"Your Majesty, I don't want to change my government office. Making cannons is my lifelong ideal. I am delighted to see one cannon after another being born from my hands. I want to build cannons for Your Majesty all my life." Huang Changsheng said with a bow.
"Why is that?" Zhu Youxiao looked at him with some confusion and asked.
You know, as the son of Huang Kezun, he can definitely choose a good position as an official.
Making cannons is a bit strange in itself, but I didn’t expect that making cannons would be regarded as an ideal?
"I dare not say." Huang Changsheng said hesitantly.
"Speak," Zhu Youxiao said, "At this moment, I won't blame you. Just tell me what you have to say. You are in the Hundred Craftsmen's Academy, and you should know that I care about you."
"I thank you, Your Majesty." Huang Changsheng agreed and said directly, "I was born in southern Fujian. When I was young, I studied and learned. I was full of passion and wanted to be loyal to the emperor and serve my country."
"But something happened a few years ago. Many people from southern Fujian went to Southeast Asia to make a living. After trade opened up, merchants from southern Fujian also went to Southeast Asia to do business."
"In the 31st year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, the 'Luzon Massacre' occurred. After the Spanish occupied Manila, they used cannons to kill 40,000 Minnan people in Manila. When I heard about this, I was shocked."
When everyone heard Huang Changsheng's words, their expressions became solemn, and they understood why he didn't dare to say those words.
Because this is related to many policies of the Ming Dynasty.
Although the sea was opened at the beginning, the imperial court did not allow merchants to go out to trade. Often, these people did not go through the Maritime Customs Office and went directly to engage in smuggling business.
The people of the Ming Dynasty were killed outside, and the massacre was on such a large scale, which was a disgrace to the emperor.
Perhaps for other emperors, this wouldn't be a big deal. These people went out on their own, and if they were killed, they only had themselves to blame.
But His Majesty is different. Everyone knows His Majesty's behavior. This matter is undoubtedly a slap in His Majesty's face. Huang Changsheng said these things, it is difficult to make His Majesty happy.
Sure enough, Zhu Youxiao's face darkened. He looked at Huang Changsheng and said, "Is this why you want to learn how to make cannons?"
"Your Majesty, I'm not the only one researching this; the people of Southern Fujian are doing the same. We've not only learned the Spanish process for casting cannons, but we've also developed a method that combines the Ming Dynasty's advanced iron smelting techniques with Western copper casting technology, skillfully casting a new type of red-haired cannon with a copper-iron barrel weighing thousands of pounds."
"Not only that, we also took advantage of the cannon tests after casting to secretly learn the Spanish artillery techniques, from ranging, aiming, adjusting the elevation angle, loading gunpowder, and finally firing. We mastered all of these things and originally planned to present them to the court, but it never came to fruition."
"Later, Your Majesty established the Academy of Hundred Craftsmen. I asked my father, then an official, to send us to the Academy. This was probably the only time in his life that my father abused his power for personal gain."
When he said this, Huang Changsheng's face turned pale and his eyes became redder.
Zhu Youxiao sighed.
In fact, in this land, such sharp-sighted people have always existed in every era. Whether it was Xu Guangqi and his group or Huang Changsheng before them, they were all like this.
After witnessing the power of the Spanish artillery, they began to work hard and learn to build cannons, believing that they could do better.
In fact, they did do better, but in a corrupt dynasty, there was really no room for them to perform.
"Over the years, the Hundred Craftsmen's Institute has developed rapidly, and Your Majesty has never lacked its funds. The Ming Dynasty's artillery is now very powerful, even more powerful than the Spanish; the Ming Dynasty's royal navy is also very powerful, even more powerful than the Spanish. This puts my heart at ease. If Your Majesty allows, I would like to make artillery for Your Majesty for the rest of my life."
"But my father is seriously ill now, and I cannot be both loyal and filial. I ask Your Majesty to allow me to stay at home and take care of my father." After Huang Changsheng said this, he lifted up his clothes and knelt on the ground.
Zhu Youxiao stood up, walked to Huang Changsheng, extended his hand to help him up, and said, "I am naturally not the kind of unreasonable emperor. If you want to serve your father at home, then serve your father at home. I will keep your official position for you. When your father recovers from his illness, come back and make cannons for me."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Huang Changsheng said hurriedly.
"There's one more thing you can rest assured about. I won't let this matter go." Zhu Youxiao looked at Huang Changsheng and said with a smile, "You can go back and tell those people that I will avenge those merchants in southern Fujian."
"You built cannons for me, you built ships for me, I will take your revenge."
"The slaughter of the people of the Ming Dynasty will not be let go. Once I have dealt with Japan, the Royal Navy will immediately mobilize. In addition, you must speed up the construction of another fleet."
"Your Majesty is wise. Long live the emperor, long live the emperor!" Huang Changsheng knelt on the ground again and shouted loudly.
The people around also knelt down and shouted along.
In fact, some people think that His Majesty is acting on impulse, but no one dares to persuade him at this time.
Your Majesty's prestige is at its peak, and he is also very powerful. Moreover, in such an occasion, anyone who tries to persuade you is showing disrespect to Your Majesty.
"Take good care of your father. When he wakes up, send someone to deliver the news to the palace immediately, and I will come over." After saying that, Zhu Youxiao helped Huang Changsheng up, patted his shoulder, and then turned and walked out.
"Your Majesty, I respectfully bid you farewell!" Huang Changsheng saluted hurriedly.
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