Xu Huaqiang smiled: "Of course, I just don't know what kind of blade the general wants, so I didn't prepare." ”

"This ......, I don't have enough strength, I'm afraid the copper hammer can't move, the big knife, it's okay, but I have to pick it, it's boring after a few clicks, it's better to have a spear, the gun pierces a line, and it's ruthless and doesn't have to work too hard. It's a long spear, I used to watch the Three Kingdoms, and I felt that Zhao Zilong, the white horse and silver gun, was particularly majestic, and I also learned it. Hey hey"

"Okay, the general makes the gun, and the custody is majestic. I don't know how heavy the general's gun will be? ”

"This ......," Du Wenhao thought about it, Guan Gong Qinglong's Yanyue knife weighed eighty-two catties, and it would be good if he could carry it, let alone play it, Zhao Zilong's pear flower gun weighed I don't know, and I guess I can't play it. How much is suitable for him, he doesn't know how much it suits him.

Xu Huaqiang saw Du Wenhao's expression, so he said: "Or, general, go to the east workshop of the ordnance institute, where to order a spear that can be used." How is it? ”

"That's a good idea! I'm just going to check on the equipment of our army. However, the Empress Dowager has just issued an edict for me to lead the army to the west, although I am only in the capital to command, but I also have to do this first, I have to go to the Privy Council to receive the soldiers and arrows, I have to go to the household department to allocate grain and grass, I have to go to the military department to ask for the roster of the army, and I have to hold a meeting in Sanya to discuss the mobilization of the forbidden army on the six roads of Shaanxi, by the way, I have to give a lecture to the emperor, and I have to go to the Taiyi Bureau to take a look, I have to go to the Taiyi Bureau to appoint, I have to take office, visit colleagues, see if there is any talent among the students, and improve surgical knowledge as soon as possible, It is also necessary to specially train military doctors with the team, and as soon as this battle starts, Jin Chuang's treatment is a big problem. There are so many things, they are all urgent, which one of his grandmother's things should be done first? ”

Xu Huaqiang said with a smile: "The general is an important minister of the imperial court, and the empress dowager relies on the general so much, many things naturally have to be busy with the general." Why don't you go to the Privy Council first to get the soldiers and send the soldiers, and then go to the armory to build the blades? ”

"No!" Du Wenhao patted the saddle, "General Ben is empty-handed, how can he lead the army into battle to kill the enemy?" This blade is the first thing to do, especially, what kind of weapons are in the ordnance, I want to go and see for myself, don't send me a pile of scrap iron and rotten armor, sacrifice the lives of our army's good men, this weapon and equipment can not be sloppy. Walk! Let's go to the armory first, and then go to the Privy Council. Can't delay anything. ”

The ordnance institute is the arsenal of the Song Dynasty, which is specifically responsible for the production of various weapons and equipment, and the ordnance institute is an independent yamen, although Du Wenhao can't manage the three yamen, but the three yamen have the right to put forward opinions on the situation of the blade equipment, so they have the right to inspect the ordnance institute, not to mention that he is now the ruler, so he has more power in this regard.

Du Wenhao came to the armory with his personal guards. The commander of the armory is called the ordnance superintendent. is a fourth-grade official, and when he heard that Du Wenhao was coming, he hurriedly took the adjutants to greet him.

This ordnance supervisor surnamed Qi, is a spirited old man, he is very respectful to Du Wenhao, and arches to the ground: "I have seen Lord Du." I don't know if Lord Du is here, I will miss the welcome, and I ask for forgiveness. ”

"You're welcome, this official is here to order a weapon, by the way, take a look at our ordnance institute, I've never been here, I want to understand. All right? ”

"Welcome! Adult please! ”

Du Wenhao followed the ordnance supervisor to begin the inspection. There are three departments in the arsenal, namely the Bow and Crossbow Courtyard, which is responsible for manufacturing various bows and crossbow arrow clusters, the East Workshop, which is responsible for manufacturing other light individual weapons and armor and other equipment, and the West Workshop, which is responsible for manufacturing large-scale military equipment for siege and defense.

He came to the Bow and Crossbow Courtyard first.

The equipment of the Song army was mainly based on crossbowmen, so there was a special bow and crossbow courtyard in the ordnance prison. This was a last resort choice for the Song army when it was extremely short of horses and could only use infantry to deal with the cavalry of the Liao State and Western Xia, trying to use long-range weapons such as bows and crossbows to offset the speed of the cavalry. However, in the face of the Western Xia heavy armored cavalry, the Song Dynasty infantry, which was dominated by crossbowmen, was still at a disadvantage.

The courtyard of the bow and crossbow courtyard occupies a very wide area, just enter the courtyard gate, I heard a scream from inside, Du Wenhao was very strange, couldn't help but speed up the pace under his feet, into the inside, he saw that there were several rows of bungalows in this big courtyard, the front was a small exercise ground, a row of flagpoles standing, on which there were five or six ragged men, and several soldiers were whipping them with leather whips soaked in water. These screams are made by these people.

When the soldiers saw that Du Wenhao was wearing a second-grade military general's robe, so young, and accompanied by the ordnance supervisor, they knew that the person who came was the new Sanyadu and Du Wenhao. Hurriedly threw down the whip, fell to one knee, and clenched his fists to exert force.

Du Wenhao asked, "What's going on?" ”

One of them said: "Returning to the general, they are the soldiers of the bow and crossbow courtyard, who left their posts without permission and tried to abscond, but they were arrested and brought back, and they were whipped fifty according to the law." ”

Du Wenhao frowned: "They are craftsmen who make bows and crossbows?" ”

"Yes!"

