Chapter 267 Harvest (Part 3)
In June of the first year of Qianlong, the number of civil and military officials who came to pay homage to the emperor on the street outside the Thirteenth House decreased significantly. When these people saw the emperor's carriage arriving, they quickly knelt on both sides of the road.
Hong Zhou didn't even look at these officials. He waited for a while at the door. The fourteenth prince, who came with him, got off the sedan chair and quickly followed him. The two of them entered Prince Yi's Mansion.
The Thirteenth Uncle was feeling better, and when he heard that the Emperor Hong Zhou had arrived, he hurried out to greet him. When he saw Hong Zhou from a distance, he heard Hong Zhou shout, "Uncle Thirteen, there's no need to be polite."
Although Hong Zhou's words came from his heart, Old Thirteen still knelt down to pay his respects, without any intention of being arrogant. Hong Zhou hurried over and helped Old Thirteen up with the guards, "Uncle Thirteen, this time Basai brought back the firearms used by Huo Chong, but you have to take a look with Uncle Thirteen."
Not long after, Hong Zhou, Lao Shisan, Lao Shisi, the Firearms Bureau, the Ministry of War and others watched four Qing soldiers using rifles with bayonets sparring with Qing soldiers using other weapons.
According to the intelligence known to the Qing army, both sides of the sparring wore the cotton armor of the Eight Banners Army, and engaged in weapon confrontations of spear against bayonet, single sword against bayonet, and sword and shield against bayonet.
After reading it, Old Thirteen saw that everyone's eyes were on him, so he replied: "Your Majesty, I have never released the soldiers. If we want to talk about these, please ask the one who released the soldiers to speak."
Now, everyone's eyes fell on Old Fourteen. Among the group of people, only Old Fourteen had let go of the soldiers. Even the Minister of War who came with him had not let go of the soldiers. Old Fourteen replied: "This thing is just a pistol."
As he spoke, he took a rifle. The rifle itself was a little over one meter long, and with the bayonet it was only about 1.34 meters long. It was indeed a short gun. "Your Majesty, Huo Chong's men all use such weapons. They use the gun to shoot at a distance and stab at close range. Defense is entirely dependent on cotton armor, which can be considered both offense and defense."
Old Thirteen had practiced martial arts, but he had either practiced with a long spear or a short sword. Seeing this rifle with a bayonet, he was not used to it. He asked, "If it's a musket, why does it look so strange?"
Hong Zhou sighed but said nothing. He just took out a few bullets from his pocket. Old Thirteen took one and didn't know what was going on. It was more than an inch long. A little more than an inch of it was a copper shell, uneven. The head was made of lead, relatively flat.
With a click, Hong Zhou opened the mechanism on the rifle, and a long hole for stuffing things appeared on the back of the gun.
Even the knowledgeable Old Thirteen was surprised. When he saw the bullet, he intuitively felt that it was probably a combination of gunpowder and bullet. He was thinking about how to put it in from the muzzle, and when he saw the long hole, he felt that he might have to put the bullet in from here.
Just as Lao Shisan expected, Hong Zhou put the bullet into it, then turned and pushed it, and with a click, the long hole at the back was covered by the black iron.
A guard had already set up a target by the wall. Hong Zhou put the butt of the rifle against his shoulder and aimed the rifle. With a bang, he hit the target.
Old Thirteen was even more shocked. Hong Zhou had practiced martial arts, but he was not particularly fond of hunting with a musket. He hit the target with one shot, and it was probably not Hong Zhou who was powerful, but the musket.
There was no time to say anything, and Old Thirteen asked to try. The Minister of War quickly loaded the bullets for Old Thirteen, and Old Thirteen also aimed at the target and shot, and also hit the target. He walked over with his son's support, and Old Thirteen saw that he had hit the bull's eye. His face became even uglier.
Although he was weak and had not yet recovered from a serious illness, he could still shoot so accurately. It can be seen that this kind of musket is extremely easy to operate.
Before being supported by his son to return to Hong Zhou, the Thirteenth Elder anxiously asked, "Your Majesty, are you sure that all the muskets used by Huo Chong's men are like this?"
Hong Zhou sighed, "Alas..., Thirteenth Uncle. Huo Chong's men all use this kind of musket. It's also thanks to your suggestion that we didn't replace Ortai and Yue Zhongqi. If someone else led the army..." After saying this, a look of fear appeared on Hong Zhou's face.
