You have truly caused me great suffering!

The arsenal of the Institute of Technology was located in the suburbs.

Because bombings are frequent here, it could easily cause panic if it happened inside the city.

A squad of guards escorted Chen Shao to the arsenal, where the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder after an explosion.

Others either covered their noses or coughed.

Only Chen Shao took a deep, intoxicating drag.

This is not smoke; this is the truth of the future.

The Dingnan Army's workshops brought together top craftsmen from the Song, Liao, and Xia dynasties, so they were quite skilled in casting and gunpowder research.

Originally, the three companies were conducting their own research, guarding against each other, and trying every means to copy each other.

Now everyone can get together and exchange ideas.

This is a significant improvement.

The craftsmen were very enthusiastic, partly due to the generous reward, but more importantly because Chen Shao had promised that as long as they could develop cannons, or even just achieve a breakthrough, they would be rewarded.

Then one can become an official.

Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants – this was equivalent to leaping across two social classes at once.

This is an opportunity that artisans have never seen before, and they don't know if it will ever come again.

So we must seize this opportunity.

When Chen Shao arrived at the training ground, he was somewhat disappointed to see the cannon squatting there, still in its ancient, dark gold color.

It was still a bronze cannon, but he didn't show it because he knew he had to take things one step at a time.

Casting copper is much simpler than casting iron, and copper is also exceptionally durable.

If copper is truly too expensive to produce on a large scale, there are other solutions.

That means going abroad to get copper; there's plenty in Southeast Asia.

Moreover, once it's built, subsequent breakthroughs and innovations become much easier.

In the Central Plains, if those in power, especially those with the highest authority, care about something, then its development speed will be extremely astonishing.

Chen Shao is very qualified to speak on this point, because among everyone present, he is the only one who has studied world history and Chinese history.

"The Prince of Dai!"

Chen Shao nodded and said to Zhang Tianwang, the director of the engineering college, "Let's go and take a look."

"Is this a bronze cannon?"

Upon hearing this, the craftsman standing next to the cannon quickly said, "Your Majesty, this cannon has an inner iron core and an outer copper band, so it doesn't use much copper!"

"it is good!"

Chen Shao's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward to take a look. The inner wall of the cannon barrel was engraved with spiral grooves, indicating that it was still a front-loading design.

The craftsman immediately said, "This way, the cannon will shoot even further."

Chen Shao nodded. This must be the prototype of rifling. Indeed, the wisdom of these craftsmen is boundless.

Zhang Tianwang said from the side, "Your Majesty, the inner lining of this cannon barrel is made of clay mixed with quartz sand and fired. It can withstand high temperatures and reduce the risk of barrel explosion."

"Take another look at this gun carriage. Is it any different from the last one?"

Chen Shao looked around carefully and said, "There's more cowhide, and the wood seems to have been changed too."

The surrounding craftsmen were all astonished when they heard this. The king really knew!
It turns out that he really did watch it last time, and even remembered it.

Zhang Tianwang chuckled and stroked his beard, saying, "That's right, this time we'll use multiple layers of wood, layering elm and pine, and covering them with wet cowhide for cushioning!"

"Otherwise, this gun carriage will fall apart after firing a few shots."

"The gun carriage fell apart so quickly, it seems the shells have become more powerful?" Chen Shao asked.

Zhang Tianwang was even more pleased with himself, nodding and saying, "Your Majesty, after six months of repeated adjustments, we have finally found a suitable gunpowder formula. Adding a small amount of saltpeter to aid combustion and a small amount of beeswax can prevent the gunpowder from solidifying."

Chen Shao leaned down to look at the cannon, only half understanding what he was hearing. He straightened up, shook his finger, and said, "Fire one shot and take a look."

No amount of flowery talk is worth it; let's see what happens.

After Chen Shao and the others retreated about a hundred paces behind them, they stopped in the open space.

At that moment, someone waved.

The engineering students carefully loaded the guns, and Chen Shao estimated that it took them about a minute and a half to load.

Then they lit the fuse, waited a while, and after the gunners lit it, they ran back.

It was obviously afraid of the barrel exploding; it probably suffered from that before.

Fortunately, there were no accidents this time, and a shell was successfully fired.

With a bang, this cannon shot traveled a much farther distance than the last time.

After the white smoke dissipated, the group stepped forward. Chen Shao was very satisfied and said, "Quickly, measure how far it shot!"

The Song Dynasty's own thunderbolt cannon was a gunpowder-powered stone cannon that could fire to a distance of about 200-300 meters.

A moment later, the gunner came over, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Majesty, the total is three hundred zhang!"

Three hundred zhang is roughly one thousand meters, which is already usable in actual combat, and it is definitely more effective than the Thunderclap Cannon.

After some further refinement, Chen Shao ordered them to mass-produce the product and deploy it to the battlefield.

The cost of war would be reduced considerably as a result, and Chen Shao was not a warmonger.

