novelraw Chapter 813 The Carpenter Emperor 68
Chapter 813 The Carpenter Emperor 68
Wei Chao thoughtfully dispatched two young eunuchs to deliver the annual gift prepared by the emperor to the Duke of England's residence in an unassuming green oil car.
The Duke of England was absent-minded all the way home from the palace, and all he could think about was the royal conquest that the emperor said.Isn't the tragedy of the civil fort enough a lesson?In that battle, the emperor of Ming Dynasty became a prisoner, and nearly a hundred civil servants and generals of Ming Dynasty were injured, and countless middle-level generals and civil servants died in the middle.The three major battalions left by Chengzu were completely lost, and the Beijing battalion was in a slump. There were only a hundred thousand old and weak left, and they hadn't slowed down for decades.It can even be said that since then, Daming's military equipment has started to go downhill.
The British male rider was out of his mind on the horse, he thought for a while and decisively said to the chief guard: "Leave one of the servants to accompany the emperor to send him back to the mansion." Then he turned the horse's head and went back to the palace to see the emperor.He has to distinguish between the emperor and the emperor, and he should not talk lightly about the imperial conquest.
Zhu Youxiao saw that the Duke of England turned back after not having much time, and smiled and asked Wei Chao to invite him in.Knowing that it would take a lot of talking, he sent the waiter to set the tea set.
When the British prince came in to see Zhu Youxiao's posture, he knew that the emperor had guessed his thoughts.
After saluting, he straight-forwardly advised Zhu Youxiao.
"Your Majesty, Ming Dynasty suffered heavy losses in the battle of Saarhu. We don't have enough elite soldiers to defend His Majesty's imperial conquest."
Zhu Youxiao waved his hands and said with a smile: "There are not many Jiannu soldiers who can fight. Although the old, weak, sick and disabled died of starvation this winter, the Jiannu soldiers under the cities of Shenyang and Liaoyang were brave, and those suffering from hunger and cold would die three times." Layer fat. If we can't take advantage of his illness to kill him, when Nu/Erhachi wakes up, we will stop pestering Shenyang and go back to cultivate the part of the land he has occupied in Liaodong.
You can imagine, when the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty got used to taking Shenyang as the boundary, after ten or eight years, or even three or five years, he would suddenly use troops again like he invaded Fushun, would Shenyang be able to keep it? "
The British Duke followed the emperor's train of thought and understood the emperor's worries without thinking too much.
The fragrance of tea rose in front of the two of them, Liu Shimin respected the fragrant tea and took a step back to speak for the emperor.
"British lord, the emperor has been preparing for the royal conquest for a long time. The craftsman workshop has also been modified for a long time. Especially the artillery. The fast horses and strong bows and arrows of the slaves cannot be plundered by the elite soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. The emperor is I want to use artillery all the way to crush the past, and completely smash the threat of Jiannu to Daming."
The British Duke frowned, "Jiannu is cunning, how can you stand and wait for your artillery to explode as you think. Those artillery need to be transported by carts and horses, and the accuracy is not very good. Against the army of Jiannu, don't wait." When the second shot is fired, Jiannu's cavalry may be about to rush to the front of the army."
What the British official said was clearly referring to Liu Shimin, but he was actually referring to Zhu Youxiao.
Zhu Youxiao tapped on the tea table, beckoning Liu Shimin to get something.
"My lord, your guns are original. Have you seen the new guns improved by the workshop?"
Zhu Youxiao continued after seeing the British public shaking his head: "The new artillery can fire five to eight rounds, or even more than ten rounds in the time it takes for the currently used artillery to fire two rounds. This is related to the proficiency of the gunner. The trained Gunner, you can shoot more."
The Englishman couldn't believe it.
"The new type of artillery is also much lighter. It is not necessary to carry horses. The soldiers can carry the barrels and shells on their backs. Of course, there are horse-drawn carriages to pull the artillery and shells, and the soldiers also save energy."
Zhu Youxiao still couldn't believe it when he saw the British prince, and pressed the last straw on him.
"This new type of artillery was jointly developed by Huang Kezuan, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, and Xu Guangqi, Minister of Industry. If you don't believe it, you can take the gunner to try it tomorrow and you will know."
"Your Majesty, how much of this kind of artillery has the craftsman workshop made?"
