It's July, and a full month has passed since the Weishui Covenant.

During this period, the Turkic Jieli Khan wrote a letter to offer 3,000 horses and 10,000 sheep, but Li Shimin was not willing to ask the Turks to return all the people they had plundered in the Central Plains. At the same time, Wen Yanbo, who had sent an envoy to the Turks, was recruited to return to the court.

None of this has anything to do with Zhang Yunwen. At this time, he was immersed in the general prison of the Ministry of Works, discussing new methods of iron smelting with a group of veteran craftsmen. Because Zhang Yunwen wants to make better weapons, of course, he must improve the method of iron-making and smelt more high-quality steel in order to produce better weapons.

Looking at the blast furnace drawn by Zhang Yunwen on paper, the eyes of the craftsman known as Master Lu were full of surprise: "Tut, this is not a shaft furnace, I didn't expect Zhang Gongzi to even know this, it's really amazing!" ”

Zhang Yunwen was suddenly a little puzzled: "Hmm, it's called a shaft furnace?" Isn't it called a blast furnace? ”

Master Lu smiled "hehe": "I don't know about the blast furnace, but this is called a shaft furnace!" ”

"Does the prison have this furnace?"

"There's one!"

"Oh, take me there!"

When the two came to the shaft hearth, Zhang Yunwen was suddenly a little stunned. Seeing this shaft furnace, Zhang Yunwen remembered that in his previous life, he had seen the earthen furnace when he was a child when he was smelting steel, and it was no different from this.

Circling around the earthen furnace again and again, he asked the senior master Lu about each step of steelmaking in this shaft furnace, combined with the new technology of steelmaking in his previous life, Zhang Yunwen's heart suddenly became clear and knew how to improve the steelmaking process.

The first is the fuel for smelting. Nowadays, Datang smelts steel, still using charcoal as fuel, and its combustion rate is low, and what is smelted is iron, not steel.

The second is the feeding method. In later generations, iron ore, coke, and slag flux (limestone) were added to the top of the blast furnace, and preheated air was blown into the air outlet located at the bottom of the furnace along the furnace perimeter. Nowadays, no slag flux is added to the feeding, and the air blowing from the lower air outlet of the furnace is still cold air.

Finally, there is the material structure of the blast furnace.

Zhang Yunwen combined with the smelting methods of later generations, and said a few points to Master Lu, the first is to burn coal from coke into coke and add it to the shaft furnace. The second is to blow hot air into the bath vent. As for the flux for slagging, it is limestone, and when the time comes, let them pay attention to it.

However, when Master Lu heard this, he frowned and said that improving the process requires the consent of the Ministry of Engineering and the effect before deciding.

So Zhang Yunwen came out of the prison and walked all the way to the East Palace.

didn't go far, and an attendant rushed to Zhang Yunwen: "Ouch, my General Zhang, I finally found you!" Come, come with me to the Hall of Virtue, Your Majesty is looking for you everywhere! ”

Zhang Yunwen was stunned for a moment, isn't it early to go to court, what else to do?

When he came to the Xiande Palace, Li Shimin was sitting behind a few cases, looking at the scroll, as if he was pondering something.

Seeing Zhang Yunwen coming, Li Shimin beckoned: "Yunwen, come here!" ”

Zhang Yunwen stepped forward to take a look, but it was a blank piece of paper, writing the battles he had participated in and the merits he had established since he had served Li Shimin in the fourth year of Wude.

And next to it, there is a stack of papers, which is full of the merits of various heroes.

Zhang Yunwen immediately knew that this time he was probably going to be rewarded for his merits.

"Well, Yunwen, look at it, this is your merit, if you have any objections, just ask me face to face!"

took the paper, only to see that it was written: "In the fourth year of Wude, he participated in the Battle of Tiger Prison Pass, cut off the enemy's grain and grass, and captured Zhang Qingte and Dou Jiande." Initial establishment of intelligence network ......"

has been narrating to the present. I saw that at the end, it was written: "Mastering the formula of divine thunder, Xuanwu Sect is indispensable!" It has now been handed over to the imperial court! ”

Zhang Yunwen suddenly smiled dumbly, and said to Li Shimin: "Your Majesty, if you want that grenade, just talk to me directly, why bother to add it as a credit!" ”

Li Shimin suddenly smiled: "It should be, it should be!" ”

Suddenly remembering that he was going to be a prisoner, Zhang Yunwen talked about this matter and the idea of improving the weapons of the reconnaissance battalion.

