This day is an exciting day for Shenji Camp.
The current emperor personally visited the Shenji Camp. This was the first time since the Shenji Camp was established.
There is no need to mention the solemn arrangements and tight security in the past few days. It is only said that it is the southernmost high platform on the main campus of the Japanese God Machine Camp.
Emperor Ningkang sat majestically, with the prince, the third prince, Princess Zhaoyang and the fourth prince on either side of him. Under the stage, there were the solemn and solemn Long Jin Lieutenant and the Imperial Guard officers and soldiers.
Jia Lian confirmed that everything was ready, quickly stepped onto the dragon platform, and asked for instructions with a military salute: "Your Majesty, three new artillery pieces and 300 targets have been arranged. Please order the ignition!"
After hearing this, Emperor Ningkang stepped down from the dragon chair, stood on the edge of the high platform, and looked up.
A hundred meters away in front of him, three huge artillery pieces were arrayed. Farther in front of the artillery pieces, a square area was vaguely visible. Perhaps because of years of reviewing memorials, his vision was not so clear and he could only roughly identify the targets stuck in the ground.
Emperor Ning Kang stood there, not knowing what he was thinking. After a while, he heard his calm instructions: "Light the fire."
Following his words, the imperial guards on both sides immediately gathered around a line of ten people. They held shields in front of Emperor Ning Kang. They were obviously not at ease with something as powerful as artillery but something they were not familiar with.
Seeing that his vision was blocked, Emperor Ningkang showed displeasure: "Get out of the way."
The general responsible for the emperor's safety quickly moved people away, and his vigilance remained unchanged. Then Jia Lian stood at the edge of the dragon platform and waved to his subordinates.
The gunners below, who received Jia Lian's order, immediately suppressed their anxiety and excitement and moved quickly.
"Boom boom boom..."
“Peng Peng Peng!
! "
Along with three huge sounds, even the earth seemed to tremble.
Even Emperor Ningkang almost couldn't help but take a step back. He immediately calmed down and looked suspiciously at the smoke rising into the sky in the distance...
When Jia Lian saw that the test was successful, a smile appeared on his face, and he immediately ordered the audience: "Collect the destroyed targets and show them to your Majesty!"
"slow!"
Emperor Ningkang stopped shouting, "I'll go and see it myself."
Upon hearing this, the prince immediately said: "Father, guns have no eyes. It was really inappropriate for my father to go over. It is better to ask Zhenyuan Marquis to collect the target."
"No need to say more."
In Emperor Ning Kang's impression, no matter how powerful the cannon was, it was just an iron egg that could cause devastating damage to the city wall. But like today, the scene of a huge fire and smoke after being fired was beyond his expectation.
Therefore, he wanted to see for himself how destructive this thing was. Move the target over, what can you see?
Jia Lian greatly admired Emperor Ning Kang's courage and naturally had no objection. He just ordered his men to turn the muzzle of the cannon to the west. Even if he knew that the possibility of accidental fire and accidental damage was basically zero, it would be disrespectful to point the black rumbling muzzle at the emperor.
A moment later, Emperor Ning Kang stood in the middle of the shooting range where the fiery temperature still remained, with a deep expression on his face. The prince and others, however, could not help but show a bit of astonishment.
Just because I looked around, I saw that the new targets that should have been densely packed were already shaky or even dilapidated. Centered on three dark circular pits that did not form a formation, they spread out in all directions.
Although most of the three hundred targets still appear to be standing upright, they are basically damaged. A rough estimate is that if these targets are all soldiers, not more than half of them can still maintain combat effectiveness after these three shots!
Seeing that this result exceeded the previous training standards, Jia Lian smiled even more.
He also didn't expect that the artillery, which he thought was more difficult, so he didn't rush to study it, would actually make greater progress than the muskets!
It was an unexpected joy. It also means that artillery loaded with explosive bombs will truly begin to dominate the future battlefield.
Speaking of which, it is not that explosive bombs have never appeared before, but most of them were short-lived and then abandoned because of their extremely inferior launch methods or huge drawbacks.
