"Bang!!" There was an earth-shattering sound, like thunder. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 A large earth pit with a diameter of more than four meters and a depth of more than one meter was blown out on the flat ground five or six miles away. Everyone at the scene was shocked, who would have thought that the gunpowder that usually makes firecrackers would be so powerful through the improvement of craftsmen. Liu Ping looked at the scene with satisfaction and felt good.

"Master Hou, the effect of the latest gunpowder formula is quite satisfactory." A craftsman said respectfully.

"Yes, yes, yes." Liu Ping, who was dressed in civilian clothes, said with a smile. handed the teacup in his hand to Yang Sanduo behind him. A look of satisfaction.

Although it does not have the power of the cannons of later generations, however, the current power is not bad, you can't eat a fat man in one bite, everything has to be transitioned, and it is not to take your time. In just over a month, the original stone cannon of the Song Dynasty can be improved into its current appearance. Liu Ping was already very satisfied.

"It's just that, Master Hou, the cost of the cannonballs is too high. The steel balls and iron sheets used in the iron cannonballs in the smoothbore alone are all good materials, plus the charcoal fire cost of smelting, and labor. I'm afraid that a cannonball will cost nearly a hundred taels of silver. Nake on the side said.

"Yes!!" Liu Ping scratched his head and said helplessly: "It's really expensive, this war, it's money." Randomly: "Let the people of the Ordnance Superintendent make it first..." Liu Pingyi gritted his teeth and said: "Make five hundred rounds!" ”

"No!" Take the echo channel.

"By the way, how are the firecrackers in the Fire Gun Camp now?" Liu Ping asked. How did you solve the problem with the last newly made firebolt blast?

"Return to the Hou Ye. The craftsmen of the Ordnance Supervisor's research on the fire gun worked day and night, and finally made the fire gun muzzle made of cast iron, which greatly reduced the situation of the fire gun explosion, but it will take some time to completely eliminate the explosion of the gun. The craftsman said respectfully.

"Yes. Take your time, artillery and guns are not something that can be perfected overnight. But time waits for no one, and I'm in a hurry to use it here, so I'll ask the people of the Ordnance Inspectorate to speed up the development. Liu Ping said.

"My subordinates understand!" The craftsman replied.

"Third child, then I heard that you are going to marry a daughter-in-law next month?" Liu Ping said with a smile.

"Back to Master Hou, yes." The craftsman known as the third child said with a red face.

"Hehe, turn back. and went to the account office and paid two hundred taels of silver. It's my gift money. By the way, talk to your father, Blacksmith Wu. Leave me a good seat at the banquet. Liu Ping said with a smile.

"The villain thanked Master Hou!" It turned out that this person was Wu Laosan, the third son of Wu Blacksmith. Hearing that Liu Ping was also going, his heart was even more excited. Secretly said that he was a little craftsman who could get so much attention from the Hou Ye, he was really flattered.

In fact, Liu Ping's move is just to better enhance the status of craftsmen, Liu Ping knows that "science and technology are the primary productive forces." "But people in this era have a very weak awareness of technology. In an era when everything is inferior and only high in reading, the status of those craftsmen who have mastered craftsmanship and technology is very low and dispensable. However, as a modern person, Liu Ping knows that the most indispensable thing for a country is technical talents. Therefore, as soon as Yanjing stabilized, Liu Ping began to carry out drastic restructuring. Through Wu Blacksmith's secret recruitment of many craftsmen who were desperate because of the war, in just over a month's work, the Ordnance Supervision had more than 200 craftsmen who made artillery guns.

In the Song Dynasty, there were actually many firearms used. All kinds of rockets, artillery are used in the army. The gunpowder weapons used in the Northern Song Dynasty for different purposes were made using the principle of incendiary explosion. Tribulus fireballs and poison smoke balls are firearms with relatively low explosive power. At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, firearms with relatively large explosion power also appeared, such as "thunderbolt cannons" and "earth-shaking thunder". This type of firearm is mainly used to fortify or defend cities. In 1126 AD, when Li Gang defended Kaifeng, he used thunderbolts to repel the siege of the Jin soldiers. The war between Jin and the Northern Song Dynasty further improved artillery, and the Earthquake Thunder was an iron firearm, an explosive weapon of the iron shell type. When the Yuan army attacked Jin's Nanjing (present-day Kaifeng, Henan), the Jin soldiers used this weapon when defending the city. "Jin Shi" has this description of the earth-shaking thunder: "The gunpowder attacked, the sound was like thunder, the heat reached more than half an acre, the people and cowhides were broken and there was no trace, and the armor and iron were all transparent." Such a description may be an exaggeration, but it is a true portrayal of the power of gunpowder.

As he was talking, he saw Zhang Jun galloping towards him with a pair of centaurs in the distance. Turned over and dismounted and saluted: "Subordinate Zhang Jun has seen Liu Hou!" ”

"Get up, what's the matter!" Liu Ping asked.

"Xie Liu Hou." Zhang Jun stood up and said to Liu Ping: "Liu Hou, eight hundred miles of urgent express, the imperial court has an order again." Let our Yongding army march west to Taiyuan. Let's see if you can reply to ・・・・・. ”

"Humph! The boy of the Zhao family really wants me to go to Taiyuan. Lao Tzu has just walked out of the sea of blood in the corpse mountain, and now he wants to let Lao Tzu go to the dead place in Taiyuan. Gee. I still can't hide from it! Liu Ping narrowed his eyes and said coldly.

"My lord, I think the court really has no soldiers to send. The fold has been surrendered, and the Chongjia Army and the Yao Family Army are now being bitten to death around Taiyuan. I heard that the supply of grain and grass is almost out. Nake said on the side.

