Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 440 Let's try another shot!
When they went on an outing, the whole family left the imperial city in a carriage, with countless armored soldiers in front and behind, and went straight out of the city through Zhuque Avenue.

Ling Zhen, looking utterly exhausted, was already waiting at the entrance of the military camp...

When the emperor arrived, he led everyone to the drill ground in the military camp.

There were actually quite a few people accompanying us today, including many generals and officers, as well as high-ranking officials from the imperial court.

The cannon was positioned in front of them, and the emperor himself walked around it. The cannon was dark and unassuming, but it wasn't actually that complicated; it was just a thick-walled iron pipe...

Looking at Ling Zhen's exhausted face, Su Wu said, "Ling Qing, you've been working hard lately..."

Ling Zhen bowed and replied, "These are all matters of great importance to the nation and its people; I dare not slacken in the slightest..."

Su Wu nodded slightly: "Those who are capable should do more work and take on more responsibilities..."

Ling Zhen was taken aback upon hearing this, then his expression suddenly turned serious, and he continued, "Your Majesty may think my words are merely polite, but that is not the case. I was originally a lowly military officer in the armory of Bianjing, earning only the salary of the Imperial Guards. Everything in Bianjing is expensive, and I often didn't have enough to cover my expenses, so I also made some firecrackers for others to earn an extra living. I never thought much about anything else. As for the future, what future could a soldier have? As for wealth and status, there was even less to speak of for a soldier in Bianjing..."

Su Wu slowly stopped walking, as if he wanted to listen to what Ling Zhen had to say...

Ling Zhen continued, "In my youth, I was also full of passion, talking about the country and the world. I thought the Tanguts in the west were tigers and wolves, and the Khitans in the north were formidable enemies. I wondered if I could also make a name for myself. Half a lifetime has passed in the blink of an eye. I know perfectly well what kind of court the imperial court is and what kind of army the army is. With military preparedness in such a state, the armory is nothing more than a place for officials to embezzle. In my life, I never wanted to make any great achievements. My only interest was in gunpowder. Even in the armory, gunpowder has become a mere formality. It is mostly inferior and counterfeit, all of which are just money bags for officials..."

Su Wu nodded, patting the cannon barrel: "This cannon is well made. There are no cracks anywhere on it, not even a single pore. Your casting skills are truly superb! Please continue..."

Ling Zhen nodded: "Your Majesty, speaking of men, especially fine men, who doesn't wish for a prosperous nation? Who doesn't wish to achieve great deeds? Who doesn't wish for wealth and honor? Originally, I had long since given up these thoughts, but Your Majesty appeared out of nowhere and suddenly changed this country. You have won every battle, pacified the barbarians, brought peace to the world, and restored the Han and Tang dynasties! Being here at this time and witnessing this event is truly a blessing for us men. If I can also contribute to the affairs of the world, that would be an even greater honor. I have gained Your Majesty's trust, and Your Majesty has never questioned me about money, provisions, or personnel. Now that I have created this, how can I complain about hardship or fatigue? How can I not be overjoyed? I was once a lowly military officer, but now I suddenly hold a high position with a mountain of salary. Every day, I use all my strength to carry out my duties!"

After saying that, Ling Zhen seemed to feel refreshed and reached out to touch the cannon barrel, his face full of pride.

Su Wu listened without commenting, simply nodding slightly before uttering a single word: "Fire!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Ling Zhen bowed and then raised his hand to beckon the artilleryman.

Su Wu then headed towards the prepared platform at the back, where countless officials were gathered.

Su Wu held his son Su Kai in one arm and his daughter Su Xuan in the other, and said to the crowd, "I discussed this item with you all yesterday, but I suspect you still have some questions. Today, everyone, take a look and see for yourselves. This is a divine weapon that can protect our Great Yan and our China, ensuring our military prosperity! In the future, in any battle, whether we fight against anyone or conquer cities and fortresses, we will be invincible!"

Everyone looked forward and saw the cannon not far from the platform. They had all seen it clearly, but they still had some doubts, since they hadn't seen it with their own eyes yet.

In the distance, less than two miles away, about eight hundred meters away, there was a blue brick wall, and behind the wall, there was a pile of soil, which was the target.

Ling Zhen was at the front, personally overseeing the weighing of the gunpowder and the bullets. Today's performance with the Emperor and many court officials could not be a disaster.

The process of operating the cannon is not complicated. It involves pouring gunpowder into the cannon barrel, packing it tightly, putting in the projectile, inserting the fuse, and then igniting it.

Ling Zhen personally took the torch, turned around and shouted, "Your Majesty, it's time to fire the cannons!"

