Chapter 141: The Power of Guns and Cannons

Joseon was originally a very barren country, full of mountains everywhere, and after the war it was extremely weakened, with food and other necessities in severe shortage. If such heated greenhouses could be used in Joseon, allowing grain to be grown even in winter, wouldn't there be harvests all year round?

Jin Zhongshan looked at Zhu Xu with an eager face, speaking almost incoherently: "His Highness Prince Hui, this, could you, give me, no, teach us, Joseon needs this, whatever conditions you have, just name them..."

Zhu Xu smiled to himself, thinking: This is only to give you confidence to resist the Jurchens. If I gave it to you, before long it would probably spread to the Jurchens. Moreover, this can never be popularized on a large scale—using it to grow rice or wheat is pure fantasy!

He waved his hand, and with a solemn expression said: "Lord Jin, no need to be anxious. You've also seen that there's only this much here, still in the experimental stage. Once the experiment succeeds, given the relationship between Joseon and our Great Ming, we certainly won't keep it to ourselves!"

Jin Zhongshan was stunned for a moment, thought it over, then bowed again and said: "Your subject believes in His Highness Prince Hui. Joseon will be loyal to Great Ming forever, and also believes Great Ming will protect Joseon forever!"

Zhu Xu nodded very calmly and said: "This Prince doesn't doubt that in the slightest. After we finish the outing, this Prince will take you to see the fireworks."

Jin Zhongshan had not yet recovered from the shock of the greenhouse, and upon hearing this was startled again: "Fireworks?"

Zhu Xu smiled, and with his hands clasped behind his back walked outside.

Jin Zhongshan hurriedly followed. With this, he now had expectations for the "fireworks" as well.

Zhu Xu boarded the carriage, with Cao Wenzhao leading the imperial guards alongside, and the procession moved grandly toward another direction.

Cao Wenzhao followed beside the window of Zhu Xu's carriage and said: "Your Highness, one tael of silver for a watermelon—isn't that a bit too expensive?"

"Rarity makes things precious," Zhu Xu said, wrapping his cloak tighter inside the carriage. "When we return, send some to our various lords and the managers of the merchant houses and guilds. Then have them invite people over and spread the word. Once it becomes a trend, our meager supply of watermelons certainly won't be enough."

Cao Wenzhao had great faith in His Highness Prince Hui's ability to sell things, so upon hearing this he silently noted it down, planning to implement it as soon as he returned.

Soon, Zhu Xu's carriage stopped not far from a circle of earthen walls.

"Lord Jin, follow this Prince."

Zhu Xu looked at the two soldiers standing guard before the gate, his mood excellent, and waved his hand as he spoke.

Jin Zhongshan watched Zhu Xu and the people he brought being blocked outside again, and walking beside Zhu Xu, asked curiously: "Your Highness, could this be another place newly created by Great Ming?"

"You'll know once you come in." Zhu Xu had already walked to the gate.

Before Zhu Xu even entered the gate, Cao Bianjiao, clad in white armor, came out to greet him, kneeling on one knee and shouting: "Your subordinate pays respects to His Highness Prince Hui!"

Zhu Xu waved his hand and said: "Today, give this Prince a good performance. If you perform well, there will be rewards for all."

Cao Bianjiao's expression barely changed as he said in a deep voice: "Yes, Your Highness."

Jin Zhongshan followed Zhu Xu inside the walls and was immediately stunned. Inside were all sorts of strange things, most of which he did not recognize, let alone know their purpose.

Zhu Xu led Jin Zhongshan up the tall watchtower, from where one could see everything within the earthen walls with perfect clarity.

Jin Zhongshan grew even more puzzled. He saw strange structures built of wood, odd trenches dug into the ground, coils of iron wire rolled into sheets, and rows of wooden dummies and piles of earth and stone—all of it looking utterly bizarre.

Jin Zhongshan could not hold back and asked: "Your Highness, what is this?"

