Don't be a prince

Datang does not have a spectrometer or something like that. To make shaped black powder, the materials are thoroughly mixed together, so it is difficult to distinguish the composition of the materials.

It's ridiculous to say that people today haven't discovered the properties of saltpeter to make ice. Even if it is useful, it is also used for medicine.After studying for a long time, Sun Simiao discovered that the "Pu Xiao", which was recorded in the "Shen Nong's Materia Medica", which was written in the Eastern Han Dynasty, "can transform 72 kinds of stones", is probably saltpeter.

After all, the real charm of gunpowder lies in saltpeter, but saltpeter is colorless and tastes bitter, but there are so many bitter things, who would directly associate it with saltpeter?

In the spirit of frugality, Li Shimin handed over the disassembled grenade to the soldiers driving the car, and picked up another grenade himself.

"Same as before, just ignite the fuse, but throw the iron shell out, right?"

Seeing that the emperor wanted to test it himself, Li Chengqian hurriedly dissuaded him: "Father, it's too dangerous. Although this is a time-delayed fuze, everyone is afraid of that. In my opinion, it's better to let the warriors do the experiment." For example, Lu Guogong, didn’t he rush to try it just now?”

Cheng Yaojin didn't feel cheated at all, instead he laughed and said: "Haha, I'm not afraid of old Cheng, Your Majesty, just give some to this humble minister!"

Seeing that Cheng Yaojin was about to snatch it, Yu Chigong hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, Your Highness said to give it to the warriors for experimentation. I feel that I am a warrior, so let me give it to me!"

Cheng Yaojin and Yu Chigong both robbed, Changsun Wuji would not show weakness, he still treats Dafa: "What I said just now, is true, let me come."

Seeing that the scene was about to get out of control, Li Chengqian hurriedly said: "Everyone, there are enough grenades. Everyone can get one, so don't fight over each other."

Even though he said so, Changsun Wuji still won the first place.

After picking up a grenade in a fluster and tilting it for a long time, Changsun Wuji walked to the side of the prepared protection and listened to Li Chengqian explain the method of throwing the bomb.

Outside the iron guardrail, there is now a big hole, and the place where the bomb was thrown is also surrounded by iron sheets. Even if there is an accident, well, at most one person will be unlucky, unless some guy wants to kill the whole family and throws the grenade into the crowd.Because of this, Li Chengqian also arranged Li Jian and Zhang Yun next to the bombing position, and both of them drew their swords out of their sheaths, just to guard against madmen.

Changsun Wuji was not dissatisfied with this arrangement. Seeing the two rows of dead pigs hanging in front of him, he turned around in doubt and asked, "Your Highness, what's going on with these two rows of dead pigs?"

Li Chengqian explained: "Of course it is used to test the power of the grenade. Didn't you see how many pigs are wearing leather and iron armor?"

Changsun Wuji nodded, and after hesitating for a long time, he lit the grenade.

After all, it was the army who got mixed up. Changsun Wuji shot with all his strength, and even threw more than 30 meters, which directly exceeded the passing line for bomb throwing.

There is no need to be on guard against the grenade as if facing an enemy, so the kings and ministers of the Tang Dynasty saw the whole process of the grenade explosion clearly.

A soldier was already ready and went down to lift up a dead pig.The pig had no protection. The broken shrapnel had opened a hole in its stomach, and its intestines had been squeezed out.That is to say, the pig's blood was emptied, otherwise the scene would be very bloody, but even so, a few fragile old masters still vomited it out.

Changsun Wuji naturally wouldn't feel disgusted. It is said that the people he hacked to death with his own hands back then were not one or two, they were just dead pigs, nothing more.

So, he simply asked Zhang Yun for a dagger, cut open the neck of the pig, and finally took out a piece of broken shrapnel from it.

"If it is a person without armor, he will definitely die if he hits the vital point!"

Changsun Wuji's judgment attracted countless voices of support.

Cheng Yaojin had already snatched a grenade, and couldn't wait any longer. Before the soldiers could send the poor pig back, he threw a second grenade.

After all, he is a military commander. Although the rich life in the past few years has made him gain weight, he still has strength.

With this throw, he threw more than 70 meters and became a "bomb-throwing elite".

The scene of the grenade exploding can no longer satisfy the curiosity of the monarchs and ministers. What everyone cares more about is the power.