"There aren't many at the moment. Three or five hundred doors will be enough. In addition to shells, I also prepared this for Jiannu's cavalry."
Zhu Youxiao took out a black palm-sized pyramid from the wooden box Liu Shimin handed over.He swung the pyramid on the table, and no matter how hard he pulled it, there were three points standing upright and one pointed upwards.
"I will place a large number of these small things at the critical point of the Jiannu's arrow range, even if some Jiannu cavalry can rush out of the artillery strike, this small thing will definitely make them fall off their horses.
Without the Jiannu of the war horse, the combat power will be reduced by half.The Jiannu cavalry who fell off their horses were the targets of another round of artillery bombardment. "
The British public seemed to be moved by the prospect Zhu Youxiao described, but he did not lose his mind.
"Your Majesty, the cannon will heat up after firing a few shells, and some of them will even explode. If this causes confusion in our own side, it's time for Jiannu to clean up this little thing."
Zhu Youxiao couldn't help laughing, "British lord, if the new artillery doesn't get hot after firing ten rounds in a row, would you be willing to follow the imperial conquest?"
The British Duke thought about it and said: "Your minister must see is believing. And there must be more than [-] artillery pieces. No, it is best to have more than [-] artillery pieces."
Liu Shimin grinned as he heard it, Lord of the United Kingdom, you haven't seen the speed at which the craftsman's workshop makes cannons. Doesn't it mean that His Majesty's personal conquest has passed another level? !
Alas, the emperor is so childishly cunning that he has deceived one loyal courtier after another.
"It takes too much time to wait for [-] gates. I'm afraid Shenyang City and Liaoyang City won't be able to hold on. We will set off when we have [-] gates, and we will continue to make new ones and continue to add to the army. You said Yes or no?"
The British Duke insisted on not giving in.
Zhu Youxiao bargained: "Then it will be six hundred. The army marches slowly, and those who send the artillery behind can ride horses. When the army can reach Shenyang City, they may have already sent eight hundred. Is this the head office?"
The British Duke asked suspiciously: "Your Majesty, how many cannons can you make in a day?"
Zhu Youxiao told him with a little pride: "I can do a few in one day. I will do it faster in the future."
The British Duke immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I'm going to visit the craftsman's workshop."
"Don't worry. I just came back from there. If you go and look at it now, you can't see any tricks. Tomorrow, you first select some gunners from the forbidden army to prepare, and then call Xu Guangqi, the servant of the Shanggong Ministry, to try again and again." Cannons together. Let’s also see how fast the artillery masters in the army can do it, and also look at the range of the artillery, and whether there is any need to change.”
As soon as the British Duke heard that what the emperor said made sense, he bowed his hands.
"Your Majesty, I have heard about the benefits of the new artillery. I wish I could test the cannons now, and then lead the army to the north to destroy the slaves. Your Majesty, I ask you to be the Commander and go north to seek captives. How is your Majesty's success in the capital?"
Zhu Youxiao looked at the British public without blinking, and he was embarrassed by the British public, na na.
"Your Majesty, it's better not to take the imperial conquest yourself."
Zhu Youxiao sighed: "Our monarchs and ministers have already negotiated the conditions. If you change it like this, you will forget what I said before."
The British public didn't know how many artillery pieces had been made in the craftsman's workshop, so they had to back down.
"I don't dare to change it without authorization, I'm just worried about His Majesty."
Seeing the clear smile on the emperor's face, the Duke of England was a little bit speechless, but he hesitated for a moment, and said bravely, "Your Majesty, the ministers have agreed, but the six ministries and seven ministers may not be willing to respond."
"There are only four ministers left. The minister of the Ministry of Punishment has already accepted it, and the minister of the Ministry of Industry has accepted the letter of appointment. When they watch the power of the new artillery with you tomorrow, no one will object."
The British Duke regretted it a bit, and felt that he should not come back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, let alone be so interested in the new artillery, let alone accept the emperor's proposal to test the artillery.
The British Duke returned to the Duke's mansion with a lot of thoughts, and immediately called the eldest son and daughter to the study, and told the children about the artillery in detail.
"Tomorrow, all the ministers and ministers will go to see the test firing of the artillery. If the new artillery is really feasible, the emperor's personal conquest will be unstoppable."
