Chapter 141

Divine Capital, Great Zhou Imperial City, Qanyang Palace.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao is reviewing the memorial presented by Prince Ning from Jin Ling by eight hundred li urgent delivery.

It reports the progress of the Longtan Port case in Jin Ling, including various doubts and obstacles, and the analysis and deduction of the case by the Grade 8 official Jia Cong.

Prince Ning was sent by the Emperor to Jin Ling to assist in the Longtan Port case, not to let him do everything himself, but to let him use his status as an imperial prince to coordinate all parties and appoint people to handle matters.

From the standpoint of Prince Ning, he naturally would not cover up Jia Cong's achievements. As an imperial prince, overall planning and knowing people and using them are the talents his father values most.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's face was gloomy. Jin Ling is the secondary capital of the Great Zhou, a key location for state affairs, and its wealth covers half the world. Now, not only are the soldiers weak, but such treacherous and ghostly appearances have emerged. It is truly lawless!

And there is Jia Cong. Originally, he thought he just read books well, and his demeanor and mind were also somewhat extraordinary.

Unexpectedly, not long after arriving in Jin Ling this time, he showed his edge again. At this age, he actually has a torch-like vision for political affairs and sees things clearly. It is truly rare.

Looking further down at this memorial, it is written that because the soldiers in Jin Ling are weak and cannot face the Japanese ronin head-on, Jia Cong proposed to use the Rumi musket three-stage firing method to restrain the Japanese pirates.

The memorial also records Jia Cong's three-stage firing practice method in detail.

Cai Xiang quickly read the memorial, his eyes flickering, and handed the memorial to his two colleagues.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's heart surged with excitement. If this method is promoted and practiced, the muskets, which were somewhat like chicken ribs in the past, will be able to explode with amazing power.

Marquis Zhongjing, Shi Ding, had the merit of assisting the Emperor in the past and is the Emperor's trusted minister in the army. He currently serves as the Commander of the Central Army of the Five Armies of the Capital Army.

Although he is not the Chief Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, but one of the six cabinet ministers, this person is old and spicy in his thinking, good at planning and decisive, and is regarded by Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao as a consultant and brain trust.

Not long after, the three ministers summoned by the Emperor were introduced into Qanyang Palace by the eunuchs outside the hall.

Grand Secretary of the Cabinet Cai Xiang was born from the two examinations when he was young. He became famous for his calligraphy and painting in the Forbidden City and received the attention of the Retired Emperor. After decades of ups and downs in his official career, he slowly reached the position of Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

City rumors say that Cai Xiang has the habit of repaying every grievance. For many years, officials who disagreed with his political views or had conflicts with him did not end well when they fell into his hands. He is known as an owl in the officialdom.

But Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao is in the position of the Nine-Five, studying state affairs, hiding the world in his chest, and having a far-reaching vision. The things he extended from the three-stage firing method are much deeper and more macro.

Gu Yankui did not pay attention to the matters of Longtan Port in the memorial and skipped it roughly. When he saw the Rumi musket three-stage firing method, his eyes immediately shone, a look of excitement appeared on his face, and the silver beard under his jaw trembled slightly.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao pondered for a moment and said to Guo Lin, who was standing to one side: "Summon Grand Secretary of the Cabinet Cai Xiang, Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding, and Minister of War Gu Yankui to the palace to see the Emperor."

Shi Ding was immersed in the military and had always had methods for training soldiers and strengthening the army. When he saw the three-stage firing method in the memorial, this veteran general in the army immediately thought that if a three-stage firing musket team was built in the Five Armies, it would surely greatly improve the combat power of the Five Armies.

Therefore, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was no stranger to firearms and clearly understood that firearms had fatal flaws such as too long an interval between firings.

After Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao finished speaking, he waved his hand at Guo Lin. Guo Lin understood and presented the Prince Ning memorial to the ministers for reading.

"Prince Ning reported from Jin Ling by eight hundred li urgent delivery. The memorial mentions many important matters, so I summon you ministers to the palace to consult on politics."

A few years ago, people with insight wrote to the Emperor about the sharpness of Western firearms, proposing that due to long-distance maritime trade, Western firearms flowed into the Great Zhou, hiding hidden dangers, and that the circulation of firearms should be strictly controlled.

What Prince Ning saw in the three-stage firing method was just a method to deal with the brave ronin because the soldiers were weak and could not confront them head-on.

Minister of War Gu Yankui is a veteran minister of three dynasties who is over sixty years old. He guarded the border for ten years when he was young and has now sat in the Ministry of War for many years. He is brave, resolute, and valued by Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao.

For him, the musket three-stage firing method offered by Jia Cong is a good strategy to stabilize the country, and the prospects triggered by this are immeasurable.

