Daming: Brother, there is no future for monks, let's rebel

Chapter 1418 The Capture of Taiping Prefecture

On the main battlefield, Xu Da commanded his men to utilize the advantage of artillery to continuously strike the Yuan army. Although the Yuan army resisted fiercely, they were unable to break through the frontal defenses under the powerful firepower of the rebel army.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Wang Baobao was extremely frustrated. He knew that his plan to attack the rebel stronghold had completely failed. In order to preserve his strength, he had no choice but to order a retreat.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Wang Baobao shouted.

The Yuan army retreated like a receding tide, and the rebel army won the battle. The brothers cheered, celebrating this hard-won victory.

Standing on the city wall, Zhu Yuanzhang watched the departing Yuan army, his heart filled with emotion. He said to the men around him, "Brothers, our victory over the Yuan army this time is inseparable from everyone's concerted efforts and valiant fighting. Especially Qi Wu, whose cannons and brilliant strategies made great contributions to our victory."

Everyone nodded, casting admiring glances at Zhu Qiwu. Zhu Qiwu smiled and said, "Fourth Brother, this is the result of everyone's joint efforts. We cannot be complacent. Although the Yuan army suffered a setback this time, they will certainly not give up and will come back again. We must continue to strengthen our defenses and improve our strength to make full preparations for overthrowing the Yuan Dynasty and establishing a new dynasty."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded firmly and said, "Qi Wu is right. Brothers, we cannot slacken our efforts; we must continue to work hard and strive to achieve our goals!"

The summer night in Yingtian Prefecture was unbearably hot and humid. Zhu Qiwu, shirtless, pressed his fingerprint on the sign-in book. The system notification sounded in his ears: "Sign-in successful at the Yingtian Prefecture Imperial Palace. Rewards: three volumes of the Yongle Encyclopedia, gunpowder refining formula, and a Ferghana horse from the Western Regions."

"Seven Five!" Zhu Yuanzhang's roar came from outside the hall, startling Zhu Qi Wu so much that he almost dropped the sign-in book into the incense burner. He hurriedly hid the book and had just tied his belt when Zhu Yuanzhang lifted the curtain and entered, the hem of his dragon-patterned battle robe still stained with mud.

"Fourth Brother's outfit..." Zhu Qiwu raised an eyebrow, staring at the bloodstains on the soles of his boots.

"I just beheaded three pedantic scholars who dared to criticize the name of the nation." Zhu Yuanzhang tossed aside his cloak, revealing a newly forged Longquan sword at his waist. "Xu Da said you were tinkering with some new type of firearm at the military camp in the west of the city?"

Zhu Qiwu pulled out a copper tube from his pocket: "This is called a flintlock gun, it loads three times faster than a musket." Before he finished speaking, the sound of metal clashing suddenly came from outside the hall, and more than a dozen men in black broke in through the window, their blades flashing as they slashed straight at the back of Zhu Yuanzhang's neck.

"Protect the Emperor!" Zhou Dexing's roar rang out simultaneously with the clash of swords. Zhu Qiwu rolled onto the table, pulled out a gunpowder pack from the system reward, and threw it at the group of assassins at the opportune moment. With a deafening roar, flames shot into the sky, and thick smoke carrying a pungent odor instantly filled the hall.

"Hold your breath!" Zhu Qiwu dragged Zhu Yuanzhang to the ground, the heatwave overturning the sandalwood screen. When the smoke cleared, eight charred corpses lay scattered on the ground, and Xu Da was using his spear to pry open the mask of the last assassin.

“Yuan Dynasty assassins.” Tang He wiped the blood from his face and kicked the wolf-head gold badge on the corpse’s waist with the tip of his boot. “These Tartars are well-informed.”

As Zhu Yuanzhang stood up, the Longquan sword was already at Zhu Qiwu's neck: "You knew there was an assassin?"

"Fourth Brother's ambergris has a smell of saltpeter mixed in." Zhu Qiwu sniffed the air. "This morning I had Brother Zhou sprinkle sulfur powder in the corner of the palace. Didn't Fourth Brother play the trick of gunpowder spontaneously combusting when it gets heated?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's sword trembled slightly, then he suddenly laughed and sheathed it: "What a prophet! Xu Da, bring me the city defense map." He turned to Zhu Qiwu with a burning gaze, "How about setting the country's name as 'Ming'? Those White Lotus sect people always chant 'Maitreya is born, the Ming King is born'."