Not long ago, a craftsman from the Artillery Bureau of Shenji Camp came to him excitedly and said that he had thought of a way to develop what he had said before, the kind that would be launched, explode when it hits the ground, and then use the fragments to kill enemies in large numbers. of cannonballs.
Jia Lian originally listened to his description with doubts, but after listening to it, he felt that it was indeed feasible.
After making a batch according to the method, I found that it was unexpectedly stable! That's right, the most important thing for a shell is stability. Otherwise, wouldn't it be embarrassing if it exploded in the barrel before it was fired?
According to the historical data that Jia Lian consulted, there were many such things. This is the main reason why neither the previous dynasty nor this dynasty used explosive bullets.
Therefore, after repeated trials and feeling that the safety was guaranteed, Jia Lian couldn't wait to report to Ming Ning Kangdi.
Because Jia Lian felt that with this leap-forward progress, the Wei Dynasty was enough to carry out the interests of the Age of Discovery like the "Red Barbarians" (the collective name for the early maritime colonists of Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands in the previous and current dynasties). The competition was over.
Emperor Ningkang, who also wanted to achieve a great imperial career, immediately decided to come and see for himself after hearing Jia Lian's solemn introduction. This led to today's trip.
Seeing that Emperor Ning Kang was obviously shocked by the effect of the new artillery, Jia Lian added angrily: "Your Majesty, this new artillery has just been renovated, and there are only three of them at present.
But His Majesty should have also seen that just three artillery pieces, facing a concentrated enemy, were able to cause massive damage.
It is not difficult to deduce that if there are thirty or even three hundred such artillery, all arranged in formation, then it can be said that we, the Wei Dynasty, will have no opponent in the battle on the plains! Whether it is the Oara and Tatars in the north, or the sea robbers from the far west, they can only bow before me, the Wei Dynasty! "
】
Jia Lian's words fell into the ears of the people around him. Some caused a huge shock, while others felt nothing at all. After all, to many people, Wei was originally invincible.
Emperor Ningkang was not so short-sighted. Although he lived deep in the palace every day, he was diligent and could still roughly understand the situation of the entire Wei Dynasty.
Apart from anything else, the memorials sent to him by officials from Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian contained a lot of information about "red barbarians" and "Japanese pirates." Emperor Ningkang had long wanted to eliminate banditry at sea, but he had been unable to do so because of limited energy.
So after listening to Jia Lian's words, Emperor Ning Kang was silent for a moment and asked, "Does this new cannon have a name?"
"We are developing firearms under His Majesty's order. We dare not change the name without permission. Please give us a name by Your Majesty!"
In fact, Jia Lian never thought of changing the name, because this time the cannon shells were upgraded, and the cannon was still based on the previous best Franco cannon with slight improvements.
Emperor Ningkang said: "Since you said that this cannon can deter Tatars, Oaras, and red barbarian bandits in the north, then I will give it the name 'Zhenyuan Cannon'. I hope that in the hands of my great Wei, this cannon can really make the four sides surrender." "
"Your Majesty is holy."
Seeing Emperor Ning Kang smile at the end of his words, the prince and others immediately came to flatter him. At the same time, they all glanced at Jia Lian with complicated expressions.
Of course they knew that Jia Lian's title was "Zhenyuan", and they didn't know what Emperor Ning Kang meant by this move. But considering that this new cannon was originally made in the hands of Jia Lian, it is reasonable for Emperor Ning Kang to name it after Jia Lian.
In the process of returning to Longtai, the fourth prince quietly walked up to Jia Lian and whispered: "You are really shameless. You have such a powerful thing, but you only gave me such a small thing last time... I can see this cannon. It’s quite interesting, Peng~~ is full of sparks, why don’t you give me another one to play with?”
"Fourth brother, don't mess around. Such ferocious things are extraordinary. How can they be used as playthings?"
