After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Chapter 619 Broken Blade

Amidst the bustling crowd, a few people had originally left the Ordnance Bureau's stands.

To avoid accidentally getting into a conflict with people from the Ordnance Bureau, the Brave Guard Battalion, or the Six Harmonies Battalion by saying the wrong thing.

One of the deputy generals of the Brave Guard Battalion loudly praised the cheap new knives from the Ordnance Bureau and immediately placed an order for five thousand.

As for purchasing military equipment?

This was originally the business of General Jiang and a few quartermasters. They were only brought here to pay their respects to the Empress and broaden their horizons because General Jiang valued them.

When the group turned around, they saw that it was a child of about twelve or thirteen years old, and they couldn't help but frown.

Lu Kun narrowed his eyes and raised his chin:

"Kid, whose family are you from? How did you end up in the palace?"

The twenty-eight-year-old commander's voice was deep.

The others also looked the child up and down.

Lu Kun's words were relatively polite, after all, it was a very important place in the palace, and they didn't believe that children from ordinary families could get in.

The child, dressed in simple blue clothes, smiled and said:

"Gentlemen! My name is Li Xing, Xing as in 'revitalization'. I am currently the vice president of the Daliang Academy of Sciences, and the technology provider for the New Equipment Bureau. I, Li Xing, greet you."

Li Xing, who was not tall and a bit chubby, bowed in a pretentious manner, his face twitching slightly.

New equipment?

What hospital... is the vice president?

The headmaster of the academy?

Deputy Headmaster?

For a moment, the group looked at each other, trying to understand the other person's identity based on the literal meaning of the words.

If it is outside the palace.

If a group of people were questioned by such a child, who even called himself the headmaster, they would probably be kicked out. But within the palace, things are naturally different.

Lu Kun raised his hand:

"We have no money and no interest in playing house with you."

Li Xing's face was flushed, and he sniffled, saying:

"You can come and see even if you don't have money."

The crowd looked disdainful. Being polite was one thing, but actually playing with this kid? No one was in the mood for it.

Li Xing smiled and said:

"Come and take a look..."

……

"Hehe, General Zhong has a discerning eye. This precious sword is called Mengwu Sword. It can cut through iron like mud. The cost of making it is twenty taels of silver. It is a simplified version of the General's sword, made by our Armory Bureau. It is only missing a few gems that were inlaid on the hilt."

"What you're saying, Father-in-law...that the General uses a sword?"

The eunuch Hong Wei laughed:

"That's right. The swords worn by generals of the third rank and above are all made by our military equipment department. The swords used by generals of the first rank and above, such as the General Who Conquers the Barbarians and the General Who Pacifies the Distant Lands, are even more so, and are all made by our military equipment department, and are all made of finely refined steel."

"I remember General Zhong was promoted to General of Martial Strategy three years ago, right?"

Zhong Xian, the deputy commander of the Liuhe Army and a fifth-rank military general, brightened up and respectfully bowed, saying:

"Father-in-law, you are learned and have a strong memory. Zhongxian's humble name is an insult to your ears."

Hong Wei smiled and waved his hand, saying:

"General Zhong, why should you belittle yourself? General Zhong and General Shen have defended Liuhe City with outstanding military achievements. I am just a eunuch, and all I can do is help His Majesty remember the meritorious officials."

Zhong Xian quickly clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute: "Father-in-law, you are too kind to me..."

The commander-in-chief of Liuhe City is Shen Yue.

But Lord Shen was naturally not good at handling these matters, so he brought him along and entrusted Zhong Xian with all the tasks, while Lord Shen went to socialize with the officials of the Ministry of War and said things like "I'm sorry to offend you."

Of course, Lord Shen also meant that if anything happened, Zhong Xian would be the one to take the blame.

If Lord Shen calculates things clearly in the future, this kind of procurement will be beneficial and without any drawbacks, and there may even be some profit to be made.

next time,

It was Lord Shen who personally took charge.

The long table at the Armory is quite long.

A staff officer from Jiangpu Army, accompanied by a seventh-rank quartermaster, was inspecting matchlock guns being manufactured by the Ordnance Bureau.

