The struggle of the reborn prince

"Well, it seems that the Jurchen's research on firearms has reached a critical moment, and the day when they can make a lance is not far away!" Zhao Tuo nodded after listening to Li Jun's report, but the corners of his mouth twitched imperceptibly.

"Oh, how does Your Majesty know that the Jurchen is about to create a lance!" The subtle changes on the emperor's face could not escape Li Jun's eyes. He could see the emperor's playfulness from it, and he didn't seem to care much about the loss of the model. However, he wondered why the emperor was so contemptuous of such a big leak of secrets.

"The Jurchens must have been studying our firearms for a long time. As for where to get samples, it is not difficult. Soldiers fleeing with weapons, weapons lost on the battlefield, or sending undercover agents into the workshop can be obtained. But they are now Or send people to instigate against our craftsmen, just for the model of gun parts, then I can conclude that they have already imitated the Lianzhu gun, but because it cannot be used, they think it is caused by some parts of the gun. He will send someone to steal the prototype at any cost and try it again!" Zhao Tong said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, now that the Jurchen has obtained a model, it will be successfully produced immediately. We should take decisive measures to stop it, but why..." Li Jun understood what was going on after listening to the emperor's explanation, but the emperor's He didn't look as anxious as he used to, and he couldn't help worrying about it. "Hehe, if the Lianzhu gun can be made so easily, how can it be called the top secret of the Song Dynasty? Even if they have a model and no expert guidance, they will not be able to make it in another 50 years!" Zhao Tong looked at it. Seeing Li Jun's anxious look, he laughed loudly.

Since the battle to regain Yanjing, Zhao Tun has discovered that the Jin army was using captured Song craftsmen to imitate firearms, but at that time they could only make traditional rockets, thunderbolts and other basic products.Gunpowder recipes are also less powerful.But Zhao Tun knows that his gunpowder formula is classified as top secret and has been kept by Jian Xi.The possibility of leaking secrets is extremely low, but it is not difficult to trial-produce it as long as someone willing to spend time researching it.

In fact, the biggest improvement Zhao Tun made to black powder lies in the most inconspicuous granulation.This makes it produce the greatest power, and craftsmen have always regarded this critical process as a redundant work to prevent gunpowder from accidentally burning.The craftsmen who also make guns use prefabricated models to make parts of firearms. Modern people know that this is just a way to improve productivity and standardization. Of course, it can also achieve a certain degree of secrecy in the early stage.

Now it is misunderstood by outsiders that as long as all the samples are collected, the same firearms as the Lianzhu gun equipped by the Song Army can be made.Those who are familiar with the situation know that the Lianzhu gun imitated from the model is basically a model, which cannot be used in actual combat at all.Because every part of the gun seems to be made of copper and iron, but in fact the materials used are different. Where it should be hard, it should be hard, and where it should be soft, it should be soft.Otherwise, it will be damaged or scrapped if it can't fire a few shots.Everyone knows that guns alone are not enough, and it is useless to say anything without bullets.However, Zhao Tun has always emphasized the importance of guns in his publicity, but he often ignores bullets, as if making bullets is a very simple matter. Just get some gunpowder and pour it into a rolled paper tube, and then put lead pellets or iron beads on it. It's all alive.The fact is that bullets are equally critical. Back then, a single ignition powder made Zhao Tang worry for a long time. It was not until he accidentally discovered the secret of red phosphorus that the problem was solved, and the Jurchens realized the real problem.I'm afraid there is no chance.

"Oh, Your Majesty had already taken preventive measures, but his subordinates were in a hurry. Now they are arranging various ministries to hunt down the defectors. Retrieve the samples!" Li Jun said with a sigh of relief. The Intelligence Department has always been in charge of supervising the workshops to prevent leaks. , and under their noses the Jurchens successfully instigated the artisans.And smuggled people across the border, but it was the dereliction of duty of their intelligence department.Even if he is not directly responsible, he still has to suffer if he is released under his own rule.Now that the emperor believes that the Jurchens still cannot be successfully produced, their responsibility is much smaller.

"One yard is one yard. Although this matter will not lead to a catastrophe, the responsibility must be pursued, and the work of chasing and killing defectors must not only stop, but also make some noise!" Zhao Tang sensed Li Jun's intentions. Change, immediately emphasized.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this subordinate will definitely find out the responsibilities and punish them severely!" Li Jun said solemnly, but secretly sighed in his heart, he didn't know whether it would be a blessing or a curse to work for such a shrewd boss, and nothing could escape his eyes. It won't work if you are lazy.However, if the emperor wants to make some noise, it is definitely not enough to show off, which requires the mobilization of a large number of people, so he still expressed his doubts, "Your Majesty, since the stolen model cannot provide much help to the Jurchens, we And why bother mobilizing troops and wasting manpower and financial resources just to frighten the defectors?"