The son smiled and said: "Father, as far as the son knows, everything he has done since he ascended the throne seems to be done by someone who is old and scheming. It also seems too rough. If the new artillery is really powerful, why not promote the emperor's northern expedition? The first battle will set the emperor's prestige, and avoid the chaos of being besieged by the censor again."
Zhang Yan has the closest relationship with Shizi, and nodded at Shizi's words.
"Brother is right. If the cannon test tomorrow is not as good as what the emperor said, and the six ministries and seven ministers are all there, they must not agree to the emperor's personal conquest."
The words of one son and one daughter did not comfort the British Duke at all.
He smiled wryly and said: "It's not as easy as you say for the army to march. It's not just the artillery. It can be completed in a month and a half. But I think the meaning of the emperor seems to be out We will go north in the first lunar month. Alas, the most important thing is food and grass, and the civil fort is placed on the soldiers who are short of food.
well.There are many things, any one of them will lead to failure. "
Zhang Yan rolled her eyes after thinking about it and said: "Why don't we first list the things that the army needs to prepare for the expedition. Father will talk to the emperor and the monks one by one. If there is any lack of preparation, the emperor should not think about the matter of driving the family." .Does father think this is feasible?"
The crown prince immediately stopped his sister's words: "Are you trying to help the emperor fulfill his wish to go to war? Father, the annual gift sent by the servant, is it for my sister or for our family?"
The British Duke was taken aback, "It seems he didn't say anything."
The crown prince lowered his face, "Almost all the annual presents from the servants are my sister's favorite. In our house and around my sister..."
The British Duke waved his hand, "Let him go. Jin Yiwei has not been in this business for a year or two. The emperor has a heart, and it is not a bad thing for Yan'er. Everything in our house is not afraid of the emperor knowing. Otherwise, how can the Zhang family control it?" Hundreds of thousands of forbidden soldiers for so many years?!"
Zhang Yan's ears were blushing.
"Father's vision is far-reaching. If the Son of Heaven's Northern Expedition is unstoppable, will Father or Eldest Brother follow the Son of Heaven to go to one of the expeditions? It's for our own sake, so it's better to list the things that must be completed first."
The prince blushed at the sight of his younger sister, who was not much older than his son, and he looked at his grown-up sister. He didn't continue to talk about the annual gift from the emperor, and he had the right to treat it as a matter of having no younger sister to enter the palace. Instead, he turned to England. Gong said: "Father, my son sees that my sister's suggestion is good."
The British Duke also nodded in praise and said: "Since this expedition is inevitable, we should make preparations first. Yan'er is here to study ink, and your elder brother and I will list out all the things that should be prepared."
The dinner for the three of them was prepared in a hurry in the study, and it was not until bedtime that the British father and son put all the things that should be prepared on paper.
"Okay, that's all for today. Tomorrow, I'm going to the suburbs of Beijing to test the cannon."
Zhang Yan walked to the door of the study and turned back, begging to the British father: "Father, I also want to see the new artillery, how about my daughter pretending to be a servant and following you tomorrow?"
The British Duke immediately stared, and was about to say no, but the eldest son nodded and said: "Then you have to go to mother's room early tomorrow, so you can go out with a different look."
Zhang Yan nodded again and again, smiled and squatted down with the British father and son, and turned around lightly to go back to the inner courtyard.
"Zhi, you shouldn't have allowed her to mess around." The British public was displeased.
"Father, if my sister didn't want to enter the palace, my son would definitely not agree to her. Seeing how the emperor promoted his son to go to the Ministry of War, it is inevitable for my sister to enter the palace. Letting her know more about the outside world will only benefit her. Besides I changed my attire in my mother's room, and went out with my father, hiding from the eyes of the family, and the guards around my father are still trustworthy."
"If those elders see through it, it will be a big trouble."
"Tomorrow, their minds are all on the cannon. They don't care about a boy next to their father. My sister is also a smart person. If she doesn't speak, she will be fine."
The Duke of England shook his head, his eldest son had always been a stable character since he was a child, but when he met an old woman like himself, he indulged him infinitely.He shook his head, "From now on, you should stop meddling with your sister's affairs. It's best if you don't make a sound. Otherwise, it will arouse the suspicion of the royal family. There are hundreds of people in the Zhang family, and if you do anything more, it will lead to the destruction of the family." Woe."
