The task of correcting homework was given to three "big teaching assistants". The three "big teaching assistants" counted the weaknesses of each student. Chen Biao only needed to look at the statistical table and could spend more time on teaching.
Song Yan, Liu Lian and Zhu Tong followed Chen Biao as generals' teachers for a month. Their impetuousness and sharpness were smoothed out a lot, and they looked more mature.
Chen Biao always felt that this was not maturity, but being tortured by the correction of homework and feeling hopeless.
Song Lian, who was in Yingtian, was very pleased and moved to see the changes in his son.
The prince's study companions were always chosen to be bright and knowledgeable children, so as to motivate the prince to study hard. I wonder if the prince's study companions in the Ming Dynasty all became the prince's students?
Song Lian smiled and felt more hopeful about the future.
As the year drew to a close, the first literacy class for generals was about to conclude. Zhu Yuanzhang, taking advantage of Chen Biao's visit to the military camp outside the city on behalf of Ji Renshou, secretly infiltrated the class to check on the students' progress and, by the way, to assess the abilities of the three princes' companions.
Zhu Yuanzhang had a big beard on his face and stuffed some cotton into his clothes. He entered the Zhanshi Mansion with a sturdier posture than usual. The three princes' tutors were correcting the final exam papers.
Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang coming, they were all very nervous.
Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and asked them to stand up and sit down. He sat on the armchair and said slowly, "Have you gained anything? Do you have any difficulties? Don't be nervous, tell us one by one. Song Yan, you go first."
Song Yan was his nephew's brother-in-law, so Zhu Yuanzhang naturally had to treat him preferentially.
Song Yan considered his words and said, "I originally thought that literacy classes for the generals were just about teaching them how to read and count. A literacy class only lasts three months, so that's all I can teach. I didn't expect Mr. Chen to cover so much. There's a lot I don't understand, so I can only learn on my own while teaching. This has been difficult, but also rewarding."
The other two nodded.
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed. "Is this the difficulty and reward? I thought the difficulty you encountered was correcting their homework."
All three of them smiled bitterly.
Liu Lian was very brave and took the initiative to speak, "It was indeed painful at the beginning, but as I watched them improve little by little, it became less painful."
When they first started marking the homework, they wanted to chop it into pieces with a sword.
The three were deeply puzzled. Were these people truly serious about their studies? Was Chen Biao's diligent teaching truly meaningful? They even suspected that these people were deliberately failing to follow Chen Biao's teachings.
Chen Biao did not answer their questions, but simply left the task of correcting the homework to them, and asked them to make a learning progress chart for each general to check their learning situation.
The second time, the third time... more than a dozen times, they looked at the table they had listed and suddenly realized that the problems they had originally listed had basically disappeared.
Although these generals' grades were still poor, they did improve with each lesson. They really worked hard, but their foundation was too weak.
The three of them looked at the table they had drawn up, and their contempt for these generals in the literacy class disappeared and turned into admiration.
"They work really hard" - when you say this when you see these people making real progress, it is no longer a joke or sarcasm used by future generations to save face, but real admiration and even emotion.
Zhu Tong reflected: "Mr. Chen did not tell us the answer, but let us find it ourselves, let us discover our own short-sightedness."
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed softly and said, "Biao'er is such a person. He is knowledgeable and has a broad vision, but his sights are very low. He can see any small progress and strengths of those around him."
My son is so amazing! The villain in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart laughed triumphantly with his hands on his hips.
Song Yan said, "While we teach the generals, they are also teaching us. The literacy and numeracy lessons Mr. Chen teaches the generals every day incorporate practical content from marching and fighting, governing the country and benefiting the people, and laws and regulations. In addition to the characters and arithmetic required to learn in the lessons, the content of the lessons themselves is also what Mr. Chen wants to teach the generals. When it comes to the topics that the generals are good at, Mr. Chen will let the generals come to the stage to give lectures."
Song Yan smiled bitterly. "I really didn't expect that in just a few months, Mr. Chen would be so greedy. He seemed to want to stuff all the knowledge that the generals could use now and in the future into their heads, regardless of whether they could understand it or not."
Liu Lian sighed. "Mr. Chen said it's okay if they don't understand now. As long as they memorize the knowledge he's teaching them, it will always be useful when they encounter situations that require it in the future."
Zhu Tong was curious: "My Lord, have you read the text written by Mr. Chen?"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "I have seen it."