“Ming belongs to fire, which overcomes the metal of Yuan.” Zhu Qiwu drew the Five Elements diagram on the scorched black floor tiles. “But Fourth Brother should be wary of the White Lotus Sect taking advantage of our power. Why not add the character ‘Da’ before ‘Ming’ to show our overwhelming power?”

Xu Da suddenly interjected: "Today we captured a prisoner who said that the Yuan court has assembled an army of 100,000 in Chuzhou, and the commander-in-chief is Wang Baobao's younger brother, Bolotemur."

Tang He spat out a mouthful of bloody foam: "That Tartar killed 30,000 of my brothers in Yangzhou last year, and I've been looking for a way to settle the score with him!"

Zhu Yuanzhang tapped his fingers on the table, then suddenly looked at Zhu Qiwu: "What kind of gun do you have that can explode...? How many can you make?"

"Flintlock guns require steel barrels forged from fine steel, and currently there are only twenty at most." Zhu Qiwu opened the fragment of the Yongle Encyclopedia that the system rewarded him with, "But if bamboo tubes are used instead of barrels, and iron shot is used, three hundred Thunderbolt Guns can be made."

Zhou Dexing stroked his chin: "Bamboo tubes are prone to cracking when damp. Wouldn't they become firewood sticks on rainy days?"

"So we need to wrap the stock with tarpaulin and coat the ammunition box with beeswax." Zhu Qiwu pulled out the gunpowder formula. "If Fourth Brother allows me to transfer the arsenal, within seven days I will definitely let Bolotemur see what 'heavenly thunder and earthly fire' really means."

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at the tattered scroll in his hand, then suddenly reached out and snatched it away: "Where did you get this Yongle Encyclopedia?"

The air in the hall seemed to freeze. Xu Da's spear tip pressed down slightly, while Tang He's hand rested on the hilt of his sword. Zhu Qiwu felt a cold sweat trickle down his back; he had never considered explaining the origin of the items awarded by the system.

"Fourth Brother, do you know that there is a Chaotian Palace in Yingtian Prefecture?" He quickly came up with a plan. "The other day I went to draw lots, and the abbot said that there were secret treasures of the previous dynasty hidden in the palace. I spent three hundred taels of silver to bribe a young Taoist priest and dug them out from under the floor tiles of the Sanqing Hall."

Zhu Yuanzhang stroked the yellowed edges of the book and suddenly laughed: "The abbot of Chaotian Palace was beheaded last month for secretly possessing the imperial seal of the previous dynasty." He threw the tattered scroll back into Zhu Qiwu's arms, "Tomorrow at dawn, take your musket to the drill ground."

The next day, banners fluttered in the air at the drill ground, and three hundred new recruits, armed with bamboo muskets, formed a square formation. Zhu Qiwu stood on the reviewing stand, looking at the dense crowd below, his Adam's apple bobbing twice. The gunpowder formula, a reward from the system, was burning hot in his arms when he suddenly heard familiar footsteps behind him.

"Why is Fourth Brother here?"

"Watch how my brother will fight with bamboo tubes." Zhu Yuanzhang, wearing a black cloak, glanced at the strange weapons in the soldiers' hands. "Bolot Timur's vanguard is only fifty li away from Chuzhou."

Zhu Qiwu shouted, "First platoon, load!" The soldiers quickly poured iron shot and gunpowder into the gun barrels and tamped it down with wooden mallets. He raised the command flag: "Aim at the straw man three hundred paces away—fire!"

The deafening roar sent dust billowing across the drill ground, and thick smoke instantly rose from the straw doll formation in the distance. Zhu Yuanzhang's pupils constricted as he saw thirty straw figures severed at the waist, their cuts charred black.

"Effective range of three hundred paces?" Xu Da snatched a musket to examine it. "But reloading is too slow. What if the Tartar cavalry charge?"

Zhu Qiwu smiled mysteriously: "So we need to fire in three volleys." He pointed to the square formation, "When the first rank fires, the second rank loads, and the third rank prepares. This cycle continues to ensure continuous firepower."