The two rows of dead pigs arranged by the prince are well arranged, so that you can intuitively see the power of gunpowder weapons.

The second pig that was carried up for the emperor and ministers of the Tang Dynasty to watch was a dead pig in leather armor.

The leather armor belonging to the prairie people could not protect this unlucky pig much, and was still seriously injured by the fragments.

"The protection of the leather armor only adds a little chance of survival. There is no big difference between wearing it and not wearing it."

Cheng Yaojin imitated his eldest grandson Wuji and directly made a judgment.

Chapter 271 Gu's

Li Ji and the others immediately stepped forward, excitedly surrounding the dead pig to study.Cheng Yaojin was right, the leather armor might be able to protect against arrows to some extent, but there was really nothing to do with the fragments of the hand grenade.Even if someone is lucky enough to be injured in a non-critical part, with such an injury, it may be difficult to survive on the battlefield.

After all, the prairie people did not have Datang's wounded barracks.

The third player to play was naturally Yuchi Gong, this guy was even more ruthless, he threw a 100-meter throw directly!Li Chengqian's jaw almost dropped in shock.He remembered that the farthest bombing distance in China and even in the world was a record of [-] meters set by a Chinese soldier named Song Fudan.As a result, this record was broken by Yu Chigong in the Tang Dynasty!It is said that the ancients were more powerful than modern people. He used to think it was an illusion of historians or something, but now it seems that it really makes sense.

Not to mention anything else, Yu Chigong's bombing distance is enough to make the whole world proud.

After the explosion was over, the soldiers brought up two dead pigs this time.

One of the dead pigs was wearing a very ordinary armor, and the other was wearing Tang's Mingguang armor.

Seeing that Mingguang armor was used for experiments, even the emperor pointed at the prince and was speechless in anger.

Mingguang armor is different from ordinary armor. Even now, the generals in the court have not been able to get a pair, but it is such a precious armor, but it is used for experiments!

Seeing through the emperor's thoughts, Li Chengqian said indifferently: "Father, have you forgotten that the Ministry of Industry is building an ironworks? When the ironworks are completed and put into production, they are only Mingguang armor, and they can even be equipped in the army." .”

"That can't be such a waste!"

He walked forward distressedly, and just about to pay tribute to the armor, Li Shimin was surprised to find that the fragments on the breastplate failed to penetrate the breastplate, but just pierced in, and even failed to pierce through.

Seeing that everyone was very surprised, Li Chengqian explained: "In fact, gunpowder weapons are not so magical. If you want power, you must increase the volume, and if you want convenience, you must reduce the volume. However, the power of gunpowder weapons has nothing to do with its weight. Very direct relationship, power and portability cannot be combined! This kind of grenade that can be used by individual soldiers may cause fatal damage to foreign enemies, but it is not enough threat to those wearing bright light armor. Unless, this grenade Either it exploded close to the body, or several grenades exploded at the same time."

There is no difference without comparison. Changsun Wuji checked another dead pig in ordinary armor, and found that this time the fragments of the grenade only pierced through, but did not go deep.

"Weapons need to be restrained after all. If the things we create are enough deadly threats to ourselves, then we don't need such weapons. Your Majesty, I feel that the power of individual grenades is weaker, which is not a bad thing." .”

Li Shimin nodded regretfully. Seeing the siege-level explosion, although he didn't dislike the grenade, he still...

After all the courtiers were assigned a grenade and enjoyed the thrill of "releasing the palm grenade", Li Chengqian ordered people to bring bows and arrows with gunpowder.

Like the grenade, Li Tai also worked hard on the arrow.

The front end of the arrow shaft is a hollow arrow, which is strictly filled with gunpowder, otherwise the weight imbalance will cause the arrow to lose its aim.The first half is all made of iron arrow shafts, and the second half is changed to wooden arrow shafts.This has also been strictly tested. An all-iron arrow can't be shot at all. Besides, the overall explosive power is completely wasted compared to the front-end explosion.As a large-scale disposable consumable, the forging process of gunpowder and arrows adheres to the principle of "saving what can be saved".

Although the explosive arrows are not as powerful as the grenade, under the dense rain of arrows, they will only be more terrifying than the grenade.If the equivalent is not enough, if the quantity is large, the power will surpass the former.