The content that his beloved son wanted to teach others would definitely be given to him first. Some of the examples from the Ming Wang Army used in the textbooks were materials provided by Zhu Yuanzhang.
These three people did not dare to speak, but Zhu Yuanzhang knew that Chen Biao not only taught these people knowledge about military affairs, governing the people, and arresting thieves, but also taught them "politics."
What if their superiors demanded benefits? What if powerful officials in the court interfered and asked them to surrender? What if relatives and clansmen committed many bad things in their name? What if they were slandered by the court? ...
Chen Biao told him that many generals who came from the lower classes could fight but were not good at "politics."
When they become high-ranking officials, their fate is no longer determined solely by their ability to win battles, or even their loyalty to their lord. The court is full of intrigue and deception, and a single misstep can lead to total ruin.
Chen Biao didn't think that a few months of courses would make them understand "politics", but he at least wanted to remind these people not to panic when they encountered such things in the future, and to trust the lord.
"If you really don't know what to do, just write a letter and ask the lord."
This was the final answer Chen Biao gave them.
Chen Biao saw with his own eyes that his current master was a very kind and tolerant person towards his subordinates. Every time he saw him, he would laugh heartily without caring about his image, as if he had a very open mind.
Chen Biao wondered how his current lord had become the tyrannical Hongwu Emperor of history. But there must be a reason for change. If the generals hadn't changed themselves, and continued to "consult their lord when in doubt," giving Zhu Yuanzhang a sense of security, perhaps he wouldn't have raised his sword.
This is the final and most helpless answer. If this doesn’t work, then Chen Biao has nothing else to do.
Then there is nothing anyone can do.
Chen Biao sighed to his father. Zhu Yuanzhang nodded frequently, then gently rubbed his son's head and praised his son for being right.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the three young men who once prided themselves on their talents and were somewhat dissatisfied with Chen Biao. Now they all called him "Mr. Chen" and there was light in their eyes when they mentioned Chen Biao.
Zhu Yuanzhang thought again of his confidants who, when they were too tired to move, would lie on the table and pick up the banners. As they picked up the banners, they couldn't help but smile and there was light in their eyes.
He couldn't help but smile, his eyes sparkling with stars: "It's a good thing that you have gained something. I can explain to your father now."
The three of them felt a little embarrassed for some reason.
This shame may be because they once looked down on those illiterate generals, or perhaps they once tried to "provoke" Chen Biao.
Liu Lian said, "After listening to the generals' explanations of military command, I realized that they are all my teachers, at least in terms of leading troops in battle."
Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned dark.
What do you mean by "at least"? You, a young man, still think you're being modest, don't you? No wonder Liu Ji kept you at home and wouldn't let you enter the government!
Zhu Yuanzhang could not help but say earnestly, "You should not only learn from Biao'er's knowledge, but also learn from his way of dealing with people. When you become officials in the future, your ability to deal with people will be more important than your ability to do things. Biao'er has won praise from civil and military officials alike, even the soldiers defending the city and the merchants who deal with the Chen family. If you can learn even a little bit from Biao, you will be able to get along well with your colleagues."
Liu Lian frowned, as if he disagreed with what Zhu Yuanzhang said.
Song Yan tried to smooth things over, saying, "Mr. Chen has also reminded us of this. Take this batch of homework, for example. The efficiency is completely different when you're grading alone versus when you're working with three people. When you become an official, you'll need to communicate not only with your colleagues but also with superiors and subordinates. Interpersonal communication is like a waterway; if one area is blocked, it could burst."
Liu Lian also remembered Chen Biao's words, his brows relaxed, and he said in a deep voice, "My lord, your teaching is correct."
Zhu Tong also bowed and listened to the instructions.
Zhu Yuanzhang was not particularly happy when he saw that the three men obeyed his teachings.
He suddenly realized that finding three assistants for Biaoer seemed to have increased Biaoer's burden and given him three more students.
It must be an illusion. I'll go home and ask Biao'er tonight!
Zhu Yuanzhang chatted with the three princes' study companions for a while, encouraged them, and then "took off his makeup" and waited for Chen Biao to come home.
Chen Biao did not go home that night, but went to the Chen family's workshop outside the city to look at firearms.
The steam engine was made, but no one knew how to use it in practice. However, there were new breakthroughs in the improvement of firearms.
This firearm improvement has nothing to do with the nature of the gun, but the bullet.