If the cost of war could be reduced, for him it might just mean less hardship and toil.

However, for countless people in the Central Plains, it could make their lives dozens of times better.

The devastating impact of war on a nation is immense. From the very beginning, Chen Shao was a grain transport official, personally leading laborers to transport grain.

He had witnessed the scene of laborers' corpses lying on both sides of the road.

Chen Shao clapped his hands and laughed, "Good! Allocate one hundred taels of gold from the Prince's Palace, fifty taels for the officials and fifty taels for the craftsmen!"

"The gunners, the yamen runners, and the constables will all be rewarded! Reward them all! Reward them all!"

Our ancestors said, "A generous reward will surely bring forth brave men."

Nowadays, Chen Shao is extremely superstitious about these proverbs that embody the wisdom of his ancestors.

Because every single statement he made was verified by him.

Putting aside everything else, if Emperor Huizong of Tang had given one-tenth of the money he had rewarded to Taoist priests, concubines, and palace maids to meritorious soldiers, Western Xia would have been destroyed long ago.

Because that's an astronomical figure.

Sure enough, after Chen Shao finished speaking, everyone around him showed a look of surprise and exchanged glances, not daring to celebrate openly in front of Chen Shao.

After leaving the artillery range, Chen Shao went to explore other places.

The difficulty of making muskets was much greater than that of cannons, so there was not much progress.

However, since the gunpowder formulation is being improved, hand cannons will certainly benefit from this improvement as well.

For the first time, Chen Shao experienced the exhilarating feeling of having foresight; with just a slight touch, he could influence many things.

This exciting joy, however, cannot be shared with others.

There were also some new breakthroughs at the Agricultural Implements Manufacturing Bureau, which prompted Chen Shao to once again generously reward them with one hundred taels of gold and one hundred taels of silver.

Chen Shao was in a really good mood after leaving the engineering college. The money he spent on tips in one go was probably the largest sum of money he had ever spent.

The Prince of Dai is also recovering and experiencing the joy of "splurging money" that the retired Emperor Zhao Ji once had.

After returning to the Prince's residence, Chen Shao felt the cold.

Perhaps it was due to his inner excitement. Now that the war has subsided, there are only two things that can make Chen Shao so excited: ships and cannons.

People in high positions are like those standing on a high place; they no longer focus on what's immediately in front of them, but rather on the long term and the bigger picture.

The chill in his body made Chen Shao suddenly not want to go back to the study; he felt it wasn't warm enough there.

So he ordered someone to bring the report to the inner quarters, and then went to Li Shishi's room.

By this time, it was getting dark. Hearing that he had gone to the outskirts of the city, Li Shishi quickly ordered someone to make ginger soup.

The Song Dynasty's fondness for ginger far surpassed that of later generations; in the banquet culture of that time, ginger was regarded as a gift for entertaining guests.

According to the Qingyilu, a banquet is incomplete without ginger, and the host would serve a dish of ginger to the guests as a sign of respect.

The famous gourmet Su Dongpo once wrote: "Chewing ginger sprouts at night is sweeter than honey."
The monks of Jingci Temple in Qiantang made ginger milk cakes with ginger juice, honey, walnuts, and other ingredients. They believed that long-term consumption could slow down aging. After eating them, Su Shi directly praised them as "communicating with the divine and dispelling impurities."

There are various ways to eat ginger, such as ginger candy, ginger tea, dried ginger, ginger powder, and ginger lees.

The ginger soup that Li Shishi brought was made by boiling half a pound of ginger and twenty red dates in water.

After taking a sip, Chen Shao put his feet under the covers and read the memorial at the head of the bed.

Outside, the cold wind howled, but inside the bedroom, candles were lit, and all was quiet.

Li Shishi sat in her room, quietly simmering ginger soup. Her charming and beautiful oval face, her skin as white as snow, and her figure with its exquisite lines made her truly a fragrant beauty in the still night.

Suddenly, Chen Shao sat up straight and carefully looked at the report in his hand.

Sure enough, every time the music was presented, it was for a major event; he wouldn't report minor matters.

Qu Duan said that Zhang Shuye visited him at the beginning of the New Year and they talked until midnight.

After closing the report, many things came to Chen Shao's mind. Shandong was a very important place in the future.

Zhang Shuye's defection was of great significance.

Moreover, officials who had passed the imperial examinations and were considered loyal began to surrender one after another.

This made Chen Shaobei very happy.

He was actually unwilling to fight a civil war if a peaceful transition was possible, even though the Dingnan army was strong and well-equipped.

Noticing his excitement, Li Shishi gently approached without asking any questions, and quietly nestled beside him.

Chen Shao kissed her on the cheek and said, "Today is truly a day full of good news."

Li Shishi smiled, rose slightly, gathered her skirts, and curtsied, saying, "This concubine offers her congratulations to Your Majesty."

