"If you won't tell me what microscopes and the like are, how am I supposed to have people develop them? You call that an answer?"
Reading the administrator's words, Zhu Yuanzhang felt a surge of irritation.
Overall, though, he still felt he had gained a great deal from this round of answers.
At the very least, he had never considered raising medicine to the same standing as Confucian learning, let alone above it.
And that Grand Academician he mentioned-my Great Ming has Hanlin Academicians, but no Grand Academicians. Could that be an office established later, with a rank even higher than Hanlin Academician? Most likely.
A Medical Academy, medical schools, public and private clinics-and those last two need to be established all across the land. That really will take a great deal of money and grain.
At the thought of the money, grain, manpower, and materials needed to establish this vast medical system, his brows knotted tightly.
The realm had endured decades of warfare in the late Yuan, leaving livelihoods in both north and south devastated. Since establishing the Great Ming, he had worked tirelessly to restore the people's livelihoods, and only in the last few years had things begun to improve.
Yet even so, the court's tax revenues and miscellaneous income from the previous year amounted to only around twenty million shi when converted into grain.
That sounded like a great deal, but the Great Ming's annual expenses were considerable too.
Military pay for some of the troops, rewards, the manufacture of weapons, armor, and other military equipment, officials' salaries, repairs and upkeep for post stations and roads, maintenance of rivers, canals, and other waterworks, investment in education-all of these required substantial money and grain.
Even if his frugality left a surplus at the end of the year, he still needed to save it in preparation for subduing Yunnan, Liaodong, and the Remnant Yuan forces on the steppe. He could not spend it recklessly.
"I, Old Zhu, have become emperor, yet I still feel poor. Is there no justice under heaven?"
After roughly calculating the money, grain, and materials needed to establish the medical system discussed in the group, Zhu Yuanzhang could not help muttering again.
Just then, the group stirred.
[Zhang Jiao: Brother Zhu, I wanted to ask: in the original history, after I died of illness in Guangzong, which of my two younger brothers shouldered the burden of leading the Yellow Turban Army?]
Meanwhile, Liu Bang actually had quite a few things he wanted to ask Zhu Yuanzhang too. But after seeing Zhang Jiao's message and considering that only an hour remained in the group chat, he held back-his questions were not urgent.
Zhu Yuanzhang also set aside his thoughts about the medical system, money, and grain for the moment and answered Zhang Jiao.
[Zhu Yuanzhang: I believe I mentioned it briefly before-after you died of illness, Zhang Liang continued to hold Guangzong with his troops. In the tenth month, Huangfu Song replaced Dong Zhuo as commander of the Han Army and came to attack Guangzong.]
[At first, because the Yellow Turban Army fought bravely and had many troops, Huangfu Song's assault failed. He then shut the gates of his camp, let the Han Army rest without fighting for several days, and watched for changes. Once Zhang Liang relaxed his guard, he sent his troops to attack the city at cockcrow, crushed the Yellow Turbans, and captured Guangzong. Zhang Liang also died in that battle.]
[In the eleventh month, Zhang Bao, who was holding Xiaquyang, was also defeated by the combined forces of Huangfu Song and Guo Dian. He died in the defeat.]
[The fact that both were defeated and killed in succession was certainly partly because the Yellow Turban Army was surrounded by enemies at the time, but it also showed that neither possessed the ability or boldness to turn heaven and earth around.]
Zhang Jiao sighed inwardly after reading Zhu Yuanzhang's answer.
Given how well he knew his two younger brothers, how could he not have known that neither had the ability or boldness to lead the Yellow Turban Army in reversing its fortunes after his death?
He had merely asked in the hope of some slim chance.
[Zhang Jiao: I've already found Chu Yan, the man you previously called Zhang Yan. But he's too young. It will be difficult for him to establish authority in the army in so little time. Even if I hand the Yellow Turban Army over to him after my death, he'll struggle to win everyone's allegiance.]
[Liu Bang: Zhang Jiao, why are you suddenly arranging your affairs for after your death? Have you contracted an incurable illness?]
[Zhang Jiao: I still have the negative status "burnout" at present, so my body and mind are still doing well. But I have a vague premonition that once this status ends, I'll most likely fall gravely ill and be unable to escape death.]
A premonition of his own death?
Reading Zhang Jiao's words, both Zhu Yuanzhang and Liu Bang frowned.
Neither had ever died, so naturally, they had no way of knowing whether such a premonition was reliable.
Zhu Yuanzhang felt there was little point in discussing it-if Zhang Jiao still died of a grave illness despite being prepared, then that was fate, and he could do nothing to help.
He could only help Zhang Jiao in other ways.
[Zhu Yuanzhang: Zhang Jiao, that animation reminded me just now that gunpowder could help you defeat your enemies. However, as far as I know, military gunpowder is actually divided into stable powder and explosive powder.]
Stable powder and explosive powder?
Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang begin to explain military gunpowder, Liu Bang and Zhang Jiao both picked up their brushes to take notes.
[Zhu Yuanzhang: Stable powder is steady in nature and works through propulsive bursts. It requires nine parts powdered saltpeter to one part powdered sulfur. It's mainly used as a propellant in cannons and hand cannons, making their barrels less likely to burst.]