The "bullets" used in modern firearms are lead pellets. When the black powder explodes, the lead pellets are ejected from the muzzle. As you can imagine, such a gun is quite powerful; it certainly can't penetrate heavy armor and is even inferior to a heavy crossbow.
The lead bullets used in the new musket in Chen Ying's hand have been changed to conical shape. They were modified by Chen Biao according to the appearance of later bullets. The firing speed and striking force are much higher, but it still cannot penetrate heavy armor.
What made Chen Ying's new musket team more advanced than previous ones was that he packed the bullets and gunpowder separately into a paper bag. When needed, he would put the gunpowder and bullets into the musket together, greatly improving both accuracy and speed.
To go further than this, you have to put gunpowder into the bullet.
Black powder produces too many impurities after burning, so this goal can only be achieved by using smokeless powder.
Chen Biao had already made smokeless gunpowder, but he couldn't find a way to safely put it into bullets in large quantities.
Zhu Yuanzhang had already handed over the management of the gunpowder workshop in the army to Chen Biao. Chen Biao put forward the requirements, and the craftsmen worked together but were at a loss.
Although craftsmen no longer put smokeless gunpowder into bullets, they have found a way to put black powder into iron tubes and fire them from the breech.
In the past, lead bullets were used instead of iron bullets because of problems with the casting process. The inside of the musket was uneven, and the hardness of iron was too high, so it was easy for the iron to explode due to friction with the inside of the musket.
Some brilliant craftsman had the idea to light the gunpowder inside the musket. Iron bullets are prone to exploding. Wouldn't it be better to put the gunpowder inside a small iron tube? Since Master Chen mentioned putting gunpowder inside the bullet, let's give it a try.
This experiment had problems.
As expected, black powder contains too many impurities, and the iron bullets will easily become clogged after a few shots, requiring cleaning. The efficiency is very slow, and the overall lethality is not as good as that of lead shot spray beans.
If efficiency isn’t enough, let’s make up for it with power. How about adding more black powder?
But this can easily cause the barrel to explode.
Make the bullet smaller? Carve a groove in the musket and prop it up with a cork?
The craftsmen modified it again and again and finally made a very long metal stick.
There is a door on the upper back of this metal stick. After opening the small door, put the iron tube filled with gunpowder into it, then close the small door and use flint to ignite it.
Chen Biao looked at the strange-looking finished product and was speechless.
The most famous gun with an iron tube in the breech is the Schneider rifle. The earliest gun with rifling is the rifle, both of which were invented in the 19th century.
The craftsmen in our company modified the two together and made a weird long stick.
Chen Biao was no arms expert; he'd only learned a little about the history of firearms for the sake of chatting with clients, and used it to brag about it. He truly had no idea how far the gun he held had progressed in his past life.
However, no matter what stage of development it reaches, this gun cannot be mass-produced.
Chen Biao sighed in his heart and comforted himself that experimental products are the first step towards industrial products. At least he has taken a step forward and is not completely in the dark.
"How do I use this? Can I just press the trigger?" Chen Biao asked.
The craftsmen nodded vigorously.
Chen Biao experimented with it and found it was about as powerful as a musket loaded with lead bullets. However, this gun didn't require ignition, making it much more convenient. It also didn't require gunpowder, making it easier to train musketeers.
If it can be mass-produced, it may be able to replace existing muskets.
"This one isn't powerful enough. We have a very powerful musket, but it's not convenient to use." The craftsmen carried another metal tube over.
This metal tube is longer and has two iron rings on it.
Chen Biao asked, "What is this iron ring for?"
The craftsmen took two crystal pieces and installed them together, and the two iron rings formed a small telescope.
Chen Biao's forehead was throbbing.
Just based on these two crystal pieces, it would be impossible for this gun to be mass-produced.
He consoled himself by saying that the laboratory products were produced at no cost and that it was normal, and that he would slowly improve it in the future.
Then the craftsmen began to load ammunition. They actually stood the gun up and stuffed the bullets into the gun through the muzzle.
A gun this high, with bullets stuffed into its muzzle, is this meant to be a target for the people on the other side? Chen Biao was speechless.
But when the craftsmen used this funny gun to practice shooting, Chen Biao was speechless.
This gun has a range of up to two hundred meters and can accurately hit the target. Its range is comparable to that of a crossbow, and it is more powerful and has higher shooting accuracy than a crossbow.
A sniper rifle of this era?
