On the first day of opening, the Shuangjing test site received more than a dozen requests for use. Already a lot of people have completed prototypes of metal firearms, most of them were cast from wrought iron, and only two or three were cast in bronze. The price of copper in the Great Song Dynasty is much higher than that of wrought iron, and the area with the richest copper reserves south of the Yangtze River is in Dali. The original small copper reserves in the Great Song Dynasty are still under the pressure of continuous outflow. Because in Middle-earth and the barbarian states that could communicate and trade, the only standard currency that was used in large quantities was the copper coins minted in the Song Dynasty. The smuggling of copper coins has become an extremely lucrative business, and Chinese and foreign businessmen have tried their best to transport copper coins abroad, which makes the domestic copper price even more unattainable.

It took Zheng Yunming a lot of effort to allocate a part of the copper blocks stored by the government to sell them to the craftsmen who tried to make them at a relatively cheap price, and except for a few masters who were very experienced in casting, most of the craftsmen did not dare to risk this little precious material.

The first batch of five metal firearms tested, marked with the Iron General. The name of the first trial production to the fifth trial production. The performance was carried out in the Shuangjing test site in turn.

Unexpectedly, Iron General No. 1 had an accident. In order to covet the effect of General Tie's performance, the craftsman who was the first to test it had the courage to fill the barrel with almost ten catties of gunpowder. The craftsman was not skilled enough to forge a trachoma as large as a wine cup hidden in the body of the iron cannon, but he was completely unaware of it. The only result can only be a bore.

In the early morning, when the sky was just polishing, a loud and terrifying sound sounded in Xiangyang City, and huge smoke and dust rose several long highs. The entire inhabitants of Xiangyang City felt the ground tremble.

The first to arrive at the scene were the right officers and soldiers of the Zhenwu Army stationed near the West Gate, who moved the casualties away from the fire one by one, and then the officers and soldiers of the Shui Xing (on the mission of the fire brigade) also arrived to extinguish the fire that had spread to nearby houses. Later, Zheng Yunming personally led the deputy commander of the Yamen to organize the rescue, and the Zhongshun Army, the Chizhou Army and the local soldiers of the city also sent people to fight the fire. The Cabinet and the Governor's Office also sent people to inquire about the progress of the disaster relief.

Fortunately, some safety measures were taken in advance, such as keeping the powder magazine away from the test site and building a shelter wall with sandbags. Buckets were also prepared to extinguish the fire, as the fire caused by the explosion was soon extinguished. But heavy casualties have already been taken.

In addition to the five craftsmen who cast the Iron Shogun, there were also nine officers and onlookers who were working in the test field and onlookers, and six civilians who were watching the excitement died. More than 30 people were injured to varying degrees. The entire test site was swept away by a huge blast of wind. The entire test site was full of dead bodies, wounded people everywhere, and the sound of moaning and shouting was endless.

Faced with such a tragic scene, even Ge Huai, who was accustomed to the battlefield, was secretly frightened. He said to Zheng Yunming, who had a sad face: "If this kind of thing happens on the battlefield in the future, it only needs to blow up the morale of the whole army." ”

Zheng Yunming shook his head slowly and didn't say a word. Ge Huai looked at his painful expression and also closed his mouth.

It was really unfavorable, and the first casualty caused by metal-fired firearms turned out to be his own side, which invisibly added a shadow to the future use of firearms in the Great Song Dynasty.

Zheng Yunming slowly came to the blown-up iron general, and the bloody corpses of the two blacksmiths were nearby. They are also ordinary people with parents, wives and children, and if it weren't for Zheng Yunming's reward, they might still be living a peaceful life.

But Zheng Yunming knew that no matter how many people he lost, he could not stop his determination to continue to advance firearms research, and every sacrifice he made to study firearms was worth it compared to the people the Mongols were about to kill.

But Zhao Kui obviously didn't think so, and after summoning Zheng Yunming to the side hall of the envoy of the control department, he ordered: "Postpone the reward for the time being, such an accident will not only cause panic among the craftsmen, but also damage the prestige of the control envoy." ”

Wei Liaoweng, who was sitting on the sickbed on the side, said: "The power of General Zhu is enough to deal with the Mongols, and now what Jinghu needs is enough General Zhu, and it is really unnecessary to develop iron artillery in a hurry." ”

Wei Xianggong recuperated in Xiangyang for a while, and his health has improved a lot. In view of the fact that the situation in Xiangyang had stabilized, the imperial court had officially issued an edict to dissolve the governor's palace, and summoned Wei Liaoweng to return to Lin'an to report the Jinghu war to the emperor in detail.

But before the official dissolution of the Governor's Office, Wei Liaoweng still insisted on holding the sick council.