After hearing this, Li Shimin pondered for a moment and said: "Since this is the case, then I will order Yunwen to take charge of the general as a prisoner, implement your ideas, and let me see the effect!" If I'm satisfied, I'll assign a separate department to your reconnaissance battalion to take care of logistics! ”

In the face of this kind of appointment, Zhang Yunwen was very grateful in his heart, so he said: "Otherwise, I will also be the supervisor of that grenade!" ”

Li Shimin nodded: "Okay, anyway, you have already done it, then just let you do it!" Hehe, when the time comes, I want this grenade, you have to get it! ”

As a result, Zhang Yunwen temporarily managed the general as a prisoner.

On the morning of the second day, all the civil and military forces arrived, and all the officials were present.

Chen Shuda stood on the steps and chanted according to the name of the will. This is in descending order of merit.

First of all, the eldest grandson Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Chigong, Li Xiaogong and others respectively sealed the prince of the country and divided the fiefdom. Next are the clan generals such as Li Shentong, Li Daoxuan, and Li Daozong. Many of them were already kings, and they could no longer be knighted, so they had to be rewarded with large sums of gold and silver. Then there are military generals such as Hou Junji, Duan Zhixuan, and Zhang Yunwen, but the knighthoods are different. Zhang Yunwen had to be the founder of the country, with 500 households, but the fief was in Taigu County, Bingzhou.

Later, Zhang Yunwen returned home, took out a roll of maps, and searched carefully for a long time before finding Taigu County under Taiyuan. Looking at the distance, I'm afraid it will take days to ride a horse. You must know that Taiyuan is Li Yuan's hometown. The original Taiyuan Li family was a big family in Taiyuan. At this time, Taiyuan was called the "northern capital", and its political status was the same as that of Luoyang, the eastern capital. Li Shimin put Zhang Yunwen's fiefdom here, but he didn't know what the meaning was.

After Chen Shuda finished reading the roster, Li Shimin said: "There may be some places where I describe the honors and other awards that are not appropriate, so let's talk about their own merits." ”

As soon as this remark fell, the Chinese Wu of the palace suddenly began to discuss, some people said that their merits were higher than so-and-so, why was they still ranked behind him, and some people said that they had been working diligently in the Qin Palace, why they were not as good as those who served from the East Palace and the Qi Palace. Anyway, everyone feels that their credit is too little!

Huai'an King Li Shen channel: "The ministers raised troops in Guanxi, the first should be the banner of righteousness, Xuanling of today's house, Du Ruhui and others specialize in knives and pens, and the ministers are on the ministers, and the ministers are not satisfied." ”

Li Shimin listened to it, but said with a smile: "When the righteous flag was first raised, although my uncle was the first to raise troops, it was also to get rid of trouble for himself!" and Dou Jiande devoured Shandong, and his uncle was wiped out; Liu Heimin reunited the remaining embers, and his uncle ran north with the wind. Fang Du and the two of them strategized, sat on the security society, and rewarded their merits, of course, they should be above their uncle! Saying that, Li Shimin said with some seriousness, "Uncle, you are the dear relatives of the country, how can I let you be rewarded with meritorious ministers because of this!" ”

Li Shentong immediately retreated with a guilty face.

The rest of the generals said to each other: "Your Majesty is just and selfless, even the King of Huai'an has no favoritism, how can we be restless!" ”

So all the generals were convinced.

A storm of knighthood subsided.

In this way, a number of new nobles appeared in Chang'an City, and together with the original nobles, they shared this huge empire.

(The second volume is over!) It's about to be the Zhenguan year, and during that time, it's the time for pig's feet to show their skills! )