My Backyard is the Tang Dynasty Chapter 304

Published at 27th of October 2023 05:44:58 AM

Seeing Li Shimin's serious expression, Li Yin already guessed something, he thought that what should come will eventually come back, and he also knew that there are some things that cannot be hidden at all.

Following Li Shimin arrived at the Palace of Political Affairs, Li Shimin said, "It is said that there is a powerful weapon in Yizhou, but is it true?"

Although Li Shimin said this in a probing tone, Li Yin knew that Li Shimin had already been thinking about it. While testing the real existence of the artillery, he was also testing whether Li Yin would hide it from him. He didn't intend to hide it anymore, it was completely unnecessary, so he said: "Father is talking about artillery!"

"The weapon you used to defeat Tubo is called artillery?" Li Shimin's second sentence completely exposed that he had already learned about artillery.

"Yes, since the father is interested in artillery, it's still early in the morning, so I will take the father to see this kind of weapon." Li Yin said, he had already known that Li Shimin was interested in this kind of weapon, this time he came to benefit Zhou couldn't say that he wanted to ask about artillery, so Li Yin also made preparations in advance, transporting a few of the first-generation front-mounted artillery researched by Tong Yu to the Central Army camp in Yizhou. Li Yin handed over the complete technical drawings to them, but they couldn't produce them. Even if the first-generation artillery like Yizhou was taken back for imitation, whether they could produce qualified artillery is still a problem. Besides, Li Yin's weapon system has been eliminated. Instead of the original black powder, this is the essential gap. Li Shimin looked at Li Yin and nodded in satisfaction, a stone fell to the ground in his heart. Li Yin did not hide it from him, which is enough to explain something, "Okay, let's go and have a look now."

After discussing this matter, Li Min asked Rongda to prepare a horse, and the two rode straight to the Central Army camp in the south of Yizhou.

After the notification, Zhu Youzhi came out of the barracks. Seeing Li Shimin and Li Yin, Zhu Youzhi saluted respectfully, and after Li Yin explained his purpose, he led them to the artillery test range.

"Is this the artillery?" Li Shimin said looking at the front-mounted artillery arranged in a row.

Li Yin nodded and said: "Yes, father, this is the artillery."

Li Shimin walked up to a cannon, looked around it carefully for a while, and said, "Isn't this a pipe made of steel? How powerful can it be?"

Li Yin gestured to the three gunners standing in front of the artillery. The three gunners understood and immediately loaded the gunpowder and shells. Li Yin turned to Li Shimin and said, "Father, as the saying goes, hearing is worse than seeing. Ammunition. Now please cover your ears, father."

Li Shimin stared curiously at the three soldiers completing all the actions. Hearing Li Yin's words, he walked up to Li Yin and covered his ears. Not far from the shooting range, some soldiers were setting up targets. At this time, they were almost finished. Seeing the semaphore raised here, the soldiers immediately threw away the gravel in their hands and ran away.

Everything was in place, the gunner ignited the fuse on the artillery. They also practiced this kind of old-fashioned artillery, but they quickly learned such a simple operation.

"Bang!" There was a loud noise.

Even with your ears covered. Li Shimin's face was still pale from the violent shock, while the stone mountain piled up on the opposite side was torn apart by the shells in just an instant.

Panting for a while, Li Shimin slowly came to his senses and swallowed. Li Shimin said: "I finally believe it now, no wonder you can defeat Tuyuhun, no wonder you can defeat Tubo's army again, with this kind of weapon. There is still a united enemy in the world."

"Father, you don't have to think highly of this weapon. When you first come into contact with it, you will indeed gain an advantage because of this weapon, but it will be different after the enemy understands it. They can completely designate combat methods against artillery, as long as they plan properly. It can still offset the advantage of the artillery, especially the Turkic people, they come and go like the wind, as long as they don't contact us and only use bows and arrows to harass, the artillery can cause very little damage. Occupying favorable terrain and encircling them, if it is on the open grassland, we may not be able to win."  …

Li Shimin nodded when he heard the words: "Even if this is already very remarkable, you heard what my father said just now. Jieli's death is my heart in the Tang Dynasty. The current situation in the grassland is getting more and more chaotic, and my father has to do it in advance." Prepare, so I thought of your artillery."

