There was total silence on the school grounds.
Those straw men were already in pieces.
A pit was left on the spot, with straw and sawdust scattered everywhere.
Amidst the flying dust, the craftsman at the front who lit the fuse could even feel the dust blowing towards his face.
A large number of craftsmen gathered behind them, wanting to gather around to watch the fun, but were stopped by the Imperial Guards.
Zeng Gongliang and others opened their mouths wide and looked at all this in disbelief.
As members of the Firearms Department, except for Zeng Gongliang, they were basically officials and craftsmen of the Guangbei Siege Bureau.
Naturally, they knew the power of firearms.
Even if it were a thunderbolt fireball, loaded with three or four kilograms of gunpowder and thrown out, there would probably be no movement at all.
Because the thunderbolt fireball hurts people firstly by the ceramic tiles, and secondly by the poison inside. After exploding, poisonous smoke will emit, so it can be used to attack cities.
In history, when Zhao Guangyi destroyed the Northern Han Dynasty, he used this thing to attack the city, and he put it in a catapult and smashed it out.
But the power caused by this pound of gunpowder is far greater than the thunderbolt fireball, and is even several times more lethal than all the gunpowder weapons currently produced by the Song Dynasty Ordnance Institute.
If all other firearms used this kind of gunpowder, their power would be unknown. If it were made into a bomb that could be thrown, then...
this is too scary.
At this moment, everyone's faces were full of shock, surprised that black powder could be so lethal.
Only Zhao Jun managed to remain satisfied.
The firearms of the Song Dynasty have never been very powerful, although there are many styles and types.
However, the lethality is impressive, but the actual effect is not as good as that of cold weapons, so its development has been limited.
So what are the reasons for this?
There are two reasons for this. One is that it is flashy and adds some messy things to the gunpowder, which reduces the power of the gunpowder itself and stagnates the manufacturing and development of firearms.
The second is that the ratio of gunpowder is wrong. According to the "Wu Jing Zong Yao" records, the proportions of nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal at that time were 50.6%, 26.6%, and 22.8%. Coupled with a small amount of other things, the gunpowder produced is naturally less powerful and can basically only be used to set off fireworks.
For these two reasons, firearms manufacturing can be said to be difficult.
This is a question without a good foundation. It is like calculating an arithmetic problem. What you have learned is that one plus one equals three, so no matter how you calculate, the final answer will be wrong.
Under this circumstance, even if muskets and artillery are developed in the future, firing gunpowder with the wrong purity and proportion will not cause much damage.
Therefore, the emergence of Zhao Jun was equivalent to directly filling in the missing foundation, directly saving hundreds of years of gunpowder research and development time in the Song Dynasty.
And the power is the limit of black powder.
During the Anti-Japanese War, our army's grenades were also made of black powder, with a loading capacity of about 750 grams.
However, due to the shortage of supplies in the anti-war zone, the amount of gunpowder loaded on grenades will also be short, not to mention that egg whites will be used to make more powerful granular gunpowder.
Therefore, the current power it can produce is actually better than the grenades during our Anti-Japanese War.
At least once the finished product is made, it will be much more lethal than the anti-war grenade.
Although it is not as good as chemical explosives, in the era of cold weapons, there should be no problem with pure dimensionality reduction strikes and bullying of Xixia and Liao.
The only trouble is that it costs a lot of money.
This was not an era when there was an abundant supply of eggs for later generations. According to the Records of Food and Goods in the History of the Song Dynasty, in the early period from Song Zhenzong to Song Renzong, due to the end of the Little Ice Age and the just-completed agricultural revolution of Champa Rice, prices were relatively low.
The price of rice fluctuates greatly, about 1,000-100 yuan per kilo, and the price of eggs basically fluctuates between 12-50 yuan per kilo.
In the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, one pound was about 640 grams. Based on the weight of each egg of 50 grams, it was basically one to five cents each. Considering that the price of rice in Bianliang during the Jingyou Year was around 300 Wen per stone, an egg could buy a pound of rice when it was expensive.
Therefore, if all granular gunpowder is used, the cost will still be very high.
When Zeng Gongliang told Zhao Jun this problem, Zhao Jun pondered for a while and said: "From now on, ordinary firearms will use ordinary pure black powder, and only granular black powder will be used when making hand grenades."
"What's a grenade?"
Zeng Gongliang was quite puzzled.
Zhao Jun explained, and then said: "The secret recipe of black powder must be kept secret. It must not be known to the enemy, otherwise it will be used against us. Now only you know it, I know it, and the craftsman. If it gets spread, you Both the craftsman and the craftsman will lose their heads."
Zeng Gongliang rolled his eyes, then why can't he lose his head?
But he also knew that what Zhao Jun said was right, so he nodded and said: "Yes."
Zhao Jun then waved to the craftsman to come over.
The craftsman was still in shock from the explosion just now. When he saw Zhao Jun recruiting him, he quickly came over.
