Chapter 189: The Later Jin

North of Shenyang City lay a vast shantytown. Though it was winter, there was no sense of desolation; dense hammering sounds rang out from within, and smoke drifted above the shantytown. Even from the outskirts, one could feel the billowing heat. This was the blacksmiths' district of the Later Jin. Their duty was to supply the Later Jin army with fine weapons and armor, and in return, the Later Jin gave them just enough grain to keep them alive.

The Great Khan of the Later Jin's woven-gold dragon banner advanced along the official road outside the shantytown. Manchus, Han, and Mongols along the way all knelt by the roadside, heads pressed low to the ground. Huang Taiji traveled without an elaborate retinue. He sat high on his horse, calmly surveying the scene around him. This year had been a good one for him. The incursion campaign had proceeded smoothly thanks to his insistence, and each banner had reaped rich rewards. In addition to large amounts of gold, silver, and silks, he had also carried off tens of thousands of commoners from inside the passes. Those who had endured the march all the way to Liaodong were sturdy men and women, greatly filling the Later Jin's manpower gap.

This victory had enormously increased his authority. Amin, because of his clumsy performance in the Four Cities campaign, had been stripped of his title by Huang Taiji in the name of the Deliberative Council and placed under house arrest, losing all power; the Bordered Blue Banner was taken over by the obedient Jirgalang. Meanwhile, Daišan and Manggūltai had temporarily opposed the incursion while at Kalaqin, intending to weaken Huang Taiji's prestige, but they had ended up lifting a rock only to drop it on their own feet. Their influence had greatly diminished, and their formerly domineering and even provocative behavior had been reined in.

The only things that dissatisfied him were the defeats at Guan City and in the Four Cities campaign. The Later Jin army and its auxiliary forces had suffered over 2,300 casualties, and counting those who died of illness on the march, the losses exceeded 2,600 men. Among them were over 1,200 true Manchu warriors; the rest were from the Mongol Left and Right Wings and the Outer Vassal Mongols. According to reports from defeated soldiers, the Ming troops who fought hardest in the Four Cities campaign were that Wendeng Battalion, proving that their victory at Guan was no stroke of luck. This made him take careful note of that unit, and he promptly ordered Li Yongfang to plant more spies in the Wendeng Battalion to gather intelligence.

Compared to the losses, what dissatisfied him more was that some of the Outer Vassal Mongols had suffered heavy casualties in the Four Cities campaign. These herders had been scared out of their wits. Upon returning to their tribes, they loudly proclaimed the might of the Ming army's cannons, exaggerating the red-barbarian cannons into the power of the Thunder God himself. This directly affected his strategic goal of establishing stable suzerainty. Coupled with two failed offensives in Liaoxi, this gave him an almost desperate craving for red-barbarian cannons, an urgent desire to acquire such a powerful weapon to counter the Ming army.

As he pondered, the procession had already entered a high-walled compound within the shantytown. After passing through two large gates, they stopped in an open yard. The yard was already full of kneeling people, and beside them stood, conspicuously, a red-barbarian cannon.

Yoto, standing nearby, moved to help him dismount, but Huang Taiji did not wait for him and nimbly got down himself.

"Your slaves kowtow to the Great Khan!" the kneeling craftsmen shouted in unison.

Huang Taiji nodded slightly. Jirgalang said loudly, "Ding Qiming, rise and speak."

A man kneeling in the front row hurriedly kowtowed once, then stood up. With a fawning smile and downcast eyes, he stared at the ground. This was Ding Qiming, formerly the Assistant Regional Commander of the personal troops of Vice Minister of War Liu Zhilun. During the previous year's incursion, he had followed Liu Zhilun into battle and was ordered to attack Luowenyu. Defeated and captured, and because he had not surrendered voluntarily, Huang Taiji had demoted him one rank; in the fifth month, he was appointed Mobile Corps Commander.

Liu Zhilun was a close friend of Jin Sheng and others. Although Jin Sheng did not believe in Western religion, he had extensive dealings with the Western missionaries in Jingshi and was very interested in the Catholic idea of "understanding things and discerning their principles." At the time, Western missionaries often used Western weapons as a calling card to engage with the imperial court—so it was in Japan, and so it was in China. Thus, through his exchanges, Jin Sheng had gained some understanding of red-barbarian cannons. Liu Zhilun's wooden cannon had once received his guidance. As a personal officer, Ding Qiming had always been at Liu Zhilun's side and therefore had some knowledge of red-barbarian cannons.

