The courtiers of the Ming Dynasty were known for their quarrelling.
The more chaotic and noisy, the more urgent and noisy, because quarrelling is easier than doing things - value judgments are black and white, right and wrong choices, do not have to solve problems, as long as they will take sides. There are also some doers who don't want to quarrel, they just want to do things, they just want to solve problems, what to do?
You also have to take the line first, because if you don't stand in line, it is difficult to do things; and after standing in line, you can feel the direction of the wind, and with the right wind, it is possible to get things done.
The helplessness of the doers is that in order to do things, they sometimes have to climb the ladder of power
Today's protagonist Xu Guangqi is such a doer, in addition to him, please remember two more names: Li Zhizao, Zhang Tao, and the thing they have to do: Hongyi Cannon.
Why did the Ming Dynasty introduce Hongyi cannons? The primary reason is the need for war, of course, this demand is not at the beginning - the three major marches of wanli, the northwest, southwest, and northeast directions, the empire with the existing force, have barely saved face, so far, the Ming Dynasty's sense of demand for Hongyi cannons is not strong.
The Wanli Dynasty used troops three times, which gave the Ming Empire the illusion of abundant martial virtue
Of course, the Ming people also knew the power of the Hongyi cannon, but the cost of introduction was too high.
As a weapon imported from Europe, the Hongyi cannon was too advanced for the Ming Dynasty at that time--the entire Ming Dynasty, from knowledge, institutions to industrial divisions, all departments did not have the interface to adapt to this weapon.
The social division of labor system was incompatible with new equipment and was a hard obstacle to the upgrading of military technology in the Ming Dynasty
At this time, the courage of the doer is reflected.
A pragmatic faction led by Xu Guangqi believes that the conditions are created, whether it works or not, and only after doing it can be known, in a popular phrase nowadays, this is called "crossing the river by touching the eagle sauce".
What is even more precious is that unlike the traditional Qing school, Xu and others know very well that in this court that takes quarrels as a career all day, any lofty ideal cannot be lofty and ignore the direction of the wind.
They had to wait for an opportunity for the proposal to buy a cannon to be able to go up to heaven and ask for a holy judgment with the least resistance.
In the Battle of Salhu, the Ming army was defeated, and the country urgently needed a savior, Xu and others knew that the opportunity had come.
Later Jin's strong attack on Liaodong made the Ming Dynasty's need for new plans urgent
When all was said and done, Xu and other soldiers divided into two routes, one was xu Guangqi himself staying in Beijing, lobbying around, and creating a momentum for the Hongyi cannon, and the other was Li Zhizao's dispatch of disciples to the south, to Macao, to buy his four cannons at his own expense, and when they were transported to the capital, there was a firepower show to shock the adults in the DPRK, and the matter became.
The purchase of cannons was quite smooth, but I did not expect that I was just preparing to leave Guangdong, and trouble came.
The local magistrate said: "Relying on foreign reinforcements to protect the country shows that our ancestors (my generation) are incompetent, and this move is inappropriate!" "Refusal of magnifying cannon entry.
In the Ming Dynasty, the advantage of taking sides was that you could do things, and the disadvantage was that as long as you did things, someone would oppose you
The gun buying working group hurriedly reported to Li Zhizao, who found various relations to dredge up, and the Guangdong side made concessions: the cannon could pass the pass, but the gunner and his companions had to be sent back to Macao.
What is the use of cannons and no technicians? Li Zhizao hurried back to Beijing to coordinate the "survey and cooperation (permit)", but after several tosses, the situation in Central Beijing had long since changed: Xu Guangqi fell ill and left his post to return home; Wanli died, and the cabinet was busy with the new emperor's succession, and there was no time to take care of Li Zhizao.
The working group for buying cannons became a broken kite, and there was nowhere to go, but fortunately, Li Zhizao's disciples were also pragmatic factions who could do things, they saved money and used money, transported the cannons to Jiangxi at their own expense, and barely settled down, but that was all, they had tried their best.
The escort cannon entered Beijing, far away
I thought that the purchase of cannons had died like this, who knows, my own people dropped the chain, but the enemy sent an assist - in the early years of the apocalypse, Liaoyang was lost, and the opportunity came again.
