Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 105 I am the hero

"Butler Dai, who proposed the purchase of foreign cannons?"

Yin Taihe and Dai Quan walked side by side at the front of the Beijing camp.

When Yin Taihe asked, Dai Quan replied, "It was Yue Ling, the current associate Privy Councilor."

"Yue Ling? It's him again."

Since arriving in Beijing, Yin Taihe has heard the name Yue Ling so many times that his ears are callused.

The soldiers in the Beijing camp were spreading the story that Yue Ling scolded Jia Daihua on the city gate during the palace coup, and the civil officials were spreading the story that Yue Ling made things difficult for his colleagues on his first day in office, which made Yin Taihe think that he was just an arrogant and conceited junior.

Because he gained the trust of the King of Qin, he became a favored minister in the court. Compared with ministers like him who had made great military achievements at the border, his ability was far inferior to that of others.

With a snort of contempt, Yin Taihe said, "Yue Ling was just lucky and got the credit for being a follower of the emperor. If the three generals had not died outside Datong Pass, what would he have done? He is so humble after his achievements that he even discussed state affairs with His Highness. Who does he think he is?"

Dai Quan smiled and replied, "General Yin, this is a serious statement. Although Yue Ling's military record is not as good as yours, he is still young and talented. It is still unclear who will be higher in the future."

"Does Chief Steward Dai think that I am no match for him?"

Dai Quan shook his head and sighed, "I didn't say that. General Yin has worked hard and made great contributions. He must have extraordinary abilities. Otherwise, Your Highness would not have transferred the general to reinforce the Beijing Camp when the Beijing Camp was damaged."

"However, you two were both former officials of the Prince of Qin's palace. Why can't you get along with each other?"

Yin Taihe curled his lips and said, "Whether we can get along or not depends on whether he has the ability. If he has the ability, I will naturally admire him and kowtow to him. But if he is unworthy of his position and is just seeking fame, then I will not be happy with him either."

Dai Quan smiled again and said, "General Yin's temper has not changed after all these years, and 'Taihe' is not harmonious at all. It's better not to make your words too perfect, otherwise you will be embarrassed."

Yin Taihe felt embarrassed and stopped talking.

Until they arrived at an open space, the foreigners opened the wooden boxes, removed the coverings, and placed the artillery parts on the ground together with the Beijing camp soldiers.

Then more than a dozen foreigners rushed forward and began to assemble artillery on the spot.

The cannon that was gradually shaped by hand looked more refined than the cast cannon used to defend the city gates, but Yin Taihe still did not change his opinion.

On the battlefield, cannons are not used to decide victory or defeat. Most of the time, cannons are just used to boost morale and scare people. Even in naval battles, crossbows are often used, and the fighters board the ship for close combat.

Not long after the artillery was assembled, King Qin and Yue Ling arrived on horseback.

The two men stood on the field, looking around, and the King of Qin asked again, "Why are there only these few cannons? Didn't they say there were cannons several times larger than the bronze cannons at the city gates?"

The Maritime Customs, which was in charge of the trade with foreigners, sent an interpreter to communicate with the foreigners for a few words, and then replied to the King of Qin: "Your Highness, the foreigners said that the cannons were too heavy and could not be easily dismantled. Now they are transported by water, in the river nearby. Now they are landing for test firing, and you can also see them from here."

“Can you see it here?”

Yin Taihe blew his beard and glared at the foreigner with an angry face, "The Chaobai River is two thousand steps away from here. Even the cannons on the city gate tower can only fire at a distance of one thousand steps at most. Aren't you here to deceive His Highness?"

Yin Taihe looked at the King of Qin again and cupped his hands, "Your Highness, I strongly suspect that this group of people are scammers."

His Highness looked at the translator again for confirmation.

After communicating with the foreigners again, the translator said: "It is true what they said. We will know after the test launch."

Yue Ling, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly asked, "If the cannon is made into a chariot and pulled by horses, can it be moved on the battlefield?"

A foreigner came over, saluted the King of Qin, and then spoke in a very unfluent Chinese, stumbling over his words: "The cannon is too heavy. If it is made into a chariot, it will need at least a dozen horses to pull it. Moreover, it is very slow and can only be pulled a few miles at most."

Yue Ling nodded, "Thank you for your answer."

The artillery was ready for test firing, and the King of Qin gave the order: "Take the red-painted tree one mile away as a target and test fire!"

At the command, four foreigners stood behind each cannon.

First, fill the gunpowder and projectiles into a small cannon, then fix the sub-cannon behind the barrel, and then fix it with a wedge-like object, aim, and ignite.

The foreigners were very skilled in using foreign cannons. After a burst of volleys and a loud bang, trees a mile away fell to the ground in large numbers.

All the officers and soldiers present showed expressions of horror.

Its accuracy and power far exceed those of the city gate cannon.

What is even more unexpected is that it only takes a short while to remove the small cannon and reassemble the new small cannon in the belly of the gun, and then another round of cannon can be fired, which is even faster than the muskets currently equipped in the army.

The King of Qin couldn't help but smile with relief when he saw it, "Good, it's really a good cannon, I like this."

Dai Quan secretly glanced at Yin Taihe beside him, and his expression looked a little unhappy.

