A few guards were frightened by one sentence, and they hurried in to report it, and after a while, two small yellow doors came and pushed the ox cart in.

Song Jiu entered the palace with all the officials and brought them to the Guangzheng Palace, where many officials came, and Song Jiu didn't understand the rules, but there was a eunuch to guide him. Sitting in the middle of the main hall are the prime ministers of the two prefectures, the people who give the matter and the middle scholars, the envoys of each section, the two envoys stay behind, and the commanders of the military compartments. The second is the east and west sides of the main hall, also called the Duo Palace, the officials above the fourth grade, the ministers, the forbidden army are waiting for Yu, etc., and the civil and military sit on both sides. This has nothing to do with Song Jiu, that is, if he is promoted to three levels, there is still no place for him. Then there is the palace, that is, the location of the corridor of the main hall, where other middle and low-level officials and military generals above the deputy capital head are placed, including Song Jiu.

The main hall and the Duo hall are both sitting on the big guys, so when he arrived in the hall, Song Jiu's position was not low, and there were actually many people behind him. The eunuch sat down, and Song Jiu looked at the back and asked, "Lu Zhixian, why are you still behind me?" ”

Lu Duan scolded with a smile: "Boy, you are the founding uncle, what if I don't sit behind you?" Or how about you go back to me? ”

Song Jiu smiled, Zhao Kuangyin was right, he rose too fast, and he really couldn't rise too hard, he would be jealous.

The ministers gradually gathered, the guard of honor came out, lined up on both sides of the hall, the guards led out Zhao Kuangyin, everyone stood up together to say goodbye, three shouts of long live, and the hands had to swing a few times in the air, which is called dancing to worship. It's just that the movements are not neat, and the scene is a little funny.

Song Jiu also danced, grinning while dancing.

He didn't know the two civil officials on the side, and rolled his eyes at him, what an occasion this was. You're still laughing.

Zhao Kuangyin waved his hand inside: "Zhongqing, sit down." ”

Give cold food first.

Finished eating. There is also a range of ceremonial activities. Cold food comes up, barley porridge. Zitui Yan.

The ingredients of barley porridge are ok, and it is mixed with almonds. Zituiyan is also called jujube cake, and it is steamed with flour and jujubes, and it is also called Zitui cake. However, this is the food that was made three days ago, and the porridge has already formed into a porridge cake, and the Zitui cake is cold and hard.

This is the food rewarded by the emperor, it must be eaten, I am afraid that Zhao Kuangyin himself is taking the lead in eating, and Song Jiuqiang endures it. Eat it in a few large bites. But it was unpalatable, and a civil official of about thirty years old who sat at the head of him frowned, chewing small bites one by one.

Song Jiu said in a low voice: "On the afternoon of hoeing day, sweat drops fall into the soil, who knows that the Chinese food on the plate is hard work. ”

The officer ignored him and continued to chew as if he were taking poison.

Song Jiu said again: "If you talk about fruit snacks, I make them very delicious. But this is the food that the emperor rewarded his ministers, and it must be eaten. ”

The official continued to chew, and Song Jiu said again: "You are very bad like this, it is really unpalatable?" It was the first time I ate the food that the emperor had rewarded his ministers on this occasion. If you eat sweet food, the aftertaste is endless. If you behave like this, let Your Majesty see it. How do you think about it? ”

Anyway, he finished eating, and he was in the palace again. No one paid attention, so there was not a word to provoke this civil official.

The man was so angry that he put down his chopsticks. Stared at Song Jiu with his eyes. Several officials on the left and right lowered their heads and laughed.

Song Jiuyi arched his hand and said: "I am Song Jiu Song Yi'an, please ask Your Excellency to respect your name." ”

This civil official was so angry that he was going to die, but he was not Zhao Kuangyi, he could drag Song Jiu down and lash him twenty times, and said in a muffled voice: "The military department Lang Zhongzhi commanded Lu Duoxun Lu Zirang." ”

Song Jiuyi shuddered, thinking, dizzy, how can I sit with this decrepit ghost. He shouted decay, and Lu Duosun shouted decay, even more so that impeachment is useless, that kid who doesn't know how to say is lazy? But Song Jiu was dizzy in his heart, and he was saying, it seems that he still has to be low-key, and he almost offended this decrepit ghost, so he asked: "Lu Langzhong, you are a knowledgeable person, why are you sitting under the palace?" ”

"Sitting as a professional official, not as an errand official."