The way she performed this gesture was a pleasure to watch; it was full of tenderness and perfectly showcased the reserved, charming, and gentle demeanor of a classical Eastern beauty.

Chen Shao held her soft hand, and Li Shishi took the initiative to get onto the bed and embrace Chen Shao.
-

On the ground in Shandong, there is actually a very delicate relationship.

Not long ago, Qu Duan and Zhang Shuye were at odds, and the situation was so tense that they were on the verge of exchanging blows.

Now, this conflict seems to have vanished all at once.

The people were happy to see this situation.

After all, no one wants their hometown to be engulfed in war.

Then the caravans entered.

This is not simply a matter of the caravans arriving; rather, it is the core of the Guangyuantang caravan that is being relocated here.

This size is quite frightening; the Guangyuantang caravan is unlike any other caravan in the Central Plains.

In the Western Regions, it was a nightmare for all foreign and small kingdoms, and a caravan that destroyed nations.

Xiao Shi handed over the affairs of the Western Regions to his subordinates to maintain, while he devoted himself to preparations for entering the sea.

On a winter morning, the city of Mizhou was shrouded in a layer of milky white mist.

Before dawn, Qu Duan went to the central military headquarters to handle some routine military affairs.

He was busy in the city today, so he took care of military affairs in advance. Qu Duan was definitely a diligent person.

He absolutely does not allow himself to slack off in matters within his authority, not even for a moment.

After entering the city, Qu Duan was not in high spirits. He originally intended to concentrate his efforts in Mizhou on building ships.

When the weather warms up the following year, when the Prince of Dai launches his northern expedition, he will transport troops directly by sea to deliver a fatal blow to the Tartars.

However, after the Xiao family arrived, they took most of the shipwrights and supplies to build merchant ships.

Merchant ship?

Qu Duan couldn't understand how merchants could compete with the army for supplies.

Madam Xiao's identity is unique, and he cannot resort to violence like he would to others.

Although Qu Duan is arrogant and sometimes ruthless, he wouldn't dare to mess with the King of Dai's woman, not even if he had a hundred lives.

Today I came to the shipyard to check on the preparations of my warships and troop transports, only to find that the caravan had arrived long ago.

Qu Duan found it annoying to even look at them, and to make matters worse, those people were extremely professional.

They possessed astonishing wealth, enabling them to bribe the best shipwrights and bring in the finest materials.

This is much better than Qu Duan sending people to rob it directly.

Upon seeing Qu Duan and his group arrive, the caravan members politely stepped forward to greet them.

Qu Duanleng covered his face and nodded.

In this kind of weather, Xiao would definitely not go out; she takes great care of her health.

The north wind is cold and biting; if you blow it too much, your skin will become rough and dry.

Seeing that Qu Duan ignored them, the caravan members went back to their own business, discussing with the shipwrights how to expand the ship's hold.

Qu Duan listened secretly from the side, and suddenly a thought struck him.

What your caravan needs is cargo capacity, so that it can carry more goods.

And their own troop transport ships are the same, except that the cargo has been replaced with soldiers.

Moreover, supplies also need to be transported during expeditions.

Having figured this out, Qu Duan felt much better.

Anyway, he wasn't planning to fight a naval war; he was just transporting troops. The importance of warships lay in their escort role.

From this perspective, it is actually the caravans that need warships more.

Once the caravan has built the ship, you can have the shipwright make some minor modifications.

Qu Duan was a bit arrogant, but he wasn't stupid; he knew the importance of caravans to the Dingnan Army.

Not to mention him, all three main forces rely on merchant caravans for sustenance. Back when they went to war, the Song Dynasty didn't provide them with any food.

At that time, the supplies were transported by caravans, and the escort caravans were once more elite than the main army.

Later, because the caravan's power expanded too rapidly, the Prince of Dai stripped it of its military power, and from then on, the caravan and the escort caravan became two separate systems.

After all, the current focus of the Prince of Dai is in the east. If this force with money and troops develops too quickly in the west, it is very likely to form an uncontrollable interest group that breaks away from the Dingnan Army in the west and becomes its own independent power.

Since he couldn't compete with Madam Xiao, Qu Duan didn't bother to waste any more time and effort here, and he returned to the central military headquarters.

The memorial requesting the recruitment of naval forces in Dengzhou, Laizhou, and Mizhou has already been sent out.

As a result, Chen Shao handed it over to him and delivered it to Bianliang.

Today, the Privy Council's official document arrived, authorizing him to recruit a navy and prepare to launch a naval expedition from the sea behind enemy lines to fight against Guo Yaoshi and the Jurchen Jin Dynasty.

Qu Duan didn't feel anything after receiving the document.

Because of his personality, those who know him well know that he had already started recruiting soldiers a long time ago.

Qu Duan was decisive and efficient in his actions, and the formation of his navy was no exception. (End of Chapter)