SWDnovel Chapter 048 Standing in an Invincible Position
Chapter 048 Standing in an Invincible Position
Chapter 048 Standing in an Invincible Position
Chen Ying followed Tian Ergeng and Xu Xianchun into the capital. The two knew the way well and went straight to Yanzhi Hutong, one of the eight famous hutongs in Beijing.
Of course, the term "Eight Great Hutongs" comes from the Qing Dynasty. There was no such thing as "Eight Great Hutongs" in the Ming Dynasty. More importantly, the Ming Dynasty did not legalize the sex industry.
At the same time, Beijing during the Ming Dynasty did not develop a highly concentrated, landmark red-light district like the Qinhuai River in Nanjing.
Unlike the typical smear campaigns against the Ming Dynasty in later films and television dramas, the sex industry in the Ming Dynasty was not only illegal, but the imperial court also launched a large-scale crackdown on prostitution. Of course, this crackdown in the feudal era ultimately ended in failure. At the same time, it was the only dynasty in history to crack down on prostitution during the feudal period.
As early as the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, three censors were caught by the Embroidered Uniform Guard for patronizing prostitutes after being absent from work for four consecutive days. This incident enraged Emperor Xuanzong, Zhu Zhanji, who ordered the closure of all government-run brothels nationwide, abolished the Jiaofangsi system, and severely punished the officials involved. Censors were paraded through the streets, dismissed from office, and exiled. Ordinary officials who patronized prostitutes were punished with one hundred strokes of the cane. Officials were prohibited from contacting prostitutes, and those who violated this rule were disqualified from taking the imperial examinations.
In the short term, the official brothels along the Qinhuai River were shut down, and the number of brothels in the capital city decreased significantly. Many of the prostitutes in the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) came from the families of disgraced officials, forming a gray area tacitly approved by the government. Zhu Zhanji's crackdown on prostitution this time was unsuccessful; as the saying goes, "where there's a policy, there's a countermeasure," officials converted prostitutes into family entertainment venues or private theatrical troupes for continued enjoyment.
The problem is that this was the first and only time in feudal times that the Ming Dynasty government cracked down on the sex industry. The Rouge Alley that Chen Ying followed Xu Xianchun to was, in the Ming Dynasty, an alley where rouge was sold; there wasn't even a single brothel operating there.
The only thing that excited Xu Xianchun and Tian Ergeng was that the waiters and waitresses at this restaurant called Zuishanlou were not men, but all young women dressed in ordinary scholar's robes and wearing scholar's hats, looking like scholars.
This restaurant was packed with guests, most of whom were military officers or warriors. As the waitress in her scholar's robe brought over the food and wine, Xu Xianchun took out five taels of silver from his pocket and threw it directly on the table.
"Here's a reward for you!"
"Thank you for the generous gift, sir!"
The waitress didn't even offer the intimate service of pouring drinks; she simply said goodbye and left after setting the table.
Chen Ying could easily see that this restaurant's main focus was role-playing. In the Ming Dynasty, civil officials were valued more than military officials. For example, Mao Wenlong, the commander-in-chief of the Dongjiang Army, was a first-rank military officer with the titles of Imperial Envoy, General Pinglu, Left Commander-in-Chief, and Commander-in-Chief of Dongjiang Town. However, the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou was a third-rank civil official, and Wu Zhiwang was his superior.
Although Wu Zhiwang had served as the military commissioner of Shanhaiguan and Yongping, making him a civil official knowledgeable in military affairs, he was merely knowledgeable in military affairs. He had a falling out with Mao Wenlong, and the two began to hurl insults at each other. Mao Wenlong, a first-rank Left Vice-Commander-in-Chief, was dealt a terrible blow by Wu Zhiwang. If it were someone else, they would probably have knelt down and begged for forgiveness from Wu Zhiwang long ago.
However, Mao Wenlong had a stubborn temper. He would rather eat sugar and vegetables than back down, and he refused to obey Wu Zhiwang's orders, which caused a rift between the two sides.
It was precisely because of the civil officials, even the fourth-rank Prefect of Guide Prefecture, that Liu Huan, the Commander of Guide Guard, had to be careful and smile obsequiously at a word from him.
Now, there's this restaurant where all the waiters are dressed like scholars, which greatly satisfies customers. It's similar to some Japanese restaurants in later generations that use kimono-clad kneeling service to win customers' psychological satisfaction. Even though it costs a lot of money, it still makes them happy.