Song Jiu understood, this is very particular, for example, those old guys in the main hall, although they are festival envoys, they sit high, and they don't actually have much power in their hands. Another example is himself, he is the founding uncle, the seventh rank Xuande Lang, and Lu Duoxun is the military department Langzhong, but from the sixth grade, I am afraid that the title is not good, so I can only sit on top of myself. But the real power of the two is incomparable, just like Lu Duan is still sitting in a row behind him, can he compare with Lu Duan in real power?

But this decrepit ghost must not be offended, so he arched his hand and said: "Song Jiu has heard about Lu Zhi's history very early, he is smart and strong, and his words are quick, so he doesn't want to see it today. ”

Lu Duosun ignored him and continued to chew.

After eating, it was followed by the ceremony, which is what the folk called the dance, and the later generations said that it was called a ghost show, dancing grimaces. However, in the Song Dynasty, it attached great importance to it, especially in the early Song Dynasty, which inherited the Kaiyuan ceremony, that is, the etiquette practiced by Li Longji in the early days of his reign, and paid special attention to the ceremony. From the unboxing, out of the hole, and the case to the dancing ghost of the puppet, to the search and sweeping of the hall and the appeasement, and the sealing of the box and the closure of the hole after the round, every step is strictly exquisite.

It is indispensable for almost all major ceremonies, and the royal ceremonies are accompanied by ceremonies and a variety of special music.

After tossing for a while, it was finally over.

Just as everyone was about to get up to pay homage to the new fire ceremony, Zhao Kuangyin suddenly said, "Chuan Song Jiu came in." ”

Lu Duosun cursed in his heart again, this ghost was fortunate that he didn't offend him just now. He didn't want to offend Song Jiu, and Song Jiu didn't want to offend him.

Song Jiu was inexplicable, and was taken to the main hall by the eunuch, Zhao Kuangyin said: "Song Jiu, before you entered the palace, you said that you would offer the strongest crossbow in history?" ”

"Your Majesty, exactly."

"How strong?"

"Wechen tried it at the Hezhou School yesterday, and its range is nearly 600 steps, the maximum effective range is close to 350 steps, and the effective range is 250 steps." Range is how far it can shoot, but at a certain distance it loses its lethality. Therefore, there is a maximum effective range, that is, it can produce lethality at this distance, but the force is still very weak, and the effective range is that it can generally produce damage at this distance. At this time, another sharp weapon of the Song Dynasty, the bed crossbow, had not yet come out, and there were some crossbows, and some crossbows could also reach a range of more than three hundred steps, but that was not an effective range, and the difference between the two was very big. Song Jiu reported the data. Some of the generals began to whisper.

Zhao Kuangyin said: "Carry it to the courtyard." ”

The eunuch took several guards to carry the instrument to the courtyard outside the Guangzheng Palace, and Zhao Kuangyin left the main hall with the ministers. Coming to it, Han Chongyun said in surprise: "What a big bow." ”

Don't think about it. None of the people present could pull it away, but the giant bow was a little strange, with an ear on each arm and several holes in the ear. The bowstring is even more impressive, twisted together with a dozen thick tendons, and there is a small iron plate in the center, and there are several holes in the iron plate.

Zhao Kuangyin said: "Song Jiu, you come and give it a try." ”

Song Jiu began to assemble with tools, first pushing out an iron frame. Screw the giant bow on the forearm of the iron frame. The iron plate behind the bowstring should also be screwed, screwed on the iron plate of the iron frame, and there is an iron plate behind this iron plate, and between the two iron plates are more than a dozen springs. There is also a movable set of hooks on the left and right sides of the front iron plate, hooked with two ropes, and the ropes are connected together at the back and hooked on the winch at the back. But there are some small arrangements for the hook on the winch, as well as some other arrangements. Includes a variety of screws.