The reason why Lao Shisan suggested to trust Ortai and Yue Zhongqi was simply because the two were trustworthy. However, when he saw that Huo Chong's troops were generally equipped with such weapons, he was also frightened by the possibility of replacing Ortai and Yue Zhongqi.
Facing 30,000 people equipped with such weapons, Ortai and Yue Zhongqi did not suffer a major defeat, but maintained a standoff through various deployments of troops, which shows that they are really powerful. If you are not careful during the standoff, you will be defeated.
Just when he was about to ask what the secret of this firearm was, the head of the gunpowder bureau came forward and began to explain, as if he had the ability to read minds.
The Qing Dynasty now used a matchlock gun, which had a horizontal powder hole at the bottom of the barrel. First, pour gunpowder into the barrel from the muzzle, then insert the lead bullet. After leveling the matchlock gun, pour gunpowder into the powder hole.
This medicine hole is not a hole, but a device similar to a pipe, except that the rod in the middle is very short. After pouring refined gunpowder into it, aim at the target and pull the trigger. After transmission, a burning cotton rope rotates, igniting the refined gunpowder on the medicine hole device. The gunpowder in the medicine hole burns and sprays into the barrel through the hole connected to the rear of the barrel, igniting the gunpowder in the barrel. The bullet is pushed out by the gunpowder.
The process was very complicated, and even for experienced players, it took more than a minute to complete the whole process. For novices, it was even more chaotic, and it often took two or three minutes to fire one shot.
Compared with Huo Chong's musket, which could fire a shot only every three or two shots, the matchlock muskets commonly equipped by the Qing Dynasty were simply useless.
The head of the gunpowder bureau certainly didn't dare to make such a comment. He just gave a simple explanation, "... Master Thirteen, I don't know what kind of magic Huo Chong used to make the incendiary thing so big." As he said that, the head of the gunpowder bureau handed a disassembled "fire cap" to Master Thirteen.
Although the Qing dynasty used the eight-legged essay to control the thoughts of the Han people, the Manchus themselves did not engage in foolish education. Kangxi was particularly interested in new things, and the Thirteenth Prince also received a good education and was by no means a waste.
Old Thirteen took the disassembled bullet and understood the reason after a moment's observation. It turned out that the copper shell bullet was wrapped with gunpowder, and there was a hole at the rear of the shell to install the percussion cap. The trigger of Huo Chong's musket was linked to a hammer. After the trigger was pulled, the hammer hit the percussion cap, causing the percussion cap to ignite and trigger the gunpowder in the bullet shell.
While admiring the exquisiteness of Huo Chong's musket, the Thirteenth Brother looked at the Fourteenth Brother, "Fourteenth Brother, do you think Huo Chong made this himself?"
Old Fourteen sighed and said, "Huo Chong is an extremely skilled craftsman." Having said this, Old Fourteen did not make any more comments about Huo Chong.
The group of people in front of him did not comment. Speaking of which, among this group of people, the fourteenth brother had dealt with Huo Chong, and Hong Zhou and the thirteenth brother had met Huo Chong privately. Before Huo Chong rebelled, he was not without a reputation in the capital. Because of the glass fire, from the princes and nobles to the ordinary officials, as long as they have used the glass fire, they all know that the craftsman who can make such a thing must be an extremely powerful craftsman.
Old Thirteen asked, "Have you figured out what's in the percussion cap?"
The people from the gunpowder bureau first bowed their heads, then knelt down, "Your Majesty, Thirteenth Master. We are useless. After we got this thing, we have been looking for people to identify it day and night, but we really can't tell how it was made. Your Majesty, Thirteenth Master, I will try my best to figure it out. I will try my best!"
Before he finished speaking, Hong Zhou and Old Fourteen were both furious. The Minister of War, Fu Hai, glared and shouted, "You just say you don't know. You need to figure it out. You have been figuring it out for so long, but you still can't find a way! Is this what you call being attentive?"
Seeing this situation, the head of the gunpowder bureau was shaking with fear. Old Thirteen instinctively felt angry and disappointed in this man, but at the same time, he felt a little sympathy for this man.
Huo Chong's musket was so sharp and convenient, and its structure was simple. It should not be difficult to imitate. But with Huo Chong's cunning, how could he not think of such a thing? Since he dared to make it like this, he must have had something to rely on.
Thinking back to the colored glaze fire made by Huo Chong, Old Thirteen knew that things must not be that simple. That kind of thing was very easy to burn, and the burning process was very clean, without any smoke or fire. In the end, what was left was only a very clean small piece of residue.