Although the Emperor of the Apocalypse did not learn any skills (except carpentry), he was not a bad student, because he had special respect for his teachers and trusted teachers, such as Sun Chengzong.
Similarly, Xu Guangqi, who had worked in the Zhan Shi Mansion (the prince's office), was also reassigned with heavy responsibilities to solve the crisis in Liaoyang.
At that time, Liaoyang was the capital of Liaodong Town, and its status was equivalent to today's Shenyang. After the fall of Liaoyang, the town moved to Quang Ninh, and not long after, Quang Ninh also fell, and the remnants of the Ming army retreated all the way to Shanhaiguan.
After the "collapse of the Quang Ninh Division", the safety warning level of the Beijing Division suddenly increased
At the moment of crisis, Sun Chengzong was ordered to ride out of the pass alone, but the Hongyi cannon that helped them turn the tide in the future was still uncertain at this time.
The first thing Xu Guangqi did after his comeback was to let Li Zhizao quickly send people to transport 4 cannons back from Jiangxi, and Li Zhizao was also very powerful, not only arranging these 4 cannons, but also taking advantage of the good direction of the chaotang wind, and purchased 26 cannons in one go!
After another round of quarrels, I don't know which faction has the upper hand, in short, Xu Guangqi and others have become victims again - the result of all the controversies has finally become a paper document of the Ministry of Works: "No funds are out." ”
Ming dynasty courtiers quarreled, usually "right people and wrong things", often in order to hit people, and put things aside
At the beginning, Li Zhizao's disciples could save a few cannons from their own pockets, but now the Tangtang Engineering Department has no money.
It is necessary for us to remember the doorman who transported the cannon at his own expense, Zhang Tao, because in the future, the heavy responsibility of protecting the cannon will continue to be borne by him.
Three months after the Ministry of Works proposed "no money", Xu Guangqi fell ill again and simply resigned and went home. Without him sitting in the seat, the opposition is even more unscrupulous, they said: "Buying the weapons of foreigners to fight after gold, it is the front door to reject the wolf, and the back door to enter the tiger." The song flew like a snowflake, and a month later, Li Zhizao was also driven out of the capital.
The two big men were gone, but Zhang Tao, as the younger brother, once again showed his responsibility, he gathered people, personally went to Macau, hired a gunner and an interpreter, and took thirty cannons north to Yanjing, all to prove to the teacher: You are not looking at the wrong person!
Although Xu and Li left Beijing, they still had their friends in Beijing, and under their care, Zhang Tao finally won a chance to shoot live ammunition in front of the courtiers.
Unexpectedly, the first test of the gun exploded, killing many people on the spot, including a Portuguese gunner.
The fate of the 30 cannons can be imagined - except for 1 bomber, 18 of the remaining 29 remain in the capital, and 11 are distributed to the Liaodong front.
The courtiers would not have imagined that in less than ten years, Hou Jin's artillery would be able to fight with Daming
However, these ministers who use the whole person's thinking to rectify the cannon do not know that the cannon is different from the person, and the person who is sent to the border may be devastated, and the cannon who is sent to the border is the time to make meritorious contributions!
Finally, after 3 years of silence, 11 Hongyi cannons made a big splash in Ningyuan City! (Operational details, the previous article "From Ningyuanwei to Dalinghe, a Comprehensive Exploration of the "Hongyi Cannon"" has been introduced, and will not be repeated)
From the forty-sixth year of the Wanli Calendar, Daming, who had been pressed by Hou Jin on the ground, finally avenged his shame in the sixth year of the Apocalypse, and the Emperor of the Apocalypse could not hide his excitement in the edict: "Ten years of weakness, today's war to defeat its wild front!" ”
Ningyuan City was the hardest bone Nurhachi had ever encountered in his life
Of course, this remark was probably written by the cabinet, thus implying that the wind direction in the court has changed again.
Sure enough, it didn't take long for the voice of the soldiers to be clear: "Liaozuo is in trouble... I know that there are people in China! ”
Since the Battle of Ningyuan was characterized as a great victory and a great achievement, the heroes of Ningyuan naturally had to be valued, including the Hongyi cannon and their gunner, the Min pawn.