"Alright!" Su Wu nodded and said to his children in his arms, "Watch closely, this thing makes a loud noise, it's very interesting, and it's extremely powerful. It can conquer cities and fortresses, and it's indestructible!"

Su Kai didn't really understand, and only asked, "Is it fun?"

"It's fun! Come and play more often whenever you have time!" Su Wu said with a smile.

The daughter asked, "Father, is this for fighting?"

"Yes, it's a powerful weapon for fighting and killing enemies. One shot and people will be killed like flies!" Su Wu looked at his daughter's rosy cheeks and was in a very good mood.

Many officials were staring intently into the distance, just to see if this thing was really that powerful.

With a loud bang, smoke and fire erupted, and everyone looked towards the brick wall a mile and a half away. Sure enough, it collapsed instantly, at least half of it...

"Good!" Su Wu exclaimed, looking down at his son. The son was startled at first, then immediately spoke: "Father, what a loud noise..."

"Hehe...good son!" Su Wu was overjoyed. Why was he so overjoyed?

Because this son is truly fearless, that's enough. A man should have this kind of courage. You can tell a lot about a person's future from the age of three, even though he's not even three yet...

The daughter also said, "Father, this smoke smells good!"

Su Wu was taken aback. Smoke... the smell of gunpowder. He never expected his daughter to like this smell, so he was overjoyed: "Good, good, good, come and smell it more often in the future..."

Anyway, Su Wu was happy in every way. As long as the children liked these things, they would naturally be made more and more, and the quality would improve, leading to further development...

This represents the future!

All the officials were looking at the distant target. They had just inspected that wall; it was incredibly sturdy and could be smashed down so easily. That thing must have been terrifyingly powerful, far beyond what bows and crossbows could compare to.

Lu Da was overjoyed: "Your Majesty, this thing is excellent, extremely excellent! If we take it to the battlefield, no matter what city or fortress it is, we can take it down with ease!"

Zong Ze was still somewhat surprised, and said in one breath: "Truly a powerful weapon, a divine weapon! Such a divine weapon has suddenly appeared. What a blessing for the nation! What a blessing for the nation!"

Zong Ze felt like he was dreaming, but he also wondered to himself, if such a powerful weapon had existed back then, how could the Tanguts have been so rampant for so many years? How could the Khitans have been so vocal for so long...?

Zong Ze raised his head slightly, looking at the sky. Perhaps everything was destined by fate...

Looking at that emperor again, his military fortunes are indeed prosperous, and the nation's fortunes are rising today!

Zhang Shuye, however, had already gone down to the general's platform. He had truly served as a registrar and had even been demoted to tending horses. He was someone who had truly experienced the hardships of military life. When he got to the cannon, he went to touch and examine it one last time...

His excitement was palpable, and he even exclaimed, "Let's try another shot!"

Ling Zhen nodded, but this time he didn't operate the cannon himself. Instead, he turned around and returned to the command platform with Zhang Shuye.

Lu Da also praised, "Ling Zhen, this thing of yours is truly excellent. It's incredibly powerful and so accurate. It hits the target from such a distance with a single strike! It's truly superb!"

As Lu Da spoke, he slapped Ling Zhen on the shoulder with a large hand.

Ling Zhen smiled sheepishly and said, "It's true that it's incredibly powerful, but its precision is almost unbelievable!"

"Huh? Isn't this a perfect shot?" Lu Da said.

"Actually, we fired a few shots yesterday. We fired the shots first, and then we built the wall..." Ling Zhen didn't hide anything.

Lu Da understood; the wall was built at the point of impact to ensure a perfect hit.

Clearly, Ling Zhen also tested the dispersion of the shell impact points, reinforced the cannon's base, and precisely measured the amount of gunpowder...

“So that’s how it is… but it’s not bad, it’s good!” Lu Da nodded and said.

Ling Zhen quickly explained, "But General Lu, rest assured, as long as the cannon is operated strictly according to the firing table, the accuracy is not bad. If the gunner is extremely skilled, the first shot can be used for calibration, and the second and third shots will be even more accurate. Hitting a low wall like this is not too difficult. Today, I prepared this in advance for the purpose of demonstrating it to everyone..."

Lu Da understood everything, nodded, and slapped Ling Zhen on the shoulder: "You really did your job well!"

Even Lu Da could see Ling Zhen's attitude towards work.

Su Wu said, "Promote Ling Zhen to the position of Imperial Secretary and concurrently Vice Minister of Works!"

He's been promoted to a higher rank; he was a third-rank official in the past, and he's been promoted to the third rank today—he's been promoted just like that!
Firstly, Ling Zhen really does a good job.

