Seeing Li Shimin's solemn expression, Li Su had already guessed something, he thought that he should come back after all, and he also knew that there were some things that he couldn't hide at all.

As Li Shimin arrived at the council hall, Li Shimin said: "It is said that there is a powerful weapon in Yizhou, but is there really such a thing? ”

Although Li Shimin said this in a tentative tone, Li Su understood that Li Shimin had already had a plan in his heart, and while testing the true existence of artillery, he was also testing whether Li Su would hide this matter from him, but Li Su didn't plan to hide it from the artillery, it was completely unnecessary, so he said: "Father is talking about artillery!" ”

"The kind of weapon you used to defeat the Tibetans is called artillery?" Li Shimin's second sentence completely revealed that he had learned about the artillery.

"Yes, since my father is interested in artillery, it is still early in the morning, so my son will take my father to see this weapon." Li Su said, he had long known that Li Shimin was interested in this kind of weapon, and this time he came to Yizhou to say that he couldn't ask about artillery, so Li Su also made preparations in advance, and transported a few first-generation front-loading artillery guns researched by Tong Yu to the Central Army camp in Yizhou, after all, even if Li Su handed over the technical drawings to them completely, they could not produce them, even if the first generation of Yizhou artillery let them take it back and imitate it, whether they could produce qualified artillery is also a problem, Moreover, Li Su's weapon system has eliminated the original black powder, which is the essential gap.

Li Shimin looked at Li Su and nodded with satisfaction, a stone in his heart also fell to the ground, Li Su did not hide it from him, this is enough to explain something, "Okay, let's go and see it now." ”

After agreeing on this matter, Li Su asked Rongda to prepare a horse, and the two rode straight to the central army camp in the south of Yizhou.

After the briefing, Zhu Youzhi came out of the barracks. Seeing Li Shimin and Li Su, Zhu Youzhi saluted respectfully, and after Li Su explained his intentions, he led the two to the artillery test firing range.

"This is artillery?" Li Shimin looked at the front-loading artillery that was arranged in a row and said.

Li Su nodded and said, "Yes, father, this is artillery." ”

Li Shimin walked up to an artillery piece, looked around a cannon carefully, and said, "Isn't this a pipe cast of steel?" How powerful can it be? ”

Li Su gestured to the three gunners standing in front of the artillery, the three gunners understood, and immediately loaded the gunpowder and shells, Li Su turned to Li Shimin and said: "Father, as the saying goes, hearing is better than seeing, and now these soldiers are loading ammunition." Now please cover your ears. ”

Li Shimin stared curiously at the three soldiers completing all the movements, and when he heard Li Su's words, he walked up to Li Su and covered his ears.

Not far from the shooting range, some soldiers were setting up targets, and at this time they were almost done, and when they saw the flags being raised, the soldiers immediately threw away the gravel in their hands and ran away.

As soon as Qiē was in place, the gunner lit the fuse on the cannon, which they also practiced by sharpening their guns in battle, but such a simple operation was quickly learned.

"Bang!" There was a loud bang.

Even with your ears covered. Li Shimin's face was still pale from the shock, and the stone mountain on the opposite side was torn apart by the cannonballs in an instant.

After gasping for a while, Li Shimin slowly came back to his senses and swallowed his saliva. Li Shimin said: "I finally believe it now, no wonder you can defeat Tuyuhun, no wonder you can defeat the Tubo army again, with this kind of weapon." There is still an enemy in the world. ”

"Father doesn't have to look up to this weapon, it is true that he will gain an advantage because of this weapon when he first comes into contact, but it will be different after being understood by the enemy. They can completely specify the method of warfare against artillery, as long as the strategy is appropriate, it can still offset the advantage of artillery, especially the Turks, they come and go like the wind, as long as they do not contact us, only use bows and arrows to disturb, the damage that artillery can cause is negligible, the reason why Erchen was able to defeat the Tubo people by surprise is that they occupy a favorable terrain to surround them, if it is in the open steppe, we may not be able to win. ”

