Chapter 237 "Unfounded" and the backward firearms era (two-in-one)
As these words were thrown out, the barracks fell silent.
A group of young military attachés seemed not to hear clearly, or could not believe it.
Dismissed from office...expelled from the capital...all of them?
The expression on Tang Ping's face froze as he was surrounded by people: "What did you say?"
"Didn't you hear him clearly?" At the door, the head of the Military Law Department, who was wearing armor and carrying a sword, glanced at him, as if he didn't recognize his identity, and repeated it again.
That's right.
All, dismissed from office, immediately, immediately.
boom.
In the room, all the military attachés felt a thunderclap. They were stunned by the sudden bad news. Several people immediately asked in silence:
"Why?"
The head of the Military Justice Department glanced at them and said:
"We're just following orders, don't waste time, please."
The words seemed to contain the word "please", but in fact there was no emotion at all.
Everyone has not come back to their senses yet, and the only thing they can think of is the scene in the school field in the morning.
But...how is that possible?
Not to mention that their behavior did not violate any military law. Even if they were designated as contemptuous of the superiors, it would be impossible to remove them all.
What's more.
They didn't care, even the "little father-in-law" was not spared.
Who dares to dismiss the Duke of Future Town from his official position over such a trivial matter?
"I want to see Commander Shi." Tang Ping took a step forward and said with an ugly face without making a fuss.
The leader of the Military Justice Department turned a deaf ear to him and didn't even look at him. He seemed too lazy to talk nonsense. He waved his hand and said:
"Kick these people out of the camp!"
"yes!"
Behind him, a group of soldiers who were known for their ruthlessness rushed into the room.
"etc!"
"We want to see the commander!"
A group of young officers subconsciously tried to resist, but were stopped by Tang Ping in a deep voice:
"Do you want to resist the law? Listen to them!"
The young master is well versed in military law regulations and knows that no matter what, if he attacks the Military Justice Department, even with his status, he will not be able to save this group of people.
Only then did everyone wake up, gnashing their teeth, and reluctantly had their official robes stripped off and their badges taken away.
Not even giving him time to pack his things, he was escorted out of the Shenji Camp by soldiers from the Military Justice Department on the spot.
The movement here also attracted the attention of many people in the camp, but they didn't know why.
Out of respect for the Military Justice Department, I just watched from a distance.
However, just as a group of military attachés were driven towards the gate, Takeo Yuhira's intuition caused him to pause, turn around, and follow the locked gaze behind him.
I saw three figures standing leisurely at the door of the barracks belonging to the commanding officer in the distance.
The leader was the smiling Zhao Duan, followed by Hou Renmeng and Qian Kerou.
At this moment, the two looked at each other from a distance, and Tang Ping could clearly see that Zhao Duan waved to him gently, as if saying goodbye.
The smile on his lips seemed to be mocking.
It's really him! !
Tang Ping's face was ashen, a stream of blood rushed along his spine to his scalp, his eyes were bloodshot, and his fists were clenched in anger.
"What are you looking at!"
With a strong push from one hand, he was pushed out of the door after losing his official position.
Tang Ping finally said nothing, turned around and strode away, leaving only one sentence:
"Let's go!"
He lost his official position, but he was still the son of the Duke of Zhen. He wanted to go home and find someone to find out!
The door of the room.
After watching the group of people disappear, Zhao Duan put down his hands and the smile on his face faded.
"Sir, I'm afraid the other party won't be willing to accept it...and, with such a big movement, aren't you worried about what the other military attachés will think?" Qian Kerou couldn't help but ask softly.
Hou Renmeng also looked over.
Even with his courage, he was shocked by his master's handiwork, and he couldn't understand how he could do it.
"Xiao Rou," Zhao Duan looked at the distant autumn sky and said softly: "You have been following me for so long. When have I ever cared about what these young people think? Okay, I'll go back to the house and take a nap. If anyone is looking for me, stop me."
With that said, he stretched and went straight back to his room.
Only two subordinates were left, looking at each other in confusion, thinking that they might explode while waiting outside, but the master actually still wanted to sleep.
…
…
Not long after.
"What did you say?!" In the barracks of the commander of the Shenji Battalion.
As expected, Shi Meng's face became extremely ugly when he learned of this important event: "You said that the people from the Military Justice Department bypassed everyone and directly stripped off their official robes and drove the young master and the others out. Who gave them the courage?"
The officer who came to report had cold sweat on his forehead and handed over an official letter stamped with the seal of the Ministry of War and the Empress:
"This was left by someone from the Military Justice Department."
Shi Meng snatched it away with his hand and glanced at it, his expression gradually becoming horrified.
Why can't he guess it yet? Is this what Your Majesty means?
