Mostly. The craftsman stood respectfully with his hands down, and the guards put a long box in front of Prime Minister Zuo Boyan. The marshal opened the long box, and a rifle was placed inside. From a rough point of view, this musket is not much different from the arquebus of the Great Song Dynasty.

It was not easy to see the expression beyond the coldness on Marshal Boyan's face, and the craftsman who was full of expectations for receiving the award turned his head to look at Hao Ren Wanhu and Marshal Zhang Hongfan next to him. The expressions of these two were much richer than those of Boyan Dashuai, and when Boyan Dashuai took out the musket from the box, their eyes lit up. This made the craftsman's heart happy. For too long, the Firearms Bureau has been the subject of numerous accusations from the very beginning of its establishment.

This accusation has resulted in an unknown number of lashes from the firearms bureau. Now that there is a key production method, coupled with the accumulation of the Firearms Bureau over the years, these people have worked tirelessly for several days to come up with a product, which is much better than before. As craftsmen, the people of the Firearms Bureau are very aware of this.

Marshal Zhang Hongfan's eyes were scorching, and Hao Renwanhu's expression was serious at first, but soon turned into a little lost. After the marshal Boyan finished fiddling with the musket, he placed the musket on the table. Marshal Zhang Hongfan immediately got up and picked it up and fiddled with it carefully. Hao Ren Wanhu sat on the chair and didn't move, seemingly not particularly interested.

Marshal Boyan said to the craftsman: "It's hard work. Reward. After receiving the reward, make a few more elaborate ones. ”

Waiting for the craftsman to go down, Zhang Hongfan asked with some surprise: "I think it's already good." Why is Da Shuai still very dissatisfied? ”

"It's just better than before, and it's still too different from the muskets of the Song Kingdom." Hao Ren took over.

"You don't have to look at it?" Zhang Hongfan looked a little skeptical about Hao Ren's eyesight.

Hao Ren replied coldly: "I just looked at it from a distance, and I felt that our muskets were very different from the Song State muskets. It's just that you can see so many differences at a glance, and if you look closely, there are even more differences. ”

Without waiting for Zhang Hongfan to express his disbelief, Marshal Boyan ordered the guards: "Go and get five muskets." ”

The guards hurriedly went, and it didn't take long to get it back. The five muskets were placed together, and what Zhang Hongfan saw was basically the same musket, and then put Dayuan's imitation next to him, and he immediately felt different. Zhang Hongfan said with some rebound: "We are making the musket we use, why should it be exactly the same as that of the Song Kingdom." ”

Hao Ren grabbed a Song State musket first, and easily found the balance point, which was at the back of the musket. He handed this musket to Zhang Hongfan, and he picked up the Dayuan musket again, and the balance point of this musket was relatively high. Swapping the musket with the musket in Zhang Hongfan's hand, Zhang Hongfan tried it in a targeted manner, and immediately felt the problem.

The center of gravity, the balance, and the smoothness of the wall of the musket, as soon as several contents were tested, Zhang Hongfan's face was grim, and he looked like he was going to scold his mother. And Hao Ren Wanhu smiled: "It's already good." It's up to the level of our original cannon casting. ”

Marshal Boyan nodded slightly. He had heard about the early cannon casting, and he had also seen the middle and late cannon casting. The principle of casting the cannon is very simple: the iron is melted and poured into the mold that has already been made. It sounds like pouring water into a bowl, making little difference. In fact, the problems are indescribable. The Song State was able to cast the artillery smoothly and neatly, and the artillery cast by Dayuan was pitted, and it was like a dog gnawing on the slag. Looking at the sturdy cannon body, there are sand holes and cavities. Some of the hollows can even be poured into a glass of wine. The artillery of the Song Kingdom did not have this problem, as if the craftsmen of the Song Kingdom were as delicate as the southern landscape.

Zhang Hongfan saw that the two Mongolian nobles had no intention of pursuing it, so he asked with some puzzlement: "How can you use this kind of musket to be hostile to the Song State?" ”

Hao Ren Wanhu replied: "As long as Ken and Song Guo stand on each other, our muskets are just not so convenient to use." ”

After hearing this, Zhang Hongfan chose to remain silent. After all, he is only the marshal of the Han army, and it is no problem to give orders to ordinary Mongolian soldiers, but don't think about pointing fingers at the two Mongolian nobles in front of him. And Hao Ren's words also frightened Zhang Hongfan a little, he had also used firearms, and knew that if this thing touched it slightly, it would be injured, and if it was hit head-on, it would be death. When he saw the Song army shooting in a neat queue before, he didn't feel anything special. Now just thinking about the neat queue on both sides for shooting, everyone is betting on their own luck, Zhang Hongfan feels a burst of egg pain.