The emperor, who had failed to hit the grenade just now, couldn't move after seeing the gunpowder arrow. No matter who persuaded him, he had to try it. Wei Zheng just stood up and was forced to retreat by the emperor's wolf-like eyes go back.

No one dared to provoke the really angry emperor, not even Wei Zheng.Brackets: usually.

The power of gunpowder arrows is worse than that of grenades, but in the hands of a marksman, their power should not be underestimated.

From Li Chengqian's point of view, the emperor's archery skills could only be compared with Feng An's, and no one else, even Fang Shuo who was good at archery, could compare.

The arrow that ignited the fuze was shot out by the emperor, but it accurately shot to the center of the pig's head a hundred steps away.

With an explosion, the emperor who had fulfilled his wish suddenly smiled like a child.

"Your Majesty's sharp shot is still the same, I congratulate Your Majesty!"

Under the leadership of Changsun Wuji, everyone shouted loudly.

At this moment, even Li Chengqian yelled sincerely.I have to admit that even among the emperors, Li Shimin is a very powerful one.His skills are not blown out, just this one, Li Chengqian thinks that he can't even do it now.

It was a burning gunpowder arrow, everyone would worry about it, but Li Shimin just shot it casually, seemingly leisurely, but it happened to be extremely accurate.

When it was the turn of gunpowder arrows, their power was not satisfactory.You don't even need to lift the hapless dead pig to guess the power.

Gunpowder arrows can at most cause serious injuries to people, unless they are unlucky and hit a vital point, they will die.But considering the scene where all arrows are fired, it might be possible.

Faced with such a scene, even Mingguang armor may not be able to save his life.

The civil servants of the Tang Dynasty were not as untouchable as the officials of some dynasties. Whether it was Fang Xuanling or Du Ruhui, their archery skills were not weak. Even if they were not as accurate as the emperor, they could still hit the target.

After enjoying the thrill of archery, everyone is completely satisfied with today's trip.

After all, it feels good to be trusted and relied on by others. The emperor summoned a group of ministers to demonstrate the power of gunpowder weapons, which means that he does not hide his secrets.Of course, they also understood how important gunpowder weapons are through today's demonstration.Undoubtedly, this is something more dangerous than the eight-ox crossbow. As long as you are a courtier, you must not get a single point in this aspect. This is the bottom line.

Although he failed to get the big guy, Changsun Wuji, who had enjoyed the grenade and gunpowder arrows, was still very satisfied, and immediately expressed that he would fulfill his promise and treat guests at Zuifeng Tower.

With Changsun Wuji on the steps, all the courtiers began to discuss the matter of the banquet one after another, but they never mentioned the deadly thing of gunpowder.

Li Shimin was very satisfied with the reaction of the courtiers. There were no fools in the court. Now that the gunpowder weapon was displayed in front of them, if someone stretched out his hand indiscriminately in the future, it would be logical for him to strike.

Picking up a gunpowder arrow, Li Shimin said to Li Chengqian with satisfaction: "The weapons you made are very good. It's still a bit of a mess to go out personally. If you really want to thoroughly judge the power of gunpowder weapons, you have to It is a large-scale war. Next year, we will conquer Gaochang next year, so we can experiment with what role gunpowder weapons can play in a large-scale war."

Li Chengqian nodded. Gunpowder weapons really only show their power with a large army. Small-scale teams, such as the prince's personal lead, even transportation is a problem.

"Father, although these weapons have been classified, they haven't been officially named yet. Why don't you name them by Father. They are always called Gunpowder Arrow and Gunpowder Arrow. It's weird."

Li Shimin nodded: "You are right, you really should change the name, how to name it, I will think about it when I go back."

After finishing speaking, he didn't put down the arrow in his hand, but held it in his hand because it was too rare, so he took it and left.

The eldest grandson Wuji invited guests, so the emperor would naturally go too.Nowadays, there are very few courtiers who dare to invite the emperor together, and Changsun Wuji happens to be one of them.

Cheng Yaojin's Zuifenglou, like its owner, has always been synonymous with affordability and boldness, whether it is spirits or dishes, the prices are generous and affordable.Because of the cooperation of the distillery, Zuifenglou also won the distribution rights of grassland beef and mutton very quickly.It's just a signature dish of "beef sauce", which makes other restaurants bow down.Beef, ordinary people may not be able to eat a bite in this life, eating beef is the expression of status.

So when the sauced beef dish was brought to the table, almost everyone put down their favorite dishes and tasted this dish seriously.