"So that's how it is!" Li Yin pondered for a moment, and said, "Father, I understand, but does Father want to go back and make this kind of artillery?"

Li Shimin said: "Yes, with this powerful weapon, we can increase our chances of winning against Xieli."

Li Yin shook his head at this moment, and said: "Father, your thinking is too simple. I can give the design drawings and production methods of the artillery to the father, but the craftsmen in Chang'an can't make this kind of artillery at all. Even if it is successfully produced, its power will not be half that of this kind of artillery, and the cost of this artillery is not something my father can easily bear."

"Why!" Li Shimin frowned and said, Li Yin poured a basin of cold water on him.

Li Yin said directly: "Because this kind of artillery has very high requirements on the forging method of steel, if it is an unqualified artillery, not only will the shell not be fired, but it will explode at the bottom of the artillery, hurting your own soldiers."

Li Shimin was silent. What Li Yin said made sense. After all, Chang'an was not Yizhou. Li Yin owned a lot of machinery purchased from Luo Anguo, and was capable of producing artillery, but the craftsmen in Chang'an were different. He paused. Dun said to himself: "How can this be done?"

"Father, my son has a way?" Li Yin said with a flash of inspiration at this time.

"Oh? What can you do?" Li Shimin felt hope again.

Li Yin said: "Since my father wants to produce this kind of artillery, my son can hand over the design drawings and production methods to my father, and my father can also let the craftsmen try to make it when I go back. If I can't make it, my son is willing to provide this kind of artillery To the royal father!"

Li Shimin laughed when he heard the words, and said: "Liulang, I really didn't misunderstand you, well, I will do as you said."

"It's just that my father's cannon is expensive to build. A cannon costs at least a few hundred thousand yuan..." Li Yin said carefully looking at Li Shimin's face.

Li Shimin stared at Li Yin's eyes vigilantly, "Are you still going to ask Father for money?"

Li Yan waved his hand immediately, and said with a smile: "Father, you misunderstood, how dare I? It's just that Father can't let me post it for nothing, otherwise it won't be enough to post all of my family background."

Li Shimin's expression eased a little, and he said: "If you have anything to say, just say it, you and I are monarchs and ministers as well as father and son, so there is no need to be so secretive."

"Yes, I want my father to allow my son to exercise the right to mint coins in the fief." This is what Li Min had a flash of inspiration just now. The three magic spells that the elder Sun Wuji put on Li Min, one is to guard the border, and the other is to pay taxes. , the third is to prohibit Li Yin from minting coins, and now it is time to untie them one by one. Large-scale transactions are on the way, but although gold and silver are expensive, there is no unified standard, so I want to reform the currency system in the fiefdom, otherwise the old-fashioned copper coins will only limit the development of Yizhou." Li Min threw himself The words in my heart came out.

Li Shimin was speechless for a while after listening to Li Yin's words. This vassal king is actually a country within a country, and he should have the right to mint coins. This transaction is tantamount to handing over the rights that originally belonged to Li Yin to him, and now, as Li Yin said, the situation in Yizhou is no longer suitable for using copper coins. "

"Well, the father promised you." Li Shimin said, "After all, the right to mint coins should have been given to you. At that time, the father didn't want the ministers to make too much trouble. Now your Yizhou has also got ministers in the past few years." With your approval, if you send this cannon to the emperor again, the ministers will have nothing to say."

"Thank you, Father!" Li Yin was secretly happy, exchanging the obsolete generation of artillery for the right to mint coins would definitely make a profit without losing money, which meant that he had truly controlled Yizhou's economy.

Chapter end