"Kingdom Guang has gone, but how is he? It will probably be within these two days... Fortunately, you have been recalled to the Shenji Camp, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable..."
Although Zhang Juzheng had guessed that Li Tingzhu was unreliable, he hadn't expected him to be so audacious. The normal reaction would have been to defend the capital. After all, the primary responsibility of controlling the capital's garrisons was to ensure the capital's safety. For him to be so reckless and eager for merit while holding command of the capital's garrisons, how could that be justified?
Zhang Juzheng wasn't worried about anything else, but he was indeed fearful of the cannons...
One must know,
The Great Ming had engaged in many battles with the northern forces, and a considerable number of cannons had flowed in. Although they were not as powerful as the "Folangji" cannons, they were still very troublesome when used.
That's right, Zhu Mo had indeed managed to produce some "Iron Bodhisattva" cannons, but the Firework Bureau kept it a secret, and it had always been under the control of the Directorate of Ceremonial. No one knew how many there were. He had seen dozens of them in Jiangnan, but while those were formidable for field battles, they were far from sufficient for defending a large city. After all, in any siege, once a breach was made, it was an immediate rout, and how could they possibly deal with so many attackers coming from various openings?
Furthermore, Zhu Mo had always secretly ordered the Firework Bureau to transport the newly manufactured cannons to Jiangnan, batch by batch. Most of them were used on naval vessels, but there were still hidden dangers at sea, and the Japanese pirates could rise again at any time. The navy, therefore, could not be deployed rashly. It was estimated that the Firework Bureau's current inventory did not exceed a hundred cannons, and they were still under the control of the Directorate of Ceremonial. Without the Emperor's explicit order, no one could move them...
There was another point that made him uneasy as soon as he thought of it—
Ever since Prince Yu took over the supervision of state affairs, everything had fallen into disarray. The Yan faction, having caused trouble behind the scenes and suffered losses in Jiangnan, would they not be coveting the Firework Bureau? If the father and son reached out their hands, the Firework Bureau might not be able to produce anything anymore... It was difficult and slow to create prosperity, but it could be destroyed very quickly...
As expected,
Wu Du exclaimed:
"It's indeed cannons! How can there be so many?"
"Senior Grand Secretary Zhang, it's bad!"
"These are Folangji cannons!"
He had calculated everything, but he never imagined that the most backward "Tuman" would bring so many cannons this time! And it looked like more were still being transported!
What?
"Folangji cannons?"
Zhang Juzheng was greatly alarmed!
He strode forward a few steps, stared with wide eyes for a while, and finally sighed softly. Looking out, the "Tuman's" cannons numbered at least two to three hundred, and they were indeed Folangji cannons!
He, being a supreme figure, immediately guessed—
These cannons were probably acquired from Goryeo!
Most likely, Yin Yuanheng's faction sold them from Liaodong...
Jiajing scoffed, but then said leisurely:
"You only remember to use your reserves when chaos erupts... Why don't you save more during normal times... You all hope those things can save you from hardship? Can they really save you? Everyone says Zhu Mo's cannons are effective, but how effective are they really? When they swarm over, will your equipment, no matter how good, truly be useful?"
He slowly stood up and continued:
"The sharp weapons of a nation should not be shown to others... but not showing them is also not good, is it? If others don't know the depth, won't they just break in? Moreover, if you keep the Firework Bureau so tightly guarded that not even a fly can get in, can things be done well? Do you think others don't know? Wouldn't Yan Song still be coveting it? He suffered such a great loss in Jiangnan, and the Japanese pirates are gone. In the end, it was caused by those very things..."
Speaking of which,
He suddenly stared at Lü Fang, his eyes full of disdain, and said sarcastically:
"Lü Fang, I'll tell you now... the Firework Bureau doesn't have much stock left! Don't count on it to save you from hardship..."
How could that be?
Lü Fang almost shouted out.
How was that possible?
At that time, they could produce a lot of goods every month!
But after all, he was a steward of forty years. In a moment, he thought of it—
Yan Song had many ways to bring down the Firework Bureau!
As long as they tampered with the equipment, passing off inferior goods as superior, Zhao Shizhen and the others would not be able to produce anything. And they, being insignificant and lacking influence, and seeing that Zhu Mo had already retired, thinking that someone among the powerful officials was corrupt, naturally dared not speak up, and the matter just fell through...