Not only were they accompanied by members of the Western Expedition, but also hundreds of camels and horses.
These horses and camels carry a lot of cargo.
It's not that they want to do business along the way, but they are used to reward the local barbarians in the Western Regions.
As for the purpose, it is to enable these Xianbei people in Liaozhou to marry local Hu women.
Regarding the migration of Zhu Hu and Liu Yi, Liu Yu basically moved the young and strong, leaving behind mainly the old, weak and women.
The accompanying items are nothing more than some common things in the Central Plains such as salt, cane sugar and iron pots.
However, once these ordinary things arrive in the Western Region, they are more precious than gold and silver.
Just the salt that is necessary every day is a very precious thing for people in the Western Region.
With table salt, it can not only replenish the salt content of food, but also preserve the local meat and milk for a long time.
Just like the Central Plains has a way to store food, it can be used to prepare for famines.
And the high-grade sucrose brought from the Central Plains, white sugar, was something that had never been seen in the Western Regions.
Liu Yu believed that as soon as sugar appeared in the tribe of the Western Regions, it would definitely become the top luxury product.
As for iron pots and the like, they are also necessary for people in the Western Regions to live, but they are things that cannot be made by themselves.
The rewards given to the people of the Western Regions by the Han Dynasty's Western Expedition Guarding Corps were very generous and practical.
Liu Yu believed that only by clearing the way for these things could the border guarding regiments be able to marry into the local area smoothly.
Another migration to the grassland officially started with these five hundred people.
Luoyang.
Liu Yu came to the weapons workshop outside Luoyang City.
The weapons workshop originally located in the back garden of the palace has already expanded several times.
The land in the city was really not enough, so Liu Yu specially ordered people to open up a piece of wasteland outside the city.
A site specifically used as a weapons workshop.
The weapons workshop is surrounded by patrolling soldiers and the sentries are heavily guarded.
Without a pass order, no one is allowed to come or go at will.
Liu Yu, accompanied by Xi Jian, Zhao Kun, Huan Wen and others, came to the weapons workshop early in the morning.
Because yesterday the workshop supervisor reported that he had completed the tasks assigned by Liu Yu before.
The weapons workshop in Luoyang has successfully smelted brass!
Brass is by no means just a golden copper alloy.
Brass has excellent properties and is the most suitable copper alloy for making artillery.
Therefore, after brass is further smelted into alloys, it has another name, and that is gun metal.
As the name suggests, it is copper specially used to make artillery.
Liu Yu and his party came to the artillery workshop.
The director of the Arms Department, who had been waiting here for a long time, immediately came over to greet him.
"I have met your Majesty!"
"Get up, no need to be polite!"
Liu Yu always didn't care about etiquette towards these newly promoted technical officials.
As long as the assigned tasks can be completed, any red tape is simply useless waste.
"Where is the gunmetal? Show it to me quickly!" Liu Yu glanced around.
Soon, Huang Shi, the director of the Arms Department, ordered someone to bring in a very small artillery piece.
When Liu Yu saw it, his eyes widened immediately, showing an expression of surprise.
There is no way.
The artillery in front of me is so beautiful.
The whole body has a bright yellow metallic luster, exuding an extraordinary charm.
"So young?" Zhao Kun, who was standing next to him, frowned and complained.
He was telling the truth.
The golden bronze cannon in front of me is only two feet long and as thick as a wine bowl.
As for the shells fired, they are not as big as an egg.
Compared with the Hongyi cannon equipped by Liu Yu, this is simply a child's toy.
"General, don't underestimate this artillery. Although it is small in size, it is powerful. The amount of gunpowder it can load is twice that of an ordinary copper cannon of the same size!" Huang Shi said.
"Double?" When Zhao Kun heard this, he paid more attention to it.
With the same weight, if it can be loaded with twice the gunpowder, it will have twice the power.
Can hit farther and stronger.
"It's no use talking anymore, give it a try!"
Liu Yu said.
Soon, Huang Shi, the supervisor of the Arms Department, led a group of craftsmen and pushed the small artillery to a shooting range.
Liu Yu and others watched from the rear.
"Bang!"
With a loud bang, the short and powerful brass cannon showed its terrifying power.
The scarecrows wearing iron armor in front of them all had their armor broken and scattered on the ground.
"Your Majesty, this power is extraordinary!" Xi Jian said from the side.
"Yeah, but that's exactly why I asked them to study brass cannons!" Liu Yu said with a smile.
Although the original thousand-pound cannon was quite powerful, it was too bulky and difficult to transport.
Once you encounter bad road conditions, you simply cannot move.
And on the ever-changing battlefield, there is even less mobility.
Therefore, Liu Yu wanted an artillery that could be deployed and moved with the army.
This required a lighter, more powerful brass cannon.
"Your Majesty, with such sharp weapons, let alone armored heavy cavalry and heavy infantry, even thick shields and human walls are just a bunch of targets!" Zhao Kun said with a smile.
Under the command of Huang Shi, the superintendent of weapons, the small brass cannon demonstrated mobile deployment and fired again.
In just one stick of incense, this brass cannon completed three mobile deployments.
If this were on a real battlefield, it would be enough to complete three attacks!
"Your Majesty, with such a magical weapon, the Han army can really move forward!" Huan Wen also said.
Liu Yu nodded with satisfaction and said to Huang Shi, the superintendent of weapons.
"It's very well done, I am very satisfied!"
"According to the current production, how many artillery pieces can be produced in two months?"
Liu Yu kept asking questions.
Huang Shi thought for a moment, "Your Majesty, you can make up to twenty five-foot cannons, and you can also make twenty three-foot cannons!"
The firearms of the Han Dynasty are called by their appearance, not by their caliber.
"This quantity is not much. In two months, it is only this much?" Liu Yu said.
Huang Shi was also a little helpless, "Your Majesty, there are really too few craftsmen under the official's command, and they are all working. If there are more, I am afraid there will be quality defects."
Liu Yu understood this situation.
The entire Han craftsman group is almost in a situation where there are not enough people.
There were not many smelting craftsmen located in Luoyang area.
As for craftsmen who are skilled in smelting weapons, there is even less of them.
"In this case, don't be anxious and ensure the quality first!" Liu Yu said.
Twenty five-foot cannons and twenty three-foot cannons were manufactured in two months, although the output was not very high.
However, it should be enough to form a trial army by then.
As for which poor enemies they are, Liu Yu needs to think carefully.