"What the father taught, the son will remember." The son stood up and listened to the instruction with his hands tied.
"You have to keep it in your heart. Take a look at Duke Cheng's mansion, alas."
The prince picked up the note he had just written and approached the carbon basin, trying to dry the ink earlier, but he replied to the Duke of England: "Father, it is not wrong at all to let the son say that he is the Duke of the Kingdom. The border ban is not a day. It's been two days. Saarhu lost so badly, they still haven't stopped, it's not waiting for the emperor to clean them up."
"The family is big and the business is big, and there are many places to spend money. You will know how powerful you are when you take over the government of this country. After paying the autumn tax this year, the income of the mansion will be reduced by [-]%. Your mother has complained many times. .”
Zhang Zhiji smiled, "Father, it just so happens that the tribe can fill in less. If you want to tell my son, our father and son are still studying and practicing martial arts from dawn to dusk, and working hard for state affairs. Even Shize and his brothers, they still dare not in the past three or nine days." Being lazy, you should get up early to practice martial arts and dare not be late for a moment. Those clansmen don’t want to study hard, and don’t want to work hard in the army. Could it be that my father has been raising them? Didn’t they all end up like those in the clan.”
"So what if you don't raise it? When the ancestors were alive, they complained a lot, but they still raised it from generation to generation."
"Raise lazy people who only eat and don't want to do things for generations. Father, if you are willing, the son wants to take advantage of the fact that the emperor collects honors and taxes this time, to gather and teach those lazy people once. If you don't want to change, just Branches. Anyway, when the family was separated, any generation of them got enough family property. After sitting and eating, they came to the Duke’s Mansion to ask for money and salt. It’s not impossible for them not to grow up and drag down their sister in the future. of."
Thinking of his daughter, the British prince's persistence became hesitant.He tentatively asked, "What are you going to do?"
"Look at my father's nervousness. I gave it all this year. It won't be like this next year. When I wait for the 15th to worship the ancestors, my son wants to tell them about the 60% loss in the mansion. If I want to keep the same life as before At the age of [-], he went to the military camp without entering school. Whether he can be a soldier or a school captain with martial arts, he can stand up by himself. The widows and widows over [-] years old will still be given silver rice and other good hands. , don’t think about getting salt for nothing.”
"Okay, try it."
The British public knows that this year's ancestor worship is difficult to stop.But continue to support those hundreds of people, get money from weddings and funerals, daily necessities, rice, oil, salt, food, clothing, housing, and transportation, and come here to cry for poverty with a little excuse... Why did the Chengguo government continue to fight with Jiannu in Zhangjiakou after the defeat of Sarhu? Doing business is not just dragged down by those clansmen.
He also already felt powerless.
Otherwise, with the land allocated by the nobles of the Duke's Mansion, my family will live better than now.Thinking of letting the second and third sons live separately in the future, the British Duke frowned in worry.
"Boss, Zhuangzi in the suburbs of Beijing, if anyone sells it, buy it if you can. Your sister will accompany you when the time comes, and your brother's branch office must also be prepared."
The prince nodded and said: "My son will figure it out. But it may not be possible to buy fields now. Those hidden fields have been collected as royal properties, and scattered small fields, ten acres or eight acres, are not worth selling."
"I also bought ten acres and eight acres, and distributed them to those clansmen to plant."
"Let them farm? If you give them the land deed today, you can exchange it for wine tomorrow." Zhang Zhiji put away the note in his hand and persuaded Britain to be fair: "Father, those people don't care about father and son. Hurry into the barracks. If you can't hold a knife or a gun, you can feed the horses. If you are not good enough, you can be a cook."
"Do you think they won't fight the banner of the Duke's Mansion when they arrive at the barracks? It will be more troublesome if things go wrong."
"Speak directly to those hundreds of households, and talk to the leader of the army, Daoming. People who don't make progress are thrown into the barracks. They know how to do it."
Thinking about the tricks of those veterans, the British Duke shed tears of sympathy for those tribesmen.
"It's up to you. Anyway, this country's government will be handed over to you in the future."
On the second day, the British Duke took people to the craftsman workshop early in the morning.Xu Guangqi and Liu Shimin were already there waiting for him.
"British Lord." Xu Guangqi and Liu Shimin greeted him first, and then led him to the warehouse.
