Why didn't Dad try it himself?

In this way, Zhu Biao's heart couldn't help but move.

He has read poetry and books since he was a child, and in the eyes of the ministers of the court, there is no more suitable prince than him.

But Zhu Biao still has his strictness and the fanaticism that he has to suppress because of the country's social security.

Zhu Biao didn't speak, but his body took the initiative to step forward very honestly and walked behind the mortar with the thickness of his calf.

He first took a closer look at the new type of artillery, called the mortar.

The obvious difference from previous guns is that the barrel of this mortar is thinner and shorter, and the muzzle is pointed at the sky at an unbelievable elevation angle.

In the middle of the barrel, there are two iron struts, which are inserted diagonally forward into the ground, providing stability and balance to the gun god. At the point where the bottom of the gun body touches the ground, there is a square of thick iron sheet one foot wide.

That's the whole structure of the mortar.

Next to the mortar, there was a wooden box containing mortar shells.

It's still different from the artillery shells of the past.

The shells of these mortars are oval in shape, the front part gradually becomes a rounded corner, and the tail part, although not rounded, also starts from the middle of the shell and shrinks down in size and diameter.

An officer and soldier of the artillery battalion was holding a telescope and kept looking at the mountain in front of the gun.

Each time he observed, he carefully moved the muzzle angle of the mortar and the left and right direction of the gun shaft.

Finally, the officers and men seemed to have done all the preparations, and they stood aside and answered.

At this time, Zhu Yunxi stepped forward, took out a cannonball from the wooden box, and sent it to the prince's father.

"This is a new type of artillery shell that is the most advanced type of artillery shell, which is fired with a flame from the flint at the bottom and a bell in the barrel to ignite the gunpowder inside the shell, and finally explodes at the point of impact, thus causing lethality."

Zhu Biao took the cannonball with both hands.

The heavy and cold feeling made him feel that this must be a big killer.

"It sounds very cumbersome, the Ministry of Industry and the general supervisor can make this thing, and it is also hard, and the court should be rewarded for meritorious deeds."

The prince's words ignited the officials of the Ministry of Works and the officials who would be the prisoners around them.

Zhu Yunxi went on to explain: "It's just that the triggering device is not mature, so the yield is not too high, and many times the time of the shell explosion is different from the scheduled time.

When the initiating device is completely mature, and the explosion time is completely controllable, it will be possible to develop the most perfect firearm that my son thinks. ”

Zhu Yunxi said these words, but he knew in his heart that if he wanted to complete these two things, it would take a long time.

Don't look at it as just a small initiation device and control the explosion time, which involves countless disciplines.

Without a sound chemical and industrial system, it is difficult to accomplish it with the current industrial level of Daming.

Now it is only in the case of giving up part of the performance, with the ruthlessness of not asking for money, that these new shells are made.

After all, to launch a shell, it is only necessary to consider the firmness of the shell itself and how to ignite the gunpowder inside the shell.

These are all problems that can be solved now.

Zhu Biao's eyes were a little puzzled, which had touched his blind spot in knowledge.

And he had no intention of delving into the subject.

There is too much knowledge in the world, as the prince of the Ming Dynasty, he only needs to be proficient in how to select and employ people, then he is qualified.

So Zhu Biao opened his mouth and asked, "How to use this cannon?" ”

"Father just put the shell in the barrel and let it fall."

Zhu Yunxi said casually.

Without considering accuracy, even a child can instantly master how to use a mortar to fire shells and attack the front.

Zhu Biao's eyes widened: "So simple? ”

Zhu Yunxi nodded, and then said, "By the way, after my father put the cannonball into the barrel, he had to pay attention to immediately open his mouth and squat down." ”

"Nothing else?"

Zhu Biao still couldn't understand it.

Zhu Yunxi affirmed very seriously.

After that, Zhu Biao held the cannonball in both hands and sent it above the muzzle.

At this time, he did not let go of his hands, but looked sideways at his son on the side.

Zhu Yunxi encouraged: "Father let go of his hand, open his mouth, and squat down." ”

Zhu Biao thought silently in his heart.

Release your hand.

Open your mouth.

Squat down.

Thereupon.

Just listen to the clang.

Zhu Biao, who was already squatting down with his mouth open, staring at the mountain in front of him with his eyes fixed, only to hear a huge roar in his ears.

Then his vision was completely obscured by a puff of smoke.

The huge wave of qi hit Zhu Biao at close range, making him begin to wonder if he would become deaf, and his chest suddenly proclaimed.

