Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Firearms Expert—Bi Maokang! (Extra Chapter—Please Support!!!)

Although historical assessments of Zhu Houzhao are polarized, Zhu Cilang considers him to have been an undeniably brilliant emperor. This is because he understood that supreme power must be held firmly in the hands of the monarch. Unfortunately, he was ultimately done away with—likely by the scholar-official faction. After all, an emperor who commands the supreme authority over the military is far too formidable; the scholar-officials could not accept, nor could they suppress their fear of, such a ruler.

Reflecting on this, one hundred and twenty years have passed since the reign of Zhu Houzhao. This means the Ming emperors have been deprived of supreme military command for over a century. The mere thought of it is chilling. Even for Zhu Cilang, the only military force he truly controls is his personal guard of three thousand men. As for the more than thirty thousand troops of the Capital Garrison and the Five Chief Military Commissions, he only wields indirect authority over them through the two nobles, Wang Xiantong and Li Guozhen. Zhu Cilang does not doubt their loyalty; having already betrayed the Chongzhen Emperor and the entire noble faction, they have no path forward other than to follow him, the Crown Prince. Regardless, he must bring the military power of the Capital Garrison and the Five Chief Military Commissions under his direct control. If the Ministry of War intends to wrest that power from him, he would not hesitate to put a few more heads on the chopping block.

Returning to the present, Zhu Cilang looked at Wang Xiantong and Li Guozhen. "The next time they come, let them inspect everything freely. Let them do as they wish. If they make demands, you may agree on the surface, provided you inform me afterward. Of course, my orders shall remain the final word. Trust me, in time, the command of the Capital Garrison and the Five Chief Military Commissions will be fully restored to my hands."

Wang Xiantong and Li Guozhen were startled by these words, sensing that the Crown Prince was about to stir up trouble again. Though reclaiming military authority from the scholar-officials is no easy feat, they somehow felt certain that the Crown Prince would succeed. They bowed in unison, saying, "As you command, Your Highness!"

Zhu Cilang waved his hand. "Return now and get some rest."

"We take our leave!"

After bowing again, they departed to return to the Capital Garrison and the Five Chief Military Commissions. Once they were gone, Zhu Cilang reviewed a few more memorials before preparing to retire. It was roughly nine in the evening. In an age devoid of the entertainment options found in later times, staying up late was hardly an option. Furthermore, his current body had not yet reached maturity, limiting his ability to indulge in many "amusements," so early to bed and early to rise it was.

Ten minutes later, just as he was drifting off, he heard footsteps at the door, followed by the voice of Ma Bao: "Your Highness, are you asleep?"

Zhu Cilang opened his eyes. "Not yet. Come in."

With a soft creak, Ma Bao pushed open the door and entered. "What is it?" Zhu Cilang asked curiously, knowing Ma Bao would not disturb him at this hour without a significant reason.

Ma Bao whispered, "Your Highness, remember those people you ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to find? You said I must inform you the moment they arrived, no matter what you were doing..."

Before Ma Bao could finish, Zhu Cilang sat bolt upright. "Speak quickly, who has arrived?"

Ma Bao hesitated for a heartbeat before answering, "Bi Maokang!"

Bi Maokang! Zhu Cilang felt a surge of excitement. He had not expected Bi Maokang to be the first to arrive. Bi Maokang was the most talented firearms expert of the late Ming dynasty and the first person in the world to develop the flintlock mechanism. Upon retiring from office, he had compiled the *Illustrated Treatise on Military Equipment*, which he presented to the Chongzhen Emperor in hopes of drawing attention to the need for improving Ming firearms. In this book, he introduced the flintlock—a weapon ahead of its time. Simply put, it replaced the matchlock’s slow-burning fuse with a flint-based ignition system, overcoming the vulnerability to wind and rain that plagued traditional firearms. When the trigger was pulled, the hammer struck the flint, creating sparks that ignited the powder in the flash pan, driving the projectile forward. It simplified the firing process and increased the rate of fire—a contribution worthy of a place in history.

Yet, the book had never received the attention it deserved from the Chongzhen Emperor. Zhu Cilang had read it himself, but some of the technical details were beyond his grasp. When he took it to the Bureau of Military Weapons, the craftsmen were equally bewildered; they could not manufacture the device because the key technical points and parts were too vaguely described. Zhu Cilang knew that to create a flintlock, he needed the man himself. As a traveler from another time, he understood the importance of advanced weaponry to the military and the state, so he had made finding Bi Maokang a priority immediately after his coup.

"Where did Bi Maokang come from? How did he arrive so quickly?" Zhu Cilang asked.

"According to the officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who delivered the decree, he came from Tianjin. Bi Maokang has been living there since he retired," Ma Bao replied.

Zhu Cilang realized his mistake; Beijing was only about a hundred kilometers from Tianjin, a journey easily completed in three days. "Quick! Take me to see him!" Zhu Cilang shouted, grabbing his shoes and rushing out, barely dressed. Ma Bao grabbed a robe and chased after him, calling out, "Your Highness! You haven't put on your robe yet!"

In the warm chamber of the Eastern Palace, an elderly man with white hair and a white beard sat nervously on a chair. It was Bi Maokang. He had been bewildered when the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrived with an imperial decree; he had been out of office for seven or eight years and could not fathom why the Emperor would summon him. Only when they read the decree did he realize it concerned his *Illustrated Treatise on Military Equipment*. He understood immediately: the Emperor sought to improve the nation's firearms. He had followed the guards to the capital without delay. He had expected an audience with the Emperor, but instead, he found himself facing the Crown Prince.

As the doors opened, a youth in a dragon robe stepped into his view.