A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 128
Li Shimin desperately wants to use the power of Zhang Xinlei to increase the cost of fighting the Turks.Facing the prince's expectation, Huaiyu did not pour cold water on it.

Instead, he began to draw big cakes for Li Shimin.

The palm mine he made in Longyou is just a firecracker at best, but its application prospect is still very broad, especially for military use, and there is a lot of room for improvement and development.

"Gunpowder is used properly, not only has the shock and deterrence power, but also has the direct lethal power."

Huaiyu told Li Shimin that this thing can also be made into long-range weapons, such as gunpowder arrows in bows and powder crossbows, where propellant gunpowder is tied to the arrows, and the gunpowder can be used to drive the arrows to shoot long distances. Not only can they be single-shot, It can also be multiple.

For example, the swarm of bees and seven-star arrows in the Ming Dynasty can not only be used by individual soldiers, but also vehicle-mounted rockets, such as the magic machine arrow.

There are also large rockets that are used on water, such as Shenhuo Flying Crow and Fire Dragon Out of Water.

You can also add poison and poisonous smoke to the rocket to become a smoke rocket or a poisonous rocket.

In addition to this kind of projectile firearms, you can also engage in explosives, such as palm mines thrown by hands, thunderbolts thrown by catapults, thunderbolts, and caltrop fireballs, poisonous smoke balls, etc.

These are also considered to be let go of a thousand flowers in the history of Song and Ming Dynasties.

If it is compared with muskets and cannons, it is definitely incomparable, but if it is said that these things are tasteless, they are definitely not considered. If they are used well, they are definitely good things.It's like carrying a palm mine when attacking the enemy's camp at night. Isn't that better than throwing a torch?
Another example is when two armies are at war, soldiers hide barrels of swarms behind their shields, wait for the enemy to charge close, and shoot a volley.

Even gunpowder is definitely more advantageous in burning camps and ships.

If there is enough gunpowder to produce some huge blasting gunpowder weighing hundreds of thousands of catties, when attacking the city, digging tunnels and setting up a blasting room under the enemy's wall, the power will be very impressive. Those in the late Ming Dynasty Thieves like to use this trick to attack cities.

As long as there is black powder, there is no need to research guns and artillery, and there is a lot to do.

A door opened in front of Li Shimin's eyes. He listened to Huaiyu's description of those firearms just like listening to heavenly scriptures, with a very serious expression on his face.

"How did you think of this?" He asked seriously.

Huaiyu was not surprised to see his expression. He had already thought of the current situation when he was in Longyou. Now that he has figured it out, he must pass this test. It is better not to hide it anymore, but to save the king. Suspicious thinking about.

"Gunpowder was accidentally refined by my master Xiaoyaozi when he was refining alchemy in his early years. Later, he discovered that this thing is powerful. After a little research, it was only later that he found that this thing was used for war, so he sealed it up. I shouldn't have used this thing as a weapon. Things are in the world, but the Turks invade every year, plundering my people, robbing my livestock, destroying my culture, and now they have hit the Guanzhong Plain. I can't be as detached as my master, as long as it can help me Even if Tang defeats the Turks, even if he has to bear the backlash, the minister is willing to bear it as well."

"I am willing to dedicate all of this secret method to His Highness and the court."

These words are impassioned.

Li Shimin was moved when he heard this.

After a long time, he sighed, "Your master is a true master of the world, and this firearm is indeed a dangerous thing. However, it is like a sword. If it is used in the hands of a benevolent person, it can also uphold justice and maintain peace."

"Before the imperial court, there was a military weapon supervision, which was repeatedly established and abolished. It was previously merged into the Shaofu prison. Now it is necessary to re-establish the military weapon supervision. , so I hand-picked you as the junior supervisor of military weapons and the order of the firearms department."

The Military Weapons Supervision has been abolished several times before, and the Chief Superintendent is on the fourth rank, and there is no junior prison.But now Li Shimin specially set up a new junior prisoner to serve as the fifth rank.