But this recoil and reloading speed... After being surprised, Chen Biao sighed deeply.
Both new firearms are powerful, but the former is too sophisticated to be mass-produced with the current level of technology; the latter can be mass-produced, but using it on the battlefield would be suicidal.
After Chen Biao rewarded him with money, he said, "You are heading in the right direction. Keep working hard in this direction."
The craftsmen raised their hands: "And more! We have new inventions!"
Chen Biao's mouth twitched: "Okay, I'll look at them one by one."
I don’t know how many more bizarre inventions I’ll see today, but I probably won’t be able to go home and sleep.
Chen Biao sighed in his heart, sent someone home to report the news, and stayed near the gunpowder workshop.
Although he was nearby, he strictly controlled the distance, so even if a safety accident happened, the bomb would not reach him.
Zhu Yuanzhang waited for Chen Biao at home all night but he didn't come back. The next day he went to the gunpowder workshop and arrested Chen Biao who did not return home at night.
After viewing the latest firearms inventions, he pondered for a moment, "Biao'er, firearms that can't be mass-produced are really useless. But cannons, even in small quantities, can still be very effective."
Chen Biao slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, I'm being too picky. Let's try modifying the shells first. Alas, the accuracy is not good enough. I wonder when the lathe researchers will be able to come up with something."
Zhu Yuanzhang was puzzled: "What is a lathe?"
Chen Biao said, "It's a tool that uses the principle of gear differential to process parts with high precision. There are drawings in the manuscript of Yanlongtu."
Lathes existed before the Industrial Revolution, but they were powered by foot or hand, sometimes by water. After the Industrial Revolution, they were powered by heat.
The precision required for the gears of the South-Pointing Chariot and the Mile-Galloping Chariot was extremely demanding, making it impossible for craftsmen to visually inspect them. The components of these two high-precision machines were produced using lathes.
In fact, when mass-producing muskets, simple lathes were also used to mass-produce muskets with relatively uniform standards.
Chen Biao had lathes developed for even greater precision and attempted to replace manual labor with steam engines. Machining metal parts with manual labor was difficult and required the collaboration of multiple people, significantly increasing costs.
Zhu Yuanzhang studied with Chen Biao and could barely understand what Chen Biao said.
He nodded and said, "If there are not enough people, please ask the lord for more."
Chen Biao sighed, "What I'm short of is talented mathematicians. What I want to do now is very difficult for craftsmen to try bit by bit. It requires theoretical research. Unfortunately, the girls' school is just starting out, and I don't know when it will train some mathematical talents for me. My requirements are not high, just someone like Zu Chongzhi will do."
Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened. "Biao'er, your request is really too low. I guess it's just to be on par with the sun, moon, and stars."
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "You can ask the Lord to issue a decree to recruit the mathematical talents you mentioned. During the Song Dynasty, many officials studied arithmetic. It is unlikely that everyone has stopped studying in the past hundred years."
Chen Biao sighed. "Well, I hope God will send me a mathematician. I don't want to end up with no one doing theoretical research. I'll take over."
I'm just an ordinary science student. There's a galaxy between science students majoring in finance and economics and math, okay? I really can't do it!
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed. He patted Chen Biao on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you."
Chen Biao muttered, "Dad, how many times have you broken your promise? I don't trust you at all. You're a jinx, you don't predict good things, but you predict bad things!"
Zhu Yuanzhang: “…” Feeling guilty.
But this time Zhu Yuanzhang did not have a bad mouth.
After Zhu Yuanzhang's proposal, Chen Biao changed the technical breakthrough from muskets to cannons before the development of lathe technology, and unexpectedly received good news on New Year's Eve.
This group of craftsmen worked tirelessly for years and finally developed a new type of artillery that could be used on the battlefield - a breech-loading heavy artillery.
This heavy artillery would be completely useless if Chen Biao hadn't taken out the concrete first. This is because when it's in use, the back of the cannon must be "welded" with concrete. Otherwise, once the cannon fires, it will move backward at high speed from the muzzle.
The shells hit the enemy, and the gun body hits itself. It might as well be renamed the mutual destruction cannon.
With concrete, the gun body can be fixed and prevent both parties from being destroyed.
Of course, if stones were used instead, they could be used, but the cannon would be fixed on the city wall and could not be moved, and might even shatter the wall.
The concrete that solidifies in just a few hours makes this breech-loading heavy artillery practical.
