Chapter 13: The Brainwasher: Johann Adam Schall

Returning from the Yongwei Camp to the palace, Zhu Cilang immediately ordered people to search the archives, and eventually found a memorial dated the twentieth day of the seventh month of the eleventh year of Chongzhen.

It was submitted by Bi Maokang, the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, presenting a self-authored book titled *Illustrated Treatise on Military Implements*.

The book enumerated all kinds of firearms and poison crossbows, along with the flintlock musket he had always dreamed of. With both illustrations and text, it described the manufacture, use, and power of military implements.

Zhu Cilang was overjoyed upon seeing it and hastily asked where Bi Maokang was at present. The answer disappointed him greatly—Bi Maokang was now serving as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing, overseeing money and grain.

"Too far away. I need to find a way to have His Majesty transfer him to the capital to take charge of the Armory Bureau. A talent like this managing money and grain—what a waste of his abilities." Zhu Cilang grumbled inwardly.

Fortunately, the book was at hand. He could see whether the craftsmen of the Armory Bureau could manufacture the weapons according to the illustrations.

Zhu Cilang wanted to rebuild the Ming Dynasty's firearms, and he had to find a group of scientists proficient in firearms, such as Xu Guangqi. But Xu Guangqi, that great scientific master, had passed away several years ago—he had missed his chance.

The second person Zhu Cilang thought of was Xu Guangqi's student Sun Yuanhua. But upon inquiry, he learned that Sun Yuanhua had actually been executed by the court several years earlier because of the Denglai Incident!

Sun Yuanhua—a talent buried by history. If he had not died, recovering Liaodong might not have been impossible.

Sun Yuanhua was Xu Guangqi's student. He mastered both Chinese and Western learning and even surpassed his teacher. He devoted himself to the study of Western artillery, making him the unrivaled expert in cannon manufacture and ballistics in the late Ming.

When he served as Governor of Denglai, he even organized a foreign legion of 27 Portuguese artillerymen, effectively making him the Regional Commander of the Ming Dynasty's firearms forces.

When the wild boar skin Nurhaci led the Eight Banners army sweeping everything before them in Liaodong, it was the eleven red barbarian cannons Sun Yuanhua brought to Ningyuan that blasted the Eight Banners army into confusion, achieving the famous "Great Victory at Ningyuan."

The wild boar skin, "invincible in battle, unstoppable in attack, only failing to take the city of Ningyuan, returned in great fury and resentment," and eight months later, died in depression.

The civil and military officials of the Ming Dynasty were overjoyed at this crucial victory. One of the main cannons was even titled by the Emperor as "Great General Who Pacifies the State, Secures the Army, Subdues Liaodong, and Quells the Barbarians."

Later, Sun Yuanhua received important appointments. Ambitious, he wanted to train an elite force mastering cannons and advanced tactics to recover Liaodong. Unfortunately, a historical accident shattered Sun Yuanhua's grand plans and his dream of a strong army.

"A mutiny caused by a chicken" led his subordinates Kong Youde and others to rebel. Dengzhou fell, Sun Yuanhua was captured by the rebels, and his attempt to cut his own throat failed.

After being released from captivity, Sun Yuanhua was framed by his political enemies Yu Yinggui, Li Mengchen, Lu Zhenfei, Wen Tiren, and others. He was arrested, thrown into prison, and ultimately unjustly executed.

Sun Yuanhua's death made the Later Jin the greatest beneficiary. In the fifth year of Chongzhen, the notorious traitors Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming crossed the sea with several hundred warships and a large number of skilled Western artillerymen to defect to the Later Jin.

The defection of this most elite firearms force of the Ming Dynasty caused a tremendous shift in the military balance between Ming and Jin.

The Later Jin treasured this windfall. Hong Taiji personally led the various Beiles ten li out of Shengjing to welcome them, and received them with the Jurchens' most solemn "embrace greeting" ritual. At that moment, he gained the capital to enter and rule the Central Plains.

Thereafter, the Manchu Qing used captured and copied cannons to take cities and seize territory with unstoppable momentum. After crossing the pass, when clashing with Li Zicheng's peasant army, the cannons displayed their might even more spectacularly—the peasant army avoided them thereafter.

A man of such caliber, dead because of factional strife—truly a pity.

Zhu Cilang paced back and forth in Zhongcui Palace, pondering how to bring the Armory Bureau, which manufactured military equipment, under his control, and whom to find to develop weapons for him. What he needed most right now were researchers.

