Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Nonsense. One is a God of Wealth and an expert in internal affairs, while the other is a Censor. Given the choice between the two, anyone with a functioning brain would know who to pick. Cat flipping its belly and wagging its tail while sunbathing. jpg
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 141
Fu Qingsheng said, "Not a lonely official, but a pure official."
He smiled again and said, "I am not so detached from the mortal world that I cannot be a loyal subject; I fear I have disappointed Your Majesty."
Zhu Ci waved his hands repeatedly. "No disappointment, no disappointment. Since ancient times, how many lonely ministers have had good endings? This is already very good."
Although it might have been a bit idealistic, he truly hoped that they, as monarch and subject, could see things through to a good end.
Fu looked at the Little Emperor and suddenly asked, "Is Your Majesty considering the matter of selecting a consort?"
Fu Huaizhang knew the Little Emperor's personality very well; he would never pay attention to a subordinate's marriage without any reason; there must be some underlying cause.
After thinking it over, the most likely possibility was that the position of Empress was vacant, someone had begun to make their move.
Zhu Ci shook his head. "I will not consider it. A thousand years ago, Huo Qubing once said, 'How can I settle down when the Xiongnu have not yet been destroyed?' Now, I also say, 'How can I settle down when the Jurchens have not yet been destroyed?'"
Fu said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, this is inappropriate. The court officials.."
Zhu Ci let out a cold laugh. "In any case, the examinations must begin. Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be replaced. They have nothing better to do all day than stare at my harem."
Fu knew he shouldn't say too much, but he still couldn't help but ask a question: "Does Your Majesty truly not have such intentions?"
Zhu Ci turned his head to look at him, sighed suddenly, said, "Brother Huaizhang, you are the only one in this world who knows my origins. I can only speak the truth in front of you. Husband and wife are one; if I don't even dare to speak my heart, then what is the point?"
Fu suddenly felt a strange sensation in his heart.
In that instant, he felt as if they were truly the only two in this world who understood each other best.
Zhu Ci only sighed once before turning back to his original self and saying, "Let's not talk about this. If you don't want to marry, then don't. I won't pressure you, you shouldn't say these things to me either. If it really comes to that, we can just act as a pair of single monarch and subject; when the time comes, we'll just have the Prince of Ning father a few more children."
There was nothing he could do; his family truly had a throne to inherit. Although he felt that the system of hereditary rule was not ideal, there was currently no soil to change it, so he could only let things be for now.
After hearing this, Fu Qingsheng couldn't help but laugh. "I shall follow Your Majesty's wishes."
The two of them had a meal together, during the meal, Fu asked whether a batch of Birdlock Guns should be manufactured.
Your Majesty, I know you do not favor Birdlock Guns, but after much consideration, I believe we must have them.
Their current methods of attack were somewhat singular; although there were many types of rockets that could deal with various scenarios, they were also very easy to counter.
The reason for the attack on Xuzhou was that the rockets were countered, causing the campaign to drag into winter and making it difficult for them to continue their operations.
Therefore, the methods of attack still need to be a bit more diversified.
After devouring a piece of meat with a loud gulp, Zhu Ci chewed and chewed, only speaking after he had swallowed. "It's not that I don't like them, but the current Birdlock Guns are too backward. I want to improve them, but there are many parts that need modification, it will require skilled craftsmen to achieve it. Furthermore, compared to improving rockets, it will take much longer and offers lower value for the effort.
Fu understood immediately upon hearing this: "Does Your Majesty wish to improve the birdlock gun?"
Zhu Ci nodded. "Right. Anyway, there are still a few months left, so we might as well try it out first. If it doesn't work, we can just use the original ones."
He was actually more familiar with the improvements to the birdlock gun than he was with rockets; after all, in his later life, he had handled handguns much more frequently.
The Ming Army currently lacks this. Once they have Birdlock Guns that are lighter and allow for faster reloading, they will possess another tool to counter the Qing Army cavalry, their chances of victory will increase.
Not to mention, this thing is also very suitable for urban warfare.
The day after Fu learned about it, he sent two Birdlock Guns into the palace.
Zhu Ci played with the Birdlock Gun and said, "These two look similar, hmm, this one has a modified breech cover, the curvature of the stock is different as well."
Fu said, "One of these is a Birdlock Gun and the other is a Breech-loading Gun. The Breech-loading Gun is a Birdlock Gun that was improved during the Shenzong era."
The Shenzong era? That would be the reign of Emperor Wanli.
He put down the Birdlock Gun and couldn't help but say, "No way? Has there been no improvement to the Birdlock Gun all these years?"
Fu explained, "It's not that there haven't been improvements, it's just that the direction of improvement is different from what His Majesty desires."
The direction of improvement for Birdlock Guns has always been toward making them heavier, rather than pursuing greater portability.
Zhu Ci looked at the birdlock gun, which was shaped like a walking stick, thought for a moment, feeling that the pursuit of lightweight development at that time might have been because rockets were difficult to use.
If there were no rockets, he would not have pursued portability; at this time, portability meant that the power might be insufficient.
Zhu Ci asked, "Why are there only Birdlock Guns and no ammunition?"
Your Majesty, the Birdlock Gun has extraordinary power; it is better to go to the shooting range to test it.
Zhu Ci held the Birdlock Gun and said thoughtfully, "Where is the shooting range?"
The Late Emperor dismantled it, but I have a shooting range in the outskirts that would be very suitable.
Zhu Ci immediately put away the Birdlock Gun and said, "Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go try it out."