"Zhijie, I remember that the sauce beef seems to be a dish of the East Palace, when did you have it here?"

Facing the emperor's question, Cheng Yaojin laughed loudly and said: "It is indeed a dish from the Eastern Palace, and my old Cheng also bought the recipe at a high price. With this famous dish, the business of Zuifenglou is unthinkable." It's not good!"

Li Chengqian also laughed. He was surprised when Cheng Chusi visited the East Palace and wanted to buy a recipe for sauced beef.

Although Cheng Yaojin looks rough, but he is very smart, at least this move is beyond the imagination of ordinary people.Just the two selling points of "direct sales of spirits" and "sauce beef" attracted enough customers for Zuifenglou.Compared with the increased profits, the little money used by the buyer is really nothing.

When civil servants and military generals gather together, the first to leave the stage is always the civil servant.Although there are also a large number of people, but in front of the generals, the large number cannot stand up.

When Changsun Wuji couldn't bear to plead guilty and left the meeting, the civil servants disappeared completely.

Seeing the bluffing Cheng Yaojin and others, Li Chengqian took a sip of hot tea, ready to see what their purpose was.

The generals are so abnormal today, they definitely have something to say.

Sure enough, Li Jing, as the most representative of the group of generals, said after cupping his hands: "Your Majesty, I have seen the supernatural power of gunpowder weapons today, and I am yearning for them! This kind of weapons will be assembled in the army as soon as possible. Datang's combat strength will be improved a day earlier, I wonder what His Majesty's plan is for this?"

If it was normal, he would only ask the emperor's plan if he was stupid.However, this is an artifact-like weapon!

It is said that a general must be ruthless, but this kind of ruthlessness will only exist on the battlefield, and when he is off the battlefield, even a ruthless person like Li Jing will patrol the wounded barracks many times.People's hearts are fleshy, and they have experienced troubled times, and they understand the value of gunpowder weapons. With it, no matter how difficult the battle is, the loss of Datang will be reduced to an unbelievable level.

And this is something these generals cannot refuse.

If it is said that they have nothing to do without real jobs, then since the display of gunpowder weapons, it is their common goal to urge the emperor to assemble the whole army as soon as possible.

Even the emperor cannot ignore the ideas put forward by the military as a whole.

After taking a sip of his wine, Li Shimin said: "You dear friends have also seen that the power of gunpowder weapons is really terrifying. It is no exaggeration to say that when this thing is flooded, it has the power to destroy the world. You are the same as me. After experiencing troubled times, during the Daye period, there were a total of 890 million households in the world, but in the early years of Zhenguan, how many were left? 200 million households! Even if the refugees were not counted, and even if the standards for statistical households in the Sui and Tang Dynasties were different, how many people died during this period? , you are also counted!"

Mentioning this, everyone sighed.

It is extremely appropriate to use it on them.The number of people who died under their hands alone was more than hundreds of thousands. Counting all battles, large and small, the number of dead people really dare not be counted.

This was just a melee between warlords. The emperor meant that they understood that gunpowder weapons were a double-edged sword, and they were incomparably powerful when used externally, just as they were during civil wars.Civil war is a chronic disease that is difficult to cure in the land of the Central Plains. Even now, there is no guarantee that it will last for a long time.

Seeing that all the generals were silent, Li Shimin said: "I understand what you are thinking. You just want to reduce the casualties of the soldiers, but as the prince said, these are just weapons, and the most important thing is the person who uses the weapon. Yes When facing the enemy, gunpowder arrows are used in the distance, and grenades are used in the middle. What about when you are close to the body? Isn’t it still a knife? Therefore, the quality of the army is still the key point. It's very unstable, Prince, please explain it to all your loves."

Being named, Li Chengqian could only stand up and bowed his hands to the generals and said: "Gunpowder weapons are very unstable. A small spark is enough to cause a tragedy. Besides, it is also afraid of being damp, and you don't want to place high hopes on it." After the weapons are fired, they will be useless. Therefore, it is impossible to assemble the whole army, unless it is prepared before the war, and then assembled to the army during the war. In order to guard against sudden wars, a batch of weapons can be prepared in the treasury. Prevent sharpening the guns before the battle. When these weapons are about to pass the safety deadline, they will be handed over to the army for practice, which can be regarded as making the best use of everything and not wasting much. What do you generals think?"

