usatvline Chapter 019 With a powerful backer, who am I afraid of?
Chapter 019 With a powerful backer, who am I afraid of?
Chapter 019
"Bo Ying, do you have a backup of the blueprints for this Chain Thunder Cannon?"
"Yes, three copies!"
Chen Ying bowed and said, "It's just that I didn't bring it with me; it's locked in the office of the Construction Bureau."
"Were all the craftsmen involved in casting the cannons reliable people?"
Chen Ying lowered his voice and said, "This subordinate has divided the Chain Thunder Cannon into eight parts and forty-eight processes. Apart from this subordinate, the other craftsmen only understand some of the technical details. Unless all of them are gathered together, the families of the craftsmen involved in making the cannon are all in Yongcheng. This subordinate has already established a rule that anyone who leaks information will have their entire family punished."
"Boying, ever since you improved the iron plow, invented the seed drill, and provided relief to orphans, this county has known that you are no ordinary person. I just never expected that you would prepare such a generous gift for this county."
Sun Chuanting said sternly, "This cannon, I will pretend I never saw it today. Keep the blueprints safe, reassure the craftsmen, and continue to improve it. But there is one thing..."
"Your Excellency, please give your orders!"
"Follow this county official to Guide Prefecture!"
"But……"
Sun Chuanting lowered his voice and said, "I know you're worried that Guide Prefecture is too dangerous. Only with Lord Zheng and me here in Guide Prefecture can you focus on casting cannons."
Chen Ying fell silent.
He didn't want to go to Guide Prefecture (Shangqiu County), not only because he was worried that Guide Prefecture was shallow and full of turtles, but more importantly because the Hou family, one of the eight great families, was a member of the Donglin Party. For a long time to come, the Donglin Party would fight fiercely with the eunuch party and the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions that were affiliated with the eunuch party.
As the saying goes, when gods fight, mortals suffer.
Whether it's Sun Chuanting or Zheng Sanjun, they will both be implicated, and Chen Yingzhen doesn't want to get involved in their struggle.
Chen Ying was not worried about Liu Chao, because he knew that Liu Chao and Wang Sanshan had been dismissed from their posts due to Wang Sanshan's defeat, so they were no longer a threat.
More importantly, while he appeared to be in danger in Yongcheng, he was actually not safe at all.
The struggle between the eunuch faction and the Donglin Party in the Ming Dynasty would spread from the central government to all parts of the country. Where would there be any pure land left?
"Your Excellency, this cannon will need three more months to be perfected."
"The cannon-casting isn't urgent for now; you need to..."
Chen Ying stared in disbelief: "How is this possible?"
Sun Chuanting replied without hesitation, "After arriving in Shangqiu, we will begin preparations for the Guide Prefecture Construction Bureau. Three months later, we will have everything we need: money, grain, iron, and artisans."
Chen Ying took a deep breath: "This subordinate...accepts the order."
When Sun Chuanting saw the power of this cannon, he realized that the Chain Thunder Cannon was a national treasure of the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty was currently engulfed in war.
Remnants of the White Lotus Rebellion remained in Shandong, the She-An Rebellion raged in the southwest, and more than forty prefectures and counties in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan were devastated. In the southeast, the Dutch repeatedly harassed the local area in Fujian, and even Burma invaded forty-six towns in Yunnan.
The most troublesome place is Liaodong. Since Nurhaci started his rebellion, dozens of high-ranking generals above the rank of lieutenant general have been killed in Liaodong.
In particular, during the Battle of Sarhu, 311 generals, including Du Song, the general of Shanhaiguan, Liu Ting, the general of Liaoyang, Wang Xuan, the general of Baoding, Zhao Menglin, the pacification general, and Jiang Wanhua, the deputy general, and more than 45,000 soldiers were killed in action.
After the Battle of Sarhu, in the Battle of Kaitie, General Ma Lin and Deputy General Yu Hualong of Kaiyuan died in battle. In the Battle of Shenyang, General He Shixian of Shenyang, General You Shigong of Liaoyang, General Chen Ce and General Dong Zhongkui of Liaodong, Deputy General Qi Jin of Zhejiang, and Deputy Generals Qin Bangping and Qin Banghan of Shizhu died in battle.
Liaodong has now become a place that all Ming generals fear. The Ming Dynasty has suffered more defeats than victories and heavy losses.
If the Ming army were equipped with the Chain Thunder Cannon, with its long range and powerful artillery, the Jurchen cavalry would surely suffer heavy losses and be smashed to pieces in front of the Chain Thunder Cannon, which would also quickly change the tense situation in various places.
