The Ordnance Institute, responsible for the manufacture of weapons and the formulation of weapons methods, was set up in the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty. It is subordinate to the Ministry of Industry, and is under the management of the promotion officer, the supervision officer, etc., and is responsible for recruiting workers and gathering materials and manufacturing armor equipment. It is also known as the "Imperial Front Armory Institute" and the "Lifting and Manufacturing Armory Institute".

Originally, the armory station was subordinate to the inner government, and the eunuch served as the commander of the armory. Shaoxing returned to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry in five years, and then returned to the Inner Government, and Shaoxing was reassigned to the Ministry of Industry in 30 years, and then remained unchanged until the period of Zhao Kuojiading.

The military weapons of the Ordnance Institute have a transcendent status, more than 5,000 craftsmen, and the production of weapons is excellent, crowned in the Great Song Dynasty, and the number is huge, which is the guarantee of the weapons of the Great Song Dynasty.

"Your Highness!"

Seeing Zhao Hong come in, all the officials saluted together and were respectful.

Everyone knows that this future Great Song Dynasty official is talented and has a strong personality, and he doesn't even give face to Shi Miyuan, the minister of power, and he is iron-clad and admirable.

The official is the chief of the ordnance department, and the imperial court let Zhao Hong, the prince, concurrently serve as the prince, and the officials of the ordnance institute are naturally diligent.

In the future, when Zhao Hong is in power, these "old people" of the military institute may be one of them will attain the Tao and ascend to heaven.

"Xiaguan Du Fan, I've seen Your Highness!"

A forty-year-old official came forward to pay a visit, well-dressed, with a neat face, and at first glance, he was extremely well cultivated and lived a very regular life.

"You are Du Fan, the supervisor of the Ordnance Prison, let's go around with Gu."

In the later period of the Southern Song Dynasty, the manufacture of weapons and other matters mainly belonged to the Ordnance Institute of the Ministry of Industry.

"Your Highness, please!"

Du Fan, together with another officer from the Ordnance Institute, led a group of officials from the Ordnance Institute to hug each other and began to inspect.

Sure enough, it was a national heavy weapon, and when he went to the warehouse, weapons, flags, tents, paint, leather, tendons and horns and other things were piled up, which made Zhao Hong breathtaking.

If there is any regret, it is that he doesn't seem to see many "big killers" that are enough to make his heart move.

"How far can you shoot with this kind of bow?"

Zhao Hong picked up a hard bow and asked curiously.

"Your Highness, if you are a good shooter in the army, you can shoot a hundred steps, and use one stone and two fighting forces. If you use a crossbow, it is relatively easy, and you can shoot four stones in 100 steps. For most archers, they can only shoot forty or fifty paces, and the optimal killing range is thirty or forty paces. ”

The accompanying craftsmen hurriedly explained.

"I heard that among the great Tatar armies, their archers could shoot up to two hundred paces. Can we make such a horned bow? ”

Zhao Hong continued to ask.

"Your Highness, you're hearsay. Besides, Tatar is far away from my Great Song Mountain, where did you hear about these things? The feud of my Great Song Dynasty is the Jin Kingdom in the north, and what is the matter with Tatar? Your Highness won't be unfounded, right? ”

Du Fan chuckled softly.

"Practice is the only criterion for testing truth. Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean that others don't. Be prepared for danger in times of peace and take precautions, this is what a wise man does. Sitting in a well and watching the sky, blindly arrogant, will only talk emptyly, and will eventually be slapped in the face by reality. ”

Zhao Hong glanced at Du Fan dissatisfied, and then turned his gaze to the craftsman.

"Master, if you want to make a horn bow with a longer range, is it possible?"

Du Fan's face turned red, but fortunately, he didn't come back immediately.

"Your Highness, this villain has to go back and think about it. However, if there is a physical object, there is a chance that it can be made. ”

Without trying, the craftsman did not dare to reply to Zhao Hong easily.

Zhao Hong nodded. There are some things that can't be rushed.

In the workshop, the sound of "clanging" is endless, and many craftsmen are sweating profusely to build weapons.

Picking up the weapon and looking at it carefully, looking at the iron ingot in front of him, Zhao Hong's brows furrowed slightly.

The iron ingots have a rough surface, and some have a small honeycomb shape, which is very different from the flat and smooth surface of cast iron in later generations.