"Then they are skilled workers, they are the treasures of the country, whether they can make good weapons or not, it is all up to them, how can they be punished like this? - Can't a soldier go out? ”

Du Tou listened to Du Wenhao's tone was very unkind, and he didn't know what he had done wrong, so he wiped the cold sweat on his forehead in panic, and cowered: "No...... Can't ......"

"Why? Are they guilty criminals? ”

"No......, it's not ......"

"Then why ban them from entering? Or whip them for it? ”

They were so frightened that they were about to cry, and they glanced at the ordnance supervisor next to them.

Qi Jun's weapons supervisor didn't want to come out at this time, but if he didn't come out, no one would come out, so he could only smile and say: "General, this is stipulated by military law, and they also act according to the law......

"Really?" Du Wenhao turned his head to look at him, snorted, walked up to the soldiers, and asked one of the old soldiers, "Old man, why did you run away?" ”

The old man raised his head with difficulty and glanced at Du Wenhao, his lips moved, and then he glanced at the fierce and vicious head next to him, lowered his head and moaned in a low voice without speaking.

Nadu scolded sharply on the side: "Li Hong, why don't you answer when Lord Zai Zhi asks you!" ”

The old man's name was Li Hong, and when he heard this, he still didn't say anything.

Du Wenhao saw that he had four words tattooed on his forehead: "Weapons of Soldiers".

I also looked at several other craftsmen, all of whom had tattoos on their foreheads, and the content was the same. I already understood in my heart that seven or eight of them were conscription, and since they all had words tattooed on their foreheads, it showed that the craftsmen of the ordnance were also soldiers, and the punishment for deserters in the military law of the Song Dynasty was very severe, and the whipping was already very light.

But Du Wenhao still can't accept it, in his opinion, the technical soldiers of the Ordnance Institute are all treasures, and they should be raised with high salaries, so that they can give full play to their technical advantages in order to make good weapons.

Since he is a soldier, Du Wenhao is the one who has led the soldiers, and he knows the main reason for desertion, judging from the menacing appearance of the capital just now, these soldiers must not have been treated well here, and in peacetime or in the region, being abused in the army is the main reason for desertion. There's no need to ask.

Du Wenhao stepped forward to personally untie the ropes of several soldiers, and said: "Since you are here to be a soldier, don't be afraid of hardship, okay, go back to recuperate first, and then go to work." ”

Li Hong and a few soldiers looked at him, and then at Qi Jun's weapons supervisor, some of them didn't believe their ears.

Qi Jun's weapons supervisor hurriedly said: "Lord Zaizhi asked you to take good care of your injuries, and then go to work again, if you don't go back, what are you waiting for?" ”

Only then did Li Hong and the others believe that this was true, and they knelt down and kowtowed to thank them, and left the courtyard with each other's support.

After they left, Du Wenhao said to the ordnance supervisor: "Our army fights, it is not possible without good weapons and equipment, and these things are made by these soldiers, and they cannot be punished at will like ordinary soldiers,—— of course, ordinary soldiers should not be punished at will." For the fugitive soldiers, they should not be punished with punishment, but should be retained with affection and treatment, so that they can feel that it is glorious to work in the ordnance station, have a sense of collective honor, and have a sense of belonging, so that they can give full play to their wisdom and talents, and can they make better weapons and equipment! ”

When he said a word, the ordnance supervisor agreed, and his white head was like a chicken pecking rice. But Du Wenhao could see that he didn't listen to it at all. Of course, Du Wenhao knew the reason, it was not that he was unwilling to listen to his own advice, but that according to military law, deserters must be punished in this way. It's useless to say more.

He sighed lightly, changed the subject, and asked, "How many soldiers are there in our Bow and Crossbow Academy?" ”

"This ......," the ordnance superintendent Nuo Nuo couldn't answer.

Du Wenhao frowned: "How many people you don't know?" How did you become the master? ”

The old overseer's face turned red, and he turned his head to look at the young superintendent of ordnance who was following behind him. The young eunuch hurriedly whispered: "Three thousand seven hundred! ”

"Yes, yes!" The ordnance supervisor hurriedly bowed his hand and said with a smile: "Returning to the general, there are 3,700 soldiers in the disdain. ”

"Oh, there's a lot of people. These houses are the workshops for the production of bows and crossbows? ”

"Yes, yes."

Du Wenhao walked over from room to room and found that they were all specialized workshops, some were rough processing, some produced various bows, some produced crossbows, some produced bowstrings, and produced all kinds of arrow clusters. He came to the finished product inspection room, and saw that the warmaker was checking whether the finished bow and crossbow were qualified, and there were two types of inspection ranges and accuracy.

A qualified bow and crossbow must exceed the minimum range, the accuracy must be proportionally required, a certain number of arrows must be fired within the effective range, and the number of missed targets must not exceed the maximum limit.

When the soldiers saw the commander come in, they all knelt down to greet them, and Du Wenhao asked them to continue the inspection.

The soldiers continued to spot check and test their bows and arrows. Du Wenhao looked at it for a moment, shook his head with a wry smile, turned his head and ordered Xu Huaqiang and a few other personal guards who followed him, to go to the side with a sign indicating that they had passed the inspection, and hand them over to the inspection craftsman, and let him retest these few again.

The bow and crossbow that he had brought were placed on the table, and the few soldiers in charge of the inspection were dumbfounded, and looked at the ordnance supervisor at a loss.