eldest son of Ming dynasty

"boom!!"

Zhu Houzhao covered his hands at the level of his eyebrows and watched the black cannonballs whizzing up and landing on the snow-covered soil. When the cannonballs hit the ground, the soil they hit was three meters high.

"How far can this hit?!"

"Back to the emperor, the furthest we can reach is nine hundred feet!"

Zhu Houzhao calculated in his mind that nine hundred feet is about 3 kilometers, and the artillery of the Yongle Dynasty can shoot 2 kilometers. Now, using foreign artillery technology, the mileage can be increased by 50%, which is very good.

Of course, it is definitely incomparable to the modern artillery that can easily hit dozens of kilometers, or even claim to be artillery even after it has hit hundreds of kilometers.

Through the telescope, he carefully looked at the impact point. It was obvious that there was a large circular crater, but it still had some power.

The troops are all spread out densely, and it would be terrible if such a big iron ball hits them.

"You said it was unstable earlier. Is there any problem?"

"To be honest with the emperor, this kind of Hongyi cannon has many shortcomings. One of them is that your majesty said it is heavy. Each cannon weighs more than a thousand kilograms. It is just inconvenient to transport. The artillery position cannot be moved easily during war. Before, Jinglu The reason why Hou achieved such a great victory was that Turpan had an immovable city.

If faced with the cavalry of the Tatars and Oara tribes, it would be difficult to function. Moreover, the grassland people had been fighting with the Ming Dynasty for hundreds of years. They knew the Ming Dynasty's tactics. Even if it was five hundred feet away, they would just choose to stay away from the artillery range. .Because the artillery is too bulky, it is easily scattered once it moves. "

Zhu Houzhao nodded, "It makes sense. But you also said that it is still very useful in specific combat situations, so it still needs to be built."

"Yes! The second disadvantage of this kind of artillery is that loading is complicated. It requires loading gunpowder, loading ammunition... and other processes, and soldiers need to be trained before they can use it."

Zhu Houzhao knew this. Early firearms were really troublesome. The first round was fine, but by the time you finished the second round, the archers would have shot three or four arrows.

"Anyway, it can still play a key role in positional warfare, and once our army acts as the defender, it will play an even greater role. It will not be easy for the enemy to attack our army with artillery."

Gu Renyi nodded, "What your Majesty said is absolutely true. Emperor Taizong paid special attention to firearms at that time and specially formed the Shenji Battalion. Its combat power far exceeded other battalions. It was the elite among the elites of our Ming Dynasty!"

"There is another problem. These shells are all solid bullets."

Yes, the artillery fire at this time is actually a big iron ball.Not the kind of gunpowder that can explode.

"...Can you think of a way to develop that kind of explosive bomb, replace the solid bullet with a hollow bullet, put gunpowder inside, ignite it with a fuse when it is sent out, and then explode. This kind of power will be much greater."

Zhu Houzhao handed the telescope to the servant on the side, pulled Gu Renyi closer and said: "The Mongolian cavalry is no longer a threat, but the cavalry cannot attack the city, so we have to rely on this."

Gu Renyi nodded, "Wei Chen understands what His Majesty means. After Wei Chen goes down, he will dispatch the most capable craftsmen to trial production."

"I have set up an academy of science in the capital, and you can borrow people from them. As long as this kind of artillery is made, I will definitely reward you heavily!"

The conversation with him basically ended here, and then he summoned hundreds of craftsmen from the Ordnance Bureau for the first time as an emperor.

Their role is important, but their status is not that great.

There was no point in trying to reason with them. Don't deceive your own people. The emperor directly brought two boxes of silver over.

On the martial arts stage, the emperor said: "I know that some of you are literate and some are not. It doesn't matter. I'll make it simple and let the money do the talking. This artillery can shoot farther than before. I am happy and happy. There will be a reward. In the future, if the shot is farther and more powerful, I will have more rewards! Just like that, Gu Renyi will let your people divide the money according to the merit! "

"Yes!" Gu Renyi waved her hand, "Why don't you quickly thank the emperor for the reward?!"

So hundreds of people knelt down and shouted long live.The momentum is quite strong.Zhu Houzhao laughed loudly. He felt happy when he saw these people receiving the money. He raised his eyebrows and said to Gu Renyi, "This is how money is spent wisely. It is better than using it as new year coins."

Gu Renyi cupped her hands and said, "How can the emperor's civil and martial arts skills be comparable to those of Zhao and Song Dynasties?"

"Well, you have to be generous. There will always be some money wasted on trial production, but just like eating, you feel full after the third bowl, so you have to acknowledge the credit of the first two bowls, right?"

Gu Renyi was amused: "The emperor's metaphor is quite interesting."

"That's the truth. Okay, I'm back to the palace. You cannon, wait until Zhou Shangwen and Wu Wenxiang speak to you. By then, we, the monarch and the ministers, will have to build as many doors as possible. If you build less, it won't be enough. If you build too much, If these craftsmen really come up with a new cannon, it will be a waste. I guess this cannon is not cheap."

"Each door has more than 3000 taels."

"It's really expensive, but it has to be built. A rumor came from the northwest, saying that the Yarkand Khanate refused the Ming Dynasty's surrender. How could this be possible?" Zhu Houzhao shook his head repeatedly, "He blocked the trade in the Western Regions and refused to surrender. I can only clean it up together."

"Your Majesty, the imperial court has deployed troops continuously..."

"I understand everything, and I didn't say I would fight right away." Zhu Houzhao said with high spirits, "But don't delay it too long. I thought about it that day and suddenly realized that I have been on the throne for ten years and I am 25 years old. Part [-] You are no longer young when you are thirty. Of course you can be a hero in your old age with a gray beard and great ambition, but it is best when you are young. What do you think?"

Gu Renyi couldn't help but laugh: "The Emperor is obviously still in his prime. Why talk about old age?"

Zhu Houzhao was in a good mood and said a few more words, "You have aged a lot."

"Yes, no one is young anymore. I really envy Your Majesty. But..." His face began to look a little tangled.

"what happened?"

"I feel that Your Majesty has a hidden concern."

"Oh? What's the worry?"

Gu Renyi said: "The East Palace is empty."

Zhu Houzhao glanced at him, and it actually made sense. One day he would have to consider this issue.

Queen Xia didn't give birth, she just gave birth to a princess.

The queen's childlessness would affect her status. Although Zhu Houzhao would protect her for the sake of the overall situation, she herself was not confident enough and always felt that she had no support in the future.

Especially, it’s December again, New Year’s Eve again, and people have to grow older again.

Zhu Houzhao went to Kunning Palace on a sunny day. Empress Xia was filled with joy when she saw the emperor, and even made a braised fish that the emperor loved to eat.

After eating, he hugged her warm body and hid on the fragrant bed, her tender skin rubbing against his, and the queen's petite body was so hot that his mind wandered.

I still can't get tired of this.
"The harem is growing day by day, and I am afraid it will take some effort to manage. Thank you for your hard work, Queen."

"Compared to the Emperor, my concubine's hard work is nothing."

Zhu Houzhao's hands kept moving, making her more and more unable to control herself.