Waiting for Zhang Hongfan to leave, Hao Ren smiled at Boyan and said, "Dashuai, this Zhang Hongfan is still thinking about fighting with the Song Kingdom. ”

Bo Yan replied coldly: "If the Song Kingdom enters the Yan Land, we can still retreat to the grassland. Where did Zhang Hongfan retreat? ”

Hao Ren didn't expect this question, and was speechless for a while. In the past, Mongolia followed Genghis Khan's philosophy of making all the grass-covered areas my horse grazing land. In such a situation of strong expansion, as a Mongol, you have to have the feeling of grazing wherever you go. Now that Mongolia was facing the powerful Song State, and it was the Song State in a state of total hostility with the Mongols, the Mongol upper echelons had to think about what to do if they were defeated. Hao Ren really hadn't thought about it before, and now he could at least be sure that Marshal Boyan had already thought about it.

Sighing in his heart, Boyan's train of thought was always so correct, Zhang Hongfan asked: "Dashuai, do you think the Han army is unreliable?" ”

"The Great Khan is the Emperor of Ming, and the Han army and princes will probably not rebel before they are lost. Don't you think Zhang Hongfan just thinks about fighting with the Song Kingdom? ”

"Uh-huh!" Hao Ren nodded violently when he listened, this analysis was too thorough.

"This time Zhao Jiaren wants to be the son of heaven, which is actually a good opportunity for us. If the Great Khan can return all the territory he previously took from the Song State to Zhao Jiaren, maybe he will have no reason to use troops against us for the time being, right? ”

If someone else said this, Hao Ren would definitely think that person was a coward. Now it is Boyan Dashuai who is saying this, and Hao Ren feels that Boyan Dashuai belongs to a person who is far-sighted. Then I heard Boyan Dashuai continue: "But I think Zhao Jiaren is only afraid and will not let me go." ”

"Why?" Hao Ren felt a little puzzled.

"Because the Song Kingdom has a deep hatred for us. We in Mongolia have always been generous to the new annexed armies, and we have not hesitated to give them all kinds of positions of power that they did not have before. There will be no tolerance for those who refuse to cling. As long as we can destroy the country, this approach will naturally be fine. However, we have no way to destroy the Song Kingdom. Now those who are willing to be new vassals have fled to our Mongolia, and those who continue to be in the Song Kingdom can remember our killing of them. They will definitely think of revenge. ”

Regarding Boyan Dashuai's judgment, Hao Ren was silent. It's not because he's against it, it's because he completely agrees. Previously, the Song Kingdom gave Mongolia a list, and it was a list of thousands of people. Song expressed his willingness to give priority to the exchange of these people, and even a one-on-one exchange of Mongol prisoners of war was not a problem.

Hao Ren was very curious, what kind of identity these people were, and how could they be regarded by Song Guo as the highest priority to be exchanged. When he went to look at it, he saw that they were ordinary people. Most of the names of Song women are two identical characters after their surnames, such as Lin Fengfeng, so Hao Ren can easily see the name of his wife Bao Xiweak in the list of few women. And was greatly shaken.

Those Song people have not forgotten their hatred, and they are obsessed with everything they have lost. Hao Ren put himself in, if he had a strong force after losing so many cherished things, he really couldn't think of any other choice than revenge.

After being silent for a while, Hao Ren asked, "Dashuai, is there really no way to reconcile with Song Guo?" ”

"Naturally, this state is not good now. If we escape to the far reaches of the desert, the Song people really can't catch up. It is possible that they will be reconciled to us then. But will we be willing to reconcile with them then? ”

In the face of such a cold analysis, Hao Ren couldn't find a reason to oppose it. Boyan Dashuai is such a person who can easily see through the situation, so he always looks able to move forward at his pace in an orderly manner. None of the others Hao Ren saw could do this, so he could only sway from side to side in various painful choices. For example, Hao Ren himself, as long as he thinks of Bao Xi's weakness, he will only think about how to keep her. What kind of means to take in order to keep Bao Xi's weakness, Hao Ren didn't care. In this matter, Hao Ren felt that he did not envy the cold thinking of Boyan Dashuai.