Immediately after, Zhu Biao heard an explosion coming from the mountains in the distance, and countless gravel flew up in the mountains and fell in the mountains and forests.

When the smoke in front of him cleared a little, Zhu Biao only felt that his legs were a little weak, and he stood up and looked up at the front.

On the mountains in the distance, a column of smoke rose from between.

The officers and soldiers of the artillery battalion next to him took a look at it and immediately puffed up their chests.

"Report, the prince fired a mortar, and the impact point deviated about ten steps to the left rear, which is within a controllable range."

Zhu Biao winked at his son.

Zhu Yunxi immediately smiled and said: "There is no bull's-eye, but there is only a ten-step deviation, which is within the allowable range, and it can already cause damage to the enemy." The first time my father used a mortar, it was already very rare. ”

Zhu Biao thought about it, it was a pity that he didn't hit the bull's-eye.

It's just that his son said that the first time he used it, it was within the allowable range, which made him quite happy.

"Try again?"

Zhu Biao offered to try this mortar again this time.

Zhu Yunxi naturally would not refuse, and immediately looked at the officers and soldiers on the side: "Readjust the shooting angle for His Royal Highness the Prince." ”

"Subordinates take orders!"

The officers and men immediately stepped forward, and the muzzle of the gun moved slightly to the upper right.

This is the correction of the firing angle.

Soon the officers and soldiers were adjusted.

Zhu Biao no longer needs Zhu Yunxi to guide him, he has already held a shell and waited behind the mortar.

When the officers and soldiers retreated, he immediately stepped forward.

Zhu Biao held the cannonball in both hands, hanging above the muzzle, and the tail of the cannonball was attached to the barrel.

Release your hand.

Open your mouth.

Squat down.

Zhu Biao's movements became faster and faster.

There was another roar and smoke rising.

Before the smoke cleared, Zhu Biao stood up with wide eyes and moved to the side to look at the mountain in the distance.

"Did Lone hit the target this time?"

The officers and soldiers over there took a look at it and immediately said loudly: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince fired a mortar, one shot corrected the angle of fire, and the second shot hit the target." ”

This is an assessment of the data of Zhu Biao's cannon.

Zhu Yunxi shouted on the side at this time: "The whole team has an order, based on the shooting angle of His Royal Highness the Prince, three rounds of rapid fire!" ”

With Zhu Yunxi's order, the officers and men of the artillery battalion on the entire shooting range immediately moved.

Zhu Biao's eyes widened, looking at the scene in front of him.

I saw that there were three officers and soldiers behind each mortar, one was responsible for adjusting the angle of the barrel, one took out the shell, and the other put the shell at the mouth of the barrel.

The commander of the artillery battalion held a small flag in his hand.

"The artillery battalion has the order, three rounds of loading and firing."

"One launch."

Rumble!

The entire shooting range shook once again.

"Two launches."

Waves of air carried dust flying.

The general of the artillery battalion waved the small flag for the third time: "Three shots!" ”

When the first round of shells hit the mountain ahead, causing explosive damage in a continuous stream of blasts, destroying countless trees and rocks, the second round of shells followed.

As soon as the second round of shells exploded, the third round of shells had already been tightly replenished.

For a while, the mountain in front of Zhu Biao seemed to be about to collapse.

Zhu Yunxi just smiled slightly, approached the prince's father, and said: "Not only this mortar, but all the artillery in the army needs to be corrected when facing the enemy.

Once the correction is complete, it's time to start the official offensive.

However, it is generally a round of fire, and as for the three rapid fires, they are all used to inflict concentrated and dense damage on the enemy. Otherwise, if we continue to fire rapidly, we will only increase our army's ammunition consumption and increase the burden on the logistical baggage battalions. ”

Zhu Biao today can be described as an eye-opener.

But he couldn't help muttering in his heart, no wonder the old man has to secretly stay out of the palace from time to time now.

It turns out that there are so many interesting good things out there now.

Zhu Biao looked excited, and stared at the son in front of him: "Father is waiting for your good news in Yingtian." ”

After that, Zhu Biao reached out and patted Zhu Yunxi's shoulder with encouragement.

Zhu Yunxi had no choice but to nod obediently.

He felt that after the prince father had seen the new artillery with his own eyes today, and even more personally tested it, if he said that he was unwilling to go to the southwest, it was very likely that the prince father would take thousands of troops and horses to the battlefield with these artillery.