"When I first entered the official career, I only made some minor contributions. Now that I am down from the seventh rank, I dare not take on the important position of the fifth rank." Wu Huaiyu was very surprised when he heard that the young supervisor was a position above the fifth rank.I'm afraid it would be difficult to accept such a high-ranking official position specially for him.

"You are the only person in the world who understands gunpowder, and you are indispensable to make gunpowder into firearms."

"Your Highness, I request Your Highness to choose a group of loyal and available craftsmen, and I will teach them all the methods of refining gunpowder, and tell them some ideas about making firearms."

"I also have a suggestion. You can change the name of Firearms Workshop to Shenjifang, so that it can be kept more confidential. You can also select a small group of elite troops from the imperial army to form a Shenji Battalion, and let them be responsible for testing and trying out this machine. A new type of firearm."

There are two monarchs and ministers in the palace.

Li Shimin saw that he was so young, but still able to face the real position of the fifth rank so calmly, and appreciated it very much.Now he smiled and said: "Your suggestion is really good, Shenji, um, okay, then secretly set up the Shenji Workshop under the Military Weapons Supervisor, and then transfer a battalion of troops from the camp to form the Shenji Battalion."

Li Shimin intends to secretly build a Shenji Workshop in the Forbidden Garden north of Xuanwu Gate, and select a group of loyal and reliable royal craftsmen from the Jianjianu Erfang of the Shaofu to learn how to make gunpowder and firearms from Huaiyu.

"It's best to set up the Shenji Workshop on an island in the middle of the lake, isolated from all sides, so as to keep it secret." Huaiyu recalled the legend that a long time ago, there was a Venetian glass mirror maker, and a craftsman who made Greek fire in the Byzantine Empire. It's all hidden on the island.

"Island in the middle of the lake..." Chang'an does not have a big lake, but there is a lake in the Taichi Palace and an island in the center of the lake, but the emperor still lives in the Taiji Palace, and firearms are military weapons after all, so they are not suitable to be placed in the Taichi Palace. manufacture.

"The Qujiang River in the southeast of Chang'an City, also called Furong Pond, used to be a natural pond. When Chang'an was built in the former Sui Dynasty, a canal was built to divert water into the Qujiang River, forming a thousand-acre water surface. Chang'an people visited the resort in spring, and the royal family also repaired some. Pavilions, there are several islands in the Qujiang River, "

In the early Tang Dynasty, Xianan City was a ghost town. As for Qujiang, most of them belonged to the suburbs. Except for the people who came here to play during holidays, there were not many people at ordinary times. It was a relatively quiet and remote place, which was good for a firearms workshop.

For craftsmen and materials, Li Shimin said that as long as Shenjifang needs it, he will immediately transfer it.

"The most important thing to make gunpowder is sulfur and saltpeter. To use it as a weapon, you need a lot of it." These are the materials used by Taoist alchemists, and the price is not low, and if the amount is large, there must be some troubles in supply. This requires a lot of mining processing.

Saltpeter must be fire salt. Glauber’s salt produced by salt making is not a kind of thing. It can be extracted from soil salt. Generally, fire salt can be extracted from soil or caves containing nitrate, and soil salt can also be grown. Soil nitrate is more efficient than going to the foot of a hut to scrape soil and boil nitrate.

As for sulfur, Datang has no shortage of natural sulfur mines, and it is relatively simple to refine crude sulfur. For making firearms, the crude sulfur can be refined again.

Powdered charcoal is even easier.

Of course, there is no problem technically, but in actual operation, large-scale production and processing into various firearms is required. This process is definitely not easy. Enough craftsmen and sufficient raw materials must be refined, proportioned, processed, and so on.

You even have to process and produce leads, etc.

It is not easy to mass produce, Li Shimin listened to Huaiyu's feasibility report, and gradually realized that the prospect is indeed good, but it may not be able to catch up with this big battle.

"You just let go and do it," Li Shimin was not disappointed, he won't need it this time, but it can always be used by the Turkic wolf cubs next time.

Huaiyu insisted on resigning from the post of junior prisoner, Li Shimin finally withdrew the appointment of young prisoner, and Huaiyu was still sentenced to Shenjifang.

He stroked his tendrils and looked at Wu Huaiyu, the more he looked at it, the more he admired it.