But seeing the three-stage firing method proposed by Jia Cong and the detailed practice procedures, people suddenly became enlightened, as if seeing a world they had never explored before.

Seeing Jia Cong's name mentioned many times throughout the memorial, the analysis of the Longtan Port major case in Jin Ling, and the musket three-stage firing method were actually all Jia Cong's words.

This Jia family youth originally won the first place in the Yongzhou examination, but was accused of having a damaged background, which stirred up so much turmoil in the court.

Many court officials were frustrated or demoted because of this, and I heard that even the lucky Capital Camp Commander was scolded by the Emperor.

Finally, the Emperor used this matter to exert force and turned the act of building a temple for his birth mother into a return to ritual law.

He also specially granted the youth a Grade 8 official status and let him go to Jin Ling to copy scriptures for Empress Xianxiao, which made the whole court look sideways.

Now that he has not been in Jin Ling for long, he has reached the Emperor's ears so quickly.

Such a clever method of responding to changes, it is a pity he could think of it. The Jia family really produced an extraordinary person.

Remembering that a month ago, his wife went to pay birthday respects to her aunt and came back talking about anecdotes, praising the youth's character and demeanor even more.

That is, he has no daughter, otherwise, with his wife's posture, she might have recruited the youth as a son-in-law.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao asked: "What advice does Minister Cai have on the Longtan Port case in the memorial?"

Cai Xiang replied: "The Emperor opened the Shipping Offices in Jin Ling, Ningbo, and Fuzhou a few years ago to govern foreign maritime trade and bring wealth to the people. Now it has achieved results, and the coastal prefectures are becoming increasingly prosperous due to maritime trade.

However, all the hustle and bustle in the world is for profit. I often hear that officials in Jin Ling, taking advantage of their proximity to the water, have led their families to participate in maritime trade for profit.

Officials in Jin Ling who have become rich quickly due to maritime trade are too numerous to count. These people buy strange toys, gold, and jade, and build high-walled mansions, which has become a trend.

So much so that private houses newly built in Fengle Ward in Jin Ling are springing up like mushrooms after rain, and Fengle Ward is also jokingly called the Official Ward.

In fact, the relatives of officials are also people. Participating in maritime trade for profit is also human nature, and there is nothing wrong with it.

But if there are lawless officials, like Wang En, who abuse their power, take advantage of maritime trade, and exploit the people's interests, that is to tarnish the Emperor's national policy of opening the sea to enrich the people, and the crime is unforgivable.

As the Grade 8 official argued in the memorial, the Longtan Port case in Jin Ling has hidden doubts in the relevant yamen. Whether there are illegal acts must be investigated to the end, so as not to cause major trouble after long accumulation."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao said: "Minister Cai's words are very much in line with my wishes. I approve Prince Ning's request to send additional Court of Judicial Review personnel to Jin Ling to verify the hidden situation as soon as possible. This is the first point.

In the Longtan Port case in Jin Ling, dozens of Japanese ronin are at large, hiding in danger, and it is impossible to guard against them. The key criminal of the case was actually killed in the Embroidered Uniform Guard prison, and the situation is dangerous and unpredictable.

For the sake of perfection, I have decided to temporarily grant Prince Ning the power to mobilize the militia in Yangzhou and Su Zhou to prepare for emergencies. This is the second point.

The specific regulations will be drafted by the Cabinet in coordination with the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of War."

"I, Cai Xiang, obey the decree."

"Marquis Zhongjing, I want you to select one hundred elites familiar with firearms from the Five Armies, and then practice with the three-stage firing method offered by Jia Cong. Three days later, I want to see the practice results at the South Drill Ground!"

Shi Ding's spirit was lifted. The Emperor actually thought of the same thing as him. He shouted: "I obey the decree!"

The three-stage firing method offered by Jia Cong, although strange and ingenious, the three-stage firing practice formation is very simple. As long as you select one hundred good hands familiar with matchlock firing, three days of practice is enough to take shape.

Moreover, it is just to practice the effect, not to fight on the battlefield. He couldn't wait to verify how powerful the three-stage firing method proposed by Jia Cong was.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao asked again: "In addition, does the armory of Minister Gu's Ministry of War have any Rumi muskets in stock?"

Gu Yankui replied: "Returning to the Emperor, last year the Rumi envoy offered twenty high-quality Rumi muskets. In the past two years, the three Shipping Offices have also confiscated many firearms brought into the country by foreigners.

Just for the Rumi musket item, there are now more than two hundred in total, each of which is fully functional and fires normally."

"Good! You go back today and select one hundred Rumi muskets and hand them over to Marquis Zhongjing for the three-stage firing method practice."

(End of chapter)