After several rounds of drinks and several rounds of flavors, Tian Ergeng gave Xu Xianchun a wink.
Xu Xianchun, holding his wine cup, said, "Boying, your second brother has a favor to ask of you!"
"Second Brother, what are you saying? Just tell me what you need!"
"Our brothers in the Embroidered Uniform Guard are constantly on the move, braving wind, frost, rain, and snow. It's time to replace their equipment, especially their armor and swords."
Xu Xianchun had long wanted to do this business, but unfortunately, he was not the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Even if he were, he couldn't just change positions; he would need to apply to the imperial court.
Having just received commendation from the Tianqi Emperor, Tian Ergeng applied to the Ministry of War for a change of uniforms. The Vice Minister of War in charge of this matter dared not obstruct Tian Ergeng and naturally agreed.
Xu Xianchun continued, "The border troops' heavy armor weighs forty or fifty pounds, which is too heavy and inconvenient for our pursuit and investigation. The armor I need is light and flexible, but it must still be able to withstand ordinary sword and knife slashes. As for the knife... the Embroidered Spring Blade looks imposing and is easy to use, but when dealing with desperate criminals, I sometimes feel that its slashing power is insufficient. Against those wearing simple leather armor or thick cotton-padded coats, it is difficult to subdue them with a single blow. Do you have any ideas?"
Chen Ying had actually thought about this issue long ago. The Embroidered Uniform Guard was not a field army. Their equipment requirements were closer to those of special operations. The kind of situation depicted in movies and TV dramas, where martial arts masters storm the execution ground or engage in a battle against the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was almost impossible.
This is the responsibility of the Northern Garrison Command. However, the Southern Garrison Command appears to be responsible for internal military discipline, similar to the internal disciplinary committee of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Of course, this is only their nominal responsibility; they are also responsible for external intelligence work.
Whether it was during the Imjin War (Korean War), when the Imperial Guard sent agents to infiltrate Japan and successfully obtained crucial intelligence about Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death, providing important evidence for the Ming army's strategic counter-offensive, or the Imperial Guard frequently operating in border regions to monitor the movements of neighboring regimes and serve the Ming Dynasty's defense decision-making, the Imperial Guard's role was crucial.
On the surface, the Embroidered Uniform Guard only had 17,000 households, and theoretically only 19,040 people. Even by the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the actual number of Embroidered Uniform Guards exceeded 60,000, and at its peak, it had 150,000 people.
Of course, many of these were officials who were not actually employed, mainly those who held official positions through favoritism, and many were also intelligence agents who could not be brought to the light of day.
The change of uniforms for the Embroidered Uniform Guard was actually necessary. Members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the capital were very safe, and few people dared to stop them from making arrests. Intelligence agents on the border or in neighboring countries, once discovered, almost always faced certain death.
Chen Ying was not a Ming citizen and deeply resented the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard). Even though Xu Xianchun and Tian Ergeng did indeed frame Wei Dazhong and the Seven Gentlemen of the Donglin Party, the problem was that these Seven Gentlemen of the Donglin Party were even more hateful than traitors. They were the true lackeys of capital, completely disregarding the existing problems of the Ming Dynasty and obstructing its internal reforms. To say they deserved to die would be too lenient. As the founder of the Donglin Party, Gu Xiancheng came from a prominent Jiangsu gentry family. He not only built the Donglin Academy and maintained a vast social circle, but even after being dismissed from his post, he remained active in the Jiangnan literary scene.
So far, Chen Ying has only funded the construction of a comprehensive school, which is far smaller than Donglin Academy, but he has already spent more than 80,000 taels of silver. Gu Xiancheng and Gao Panlong are collectively known as Gao Gu.
They both claimed to be honest and upright, but in reality, they were anything but honest and upright.
Chen Ying respected the secret agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who worked incognito even more. They were the real heroes. Even if they accomplished the great feat of turning the enemy into a rebel, they would not be credited for it. Although their achievements were not recorded, it did not prevent them from being great people.
If possible, Chen Ying would be willing to earn less to help the Embroidered Uniform Guard change their uniforms.
Chen Ying pondered for a moment and said, "Regarding armor, I can design a new type of armor. It is made of finely refined small armor plates strung together, lined with soft cowhide, focusing on protecting the chest, back, shoulders, and elbows. The total weight can be kept under twenty-four catties. It is flexible enough not to hinder climbing and leaping, but its protective power is sufficient to withstand ordinary sword and knife cuts and most crossbow shots. As for the cost... since it is for the use of the Embroidered Uniform Guard brothers, I will only charge the cost price, five taels of silver per charge, and I will not make any extra."
