Mentioning the past events of the founding of the country, especially the ancestors of the British King, this guy looked at Huang Qiong's face and then continued to say cautiously: "Except for the fact that a batch was cast during the reign of Taizu and distributed to Outside the border troops in the north and the passes around Chang'an. After Emperor Taizong came to the throne, he issued an edict to stop casting this cannon to alleviate the suffering of the people."
"So, although these cannons are powerful, they are not equipped in large quantities in the Qi army. They are mainly equipped in various areas of the border army. In addition to the Hulao Pass and Tongguan, the inland garrisons are allotted some. Each army includes Xiaoqi. Within the battalion, most of the firearms used are rockets, thunder cannons, thunderbolts, etc., some firearms that are simple to make and don’t cost much.”
"Hulao Pass is the eastern barrier of Jingzhao Mansion, so after Emperor Taizong moved the capital, he moved six 8,000-jin general cannons from the Western Capital to prepare for the defense of Jingzhao Mansion. In addition to the six cannons at Tongguan, There are also sixteen cannons left in Jingzhao Mansion to defend the capital, which are almost all the cannons issued to the inland garrison."
After hearing this guy's introduction, Huang Qiong made this comment in his heart to his ancestor. The economy was in dire straits at that time, so it was a desperate move to stop the cannon casting, which consumed a lot of copper. But after the income improved, why did it never recover?
Since it is possible to build a huge palace when moving the capital. But there is no money to make cannons. Isn’t this short-sighted? Even if it is built on the site of Luoyang Palace in the former Tang Dynasty, it will definitely cost a lot to restore such a huge palace. I'm afraid that the money is not enough to cast several thousand cannons, but it is enough to cast hundreds of cannons.
What's more, there are so many copper cranes, copper deer, copper vats, copper furnaces and other copper products cast in the palace. Why is there no copper when the cannons are cast? What is this if not giving up eating because of choking? These artillery pieces are too bulky and not conducive to mobile field operations, so you can focus on craftsmen improving them.
There are so many craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry's Ordnance Supervisor and the Palace Chamberlain's Imperial Supervisor who can create them. There are so many beautifully cast and lifelike bronze cranes and deers in the palace, as well as such exquisite utensils. How can we improve cannons without the manpower? Although my ancestor was a master at playing the emperor's mind and was very good at recognizing and distinguishing people, his vision in this regard was much shorter.
However, Huang Qiong has no way to investigate whether what his ancestor did was right or wrong. But these artillery pieces were actually cast during the founding years of the People's Republic of China, which made Huang Qiong somewhat murmuring in his heart. Although these artillery pieces at least look like their casting techniques are quite particular. But after all, it has been more than a hundred years of wind and rain. Whether these artillery can still be used is a matter of course.
In her previous life, Huang Qiong was said to have studied liberal arts. But Haolai also went to high school and knew a little about metal fatigue. No matter the hard metal, no matter the casting process or the sophisticated metal equipment, they all have a service life. And these service lives are closely related to daily maintenance.
At present, these artillery are just added to Guancheng, and I am afraid they have not even been maintained. Although nothing can be seen from the outside, no one can guarantee whether there are cracks on the surface of the cannon that are invisible to the naked eye. After all, this is an old thing that is more than a hundred years old.
When the artillery is fired, it requires considerable explosiveness. Improper craftsmanship during casting and poor maintenance of the artillery will cause the barrel to explode. The artillery is not a broadsword, and even if the blade is curled, it cannot hurt others. If this thing explodes, it will not only be the artillery, but also a large area.
Huang Qiong had no idea whether these cannons, which had been cast for more than a hundred years, could explode when used now. He didn't expect that during the war, his position would be messed up by these blown-up artillery pieces. This thing is indeed very powerful against the enemy, but it is equally powerful against one's own people.
It's just that these cannons are left unused here, which makes him feel regretful that he can't use them even if they are empty weapons. After hesitating for a while, Huang Qiong finally decided to give it a try. If these cannons can still be used, then move them back to Dongguan. If these cannons really can no longer be used, then they should be put in Xiguan first.
Thinking of this, Huang Qiong pointed to a hillside outside the pass and said: "Since these cannons are so powerful and indestructible, their range can reach up to ten miles. I would also like to see the power of these cannons. In this way, If you find someone to fire off a cannon, even if you can't hit the enemy yet, can you still boost the morale of our army?"
The colleague who just showed off his knowledge of these cannons heard Huang Qiong's request. The face that was full of pride before could not help but turn into a bitter face in an instant, looking at Huang Qiong with a troubled expression. When he saw Huang Qiong's non-negotiable expression, his face was even more wrinkled.
After discussing with several military attachés around him, he turned around and knelt down directly on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly and said: "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. After these artillery were moved from Chang'an, the Western Capital. Because of Hulao Pass In more than a hundred years, there has never been a war. In addition, the sound when fired is loud and can easily disturb the people. Therefore, there has never been a cannon fired in more than a hundred years."
"In addition, the garrison in the pass is frequently mobilized. After the original old artillerymen were transferred or passed away, the Ministry of War has never replenished Hulao Pass. According to the Daqi military system, every year, the shortage of soldiers in various places is uniformly recruited by the Ministry of War. The garrison troops in various places have no right to replenish the troops without authorization. So now, no one in the entire Hulao Pass will set off such a sharp weapon."