The Shenji Battalion is looking at flintlock muskets.

The soldiers of the Fifth Army Camp were looking at the Goose Feather Blade.

They were all being received by the stewards or craftsmen.

He was personally received by Eunuch Hong, who introduced him to the weapons manufactured by the Armory Bureau, such as matchlock guns, goose-feather sabers, and willow-leaf sabers. Zhong Xian was flattered and overwhelmed.

Even though he was a deputy commander-in-chief, a fourth-rank eunuch could still serve as a military supervisor.

If it weren't for today's circumstances, Eunuch Hong probably wouldn't have even given him a second glance. Zhong Xian naturally needed to buy some weapons from the armory.

Since it was his first time attending a "purchasing conference," General Shen intended for him to make the decisions, but Zhong Xian didn't dare to act too presumptuously.

The goose-feather sabers from the Armory Bureau are too expensive, costing 1.8 taels of silver each. Although the Six Harmony Army has 20,000 taels, they certainly wouldn't spend it like that.

Zhong Xian then tentatively purchased two hundred goose-feather sabers from the Armory, intending to equip the general, deputy general, and some generals' personal guards with them. The goose-feather sabers from the Armory had a good reputation, so this was a reasonable purchase.

After the first sum of money was spent, Eunuch Hong's enthusiasm for him grew even stronger, and he began introducing him to the "Mengwu Knife," which cost twenty taels of silver. Zhong Xian, on the contrary, breathed a sigh of relief.

With knives this expensive, I can't buy many; five at most.

He would be in real trouble if the other party tried to sell him a matchlock gun for five taels of silver. After all, the arsenal only sold them for two taels of silver each.

This "Mengwu Knife" is unique to the Armory Bureau, so buying it is definitely a good deal.

When Zhongxian's mind is wandering.

The pale-faced, slightly plump Eunuch Hong was the one who had no way to express his suffering.

"Underestimated..."

Hong Wei harbored resentment in his heart.

"I underestimated the ruthlessness of those guys at the Ordnance Bureau."

He originally intended to sell his possessions, especially the matchlock guns, to the Yongwei Battalion, but to his surprise, the Yongwei Battalion only symbolically bought two hundred matchlock guns and one hundred goose-feather sabers from him.

He spent the rest of his time at the ordnance bureau, looking at their flintlock muskets and even buying their tattered new goose-feather sabers.

"Damn it, a bunch of bastards aren't as decent as me, the one without testicles! I wonder how much the Ordnance Bureau stuffed into the Brave Guard Battalion."

Hong Wei was secretly annoyed.

A month after His Majesty issued the decree, he threw himself into the manufacture of military equipment. The prototypes being made today were all handcrafted by the top artisans in the Armory. He supervised their production.

Unexpectedly, the people from the Ordnance Bureau went directly through the Yongwei Battalion. It's unclear whether they went through Fan Shiwei or some deputy general.

Anyway, he has now lost completely.

What needs to be done right now is to at least squeeze out an order worth ten or twenty thousand taels of silver from the Jiangpu Army and the Liuhe Army to save face.

Otherwise, the Ordnance Bureau would really have completely taken over.

"General Zhong," Hong Wei said with a smile, "Leaving aside everything else, our Mengwu sword is truly first-rate. Among the swords present today, our Armory Bureau's goose-feather sword can cut through other goose-feather swords as easily as cutting mud. And this Mengwu sword..."

His gentle, broad hands picked up a Mengwu knife.

"Yet it can slice through a goose-feather blade like mud. Every Mengwu sword here is a top-tier sword of its time..."

Take it one step at a time.

Sell some Mengwu knives first, then we'll invite the Ordnance Bureau for a duel later, and then sell matchlock guns.

At this time.

"good!"

"A fine knife! Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!"

"Cutting iron like mud! This is truly cutting iron like mud!"

A deafening roar of cheers came from the side.

Hong Wei and Zhong Xian turned their heads and were suddenly startled.

I don't know when it started, but the area in front of the new equipment bureau on the left has been packed with people.

The blade flashed.