Secondly, it is to convey a message to everyone in the court and to the people of the world: in the Great Yan Dynasty, craftsmen can also be promoted, hold high positions, and win the emperor's favor!
Those who have this talent should just study it diligently and give full play to it!

Su Wu even had a plan: a craftsman ranking system!

To put it simply, it means establishing a system, an official system, for artisans, which would be managed by the Artisan Department.

It also provides artisans with a path for advancement and a system for selecting talent for the artisan department.

If something has potential, people will flock to it, so this system is obviously very important.

Su Wu wanted to first create a framework himself, then have Ling Zhen lead the current artisans to refine it, and finally implement it.

This was inevitably another big task for Ling Zhen.

Ling Zhen was deeply moved and bowed to express his gratitude.

Over there, another shot came, hitting its target precisely, drawing cheers and applause. Everyone present was from the war years and understood the significance of this weapon.

Lu Da seemed to be pondering how to carry such a heavy object into battle, and then said, "The only drawback of this thing is that it is too heavy, weighing a thousand catties!"

Su Wu waved his hand and said, "A thousand catties is not heavy. With a carriage frame, one or two horses will be enough. In the future, there will be a giant cannon weighing two thousand catties, which will require three or four horses to pull... Fortunately, there is no shortage of horses now..."

"You want to make another two thousand catties?" Lu Da was also surprised.

“Yes, this 1,000 jin is still not easy to transport when attacking a city, but 2,000 jin is a completely different story!” Su Wu said seriously. “It’s really difficult to transport over thousands of miles…” Lu Da also understood that this would put a huge burden on the logistics.

Su Wu turned to look for someone, Yue Fei. He raised his hand and beckoned to Yue Fei: "For this western expedition, you need not only bring the hand-throwing grenades, but also the tiger-squatting cannons. You can also bring this item, take twenty or thirty of them. Go and try them out first. Then you need to combine the artillery operation with actual combat and truly compile a general artillery manual."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Yue Fei bowed.

"It must not be lost, and it must not be revealed to foreign tribes!" Su Wu instructed.

"Understood!" Yue Fei understood the meaning behind it. If such a thing were to be obtained and imitated by foreign tribes, what would become of them?
"Let's go back..." Su Wu waved his hand.

Everyone was busy, with a lot of things to do at the government office, so they had to hurry back, and the emperor's carriage also returned.

But the emperor did not travel by carriage. Instead, he changed to an inconspicuous carriage, took seven or eight servants, and went back into the city.

Isn't that just going on a trip?

Look at the slowly turning green fields, wander around, mainly to stroll around Bianjing City and see how lively it is.

Many of the soldiers from the intelligence department, dressed in civilian clothes, followed him everywhere.

In Bianjing city, families strolled through the streets and alleys, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

I ate a bowl of mutton soup and a few flatbreads by the roadside...

In the beverage shop, Su Wu had a cup of lychee syrup water, Cheng Xiaoniang had a cup of perilla drink, Meng Niangzi had a bowl of papaya shaved ice, and Hu Sanniang had a cup of sour plum water...

The daughter is eating chilled honey mung bean soup, and the son is eating the same thing.

The family was happy and enjoyed their meal together.

This is the charm of beverage shops in Bianjing (Kaifeng) during this era.

Let's go shopping again, my wife wants to buy new fabric...

Children are trying to stop the peddler...

Su Wu had a string of copper coins hanging from his hand; how could he not be a sugar daddy?

The servants had serious expressions, sometimes even looking fierce, clearly not like ordinary servants, yet they kept moving things...

While strolling around, I encountered something interesting: a large group of international students, or rather, they couldn't really be called international students anymore.

These were the sons of the leaders of various grassland tribes. They had just arrived in the capital and were traveling together under the guidance of their instructors. There were at least seventy or eighty of them, and their attire was clearly different from that of the Central Plains. This was their first time traveling together, and they were experiencing the prosperity of Bianjing City as part of their lessons.

Su Wu watched intently, amused. Many children, ranging in age from ten to seven or eight, gazed with curiosity at the rows of shops lining the street…

Su Wu muttered to himself, "We should change their clothes..."

When you return, tell people that you need to make arrangements to have everyone change into clothes from the Central Plains...

Su Xuanniang was also intrigued and asked, "Father, where did these children come from?"

"They come from the grasslands; they are all descendants of the leaders of various tribes on the grasslands..." Su Wu said patiently, glancing at his son. In the future, when his son is a little older, he will probably be classmates with these people.

There will also be children from the families of various military generals and court officials, who will be educated together, including military training.