"In order to make it easier for you to go in and out of the inner court to perform affairs, I will grant you to be an official and enshrined in the house, and then I will give you an order from the Shenjifang."

"Lead the leader of the north gate of the Shenji Battalion."

Huaiyu hurriedly thanked him, he now knows more about the official positions in the Tang Dynasty, this is the official position saved by Zhongshu. There are 16 posts, belonging to the worship officer.

The so-called enshrined officials are the emperor's close servants who serve in the inner court, and specifically refer to the officials of Zhongshu, Menxia and Yushitai who serve in the inner court. They are also regular officials who come to the court every day.

The internal enshrined officials are those who enshrine the officials below the fifth rank, outside the official staff, outside the establishment, Zhongshu Sheren to Shizhong Tongshi Sheren to serve Yushi and other non-staff.

As a non-official official, there are also two types: non-members and regular officials. The salary of non-members is only half of that of regular officials, and the same treatment as regular officials.

Huaiyu's appointment as a senior officer is obviously an outsider's appointment, and he will also serve in the inner court in the future, doing the same job as a senior officer, but his salary is only half of theirs.

As for the order of Shenjifang, it is equivalent to a part-time job.It also has the responsibility of commanding the Shenji Battalion. This Shenji Battalion not only has to guard the Shenji Workshop, but also is responsible for testing firearms, and takes turns to serve as guards at the Xuanwu Gate.

Compared with the military supervisors and young supervisors on the fifth rank, Tongshi Sheren's inner enshrinement is only a member of the sixth rank, but Huaiyu is very happy to thank him for accepting it. This inner enshrinement is a close minister and can walk in the inner court.

"Thank you Your Highness!"

Li Shimin laughed and asked him to get up, "Gu heard about the great victory in Longyou earlier, you were supposed to confer the title of founding son of the country, but Wei Zheng strongly opposed it, thinking that you are too young to be an official. In March, it's not a good thing to be rewarded like this..." Li Shimin told Huaiyu what happened in the palace that day.

"If this firearm can be made, it will add another powerful weapon to our Tang Dynasty to defend the country and destroy the enemy. At that time, let alone a fifth-rank junior prisoner, it will be enough to confer you a Marquis."

If ordinary young people hear this, they will be moved to tears.

Although Huaiyu didn't have that kind of awe for the prince when facing Li Shimin, she also knew that Li Shimin was really good to him.

A baron is also a title.

Think about Hou Junji, Li Shimin was a playmate, and he has been guarding and fighting for ten years, and now he is only a son of Quanjiao County. Ascend to the throne, when the time comes to seal the meritorious officials, Hou Junji must be the Duke of the state.

But this is also mainly due to the meritorious service he made that day at the Xuanwu Gate. It was Li Shimin who proclaimed himself emperor to be able to ascend to heaven.

Even the old black Wei Chigong, because of the short time in the Tang Dynasty, has not even had a baron.

And people like Liu Lancheng, Niu Jinda, Li Junxian, and Wu Heikai, who followed Qin Qiong Cheng Yaojin and others to vote for the Tang Dynasty very early, and fought for a long time under Li Shimin's command, but they are all county men, and some are even The Xuanwu Gate was only conferred that day.

Compared with Niu Jinda from Weicheng County, Liu Lancheng from Pingyuan County, and Hou Junji from Quanjiao County, Huaiyu felt that Li Shimin really admired him for being named a male from Daling County now.

As far as this appreciation is concerned, if any young man from the Tang Dynasty is replaced, he will not give up.

It can be seen that Li Shimin is under a lot of pressure now, and has recently started to suffer from insomnia. Fortunately, it is only insomnia. With the portraits of the two gods and the armor, now there are no headless ghosts coming to claim his life.

Huaiyu asked Li Shimin's pulse, and finally prescribed some tranquilizing medicine.

One hundred thousand Turkic cavalry broke into the Great Plains of Guanzhong, and they were about to encircle Chang'an City. No one really had to work hard. Thinking back to the time when Li Yuan faced Turkic oppression, he even planned to set Chang'an on fire, and ran directly to Xiangdeng. Another capital city was established.