As long as the heavy artillery was carried to the battlefield half a day in advance and "welded" with concrete, it could participate in the siege. When moving, all it had to do was break up the concrete.
If it is only used in sieges, the army can afford to wait half a day in advance.
With the experience of the previous Guorui Cannon and the Small Guorui Cannon, the craftsmen made a "small cannon" with similar technology but much less power.
The main reason for the poor accuracy of artillery is recoil, and each time the cannon is fired, it must recover. Therefore, today's cannons are fired with eyes closed, without considering the impact point.
They used their own invention of the rifle rifling to expand their thinking, using the cannon as a bullet and making a smoothbore. Every time the cannon was fired, it would move back along the smoothbore, and when pushed back it would return to its original position, greatly improving the accuracy of the cannon.
They also placed buffer devices behind and on both sides of the slide, such as adding springs.
Spring devices have actually been used for a long time, and large crossbows have used spring-like devices. However, at that time, springs were just energy storage and buffering devices, and they needed to be made by hand, so they could not be used accurately and naturally could not become parts of precision instruments.
It was not until the invention of Hooke's law that "spring" appeared as a part in machinery.
Chen Biao knew Hooke's law, but now he was only making a buffer for the cannon, so Hooke's law was not applicable. He only needed to cast the steel into a spiral shape as a buffer component.
The craftsmen said that this kind of smoothbore cannon was called a "small cannon", but with the smoothbore device, the head was very large and could only be used as a fixed artillery position for defending the city.
However, the craftsmen came up with a new idea: to install small cannons on ships, we would have more accurate shipborne firearms.
Chen Biao's eyes lit up: "Yes! Our ship is equipped with cannons, so we don't have to worry about danger when we go out to sea!"
Zhu Yuanzhang quickly said, "Stop, stop for now. We don't have a naval battle right now, so put the cannons on the ship aside for now."
Chen Biao: "Dad!"
Zhu Yuanzhang coughed dryly and said, "My lord will definitely not allow us to install cannons on the ship now. Our Chen family will pay for it ourselves! I told my lord that we will test it on the ship first. In the future, my lord will definitely build a more powerful navy to guard against the Japanese pirates across the sea, and we will need it then!"
Chen Biao pretended to have stars in his eyes and clasped his hands together: "Dad, I believe in you! Dad, as long as you promise something, you will definitely do it!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was at a loss for words. Who had said before that I didn't keep my word and that I was a bad-mouthed person?
However, Zhu Yuanzhang would not expose Chen Biao's inconsistency. It was a rare opportunity for his son to admire him, so he had to make sure it was done properly.
Zhu Yuanzhang gave the craftsmen a half-month holiday, which lasted until the 16th day of the first lunar month after the Lantern Festival.
Officials in Yingtian do not have such a long vacation.
After New Year's Eve and the first day of the first lunar month, they returned to the Ming Palace to discuss the Northern Expedition.
The south has been almost completely swept away. Although it has not been completely pacified, there are no forces that can cause trouble for Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang was originally a little hesitant, wondering whether he should develop for a while and accumulate more strength before attacking the Yuan Dynasty.
But now the Yuan emperor and the crown prince were fighting tooth and nail, and Wang Baobao, the only person he valued, was fighting with Li Siqi and Zhang Liangbi, two other warlords in Gansu who had defected to the Yuan dynasty. The civil unrest was a good opportunity for a northern expedition.
Two new types of artillery were invented by craftsmen on New Year's Eve. Zhu Yuanzhang believed that this was God urging him to launch a northern expedition.
So Zhu Yuanzhang made the decision on the second day of the first lunar month to gather all the troops in February and launch a northern expedition in March!
Everyone was a little shocked, but not too shocked.
Zhu Yuanzhang's sudden impulse was indeed quite shocking. During the New Year's Eve holiday, Zhu Yuanzhang said he would wait and see the situation.
However, they were not shocked when they heard that the craftsmen had invented a movable heavy artillery on New Year's Eve.
People of this era believed in destiny. They all knew that the craftsmen, led by Chen Biao, had been researching new firearms, but had been making slow progress.
This time it was invented on New Year’s Eve, isn’t that God’s will?
"Don't we attack Zhang Shicheng first?" Zhang Chang was almost scared to death.
In less than half a year, with his amazing talent and perseverance, he became an important official under Zhu Yuanzhang and was able to participate in this military meeting.
But why was the Northern Expedition the first military meeting he attended? And the time was so tight!