"Hey, shocking others is just one of them! Think about it, we know that the leak of the model will not cause much damage, but the Jurchens don't know, if we don't respond to this matter, the Jurchens will find that the model may be harmful to them If you don't get much help, you will find another way to find the reason for the failure, and maybe something will happen again, but if you want to cause another leak, are you still doing it as the Director of Intelligence? I can let you go, and others can let go You?".Zhao Tong sighed and taught him a lesson.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, I understand that the hunt will continue, and we must deliberately let the Jurchens know that they have obtained two treasures, but we don't have to use many people, just to make the momentum bigger. If necessary, catch a few spies from the Kingdom of Jin!" Li Jun was in a cold sweat again, and he was considered old and cunning, but he couldn't turn his head around the emperor.

"Well, while you are acting, I will order the Ministry of Rites to cooperate with you and let them protest to Jin Guo, condemning them for kidnapping our people, and asking them to release them as soon as possible, otherwise they will take punitive measures!" Zhao Tong nodded and said, It's his specialty to confuse the public with the light and the dark.

"Your Majesty, can we still publish a few articles in the "Xunbao", and when condemning Jin Guo's kidnapping, let the Military Weapons Supervision also make a statement, saying that the stolen samples are things that have long been scrapped, It has no use value at all, making the Jurchens confused about the reality and the authenticity of the things they got. When the guns they made are still unusable, they will naturally blame the two idiots for the failure. At that time, they will be slaughtered without us doing anything, and we can't figure out what the problem is, so we can only continue to make a fuss about the gun!" With the emperor's suggestion, Li Jun was also thinking like a spring, and he made another plan.

"A good idea, a really good idea, what appears to be true may appear to be false! Let the monarchs and ministers set up doubts for them, and let the Jurchens explore slowly!" Zhao Tang was very satisfied with Li Jun's ability to draw inferences from one instance, and praised repeatedly...

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In July, the weather was getting hotter and hotter, but Zhao Tun still had no time to spare. The transfer of troops and the adjustment of officers were basically completed. Zhao Li and Gao Chong had returned to the capital from Gaochang, and they soon accepted new appointments.Zhao Li took office as Marquis of Yu, the capital of the imperial army, and Gao Chong, as the privy envoy of Tongzhi, entered the decision-making level of the imperial court.Ma Kuo, who made great contributions to handling the Dali incident, also entered Shangshu Province as Minister of Rites, Zhao Zhi served as Minister of the Ministry of Households, and also served as transit envoy for Hedong, Hebei and Yanjing Roads.

Throughout the DPRK, the older generation of ministers of martial arts and martial arts has gradually withdrawn, and the local state officials are almost all occupied by the staff of Yan Wangfu and the students trained by the Northwest Road School, and most of the grassroots officials are newcomers after the emperor opened the department. People from Jin, those who accompanied Zhao Tong in his business, gradually matured and became the pillars of the country, completing the transfer of power and allowing Zhao Tong to control the entire country.

The impact of the severe drought of the previous year has receded. If there is no major disaster in the second half of the year, it will be another bumper harvest year. After the summer harvest, the southern grain is transported to the north by sea and canal. The grain problem is no longer an obstacle to the Northern Expedition.The stability of the newly occupied land in the northwest also allowed the Song army to obtain sufficient war horses.At the same time, the benefits of the western expedition to Gaochang and the expedition to Persia and the South American sea route began to appear one by one, which not only promoted the prosperity of overseas trade, but also brought about a huge development of domestic agriculture, industry and commerce.

Of course, the country and the people will ultimately benefit from all of this. The economic development has greatly increased taxes, and the status of agricultural taxes and salt and iron taxes has declined, greatly reducing the burden on the people of the Song Dynasty with farmers as the main body. , but can enjoy cheaper commodities than in the past, and eat salt that is only a dozen yuan a catty, eliminating the frequent corvee in the past.The filling of the national treasury also provided more funds for infrastructure construction, and the Northern Expedition was no longer troubled by funds.

Zhao Tong opened the conference hall and convened the Zaizhi of the court, the chief officials of the Shangshu Province, and the chief officials of various districts and towns to discuss the matter of the Northern Expedition to the Kingdom of Jin. It's time for shame.And everyone also knows that the Northern Expedition is a major event for the country, and it should not be done rashly. It is necessary to make sufficient preparations and not act hastily. It is agreed to choose a good opportunity to attack the Kingdom of Jin in the next two years, so as to take the initiative in public opinion and morality... …

The Song Dynasty adjusted the army's senior generals on a large scale, trained the army, and dispatched food and grass. In an unconventional way, the local guards were summoned to Beijing to discuss matters in the middle of the year. There are various signs that large-scale military actions are likely to be taken.These cannot but attract the attention of the Kingdom of Jin, and now the countries around the Song Dynasty, the desert north and south have been pacified, Xixia has already become a follower of the Song Dynasty, Goryeo and the Western Fan countries are their echoes, Dali and Gaochang no longer exist , the only country worthy of Song's use of such power is the Dajin Kingdom.

But what is surprising is that news came out suddenly from the Song Dynasty that next year will be a good day for the current emperor of the Song Dynasty to ascend the throne for 20 years. The cadres of the country fell into a state of depression...

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