The third prince walked forward and chuckled softly. After saying that, he looked at Jia Lian: "Zhenyuan Hou is really a capable minister of our Wei Dynasty. The Zhenyuan Cannon developed this time will definitely enhance the prestige of our Wei Dynasty. By then, Zhenyuan Hou will add another stroke to the history of Qing Dynasty. "
Speaking of this, the third prince suddenly thought that for Jia Lian, there was no doubt that Qing Shi was famous. His heroic deeds spread all over the world are enough.
But if he, a majestic prince, cannot succeed in seizing the direct heir, there will not be many records in the history books, let alone the history. Perhaps, there are only a few words such as "Wei Yan, the third son of Emperor Ningkang of the Wei Dynasty, once competed with Emperor So-and-so (the title of the emperor of the eldest prince) to win the title of heir, but failed and died."
In this way, he, a prince, is not even as good as a minister. Therefore, regardless of success or failure, you must do a few things vigorously. Even if you leave a bad reputation in the end, it is better than having no one care about you.
When Jia Lian faced the compliment from the third prince, he immediately said humbly: "The third prince has given you too much praise. It is already a great honor for a minister to serve the court and be loyal to His Majesty. As for whether he can leave his name in history, I don't think so. It’s under consideration.”
"Hahaha, the Marquis of Zhenyuan is upright and honorable, and he shows his magnanimity. Unlike some people who are busy looking for chapters and excerpts all day long, doing things that are bright and poor, but always want to leave a name in history, haha."
The prince also came over.
The third prince looked at him and suddenly said: "The elder brother is right. Brother Cai also said that Marquis Zhenyuan is not only a capable minister of our Wei Dynasty, but also a loyal minister, and he is also a loyal minister who dares to give direct advice and is not afraid of power. ."
As he said that, the third prince looked at Jia Lian and said approvingly: "Last time, the sons of the clan criticized the government and slandered the king and father. If Zhenyuan Hou had not been resolute and insisted on handing them over to his father, they would have escaped punishment. Until now, Those unfilial sons are still reflecting in the Ancestral Temple. All these are due to Marquis Zhenyuan, and I admire him very much for this. I think that other ministers would not be so loyal and upright."
The third prince's words made Jia Lian narrow his eyes, and he naturally understood that this was to give him some eye candy in the prince's mind.
The prince's expression also changed slightly. The incident of the clan members criticizing the government had really troubled him for a long time. Even to this day, he didn't know whether Emperor Ning Kang was still angry with him. Seriously, this trouble was indeed caused by Jia Lian...
Jia Lian didn't even need to look at the prince's expression to know that the prince had some grudge against him. After all, the prince had come forward to resolve the conflict between him and Wei Xian, but he still arrested a group of clan members led by Wei Xian and others. After all, he did not consider the prince's face...
"The Third Highness is ridiculous. Not to mention that the Fourth Highness was present at what happened that day. I was just following orders. Even if I was alone at the time or if other courtiers were present, I am afraid the result would be the same.
Those who serve as ministers should put loyalty to the emperor first. This has been the eternal truth throughout the ages. Therefore, even if His Highness the Crown Prince was not present that day, if he had been there, there would be no need to ask His Majesty for instructions. His Highness the Crown Prince would personally deal with those people and severely punish them. In this way, those clan members were lucky enough to meet the easy-to-talk Fourth Highness. "
Next to him, the fourth prince listened to his brothers playing riddles. Although he didn't understand much, he found it quite interesting. In Jia Lian's heart, am I really easy to talk to? Well, that's probably the case. I am a person who is good at accepting advice and obedient like water.
The prince also realized at this time that he could not play into the scheme of the third prince, so he said in a deep voice: "Marquis Zhenyuan said it right. If I had been there that day, I would have made that bastard shed a layer of skin to relieve his hatred. Now I just call him They reflect in the Ancestral Temple, and it is indeed an advantage for them!"
The third prince smiled slightly, turned around and walked away.
Seeing the third prince retreating, the prince only gave some encouragement and gave up. Princess Zhaoyang, on the other hand, quietly gave Jia Lian an approving look after the two brothers' attention was gone. She didn't know if she was praising him for developing a new cannon or praising him for surviving the attack between the two princes. Lost game.