After using it, Lao Shisan asked for instructions on how to make it and went to Liulichang to see it. Although the items used were cheap, it took dozens of processes to make it. If the principle of one process is not clear, Liuli fire cannot be made.
Even though the tiny thing inside the fire cap looks light, it must have gone through dozens of processes and is definitely not something naturally generated. If the method of making Liuli fire is taken as the standard, it is not easy to imitate it.
Hong Zhou's face was filled with anger, but he did not lash out in the end. He just told the people from the gunpowder bureau in a stern tone to go back and continue their research.
When everyone returned to the house, Hong Zhou asked, "Uncle Thirteen, now that we know the musket Huo Chong used, we have to find a way to control it."
"Your Majesty, will this musket rain on a rainy day..."
Before Old Thirteen could finish his question, Hong Zhou kept shaking his head, "Uncle Thirteen, we tried it. We soaked the muskets in water for a quarter of an hour, pulled them out and fired, and one of the three muskets actually fired."
It is really the fear of one's own people scaring one's own people. Upon hearing this, Lao Shisan felt a buzzing in his head and almost fainted.
The matchlock guns of the Qing Dynasty would be useless if it rained heavily, let alone soaked in water. Hong Zhou's words were very implicit. He was saying that if the battle was fought on a rainy day, Huo Chong would not be affected much. The Qing army would have to take the beating unilaterally with their matchlock guns that were no better than fire sticks.
After his mind became clearer, Old Thirteen quickly considered how to deal with the current devastating situation.
At this time, the Minister of War, Fu Hai, spoke at Hong Zhou's signal. He compared the weapons and equipment of both sides and came to the conclusion, "The Ministry of War originally thought that Huo Chong had won over many Shandong bandits and thieves in recent years, and some of the bandits recruited by Huo Chong served as Huo Chong's confidants. He also coerced some unruly people to bluff Huo Chong. However, Huo Chong was cunning and good at sneak attacks. The officials who went to suppress them were stupid and lazy, and Huo Chong seized the opportunity. Even the defeated officials who submitted letters of apology were considered to be covering up their mistakes. Unexpectedly, although the officials were looking for excuses for their defeat, what they said was not entirely wrong. At present, the unruly people that Huo Chong coerced can all be used by him..."
Fahai's words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Lao Shisan's heart. Lao Shisan knew that he had the same questions as Fahai. At that time, Lao Shisan could not understand why a hundred thousand elite troops fought fiercely with twenty thousand bandits, but were defeated head-on by the twenty thousand bandits.
When he learned of the result, the Thirteenth Elder could only attribute it to what Nian Gengyao said in his prayer before his death, that Huo Chong "used troops gracefully and fought solidly." Only by attributing success or failure to an individual's extraordinary strength can we explain why the court suffered such a terrible defeat.
The more one attributes victory or failure to Huo Chong's personal strength, the more it can explain this inexplicable and unreasonable situation.
Shaking his head in despair, Old Thirteen could not help but lament, "Your Majesty... or the late emperor had foresight and had long seen Huo Chong's rebellious heart. When the late emperor accidentally saw the news about Huo Chong, he knew that Huo Chong wanted to rebel. Although I think what the late emperor said is absolutely correct, I was still wrong."
"Uncle Thirteen, what did the Emperor say at that time?" Hong Zhou couldn't help but ask.
The Thirteenth Elder told Hong Zhou and others about the situation at that time. It turned out that at that time, Yongzheng felt that Huo Chong was using the evil cult to win over the hearts of the people and was definitely going to rebel. Huo Chong must not be given the opportunity to develop and expand at will. Huo Chong's power must be nipped in the bud as soon as possible.
After hearing this, the Thirteenth Prince certainly supported it. However, at that time, the Thirteenth Prince saw that Yongzheng was a little hesitant. The Thirteenth Prince was also a little hesitant. Of course, the Thirteenth Prince's hesitation was completely because he didn't know whether to sentence Huo Chong to death after arresting him.
At that time, in the eyes of Old Thirteen, Huo Chong was just a wealthy man who was eager for quick success and quick profit, and was dressed as an official. Although such a person was guilty, it would be a bit of an exaggeration to arrest and kill him.
He asked tentatively, but he didn't expect Yongzheng's hesitation to be so different. The Thirteenth Old Man realized that Yongzheng had already doubted how much strength Huo Chong had accumulated and whether this strength was already very dangerous.
