After the defeat in Guangning, the Later Jin suffered another setback, which they attributed to the main reason being the powerful firearms of the Ming army.
The Ming army's muskets were indeed constantly upgraded, from the matchlock-type Rumi gun to the flintlock-type musket, which was much more powerful than the bird gun.
This does not include heavy muskets. The effect of hitting the human body is comparable to that of heavy snipers in later generations.
Not only did the officers and soldiers of the Later Jin Dynasty suffer heavy casualties, but also beizi and beile such as Dergelei were killed by heavy muskets. This could not but arouse the vigilance and attention of the Later Jin Dynasty.
However, both Nurhaci and Huang Taiji believed that it was impossible and wrong to ask the Jurchens, who were famous for their horse riding and archery, to switch to firearms.
In this case, the Han soldiers would still be the ones who could use firearms. Although Nurhaci's suspicion was hopeless, he had to admit this fact and had to hold his nose and use the Han soldiers with caution.
During the fierce battles with the Ming army, it was not difficult to obtain muskets left behind by Ming casualties on the battlefield, which also created the first condition for imitation.
However, the suggestion to imitate the Ming army's muskets to increase the Han soldiers' defensive capabilities was obviously too simplistic for Huang Taiji and others.
If one only copied a small number of muskets, even flintlock ones, they could succeed, but the scrap rate would undoubtedly be very high. Just the elastic steel sheets alone would require countless attempts at forging steel to produce a few that met the standards.
However, mass production was impossible given the resources, production capacity, and technological level of the Later Jin Dynasty. They did not even have the ability to produce qualified batches of steel.
The traditional process of rolling iron sheets and drilling the barrel was insufficient, and the barrel was easily exploded during use. After all, the muskets used by the Ming army now had a larger charge than bird guns, and the heavy muskets even reached more than 30 grams.
If Zhu Youxiao knew that the Jianlu actually wanted to imitate firearms, he would probably laugh out loud.
In terms of resources, production capacity, technological level, and even manpower, using firearms to compete with the Ming army can only be described as "seeking death."
This is the advantage that agricultural countries have over nomadic, fishing and hunting peoples. As long as it is used well, it can have the power to crush them.
Of course, being ahead in civilization or technology is not a guarantee of victory; internal unity and stability are also necessary. The demise of the Song and Ming dynasties is a clear example of this.
Therefore, even if the Later Jin Dynasty mastered the same production technology as the Ming Dynasty, it would not be able to defeat the Ming Empire, which had no internal troubles.
What's more, the current emperor of the Ming Empire is a time traveler who possesses strategic vision that others cannot match, as well as a deep insight into the enemy.
To put it bluntly, whether it was Nurhaci or Huang Taiji, Zhu Youxiao saw through them all. Their actions and even their psychological changes could not escape his calculations.
Just like Nurhaci's suspicion and purge of Han officials and generals, Zhu Youxiao's instigation made it even more serious. This is why he did his utmost to ensure the success of Liu Xingzuo's rebellion.
Nurhaci, Huang Taiji, and the high-ranking officials of the Later Jin Dynasty certainly could not have imagined this. If they were taking one step at a time, Zhu Youxiao was taking one step at a time and looking three steps ahead, always ahead.
Huang Taiji had no idea that his suggestion would make the Ming Emperor laugh and despise him, so after getting his father Khan's permission, he took his leave and left.
After coming out, Huang Taiji's face became gloomy and his steps became heavy.
Being stripped of his position as the leader of the banner meant he had fallen out of favor with his father, the Khan. But that wasn't the end of it, as Nara Zhongming from Zhenjiang continued to cause trouble for him.
From time to time, Jurchens captured by the Ming army were released and brought letters from Nara Zhongming to Huang Taiji.
He either tried to establish connections or persuaded Huang Taiji to abandon his evil ways and join the Ming court. He was willing to give up the position of commander of Jianzhou Guard and promised that the Ming court would let bygones be bygones.
This was clearly an attempt to sow discord. Huang Taiji wouldn't even read the letter, not even dared to! He even had several messengers killed, and the letters tore up and burned.
But this still could not make Huang Taiji feel relieved. He believed that his father Khan would definitely get the news and his suspicion of him would become more and more serious.
Why did you send the letter to the only one? Is Father Khan's suspicion unfounded? What are you afraid of by destroying the letter and killing someone?
Huang Taiji considered handing the messenger over to his father Khan for punishment, but he felt that was not a good idea.
Huang Taiji sighed heavily. The Ming court's extremely simple strategy of sowing discord made him depressed and distressed.
What puzzled him even more was why the Ming court chose to betray him alone and was so happy to do so. Couldn't they have just found someone else?
The strange sound of "knock knock knock" interrupted Huang Taiji's thoughts. He had heard this sound before and knew who was coming.
Manggurtai walked over with a strange gait, a cane under his arm. In the past six months, this guy who once rode a horse and was known as a fierce general had lost a lot of weight and could no longer fight on the battlefield.
"Fifth brother." Huang Taiji hurriedly took two steps forward and bowed to greet him.
Manggurtai stopped using his crutches, his bare leg standing out. His expression was cold, as if he didn't recognize Huang Taiji.
"Fifth brother." Huang Taiji called out again, and said sincerely: "I went to see you a few days ago, and the Second Lady said that you were not feeling well--"
Manggurtai waved his hand suddenly and said stiffly: "I don't want to see you in the mansion. Except for the missing leg, I am in good health!"
Huang Taiji didn't expect Manggurtai to be so direct. He was stunned and wanted to ask the reason.
Manggurtai looked at Huang Taiji and before he could speak, he asked in a deep voice, "Are Nara Zhongming and Eighth Brother related?"
Huang Taiji hurriedly explained, "The story of Nara Zhongming was simply fabricated by the Ming court to sow discord and sow discord. Fifth brother, you don't believe it, do you?"
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