After a while.
Su Liang, Cao Yi, and Cao Hu came to the battlefield.
"Jing Ming, it's not that I deliberately hid it from you, but the current technology is not mature enough and can easily explode and misfire. I thought I would tell you after it has been perfected!"
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. Let's take the first step and the rest of the journey will be easy!"
Su Liang was excited.
He knew that any new invention was crude and clumsy when it first came out.
But as long as you take the first step right, everything will be easier in the future.
Cao Yi looked at the tubular firearm in front and said: "This tubular firearm is made of a bamboo tube. There is a wooden stick about four inches long at the back. There is an iron tube inside the bamboo tube. The iron tube is filled with gunpowder pellets. The outer wall has With an ignition hole, hold a wooden stick in one hand and light a fire with the other, you can make a loud noise and then shoot out projectiles. The killing distance can reach a hundred steps, and it can be used repeatedly."
"It's almost the same as what you said at the time. It can both frighten and kill cavalry."
"I'm going to invite Taoist Priest Yuyangzi first. He needs to be present for the current demonstration. This Taoist priest I hired from Huashan with great difficulty. He has a very bad temper. He likes to ignore everyone. If he says anything, Don’t be offended by the harsh words!”
Su Liang nodded.
Su Liang would naturally have special respect for a ninety-five-year-old Taoist priest who had the ability to make firearms.
He has always opposed the idea of refining elixirs for immortality, because elixirs basically contain highly toxic substances.
But he had no intention of persuading the old Taoist priest to give up alchemy.
At the age of ninety-five, he is still refining elixirs to seek immortality. Either he has developed some ways to prolong life, or he is fighting toxins in his body with poison, making him immune to many diseases, so he can live a long life.
Su Liang believed more in the latter possibility.
…
After a while.
Accompanied by Cao Yi and two Taoist boys, a thin old man wearing a gray robe, with a white beard and white hair, a wrinkled face but a rosy complexion came over.
Su Liang and Cao Hu raised their hands at the same time and said, "Taoist Master!"
Yuyangzi didn't even look at the two of them, and said to Cao Yi: "I have already told you that it is still a defective product and is prone to explosion and misfire. These problems can be solved in two or three months. You must Try it again, you’re as stubborn as a donkey!”
"Just this time, just this time!" Cao Yi bowed.
Once upon a time, Cao Yi was also a famous little bully on the streets of Bianjing.
Don't let anyone scold him.
Even if you glance at him or look down upon him, he will take action directly.
But today, after being scolded first by Su Liang and then by Yu Yangzi, he was always smiling.
On the one hand, he has gradually matured.
After following Su Liang, I gained the ambition to do great things.
On the other hand, he knew that the future emperor of the Song Dynasty was most likely to be his nephew.
The uncle has always been on the same side as his nephew, so he naturally wants to make some achievements and bring glory to the Cao family.
Cao Yi looked at the five firearms in front of him and waved his hand forward.
Immediately, five guards wearing armor and holding shields came over and quickly stood at their respective positions.
Judging from his extremely skilled movements, it is obvious that he has done it many times.
Yuyangzi stood aside, stroking his beard and said: "Come one by one, take your time, aim carefully and then light the fire, do you understand?"
"Understood!" the five people said in unison.
And at this moment.
Fifty steps away, five straw targets were placed.
Yu Yangzi waved his hand, and Su Liang and others immediately understood and took a few steps back.
"put!"
Following Yuyangzi's order, the first firearm was successfully ignited.
"Bang!"
There was a loud noise, and the bamboo pipe exploded instantly, causing pieces of bamboo to be scattered everywhere.
"Put it back!"
Poof!
Surprisingly, the second firearm misfired.
"Put it back!"
"Bang!"
Exploded chamber.
"Bang!"
Exploded chamber.
Poof!
Misfire.
There were five barrel-shaped firearms, two of which misfired, and three of which exploded. A stream of black smoke filled the front, as well as a very unpleasant smell of gunpowder.
Everyone covered their noses.
"This is unreasonable, it makes me angry!"
Yuyangzi smoothed his sleeves, strode to a misfired tubular firearm, quickly poured out the gunpowder pellets inside, and then reloaded it.
At the same time, he also adjusted the position of the bamboo tube.
"Taoist Master, let's release it, let's release it!" Cao Yi said quickly.
"Go away! I don't believe in this evil anymore. If I can't hit the target this time, I don't deserve to use the alchemy cauldron you bought for me!"
Su Liang didn't expect that this old man was still so angry even though he was ninety-five years old.
He looked at Cao Hu, who immediately understood.
If there is danger, Cao Hu will save Yu Yangzi as soon as possible.
This person is a treasure right now and there is no room for any surprises.
Immediately, after reloading, Yuyangzi placed a shield in front of him with a solemn expression.
Then, hold a stick in one hand and light a fire with the other.
"Bang!"
With a loud noise, a projectile came out of the bamboo tube and hit the target fifty steps ahead.
"Bang!"
A hole the size of a fist was punched out of the straw target, and then faint black smoke came out.
"Awesome!" Su Liang couldn't help shouting.
"Taoist Master, you are still good at it!" Cao Yi couldn't help but admire.
And Yuyangzi said with a depressed look: "If I try to study it again, I will only succeed once in six times. It's so embarrassing!"
After that, Yuyangzi strode away with the two little Taoist boys.
Su Liang was very excited.
If you can succeed once, you can succeed countless times.
The day when all soldiers of the Imperial Army of the Song Dynasty will carry firearms is not far away.
He looked at Cao Yi and said, "Brother Jingxiu, the Taoist priest walked too fast just now. I didn't have time to ask him, what else does he need right now?"
"He lacks nothing, but the Taoist priest told me that if we want to manufacture such firearms in large quantities, we must have enough sulfur. But right now, I am very short of sulfur!"
Su Liang couldn't help but frown, he still knew something about sulfur.
Sulfur is the main ingredient in the manufacture of gunpowder, accounting for up to 20% of it. It can also be used in medicine.
The Song Dynasty was particularly short of natural sulfur.
Among the surrounding countries, the one that produces the most sulfur is Japan in the east (Japan already had the name Japan in the Song Dynasty, but to avoid scrutiny, it was called Japan).
The Song Dynasty often imported sulfur from Japan through shipping merchants.
Su Liang thought for a moment and said, "Let me handle this matter. If you can't buy it, just go and rob it!"
Su Liang didn't have the slightest fondness for Japan, and there was a lot of internal fighting in Japan at the moment, so there was nothing to be afraid of.
However, the purchase of sulfur cannot be done by the imperial court.
Because the Song Dynasty's "Wu Jing Zong Yao" has been spread to Japan, Japan knows the great use of sulfur.
It must be a private transaction between merchants, and then sold to the imperial court by the merchants of the Song Dynasty.
At this time, Su Liang saw several craftsmen looking around not far away.
He pulled Cao Yi and Cao Hu aside and whispered: "The matter of this firearm must be kept strictly confidential and no one can know about it. In addition, the relatives of all the craftsmen in the firearms workshop will be brought to Bianjing City. Those who have no relatives will be sent to Bianjing City. I will send people to follow and not allow anyone with suspicion to leave the city. I will also inform the Imperial City Department about this and ask them to help."
Both nodded.
Only by doing this can we guard against villains. In recent years, there have been many traitors in the Song Dynasty who surrendered to the enemy and betrayed the country, so we had to guard against them.
(End of chapter)