Tang He stroked his chin: "This method is like weaving cloth on a spinning wheel, one shuttle after another."

"That's exactly right!" Zhu Qiwu clapped his hands. "With the addition of crossbow formations, the Tartar cavalry will become pincushions before they even get close."

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly turned around: "Zhou Dexing, bring the city garrison here for drills. Xu Da, take men to the arsenal to supervise the forging of gun barrels. Tang He—" He paused, "go to Chaotian Palace and dig up that abbot's grave."

"Fourth Brother?" Zhu Qiwu was stunned.

"I'd like to see," Zhu Yuanzhang ripped off his cloak and tossed it to his guards, "how many 'treasures of the previous dynasty' are still buried beneath Chaotian Palace." Seven days later, yellow sand swirled outside Chuzhou City. Boluo Timur, looking at the "Ming" banner fluttering atop the city wall, sneered and drew his sword: "Zhu Chongba is nothing but a peasant! Issue the order: capture the city gate before noon! I, the commander, will offer his head as a sacrifice to the heavens!"

The Mongol cavalry surged towards the city gate like a black tide, their neighing horses shaking the earth. On the city wall, Zhu Yuanzhang, feeling the fuse of gunpowder hidden in the brickwork, turned to Zhu Qiwu: "Can you guarantee this will work?"

"Fourth Brother, have you ever seen children setting off firecrackers?" Zhu Qiwu lit a tinderbox in his hand. "Burying gunpowder underground is ten times more powerful than throwing it into the air."

When the Mongol cavalry were three hundred paces from the city, Zhu Qiwu suddenly threw a tinderbox down towards the city walls. In an instant, the ground shook violently, flames shot into the sky, and the ground fifty paces in front of the city gate collapsed with a deafening roar. The three hundred cavalrymen at the forefront, along with their horses, fell into the deep pit. The following cavalrymen were unable to stop in time and crashed into the overturned warhorses in front of them, causing chaos and disarray.

"Fire!" Xu Da's roar echoed from the city wall. The crossbows clanged with piercing clicks, and three-foot-long iron arrows rained down like a storm, piercing leather armor and embedding themselves in the ground. Amidst the screams of the Mongol cavalry, Zhu Qiwu raised his command flag: "Archers, attack!"

Three hundred soldiers wielding bamboo muskets charged out from the flanks, the booming of three-stage volleys echoing in the air. Iron pellets exploded among the cavalry, spraying blood, and the frightened warhorses scattered in all directions, scattering the follow-up troops.

"Witchcraft! This is Han witchcraft!" Bolot Timur swung his sword, felling a retreating centurion. "Reorganize! Use the siege ladders to attack the city!"

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly burst into laughter: "Bolotermur, look at the sky!"

The Tartar commander looked up and saw dozens of burning fireballs thrown from the city wall, trailing long plumes of black smoke as they fell into the rear supply depot. Explosions rang out one after another, the flames reddening half the sky, and the crackling sound of burning grain and fodder echoed through the thick smoke.

"That's... a thunderbolt cannon?" Bolotemur's face turned pale. He recalled that three months ago in Yangzhou, Zhu Yuanzhang had used this kind of fire-breathing monster to burn 30,000 elite Mongol troops to death.

"Withdraw! Withdraw immediately!" He frantically waved his command flag, but the chaotic army was out of control. Ming troops charged out from all directions, and amidst the flashing swords, Zhu Qiwu's flintlock musket rang out with a crisp sound, and a Tartar centurion three zhang away fell from his horse.

"Excellent marksmanship!" Xu Da patted him on the shoulder and laughed. "This flintlock musket is even more accurate than a bow and arrow!"

Zhu Qiwu blew away the smoke from the muzzle of his gun: "Once the steel barrels are made, they can penetrate heavy armor within five hundred paces." He suddenly caught sight of a Tartar general organizing his remaining troops in the distance, and raised his hand to fire a shot. The man fell from his horse with a thud, his helmet rolling three zhang away.

"That's Bolot Timur's lieutenant!" Tang He slashed down a Tartar with his sword. "Don't let him get away!"

As the sun set, the battlefield fell silent. Zhu Yuanzhang, stepping over the blood-stained ground, approached Zhu Qiwu, blood still dripping from his Longquan sword: "How many cannons can the system reward produce?"