"You fought against the Turks in Longyou, what do you think of the current situation, and what advice do you have?" Li Shimin asked.

Faced with these thoughtful words, Huaiyu thought for a while and said truthfully, "I think that although Jieli's attack is fierce, the Turkic cavalry is powerful in field battles, but they are powerless. He can only enter the pass this way. Because Jingzhou did not have time to block the pass, although the Turks were numerous, they came from afar, and our Tang Dynasty was invincible early on.
Relying on the fortresses of the Guanzhong city, look for opportunities to eliminate some of the Turkic people who are out of order. If you don’t confront them head-on, the Turkic will not be able to hold on first. , Tribal Qijin, etc.,

The Turks are not monolithic, and the tribal tribes such as Little Khan, She, and Jinjin must have their own selfish intentions, so seize this and drive them apart..."

Huaiyu didn't say anything to promote peace with the Turks, and discord is something Li Shimin should consider. An official of his level, and he is still a young official, must clearly express his determination to fight the Turks to the end.

As for right or wrong, it is left to the prince to judge, or such an attitude is in line with his age and identity, and it is conducive to establishing a loyal, reliable and brave image in the prince's heart. Forbearance, if you want to talk, then Li Shimin may feel that he is timid and cowardly.

Lao Cheng is serious about seeking the country, that should be what Fang Xuanling, Gao Shilian, Du Ruhui and the others did.

Sure enough, Li Shimin nodded straight after listening, but did not discuss more with him, "You have worked hard all the way back, so go back and have a good rest first.
Remember to come tomorrow morning. "

He has now become a regular enshrinement official, and he will have to follow him to the court in the future.

Huaiyu got up, but didn't back down immediately.

"Your Highness, I have the courage to make a request."

"Oh, just ask what you want." Li Shimin smiled when he saw his request, with a look of anticipation.

Young people are not afraid of demands, and they are better able to grasp them if they have demands and desires.

"I used to know Aunt Fan, the daughter of General Fan, Duke of Rongguo, and they fell in love with each other..." Huaiyu told Li Shimin the story of him and Fan Xuanfu, and of course omitted the part about assassinating Xue Wanche. , mainly talking about how Fan Xuanfu followed him thousands of miles away, and even how to rescue him on the battlefield.

"I was born in a poor family, and I can't compare with Rong Guo's family. I want to ask His Highness for a marriage order..."

"Hahaha." After hearing this story, Li Shimin couldn't help laughing. This young man is very interesting. He just came down from the mountain to return to vulgar life. It's only been a while, just like Aunt Fan.

"Very good, I will send someone to write a letter to Rong Guogong to propose a marriage for you. As long as Rong Guogong does not object, I will be your big matchmaker and give you a marriage!"

"I thank His Highness the Crown Prince, as long as His Highness the Crown Prince comes forward, Duke Rong will definitely agree."

Li Shimin stroked his beard and smiled, he also knew the name of his mother Da Chong, and he also knew that she was engaged for the third time and all three fiancés died, Wu Huaiyu and Aunt Fan had a private affair, Fan Xing probably wouldn't refuse after knowing about it.

Huaiyu also wanted to ask Li Shimin to ask Ma Zhou to go to Shenjifang, but Li Shimin refused him, "Ma Zhou is quite talented, and he is very good at giving advice to Gu Shang. Gu should use it more. Now transfer him back to the East Palace. The crown prince Zuowei led the mansion to serve as the chief clerk, and he was also enshrined in the imperial censor in the palace, and asked him to go to the Shenjifang.

The censor in the palace is from the seventh rank, and the enshrined in it is also an official outsider. Compared with the prince's right guard who led the governor of the palace, this official position is obviously more special. If he walks in front of Li Shimin in the future, he will really enter the prince's eyes up.

Huaiyu was secretly happy for Ma Zhou, who finally got through it.

Say goodbye and leave.

He retreated to the gate of the hall, but Li Shimin finally stopped him again, "Go to Zhang Anan, and tell you that I will reward you with two palace maids, let him handle it, go."

(End of this chapter)