Although his knowledge might have been less than half-baked, to Huang Taiji, who was desperately short of talent, he was an expert, and so he was put in charge of casting red-barbarian cannons.

Huang Taiji said flatly to Ding Qiming, "Mobile Corps Commander Ding, how goes the cannon-casting?"

Ding Qiming replied cautiously, "In reply to the Great Khan, your humble servant, based on the capital garrison cannons he has seen, has added a gun carriage to this 'Dragon-Tail Great General Who Guards the Realm' (Note 1). It has been tested and can be towed by oxen. All future gun carriages can be made according to this design."

Jirgalang frowned and said, "He asked you about casting cannons. What's so important about a gun carriage?"

Huang Taiji smiled slightly and waved his hand at Jirgalang. "Let Mobile Corps Commander Ding finish."

"

Although it was a world of ice and snow, beads of sweat appeared on Ding Qiming's forehead. He had followed the Later Jin troops back to Liaodong. The road was strewn with the corpses of abducted Han people, and the brutality of the Later Jin army along the way had terrified him. Even though he was now a Mobile Corps Commander, an ordinary Manchu soldier still dared to shout and bark orders at him.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Huang Taiji, "Great Khan, it is cold outside. Let us go inside…"

"Speak here," Huang Taiji interrupted him. Then, addressing the Han craftsmen on the ground, he said, "Everyone, rise. In this freezing weather, do not let my subjects suffer frostbite."

Although he had spoken, not a single Han craftsman on the ground dared to move. They all glanced at each other in frightened doubt. Seeing this, Huang Taiji repeated himself, his tone still gentle. Only then did the craftsmen hesitantly stand up. Once standing, they felt even more ill at ease, not daring to straighten their backs, wishing they could shrink their bodies into a ball.

Seeing them all silent as cicadas in winter, Huang Taiji decided to ask questions himself. He walked up to the cannon, pointed at it, and asked, "Is this the Dragon-Tail General Who Guards the Realm cannon?"

Ding Qiming hurriedly replied, "Great Khan, precisely this cannon. The form of the red-barbarian cannons we are making is modeled on this one. It is said this cannon was salvaged from the sea. This is Heaven, understanding the Great Khan's wishes, specially bestowing a sample cannon upon our Great Jin."

Huang Taiji smiled faintly but did not respond. The Later Jin army had captured many Ming cannons during Nurhaci's era, especially in the Liao-Shen and Guangning campaigns. These major Liaodong cities were well-stocked with armaments, including early Ming imitations of red-barbarian cannons—specifically, Luzon large bronze cannons and several No. 4 small red-barbarian cannons. But the Later Jin simply lacked the talent and methods to study them, and could not use these inferior pieces as references to make heavy cannons. The red-barbarian cannon before him had indeed been salvaged from the sea, and it had appeared precisely when he most desired such a weapon. Even he himself considered it a sign from Heaven.

Having succeeded in his flattery, Ding Qiming relaxed a little and continued, "In the sixth month, by the Great Khan's decree, your slave posted notices everywhere recruiting cannon-casting craftsmen. Two men answered the notices, and the banners did not obstruct them. Your humble servant spoke with both in detail. Both have previously cast cannons and have been appointed to the duty of Jinhuo Baitangga, each to cast cannons separately."

"Have those two come forward."

Ding Qiming scurried over to the group of craftsmen and brought two men back. The two immediately fell to their knees again. Huang Taiji, not bothering to tell them to rise, asked gently, "Where are you two from?"

The two men were too terrified to speak. Ding Qiming hastily kicked one of them, a simple-looking middle-aged man, who then said in a trembling voice, "Re-reporting to the Great, Great Khan, your slave is called Wang Tianxiang, from Yongping. I came to Liao, Liao, came to the Great Jin last, last year, following Beile Haoge."

"What method do you use to cast cannons?"

When it came to technical matters, Wang Tianxiang stopped stammering. "The lost-wax method. First, make a clay core the size of the cannon bore. Then, coat the outside with wax to the thickness of the cannon wall. Once shaped, apply an outer layer of clay. After drying in the shade for several months, heat it with fire so the wax flows out. After another firing, pour in the molten iron. Because wax does not solidify easily in hot weather, this method can only be used in cold weather."

