"Then why did Qi Yuanjing's subordinates use bird guns? The people under his command are not afraid of suicide and self-harm? ”

Faced with Gao Gong's question, Gao Pragmatic laughed.

Gao Gong frowned and scolded: "What are you laughing at, my words are funny?" His face was already a little displeased.

At this time, Gao Shicheng restrained his smile a little, but he still had a strange smile on his face, and asked: "Third uncle, now it is your old master, you always think about it, which point is mentioned the most in Qi Nantang's impeachment of Shuwen?" Or rather, what points? ”

"Huh?" Gao Gong's eyes slowly rolled, and he pondered: "If I remember correctly, he has been impeached the most than greed for ink and money. ”

Gao Shishi shrugged his shoulders and said, "These two items can have real hammers...... Oh, I mean, did you ever find out the evidence? ”

"Is there any evidence...... Gao Gong continued to frown, and said: "Most of the greedy inks are hearsay, but because Qi Yuanjing's family is not rich, there is no solid evidence so far; However, there is no need for any real evidence at all: the army he is in charge of, whether it is in the Southern Army a few years ago or in the Northern Army in the past few years, the military salary spent far exceeds the quota, so he can't run away from this one. ”

"Look, why aren't Qi Nantang's subordinates afraid of using firearms, isn't the answer coming out?" Gao Pragmatic raised his eyebrows: "He's just willing to spend money." ”

At this time, Gao Gong understood what Gao pragmatic meant, and asked: "You mean to say that the silver quota for the military department is too low, so it can't make qualified firearms, and once you are willing to spend money, you can make it?" He shook his head again and said no, "No, the price of the Ministry of War's machinery, cost, labor and other aspects are well documented, and they are calculated in detail, and the cabinet has received a reply from the Ministry of War, so the figures on it should be correct." ”

Gao Shishi smiled bitterly: "Third uncle, you can't regard all the handling officials such as machinery manufacturing, inspection, warehouse management, and distribution as yourself...... Let me just say this, when the Ministry of War calculates this account, has it ever calculated that the handling officials at all levels and levels may have to divide a part of it? In this case, when it finally falls to the factories of the ministries, the yamen, and the guards, how much is the cost of making machinery? How much of the rest can be compared to the original quota? ”

Gao Gong didn't know that there must be greed for ink in this, but he really didn't expect that the level of greed for ink had reached this point, and he gritted his teeth and was silent for a while before asking: "So you mean, Qi Yuanjing's so-called expenses are actually just to make up for the normal needs of making weapons?" But every time Zhang Taiyue came forward to protect him, the reason he said was that 'Qi was born in the army, he was not familiar with the economy, and his department was slightly extravagant and wasteful, but his department worked hard and his people commanded properly, so he could use it', what is the reason? Zhang Taiyue is Qi Yuanjing's backstage, even he doesn't know? ”

Gao Pragmatic knew that Gao Gong's line of thought was the same as his original history, and he regarded Zhang Juzheng as a righteous man and gentleman, so he had to smile bitterly: "Qi Nantang'an dares to hide from him? It's just that Taiyue Xianggong is a person...... How to put it, I thought that even if he knew the inside story, it would be impossible for him to tell it, because that would offend almost all the officials in the entire chain of arms interests. ”

When he said this, his heart suddenly moved, and he added: "Unless he has already become the first assistant, he will not offend people like this." ”

Gao Gong's words implied a lot of content, Gao Gong was silent for a while before he sighed and said, "Although I am not the first assistant today, I dare not offend people...... It's just that I'm worried that even if I offend someone, this matter will not be easy to handle. ”

Gao Pragmatic knew that Gao Gong's sentence was not about the problem of Qi Jiguang's ordnance manufacturing, but about the problem of the entire Ming military industrial system, which was of course difficult to do. After all, not every general can be like Qi Jiguang, who has the ability to ask for money and has more ability to fight.

In case some other generals ask for more money, the ordnance manufacturing is still a mess, and the war is still a mess, won't the extra money spent by the imperial court be wasted?

"So it's not a problem of a certain person, it's a problem of the system, and there is a problem with the ordnance manufacturing and distribution system of my Ming Dynasty itself." Gao Pragmatic finally directed the topic in the direction he wanted to direct, and said: "Third uncle, you think, Qi Nantang himself is not greedy for ink, but he is always slandered for being greedy for ink, why?" How many people did he offend in this ordnance supervision and manufacturing piece to be like this? This is still on the basis of his failure to clean up those people's layers of greedy ink, if he doesn't take more money from the imperial court, but forcibly takes back the part of their greedy ink from the hands of the officials at all levels to use it in the manufacture of ordnance, I'm afraid he will even have to let the family's ancestral grave be dug up! ”

Of course, Gao Gong could understand the truth of this, so after Gao Pragmatic pointed it out directly, his face was so gloomy that he could almost drip water.

Gao pragmatic still refused to give up, and hit the railroad while it was hot: "Therefore, my nephew now has a point of view, that is, the imperial court can do an experiment, select a few people or families who are interested and have the financial resources to operate private ordnance manufacturing, and allow them to produce ordnance, and if the ordnance they produce is proved to be of higher quality than that produced by the official ordnance factory of the imperial court at the same price, then the imperial court will directly purchase what they produce!" ”

Gao Gong was taken aback: "Private workshop to make ordnance? Do you mean firearms? ”

Of course, it refers to firearms, because the Ming Dynasty can't help but use swords, bows and crossbows.

So Gao pragmatic nodded very affirmatively, without the slightest hint of joking.

Gao Gong gasped, shook his head and said: "Your idea is too dangerous, firearms are the most important weapons of the country, and they are produced by private individuals. ”

Gao Pragmatic was unwilling to give up and said: "Third uncle, Tai'a insisted on saying it, I thought you were too worried. ”

"Why am I so worried?" Gao Gong said solemnly: "This firearm is not comparable to swords, guns, swords, halberds, although I have never been in charge of soldiers, but I also know that this kind of thing is in hand, as long as a little training can fight!" In case the private firearms factory you mentioned secretly hoards it after it gains the manufacturing power, it won't be long before he can arm a large army! When something happens, are you responsible or am I responsible? Who of us can afford it? ”

Gao Shishi smiled bitterly: "Third uncle, if you follow this theory, the private person who makes a spear can also arm a pikeman, and the private person who makes a bow and crossbow can also arm a crossbowman, but in the two hundred years of the Ming Dynasty, how can there be such a thing?" At the end of the day, as long as it's in place, there's no mess. ”

When he said this, he paused for a moment, and then added: "What's more, how can the value of this firearm be comparable to that of ordinary swords?" He quietly hoarded? How much money can he secretly hoard a firearm that is enough to arm a large army? ”

"This ......" Gao Gong was a little speechless for a while, of course he also knew that the price of firearms was far from being comparable to swords, guns, swords, and halberds, but "firearms are the important weapons of the country" was the inherent concept of these people after all, and it was a little difficult to reverse it immediately, so he still refused to express his position easily.

Gao Pragmatic saw it in his eyes, and added another code: "Besides, it's useless for him to just hoard firearms, there is no gunpowder, isn't this firearm just a burning stick?" However, it may be difficult for us to estimate how much gunpowder he made firearms, but how much gunpowder he bought, if this thing Jinyiwei and Dongchang can't be found, these two yamen will simply revoke it, and they will still have something to eat! ”