were crawling all over his body.

Sigh, I should have chosen the Annamite Army back then.
-
On March 22, the people of the capital suddenly discovered that the government was posting notices about postal codes everywhere, and post offices were being set up, meaning that letters could now be sent to Nanjing through the post offices.

For most ordinary people, this kind of post office was just something to look at. To send a letter, you had to buy stamps, and a monkey stamp cost a brass coin, which was a considerable expense for ordinary people.

However, this was quite good news for scholars and merchants residing in the capital.

Unlike officials, they cannot use official channels to send letters.

However, they also had a need for communication, and this postal service was quite useful to them.

Su Ze also attended the opening ceremony of a post office and personally sorted a letter, which was a letter from a Nanjing scholar in the capital to his family.

With the opening of the Beijing Post Office, Su Ze finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, his purpose in taking on this position as Right Vice Director was to establish a postal system for the two capitals. Now that he had finally achieved results, he could give himself an explanation and could openly slack off in the Office of Transmission from now on.

But Su Ze had just returned when he encountered Zhao Zhenji's secretary.

"Is Grand Secretary Zhao waiting for me at the Ministry of War for a meeting?"

Su Ze guessed that it was because of the rebellion of the three chieftains in Guangxi, so he had no choice but to follow the secretary to the Ministry of War.

The three Grand Secretaries Zhao Zhenji, Minister of War Cao Bangfu, and several other key officials from the Ministry of War were present. Su Ze also met his good friend Shen Shixing. It seems the Ministry of War is taking the Three Tusi Rebellion very seriously this time.

However, Su Ze understood that what the Ministry of War was concerned about was probably not the rebellion of the three chieftains itself.

Rather, the Annamese army of the Beijing Garrison that was dispatched this time was the first combat experience of the newly formed Beijing Garrison Army.

The Beijing Garrison is an important pilot for military reform. Its performance this time will determine the future direction of military reform in the Ming Dynasty, which is why Zhao Zhenji and Cao Bangfu attach such importance to it.

After Su Ze took his seat, Zhao Zhenji spoke first:

"His Majesty has decided to take action. This time, the Annam army is marching into Guangxi, and His Majesty has appointed Chen Lin, the commander of the Beijing Garrison, as the general in charge."

It seems that the Longqing Emperor was still looking forward to seeing the fighting strength of the Annamese army this time.

Chen Lin was the commander of the three armies of the Beijing Garrison. He was Qi Jiguang's capable deputy general and made great contributions in the Battle of Dongshengwei.

The fact that the emperor was only sending out Annamite troops and had to appoint Chen Lin to lead the army suggests that he wanted to quell the rebellion of the three chieftains as soon as possible.

It's unclear whether the emperor was in poor health and didn't want to leave any future trouble for his son, which is why he made such a decisive decision to use troops.

Zhao Zhenji then said:

"This time, the Annamese army was dispatched. The plan was for the Annamese army to travel from the capital to Zhigu to board ships, and then sail to Guangzhou to join the two thousand wolf soldiers stationed in Guangzhou."

"The two armies went together to Guangxi to quell the rebellion."

After the initial tone was set, Minister of War Cao Bangfu took over the conversation.

He began to plan the specific route from Guangzhou to Guangxi. The Ministry of War needed to arrange supplies along the way in advance and formulate a marching plan.

This shows that the Ministry of War during the Longqing era was highly professional.

With each marching point set up, the Ministry of Works quickly devised a plan for how to mobilize supplies along the way and how to transport gunpowder.

After all the plans were finalized, Zhao Zhenji called out Su Ze's name again.

"Su Tongyi, how's the trial installation of the mountain artillery going?"

Su Ze said:

"The Annamite army has already conducted practical training in the Taihang Mountains. They can use mules and horses to pull mountain artillery up the mountain. Where mules and horses cannot pass, they can disassemble and transport it."

"This time, the Ministry of Works used the latest drilling technology to produce a lighter and more durable barrel, reducing the weight of the mountain gun to the point where it can be used in mountainous areas."

"The Ministry of Works is also developing several new pieces of equipment, which are also intended for use in this battle between the three chieftains."

"The first is the flamethrower that uses coal tar."

"This kind of injector can spray out coal tar, which is easily combustible and will keep burning once it gets on you."

Everyone's expression changed slightly; flames play a significant role in the southwest region.

Not only can it kill enemies, but flames can also burn through forests to open up passages for the army, which will definitely play a role in mountain warfare.