He was about forty years old and well-dressed. Handicraft workers in the Song Dynasty were relatively profitable. Craftsmen like them also had three or four incomes a month, and they made a lot of money.
From Zeng Gongliang's attitude towards Zhao Jun, he knew that the person in front of him was a high official, so he nodded and bowed and said, "A high official."
"This is Song Guogong."
Zeng Gongliang introduced: "Now we are in charge of political governance."
The craftsman was startled at first, then quickly bowed his hands and said, "I have seen Zhiyuan before."
Although he was working in the Guangbei Siege Bureau, the craftsmen at that time were not imprisoned in prison. They went back to their respective homes after get off work. Naturally, they knew the news about the Bianliang city and the famous name of the magistrate today.
"Um."
Zhao Jun nodded and said, "What's your name?"
"The villain's name is Li Cheng. Because he ranks second, everyone calls me Li Erlang."
Li Cheng answered honestly.
"good."
Zhao Jun said: "From now on, you will be the ninth grade of the Firearms Department's Gunpowder Supervision Team. From today on, you are the only one allowed to know the formula of gunpowder. Even if the rest of the people prepare the gunpowder, you must let them do the process separately."
Li Cheng was overjoyed at first, because although this supervisor only had the position of squad leader, he had also reached a higher level. He was not an official or a craftsman, but a real official. He would also be able to wear blue official uniforms in the future.
But he turned around and wondered: "Zhiyuan, the gunpowder process is very simple. Even if the processes are separated, experienced people can probably make it just by looking at the raw materials. If you meet someone who is interested, find someone who has made the process separately. Ask the craftsmen and the ingredients can be gathered.”
"Well."
Zhao Jun thought that this was indeed the case.
Pure black gunpowder has a total of three raw materials, and the proportions are fixed. Even if there are three separate processes, one each for saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal, the workers know the proportions and can just ask them separately.
The Liao Kingdom and Xixia had many spies in the Song Dynasty. Once the black powder showed its ability on the battlefield that far exceeded the previous Song Dynasty firearms, the enemy would soon notice it.
Unless the craftsmen are locked up, they are not allowed to have contact with the outside world.
Thinking of this, Zhao Jun turned to Zeng Gongliang and said: "Mr. Ming Zhong, can you open an independent courtyard group in the east workshop to house the craftsmen and their families, and be protected by the army on the outside? They are not allowed to go out, but a street market can be formed in the workshop? "
"What do you mean by the president to gather the craftsmen together?"
Zeng Gongliang asked.
"Um."
Zhao Jun nodded: "All supplies are delivered from outside, and news is isolated from the inside and outside. The food, clothing, housing and transportation in the factory are all provided by the court. Schools can even be built to allow workers' children to attend for free."
This is the factory model of later generations.
In the 1970s and 1980s, many old factories were independent kingdoms within themselves. They had all the facilities and workers did not need to go out. There were also affiliated kindergartens, primary schools, junior high schools, and high schools, which covered almost all the needs of the workers.
"good."
Zeng Gongliang nodded and said: "It's just the cost required."
"I will ask Prime Minister Cai to approve it."
Zhao Jun said.
Ordnance supplies also belong to military expenditures. The military expenditures of the Song Dynasty were the largest part, and this is not bad.
With Zhao Jun's promise, Zeng Gongliang said: "I will take care of this matter."
"Then there is Mr. Lao Mingzhong."
Zhao Jun nodded.
Then, under the leadership of Zeng Gongliang, he inspected other places in the Firearms Department.
Due to the attention of the imperial court, the Firearms Department was separated from the Ordnance Institute and placed directly under the Constitutional Yuan, and a lot of territory was allocated on the original basis.
And many departments have been added, such as raw material department, R&D department, manufacturing department, demonstration department and so on.
There is even military protection on the outside, which shows how much the Constitutional Yuan attaches importance to firearms.
Basically, with relatively high-purity black powder, we will continue to develop muskets and artillery in the future, and we will be able to create more and better new weapons in the future.
After inspecting the Firearms Department, we returned to the Constitutional Yuan at around 1 p.m.
The morning's official business has been mostly handled. After lunch, the old men are either resting or continuing to work. The Political Yuan is as quiet as a leisurely summer time.
However, the weather has not been good recently. It has been gloomy and it looks like it is going to rain. Even at noon, the clouds have covered the sky. It is not as hot and depressing as in summer.
Back in the courtyard, Fan Zhongyan greeted him. Zhao Jun knew that he might have something to say to him, so he stopped packing his laptop and preparing to go to the back garden to teach the children, and walked with him in the yard.
Although the Zhizhiyuan is the back pavilion of the Daqing Palace, there are large courtyards on the left and right, called the East and West Erqiao. There are also small courtyards in the courtyard with towering trees. Two people can walk slowly under the corridor together.
"The matter is almost done. Now the evil forces in Bianliang have been almost wiped out, and the remaining people have all hid underground."
Fan Zhongyan put his hands behind his back and said like a little old man.