But... why?
Thinking again, the people who were dismissed from office happened to be the ones Zhao Duan asked for, the people on the "list" who didn't give him face...
The burly, dark-skinned general was slowly dripping with beads of sweat on his temples, and he felt unbelievable.
Could it be... just because of this?
Just because he didn't give face to Zhao, more than a dozen military attachés were dismissed?
"Sir, the news has spread now, I'm afraid there will be trouble." the reporting officer reminded.
Shi Meng clutched the official letter and walked straight out of the barracks to find Zhao Duan.
Immediately, as expected, he was stopped by the Lihuatang duo.
Shi Meng did not break through forcefully, but turned around and rode straight into the city - when it came to His Majesty, it was no longer something he could handle at will.
…
A few meters away, in the Privy Council.
After Xue Shence listened to Shi Meng's report, the first military attache in charge of military power in the Yu Dynasty was stunned for more than ten breaths.
Then, he stared at the official letter in his hand, which had not gone through the Privy Council at all, and the bright red seal.
fell into silence.
In his mind, he couldn't help but recall that a few hours ago, he and Governor Wang were playing backgammon here, speculating on Zhao Duan's possible "revenge."
But I never thought that it would be such a storm and make such a big deal out of a molehill.
"Sir, please say something quickly."
This time it was Shi Meng's turn to play the urging role:
"If it's a little later, I'm afraid the news will spread throughout the capital camp."
Xue Shence stood up and walked around the room.
This incident seemed to only involve the dismissal of a dozen low-level officers and affected the prince of Zhenguo... But in the eyes of senior military officials such as Xue Shence, what really mattered was the turmoil this incident would cause in the army.
If it cannot be properly resolved, I am afraid it will breed resentment.
As the de facto superior "department" of the Beijing camp, the Privy Council will be under great pressure.
The key is, what does Your Majesty mean?
"Follow me into the palace and ask to see His Majesty face to face." Xue Shence stopped and spoke.
Without delay, the two military ministers immediately went straight to the palace and met Empress Dayu in the Yangxin Hall.
About half an hour later, the guard guard saw Xue Shence walking out of the palace, his face as heavy as water.
In the evening.
In the official circles of the capital, news spread like wildfire that on the first day after Zhao Duan entered the Shenji camp, he used his power to remove the young master Tang Ping and a dozen military attachés.
An insider also filled in the details of the story of Xue Shence's entry into the palace.
It is said that Xue Shence asked the empress why he was deposed, and the empress replied that he had violated military discipline.
Xue Shence asked again which military discipline was violated, and the empress only replied, "It's unnecessary."
The truth of this story is difficult to tell, but the result is that Xue Shence returned to the Privy Council and pretended that nothing happened, while Shi Meng returned to Shenji Camp in despair and did not try to fight again.
For a moment, the officials were shocked.
…
White Horse Prison, Hou Yamen.
Sun Lianying, with frosty white temples, sat in a bamboo chair. After listening to the report of her messenger, she couldn't help but feel a little distracted.
After waving his hand to drive the person away, the old supervisor looked at the gradually turning yellow leaves above his head and muttered: "What is this kid doing again?"
Zhaoyamen, Governor's Hall.
Ma Yan sat in the lobby, looking at the increasingly dark clouds outside, and inexplicably recalled the scene when Zhao Duan entered the imperial office to torment.
I thought that beating the eldest princess's son and arresting officials arbitrarily was crazy enough.
Unexpectedly, now he goes one step further and beats the person to the bottom.
Inexplicably, Ma Yan was a little gloating: "This time, it's Xue Shence's turn to have a headache."
…
In the evening, on his way home from the Xiuwen Museum, Dong Xuan unexpectedly met Yuan Li again.
"Has the Grand Master heard about the chaos Zhao Duan caused today?"
Yuan Qingyi rolled up his sleeves and asked with a smile.
The octogenarian Grand Master Dong glanced at Lao Yinbi, shook his head and said: "I only know that there are a group of reckless men who did not abide by military laws and were dismissed from office. Mr. Yuan, tell me, what did Zhao Duan do?" thing?"
The elegant and handsome imperial censor smiled and said haha:
"Maybe I heard it wrong. I just think every time, Zhao Duan seems to disturb the world every time he enters a yamen. Someone is always going to be unlucky, but I don't know whose turn it will be this time. head."
Bah... Isn't it because of your promotion that Mr. Zhao can reach this stage? Why are you pretending to be innocent... Dong Xuan shook his head and said:
"Let's see again."
He was actually also curious about what Zhao Duan wanted to do.
...Li Mansion.
At night, Li Yinglong, the "little pavilion boss" who was no longer riding in the sedan, jumped off the carriage and hurried into the house. The servants along the way saluted and said "young master".