In the future, the Ming army would fight an asymmetric war against the Manchu Qing, who used cold weapons, with superior firearms. That one-sided suppression—just thinking about it gave him a little thrill.

"Your Highness, the Armory Bureau has delivered ten telescopes for your inspection." Wu Zhong led several eunuchs carrying telescopes on wooden trays as he reported to Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang frowned and said, "I told them to make a batch, and they made me just ten?"

The people at the Armory Bureau thought the Crown Prince was merely taking a passing interest and wanted a few more telescopes to play with, so they made ten to fob him off.

Although Wu Zhong did not know what the Crown Prince intended to do, he still spoke up: "This servant will go tell the Armory Bureau at once to have them make more."

Holding a telescope in his hand, Zhu Cilang suddenly said, "Wait—wasn't this telescope brought to the Great Ming by a man named Adam Schall?"

Wu Zhong thought for a moment before replying, "To answer Your Highness, it was indeed Adam Schall, the Director of the Directorate of Astronomy."

"Have him come see me." Zhu Cilang's heart stirred slightly—he had nearly forgotten this great master. This man was a polymath, not only profoundly accomplished in astronomy but also quite knowledgeable about cannons and the like.

"Wait—I'll go visit him instead."

Zhu Cilang planned to visit Adam Schall's home in person. For researchers, he felt it necessary to show respect for the worthy and humble himself before talent.

Zhu Cilang sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to locate Adam Schall. At the time, Schall was at a Catholic church in the capital—that church was also his home in the Great Ming.

Zhu Cilang, accompanied by Xu Sheng, Wu Zhong, and a group of guards, paid the visit in plain clothes.

Seeing the steady stream of people coming and going before this Western-style church, Zhu Cilang was somewhat surprised. He had not expected so many people in the late Ming to believe in the Catholic Jesuit faith.

He even spotted a eunuch inside the church! It was an old eunuch, praying inside the church.

"Pang Tianshou!" Zhu Cilang called out to stop the old eunuch.

It was Pang Tianshou of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses, serving under Cao Huachun with no low status. Zhu Cilang had seen him before when he went to the Directorate of the Imperial Horses to find Cao Huachun.

The old eunuch named Pang Tianshou, upon hearing someone call his name directly, was initially somewhat annoyed. But when he turned and saw Zhu Cilang, his expression changed at once, and he hurried over with small steps to pay his respects.

"Pang Tianshou, how did you come to believe in this faith?" Zhu Cilang was puzzled. A eunuch who did not believe in Tathagata or the Old Lord, nor the Jade Emperor—but believed in Jesus?

Hearing the Crown Prince's question, Pang Tianshou dared not conceal anything and could only answer truthfully, point by point.

Listening to Pang Tianshou's explanation, Zhu Cilang learned that Adam Schall, using his position at the Directorate of Astronomy, often chatted with eunuchs in the palace. Taking the opportunity to explain astronomy to them, he spread Catholicism within the palace.

Many eunuchs had been brainwashed by Adam Schall into joining the faith. This eunuch Pang Tianshou of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses was the most prominent of the brainwashed eunuchs.

Zhu Cilang was inwardly somewhat shocked. This Adam Schall was truly formidable—he could actually brainwash eunuchs into converting? It was like selling combs to bald men—absolutely off the charts!

"Alright, you're dismissed. Go about your business." Zhu Cilang waved his hand at Pang Tianshou without pursuing the matter further.

Catholicism's development in the Great Ming was considered legal. Even some high officials believed, such as the former Minister of Rites Xu Guangqi, who also followed Catholicism—he had been drawn into the faith by another brainwashing expert, Matteo Ricci.

As they were speaking, Adam Schall, dressed in a black priest's robe, saw the Crown Prince personally arriving at his door and hurried out to welcome him.

"I humbly welcome His Highness the Crown Prince!" Adam Schall greeted him in fluent Chinese. A man who could brainwash eunuchs would naturally not speak Chinese poorly.

As the Director of the Directorate of Astronomy, Adam Schall was also an official of the Great Ming and was very familiar with the various etiquette of the Ming officialdom.

Zhu Cilang looked at the heavily bearded Adam Schall before him and said, "Director Schall, no need for ceremony."

"May I ask what business Your Highness has in coming here?" Adam Schall, not understanding Zhu Cilang's intention in seeking him out, asked very directly.

Zhu Cilang said with a smile, "I have heard that you, sir, are profoundly learned, so I have come specially to seek your counsel."

Thanks to readers: Dark Night at Dawn, Thinking of a Name Is Really Troublesome, Candlelight Romance, for their recommendation votes. Many thanks!