Chapter 40 Is this... a mortar?

Although Bi Maokang had never met Zhu Cilang before, he recognized the Crown Prince's identity at first glance.

That dazzling dragon robe was the best proof!

"This humble commoner Bi Maokang pays respects to Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

With those words, Bi Maokang prepared to make a full, formal bow.

There was no helping it; since his current status was that of a commoner, he was required to perform grand courtesies upon meeting the Crown Prince.

However, before he could even bend his knees, Zhu Cilang reached out and caught him by the arm, steadying him.

"Please rise quickly, Lord Bi. You are advanced in years, so you need not stand on such ceremony!"

Zhu Cilang had not known Bi Maokang's exact age beforehand, only that he had lived until the fall of the Ming Dynasty.

Now that he saw him in person, Bi Maokang was easily seventy years old at the very least. For the sake of keeping him alive a few more years, it was better to dispense with the kneeling!

Guiding Bi Maokang to a chair to sit down, Zhu Cilang turned his head and instructed Ma Bao, "Go give orders to have some hot broth and food brought in immediately!"

"This servant obeys!"

Acknowledging the command with alacrity, Ma Bao scrambled out of the room.

Witnessing this scene, Bi Maokang felt entirely ill at ease.

"Your Royal Highness, this humble commoner is unworthy of such great favor," Bi Maokang said with a hint of agitation.

Zhu Cilang smiled and replied, "Lord Bi, please do not stand on ceremony. Traveling day and night without rest for several days must have been exhausting; consider this merely as a welcoming gesture from me to wash away the dust of your journey."

"Then this commoner expresses his gratitude to Your Royal Highness!" Bi Maokang had no choice but to accept.

Taking advantage of the time it took to serve the dishes, Zhu Cilang got straight to the point.

"Lord Bi, have you brought the item?"

Bi Maokang hurriedly fished a book from his bosom and respectfully presented it to Zhu Cilang with both hands.

"Your Royal Highness, this is the *Illustrated Compendium of Military Equipment* compiled by this commoner. This volume differs somewhat from the previous edition. After retiring from official life, I expanded and further refined this book. The contents recorded within are much more detailed."

Zhu Cilang reached out to take it, then flipped through the pages roughly, marveling inwardly.

This creation was truly a treasure, vastly more detailed than the *Illustrated Compendium of Military Equipment* he had previously read.

Every single type of firearm was accompanied by a hand-drawn illustration, detailing its characteristics and component parts.

As long as there were skilled craftsmen, the firearms depicted inside should all be manufacturable.

In particular, the descriptions of the various details regarding flintlock muskets were indeed far more thorough than those in the version Zhu Cilang had previously perused.

Every single part even came with a detailed introduction!

Before long, wine, dishes, and hot broth were laid out on the table. While having Ma Bao wait upon Bi Maokang, Zhu Cilang continued to leaf through the *Illustrated Compendium of Military Equipment* in his hands.

As he turned to the final few pages, his expression instantly shifted.

The next second, he directly handed the *Illustrated Compendium of Military Equipment* in his hand over to Bi Maokang, pointed at a firearm resembling a mortar illustrated on the page, and asked, "What is this?"

Bi Maokang looked it over, then smiled and said, "This is a new type of firearm that this commoner researched and developed over the past few years based on the fire-cart. It is called a single-man artillery piece. The ammunition for this cannon is specially crafted; upon hitting a target, it detonates, thereby causing secondary damage. Its main advantages are its relatively long range and ease of transportation—two robust soldiers can carry it with ease."

Zhu Cilang's mouth twitched, and for a moment, he did not know what to say.

Because whether judging from the illustration or listening to Bi Maokang's explanation, this contraption was unmistakably a mortar!

A thick steel barrel mounted on an iron support frame, accompanied by a piece of specialized ammunition.

Yet, come to think of it, could this sort of thing really be manufactured in this current era?

Continuing to flip forward, he found flying heaven-shaking thunders, heaven-shaking thunders, thunder-bolt poisonous fireballs, and the "invincible against ten thousand" cannons all making their appearance.

While not all of these items were invented by Bi Maokang, every single one of them had undergone further refinement by his hands, making their destructive power appear all the greater.

After a brief moment, Zhu Cilang slowly closed the *Illustrated Compendium of Military Equipment*.

Bi Maokang also timely set down his chopsticks.

After a short pause, Zhu Cilang finally spoke.