Li Yinglong nodded perfunctorily, waited until he entered the study, then stepped lightly, with a happy face, and said excitedly: "Father, let's see what's going on!"
Then, since the last incident, the veteran Xiao Ge, who had lowered his profile to the naked eye, recounted the original news he had received.
In the study room, there are stacks of excellent rice paper placed on the large and expensive desk, and there are mountains of pen holders.
Li Yanfu, whose beard almost meets his temples and dressed in loose Chinese clothes, is practicing calligraphy with a pen in hand.
After Jing Jing finished listening to Li Yinglong's story, he slowly guarded the strokes of the last word on the paper, raised his sleeve with his other hand, and said in a hoarse voice:
"so?"
Li Yinglong's eyebrows were filled with excitement:
"Then if Zhao Duan fights with the military officials this time, wouldn't it be a good thing for us?
Whether it was His Majesty who wanted to attack the group of former emperor's old ministers headed by the Privy Council, or whether it was Zhao who was so self-righteous that he not only offended the Duke of Zhen, but also disgusted Xue Shence and his gang.
My son heard that there was a lot of discussion in the capital camp. The Yulin Guards, Jinwu Guards and other imperial guards in the city also got the news... Many military attachés shared the same hatred.
Haha, no matter what Zhao Duan has in mind, the chaos caused now may have exceeded his expectations. If he doesn't handle it well...
Oh, even if he is temporarily trusted by His Majesty, in a few days, when His Majesty has finished defeating the military ministers and needs to appease the morale of the troops, he will inevitably be pushed out..."
When he spoke, his eyes were undisguisedly fierce.
I will never forget the hatred I had last time.
"Finished?"
Without raising his head, Li Yanfu wetted his brush in the brush sink and turned the penholder:
"But what does this have to do with you?"
Li Yinglong was speechless, realizing that he had made a mistake again, and lowered his head in shame.
Li Yanfu did not scold him, but said leisurely: "The real competition never cares about the opponent, but falls on oneself... However, it is not wrong to pay attention to this matter, continue to investigate, and then If there are any changes, report them immediately.
But remember not to have anything to do with it, and don't think about doing anything. "
Li Yinglong breathed a long sigh of relief and smiled: "That's what my father told me. My son will keep a close eye on him."
…
Unlike the top ministers in the court, they were curious and concerned about Zhao Duan's actions.
Everyone speculated about the purpose behind Zhao Duan's actions and whether there was any conspiracy.
More ordinary officials, because they did not know the inside story, mostly took pleasure in watching the drama.
And he summed up Zhao Duan's actions as: Gone!
Some officials who consider themselves smart judge with certainty in private:
This time Zhao Duan was used by the Empress as a pawn to clean up the Wu Chen Group.
But compared to the entire military attache group, it is obvious that a favorite minister is more important than the other.
"The man named Zhao is very proud now. He dares to offend anyone, but sooner or later he will return it... Those warriors are not easy to deal with. Unlike civil servants, if you offend him, he will suffer."
However, these comments from the civil service group were not taken to heart at all by the parties involved.
…
A night of silence.
The next day.
When Zhao Duan arrived at Shenji Camp again, he clearly felt that the atmosphere in the military camp had changed.
The military attaches and soldiers he saw along the way looked at him sideways, their eyes filled with awe and... an inexplicable resistance.
"Sir, I have inquired about the situation in the camp."
In Zhao Duan's "office", not long after he sat down, Qian Kerou and Hou Renmeng came to report anxiously.
"Oh? How about it?" Zhao Duan sat leisurely in the big chair, folding his hands and asked.
Qian Kerou said worriedly:
"The dismissal of Tang Ping and others caused some disturbance at first, but it was quickly suppressed by Shi Meng.
Nowadays, there is no trouble. The deposed military attaché has been replaced by his deputy. However... there are rumors in the army that they lost their official position because they offended you. "
Hou Renmeng crossed his arms and said:
“To be precise, it’s not just the Shenji Camp, but also other parts of the Beijing Camp.
However, the people in the Shenji Camp are still in awe and fear of you, more than anything else... Originally, my lord, when you drew the bow and shot an arrow on the school field yesterday, many soldiers had a different impression of you, but... now only I’m afraid…”
He didn’t say everything, but his meaning was clear:
Everyone in the Shenji Battalion was generally dissatisfied with the newly appointed commander.
Just because of authority, he forced a smile.
"Yeah, I understand."
Zhao Duan didn't look surprised, as if all the changes were within his expectations.
After briefly asking about the situation, he stopped continuing the topic and said:
"You go and bring me the information about firearms in the Shenji Camp. I want the specific situation."