Su Ze said again:
"There is another type of grenade that explodes after the fuse is lit and it is thrown. The shrapnel can effectively kill the enemy. This new weapon has also been used in actual combat in the Taihang Mountains. General Chen gave it high praise. He also specially organized grenadier squads in the Annamite army to train grenadiers."

Everyone showed satisfied expressions upon hearing that the Ministry of Works had produced so many new weapons at once.

Over the years, the Ministry of Industry's research and development of new weapons has become increasingly mature.

New weapons weren't just thrown into the battlefield on a whim. The Ministry of Works would first produce a batch of new weapons, then hand them over to the army for use, and after collecting feedback from the military, they would go back and improve upon any shortcomings.

Weapons produced in this way can be quickly adopted by the military, rather than being rejected and abandoned by the military.

Furthermore, with the development of the steelmaking and chemical industries, the cost of weapons production has been further reduced.

The Ministry of War finally drafted a memorial, which was signed by everyone before being submitted to the Cabinet by Zhao Zhenji.

After everyone left, Zhao Zhenji called out Su Ze's name.

"Zilin, there are two other matters besides the Three Chieftains' Rebellion that I would like to discuss with you."

Su Ze said quickly:

"Please speak, Your Excellency."

Zhao Zhenji stroked his beard and said:

"First, there's the matter of the Woyin Company's request to purchase breech-loading cannons. The Ministry of War has issued an approval document, allowing the Woyin Company to purchase the breech-loading cannons that have been phased out by the garrisons. However, the Woyin Company still feels that this is not enough and requests the court to cast new cannons for sale. What do you think of this matter?"

Su Ze thought for a moment and said:
I believe this is unacceptable.

"Why? The Japanese Silver Company returned on its second voyage, bringing back silver worth 50,000 silver dollars. With such a huge profit, there are many voices of support in the court."

"The Ministry of Works also said that with the current technology, workshops can be set up immediately to cast cannons."

Su Ze said:

"There are a large number of breech-loading cannons in our Ming Dynasty. For example, when Mr. Yangming quelled the rebellion, he left a lot of breech-loading cannons in Nanchang."

"The reason why the Japanese Silver Company was unwilling to buy old cannons was because it was troublesome to buy them in these areas and the transportation costs were also very high."

"But our trade with Japan was for the purpose of profiting from silver, not to help the Japanese fight wars."

"The casting of new cannons by the Ministry of Works will inevitably lead to the flow of high-quality cannon steel into Japan."

“Japan has wolfish ambitions. What if we recast these superior cannon steels? What if we cast arquebuses?” “Allowing the Japanese Silver Company to trade old cannons is to eliminate these old cannons, not to allow the Japanese Silver Company to profit.”

"In my opinion, the Japanese Silver Company should be allowed to purchase old cannons inland and provide subsidies to local governments."

Zhao Zhenji nodded, clearly supporting Su Ze's opinion.

Su Ze said:

“The development of the Ming Dynasty cannot focus solely on the coastal areas. As a monopoly company, the Wa Silver Company enjoys special operating rights from the imperial court and naturally also bears obligations.”

“If they can penetrate deep into the inland areas, they can also stimulate commerce and repair roads, which would make the Japanese silver company meaningful.”

Zhao Zhenji said:
“Zilin’s words are very insightful. You should write a memorial to the throne, and I will also submit it.”

Su Ze nodded in agreement.

Although the Woyin Company was a corporation, as a company enjoying state monopoly rights, it should have undertaken some functions similar to those of state-owned enterprises in later times.

If the Japanese silver company only thinks about pursuing profits, it is tantamount to shirking its responsibilities, and a company that pursues profits will also slide into the abyss of unlimited profit-seeking.

Today, in order to sell silver to the Japanese for cannons, will the Japanese silver company request to sell even more advanced cannons to the Japanese in the future?

Having finished discussing the Japanese silver company, Zhao Zhenji then said:

"The next thing is even more crucial."

Zhao Zhenji stared at Su Ze and said:

"Recently, His Majesty has been summoning officers of the Imperial Guard to consult with them on military affairs. What do you think, Zilin?"

Su Ze looked at Zhao Zhenji in surprise.

Zhao Zhenji confirmed that Su Ze was unaware of the situation, and then said:
"Recently, due to the war in the southwest, His Majesty summoned several officers of the Imperial Guard and asked them to offer their military strategies."

"Zilin probably doesn't know, does he?"

"Our dynasty is wary of military men interfering in politics. What does Zilin think of this matter?"

Su Ze was genuinely surprised. He had considered that the Imperial Guards might become the emperor's advisors, and this was even a deliberate design he had left behind, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly!