It took Song Jiu a long time to assemble it, and then turned his head to Zhao Kuangyin and said, "Your Majesty, please send an edict to clear all the palace maids and attendants in the small hall in front of you, and don't be inside." so as not to injure yourself. ”

Zhao Kuangyin waved his hand, and the eunuch went down to deliver the word.

Song Jiu said again: "Please give the minister a few sets of armor." ”

Zhao Kuangyin tried to save trouble and asked several guards to take off their armor. Song Jiu placed them two hundred and fifty paces away, and then pulled out the arrows from the box. It was also specially robbed in the steel prison, and it was full of giant arrows. Half a man long, the arrow is like a small gherkin.

Letting the two guards pull out three of them and put them on the bowstring, Song Jiu began to tighten the winch. The thick rope twisted with the winch, gradually pulling the front iron plate back, the iron plate was connected with the bow arm with screws, and as the front iron plate compressed, the bow arm of the giant bow began to bend. The bow arm creaks with a screeching sound at the same time as the spring.

Song Zhang slowly shook the handle and adjusted the angle of the bow arm. This also has to be calculated, and with the different times of use, the manufacturing quality is different, the steel strength is different, and the angles are different, this wants to implement the standard, which is almost impossible in the Song Dynasty, and can only let the soldiers explore it themselves.

Gradually, this bow is full, no need to try, looking at this giant bow, I also know that its range will be an amazing number.

Song Jiu adjusted the distance again, opened the bracket on the hook behind him with his hand, the rope quickly bounced back, and the bowstring also bounced back immediately, not only the elasticity of the bowstring, but also the elasticity of the spring. Far away, the distance was a little unpleasant, only one arrow hit the armor, but not through. After piercing the armor through a large hole, it still flew outwards and did not fall off until fifty or sixty paces later. The other two arrows were not visible at all, and Zhao Kuangyin hurried to find them. Several guards drew out their knives and stopped in front of Song Jiu, it was too ferocious, the emperor was in front, he had to protect it, and he couldn't let Song Jiu shoot again.

A group of ministers also ran over, and two arrows were found, one in a large tree more than three hundred paces away, and the other in the wall of the small hall more than four hundred paces away, so far that it was still deeply embedded in the wall.

Many generals gasped.

Everyone walked back and looked around it.

Song Jiu said: "Your Majesty, it still has many shortcomings, at least three or more people to operate, this is one of them. Second, it is quite bulky, including a crossbow frame, which weighs more than four hundred pounds. Third, it requires strict quality, and there are many parts that must be made of steel, wrought iron is not good, and there is no toughness and elasticity. Or the craftsmen cut corners, or they were greedy for ink, but because of their bulkiness, they dragged down the army. However, it also has some advantages, as it can be adjusted in size, and if you are defending a city, you can make a more powerful giant crossbow. If it is a field battle, it can also be miniaturized. And it is a product that has been tested by Wechen in the preliminary test, and its technology can be further improved. ”

"That's enough." Zhao Kuangyin muttered.

He was thinking about one thing, if he attacked Shouchun City, the head of Nantang City was not the original giant crossbow, but replaced with this kind of giant crossbow, even if Zhang Qiong blocked it, it would not work, then it was guaranteed to wear two.

And even more profound meanings come to mind.

The Song army fought against the Khitans, and bows and arrows were still the main weapons, but sometimes they may not work. The first bow and arrow has a short range, saying that it is a hundred steps, but in fact, an ordinary soldier can reach seventy or eighty steps. The Khitan cavalry is fast and fast, and it is only the power of an arrow to really open a bow and an arrow.

It is the power of this arrow, some soldiers because of nervousness, the bow is not full, can not produce lethality, and some soldiers do not conceal it, also can not produce lethality. It can really produce lethality, less than one in ten, or even less than one in twenty.

This giant crossbow is slower, but it has a long range, and if a soldier is skillful in handling it, it can take two arrows within 300 paces. And the nature is also different, this is three giant arrows in one shot. With it, it will be no less than the Mo knife of the Tang Dynasty.

It's a pity that Zhao Kuangyin also ignored Song Jiu's words, that is, officials! (To be continued......)