Many people think plate armor is expensive, but the plate armor made by Chen Ying is completely different from the plate armor made in Europe using modern technology.
The plate armor was manufactured by cold casting in molten steel molds, forming a single piece. Such plate armor is not as hard as high carbon steel, but it is much harder than the iron armor made by the Ming Dynasty, and its defensive capabilities are astonishing.
His main cost actually came from utilizing the resources within the Ming Dynasty system. According to the "Notices on Factory and Warehouse Management of the Ministry of Works" from the Wanli era: pig iron cost nine li of silver per jin, cast iron cost one fen and six li of silver per jin, wrought iron (military grade) five-fire wrought iron (forged five times) cost about one qian and six fen and six li of silver per jin, refined iron or steel (such as for armor plates) cost two qian of silver (20 fen of silver) per jin, and ten-refined steel for musket barrels cost two qian and seven fen of silver.
Chen Ying adopted the refining technique, using the cheapest pig iron, which cost nine li of silver per jin, instead of the steel (used in armor factories) that the Ministry of Works of the court had agreed to, which cost three fen and six li of silver per jin.
"Five taels?"
Tian Ergeng's eyes lit up: "Is it like the armor the eunuch owned?"
"The quality and style of the steel are basically the same, only the weight is slightly different!"
Tian Ergeng laughed and said, "Good brother, I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"
This price is almost half the price of the weapon bureau.
"As for the knife..."
Chen Ying took the Embroidered Spring Blade from Xu Xianchun and examined it carefully, saying, "The Embroidered Spring Blade has a beautiful design, is easy to carry and draw quickly, truly a symbol of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. However, its blade is relatively narrow and its curvature is too large, which is advantageous for stabbing and slicing, but weak in powerful chopping and armor-piercing... I believe that it can be slightly improved based on the Tang Dynasty Horizontal Blade. In this way, it can retain its advantages of being easy to carry and operate with both hands, while greatly enhancing its chopping power and armor-piercing ability. The cost... will be around three, depending on the complexity of the decoration."
Tian Ergeng and Xu Xianchun nodded repeatedly as they listened.
Chen Ying not only knew how to manufacture equipment, but also how to use it. In just a few words, he pointed out the pain points and directions for improvement in the equipment of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Light armor and sharp blades were exactly what they needed.
"Alright! Let's do as Boying says!"
Tian Ergeng made the decision: "First, forge two thousand sets of plate armor and eight thousand swords! As for the silver... His Majesty, out of consideration for the hard work of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, has specially approved a sum of imperial funds for this purpose. Boying, you decide how to use this money. In short, make sure the brothers get good equipment and that all the necessary favors are paid."
Chen Ying understood that the funds approved by the Tianqi Emperor, having passed through Tian Ergeng's hands, naturally needed to be allocated reasonably.
The price he quoted—five taels for light plate armor and three taels for a horizontal sword—already left ample room for maneuver. The final actual cost might only be four taels for the armor and two and a half taels for the sword. The remaining price difference would be the profit-sharing between Tian Ergeng, Xu Xianchun, and even the Jinyiwei system, as well as bribes.
"I understand, and I will handle this matter properly."
Chen Ying solemnly agreed, as this was another big order and the beginning of a long-term cooperation.
Once people get used to the equipment of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a system that spans the entire country, orders for subsequent maintenance, upgrades, and even other supporting equipment, such as locks, torture instruments, and interrogation tools, may follow one after another.
"Boying, let's drink!"
Chen Ying smiled and said, "Second Brother Xu, take a look at this..."
Although Chen Ying hasn't solved the problem of grenade misfires recently, he has improved his revolver, and now the left-handed pistol is basically ready for actual combat.
Of course, it was slightly different from the revolvers of later generations. The problem of the primer for the bullets had not yet been solved, but it could use a flintlock mechanism to fire paper bullets.
The real reason why the Ming Dynasty did not invent fixed bullets was because of the problem with powdered black powder. With granular black powder, fixed bullets could have been made.
Although revolvers have a limited effective firing range, their six bullets, used as a self-defense weapon for intelligence personnel, still held epoch-making significance in this era.
At worst, they can be equipped with two revolvers, which can fire twelve shots at once. More importantly, the fixed ammunition is quick to reload, so even if they encounter danger, they have a certain ability to defend themselves. Even civilian personnel can fight their way out, increasing their survival rate.