The two looked at each other, responded, and turned to get it.
Not long after, pieces of information were sent to Zhao Duan's desk.
With his official position second only to Shi Meng, he can review almost all the information of Shenji Camp.
Of course, Zhao Duan did not forget that his mission was to investigate the case.
On the first day after entering the Shenji Camp, he removed the unstable factors that gave him authority and "killed" people to establish his authority, thus gaining a firm foothold.
The next day, it was time to start investigating.
Since the original core of the case was about the firearms blueprints and the disappearance of the relevant craftsmen, then... of course, we should start here.
The imperial office and the Privy Council repeatedly investigated the matter several times, but Zhao Duan was not so arrogant that he thought he would be able to find some clues as soon as he took action.
He wanted to see the firearms information, and he just wanted to understand the situation in the camp first.
However, after he roughly browsed through the information, a string of question marks slowly rose above Zhao Duan's head.
He raised his head and stared at his two men seriously:
"Any more?"
The confidential secretary was stunned for a moment, shook his head and said: "Some of the key situations in the camp are all here. Do you want something more trivial?"
"No," Zhao Duan pointed to the paper on the table with a serious expression and said:
"I mean, these are the only types of firearms in the camp?"
The two of them became more and more confused. Hou Ren nodded sharply and said: "Yes, my subordinates have also gone to see it. That's it. Is there any problem?"
Zhao Duan said nothing.
Have a question? Of course there is, and it’s a big problem!
Previously, his imagination of Shenji Camp was based on the historical situation during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
But by looking through the information in the camp, he was shocked to find that the firearms of the Yu Dynasty were really backward and outrageous!
Are there any firearms? have.
But it only stays at the level of "rockets" and "artillery"!
Don’t get me wrong.
The so-called "rocket" is to tie gunpowder to an arrow and shoot it out to cause damage. This is why Shenji Camp places great emphasis on archery in martial arts performances.
As for "artillery", its name is deceptive, but it is actually a catapult, except that it throws "explosives" instead of stones.
The Shenji Camp's most advanced firearms were finally close to those of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
It's called "The Fire Gun."
But it was not at all the prototype of a future firearm as Zhao Duan thought, but something similar to a gun barrel that needed to be carried on a person's shoulders, with gunpowder filled at the bottom and "bullets" stuffed in the front.
The so-called bullets can be arrows that use the thrust of gunpowder to launch ten arrows at the same time.
Or simply iron bullets.
What Prince Jing’s Mansion sent to steal were the design drawings of the “Sudden Fire Gun” and the craftsman who made it.
And this "sudden fire gun" is a "new firearm" that Dayu has only perfected and manufactured in recent years.
This finally explains why the soldiers of the Shenji Battalion did not see firearms at all during the drill, but used long spears.
Why didn't Shi Meng react immediately when he heard Zhao Duan say "musket"?
Because this "Shenji Camp" is essentially a guard camp with infantry and cavalry as the mainstay, supplemented by firearms.
It cannot be said that there were no firearms in the Yu Dynasty, but they were far from "developed" and were probably equivalent to the level of the Song Dynasty.
The "fire gun" that Zhao Duan was familiar with, that is, a musket with a prototype of a rifle... did not appear!
The famous Divine Fire Flying Crow... did not appear!
The more famous red cannon... did not appear!
As for the reason, it is also very simple-it has been peaceful for too long!
Dayu reigned for six hundred years. During this period, although there were small-scale battles from time to time, there were almost no truly large-scale wars.
This resulted in that there was no strong need to develop firearms at all...leading to slow progress in the entire technology tree.
…
"grown ups?"
In the room, Qian Kerou and Hou Renmeng saw that he had been absent-minded for a long time.
Couldn't help but call softly.
Zhao Duan suddenly came back to his senses, his eyes were slightly bright, and his heart was beating like a drum in the center of his chest. He suddenly said:
"Please come over, Commander Shi. I have something to say to him."
The two of them didn't know why, so Hou Ren nodded fiercely and went out.
Qian Kerou stayed and couldn't help but curiously asked:
"Sir, did you find any clues from this?"
Zhao Duan didn't say anything, but looked strange.
clue? No.
but……
He suddenly realized that the clues were no longer important.
Because he has more important things.
What if, after all the hard work of Prince Jing's Mansion, all they stole was a backward thing like the "Sudden Fire Gun"... then...
How do you respond if I bring out more advanced firearms?
……
ps: The author went out to do errands today and came back late. In addition, there was a bit of glitches and the update was late. I was running around in panic. This chapter is five thousand words long.
Thank you to Blue Most Beautiful Ball for your 500-point reward and rurudo101 for your 100-point reward!
(End of this chapter)