With smart people, many times it can make people feel bright. However, smart people are more likely to make those around them feel hopeless. Hao Ren was very uneasy about the darkness of the future, and after thinking about it, he suddenly thought of another thing. At this time, Hao Ren asked tentatively: "Dashuai, you are not worried that someone will suggest attacking the Song State when Zhao Jiaren is the emperor, right?" ”

"Do you think that if you learn about the civil strife in the Song Dynasty, no one will make this suggestion?" Marshal Boyan is still the same cold.

“…… Are we going to have to return some land then? ”

"That's useless." Marshal Boyan objected.

Hao Ren felt that he couldn't grasp this degree. If you show goodwill when the Song Kingdom is in a state of instability, wouldn't it be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort?

"We have two options at that point. One is to go south with all your strength and completely slaughter the places you go. When the Song Kingdom went north again, there was not enough manpower. One is not to interfere at all and extend the peace negotiation period with the Song State. ”

"Huh?" Hao Ren was overwhelmed by Boyan's strategic choice. couldn't figure it out, Hao Ren could only give up on himself and ask: "I don't know what the big boss wants me to do?" ”

Within two days, the news that Da Yuan had imitated a musket close to the Song Kingdom spread throughout Dadu. However, the craftsmen were not rewarded as expected. Their imitation of the musket was tested, and there was a huge gap between it and the Great Song musket. Regardless of the production details, Ahma said that the biggest problem here is the price.

There were many people in the court who were hostile to Ahma, and after hearing the right prime minister talk about the reality of Dayuan's iron shortage in a relatively flat tone, the resentment in the eyes of many people was even worse. It was to be able to exert a corrosive effect, and probably Ahma had already melted into a puddle of liquid.

In the past, Ahamali set up 3,000 iron households in the area south of the Yellow River, which could provide more than one million catties of iron every year. After the Great Song Dynasty diverted the Yellow River to the north, the Great Yuan occupied the north of the Yellow River, and all the south of the Yellow River was occupied by the Song State. Dayuan not only lost the newly developed iron-producing land in Ahma, but also the iron-producing land that was originally south of the Yellow River, and Dayuan's annual pig iron production decreased by more than two million catties, and the price of iron soared.

In the silence of the crowd, Kublai Khan asked: "How much does a musket cost now?" ”

"About five." Ahmad replied.

Da Yuan's Zhongtong Yuan has always been exchanged for one tael, if it is the exchange ratio of silver and copper coins in the Great Song Dynasty, it can be exchanged for about 15 copper coins. Theoretically, 1 million Guan Zhongtong ingots can make 200,000 muskets, but it can't be done. The tax revenue of the Great Yuan in the Han Dynasty was not even one million, and these taxes had to cover the expenses of the entire Great Yuan court.

Really. Jingzhao Yin Lian Xixian immediately came out to object, "Your Majesty, now an official has less than five yuan per month. Now officials are being appointed everywhere, and the state does not have the financial resources to build too much. ”

Kublai Khan glanced at Lian Xixian unhappily. Of course, he knew that some time ago, the national teacher of Basba also asked Kublai Khan for 50,000 yuan to be used to build temples and hold pujas. Kublai Khan rarely refused. If it had been before, at least before the Battle of the Yellow River, Kublai Khan would still have been able to come up with this money very happily. The reason why Kublai Khan was not as heroic as before was naturally a lack of money. The treasury of the Great Yuan was once filled with all kinds of booty plundered from the Song State, and piled up large sums of gold, silver, copper, coins, silk and cloth contributed by the Song Dynasty's vassals and generals, and everyone was singing the praises of Emperor Kublai Khan's benevolence and generosity. At some point, the treasury gradually emptied. It was so empty that he couldn't even meet the application of the national teacher of Bathba.

Thinking of this, Kublai Khan turned his head to look at Prime Minister Boyan on the left, and the great hero who enriched the treasury of the Great Yuan was Marshal Boyan. He not only defeated the Song State, but also plundered the entire Jiangnan. He also ordered the vassals in the Song Dynasty to 'congratulate Kublai Khan on his birthday', bringing Kublai Khan unimaginable wealth.