As for the issue of the pistol being captured by the enemy and leaking secrets, the first thing to solve in order to replicate it is the problem of refining molten steel. Currently, this technology is still in the hands of Chen Ying, and the more crucial thing is development.
Once the primer problem is solved, Chen Ying will be able to manufacture more advanced firearms.
"How much is this in taels of silver?"
"It's not expensive, only six taels of silver a handful!"
Chen Yingzhen wasn't hoping to make money from the revolvers; he was making money from the bullets. At a price of six taels of silver, he was still losing money on each revolver for the time being, though not by much. Once they were widely used in the future, Chen Yingzhen could make money from the bullets.
"I'll think about it!"
Tian Ergeng's so-called consideration was clearly just an excuse, and Chen Ying didn't blame him, after all, he was the boss of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
After leaving Zuixianlou, Chen Ying returned to his residence in Jinggongfang.
Early the next morning, Chen Ying did not return to Shahe.
"Yongren!"
"Father, what are your orders?"
"Go out and find out how many pawnshops are around here. Find a few of the managers and have them come over to our place to discuss some big business!"
Chen Yongren said, "Father, don't be fooled by them. These pawnshop owners are all bad influences!"
"Ha ha……"
Chen Ying laughed. It's not just pawnshop businessmen; as long as you have a large-scale business, no matter what industry you're in, there are hardly any good people among them.
Of course, this refers to the common people's understanding of a good person.
Most of the merchants in the Ming Dynasty were not like the merchants of later generations. Merchants who produced goods were alright, but pawnshops that bought low and sold high were hardly good people.
Now, with the sales network he established using the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which has been initially established, the business of Tianqi plows, seeders, and various weapons has begun to snowball.
He needs a large support team, especially people who are proficient in mathematics. Training them himself would take several years and might not yield results.
Why go to a pawnshop? The reason is simple: people who can run pawnshops need connections. They need to understand the business environment in the capital and see if they can get information from the pawnshop.
Don't be fooled by the fact that pawnshops are ruthless places; they are also among the most well-informed places. They know very well who has gone bankrupt and who has suffered misfortune.
Intelligence is also the most valuable asset.
Chen Ying needs to establish his own intelligence network, using his business as a link and his caravans as a conduit, to build an intelligence system. Only by being a prophet can one remain invincible.
Just like now, Chen Ying is unaware of what happened on Pi Island in Liaodong. Mao Wenlong has already decided to intercept Chen Ying. He first sent his subordinate general Chen Zhong with more than 1,700 men to land directly on Moon Island.
Li Sizhong, the Later Jin city lord and guerrilla general located in Zhenjiangbao City, did not react immediately. By the time he discovered it, Chen Zhong had already established a permanent camp on the island.
Li Sizhong led his men to attack Moon Island on the Yalu River. This grandson of Li Chengliang was severely beaten by Chen Zhong, losing three or four hundred men. He dared not report it to his superiors, otherwise he would appear very incompetent.
Li Sizhong suppressed the news, and Chen Zhong led tens of thousands of Liaodong people who had crossed the sea to build a large-scale construction project on the island. He transformed the permanent camp into a city wall based on bluestone, and at the same time, he worked hard to build blast furnaces in preparation for iron smelting.
Mao Wenlong sent someone to inform Jin Fushun. Jin Fushun was actually unaware that there was an iron mine in Maoshan, but he was very clear about the coal mine in Huishan. He was the one who transported the coal for heating on Pi Island during the winter.
And so, Mao Wenlong quietly built twelve blast furnaces on Moon Island, which could refine about 60,000 catties of pig iron every day. Although Mao Wenlong did not have the technology to remelt the iron, he could simply adopt the crucible steelmaking method, which would only cost a little more in terms of carbon. Soon, he forged a sword and spear.
Fu Yingxing waited and waited, for more than a month, until late April, when he finally realized that Mao Wenlong had already stockpiled 400,000 to 500,000 catties of pig iron. Although pig iron itself was not valuable, it was valuable when cast into iron pots.
Mao Wenlong finally reaped the benefits of the Maoshan Iron Mine. He transferred more than 5,000 troops and more than 20,000 Liaodong civilians to this small island with an area of only 6.2 square kilometers.
"Mao Wenlong, what the hell are you doing?"
Fu Yingxing confronted Mao Wenlong, a foolish move indeed. Mao Wenlong's face darkened: "Who are you? What is your position? What right do you have to order me around?"