“Oh, Father, they are all guests. Will they get used to being here? Should we buy them some drinks too?” Su Xuanniang asked, looking at the string of coins hanging in her nouveau riche father’s hand.

"Buy it, buy it for them!" The nouveau riche Su Wu didn't care about the money. He simply raised his hand, beckoned his servant, whispered a few words to him, and then invited the grassland children to eat Bianjing drinks.

But Su Wu himself had to get his family into the carriage before leaving, otherwise the leading official would definitely come to pay his respects, and if that started, it would be quite a commotion, which was really unnecessary.

But after getting into the carriage, Su Wu suddenly asked Xuan Niang, "Do you want to play with them?"

"I want to..." Xuan Niang's clear, innocent eyes were full of expectation.

“Alright…” Su Wu nodded, then looked at Cheng Xiaoniang and said, “In that case, we should also set up a school in the capital. You can set it up. Set up a girls’ school and make it big. In the past, it was not easy for girls to study, let alone to practice martial arts. In the future, we should change this slowly, starting with Bianjing. You go and find Yi’an Jushi, and the two of you can set it up together, choosing the buildings and teachers. Third Sister will also go. Third Sister will be in charge of martial arts and horsemanship and the like.”

When everyone has something to do and can realize their own value, people are actually happier and their lives are more meaningful.

Cheng Xiaoniang nodded in agreement: "That's excellent!"

Hu Sanniang was overjoyed: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will definitely assist the Empress in handling this matter well!"

How could this trip be meaningless...?

We continued our stroll, browsing the stationery and listening to fascinating stories told in the teahouse…

Let's find a better place and have a big meal.

That day, until nightfall, the group... mainly the two children, finally went home reluctantly.

That night, Su Wu worked overtime.

Something big has happened. Zhao Gou has been captured in Hanzhong and is being escorted back to the capital.

It happened faster than expected; it seemed as if Zhao Gou had only been in Hanzhong for a short time before he was captured.

Clearly, Hanzhong was an extremely small, surrounded area. Without the support of military commanders from Guanzhong and Hanzhong, no matter how fast he ran, he would have nowhere to go...

This was something Su Wu had expected...

Su Wu read the report and sighed slightly. This matter was finally over.

At that time, I will also need to meet with the Zhao family father and sons...

Su Wu also thought of something: how to deal with Zhao Gou.

In fact, a plan had already been made.

Sending Zhao Gou to the army was not meant to require him to engage in battle, as he was not capable of doing so and it would be a waste of his talents.

He was assigned to Yue Fei's command, serving as a clerk or something similar...

To serve as Yue Fei's assistant, to accompany Yue Fei on his western expedition, or even to be Yue Fei's personal secretary.

Why was it arranged this way?

Firstly, since this journey was long and arduous, Zhao Gou should not merely enjoy himself but also contribute to the country.

Secondly, was it a perverse sense of humor? It wasn't exactly perverse; it was just a way to vent his anger. Yue Fei deserved this treatment—having Zhao Gou serve him!

Thirdly, all the aftereffects of the Great Yan replacing the Song dynasty were almost over by now. Zhao Gou gave it to Yue Fei not as a test, but as the last means to dispel the myth surrounding Yue Fei.

They are all human beings, and Zhao Gou was even more so, and not even a truly remarkable person.

Let Zhao Gou compare himself to Su Wu, and let Yue Fei go and compare himself to Su Wu...

Let's see if this country is doing well or not...

This also let Yue Fei and others know what a magnanimous person the current emperor is.

The day of Yue Fei's western expedition was drawing ever closer. He was busy with many other things, but there was one more thing: he needed to learn how to operate artillery well at the military camp outside the city.

There's no rush to conquer Goryeo; we need to wait at least a few months. We need at least seven or eight, maybe ten or more, large and small gunboats to completely control the waterways. Clearly, Goryeo does have some naval warships...

In this way, the mountainous fortresses in northern Goryeo will no longer be an obstacle, and the battle will be much easier.

The northern mountainous region of Korea is actually very rich in mineral resources, while the south, apart from a little land that can be cultivated, has nothing at all!
Su Wu had another matter to plan... a very important matter: to truly pacify the entire country.

Many military families in the Northwest were subject to Su Wu's rule of releasing military power over a cup of wine, nor did he intend to discard them after they were no longer needed. However, he did want them to obey his orders and be transferred to various places.

Those who should attend the military academy should attend the military academy, and those who should serve as officials in other places should serve as officials in other places. The military reform throughout the country will begin here.

But before that, a war must be launched: the Qinghai-Tibet War.

This war will begin on the northern grasslands...

(End of this chapter)