It was probably because of the increasingly frail health of the Longqing Emperor and his growing distrust of the foreign court that he began to rely on these imperial guard officers.

Most of the Imperial Guard officers were sons of meritorious officials, and they were indeed closer to the emperor.

Moreover, most of them came from military academies and had undergone complete military training.

This is different from the red-helmeted generals who originally served the emperor; these generals were actually capable of providing military advice.

Of course, Emperor Longqing had not yet reached the point where they were asked to offer direct military opinions; he merely asked them to look at the Ministry of War's plans and offer some different perspectives or supplementary suggestions.

But even these things were enough to put the civil officials on their guard.

It must be understood that the civil officials had gone to great lengths to remove the nobles from the political landscape of the Ming Dynasty, turning them into harmless mascots.

If the power of the nobility were to be restored in this way, the civil officials would absolutely not accept it.

Su Ze knew the bottom line of the civil service group, so he naturally wouldn't stand on the opposite side at this time.

Su Ze said firmly:
"Your Excellency! The authority to make military decisions in the court must originate from the Ministry of War! Such interference in politics must be strictly prevented!"

Zhao Zhenji looked at Su Ze and then felt relieved.

Su Ze's identity is delicate; he is a proper civil official, but also the dean of the military academy.

Therefore, Zhao Zhenji once suspected that the Imperial Guards' role in advising the emperor on military matters was also part of Su Ze's scheme.

But now it seems that Su Ze really didn't know about this, and he stood up to make a strong statement about his position.

Zhao Zhenji felt relieved and discussed with Su Ze:

"The matter of the Imperial Guards?"

Su Ze said:

"The Imperial Guards are those who protect His Majesty; how dare we, as foreign officials, speak of them so recklessly?"

Zhao Zhenji sighed; that was indeed the case.

The Imperial Guards were the personal guards protecting the emperor, and given the current state of Emperor Longqing, they were extremely sensitive and suspicious.

If civil officials were to interfere in the affairs of the Imperial Guards, even someone as good-natured as Emperor Longqing would likely find it unacceptable.

Su Ze continued:

"Whom His Majesty is close to is not something we, as foreign subjects, can discuss."

“If Your Majesty doesn’t discuss military affairs with the Imperial Guards, then you should discuss them with the eunuchs. If that doesn’t work, Your Majesty can also summon meritorious officials to discuss them.”

Zhao Zhenji nodded. Su Ze was right. The emperor was simply seeking different opinions, which was something that the civil officials of the outer court could not obstruct.

Su Ze said again:
"Isn't it better for Your Majesty to consult with the Imperial Guards than with people who don't understand military affairs?"

Zhao Zhenji was gradually persuaded by Su Ze and also felt that it was not a terrible thing for the emperor to discuss military affairs with the officers of the Imperial Guard.

Su Ze said:

"The most important thing is military orders. As long as the military orders come from the Ministry of War, the Imperial Guard is just an institution that His Majesty consults, and it has no impact on our dynasty."

Zhao Zhenji was not reassured by this matter.

Back then, the cabinet was an advisory body to the emperor; now it has become a central decision-making body.

However, as Su Ze said, the Imperial Guard Battalion still has a long way to go before it can become the core of military decision-making.

Since that's the case, there's no need to act too aggressively; just maintain the Ministry of War's power.

Su Ze continued:

"In the past two years, hasn't His Majesty relied more on the Grand Secretaries and the Ministry of War?"

Zhao Zhenji stroked his beard and nodded.

Over the years, the Ming Dynasty has won many victories, and Zhao Zhenji and the Ministry of War have played a decisive role in this.

Therefore, Emperor Longqing probably just wanted to hear different opinions, rather than treating the Imperial Guards as a consultative body.

That's right. As long as the Ministry of War does its job well, its position in the emperor's heart is unshakeable.

Zhao Zhenji left satisfied, and Su Ze smiled.

He hadn't expected the officer class to emerge so quickly.

No, the Imperial Guard was a scheme devised by military nobles, who probably hoped to use professional officers to regain their place on the historical stage.

Su Ze, of course, supported it.

Being able to let the emperor hear different voices and the views of professional military officers on military affairs is certainly a step forward, and it also serves as a check on the Ministry of War.

This is unavoidable. Since modern times, military affairs have gradually become a systematic science, and military technology has become increasingly specialized. In the end, only professional officers can effectively manage modern armies.

The rise of professional military officers was inevitable.

(End of this chapter)