Although he saw that the division commander was sick, Zheng Yunming did not back down in official affairs: "Both of them are Yunming's bosses, but Dashuai and Mr. Heshan take this matter lightly." In fact, we should try our best to play the role of the promoter behind the scenes, leave the specific research to the craftsmen on the front line to judge, remind the craftsmen to pay attention to safety, and improve the research process. However, the reward cannot be canceled, and only by maintaining effective incentives can researchers generate continuous motivation. ”

Zhao Kui had gradually become accustomed to this little official's style of insisting on his own independent views on everything, he thought for a while and said: "In this case, continue to keep the bounty, give good condolences to the injured craftsmen, and then persuade the craftsmen to enhance their safety awareness." ”

Since ancient times, the status of craftsmen has not been high, and the envoys do not care about the casualties of craftsmen. As long as the craftsmen are emotionally stable, there is no need for the Cabinet Commander to do anything superfluous.

Zheng Yunming stepped forward and said: "It is precisely in this way, my opinion is not only to give generous pensions to the bereaved family members in terms of money and food, but also to publicize the sacrifice spirit of these craftsmen who risk their lives to study new weapons in Xiangyang City. Only by arousing the sense of honor of the craftsmen can we mobilize their enthusiasm to the greatest extent, and if possible, I would like to posthumously give their children low-level official positions, so that their clans can also feel the strength of the state to value the craftsmen."

Wei Liaoweng said loudly: "This matter is absolutely impossible! ”

"How can state official positions be easily conferred on ordinary people!" He paused and slowed his tone a little: "Scholars learn to stabilize the country, those who practice martial arts learn to kill the enemy and protect their families, business attaches importance to making money, and craftsmen value craftsmanship." The so-called Shinong industry and commerce, each with its own share, the world can be safe. Scholars have the high level of scholars, and craftsmen have the glory of craftsmen. It is true that a scholar who indulges in learning from things has lost his ambition, and it is also a unconscionable move to corrupt officialdom by allowing craftsmen to enter the official career by virtue of their craftsmanship, and it may not be a blessing for the craftsmen themselves."

He said so endlessly, Zheng Yunming already understood that in this era, it seems too impatient to let people understand the concept of "equality of the four people". Not to mention being too impatient, the system of monarchs and ministers in an agricultural country is based on strict hierarchies, and shouting out the words of equality of the four people is tantamount to rebelling against the foundation of their existence for the emperor and the world, and this will be a more serious event than rebellion.

He had to look for another way to add honor to the craftsmen.

He reported this method to Zhao Kui and Wei Liaoweng, and this method is actually very simple.

"In the future, all weapons made will be engraved with the name of the maker." This method is not original to Zheng Yunming, and many countries have used the signature of craftsmen on works as a common practice before the Great Song Dynasty. For example, the Jin Kingdom, which had just been flattened by the Mongols, borrowed from the artisan household system of the Song Dynasty and also asked the artisans to sign their own weapons. But this is not an honor, but it is easy to hold accountable when there is a problem with the weapon.

Zheng Yunming, however, has to find a way to turn this system into an honor that inspires people to make progress.

"We will deserve all the well-made weapons in the temple after they are decommissioned. For example, if you shoot more than 300 enemies with a good bow, assassinate an enemy with a spear with more than 100 enemies, and fire an iron general 100 times without problems, in short, as long as you have accumulated more than ordinary weapons on the battlefield, you will be sacrificed by the state, just like a soldier who has accumulated outstanding military exploits. In this way, the motivation of the craftsmen will also increase. ”

Zhao Kui first agreed, the people who marched in the army are the most favorite weapons, and there are often generals who order them to bury their weapons with them, and let the war horse be buried by his side after death, so that the good weapons are displayed in the martial temple after being discharged from service In the eyes of Zhao Zhizhi, there is nothing wrong with it.

Wei Liaoweng also agreed: "This is the right way, craftsmen entrust their own value to the artifacts they make, and the more respectful we are to these utensils, the better we praise these craftsmen." ”

He paused and asked, "Where is that new Bai Yijie in your shogunate?" The book he recently gave me is quite meritorious, and if you invite him over, I have some questions to ask him face-to-face. ”

Zheng Yunming blushed and said, "Don't be afraid of jokes, the white army division is not in Xiangyang City now." "Let's talk about Bai Yijie's abduction in Yuanzhou briefly.

Zhao Kui was furious and shouted: "The thieves of Yuanzhou are so arrogant that they openly kidnap the officials of the imperial court in the daytime. Is this no king's law? I will immediately issue an official letter and send someone to Yuanzhou to negotiate, and I must ask the local government to rescue Mr. Bai back! ”

Wei Liaoweng said slowly: "The bandits on Jiangxi Road have always been rampant, and it is not a good idea to send officers and soldiers to encircle and suppress them. Shumou, tell me how you handled this matter. ”

Zheng Yunming then told how he sent someone to negotiate with Yuan Zhou, and how he sent Shi Wenhu to secretly save people.

"It's best to send someone to rescue you privately." Wei Liaoweng was a little worried: "But how is the martial arts of this Shi Wenhu strong man?" Is it enough to successfully rescue Bai Yijie from the thief's lair? ”

"Shi Zhuangshi is strong in martial arts, and there is no problem in saving people." Although Zheng Yunming replied so, what was the strength of the water thieves in Yuanzhou, and whether Shi Wenhu could deal with it, he was not completely sure in his heart.