This is why Yongzheng immediately sent people to mobilize hundreds of Shandong troops to launch a surprise attack on Huo Chong at lightning speed, and also used a strategy to trick Huo Chong into falling into the trap.
After that incident of intrigue and warfare, Old Thirteen was certain that Huo Chong had really been planning a rebellion from a long time ago.
After the Thirteenth Brother finished speaking, he realized that he had fallen into memories of the past. Just as he was about to confess, he saw that the group of people were all looking at him intently. After a little thought, the Thirteenth Brother understood. When this happened, Hong Zhou was still young, and the Fourteenth Brother was locked up at home and not allowed to go out. The others focused their attention on Nian Gengyao.
There were rebellions every year in the Qing Dynasty. Compared with a great general and a first-class duke like Nian Gengyao, Huo Chong, who had just rebelled at that time, was nothing. Even when Nian Gengyao submitted a petition for his life, the civil and military officials in the court thought that Nian Gengyao was just playing the game of keeping the enemy at bay. Many people also laughed at Nian Gengyao for being desperate and even a small Shandong rebel became his lifeline. Therefore, Nian Gengyao was despised even more.
However, as things developed, two years after Huo Chong rebelled, even Yongzheng felt a little regretful when he mentioned Nian Gengyao. He thought that he should not have acted too hastily at that time. Even if he wanted to kill Nian Gengyao, he should have let Nian Gengyao eliminate Huo Chong first.
After telling these old stories, the Thirteenth Old Man expressed his opinion, "Your Majesty, the late emperor had already seen that Huo Chong must have someone to rely on. It's just that Huo Chong is too cunning. Others are keeping a low profile and restraining their edge. Huo Chong actually knows that he can't escape the eyes and ears of the court, so he acts in two ways. Wherever the eyes and ears of the court see, Huo Chong also does some shocking things. When the court orders to question him, he argues with reason. The court thought that Huo Chong wanted to rely on the grace of the court to gain wealth and glory. I never thought that Huo Chong had already rebelled. This is really a case of a traitor appearing loyal and a fake appearing true."
After listening to what the Thirteenth Brother had to say, the Fourteenth Brother couldn't help but tell him about the trial of Huo Chong by Kangxi, the Fourth Brother and the Fourteenth Brother.
Hong Zhou had already pricked up his ears very seriously when he heard half of it. Apart from the Thirteenth Elder who had heard of such a thing, it was the first time for other officials to hear that Kangxi had met Huo Chong and that there were so many things in between.
The Fourteenth Prince did not scold Huo Chong. After recounting the previous events, he sighed with some nostalgia, "Your Majesty, when your grandfather wanted to send me to dispatch troops, he also used what Huo Chong said to instruct me. He wanted me to know that people must be useful and reliable, so that they can stand firm. The reason why Huo Chong has not been seen through for so long is that he has been collecting money and grain for the local area, and he has never defaulted on payment. This has enabled many officials to get excellent evaluations and get promoted quickly because of him. That's why those officials indulged Huo Chong and protected him."
Hong Zhou frowned when he heard this, "Fourteenth Uncle, if that's the case, wouldn't it mean that the rumors outside are true? They say that when the emperor was alive, the princes who worked became traitors, the governors who served became traitors, and the censors who submitted memorials became traitors. Later, even a craftsman became a traitor. The Kangxi Dynasty was peaceful and everyone worked for the Qing Dynasty. When the emperor ascended the throne, so many people became traitors. Isn't it that my emperor was wrong!"
When Old Fourteen heard what Hong Zhou said, he lowered his head in embarrassment and stopped talking. Old Thirteen laughed secretly in his heart. Old Fourteen was a man without a backbone. He was really willful and did whatever he wanted. The words just now were probably what Old Fourteen said when he recalled the past. There might not be any malicious intentions.
However, Old Fourteen had no ill intentions, but the speaker was unintentional and the listener took it seriously, and it somehow touched upon Hong Zhou's bad luck.
After a moment of relaxation, he adjusted his mood. The Thirteenth Old Man made up his mind and said what he had just thought of, "Your Majesty, let me and your Fourteenth Uncle say a few words to Your Majesty."
Hong Zhou waved his hand, and the others left quickly, leaving only the uncles and nephews of the Aixinjueluo family in the house.
The Thirteenth Elder whispered, "Your Majesty, I know this is difficult, but I think Huo Chong is extremely cunning and may be able to outwit him. Your Majesty, please send someone to secretly contact Huo Chong and ask him what he wants if he wants to surrender."