The problem is, it's too difficult to actually accomplish anything in the Ming Dynasty.
Talented individuals like Chen Boying, who lack powerful backers, are easy prey in the eyes of all the powerful and gentry.
Since the establishment of the Yongcheng Agricultural Implements Manufacturing Bureau, Sun Chuanting found that he had made many new friends. Classmates, classmates, and colleagues whom he had never contacted before wrote to him one after another, either to reminisce about the past or to catch up on old times.
The real purpose was the iron plow and seeder from the Agricultural Implements Bureau. If it weren't for his protection, Chen Boying would definitely have been completely taken advantage of.
Of course, Sun Chuanting did not realize that Chen Boying, who seemed harmless to him, actually had the darkest side.
With the news that Magistrate Sun Chuanting was about to leave office, countless greedy eyes began to stare at the Yongcheng Agricultural Implements Manufacturing Bureau, eager to devour this lucrative opportunity.
Three days later, in the morning, outside the Yongcheng County government office.
Sun Chuanting wore a blue cloth robe, not his official robes, and was accompanied only by Li Yuanzhen, Sun Jian, and two old servants. His luggage consisted of three boxes of books and two boxes of clothing, with nothing else.
The newly appointed magistrate of Yongcheng County, Song Jingyun, stood on the stone steps in front of the yamen. This official, who had passed the imperial examination in the same year as Sun Chuanting, was about forty years old, with a fair complexion and a light beard. He was wearing a seventh-rank official robe with a mandarin duck pattern and looked at his departing classmate with a complicated expression.
"Brother Boya!"
Song Jingyun said in a low voice, "In the three years of Yongcheng, I heard about everything you did: surveying the land, reforming the bureaucracy, providing disaster relief, and establishing the Construction Supervision Bureau."
Sun Chuanting cupped his hands and said, "There is only so much I can do. Now I entrust this to Brother Mingyuan, and I hope you will take good care of me."
"That Chen Boying..."
"This man is a prodigy. He made the iron plow and the seed drill, saving countless lives. However... he is upright and straightforward, which inevitably offends people. I hope Brother Mingyuan will keep an eye on him."
Song Jingyun smiled wryly: "Brother Boya, as you know, I was driven out of the capital for offending Xue Guoguan, and it's already a great fortune that I got this position as magistrate of Yongcheng County. I'm just afraid... I'm not up to the task."
The two looked at each other and saw helplessness in each other's eyes.
In this world, those who want to do something meaningful often find it difficult to make any progress.
The Yellow River breached its banks, causing severe damage in Yongcheng. Sun Chuanting took advantage of the fact that the Bureau of Construction had just achieved some success, and someone immediately took credit for it. Originally, the successor to the position of magistrate of Yongcheng was Wang Xiangchun, a member of the Donglin Party and a judge of the Nanjing Dali Temple.
However, Wei Zhongxian blocked the appointment. Coincidentally, Song Jingyun had offended Xue Guoguan, who had sided with Wei Zhongxian. Xue Guoguan, who was also quick to hold grudges, demoted Song Jingyun, who was originally to be promoted to Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, by three ranks, from Assistant Minister of the Fifth Ministry to Magistrate of Yongcheng County, a seventh-rank official.
"Just do your best."
Sun Chuanting turned and walked toward the simple carriage.
The people spontaneously knelt down, chanting, "May Lord Sun have a safe journey!"
"Take care, Your Excellency!"
Chen Ying stood at the back of the crowd, watching the county magistrate, who had shown him great favor, walk further and further away. He felt a mix of emotions. He knew very well that once Sun Chuanting left, the wolves would come knocking.
I wonder who will jump out?
Chen Ying racked his brains but never expected that it was Zhou Jiechun, the centurion of the Ma Mu Centurion Office, who had been pretending to be deaf and dumb for more than two months.
On the very night after Sun Chuanting left, Zhou Jiechun led more than ten armored soldiers into the factory compound.
"Which one is Chen Boying?"
Zhou Jiechun, with his hand on his waist knife, was arrogant and haughty, a typical lackey.
Chen Ying stepped forward slowly: "This is your humble servant. May I ask what brings you here so late, Commander?"
"Bring out the blueprints for the iron-shafted plow and the seeder."
Zhou Jiechun arrogantly said, "What? Do I not even have this much face?"
"The blueprints are confidential documents of the Manufacturing Bureau, and we regret that we cannot comply."
Chen Ying replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "If you, Hundred-Household Commander, have official business, please show me the official documents from the county government or the garrison."