Li Jing nodded: "Such an arrangement is naturally safe, so I won't say much."

Not only Li Jing nodded, but even Li Ji and others nodded in praise.The prince's arrangement not only fulfilled their wishes, but also showed their rigor in doing things. At the age of 13, he couldn't perform better.

Li Shimin also nodded in satisfaction, and said to Li Chengqian: "Although I have taken over the management, in the end you are the one who knows best. When you go back, write out various regulations for me and send them to the palace."

Li Chengqian naturally agreed.

Now that gunpowder weapons have been made, there is no reason to hide and eat ashes.If the prediction is good, the first batch of people who get the chance to practice will be the Xuanjia Army.This is the emperor's hole card. Even if he becomes the emperor now, he has not canceled the Xuanjia Army's pro-military status.The Ministry of War did not even dare to point fingers in this matter.

The generals who fulfilled their wishes stopped drinking, but congratulated each other with a smile, and then got up to leave.

After drinking the wine in the glass, Li Shimin glanced at Li Chengqian with relief and said: "It seems that what I did was indeed right. You are already very rigorous in doing things now. This is the credit of Fang Xuanling and others, and also the contribution of Kong Yingda and others. The credit they belong to! I will reward them."

Li Chengqian nodded, presumably Lao Kong and others were about to go crazy.The crown prince's reward was nothing more than a solution to material needs, and only the emperor's reward could really satisfy them physically and mentally.

The emperor's reward doesn't matter how much it is, but whether it is given or not. As long as there is a reward from the emperor, for the courtiers, hard work will not be in vain.

After the banquet was over, the emperor returned to the palace on the imperial chariot, but Li Chengqian had no intention of going back, but asked the coachman to drive around in Chang'an City.

Long-term stability is the foundation of prosperity.Since the reign of Wude, not to mention other places, Chang'an has been stable for 15 years. In 15 years, Chang'an once again played the role of its capital.Wealthy businessmen from other places always hold a feeling similar to admiration for Kyoto, and they can't help but gather in Chang'an.In the past, there were still a large number of ordinary people living in Chang'an City, and now there are still a lot of people. It's just that the square city closest to the palace has been completely taken over by the nobles and rich.

In particular, Yanshoufang and Guangdefang, because they are close to the imperial city and adjacent to the West Market, have become the preferred residences of the local rich.Land prices, which were originally cheap, are rising rapidly.

There has never been a shortage of rich people in the south of the Yangtze River. Rich merchants who deal in silk and tea, living in Chang'an, themselves represent the power of the south of the Yangtze River, and they have also surrendered to the royal family.When the country was newly established, you could still swing on the wall twice, and everyone understood it, but after the country was completely settled down, if you still maintained hostility, you were courting death.

The addition of the Jiangnan economic system to Chang'an will greatly promote the prosperity of the economy.However, these things should be considered by the Ministry of Households or the emperor. As the prince, Li Chengqian was only interested in their rich wealth background and their unshakable reputation in the local area.

There was a piece of paper on the carriage, and when he took out a piece of paper at random, Li Chengqian wrote a greeting card and handed it to Zhang Yun, who sent him to the Gu family's other courtyard.

The Gu family of Wujun is one of the four surnames in Wuzhong, and it is a scholarly heirloom.The thirteenth grandson of Goujian, Yao, once served as the leader of the Minyue tribe. Because of his meritorious service in helping Liu Bang destroy Xiang Yu, he was named the king of the East China Sea.Later, he named his son Gu Yuhou, and his descendants stayed in Kuaiji. The descendants of his concubine took the first character of his title as his surname, called Gu family.

This is the authentic surname Gu, respected as the ancestor of the surname Gu.The real rise of the Gu family was during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. With a strong economic foundation, they joined forces with the Langya Wang family, a noble family in the north after Yongjia traveled to the south, to help Sima Rui to the throne. Since then, the Gu family has become the key object of the Eastern Jin royal family. Many family members have since entered the power center of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.The Gu family in Wujun became a famous family at that time, and it has continued to this day, and it is still a famous family in Jiangdong.

The establishment of the bank cannot be supported by the Royal Household Office and the East Palace Treasury alone. This is a huge network that covers the entire Tang Dynasty, and it is doomed that the Li family cannot support it.

It is helpless to say that the best choice for the bank's partner is a famous family.