【2nd Update】

In contrast, it was Han Gang who valued this victory the most.

Not for those heads, but for the successful use of gunpowder weapons.

Even if this is not artillery, muskets, but only explosives, it is still a type of thermal weapon.

In the past few years, the Ordnance Supervision and Gunpowder Bureau has exploded every three or five times, and there have been many casualties, and the imperial court has given more than 1,000 pensions every year, and there are seven or eight places for foreign officials to compensate for the death of those who died due to the failure of the experiment. However, the power and safety of black powder have been greatly improved, and the production has also increased by a level, and at the same time, relying on the emergence of chemicals such as sulfuric acid and nitric acid, new gunpowder has also been invented in an unfortunate experiment.

Although the Gunpowder Bureau has not been able to figure out the exact composition of this explosive until now, it is indeed much more powerful than black powder, which is used as artillery propellant. It's just that the current level of refined black powder is not bad, and in terms of large-scale manufacturing, the new gunpowder is far inferior to the black powder, and the most advanced propellant is still black powder, and the new gunpowder can only be used as explosives.

This time, most of the credit for the capture of Shimen Pass was attributed to the Firearms Bureau.

But more importantly, from now on, the old equipment, fortifications, training, and even tactics will all have to be updated at a faster pace to adapt to the latest warfare.

As long as you know a little more about the Liao people, you will know that explosives, gunpowder, and firearms are by no means the patents of the Great Song Dynasty. Today, the Shenji Battalion can be used on the body of Shimen Fanbu, and tomorrow, the Liao people can also be used on the city gate of the Hebei border city.

"The Liao people are set up in the Gunpowder Bureau of Linhuang Mansion, and the annual casualties are not under our Gunpowder Bureau, even if they lack skilled craftsmen, but so many people have died, at least they know how to use gunpowder."

Although Han Gang praised Wang Juqing before, he didn't forget to remind him that now is definitely not the time for complacency.

"Don't worry, the lower officials understand."

"To blow up a wall like Tokyo Castle, all you need to do is dig a tunnel under the wall and stuff a coffin of gunpowder under the wall." Han Gang emphasized to Wang Juqing, "The ordnance supervisor must conduct a test as soon as possible. When defending the city, how to prevent the enemy from using gunpowder to blow up the city wall, it is necessary to find a way to restrain it through experiments. ”

This is the conclusion reached after many tests, ordinary black powder, as long as the quantity is sufficient, and placed in a confined space, the power that bursts out is also stunning. The Nanjing City Wall, which was built hundreds of years later and represents the highest level of ancient city walls, still failed to withstand the power of explosives.

"But this requires the cooperation of the Shenji Battalion." The reason why the Shenji Battalion was established was precisely to experiment with new weapons and tactics. As a result, the drill code was compiled and extended to the whole army, "There are only two commanders left in the capital of the Shenji Battalion, and it is very difficult to guard the various workshops alone." ”

"Don't worry about that. Sand table deduction is carried out first, and then small-scale experiments are carried out. When the commanders who went to the south come back and then conduct an all-army exercise,"

Before Wang Juqing came to the political affairs hall, he had already predicted in advance what questions Han Gang would ask, and after hearing Han Gang's words, he glanced at Zhao Ziji beside him and said, "To rebuild the walled fort and fort, you also need the help of the supervisor." ”

Seeing Han Gang's gaze turning, Zhao Zi didn't wait for Han Gang's words to speak, so he immediately packed the ticket, "Don't worry, Xianggong will fully cooperate with the Supervision Committee." ”

Han Gang nodded with satisfaction, "In this way, there is one more errand for the ordnance supervisor and the general to be the supervisor, and I hope the two of you will not be too troublesome." ”

"Don't dare." Zhao Ziji lowered his head.

"I'm used to it." Wang Juqing said with a smile.

In the past, one of the two yamen, the ordnance supervisor and the general supervisor, only needed to produce weapons that the emperor was optimistic about, and the other was to build the objects needed by the imperial court and the palace, and repair the house by the way, but in recent years, the engineering and military work in which the superintendent and the ordnance superintendent participated have been more and more, and a series of new work such as planning and research, which had not been done in the past, have all been pressed on their heads.

However, the officials of the two yamen complained that they were in the minority, because they knew the Tao, which meant that the importance of the two yamen began to rise in a straight line, and if you refer to past examples, it is very likely that Han Gang intends to use these two yamen as a breakthrough to start his process of reforming the law.

It's like the Sinong Temple back then. When Wang Anshi had just changed the law, the old party was entrenched in the court, and the new party had finally set up the Department of Regulations for the Establishment of the Three Divisions, which was also abolished by the old party in the name of a story without precedent. In order to open up the situation, the New Party elected this empty yamen, which nominally had something to do with Qingmiao and the service law, and a bunch of things that were not in the name of Sinong Temple were all pushed to the name of Sinong Temple for management, making Sinong Temple a specific implementation agency for the reform of the law. Lu Huiqing, Zeng Bu, Wang Anshi's left and right hands back then, all of them have successively served as judges of Sinong Temple.

There is the example of Sinong Temple in the past, seeing that Han Gang attaches so much importance to the weapons supervisor and the general as a prisoner, and a series of errands that did not belong to the two yamen in the past, one by one, people will naturally guess Han Gang's thoughts. Han Gang did not refute the rumors, but did what he felt he should do.