"Official document?"
Zhou Jiechun laughed loudly, "In Guide Prefecture, do garrison offices need county government documents to handle affairs? Chen Boying, the agricultural implement blueprints from the Manufacturing Bureau must be submitted to the Centurion Office for use in military settlements!"
Chen Ying sneered inwardly.
Sure enough, Zhou Jiechun was a complete idiot; he was easily fooled and rushed over after just a few words.
"Zhou Baihu is directly under the county government of the Construction Bureau, and the garrison has no right to interfere."
"No right to interfere?"
Zhou Jiechun's face darkened: "Search it for me, and I'll make sure you have no right to interfere..."
The soldiers responded and were about to rush in.
Chen Yongren hurriedly stepped in front of Chen Ying, but Zhou Jiechun kicked Chen Yongren in the shoulder: "You little brat, get out of the way!"
Chen Yongren screamed and fell to the ground, but he struggled to get up.
In an instant, Chen Yongyi acted impulsively and rushed forward.
"Bang……"
Zhou Jiechun never expected that this young man would dare to make a move. Caught off guard, he was hit hard in the face, and the sound of his nose breaking could be clearly heard.
"Rebellion! Rebellion!"
Zhou Jiechun covered her face and backed away: "Take him down!"
The soldiers drew their swords and charged. Chen Ying knew that this matter could not be resolved peacefully. Since there was no way to retreat, he would fight to the death.
Chen Ying picked up an iron rod from the wall and swept it with great force, breaking the inferior waist knives in the hands of the three soldiers. The three soldiers were stunned, not expecting that Chen Boying would actually dare to defy his superiors.
As Chen Ying worked, he shouted, "Close the door! Don't let them escape!"
"That's more like it! Let's grab our weapons and get to work! Why waste time talking to him!"
Chen Daniu rushed out of the workshop shed wielding a hammer, followed by fifty or sixty craftsmen, including Wang Tiezhu and Zhao Laosi, who came in like a tide, carrying iron spades, fire tongs, and hammers.
Most of them were refugees taken in by Chen Ying, or military households who had been oppressed for generations. When they came to the Yongcheng Agricultural Implements Manufacturing Bureau, they ate meat for the first time, were full, and had the dignity of being human. Chen Ying gave them all of this.
Without any strategy or formation, only pent-up anger, the soldiers were stunned by this reckless display. One soldier's knife was smashed away by Chen Daniu's hammer, and another was burned by Wang Tiezhu's hot tongs, screaming in agony.
Seeing that things were not going well, Zhou Jiechun turned to run away.
Chen Ying chased after him and kicked him in the back of the knee, knocking him to the ground.
"Chen Boying, you dare to assault an official of the imperial court! You're finished, your whole family is finished..."
"Smack..."
Chen Ying didn't waste any words with Zhou Jiechun. He grabbed Zhou Jiechun's hair bun with one hand and slapped him hard with the other. After more than a dozen slaps, Zhou Jiechun lost three teeth.
"You... Chen Boying... you want to rebel?"
Chen Ying shoved Zhou Jiechun's face to the ground with his large hand: "If you don't want to die, you'd better behave yourself!"
More than a dozen soldiers were also beaten black and blue. Seeing Wang Tiezhu stabbing one of the soldiers with an iron shovel, he hurriedly said, "Tiezhu, don't hurt people..."
If that iron spike were to be used, it would definitely kill someone.
"You surnamed Zhou, all you care about is eating and drinking well while we're starving. We've finally found a way to survive, and you want us to hand over the blueprints? I'll hand them over to your mother!"
"This is shameless! Absolutely outrageous!"
The surrounding refugees, fearing Zhou Jiechun's status as a centurion, dared not make a move. However, the military households of the supervising bureau seemed to have found an outlet, cursing and attacking with extreme cruelty.
Don't be fooled by Chen Ying only slapping the face; Zhou Jiechun's basket got kicked more than a dozen times, and it's uncertain whether it will still be usable in the future.
"Zhou Jiechun, I won't make things difficult for you. Go back and tell the people behind you that if they want the blueprints, they can come and get them themselves. Get lost!"
Zhou Jiechun felt as if he had been granted a pardon and crawled out of the Construction Bureau in a sorry state.
"Commander, what do we do now?"
Chen Youshi's face was deathly pale, but he gripped his hand tightly: "Boying, run... the garrison won't let this go..."
"run?"
Chen Ying shook his head and said, "Why should I run? I want to see what the Guide Guard can do to me."
