Seeing what Song Nan said solemnly, Zhengde's expression became stern, and he frowned: "What kind of conditions?" I've been a little nervous by you. ”

Song Nan said: "Your Majesty, since the invasion of the Tartars, although the ministers have not been involved in this matter, they have always paid attention to it; The Northwest Jinyi Guards also continued to collect information about the Tartars. The minister believed that the Tartar invasion was premeditated and fully prepared, and this time it was no longer a small-scale raid and plunder, but a large-scale invasion. ”

Zhengde said: "Obviously so. ”

Song Nan said: "I believe that the emperor and the adults have analyzed this problem, if it is said that these more than 100,000 Tartar soldiers want to destroy my Ming Dynasty, it is just talking, but the combat power of these more than 100,000 Tartar soldiers has been witnessed by our own eyes; In a few months, not only 80,000 soldiers were killed, but also more than a dozen state capitals in the northwest were lost; It stands to reason that there is not much difference in the strength of the two armies between us and the enemy, can it be said that our Ming soldiers are really vulnerable? ”

Zhengde frowned and said: "Yes, I am also thinking about this question, to say that the Tartars are strong that has always been a thing, the Tatars born in the barren and bitter cold land may be better at fighting than my Ming soldiers, but for so many years, in the border towns, haven't we suffered much losses?" Why is it completely unstoppable this time? I couldn't sleep, I didn't understand the truth, and when I thought about it, I could only blame the incompetence of the manager. ”

Song Nan shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, the strategy of the commander of the army is only one factor, Chang Ning, Xu Guangzuo and others are all dead and experienced in a hundred battles, even if there are some mistakes in strategy, it will not be defeated." Besides, the generals on the front line now are all generals who have led the army in the northwest, who hasn't fought with the Tartars for many years, why can't they stop it this time? ”

"So what went wrong with that, then?" Zhengde asked.

Song Nan said: "The only reason why the two soldiers and horses, who are already of equal strength, can suddenly break the balance and exclude other non-major factors is because one side has absolute crushing equipment." As far as the minister knows, this time the Tartar soldiers carried hundreds of giant artillery pieces and hundreds of firearms chariots, I wonder if the emperor knows about this? ”

Zhengde was surprised: "You mean these firearms are too powerful? No, I also ordered the Shenji Battalion to transfer more than 100 generals to the northwest to help in the war, and we should not suffer a loss in firearms. ”

Song Nan shook his head and said: "If you are not a minister, you are prestigious, and General Zhankou is certainly powerful, but the emperor probably knows the disadvantages of this cannon." This cannon is limited by the breech, and after firing dozens of shells, it can only be scrapped, otherwise it will explode and injure itself. And the imperial court has less than 100 newly cast generals in the past few years, where can those rags in the Shenji Camp come in handy? As far as the minister knows, the huge cannon carried by the Tartars this time was purchased by the Tartars from the Grand Duchy of Muscovy in the north with all their national strength; Chen's subordinate Ti Cavalry Sentinel came to the scene to watch the battle, saying that this cannon could shoot six or seven miles away, and it could bombard our city beyond the range of sight. Moreover, the shells of this cannon are huge and powerful, and the bombardment day and night does not stop. It can be seen that this kind of cannon chamber is much more powerful than the cannon chamber of my general, and there is absolutely no such thing as scrapping. ”

Zhengde frowned and said, "Why don't I know these things?" I only knew that the Tartars also had firearms, but I didn't know that the Tartars had such powerful firearms; Why is there no mention of it in the war report? ”

Song Nan said: "The Ministry of War must know about these things, and Lu Wan didn't mention them, maybe these things don't need the emperor to worry about, or they didn't pay attention to this matter at all, and didn't find the reason." ”

Zhengde said: "However, do you think that it is precisely because of this powerful firearm that my Ming army is not an opponent?" ”

Song Nan said: "Not only this kind of cannon, but also more than 100 chariots purchased by the Tartars, with the ability to bombard outside the lixu, I call it 'mountain artillery', this mountain cannon is light and flexible, more than ten people can push and move, a horse can be pulled, although the cannonball is small, but the power is equally powerful." There are also siege equipment carried by the Tartars, and my Ming siege ladder was originally secret, but this time it also appeared in the Tartar array, which shows that the Tartars are prepared. ”

"Are you saying that someone leaked my Ming military secrets?" Zhengde's nervous brain made up conspiracy theories.