Hearing this guy's answer, Huang Qiong couldn't help but shook his head and said: "No, you said no one in Hulao Pass can use it. Then I ask you, since no one can set it off, then the traitor will take it from Dongguan. Why move it to Xiguan? Do you know that Xiguan is the place where the imperial army must pass to suppress the rebellion? If no one knows how to use it, why would Jiang go to such trouble to move these heavy objects? "
Seeing that the King of England did not believe his words, this guy even kowtowed and said: "I don't know what the traitor general thinks when I return to the King of England. But I will soon complete my term at Hulao Pass. But I have never heard of anyone who knows how to fire cannons among the troops stationed in the pass."
"These cannons cannot be used by ordinary infantry. They require specially trained soldiers to know how to fire them. I can guarantee that since arriving at Hulao Pass, I have never seen anyone use these cannons, let alone I heard someone was trained to fire these cannons.”
After that, the guy stood up, gritted his teeth, walked to a cannon, reached out and pulled out a bird's nest: "My lord, please take a look, if these cannons have been set off recently, there will be another one there." There are birds building nests inside the cannon body."
Seeing that the guy actually took out a bird's nest from the barrel of the gun to prove his words, Huang Qiong couldn't help but feel furious. "Absurd, absurd, simply ridiculous. Those bureaucrats in the Ministry of War are incompetent, but you are stupid and incompetent. We have a weapon, but no one knows how to use it. It is worse than scrap metal."
"I heard when I was in the capital that the local guards were in disrepair. When I saw it today, it turned out to be true. Compared with the four major battalions in the capital and the border troops, there is simply a huge difference. Such sophisticated and sharp weapons have been destroyed by you. After entering the Nest of Birds and Beasts, I really don’t know what you are doing inside on weekdays? No wonder you, as fellow magistrates and military attachés, were kept in the dark until you were taken over."
When Huang Qiong got angry, all the generals from Hulaoguan who accompanied him to inspect the defenses were stared at by his cold eyes and did not dare to raise their heads. No one dared to answer his curses. To these military attachés, the prince was young, but the aura of the noble Tianhuang in his anger also made them a little timid.
Seeing that the generals did not dare to reply and looked frightened, Huang Qiong became even more angry. I feel that these military attaches stationed in Hulao Pass are not even the slightest bit worse than the soldiers of the Xiaoqi Battalion. If you can take charge of military affairs, you must train them well. If this military attaché could do this, who would dare to entrust them with important affairs of the country?
But now that the war is about to begin, no matter how much anger Huang Qiong has, he can only suppress it in his heart: "Go and check among the people in the gate to see if there are no veterans who have returned from the frontier army. If there are, ask Ask them if they will set off these cannons. When Jiang someone arrests people inside and outside the pass, he will never do it without purpose. There must be a certain reason."
After Huang Qiong's words fell, all the generals in Hulao Pass nodded hurriedly, and fled from Huang Qiong as if they were granted amnesty, and went down to the top of the city to find people. Only the colleague who was left behind looked at his colleagues who were escaping in a hurry with an envious look on his face. If Huang Qiong doesn't go down, he can't leave either. We can't leave the King of England alone on the top of the city.
After the generals in Hulao Pass left to look for the person, Huang Qiong ignored the colleague who had a chubby figure, thin skin and tender flesh, and it was obvious that he had not been beaten at first glance. Instead, they walked along Guancheng all the way to Dongguan. Looking at the mountains outside the pass, their thoughts turned to Zhengzhou. He now dared to conclude that King Jing's army should have already set off from Zhengzhou.
Zhengzhou is less than a hundred miles away from Hulao Pass, and it only takes two days of urgent marching to reach it. It has been two days since I left the Xiaoqi Camp. Although no reports have been received yet, the progress of the rebels is not yet known. But if Jiang, who was considered smart but was misled by his cleverness, could openly rebel, then King Jing's army must have been not far from Hulao Pass.
Otherwise, with this guy's ability, he shouldn't have acted so hastily. Looking at it now, I should be prepared for emergencies. It would be a big joke if King Jing were to catch him off guard. It's just that at the moment, it's not clear who will arrive first, the army under the command of Yudu or the main force of the rebels.
Now that he has no generals who can be entrusted to command this battle, Huang Qiong has a headache. Judging from the timid performance in front of him just now, all the generals at Hulao Pass can't be used. This was Huang Qiong's first thought. Facing such a cowardly prince like himself, how can these guys really hold up the situation if they are dealing with tens of thousands of rebels?
But if you don’t need them, who can you use? Zhao Wusha, who came to Hulao Pass with him, is a good candidate. But he was just a captain before, can he take on this important task? Command experience on the battlefield requires level-by-level experience. Without that person who has not even read the military book today, he will be able to command the army in battle tomorrow.
Huang Qiong is not worried about whether the generals in Hulao Pass can obey the orders of a captain. With him personally sitting here, those people wouldn't dare to do anything even if they were unconvinced. The Shang Fang sword in his hand could kill Jiang Xin, but couldn't it kill a few military attaches who disobeyed orders?
Therefore, in Huang Qiong's eyes, whether the generals at Hulao Pass can obey orders is not a big deal. For him, the key question is whether Zhao Wushu can shoulder this responsibility. One general is incompetent and the three armies are exhausted. If Zhao Wuhu cannot bear this heavy responsibility and makes mistakes in command, it will delay the great event.
