Chapter 521: A soldier dies for his confidant
In later generations, when thermal weapons become mainstream, there are ways to deal with it, and its power is indeed limited.
But when cold weapons are still mainstream, it is like plowing the ground.
Although the field combat effect is greater, it does not mean that siege and defend the city will have no effect.
The range of more than one thousand meters can only be achieved by the top crossbow in this era.
But even if the bed crossbow can shoot so far, it will have almost no power.
The most important thing is that such a bed crossbow is extremely expensive and has very high material requirements. The real cost is no less than building a cannon.
And the materials are very rare and it is difficult to popularize them on a large scale.
As things like this with a long range, the accuracy is difficult to guarantee, and the same is true for artillery.
So to play a role in the battlefield, large-scale assembly is required.
However, this kind of bed crossbow is huge in size and difficult to carry, and its actual effect is not great.
But the cannon is different. Although it is not light, it is not as large as a crossbow, and it can still be carried.
As for the cost issue, Zhao Xing didn't care at all.
As long as the money shop starts to run, the court will not be short of money.
Things that can be made with money are nothing at all.
Things like grain are actually Zhao Xing’s headache.
There are so many fields in the world, and the total amount of grain produced is so much. Frequent battles consume too much food and grass.
Even if the court wants to control it, it cannot prevent the price increase of food.
To put it bluntly, food is a necessity, but it is not the thing that casts artillery. "Let's go and take the orphan to see it." Zhao Xing said.
"Yes!" Cao Mian responded, and waited for Zhao Xing to get on the carriage and set up in front to guide Zhao Xing.
Han Zhang and the other two also got on the carriage with curiosity.
The three of them heard Cao Mian’s story just now, and they seemed to be unfavorable to artillery in their words.
But Zhao Xing looked like he was not caring, and they also wanted to see what the artillery was.
Cao Mian led Zhao Xing's car to the schoolyard where the artillery was tested.
Chen Kui, who was fiddling with the cannons with several people, also stopped and bowed to stand aside. "Greetings to Your Majesty!" Zhao Xing nodded slightly, looked at Chen Kui and smiled, "I promised before that as long as you build the cannon, no matter how powerful it is, you will be awarded an official position." "Your... Your Majesty..." Chen Kui was so excited that he didn't know what to say.
"I'm waiting to see the cannon test fire!" After Zhao Xing finished speaking, he walked towards the high platform under Cao Mian's guidance. "Great Master."
Good Master Shen was shocked when he heard that Zhao Xing had promised to be an official to a craftsman and looked at Han Zhang.
Scholars, farmers, industry and commerce have already divided the classes.
This class was difficult to cross before the emergence of the imperial examination.
Although the emergence of the imperial examinations has indeed broken the monopoly of the class in a sense.
Agriculture, industry and commerce can enter the "scholar" class through the imperial examination.
But in fact, the influence on the "Scholar" class was not as great as imagined.
Take the Song Dynasty as an example, there are some civilian officials, and there are quite a few.
However, if a commoner is born and passes the imperial examination, it is almost difficult for him to be awarded a real position without relying on the powerful.
As long as the official rank reaches a certain level, the offspring can be sealed.
It can ensure that future generations will always be officials.
More than 70% of the officials in the court held actual positions were officials.
Even the officials admitted to the imperial examinations in the early days of the founding of the country, most of the fathers and grandparents were officials in the Tang Dynasty.
The true ancestors have been civilians for generations, and very few have been awarded actual positions after passing the imperial examination.
Shen Xianggong did not discriminate against the participation of agriculture, industry and commerce in the government.
But most people in the court have such discrimination.
The most important thing is that the imperial court either passed the imperial examination or passed the imperial examination.
In addition, there is another channel, which is to become a relative of the outside world.
For example, if a woman in the family was selected into the palace and was favored by the official family, her family could receive the title of grace.
Zhao Xing directly named a craftsman as an official, which is equivalent to breaking this rule.
What rules are used by the makers to restrain others cannot be said to be nonsense, but they are not completely correct.
A lot of rules must be followed even by the makers.
At least, in the view of Mr. Shen, even the government cannot break it.
Once it is broken, the emperor will follow suit. What should I do if a foolish emperor appears and is appointed as an official at will according to his own preferences?
Han Zhang shook his head slightly and gave Mr. Shen a wink.
Zhao Xing didn't know this, so he came to the stands and sat down, and asked Han Zhang and the other two to sit down, looking at Chen Kui and the others busy in the distance with interest. "Your Majesty, the sound is relatively loud when the cannon is fired. Your Majesty needs to cover his ears to prevent being frightened. And those who fight horses should also stay away from them." Cao Mian said.