After saying that, he immediately added, "Oh, don't make too big a fuss. White Dragon Fish Robe, yes, White Dragon Fish Robe."
He had realized that being an emperor actually came with many troubles; for instance, traveling was very inconvenient, as once he expressed a desire to go out, a crowd of people would try to dissuade him in all sorts of ways.
If it weren't for the fact that he has been so busy lately, he would have insisted on having a proper argument with these ministers.
What? You won't let him leave the palace?
Does he not dare, or does he simply not want to? Is he expected to remain in the palace like a clay doll, completely ignorant of the hardships of the people outside, then simply agree with whatever the officials say?
Not to mention that all those officials in the Great Ming have always acted this way; at this time, there is no need to distinguish between civil and military officials, as their interests often align anyway.
Fortunately, the palace was currently filled with his own people, he was not too strictly bound by court etiquette; as soon as he said he wanted to go out, they immediately arranged a carriage for him.
Originally, Zhu Ci wanted to ride a horse directly.
However, before the palace maids could stop him, Fu was the first to disagree: "The wind is strong outside; it would be better for Your Majesty to ride in a carriage."
Zhu Ci looked at the still gloomy sky outside and couldn't help but sigh, "There have been few sunny days since winter began; I wonder when these days will ever end."
Fu watched him put on a thick cotton coat and asked another question: "What about the mink fur cloak I sent through my people a few days ago? Put that on as well."
Zhu Ci's mouth twitched. "Are you trying to make me dress like a ball?"
Fu coaxed him, saying, "It is cold outside. If Your Majesty catches a chill, this official will be impeached again."
Zhu Ci..
Forget it, I'll just wear more layers then.
Even so, when he got off the carriage at the suburban shooting range, he couldn't help but shiver when he felt the wind blowing against him.
Fu immediately said, "Let us go inside first. I will have someone move the targets over, Your Majesty can watch from the window."
Zhu Ci frowned. "It seems you need to go out more often; staying indoors every day has made you unable to withstand even a bit of cold."
Fu disagreed: "If you cannot bear the cold, then so be it. Why must Your Majesty make things difficult for your own health?"
Zhu Ci took off his cloak and said, "This is not good for one's health."
Spring, summer, autumn, winter—one must still follow the seasons.
Zhu Ci sat by the window watching the soldiers outside use breech-loading guns; their power was indeed immense.
The effective range of the breech-loading gun is approximately three hundred meters. Within a hundred meters, it can pierce two layers of thick wrought iron. If it is set against a human target, a hit to the torso is certain death, a hit to the limbs will surely result in mutilation.
Zhu Ci also had people wrap meat around a target and then shoot it with a breech-loading gun to observe the wounds.
Although it might not be that accurate, judging by the "wounds," even if only the limbs were hit, it would be difficult to survive.
As for going a step further, if the range is within fifty meters, the power increases significantly.
However, once the range exceeds one hundred and fifty meters, its power decreases sharply, being only capable of breaking through padded clothing at most.
This is still the result of improvements made during the Wanli Era; given the absence of long-range mobile firearms, it is only natural for birdlock guns to develop toward more heavy-duty designs.
The next step would have been light machine guns and heavy machine guns; once development had progressed sufficiently, branches focusing on lightweight designs would have emerged.
Unfortunately, this process of development was abruptly interrupted. If the Qing Army had continued to research based on the technological level inherited from the Great Ming and actively engaged in exchanges with foreign countries, they would not have had their gates forced open so easily.
One must know that the birdlock guns of the Wanli era were actually improved from Japanese guns.
After Zhu Ci had seen enough, he said to Fu, "I want to try it myself."
Fu looked at the sparse snowflakes drifting outside and said worriedly, "Outside.."
“It's cold outside~” Zhu Ci knew exactly what he was going to say. He cut him off with a quick response and patted Fu Huaizhang's shoulder, saying, “I am not that fragile. Besides, you probably don't realize that snow isn't cold, but the melting snow is. Don't worry, I'm just going to go and try it out.”
He must use it first before he can know where to make improvements.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Yes, I'm just looking for an excuse to touch a gun. A kitten baring its teeth and struggling to lift a breech-loading gun. jpg
Next update tomorrow morning at six o'clock~
Chapter 142
Zhu Ci actually had a complete understanding of modern handgun construction in his mind, but it was of no use; without the materials and the corresponding level of craftsmanship, he could only draw the diagrams first and wait for the future.
Zhu Ci held the heavy birdlock gun and clumsily fired a shot.
The powerful recoil caused him to stumble backward for a moment.
Fu stood by his side and immediately went over to support his back, saying, "Your Majesty, be careful."
Zhu Ci rubbed his wrist and said, "This thing is truly difficult to use."
Fu glanced at his wrist and said, "At least it's easier to use than a bow and arrow, it doesn't demand much from the soldiers."
Zhu Ci looked at the targets in the distance and nodded in deep agreement.
How strange. Back when I was a student, I could hit the mark every single time and my grades were excellent, but I just can't handle a bow and arrow properly.
Fu Qingsheng had clearly heard stories about this Emperor as well. People joked that the Emperor's arrows were the most unpredictable of all; his own people wouldn't know where the target was, the enemy wouldn't know if they were the target, but most importantly, the Emperor himself might not even know where the arrow would land.
He let out a light laugh and said, "It matters not; in the future, Your Majesty will no longer need to lead the charge himself."
Zhu Ci sighed and said, "Then Shi Kefa and the others must prove themselves worthy."
Which dynasty didn't have a god of war to support it during its founding, many times there were even several?