Chen Ying's confidence stemmed from the Chain Thunder Cannon. He hadn't told Sun Chuanting the truth; he said he would improve the Chain Thunder Cannon in three months. In reality, he had already solved the fuse problem. He used the principle of a flintlock musket to detonate the shells, and at the same time, he utilized the military households of Guidewei to produce granular black powder.
Powdered black powder has a fatal problem: during transportation or movement, the three substances in black powder—sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal—will separate due to their different densities, which will affect the explosive power.
Therefore, powdered black powder did not have its own fixed assembly conditions. Even the cannons of the breech-loading cannons were assembled on the spot before firing. It was not until the end of the 19th century that the problem of separating black powder was solved and granular black powder was born.
Chen Ying also used a wet method, rolling the black powder paste into balls before drying to make rice-sized particles. The granular black powder had surrounding air space, which made it burn much faster than fine powder.
This "granulated" black powder increased the power by 30% to 300%. Of course, in the experiments, Chen Ying also found that the larger the caliber of the gunpowder, the larger the black powder granules needed, while the smaller the caliber of the gun, the smaller the black powder granules needed. Now, the Chain Thunder Cannon only needs four ounces of granulated black powder to launch an eight-ounce bullet to a distance of eight hundred paces.
He now possesses three linked thunder cannons and 144 spare cannons. If Zhou Jiechun and his men dare to lead troops over, he will detonate the linked thunder cannons ahead of time. Only by making a big fuss can his reputation as a master craftsman spread throughout the world.
The Chain Thunder Cannon was his backer, and the strongest backer in the world.
Song Yanniang looked at Song Xianze beside her and said, "Kang Nian, go to Guide Prefecture tonight..."
"You want me to go find the Song family?"
Song Xianze shook his head: "I..."
"What do you mean, 'you'? You think you're all grown up now?"
Song Yanniang immediately grabbed Song Xianze by the collar, saying, "You're the one I can't handle..."
Song Xianze explained to Song Yanniang in a low voice.
Song Yanniang's eyes lit up: "So, I'm about to become the wife of a thousand-household commander?"
……
Inside the main hall of the Right Thousand Household Office of Guide Guard, candlelight shone brightly.
Zhou Jiechun knelt on the ground, his face bruised and swollen, and tearfully recounted his ordeal at the Yongcheng Agricultural Implements Manufacturing Bureau.
In the hall, Dong Qianli, the Right Commander of Guide Guard, held a teacup and slowly blew away the foam.
"My lord, that Chen Boying is utterly lawless! I revealed my identity, but not only did he refuse to hand over the blueprints, he also incited the craftsmen to attack the government troops. Look at my injuries..."
Zhou Jiechun pointed to his face, which was swollen like a pig's head.
"So, you led sixteen soldiers and got driven back by a bunch of peasants?"
"Those...those people...are all desperados..."
"waste."
Zhou Jiechun dared not utter a sound.
Dong Qianli was puzzled. Zhou Jiechun was a sixth-rank centurion of the Ma Mu Centurion Office, and also Chen Boying's superior. Although the centurion was not a high-ranking official, dealing with an ordinary military household was a piece of cake for him.
If Sun Chuanting were still serving as the magistrate of Yongcheng, it would be understandable that he would not be afraid of Zhou Jiechun because he relied on Sun Chuanting. But the problem is that Sun Chuanting has already left office, and he has not even met the new magistrate Song Jingyun. How dare he be so tough? Is Chen Boying relying on something, or is he just ignorant of his own mortality?
"Lord Commander, what should we do? Should we mobilize troops and raze the Construction Bureau to the ground?"
Dong Qianli glanced at him: "Fair? On what charge? Craftsmen resisting the law? The Construction Bureau is directly under the county government. The garrison is overstepping its authority and interfering in local affairs. Are you tired of being a centurion?"
"But what about Commander Liu..."
"What a stupid idiot who doesn't know what's good for him!"
Dong Qianli didn't know how to describe Zhou Jiechun. Originally, the higher-ups had hinted that Chen Boying would be promoted to the position of centurion of the horse herding garrison, and the process was already underway. However, Zhou Jiechun had not committed any major offenses, so if Chen Boying was to be promoted, Zhou Jiechun would have to be promoted in order to free up the position.
Now he can openly and legitimately take down Zhou Jiechun. Chen Boying is a capable man, it's a pity he can't be used by the commander.
Dong Qianli looked at Zhou Jiechun with great disgust. He had such a talented person under his command, yet he not only failed to promote and give him important responsibilities, but also refused to give Chen Boying a proper title. He was simply a scoundrel.