"How many do you want, Fourth Brother?" Zhu Qiwu wiped the barrel of his flintlock rifle. "But cannons need copper ore, from the veins around Yingtian Prefecture..."

“Zhou Dexing has already led his men to occupy it.” Zhu Yuanzhang pulled off his blood-stained cloak. “Tomorrow we return to the capital, and I want to hold a celebratory banquet in the Fengtian Hall.” He suddenly lowered his voice, “Um… the gunpowder formula, could I see it again?”

Zhu Qiwu took out a tattered scroll from his robes. As Zhu Yuanzhang opened it, a slip of paper fluttered down. Tang He picked it up and read aloud: "Sign-in rewards at the Imperial Palace in Yingtian Prefecture are doubled! Sign in for seven consecutive days to receive a mysterious grand prize?"

When Zhu Yuanzhang looked up, his eyes shone with a light that Zhu Qiwu had never seen before: "Qiwu, you will stay in Qianqing Palace tonight."

Three days later, in a side hall of the Qianqing Palace. Zhu Qiwu stared at the countdown on the system interface, his finger hesitating over the "Continuous Check-in" button. Last night, Zhu Yuanzhang had dragged him to review memorials until the wee hours, and now his fourth brother was receiving surrendered generals in the main hall. If he were discovered…

"Ding--"

"Seven consecutive days of check-in will be rewarded with the design blueprints for the Divine Might General Cannon, ten catties of sweet potato seeds, and a Western pocket watch."

Zhu Qiwu almost cried out. The Divine Might General Cannon! That was the predecessor of the Hongyi Cannon, which only appeared in the late Ming Dynasty! He hurriedly hid the design drawings, when he suddenly heard footsteps outside the hall.

"Seven Five, take a look at this." Zhu Yuanzhang lifted the curtain and entered, holding a carved wooden box in his hands. "It was picked up on the battlefield of Chuzhou. It looks like an item belonging to the Yuan Dynasty royal family."

Zhu Qiwu opened the box, his pupils suddenly contracting. Inside lay a jade pendant with a dragon pattern, its jade warm and lustrous, engraved with the four Mongolian characters "Boerjijin". Even more astonishing was the small "seven" engraved on the inside of the pendant.

"This is……"

“The jade pendant that Bolot Timur always carried with him.” Zhu Yuanzhang ran his fingertips over the cracks on the jade pendant. “Before he died, he said that this jade pendant was given to his father by Emperor Shun of Yuan.”

Zhu Qiwu suddenly remembered the unofficial history he had read before his transmigration: Emperor Yuan Shundi had a seventh son who had been living among the common people... He looked up sharply and met Zhu Yuanzhang's meaningful gaze.

"Fourth Brother, I..."

"Can I have some of the system rewards?" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly asked.

Zhu Qiwu was stunned. Zhu Yuanzhang took out the slip of paper from his sleeve: "The reward for signing in for seven consecutive days, I want that Divine Might General Cannon."

"How did Fourth Brother know..."

“Last night while you were asleep, I peeked at your attendance book.” Zhu Yuanzhang smiled like a fox who had stolen a chicken. “In exchange, this is for you.” He tossed over a cloth bag, which Zhu Qiwu almost dropped when he caught it—it was a gold nugget weighing at least ten pounds.

"This is……"

"Found on the battlefield of Chuzhou." Zhu Yuanzhang straightened his dragon robe. "The rewards from the system are good, but to rule the world, one needs something more practical." He suddenly leaned closer. "Can those sweet potato seeds be planted?"

Zhu Qiwu opened the cloth bag, and the system notification sounded at the right time: "Rare metal detected, three sign-in attempts can be exchanged." His lips twitched slightly, but when he looked up, he had put on a smile: "It can be grown, and the yield is five times that of rice."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up: "Good! Xu Da is clearing out the Yuan imperial estates; tomorrow, set aside three hundred mu for trial planting." He suddenly stopped as he turned around, "Seven Five, your system..."

A sudden, urgent report came from outside the palace: "Your Majesty! Chen Youliang's navy has breached Taiping Prefecture and is advancing towards Yingtian Prefecture!" (End of Chapter)