After returning the salute, the British Duke asked: "Is this artillery used by you to test it?"
Xu Guangqi quickly replied: "Following the wish of the Duke of the country, we went to several warehouses and randomly selected six. The same is true for shells."
The British officer pretended not to care and asked, "How many new artillery pieces have you acquired?"
Liu Shimin coughed lightly, and the British Duke turned around and asked, "Is Liu Neixiang unwell?"
"No, I don't dare to ask the old man."
Xu Guangqi didn't answer how much he had in total, and it was hard for the British government to ask further.The warehouse steward opened the warehouse. Liu Shimin stood at the door and gave Xu Guangqi a hand. Xu Guangqi stopped and watched the British man enter with a servant, followed by the warehouse steward.
Several warehouses were gone, and the British public had an approximate number of artillery in stock, and took it out from the manager's mouth, why a few can be made every day.Counting the days, it is necessary to set off without going out of the army of the first month, and the frown is so frowning that it can kill mosquitoes.
But he didn't say anything, and went to the warehouse to move the shell boxes randomly, and asked the guards to move them to the carriage.
"Xu Shilang, how much money does this shell cost?"
"There are two kinds of shells, the cheapest one costs eight taels, and the expensive one costs ten taels."
"Is there any difference?"
"The difference is not too big. I will write you back in detail."
It was almost noon, and the ministers of the cabinet, the ministers of various ministries, the ministers and others all arrived at the place where the forbidden army was testing artillery.Except for Huang Kezuan and Xu Guangqi, everyone felt baffled.Although the emperor said before that he would build a new type of artillery, could it be that there will be results so soon?
Huang Kezuan was gearing up and wanted to own an experimental artillery, but the British Duke stopped him and said, "A shell is the cheapest at five taels of silver. Today, we are using the gunners in the army to test the performance, to see if it can be used in the army. How to use it."
Huang Kezuan was choked, and stared at him trying to distinguish a few words, but Liu Shimin pulled him back.
"Huang Shangshu, how many times have you tried it? Your Majesty is still waiting for the conclusion of the adults."
Huang Kezuan had no choice but to give up the gun position, and reluctantly walked to the viewing position on the side.
The craftsman workshop sent special personnel to teach the artillerymen in the army how to use the new artillery.The British Duke followed and listened.When the explanation was over, the young man who followed the British Duke interjected and asked, "What if the first shot was a squib, and two shells were loaded?"
The explainer immediately said: "It will kill the gunner and the surrounding people. But we have this little thing here. If the first round is not fired, the second round cannot be loaded. Take the cannon balls out of the cage."
It was a "brood nest" similar to a "mother and son cannon", which artillerymen in the Eastern and Western armies were all familiar with.After the British public waited for them to get acquainted with each other for a while, they made a group of three and six artillery pieces divided into two groups for experimentation.One group looks at the firing speed, and the other group looks at the accuracy and maximum firing distance of the artillery.
There was a rumbling sound for half an hour, and the experiments of the two groups ended.
All the ministers present were stunned by the test results.
The new type of artillery is not as far away as the Hongyi cannon, but it cannot be supported by its fast firing speed.The Hongyi Cannon fires two shells, and the new cannon can fire at least twenty shells.This speed is the best against cavalry attacking in groups.
Although the shell was small, judging from the crater it exploded, it was more than enough to kill two horses.As for the accuracy, it is no different from Hongyi Cannon.
The British prince touched the hot gun barrel, turned his head and said to Huang Kezuan and Xu Guangqi: "If this battle can wipe out Jiannu, you two will be the first to do it."
Ye Xianggao excitedly grabbed the British Duke, and Li Ruhua asked at the same time, "How much money does this shell cost?"
The British public looked at Xu Guangqi.
Xu Guangqi opened his mouth and replied, "Eight taels to ten taels of silver."
Zhou Jiamo said to Li Ruhua: "Okay, for this effect, your household department has to raise this money."
The British public saw that the ministers present were very excited, so they couldn't help but poured a basin of ice water on them.
"The Son of Heaven wants to bring such a cannon to his own expedition, what do you think?"
how?What everyone immediately thought of was the Civil Fort Change.Without anyone reminding them, they immediately climbed into the vehicle they came in, and rushed back to the city to persuade the emperor.