Huang Taiji listened very attentively. After he finished, he nodded and said, "Truly an ingenious method. Someone, reward him with ten taels of silver."

A Bayara guard from behind immediately came forward and gave Wang Tianxiang ten taels of silver. Wang Tianxiang accepted it, mouth agape. Ding Qiming hastily prompted him, "Quickly thank the Great Khan." Only then did Wang Tianxiang kowtow in gratitude.

Next, the other craftsman, named Jin Shixiang, introduced the clay mold method. First, a wooden core is turned on a lathe to match the cannon's outer shape. Then, molds for the trunnions, reinforcing rings, and decorative patterns are attached. Clay is then applied over it. After drying, the wooden core is knocked out, and molten iron is poured into the clay mold. This method is not limited by weather, but the drying time for the clay mold is over four months, and not the slightest trace of moisture can remain in the clay mold.

Huang Taiji also rewarded him with ten taels, and Ding Qiming with twenty. The other craftsmen each received two taels of silver. All these craftsmen were moved to tears of gratitude and vowed not to fail their leader's expectations, to complete the work goals with guaranteed quality and quantity.

After thanking him, Ding Qiming said to Huang Taiji with extreme caution, "Great Khan, only, there is only one matter. Your slave must, must…"

Huang Taiji looked at him kindly and said, "Mobile Corps Commander Ding, speak freely. Before me, there is nothing that cannot be said. But the task must be done well."

"

"Yes. The Great Khan's broad-mindedness fills your slave's heart with admiration. However, casting red-barbarian cannons is not easy. The form, the iron material, the clay molds, the gunpowder, the iron shot, the charge weight—every single aspect requires extreme care. Making a mold once, just the drying alone takes at least four months. The slightest negligence at any point results in a useless cannon. When your slave was in the Ming capital, he heard those red barbarians say that even in the various Western nations, these cannons are not easily obtained. One who casts ten cannons and gets one or two usable ones can be called a national master. Our Great Jin has never made such cannons before. These two men previously only made old-style cannons like falconets and great generals. I fear…"

Huang Taiji gave a soft "oh," looking at Ding Qiming with some doubt. Yoto, beside him, leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Great Khan, this is actually true. Your slave questioned several captured Ming artillerymen, and they also spoke of the extreme difficulty of manufacturing red-barbarian cannons, far exceeding that of old cannons."

Huang Taiji nodded upon hearing this and praised Yoto, "It is very good that you paid attention to this matter." In his heart, Huang Taiji thought highly of this Yoto. Yoto was Daišan's eldest son, clever from a young age. Back when Daišan had secretly fooled around with Nurhaci's concubine, Nurhaci was furious when he found out. Although he didn't kill him, he revoked Daišan's succession rights. From then on, he was rather cold toward Daišan. But Nurhaci still liked Yoto very much and had once taken him to his side to raise for several years.

After Huang Taiji ascended the throne, Yoto took charge of the Bordered Red Banner, while Daišan controlled the Plain Red Banner, making them a considerable force among the Eight Banners. But Yoto was not as domineering as his father Daišan; in many matters, he actually obeyed Huang Taiji. Yoto was also very astute. Knowing that Huang Taiji had recently placed great importance on cannons, he had sought out Ming soldiers in his banner who had served as artillerymen and diligently helped with advice. His efforts had not been in vain, and he had once again made a good impression on Huang Taiji.

Huang Taiji said to Ding Qiming, "Since this is the reality of the matter, Mobile Corps Commander Ding, proceed with confidence. But you must all do your utmost. If, despite every possible caution, you still fail, I will not punish you. If you can produce one or two usable cannons, then you gentlemen will be national masters, and I will certainly treat you as national masters."

Note 1: The "Dragon-Tail Great General Who Guards the Realm" cannon was salvaged from the Liaodong coast in the fourth year of Tiancong. Its origin is unknown. It was the first proper heavy red-barbarian cannon acquired by the Later Jin. Verified by Mr. Huang Yinong from the early Qing Cannon Illustrations Collection. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to come to (.) to cast recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.) 【This text provided by @Chen Shi Xi Zi】