Two hundred years later, Hu Linyi, a famous general of the Xiang Army, wrote in the "Continuation of the Reading History and Soldier Strategy":
"Chonghuan ordered the Min soldiers to send Western artillery,...... Hundreds of people were injured. ”
The Biography of Ming Shi Yuan Chonghuan also describes:
"Chonghuan ordered Min to stand up and send out huge Western cannons, wounding the troops outside the city."
The Japanese scholar Inaba Junshan wrote in the Complete History of the Qing Dynasty:
"Chonghuan was defending the city at this time, and he really thought that he could be bullied, and most of the newly imported cannons of Portugal, and the min pawns who were good at casting firearms, he regarded them as life.")
Several historical sources mention the "Min pawns", who were Fujian artillerymen who had long dealt with the Portuguese and Dutch colonists, and were transferred to the Liaodong front with the Hongyi cannons. At that time, operating the Hongyi cannon was a technical task, and it was difficult for professionals such as "Min pawns" to master.
In Zhang Dai's "Later Collection of Shi Kui Books", there is such a passage about the Battle of Ningyuan, which is so conjectural that it can be called the wild history of wild history:
"Bing Yin, the north rides 400,000 to force Ning Yuancheng." The city was guarded by thousands of people, and the army was weak. There are several red cannons outside the city, and no one dares to fire them. Chonghuan was in a hurry, and Le Tang Tongju personally fired the cannon. Whoever puts a cannon in red will dig a trench of earth hundreds of steps away, and set the fire on the line, that is, turn over and go down, and will be saved from death. Tang Tong did not know the law, and was shocked to death. ”
From its description of the process of operating the cannon, it is not difficult to see how deep the misunderstanding of the Hongyi cannon is in the non-industry.
Although Zhang Dai's text is full of loopholes, the general judge he mentioned who died due to improper operation did have his own person, but he was not surnamed Tang, but surnamed Jin.
In Xia Xie's "Ming Tong Jian", the entry of the first month of the sixth year of the Apocalypse is recorded as follows:
"Chonghuan ordered The Min pawn Luo Lifa to fire a giant Western cannon, and Shi Tuntong sentenced Jin Qi to death with a cannon."
It can be seen from this that the matter of playing with cannons is really not something that can be used to grind a gun in the front.
Of course, portuguese technicians are the most professional, but in the environment of the imperial court", replacing them with local faces of "Min pawns" has become the best choice.
Despite the strict sea prohibition in the Ming Dynasty, the mutual infiltration of coastal areas and Western visitors always existed, and the artillery techniques of Western sailors were also learned by "Min pawns"
In the main history, there is no special pen and ink left for these "Min pawns" who went north, we no longer know who they are, how many people and how they have traveled to Liaodong, to Ningyuan, only in the "highlight moment" of such a big figure as Yuan Chonghuan, they can rub a little spotlight, leave some traces in the official revision history books, and let future generations know: Shou Ningyuan, we are here!
Similarly, when we say "how the Ming Dynasty attached importance to the Hongyi Cannon", we often overlooked that the "Ming Dynasty" was not a homogeneous whole. In fact, in the matter of purchasing cannons, there are also many "quarrelsome camps" within the "Ming Dynasty", not to mention that most of them are opposition, and they play a "blocking" role within the system, so we cannot regard xu and Li's pragmatism as the attitude of the entire Ming Dynasty.
They are just a group of doers who are willing to seek perfection in order to get things done, know how to use the direction of the wind, and let the ideal land.
The doer's view of knowledge and action: grayscale thinking, black and white decision-making
In order to ensure the consistency and clarity of the story's themes, in telling this history, I have omitted some elements: the influence of Western European missionaries on Xu Li, the church background of Xu Li and others, and the full participation of Portuguese mercenaries, but in fact, these elements are no less important than the turmoil above the court, so in the next issue I will write another article for them to examine the contingency and inevitability of the failure of military reform in the late Ming Dynasty from another perspective.