"Inform all the generals above the ......battalion guard to have a meeting in the Yanjing Mansion!" Liu Ping said in a deep voice.

"No!" Zhang Jun took the order and left.

Liu Ping turned to Nake and said: "The day before yesterday, Li Xiang sent me a secret letter, saying that the people of the DPRK and China were panicking, for fear that the Jin people would not be satisfied with the peace negotiation situation, and there were three important military towns in Zhongshan, Taiyuan and Hejian. Many people in the DPRK and China agreed to cede the three towns. This group of grandsons, don't feel distressed about selling Yetian. My Han land was given away to others for nothing, it's really cheap enough! ”

"What does Lee Xiang mean?" Nak asked tentatively.

"Li Xiang also repeatedly urged me to let the Yongding army march west to support Taiyuan. Wang Yu and Zhang Xiaochun are afraid that they will not last long. If Taiyuan is lost, it is tantamount to leaving the door open for slaughter, and there will be no eggs under the nest. Can you just ignore it and stay out of it? ”

"So, is there only one way to the west?" Nako asked.

Liu Ping turned over and got on the horse. muttered: "Hehe, born in this world, even if there is a mountain of swords and a sea of fire in front of you, you have to break through!" ”

After that, Liu Ping galloped and went straight to the Yanjing Mansion, and the guards behind him also galloped away.

In the Yanjing Mansion, Yue Fei, Lin Chong, Han Shizhong, Niu Gao and other backbone generals of the Yongding Army, as well as Na Ke, Lu Zhiqiao and other staff officers and civil officials were all gathered in the palace, and Liu Ping sat on the middle hall in armor and looked coldly at the audience. said lightly: "At today's meeting, the topic is the matter of going west to rescue Taiyuan, and the imperial court has sent no less than three messengers to urge. Our army has just gained a foothold in Yanjing, and I am afraid that we will have to enter the danger again, everyone, do you have anything to say? ”

"General, I Lao Han never thought about it so much, when I was in the Western Army, I was also with the army to kill how to distribute the generals, I rushed to kill, but now, our Yongding Army has just stabilized its foothold, and the butt has not yet been hot, so we are going straight to Taiyuan, you don't know, Taiyuan is now being pressed by the Jin army, surrounded like an iron pass. The Seed Army, the Yao Army, and the Folding Army. Liu Guangshi, Lao Chong, Yao Zhongping, which one is not a good general in the world, or is suppressed by the Jin people. I can't move a bit, and now I heard that Zhe Keqiu has already lowered the Jin people, and the Yao family army has also lost more than half of the soldiers. There is a puddle of mud on the edge of this Taiyuan, how can this battle be fought? Anyway, I can't help it. Han Shizhong said bluntly.

"Lord Han, how can you grow the ambition of others and destroy your own prestige, in my opinion, it is better to go directly like the old seed strategy, walk slowly, and wait for the opportunity to move. Wait for the time to be clear, and then join the army of Zhulu to aid Taiyuan. Nako said.

"Let's go to Taiyuan, it's unrealistic, so many armies have been beaten by the Jin people and can't raise their heads, can we get it if we go? It's better to stay in Yanjing honestly. Niu Gao snorted.

"But the imperial court has already urged it three times, if it doesn't go west, I'm afraid it will be a confession, and there will be suspicion of disloyalty." Lin Chong said worriedly.

"Phew! He, Zhao Guan's family, has given our Yongding army a consistent military salary, a grain of military food, not our own shot and arrow, how can he ever use his Zhao Guan's family half a thread and half a thread! Now that the hard bones of support Taiyuan have been thrown to us, why!! Why didn't he let his 100,000 forbidden troops go to support! Mother begged, the life of his Zhao official family is expensive, and the life of our brothers in Yongdingjun is as cheap as mustard! ! Yang Zaixing cursed.

"Re-xing! Hugh is furious! How can it be! Cao Liang pulled Yang Zaixing's sleeve and pulled him aside.

Yue Fei arched his hand and said: "The last general thinks that since the imperial court insists on asking me to go to Taiyuan, then I will wait, and I can't let the Jin people break Taiyuan and go straight to Bianliang." ”

"I don't know what Liu Hou is going to do!?" Lu Zhiqiao, who had never spoken, arched his hand at Liu Pingdao.

At this time, everyone found that Liu Ping just looked at everyone lightly and didn't say a word, and after a while, Liu Ping stood up and said loudly: "Taiyuan, you must go!" And urgently. ”

Everyone was speechless for a while, and Liu Ping continued: "Nake, how many people are there in my Yongding army now!" ”

Nake bowed down and said: "Back to my lord, my Yongding army now has more than 17,000 official soldiers. Among them, the cavalry commanded by Yue had 4,000 people. Six thousand horses. Pikemen 6,000 people. There were 4,000 archers, 1,800 Modao battalions, and 1,000 firearms battalions. Two hundred food camps. The rest had more than 4,000 auxiliaries. 21,200 in all. ”

I didn't know if I didn't know, but I was shocked when I heard it. Unexpectedly, in just two months, the number of people under his command increased by as much as five times from more than 5,000 people. Unconsciously, Liu Ping found that his power had grown a lot.

"Yes." Liu Ping nodded. "No matter what you think, how reluctant you are, Taiyuan, I must go. Take Ke, Zhang Jun, listen to orders! ”

"The subordinates are here!"

"The last general!"

"Order the two of you to garrison Yanjing. Stabilize our rear. ”

"The last general obeys!"

Liu Ping blinked his eyes and said, "Yue Fei, Han Shizhong!" ”

"The last general!"

"You two will straighten out the military and horse grain tomorrow. Depart three days later. Those who dare to drag and wither and fear the war, delay the army# machine, and kill immediately! Liu Ping said coldly.

"The last general obeys!!"

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