The King of Qin was not satisfied. The cannons weighing several thousand taels were far more powerful than the earthen cannons on the city gates. Wouldn't the cannons weighing tens of thousands of taels blow people away?
"Send the order to the riverside, load the ammunition, and shoot at the white area just hit, let me see the power." Soon, there was another deafening sound, and a large cloud of black smoke came out in the distance.

The accuracy of this giant cannon was not as good as these small cannons. It deviated a little and hit a hill not far away.

However, its power was even more astonishing. It directly blew away a small hill, leaving it bare.

The King of Qin cheered again, "Well, this money is worth spending. If we fire a cannon at the city gate, I'm afraid even the wall will be blown down."

The translator bowed and said, "The foreigners said that the advantage of this cannon is that it is powerful and can fire far, but because it is too heavy and slow to reload, usually only one is used as the main cannon on a ship. It can be loaded with ammunition when defending a city, but if it is used on flat ground, most of the time, after firing one shot, the rest of the enemies will rush in front of you."

Hearing this, the King of Qin was still in high spirits. "Okay, I know what you mean. Let them transport the cannons back to the camp. I will reward you handsomely."

The translator passed the message to the foreigners, who then bowed to the King of Qin together and went back to their work.

Turning to Yin Taihe, the King of Qin said, "Immediately deploy soldiers from the Beijing camp to form a firearms camp. I have promised the Ministry of War to take charge of it, but they are just complaining about their grievances. So there is no need for that. The firearms camp will be under my charge for now."

"After these new artillery pieces have been used on the battlefield, they will be handed over to the Privy Council. In the meantime, the artillery pieces must not be disclosed to anyone else. They must be kept strictly confidential. Do you understand?"

Yin Taihe bowed and said, "I understand."

King Qin looked at Yue Ling and asked, "What do you think?"

Yue Ling replied: "The power of artillery is indeed extraordinary. These small and lightweight cannons can be brought directly into the battlefield. Even if two armies meet on the battlefield, they can play a significant role."

"In this case, the Firearms Battalion becomes the most important. It would be inconvenient for General Yin to be in charge of the Beijing Battalion and the Firearms Battalion at the same time. It would be better to choose someone else to lead it."

Yin Taihe frowned and said, "Yue Ling, what do you mean by this? Do you think I have any selfish motives?"

Yue Ling said frankly, "No, it's just that the two camps have many affairs, and it's not convenient to give all the power to the general to supervise. Moreover, with the power of artillery, the Firearms Camp will be able to exist in the same structure as the Beijing Camp in the future. There is no reason for one general to command the two camps. It will be beneficial to set rules in advance for the future."

The King of Qin thought about it carefully and thought that what Yue Ling said made sense. "Then I will choose another general to lead the Firearms Battalion on another day."

The King of Qin comforted Yin Taihe again, "Don't take it personally. Yue Ling is always straightforward and honest. You are also straightforward. Once you get to know each other, you will definitely get along well."

Yin Taihe glared at Yue Ling, but Yue Ling pretended not to see it.

Contrary to what the King of Qin said, it was obvious that the two of them could not pee in the same pot.

Afterwards, the foreigners demonstrated the power of several types of muskets, but Yue Ling had little interest as he did not see the flintlock rifle he wanted to see.

Compared to the matchlock, the flintlock is the weapon that greatly improved the infantry's standing power and has many more advantages than the matchlock.

In order to understand the course of Western history, Yue Ling came to the foreigner he had just talked to and asked, "Did you bring any books here?"

The foreigner repeated doubtfully, "Books?"

Yue Ling gestured with his hands to turn the pages, "Book."

The foreigner suddenly realized, "Libro? Do you understand it?"

Yue Ling certainly didn't understand Spanish, but in China, one could always find someone who did. Yue Ling nodded and said, "I need some of your books about your country's culture."

The foreigner's face was obviously delighted, and then he nodded his head and chest twice, "Amen~"

Yue Ling was stunned, feeling that this foreigner was going to preach to him in the next moment, and hurriedly said, "Just some books, please."

Afterwards, Yue Ling distanced himself from this person and returned to King Qin's team.

When Yue Ling returned, Yin Taihe said, "This boy had a very pleasant conversation with the foreigners. What could he be thinking?"

Yue Ling frowned. This crude warrior was actually confronting him. In the beginning, he was extremely contemptuous of him, which was really unpleasant.

However, Yue Ling has met many people like this, and he just met one in the Privy Council not long ago.

After setting off to return to the palace, when the King of Qin had walked a distance, Yue Ling deliberately slowed down his pace, came to Yin Taihe, and asked, "General Yin, today is the first time we meet, and I have never offended you before. Why did you frame me in front of the King of Qin?"

Yin Taihe glanced at him and raised his head and said, "What right did you have to point fingers at me in front of His Highness just now? Just because you have the merit of following the emperor, you think you can surpass our achievements? I feel sorry for the old ministers of the Qin Palace!"

Yue Ling curled his lips and said calmly: "Only the generals who are buried in the ground can be listed on the list of merits. When the general wins the military honor next time, I will respect him. Before that, please respect me."

Then, Yue Ling spurred his horse forward.

"You, boy!"

　Six days and ten thousand!!!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)