Jia Lian and others didn't even notice that while they were talking, Emperor Ning Kang in front deliberately slowed down.
After arriving at the Dragon Platform and returning to their respective positions, Emperor Ningkang called Jia Lian forward and said, "I heard by chance before that your ancestors also made great achievements in maritime affairs?"
"Your Majesty, I can't talk about achievements. It's just that when my great-grandfather was still alive, my great-grandfather was kind and gave him an honorary position after he was too old to go to the battlefield. At that time, he mainly built coastal defenses in the Huaihe and Zhejiang areas. Repair the seawall and build ships.
Later, my great-grandfather passed away, and my family gradually became less involved in maritime affairs. "
Emperor Ningkang pondered for a moment after hearing the words, "I heard you say before that the reason why those red barbarians were able to arrive at the sea border of Wei Dynasty from thousands of miles away to cause chaos was because of their strong ships and powerful cannons. Also, He said that only if this artillery can be mounted on a large ship can it display its true power, and this is true."
When Jia Lian heard what Emperor Ningkang meant, he couldn't hold back his joy, and immediately said: "Your Majesty, that's exactly what happened. Although the artillery is very powerful, far more powerful than ordinary military weapons, it is not only huge in size, but also extremely heavy. .In a land war, relocation is a huge problem.
But it will be much more convenient if it is placed on the boat. As long as there is any place in the world connected by water, you can go there. "
With that said, Jia Lian further said: "Your Majesty, the reason why those red barbarians are now only making trouble on the islands in the South China Sea and not entering our country is not because they don't want to or dare not, but because they come from afar and are in our country." There was no effective force gathered on the side of Wei's couch.
Once we, the Wei Dynasty, leave it alone, in at least a few decades, or at most, a hundred years, these red barbarians will become a serious problem for our Wei Dynasty! For the long-term plan of the Wei Dynasty, I once again implore Your Majesty to develop the navy, not to completely eradicate the red barbarian troubles, but at least to cut off their wings and roots in the sea around our Wei Dynasty!
"
Jia Lian's words are certainly tacit.
In fact, the Western powers did not become established in a day. This process can be said to be very slow, so slow that the great powers such as Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom alternated between the old and the new, and the strength and weakness. This process took hundreds of years.
According to Jia Lian's speculation based on the current situation, these small countries still have at least two to three hundred years to go before they have sufficient capabilities to threaten the vast Wei Dynasty!
Of course, he was speculating based on the situation in his previous life, and did not rule out the premise that something happened in the West that led to the advancement of the Industrial Revolution.
But anyway, it’s better to prepare early. He spoke faster just to attract the attention of Emperor Ning Kang and others.
Sure enough, both Emperor Ningkang and the prince and others frowned when Jia Lian said this. Emperor Ningkang was okay. He not only heard Jia Lian say it once, but he also considered it in many ways. However, the prince and others felt that Jia Lian was exaggerating.
Hongyi is a small country in the West, with a population of only a million...
Before the prince and others could raise questions, Emperor Ning Kang had already made a decision.
"Jia Lian."
"I'm here."
"I want to send you to Tianjin Guard to build a seaport and supervise the construction of warships. I wonder if you are willing?"
"I accept the decree!"
Jia Lian's answer was so fast that Emperor Ningkang couldn't help but said: "Although Tianjin Wei is not far from the capital, it still takes a day to travel. You don't even think about it?"
"Being able to serve His Majesty is my duty. I only need to obey your will and do not need to think too much about anything else."
Emperor Ningkang snorted. Although he could see that Jia Lian wanted to gain the reputation of loyalty, it was very rare to be able to do so. How could he not know that few officials in the capital were willing to be transferred to endure hardships, let alone a wealthy child like Jia Lian who came from an honorable family?
This is actually the reason why it is difficult for Xunmen's children to hold big positions, and why he doesn't like Xunmen's children. They are all used to being rich and honorable.
So he added: "Tianjin Guards has a navy. I will order you to concurrently serve as the commander-in-chief of the Tianjin Guards Navy. The prime minister will supervise the construction of warships. If you need anything you need, you can request it from the Ministry of War or ask me directly. Can."