Zhu Xu kept a stern little face, like a leader inspecting military exercises, and raised his hand saying: "Lord Jin need not be anxious—you will see very soon."

Jin Zhongshan forcibly suppressed his curiosity, and his gaze followed Zhu Xu's downward as he waited quietly.

Cao Bianjiao led two hundred soldiers, standing not far from Zhu Xu's watchtower, imposing and formidable, radiating an aura of deadly seriousness.

Zhu Xu nodded inwardly. After all this time, the training was finally showing some results.

Cao Wenzhao requested permission from Zhu Xu, then suddenly swung the flag in his hand and shouted loudly: "Begin!"

At his great shout, Cao Bianjiao whirled around and charged toward the semicircle formed by the barbed wire not far away. The moment he reached it, he dropped flat and crawled forward swiftly.

The two hundred men behind him also rushed into the other barbed wire semicircles at the same time, crawling forward.

In just a few seconds, the dozen-meter semicircle was crossed. Cao Bianjiao, carrying a long spear on his back, grabbed the wooden hanging bars with bare hands, moving both hands in sequence, passing through quickly.

Next they had to scale the "city wall," leap over the "small river," clear obstacles from the path, and dodge attacks.

Jin Zhongshan watched from the watchtower, finding it merely novel, and said with flattering laughter: "Your Highness, this is quite good."

Zhu Xu smiled and said: "It is good. These mainly train their physical fitness, teamwork ability, and adaptability."

Jin Zhongshan smiled again, somewhat disappointed inside, but still kept Zhu Xu company.

Cao Bianjiao led his men past all the obstacles, diving into the trenches, weaving and splitting apart, until they lay prone before the foremost line of barbed wire.

"Attack!"

Cao Bianjiao fired the first shot, and immediately the two hundred men fired simultaneously. The gunfire was piercing, like muffled thunder.

Jin Zhongshan's expression changed, because he saw that the soldiers below not only reloaded their muskets quickly, but also shot extremely far—he watched straw dummies over four hundred meters away fall one by one.

He couldn't help but glance at His Highness Prince Hui beside him in astonishment, already pondering in his heart how to beg him for these firearms.

"Cavalry raid! Artillery cover! Retreat!"

Suddenly, Cao Bianjiao shouted, and was the first to withdraw from the trenches. At the same time, behind them, black cannons were rolled out from the earth mounds—twelve in total.

"Ignite! Fire!"

Following the flag bearer's great shout, the flag in his hand swung down fiercely at the same moment.

"Boom boom boom!"

Shells flew out, and the piles of earth and stone over a thousand meters away were blasted apart, smoke, dust, and debris flying everywhere.

At the same time, more earth and stone piles exploded as shells rained down. That area became like a slaughterhouse, blasted beyond recognition, with nothing visible at all.

Before long, the cannons stopped—they had only fired twice in total.

When the smoke and dust settled and that area returned to calm, Jin Zhongshan on the watchtower was so shocked he could not speak.

That area over a thousand meters away, several hundred meters in circumference, had been blasted into utter chaos, with not a single dead angle. One could imagine—if cavalry had charged through, every man and horse in that area would have been blown to pieces!

Jin Zhongshan quickly calmed himself, then suddenly dropped to one knee and shouted loudly: "His Highness Prince Hui! Your subject, your subject begs Great Ming to supply Joseon with these firearms—we will pay any price!"

Zhu Xu smiled without speaking. These cannons and flintlocks were indeed excellent defensive weapons, but he would not give any of them to Joseon. If he truly did, they might well fall into Jurchen hands—especially since they would not be too difficult to reverse-engineer.

He had long since formulated his response, and looking at Jin Zhongshan with a grave expression said: "Lord Jin, you have also seen that even in our dynasty, there are only this many such cannons, still in the experimental stage. But what is certain is that within a few years they will be deployed to the battlefield, and when that time comes, Joseon will naturally not be left out!"