The accompanying officials were all cautious, for fear of soiling their satin boots and official uniforms, and only a few young officials followed Zhao Hong without hesitation.

"Is there an iron-smelting furnace in the arsenal?"

Zhao Hong's eyes looked at Du Fan.

"Your Highness, the iron-smelting furnace includes fans, watchers, miners, refiners, hook sand takers, and smelters. Lin'an City is a line, there are many palaces, and there are countless houses, so there are only iron melting furnaces, and there are no iron smelting furnaces. ”

Again, Du Fan understated it, and in his words, it seemed that there used to be an iron-smelting furnace in the city, which was later abolished.

"Do any of you know that there is an iron-smelting furnace there?"

At the same time as Zhao Hong asked, his mind turned quickly, trying to find out from his memory where there was an iron mine in Hangzhou.

Where there is an iron mine, there should be a facility for mining and smelting iron.

"Your Highness, most of the iron mines in my dynasty are in Jiangxi, Fujian, and Sichuan. If you want to find a place to smelt iron near Lin'an City, I'm afraid it's difficult! ”

Du Fan shook his head, looking disapproving.

A dignified man, to come to this filthy place and ask about such lowly things, is really a loss of identity.

These things, just let the officials below run, and the prince should pay attention to the major events in the world.

"You talk too much nonsense. You just said, in addition to Lin'an City, where is there a place for iron smelting in the mountains and rivers of the prefectures and counties near here? ”

Zhao Hong frowned and asked directly.

"Your Highness, you are too ...... Off color! ”

Du Fan's face turned red, turned his head, and snorted coldly.

Looking at his appearance, he didn't seem to intend to answer Zhao Hong's question.

"You, a prisoner, are clean and decent, and it's too easy to be a prisoner. Not in his position, not in his politics. You are in your position, and you are not in charge! Thousands of dollars a year, don't you, and you, feel ashamed? ”

Zhao Hong also snorted coldly, unceremoniously.

The eyes are high, the hands are low, there are a lot of big words, and there are no economic things, so these are the scholars in wide robes and big sleeves.

With the shame of Jingkang, the Song Dynasty crossed to the south, the four major iron smelting places in the Northern Song Dynasty, Xuzhou Liguo Supervisor, Yanzhou Laiwu Supervisor, Xingzhou Qicun Metallurgical Affairs, and Cizhou Guzhen Metallurgical Affairs, all of which are now under the rule of the Jin people. The iron output of the Southern Song Dynasty was only two or three percent of that of the Northern Song Dynasty, which may also be a major reason for restricting the Northern Expedition of the Southern Song Dynasty.

"You...... It just doesn't make sense! ”

Du Fan's face was red, and he was about to leave with his sleeves, but was quickly stopped by the officials next to him.

"You're the one who makes sense!"

Zhao Hong looked at Du Fan, his liver was hot.

"I don't know if I ask three questions, and I also make clever words. If you don't know business, you can't talk about it. Where do you get such a big official authority from? Everything has been done by the craftsmen and officials below, what is the use of you? When ornamental? ”

These officials who are lazy and lazy and inactive are no less harmful than corrupt officials.

"And a few of you, your boots are clean. I walked around this storehouse for half a circle, and my boots were dirty, which shows how diligent you are. The people wear the stars and the moon, and they work hard all year round, and they only get sixty or seventy times. You guys are so relaxed and comfortable! ”

Zhao Hong's cynicism was heard in his ears, and all the officials looked at each other, but no one dared to say anything.

"Your Highness, my dynasty established the country with Confucianism, and the dynasty treated scholars and doctors generously, which is due to the law of the country. Your Royal Highness, this is the ancestral family law, and it is also the foundation of our dynasty's national policy and country. Your Highness, don't be too nitpicky. ”

It was Du Fan again, his face was red, and he said it angrily.

"The court treats scholars and doctors well, and it is for you to do things, not to raise a group of waste, and you are still here to do things. An official like you is useless, it's really shameless! ”

Zhao Hong was furious, and unconsciously became angry.

This official is talking loudly and skillfully, what is the use of the court raising these people? It's no wonder that the common people want to scold their mothers!

"Your Highness, Your Majesty has something to say."

The young official next to him saw that Zhao Hong's face was red, and he stepped forward with his neck in his hand, and if he didn't get it right, he was about to fight, so he quickly interjected and came in.