As soon as Emperor Ning Kang said this, everyone fell silent.
It is enough to give Jia Lian an official position. It is not surprising that a talented minister who can please the emperor can be promoted to an official position. What is noteworthy is that later, what does it mean that everything you need can be transferred to the Ministry of War or asked directly from him?
This seems to mean, as long as you want it, I will give it to you. If the Ministry of War cannot give it, I will give it to you, so you don’t have to worry!
Father is serious about this.
The princes couldn't sit still.
The third prince came out first: "Father, although the development of artillery and the use of strong ships and cannons to resist the red barbarians were proposed by Zhenyuan Marquis, there is nothing wrong with my father using him.
But after all, Zhenyuan Marquis already had two roles. If more missions were sent, even if Zhenyuan Marquis had three heads and six arms, he would still be unable to do what he wanted.
If the father can trust his son, the son is willing to share the worries of the father and personally go to Tianjin Wei General to take charge of this matter! "
Just from Emperor Ningkang's attitude towards this matter, the third prince knew that this was a great opportunity.
The prince still has the responsibility of supervising the country, but he has nothing to do in Beijing. If this matter can be accomplished, or if it is done in accordance with Emperor Ning Kang's wishes, it will be helpful to the great cause.
Seeing that the third prince was so determined to go to Tianjin Guards in person, the prince couldn't sit still.
But he was the prince and could not leave the capital, so he hurriedly said: "Third brother, you are too impatient. You yourself said that the Zhenyuan cannon was developed by Zhenyuan Marquis. Even the strong ship and sharp cannon were said by Zhenyuan. Marquis proposed it, but now you rush to seize the job before Marquis Zhenyuan, which is not in line with the royal style."
"As long as I can share the burden for my father and get things done, there is no need to talk about grabbing or not grabbing. Besides, I am also considering the overall situation. If Zhenyuan Hou really holds three positions, or two places, what will happen because of overwork? If it goes wrong, wouldn’t it be a huge loss for our great Wei Dynasty?”
Although Jia Lian also felt that what the third prince had done was extremely shameless, he could not say anything in the face of the fight between the two princes and could only watch silently.
"enough!"
Emperor Ningkang originally thought it was reasonable after hearing what the third prince said. But seeing the two princes arguing on the spot, he immediately gave up the idea.
These two unworthy things, if they want to fight, let's fight in the capital to see what they can achieve.
So he asked Jia Lian: "What do you think?"
Of course, Jia Lian felt that it was not difficult to hold three jobs, and even wanted to have as many as possible. After all, it was not a job to go to work on time.
But even though the third prince said so, he still said sincerely: "I am willing to listen to your Majesty's arrangements."
"That's it, that's it. If you really feel that you are unable to do anything, just write to me again." How could Emperor Ning Kang not know that Jia Lian's several positions, except for the Military and Horse Department, which may have some daily official duties to deal with, other Both are decided by him.
He doesn't have this kind of coordination ability, so there is no need for him to have so many expectations.
Jia Lian, who originally thought he would be deprived of at least one position, also became happy and thanked him: "I obey the order."
Seeing that Emperor Ningkang seemed to be leaving, Jia Lian added, "I have one more request."
"explain."
“Your Majesty wants to develop the navy and build enough warships, so artillery, muskets, etc. are crucial.
Nowadays, the main items in the Shenji Camp are still crossbows and chariots. Wei Chen suggested that it is better to move all other items in the Shenji Camp and only keep the muskets and artillery, or move the muskets and artillery separately out of the Shenji Camp. The camp is formed into another army, which is beneficial to both parties. "
Emperor Ningkang thought for a while and said: "I will move the muskets and artillery out of the Shenji Camp, establish a firearms camp, and place it under... under the Imperial Guard. You will write a memorial to me for the specific organizational needs."
"yes."
From Emperor Ningkang's choice, we can still see that Emperor Ningkang did not fully accept his concept of firearms being king. But that's fine. One day, he will use firearms on the battlefield to change the world's concepts and let them choose between good and bad.