Even if he delivered the message to Dadu, by the time the message reached Dadu, Zhu Yuanzhang would have already set off!
Given the current chaos in Dadu, I'm afraid that even if Zhu Yuanzhang reaches Dadu, they still haven't shaken hands and made peace, and united their forces to fight against Zhu Yuanzhang.
While Zhang Chang was in Yingtian, he still thought that the Yuan Dynasty was more powerful than Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang was now arrogant, but the Yuan Dynasty was unable to intervene. Once the civil unrest was quelled and the emperor and the crown prince were determined to be superior, they would turn their forces against Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang would be no match for them.
But now, after listening to everyone's discussion in the meeting, he suddenly realized that Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to really have the power to rebel against the Yuan Dynasty.
Zhang Chang was extremely shocked and felt very anxious.
He tried hard to pretend to be calm, listened attentively to the discussion, and then heard a name that was mentioned very frequently from these people's mouths - Chen Biao.
Chen Biao? That brat who calls himself a "little military strategist and little master"? Why is he involved in this Northern Expedition again?!
Zhang Chang thought that he must find a chance to contact Chen Biao. Perhaps this man named Chen Biao could be the key to saving the Yuan Dynasty.
While Zhang Chang was in a state of confusion, Zhu Yuanzhang and his confidants were secretly observing him while discussing the matter.
Li Shanchang's position was right opposite Zhang Chang. He took in Zhang Chang's expression, and his gaze became increasingly cold, as if he was looking at a dead person.
When they mentioned Biaoer, Zhang Chang's eyes fluctuated the most. This person definitely wanted to do something to Biaoer.
Li Shanchang calmed down and continued to discuss logistics at the meeting without avoiding Zhang Chang.
Zhang Chang was unable to pass on important military intelligence, but they were able to use Zhang Chang's knowledge of the north to select a route to attack Dadu.
Of course, they would not completely trust Zhang Chang. After spending time together, they had learned how to distinguish the pros and cons of Zhang Chang's suggestions.
Although Zhang Chang was highly educated, his long career as an official in the capital meant he couldn't match the cunning of those like Li Shanchang, who had worked their way up through the ranks. His thinking was fixed, and he looked down on those on Zhu Yuanzhang's side. If they could expose him once, it would be easy to do so a second and third time.
Zhang Chang had no idea that the group of people he looked down upon had seen through him. He actively participated in the discussion on the Northern Expedition, acting as if he hated the Yuan Dynasty so much that he wanted to chop off the Yuan emperor's head with his own hands. His performance was extremely realistic.
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and twirled his beard, praising Zhang Chang again and again and promising that he would make Zhang Chang the prime minister in the future.
The confidants remembered what Zhu Yuanzhang once said, "It's better not to arrange the position of prime minister," and they couldn't help but smile and sigh in their hearts.
My lord, what you said is telling Zhang Chang that he can die now, right?
When Zhu Yuanzhang decided to launch a northern expedition, the first thing he had to do was to issue an imperial edict to suppress the rebels.
This edict was written by Song Lian and was very elegant, but the people had no reaction after hearing it.
To be honest, the common people didn't understand those flowery words. They just knew that war was coming.
Chen Biao studied it carefully.
The edict confirmed that the Yuan Dynasty was the orthodox dynasty, and Zhu Yuanzhang attacked the Yuan Dynasty because it produced several bad emperors, leading to the people's miserable lives.
Zhu Yuanzhang believed that if the people were not living well, it was proof that the dynasty was corrupt and should be replaced. The will of the people was the will of heaven.
Chen Biao didn't know what was written in Zhu Yuanzhang's Northern Expedition edict in his previous life, but now this edict was quite to his liking.
At least Zhu Yuanzhang understood the people's wishes.
With this idea, Zhu Yuanzhang would definitely not be too bad to the people.
Chen Biao packed his luggage, instructed his younger brother and students, and prepared to join the Northern Expedition.
At the dinner table, Ma Xiuying choked on her tea; Zhu Yuanzhang almost vomited all over the table, wasting a table full of delicious food.
"What? You are going to go on the Northern Expedition! How come I didn't know?" Zhu Yuanzhang wiped his mouth and said in surprise.
I am the fucking Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, how come I didn’t know that I ordered you to join the Northern Expedition!
Chen Biao said, "I must go. If I don't go, what will happen to those cannons?"
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned: "My lord will definitely send craftsmen to accompany him."