[Explosive powder is fierce in nature and works through explosive force. It requires seven parts powdered saltpeter to three parts powdered sulfur. It can be used to blast mountains for stone, blow up city walls, or kill enemies with explosions as shown in that animation.]
Zhang Jiao quickly finished taking notes, then found himself puzzled.
[Zhang Jiao: The animation said that making gunpowder also required charcoal powder, and that the ratio of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal powder was fourteen to three to three. Why is there no charcoal powder in your stable powder or explosive powder?]
Zhu Yuanzhang had won his realm through warfare. During his naval battle against Chen Youliang on Poyang Lake, he had used many cannons. Given his personality, he would certainly not have been content with a shallow understanding of military gunpowder.
[Zhu Yuanzhang: It's not that there's no charcoal powder. I simply hadn't gotten to it yet. In both stable powder and explosive powder, the amount of charcoal powder is usually close to that of sulfur powder. It's just that stable powder needs roughly half again as much charcoal powder as sulfur powder, while explosive powder needs roughly half as much charcoal powder as sulfur powder.]
[If you don't believe me, once you've gathered saltpeter and sulfur, you can test-burn various mixtures and see for yourself. But gunpowder is dangerous. Take care when storing and using it, so you don't injure your own people.]
[Zhang Jiao: Thank you, Brother Zhu! If my Yellow Turban Army truly manages to escape destruction, I will repay you generously!]
[Zhu Yuanzhang: I hope you can accomplish great things too.]
[Liu Bang: Old Zhu, what sort of weapons are these cannons and hand cannons you mentioned?]
Since they were in different times and places and could not affect one another anyway, Zhu Yuanzhang held nothing back and immediately gave a brief introduction to cannons and hand cannons.
[Zhu Yuanzhang: Cannons and hand cannons both have barrels cast from bronze. It's just that one is as large as a bronze bell, while the other is about as thick as an ordinary bamboo stalk.]
[Both are first loaded with stable powder, then with iron or lead balls. When used, the ball must fit snugly inside the barrel. A hole is made at the rear, and a fuse ignites the stable powder to fire the ball, attacking enemy troops as thrown stones or arrows and bolts would.]
[Because gunpowder is so powerful, cannons and hand cannons are considerably more powerful than catapults, bows, and crossbows.]
After reading Zhu Yuanzhang's description of cannons and hand cannons, Liu Bang and Zhang Jiao were filled with longing.
If these cannons and hand cannons are truly as powerful as Zhu Yuanzhang says, I'll make sure the Xiongnu get a good taste of suffering!
So Liu Bang thought.
But then he considered that if this gunpowder, these cannons, and these hand cannons could not beat the Xiongnu so thoroughly in one stroke that they dared not look south again, he might still have to choose marriage alliances with them to give his people time to rest and recover.
Meanwhile, after recording Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Zhang Jiao hurried to ask another question.
[Zhang Jiao: Brother Zhu, were there any other generals in my Yellow Turban Army whose names were recorded in history?]
[Zhu Yuanzhang: All I remember is that after you, Guo Tai rose up in Bingzhou with remnants of the Yellow Turbans and formed the White Wave Army; in Qingzhou, there was a Yellow Turban Army led by Zhang Rao and Guan Hai; and in Runan, there were remnants of the Yellow Turbans led by He Yi, Liu Pi, and Huang Shao.]
[But not one of these Yellow Turban armies accomplished anything. Almost as soon as they emerged, they were destroyed or forced to surrender by the Han Army or powerful local clans. The one who achieved the most and held out the longest was Zhang Yan, who gathered several hundred thousand followers in the Yan Mountains.]
Zhu Yuanzhang's words left Zhang Jiao utterly silent. For a moment, he felt he would have been better off not asking.
After my death, there were so many remnants of the Yellow Turbans, yet not one accomplished anything great. Could it be that my Way of Great Peace truly cannot establish a world under Yellow Heaven?
Zhang Jiao's confidence wavered again. Then he remembered the song "Yellow Heaven" and Transmigrated as Zhang Jiao: Thunder God, Aid Me!, which he had watched that day. He took a deep breath and recovered his confidence-or rather, summoned his determination to stand against the dying age of the Flaming Han!
At worst, I'll go to my death together with the Flaming Han!
[Liu Bang: Zhang Jiao, have you finished asking? I've got plenty of questions waiting for Old Zhu.]
[Zhu Yuanzhang: Han Gaozu, I also wanted to seek advice from Xiao He, Zhang Liang, and the others. Are they there?]
Seeing the "conversation" in the group, Zhang Jiao immediately typed a message.
[Zhang Jiao: I've finished asking. Han Gaozu, Brother Zhu, please go ahead.]
[Liu Bang: Old Zhu, I just sent Xiao He and the others away earlier. It'll take some time to bring them back now.]
[Besides, I might not immediately know how to properly relay the matters you want advice on. Why don't you tell me your questions first? I'll ask them afterward and tell you when the group chat opens next time. How does that sound?]