Sins, sins, sins.

Zhu Yunxi silently recited twice in his heart, and his eyes quietly looked at the prince's father.

After three rounds of rapid fire, the officers and men had already begun to clean the inner wall of the barrel. According to normal use, there is no need to clean up immediately after three rounds of rapid fire.

It's just that now these mortars are experimental products, and in order to ensure further improvements, any details need to be fully in place.

At this time, Zhu Biao was holding his hands behind his back, circling around the mortars that were being cleaned up by the officers and soldiers.

Suddenly, a thought crossed Zhu Yunxi's heart.

Will the prince's father go the madman route on this?

……

Whether Zhu Biao is crazy or not, no one can know.

But Xie Jin really went crazy.

The plan for the Western Railway was finally agreed upon in the Cabinet.

The opinion is to build the western railway from Henan in the east to Hamiwei in the west, transit Henan, Xi'an, Fengxiang, Gongchang, Lintao, Gulang, Liangzhouwei, Yongchangwei, Shandanwei, Ganzhou, Gaotai, Zhenyi, Suzhou, Chijin Mongolia, and finally go directly to Hamiwei.

It is a long railway of nearly 5,000 miles.

Based on the budget cost of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Households, the converted comprehensive cost of this railway will be as high as 50 million taels.

10,000 taels of silver a mile away.

And that's not even counting the later train manufacturing and the construction of various stations.

The budget plan of tens of millions of taels of silver was quickly approved by the court after the cabinet reached a unanimous agreement.

Then Xie Jin devoted himself to the construction of his western railway.

Personnel from the Ministry of Industry must be indispensable, and it is also necessary to contact the Ministry of Industry and the Yamen of the Governor of the River to verify the section of the Yellow River from Henan Province to Shaanxi Province to confirm that the river will not interact with the railway.

Then the Ministry of Household Affairs set up a special department for the western railway, which was responsible for accounting for and reviewing all the expenditures for the construction of the western railway.

In addition, the two newly established yamen, Daming Silver and Daming Firm, also participated in the construction of the Western Railway.

Daming Yinhao, together with the Ministry of Households, began to prepare for a new economic model.

That is, the Western Railway Construction Bond.

The interest rate is naturally not as high as that of the people, but it is the first step for Daming to try to integrate finance and more efficiently coordinate the world's money.

The reason why Daming Firm participated in it was entirely to be able to exclusively control the freight operators of the entire territory of the Western Railway after the completion of the Western Railway.

For this.

Because the end of the year was approaching, and the household department was caught in the work of year-end settlement and preparation for the next year's imperial budget, it was difficult for the household department to allocate money for the construction of the western railway for a while.

Daming firm invested a full 1 million taels of silver in the early stage, and it was actually transferred from Daming Silver to the Western Railway Construction Project Department headed by Xie Jin.

Xie Jin was very moved.

With a big wave of his hand.

Since the date of completion of the Western Railway, the exclusive right to operate cargo transportation within 15 years has been given to Daming Company.

Everything is rushing all the way towards the ideal state.

However, the recent Xie Jin has changed from smiling all day long at the beginning to wanting to cry without tears.

Since the plan for the construction of the western railway was passed by the imperial court, the first thing to bear the brunt of is the non-cooperation of the local government along the railway.

The reasons for the magistrates are very good.

You can't bend the old railway, it will inevitably expropriate the local land.

Although this land is said to be compensated by the imperial court to the people.

But for the landless people, the local government still has to settle down.

How to settle the people became a matter for the local government.

No one is happy to increase the political burden.

Secondly, according to Xie Jin's plan, grassland herdsmen were requisitioned to build the railway.

The purpose of this is to save money.

Can the wages of the herdsmen be compared with the requisitioned people of the Central Plains?

Apparently not.

In addition, Zhili Dao has begun to implement employment and forced labor, and Xie Jin knows very well that it will not be long before the whole world will fully implement forced labor.

When the time comes, the people will be requisitioned, and the wages alone will be a huge amount.

But the magistrate said it again.

Not to mention that you have requisitioned the land of our people, you have not let the family work. This is to make the people of the entire northwest homeless and homeless with nothing to do.

It's just that the first two things are not too difficult to solve.

Left and right is just a matter of increasing the budget.

But the first two things about the living are easy to solve, but the last one is about the dead.

The most troubled my scalp is like numbness, and I can't think of a way to solve it.

………………

Recommended commuter passes

(End of chapter)