Chen Biao shook his head: "Without a manager, the craftsmen transported the cannons to the front line, and the shells killed a few of our men first."
Chen Biao doesn't want to go either.
The Battle of Hongdu brought him great fame, but the cruel war also became an indelible shadow in his heart.
Who likes war? Who wants to fight in it?
Who wants to witness the mountains of corpses and seas of blood on the battlefield?
But Chen Biao had to go.
He was the only one who understood how dangerous these artillery pieces were and the need to enforce safety regulations. His prestige and fame were the only ones who could convince the soldiers on the front lines to go through the trouble and strictly follow the regulations.
There must be a quartermaster who is solely responsible for the management of artillery fire. Who else can be this quartermaster besides him?
If the cannons and the new gunpowder exploded due to improper storage and use, leading to the failure of Zhu Yuanzhang's Northern Expedition and the continuation of the chaotic world for several more years, tens of years, or even decades, who would bear the blame?
"Dad, I have to go." Chen Biao said calmly, "If you need me to end the chaos, I will go."
Zhu Yuanzhang was so anxious that tears came to his eyes. "How can it be that serious? I...I will talk to the Lord and ask him to strictly follow the safety regulations you wrote. I will ask your apprentice Yan Qian to supervise, okay? If Yan Qian is not enough, I will also call Liao Yongan. He has enough reputation! Liao Yong's body is not suitable for fighting, but he can be in charge of artillery shells!"
Chen Biao shook his head. "Rules are fixed, and situations can change at any time. How can someone who doesn't understand the underlying principles adapt to changing circumstances? The craftsmen may understand, but they can't communicate with the officials. Only I can communicate with them."
This wasn't Chen Biao flattering himself; even Yan Qian couldn't understand what the craftsmen were saying. Furthermore, the craftsmen were only "disrespectful" in front of him, speaking whatever they wanted without hiding anything.
If it were other officials, the craftsmen would be worried about being punished, and would definitely want to keep it secret and find a solution themselves before the matter was exposed.
Chen Biao said, "And there's one more important thing. I'm the only one who can calculate range and operate cannons with precision. And I'm probably the only one who can use a fire musket capable of ultra-long-range shooting."
Chen Biao smiled bitterly and continued, "I'm the only one who can use it. Dad, you know."
When Chen Biao's attention was focused enough, he could "see" things far away. Zhu Yuanzhang certainly knew this.
However, Chen Biao's arms were too weak to pull the bow, so his ability was useless.
With this ultra-long-range fire gun, Chen Biao's skills can be put to good use. As long as the enemy general is exposed in the range, Chen Biao has a high probability of executing a decapitation operation on the opponent.
Zhu Yuanzhang began to hesitate.
He was not hesitant about the benefits that Chen Biao's participation in the Northern Expedition would bring to his own Northern Expedition, but was thinking about the benefits that Chen Biao's participation in the Northern Expedition would bring to Chen Biao himself.
If Chen Biao could participate in the Northern Expedition and make great contributions, his position as crown prince would be so secure that even if he suddenly went crazy, he could become the second "Emperor Taizong of Tang".
Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's intention, Ma Xiuying grabbed his sleeve and pleaded with her eyes: "Guorui..."
Zhu Yuanzhang took a few deep breaths, slowly patted the back of Ma Xiuying's hand, and made up his mind: "Go. The men of our Chen family are not afraid of going to the battlefield."
Ma Xiuying opened her eyes wide and tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes.
Chen Biao jumped off the chair, walked to Ma Xiuying, and hugged his tearful mother: "Mom, don't worry, I'm always at the back, there will be no danger. You believe me."
Ma Xiuying wanted to answer, but she opened her mouth several times and no sound came out.
In the end, Ma Xiuying hugged Chen Biao, buried her face in the top of Chen Biao's head, and sobbed and cried.
Chen Biao patted his mother's back gently, remembering that he seemed to have cried like this when his mother followed Madam Xiuying to the war a few years ago.
It seems like a lifetime ago.
At that time, I didn't understand my mother and even felt a little resentful. Now that I have grown up, I have done the same thing as my mother.
Swords and spears are merciless, and blades have no eyes. Even if he pats his chest and promises, no one will believe that he can be infallible on the battlefield. Chen Biao is afraid of death, but sometimes he gets too excited. Maybe it's his rebellious phase.
Chen Biao thought to himself with self-mockery.