"Brother Zihou, Ling Xuan, what do you think?" Han Gang asked the two colleagues beside him.

Wang Juqing and Zhao Zi were ordered to rush to the political hall, and they saw that Zhang Dian and Zeng Xiaokuan were both on Hangang's side, but today Su Song asked for leave and was not in the government office.

Zhang Dian drank tea on the side, and after Han Gang's instructions were over, he said to Wang Juqing and Zhao Ziji, "We should step up the transformation of the city gates and city walls of the northern city, and Hedong and Hebei must be guarded." ”

Zeng Xiaokuan also added: "Especially the Shenwu army in Hedong, outside the lonely mountain, was once Liaotu, in case the Liao people came to attack, and used this dry siege method, if the defenders have no way to deal with it, they will not be lucky." ”

"Please rest assured by the two privies." Wang Juqing and Zhao Ziji said in unison.

After making another guarantee, I didn't see that Han Gang had other instructions, Wang Juqing and Zhao Ziji planned to retire, but Han Gang said to keep the two of them, "The two of you will stay for a while, and there are still things to discuss." ”

If you just instruct the ordnance supervisor and the general to be the supervisor, there is no need for the two governments to gather.

"Yukun." Zhang Dian said, "What are you going to do about the "Wujing General Essentials"? ”

Wang Juqing and Zhao Ziji immediately concentrated their attention, they listened to Zhang Dan's tone, Han Gang wanted to make a fuss about the "General Essentials of the Martial Arts". But sitting next to him was the son of the compiler of the "General Essentials of the Martial Classics". Seeing that his father's hard work is about to be denied, can Zeng Xiaokuan bear it.

Han Gang responded: "The content of the "General Essentials of the Martial Arts" has not kept up with the changes in weapons and techniques over the years, and it needs to be revised and supplemented. ”

"In this case, the minister can be directly entrusted to the queen mother."

"The General Essentials of the Martial Arts was originally compiled by Lu Gong in the past, and now if there is an order to edit it, it will also be a good story."

Zeng Xiaokuan shook his head and refused: "My father used to be the prime minister to edit the "General Essentials of the Martial Arts". The classic of inheritance is not filial piety. ”

"Even the books of the saints cannot be said to be completely infallible. We mortals, how can we talk about the masterpieces of the world? It is the "Compendium of Materia Medica", and after the book is written, it will have to be revised every few years, and it will never dare to follow Lu Buwei's example and hang gold in the city. ”

Han Gang admitted that the "Compendium of Materia Medica" was difficult to perfect and had to be revised from time to time, Zeng Xiaokuan's face was a little better, but he didn't agree. After all, it was the brainchild of his deceased father, and he didn't support it, but directly stated that it was wrong, and there was always a feeling in his heart that he couldn't erase.

Zhang Dun interrupted at the right time, "No wonder Yukun said so many things about firearms in "Nine Domains", this is to ask the Liao people to also help with the experiment so that they can be revised?" ”

"The author of "Travels in the Nine Domains" doesn't know his name, what does it have to do with Han Gang?" Han Gang said jokingly, and then said, "There is a dog chasing after the buttocks, and you can always run faster." What's more, what the novelist says is not so reliable. ”

Zhang Dunha smiled: "If the Liao people really take all the words in "Nine Domains" seriously, it will be good-looking. ”

The content of firearms in "Travels in the Nine Domains" is quite different from the development outline listed by Han Gang for the Firearms Bureau. The same muskets and cannons are as powerful as possible, and there are many mistakes. This is like the unique secret art of the world's scholars, who cannot be truly transmitted, and cannot obtain the samadhi of it.

Han Gang said: "Yelu Yixin is not so stupid, with the national strength of the Liao people, he can always find the right way." ”

Zeng Xiaokuan said: "But the Liao people use their own shortcomings to try to attack my strengths, which is self-defeating." ”

"Those who defeat China in the north are only strong in the army." Zhang Dian said: "You can pick up the musket, and the child can kill the strong." ”

The peasants who dig in the soil will certainly not be the opponent of the barbarians who ride and hunt all year round without the advantage of skill. is also a bow horse, a Han farmer who practices every three or five times, and then trains again in winter, how can such training win the Khitan riders who have to stretch their bows and arrows every day? But the use of firearms is different, the advantages of the musket, everyone here knows, compared to the bow and crossbow also need to be wound, the musket is the bullet loading procedures are a little troublesome, but the strength is too saving, the training is much simpler.

"So the Divine Machine Camp is only refining the queue now." Wang Juqing said.

If you use cold weapons, you have to train the queue, you have to practice knives and guns, and you have to practice bows and crossbows, even if you have the highest treatment in the army after the Banzhi Guard, the soldiers in the Shenji Battalion can't bear the hard work of two exercises a day. But the Shenji Battalion, which is equipped with hot weapons, is different. The daily repetition is nothing more than shooting and platoon, which can concentrate training time and energy on a few subjects, efficiency

"However, Yelu Yixin is not stupid, and the artillery and gunpowder he values make up for the shortcomings of the Liao people who are not good at attacking cities." Zhang Dian said: "Before artillery and muskets are popularized throughout the army, it may also be a situation in which the prefectures and counties of Hebei are blown up by the Liao army one by one. ”

"In short, don't waste time and do your best to get things done. There will be a battle between Song and Liao, and the more we prepare now, the easier it will be to win in the future. ”