Zhao Jun nodded and said: "The soil for these people's survival above has been cleared, and it's time to start taking action below."
"How prepared are you?"
Fan Zhongyan asked.
He didn't arrange these things as deeply as Zhao Jun.
At least he didn't send an undercover agent down.
Now I can say that I have a dark eye on what is below, and I don’t know anything.
Zhao Jun said: "My people drew a lot of maps and sent them up. All the strongholds have been clearly marked, and the places where the victims were detained have also been found. It is not peaceful down there now, and there is serious internal fighting among them."
"Are they fighting among themselves too?"
Fan Zhongyan was surprised.
Zhao Jun smiled and said: "They have all been swept down, and the supplies inside will be relatively scarce."
"What to do with the victims?"
Fan Zhongyan sighed.
Zhao Jun said: "According to the reports from my people, there is nothing serious for the time being. The victims are their cash cows and their hostages. They also hope that they will come out to cause trouble after the news has passed, and will not kill others immediately. But it will not necessarily happen if it takes a long time. , once the shortage of supplies is so severe that even they themselves have nothing to eat, let alone ordinary people."
"How long can they hold on?"
"I guess two or three months will be no problem. They say it's because of a shortage of supplies. In fact, they have stored a lot of food down there, so it won't be a problem to survive for a year or two. The main reason is that those who just went down were unprepared and went up in a hurry. If tens of thousands of people flee, it will definitely put pressure on food stocks."
"Are you planning to wait until they are short of supplies before you start taking action?"
Fan Zhongyan frowned.
If we wait until that time, wouldn't the victims below be in trouble?
"No way."
Zhao Jun sighed: "Do you know why prostitution is banned in our new era?"
"Why?"
Fan Zhongyan was puzzled.
Zhao Jun said softly: "Because the most basic requirement of our country's laws is to protect people and protect people's basic rights as human beings, even if it goes against their wishes."
"do not understand."
Fan Zhongyan shook his head.
Zhao Jun said: "For example, there is a mother whose child is seriously ill and is about to die, but she has no money for treatment. Then someone offers to give her money to sleep with her, and the mother will definitely agree, so the law is We need to protect people from doing harm to themselves in this desperate situation.”
"Are you going to watch your child die? What's the point of asking for chastity at this time? If I were a mother, I would probably do the same thing."
Fan Zhongyan frowned.
"This is just an example given by an authoritative law professor named Luo Xiang. It has nothing to do with chastity."
Zhao Jun shook his head and said: "The example he gave here was sleeping with her, but in reality, the mother may be asked to do more extreme things, and the promise may not be fulfilled. Even if it is fulfilled, the mother cannot stop if she wants to. The law requires every Individuals have human rights to live, and this is the fundamental meaning of the law."
"What about the child?"
"There are always other ways, such as social assistance, charity fundraising, national medical insurance, etc."
"Can it be done?"
Fan Zhongyan thought of the Song Dynasty. Not to mention a poor mother in trouble, even some landlords and gentry with small family assets were so helpless in the face of the imperial court's excessive taxation. Many landlords and gentry rebelled, which shows that they wanted to achieve How difficult is that level?
"No matter how difficult it is, you have to work hard. Even if you don't have the conditions now, you have to move in this direction."
Zhao Jun said: "So obviously we only need to wait a few more months. It would be the best choice to attack when the internal friction below is serious due to lack of supplies and many people will die. But in order to protect the human rights of the victims, We must act in advance, and this is something that a responsible and effective government must consider."
"I see."
Fan Zhongyan nodded, and his frown eased.
He and Zhao Jun mean the same thing.
Even if now is indeed not a good time to attack by force, because the terrain below is too complicated, not only will the officers and soldiers cause damage to themselves, but once the opponent breaks into pieces and flees, the government will not be able to turn over the entire Bianliang sewer. Again.
At that time, a large number of gangsters will escape, and may even run out of Bianliang and go to other places to commit crimes, causing serious public security problems throughout Gyeonggi Road.
But as Zhao Jun said.
The beasts below are not human, but the victims are living people.
A responsible government must protect the basic human rights of the victims below to survive.
Then they have no choice but to take action in advance, otherwise the longer they delay, the more likely they are to take action.
"Now is the time."
Zhao Jun pondered for a while, and then said: "I will take a leave of absence from Your Majesty later. Without further ado, we will officially start the operation tonight. We will gather in Kaifeng Mansion to discuss the battle plan. No one else is allowed to do this except me. Tell anyone else, and don't give them a chance to know in advance."
"good."
Fan Zhongyan finally waited for this moment and became a little excited.
He had served as the governor of Kaifeng for more than a year. His biggest regret was that he had not dealt with the silverfish in Kaifeng and below.
Now Zhao Jun's three-step plan has reached the second step. Even if the underground can't be completely wiped out, at least a large number of victims must be rescued and then slowly cleaned up. It is better than them still living a life worse than death underground. Life!
(End of chapter)