"Boyan, what do you think about the musket?" Kublai Khan asked.

"The minister thinks that it is wrong to imitate the number of the Song Kingdom." Boyan replied.

This answer is rarely said in the Great Yuan court, and even if someone does, no further suggestions can be made. So they all listened with bated breath.

"Although wrought iron is expensive, Dayuan is not unable to get these wrought iron. It's just a matter of allocating more. The ministers asked the craftsmen, and they could produce a maximum of one musket a month. There are now only more than 600 people in the Firearms Bureau, and these people have a lot of other things to do. Even they all make muskets, and they are only more than 3,000 a year. Your Majesty should remember the number of Song troops we have seen in Huaxian. ”

When Kublai Khan heard this, his already slender eyes turned like thin threads. The Battle of Huaxian is a scene that Emperor Dayuan will never forget. The battlefield was filled with gunsmoke for more than ten miles in length and width, and although the Song army also had many pikemen, the more numerous were musketeers. That's more than 50,000 muskets, and more than 3,000 muskets are a tiny number compared to 50,000 muskets. If you want to fight against 50,000 Song musketeers, Da Yuan must at least have muskets of similar quantity and quality. According to the current output, Mongolia will have to accumulate for more than ten years.

Hao Ren admired the clear thinking of Prime Minister Dayuan Zuo in his heart. Previously, Boyan hoped that Hao Ren would support peace in the choice of war and peace. At that time, Hao Ren also felt that with the Mongol tradition, it was okay to have to stop fighting. Genghis Khan once said that when my strength is not enough, I have to endure it, and I will endure it against my will! However, when the balance of power was not at a disadvantage, Genghis Khan's attitude went in other directions, the world is vast, the rivers are numerous, you can each expand your camp and conquer the country.

So it is fundamentally impossible for the Mongols to pursue peace. Although he was very dissatisfied with the sentence 'Yidi, beasts, fearing power but not virtue', Hao Ren thought of this sentence in private, and had to admit that it made sense. Of course, Hao Ren couldn't understand why Sima Guang, who could say this, was a capitulation faction in practice who ceded land and paid compensation.

Now after listening to the comparison of the number of firearms by Marshal Boyan, Hao Ren felt that the main battle faction had to think about it before making a speech.

Whether the main battle faction has thought about it or not, it's hard to say. Kublai Khan asked, "Boyan, if we don't imitate the firearms of the Song Kingdom, what should we do?" ”

Boyan replied: "Your Majesty, the minister wants to ask about something. We don't imitate the firearms of the Song Kingdom, but do we want to imitate the way in which the Song Kingdom used firearms as weapons for all armies? ”

No one has raised this question before. After hearing this, Hao Ren felt deafening. The Mongols imitated the artillery and muskets of the Song kingdom in order to win the battle. If the Song people had won the war with pedicure knives, Mongolia would have copied pedicure knives. Now what Boyan is raising is the issue of the weapon system of the Mongolian army, and even without Marshal Boyan continuing to talk about it, Hao Ren himself can come up with all kinds of problems.

For example, do you want cavalry? For example, do you want to ride and shoot? If Mongolia also takes the firearms route, then the organization of the Mongolian army will have to undergo a fundamental change.

"What's the problem?" Kublai Khan seemed a little confused.

"We lack sulfur, we lack saltpeter, and we lack iron. As a result of our investigation, the Song Kingdom obtained sulfur from the Wa Kingdom, the Ryukyus, and many sulfur-rich islands in the east over the years. They themselves make a lot of nitrate, and they produce a lot of iron. The firearms of the Song Kingdom were strong because they had arranged it so early on. If Da Yuan only wants to imitate a few firearms, and then compete with the Song Kingdom, it must not be comparable. If you want to compare with the Song Dynasty, Da Yuan has to imitate the way of the Song State firearms to build an army. ”

Boyan is basically considered to be the type of man who is less talkative. At this time, it is a long story, but it explains the matter more thoroughly. It's just that the matter is too deep and wide, and everyone, including Kublai Khan, doesn't say a word.

The silence was broken by the chief of the guard, Wang Donglu, who walked briskly into the Golden Temple and handed a letter to Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan opened it and looked even more gloomy. Everyone didn't dare to ask, but they heard Kublai Khan say: "Zhao Jiaren has been proclaimed emperor." ”