Li Shimin nodded when he heard the words and said: "Even this is already very remarkable, you also heard what my father said just now, the heart of the Tang Dynasty is immortal, and the current form of the grassland is becoming more and more chaotic, and my father has to prepare in advance, so I thought of your artillery." ”

"I see!" Li Su pondered for a moment and said, "Father, I understand, it's just that Father wants to go back and make this kind of artillery?" ”

Li Shimin said: "That's right, with this powerful weapon, we can increase our chances of winning against Jieli." ”

Li Su shook his head at this time, and said: "Father, what you think is too simple, the design drawings of the artillery and the method of making the cannon can be handed over to the father, but the craftsmen of Chang'an can't make this kind of artillery at all, even if the production is successful, his power will not be half of this artillery, and the cost of this artillery is not something that the father can bear." ”

"Why!" Li Shimin frowned and said, Li Su was tantamount to pouring a basin of cold water on him.

Li Su said directly: "Because this kind of artillery has very high requirements for the forging method of steel, if it is an unqualified artillery, not only will the shell not go out, but it will also explode at the bottom of the artillery, injuring its own soldiers." ”

Li Shimin was silent, what Li Su said made sense, Chang'an is not Yizhou after all, Li Su has a lot of machinery purchased from Luo Anguo, and has enough ability to produce artillery, but the craftsmen in Chang'an are different, he paused and said to himself: "How is this good?" ”

"Father, there is a way for the sons?" Li Su said with a flash of inspiration in his mind at this time.

"Oh? What's your best idea? A glimmer of hope rose in Li Shimin's heart.

Li Su said: "Since my father wants to produce this kind of artillery, my son can hand over the design drawings and production methods to my father, and my father can also let the craftsmen try to make it when he goes back, if he can't make it, his son is willing to provide this kind of artillery to his father!" ”

Li Shimin laughed when he heard this, and said, "Liulang, I really didn't misunderstand you, okay, just do what you say." ”

"It's just that the cost of my father's artillery is very expensive, and a cannon will cost more than 100,000 yuan...... to say the least," Li Su cautiously looked at Li Shimin's face and said.

Li Shimin stared at Li Su's eyes vigilantly, "You still plan to ask your father for money?" ”

Li Su immediately waved his hand and said with a smile: "Father, you have misunderstood, how dare I?" It's just that my father can't let me post it for nothing, otherwise it won't be enough for his son's ministers to stick up all their family background. ”

Li Shimin's expression softened a little, and said: "If you have anything to say, just say it directly, you and I are a monarch and a minister, and we are also father and son, so there is no need to hide it so much." ”

"Yes, the son-in-law wants his father to allow the son-in-law to exercise the right to mint coins on the fief." This is what Li Su had a flash of inspiration just now, when the eldest grandson Wuji gave Li Su three tight spells, one is to guard the border, the second is to pay taxes, and the third is to prohibit Li Su from minting coins, and now it is time to unravel them one by one, "Father, now you have also seen that the amount of currency needed for the commercial development of Yizhou is getting larger and larger, and ordinary copper coins are no longer suitable for large-scale transactions, and although gold and silver are expensive, there is no unified standard, so Erchen wants to reform the monetary system in the fiefdom, otherwise the old copper coins in the past will only limit the development of Yizhou." Li Su poured beans and said what was in his heart.

Li Shimin listened to Li Su's words and was speechless for a while, this vassal king is actually a country within a country, and the right to mint coins should also be there, and it should have been given to Li Su a few years ago, but because of the opposition of the courtiers, it was temporarily stranded, and now in the face of this transaction, it is equivalent to handing over the rights that originally belonged to Li Su to him, and now as Li Su said, the situation in Yizhou is no longer suitable for the use of copper coins. ”

"Okay, my father promised you." Li Shimin said, "After all, the right to mint coins should have been given to you, at that time, my father didn't want the ministers to make too much trouble, and now in the past few years, your Yizhou has also been recognized by the ministers, if you send this artillery to your father again, the ministers will have nothing to say." ”

"Thank you, Father!" Li Su was secretly happy in his heart, exchanging the right to mint coins with the eliminated generation of artillery was definitely a sure profit, which was equivalent to his real control of Yizhou's economy. (To be continued......)