Zhao Xing nodded and looked at Sanshui and said, "Let the imperial guards stay in the footsteps and keep the cavalry away, so that they can be more careful to prevent the war horses from being frightened."
"Yes!" Sanshui responded and went on arrangement. "Cao Envoy, is this thing more powerful than the sudden musket?" Zeng Gongliang said in surprise.
The use of the storm gun against the Liao cavalry was not entirely due to the power of the storm gun, and the sound of the storm gun also made an indelible contribution.
Although the single thrust musket is not small, it is not too loud, and it is not enough to scare the war horses.
If the war horse is so easily frightened, it will not be called a war horse.
The war horses have been strictly trained, and even if they face swords, bows and crossbows, the war horses will not be frightened.
But it is different if tens of thousands of fire guns are fired at the same time.
This is also the reason why the British Duke left his cavalry behind.
If the sound of the cannon is louder than that of the storm, how can you use it?
If you really want to go to the battlefield, the enemy is fine, and you will be frightened by the war horses, which will be a lot of fun.
"Return to the Privy Councilor!" Cao Mian bowed, swallowed his saliva, and said, "The sound is indeed much louder, and it can be described as thunder."
He recalled in his mind that when the first test shot was first tested, not only was the sound like thunder, but the most important thing was that the test shot was not successful.
You must know that he was not far from the cannon at that time.
If Zhao Xing hadn't advised that the artillery test firing was very dangerous, Chen Kui would be more careful when studying.
During the test shot, Chen Kui asked the personnel to keep a distance. Those who ignite the fire should stay away after ignition, so he would be in danger.
He was a little dissatisfied at the time, but the cannon test failed and the blast of hundreds of kilograms of bronze cannons were blown away.
Even though several months have passed, he is still in fear.
Zeng Gongliang didn't know this, but when he heard Cao Mian's story, he frowned and looked at Zhao Xing, and bowed and said, "Your Majesty, if the sound of artillery is like thunder, it is used in the army. Not only will the war horses on your side be frightened, but even ordinary soldiers will be frightened suddenly."
"I know."
Zhao Xing waved his hand and said, "If it is used in the army, the soldiers will definitely adapt first. As for war horses, they can also adapt, or block their ears." Zhao Xing knew it in his mind during Zeng Gongliang, and did not say much, and saluted and sat down.
When Chen Kui learned about Zhao Xing's arrival, he had already brought people to inspect and clean the barrel.
When the soldiers pushed the cannon out, they took people to check again. In the stands, Zhao Xing could not see the appearance of the cannon due to distance.
After Chen Kui finished checking, he personally loaded gunpowder and shells.
After the inspection was completed, a soldier was ordered, and the soldier raised his flag to signal to the stands.
Cao Mian quickly reminded Zhao Xing and Han Zhang to cover their ears.
"Boom!"
A loud bang came, and the cannon was immediately covered by smoke. An iron egg drew an arc in the sky and landed more than a thousand meters away.
Immediately, a soldier ran to the shell landing point. "Let's go and have a look!" Zhao Xing let go of his hand covering his ears, said to Han Zhang and the others who were stunned, and got out of the stands.
Han Zhang and his men did not expect the sound of the cannon, and they also wanted to see how loud the cannon was. Although they covered their ears, they did not use force, and it seemed to be doing it.
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And when the sound of artillery came, their hearts trembled.
Fortunately, the distance was far, and I was not deaf because of it.
Hearing Zhao Xing's voice, he came to his senses and hurriedly followed.
From the stand to the shell landing point, it is four or five miles away.
Zhao Xing trotted all the way and took him a long time to arrive.
At the end of August, although the weather temperature dropped a little, it has not rained recently and the ground on the school ground is still quite hard.
Even so, the shell fell to the ground and still made a semicircular pit, and the shell rolled forward more than ten meters away.
Zhao Xing saw this and was quite satisfied with the power of the cannon.
But the iron ball is a little larger than an adult fist, which shows that the caliber is not large. "I am quite satisfied with the distance, but the cannon is still small, so it must be cast a little larger. At least two fists must be the size of them, which is enough to have lethality." Zhao Xing said.
He originally wanted to cast a caliber of a shell with a head size that was easy to use.
If it really can be cast, with the current solidity of the city walls, as long as the artillery is sufficient, the walls of some county towns can collapse.
But if you imagine carefully, even if you can build a copper cannon with such a large caliber, with the current smelting technology, you may not be able to withstand it.
The most important thing is that such a large caliber artillery will definitely not be light in weight and will be difficult to transport.
There are too many defects, and it is not as small as those with smaller diameters.
"Your Majesty, I have asked Master Chen to study it." Cao Mian said. "Yeah." Zhao Xing nodded, heard the messy footsteps coming from behind, and looked back and laughed.