"I intend to detach the Bureau of Military Equipment from the Ministry of Works and combine it with the Directorate of Ordnance to form an entirely new department. This department will specialize in researching, refining, and manufacturing all kinds of gunpowder, firearms, and cannons. I have already thought of a name for it: the Firearms Research Institute. The Firearms Research Institute can be further divided into the Bureau of Gunpowder, the Bureau of Firearms, the Bureau of Artillery, the Bureau of War Wagons, the Bureau of Grenades, the Bureau of Machinery, and the General Bureau. There shall be one Director, one Left Vice Director and one Right Vice Director each, and two Secretaries. Each bureau shall have one Bureau Chief, two Deputy Bureau Chiefs, two Secretaries, and a number of Senior Officials. I wish to appoint Lord Bi as the first Director of the Firearms Research Institute. I wonder if Lord Bi is willing?"

As he spoke, Zhu Cilang looked toward Bi Maokang beside him.

At this very moment, Bi Maokang had long since been struck dumb with shock, rendered speechless.

Because from his perspective, the position of Director of this Firearms Research Institute seemed to be equivalent in rank to the Ministers of the Six Ministries. After all, right below the Director were the Left and Right Vice Directors of the Principal Third Rank.

The Crown Prince was actually elevating the Firearms Research Institute to the exact same status as the Six Ministries!

Yet, this was simply unfeasible.

After all, the Six Ministries had existed for thousands of years, and the officials within them would never allow another department of equal standing to emerge.

Because this involved the seizure of political power!

With this thought in mind, Bi Maokang drew a deep breath and began, "Your Royal Highness, please pardon this commoner's bluntness, but this is simply not viable. If the Firearms Research Institute is truly placed on equal footing with the Six Ministries, it will inevitably provoke the dissatisfaction of the other six departments. By then, the court and the country will be plunged into turmoil, and even His Majesty and Your Royal Highness will be implicated. This commoner implores Your Royal Highness to think twice!"

Zhu Cilang pondered for a moment, suddenly realizing that there was indeed some sense to what Bi Maokang was saying.

If he forcibly elevated the Firearms Research Institute to the same rank as the Six Ministries, the other ministries would inevitably come to cause trouble, and the research here would undoubtedly be affected as a result.

He was in a rush to develop firearms to equip the army and temporarily wished to avoid getting entangled in disputes with the Six Ministries.

Suddenly, at that exact moment, a light went off in Zhu Cilang's mind.

He looked at Bi Maokang and said, "What if we subordinate the Firearms Research Institute directly to the Eastern Palace and designate official ranks according to the hierarchy of the Eastern Palace? Wouldn't the other six ministries have nothing more to say then? For instance, the position of Director could be bestowed with the honorary title of Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, making it a Senior First Rank. The Left and Right Vice Directors could be redesignated as Junior Tutor of the Crown Prince or Junior Assistant Tutor of the Crown Prince, placing them at the Principal Second Rank. The Chiefs of each bureau could all serve as Guests of the Crown Prince, of the Principal Third Rank! All other official titles would likewise follow the conventions of the Eastern Palace. In any case, positions within the Eastern Palace are mostly honorary sinecures, and no one pays them any mind anyway. When the day comes that I ascend the throne, I can then elevate the Firearms Research Institute to a status equal to the Six Ministries. How does that sound?"

Zhu Cilang felt that he was an absolute genius!

Since creating the Firearms Research Institute sparked fears that the Six Ministries would come making trouble, he would simply incorporate the institute directly into the Eastern Palace instead.

In any case, the Eastern Palace had never had anything to do with the Six Ministries; they could let him toss and turn the setup however he pleased.

Moreover, by cutting ties with the imperial court proper, there would be no need to consider partisan struggles or interpersonal politics whatsoever.

There wouldn't even be any need to attend court audiences!

These individuals would only need to stay inside their research institute every single day and focus on their research.

One had to know that technical talents of this sort had never cared for the rules and factional strife of the imperial court.

Wasn't the very reason Bi Maokang had resigned from office previously his aversion to partisan conflict?

Didn't this arrangement align precisely with his desires?

The more Zhu Cilang thought about it, the more he felt that his idea was nothing short of perfection!

Meanwhile, Bi Maokang was staring with his jaw dropped.

The preceding words had already been enough to shock him profoundly, but he never expected the Crown Prince to follow up with a statement that left him even more flabbergasted.

It was precisely that phrase: "When the day comes that I ascend the throne"!

Those words had nearly frightened Bi Maokang out of his wits!

Even though everyone knew the Crown Prince would ascend the throne in the future, such things were not meant to be spoken aloud!

Once spoken, the implications changed entirely.

Should someone happen to pass those words on to the Emperor, it would inevitably arouse mutual suspicion between father and son!

Poor Bi Maokang—he still had no inkling that the Crown Prince before him had not the slightest fear of mutual suspicion between father and son.

Because that very Crown Prince had already successfully staged a coup just three days ago..........