"That's not necessarily, in recent years, the Tartars have had time to probe and watch, and this kind of thing is not something difficult to forge, as long as someone with a heart is willing to explore and spend effort, it is not difficult to steal. What the minister means is that the Qiē done by the Tartars has spent a lot of effort and effort, and they can win, of course, there is a reason for them. Do you think, when the Tartars are still nowhere to be seen, artillery shells fall in the city, and the people in the city are blown up, what kind of blow to the morale of the army and civilians? And before the Tartars attack the city, they will always bomb the city to the ground, and when our soldiers and civilians are exhausted, they will launch a siege battle, who can resist it? ”

Zhengde muttered: "I see, it's like people holding a big hammer, we only hold a short wooden stick, and we have already lost in momentum and strength. Song Nan, according to what you say, even if I send the Shenji Battalion and the Beijing Battalion to fight, I may not be able to win the Tartars? ”

Song Nan smiled and said: "That's not necessarily, after all, the Tartars will do all their strength, and the number of troops will not exceed 300,000, and my Ming Dynasty will raise up to one million soldiers across the country, and their firearms are fierce, but how can these things be used infinitely?" The minister knows that the value of firearms is not only because of its great power, but also because of its great cost. Think about the small Tatar country, how much ammunition can it buy in the Grand Duchy of Moscow in recent years? The Grand Duchy of Moscow was not stupid either, and they would never have informed the Tatars about the process of making zuò, and the Tatars could only spend money on finished products, and the prices were certainly outrageously high. If he can't get the benefits of my Da Ming and win this war, his Tatar country will be in a difficult situation. ”

Zhengde sighed and said: "I see, I can rest assured, the Tartars have not yet been able to destroy my Daming, and their own lives are very sad." ”

Song Nan nodded and said: "That's true, but there are many factors to consider in the war, how can we mobilize the whole country's troops to defend against the enemy?" In that way, for my Ming Dynasty, even if he defeats the Tartars, it will be difficult to recover his vitality for a few years. The damage and casualties of human and financial resources will be incalculable. This battle must be won, but we must also control the losses within a certain distance, or we can benefit from it, and that is the meaning of defeating the Tartars. ”

Zhengde's eyes lit up, and he said happily: "You have a countermeasure to these, right?" ”

Song Nan smiled and nodded: "Of course, otherwise I won't come to see the emperor tonight." ”

Zhengde danced happily, and his voice trembled: "Sue sù me, what are you going to do?" ”

Song Nan said quietly: "Does the emperor still remember what happened last summer when the minister accompanied the emperor to the hill under the jurisdiction of my manor in Shilizhuang, Nancheng?" ”

Zhengde frowned and thought about it for a moment, then nodded: "You mean, what kind of so-called arsenal of yours?" ”

Song Nan nodded and said: "Yes, the emperor once witnessed the power of the multi-barreled firearm that the minister test-fired, the minister called it rocket artillery, and if the minister wants to lead the army, he must carry this kind of rocket artillery to the battle; Since the Tartars have powerful firearms, it is time for me to shine on the new firearms, and the minister concludes that this new firearm will definitely shine on the northwest battlefield. ”

Zhengde was stunned and said, "Are you going to use this thing to fight with the Tartars?" ”

Song Nan said: "Yes, although firearms may not be able to crush, at least they must be equal, so that they can have the capital for a war." ”

"But I remember that I ordered you not to continue making ......"

"This ...... The emperor forgave the sin, the minister did not obey the order, the minister's arsenal has been manufacturing and developing, the one that the emperor saw before has been improved five times, and the latest rocket launcher is an eighty-one rocket launcher, and the range has reached two thousand steps away. ”

“…… Do you dare to resist the decree to make firearms? Zhengde couldn't believe his ears.

"The emperor will go back and settle accounts with the ministers, the ministers are not making these things against the grain, but just being prepared; See, it's coming in handy now. ”

“…… Well, I'll leave this matter aside for now, since you're sure that this thing can be an artifact against the enemy, I'll allow you to take them into battle. ”

Song Nan wiped the sweat from his forehead and said in a low voice: "Don't be busy, it's not the emperor who said to bring it, does the emperor know how much the minister spent on developing this firearm?" There were more than 2,000 craftsmen in the minister's arsenal, and even when the emperor said that I was not allowed to continue to build, the minister spent money to support them; Thousands of people were raised for a year, and countless amounts of silver were spent. ”

Zhengde was stunned and said, "What do you mean?" ”

Song Nan said: "Your Majesty, real people don't tell lies, I can bear the investment in the arsenal myself, but if these firearms are used with the army, the imperial court can't purchase them without money, otherwise, my whole net worth will be put in, the whole family, young and old, and thousands of people in the arsenal will drink the northwest wind." ”

Zhengde patted his forehead and said, "That's true; When the silver court comes out, you and the people of the Military Department of the Ministry of War set the price, and sign an agreement, I am approved anyway. ”

Song Nan shook his head and said, "No, I only deal with the emperor, not with the military division." This time, I will bring the first batch of 200 rocket artillery with the army, 50,000 rounds of shells, 10,000 taels of silver for each rocket launcher, and 20,000 taels of silver for the shells, which will cost the court a total of 3 million taels of silver. In addition, please ask the emperor to give the minister a reasonable identity of the arsenal, so as not to make noise behind someone's back and give the minister the title of the governor of the arsenal. Also, the minister's arsenal cannot be under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War, and if you want to manage it, it will be directly under the jurisdiction of the emperor. ”

Zhengde half-opened his mouth, pointed at Song Nan and stammered, "You...... You're going to make a fortune. ”