It is said that this Jeguo Gong is afraid of heaven and earth, and he is famous for his donkey temper, and when he sees it today, what he said is true.

As soon as they met, they offended a large number of officials of the Ordnance Institute, and they were extremely fierce and awe-inspiring.

"Don't babble, have something to say!"

Zhao Hong glanced at Du Fan, whose face was flushed, and turned his head to face the young green-robed official.

I can't help this Du Fan, and I will disgust him.

However, this green-robed official has thick eyebrows and big eyes, a straight body, young and tough, and a little childish, revealing such a youthful exuberance.

Young people always make people feel that there is infinite hope.

"Your Royal Highness, Xue Tan, the supervising officer of the Xiaguan Ordnance Institute, Xue Suiguang, the prefect of Pingjiang Mansion, is the father, and Xue Ji Xue Xianggong is the grandfather of the lower officials."

Xue Tan looked at Du Fan and stepped forward to bow down.

His grandfather Xue Ji is Shi Miyuan's right-hand man, and the stakes are self-evident.

"Why do you say so much? If you have something to say, get straight to the point! ”

The grandson of Xue Ji, the governor of the political affairs, is indeed Enmeng, and he is full of children of official eunuchs. This may be one of the reasons for "redundant officials".

"Your Highness, as far as the minister knows, there is an iron-smelting furnace for local people in Huiji Mountain, Shaoxing Prefecture, specializing in iron smelting, I wonder if it can meet the needs of His Highness?"

Xue Tan hurriedly introduced Zhao Hong.

Meet and greet each other, aren't they all self-reporting? This prince is really stunned!

Shaoxing Mansion? Huiji Mountain?

Zhao Hong nodded.

During the Song and Song dynasties, the iron-smelting industry was privately owned, and wealthy owners owned one or more iron-smelting furnaces, employing a large number of helpers to engage in production, and large-scale iron-smelting workshops were common, from mining to smelting, there were specialized craftsmen and skilled workers, who could skillfully carry out iron-smelting production.

"Xue Jianzao, you come to lead the way, let's go to Huiji Mountain together!"

Zhao Hong immediately made a decision.

"Now?"

Xue Tan's young face was shocked.

This His Royal Highness, just do what he says, is too resolute.

"Your Highness, the old man can't ride a horse, so he won't run around with His Highness!"

Du Fan bowed hastily, but his face was facing to the side.

Obviously, he still can't let go of Zhao Hong's rudeness.

"Old man? I didn't count on you either. ”

Zhao Hong couldn't help but sneer.

When Su Dongpo called himself "old man", he was only 38 years old, but he lived to be 64 years old. You Du Xianggong must be only forty years, probably the same as Su Dongpo, with 20 years of running. 10,000 years is too long. Du Xianggong, hard work to prosper the country, empty talk to mislead the country. It's better to study less science and metaphysics and do more practical things for the people. ”

After Zhao Hong finished speaking, he snorted coldly and walked away.

When you go to the mountainous area, the roads are rough, dirty and muddy, and if you stain the official clothes and boots of this scholar, it will be a big joke.

The court's generous treatment of scholars and doctors has never been seen in previous dynasties. If you don't do things and want to be dissatisfied, then you are not a "scholar", but a "corpse".

He also knew that he was absolutely superfluous when he said this. If the scholars could save the country, the Great Song Dynasty would not have been defeated and retreated, and it would have become what it is now.

As a ruler of the country, the Song Dynasty can have "after the cliff mountain", this pot doctor does not carry it, who will carry it?

"Your Highness, please!"

Xue Tan secretly admired Zhao Hong's uprightness, and he only had to move forward to lead the way.

"It's ......"

Leaving Du Fan's face full of anger, he wanted to have a seizure but couldn't.

"Forget it, Du Xianggong, even Shi Xiang and Jiguo Gong dare to openly shout in the main hall, what can you do as a supervisor of the weapons prison?"

Hu Yu, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, appeared, smiling but not smiling, as if he was comforting, and seemed to be arching the fire

"Hu Xianggong, Shi Xiang's name is so affectionate! I took my leave under it! ”

Du Fan said coldly and left, leaving Hu Yu with an angry face and a stupid word.

"Another stone in a pit, smelly and hard!"