Han Zhang, the oldest, is now in his sixties.
The younger Mr. Shen is over fifty years old.
Zhao Xing is young and has been exercising. He trots all the way, his face is neither blush nor breathing.
But they couldn't do it anymore. In order to keep up with Zhao Xing's speed, they ran all the way, and the soldiers behind them were still holding them so that they could come here so quickly.
Zhao Xing waited for them to slow down for a while before smiling and pointing at the ground, saying, "How powerful do you think the three good friends think of the cannons?"
"The range is so long, it's still an iron ball, and the power can be imagined. Congratulations to Your Majesty, the Song Dynasty has this magical weapon, who can compete with it?" Han Zhang said excitedly.
He led the troops and had a clearer understanding of the power and function of artillery.
When the Song Dynasty faced foreign enemies, it often took a defensive move.
Therefore, the ordnance used in the army is more favorable to long-range.
This can be reflected in the weapons aspect.
Like the Tang Dynasty, the most famous ones are the Hengdao, Modao, Mingguang Kai.
But what about the Song Dynasty is famous for the Divine Arm Crossbow.
Defense is definitely the best long-range weapon like a crossbow.
The Song Dynasty is more defensive than ever, and naturally vigorously researches and develops long-range devices.
It can be said that the power of the Song Dynasty is far superior to other dynasties, whether it is a bow or a crossbow.
The range of the artillery is very suitable for the army of the Song Dynasty.
"Haha."
Zhao Xing laughed and saw Chen Kui jogging over, and said with a smile: "Chen Aiqing is here just right. You have made great achievements in studying artillery. I will give you the position of Doctor of the Ministry of Works!"
After all, the Firearms Department was newly established by him and there is no specific official position.
Although Zhao Xing can set up some, he still needs to study the grades and other aspects carefully, and there are no existing official positions at a glance.
The doctor of the sixth department is a sixth rank and is definitely not a high-ranking official in Bianjing.
But Chen Kui was just an ordinary craftsman.
When he heard that Zhao Xing directly appointed him as the official position of the sixth rank, he bowed excitedly and said, "Thank you, your Majesty!" "Haha, I will be the one who will call you a minister in the future." Zhao Xing said with a smile. "I'm sorry for your fault, please forgive me!" Chen Kui said.
Shen Xianggong took a step forward and was about to open his mouth, but was pulled by Shin Xianggong and shook his head slightly at him. "But the power of the cannon is still a little smaller. My dear can make several different sizes and test the most powerful cannons that can not easily explode the chamber." Zhao Xing said.
"I obey the order!" Chen Kui responded. "I'll give you half a year. Not only do you have to test it out, but you also have to cast no less than twenty artillery and a thousand artillery shells. Can it be done?" Zhao Xing asked.
A trace of embarrassment flashed in Chen Kui's eyes when he heard this. Half a year was too short, and now he could not guarantee whether he could make it.
And shells are also a big trouble. Even if you cast molds, the shells made will have to be polished twice, which is very time-consuming.
Kashi died for his confidant. Zhao Xing had just granted him a sixth-rank official position, making him a craftsman become an official. How could he say no?
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, if you can't do it, you will have no face to live in the world!" Chen Kui said gritting his teeth. "Don't say such words!" Zhao Xing waved his hand and said, "I want artillery, and you must be there too. As long as you can do it, I will give you a title." "I will definitely live up to Your Majesty's expectations!" Chen Kui said. "Yes!" Zhao Xing nodded slightly and asked, "Is there any progress in the musket?"
"When you go back to Your Majesty, there is some progress, but it will take a long time to go before what Your Majesty said." Chen Kui said. "Take me to see it." Zhao Xing said.
……………
Zhao Xing inspected other research in the Firearms Department, put forward some suggestions, and then took a car back to the palace. "Great Master, Your Majesty just appointed an official to a craftsman. I want to persuade him, why are you stopping me?"
Grandpa Shen sighed and said, "Grandpa should know how much trouble this matter will cause when it spreads. Not to mention officials in the court, even scholars from all over the world will not agree."
For many scholars, they have been studying hard for many years, but have not been able to get to the list.
A craftsman is not only able to become an official, but also becomes a sixth rank. How can they accept this? "Oh, Your Majesty wants to buy horse bones for a thousand dollars, so you can't stop it." Han Zhang sighed.
"If you can't stop it, can't you stop it?" Shen Xianggong retorted.
Han Zhang opened his mouth when he heard this. He didn't want Mr. Shen to anger Zhao Xing.
Otherwise, it is hard to say whether Zhao Xing will let Mr. Shen take over his position.
(This chapter ends)