The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 595
This day is an exciting day for Shenji Camp.

Today's emperor personally visits Shenji Camp, which is unprecedented since the establishment of Shenji Camp.

There is no need to mention the solemn arrangements and strict security in the past few days, but it is only said that it was on the main school field of the Rishenji Battalion, on the southernmost high platform.

Emperor Ningkang sat majestically, with the crown prince, the third prince, Princess Zhaoyang and the fourth prince on the two sides below him.Under the stage, there were Breeze's dignified Captain Long and officers and soldiers of the Imperial Guard.

Jia Lian confirmed that everything was ready, stepped up to the dragon platform quickly, and asked for instructions with a military salute: "Your Majesty, the three new cannons and the 300 yuan target have been arranged. Please order to light the fire!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Ningkang stepped down from the dragon chair, stood on the edge of the high platform, and looked up.

A hundred meters away in front of him, three huge cannons were arrayed, and a square area could be vaguely seen farther in front of the cannons.Xu Shi spent many years reviewing the memorials, so his vision was not so clear, and he could only roughly distinguish that they were pieces of targets inserted into the ground.

Emperor Ningkang was standing there, not knowing what he was thinking. After a while, he heard him order lightly: "Light the fire."

Following his words, the imperial guards on both sides immediately surrounded a row of ten people. They held shields in front of Emperor Ningkang, obviously not at ease with such powerful artillery but they were not familiar with it.

Seeing that his sight was blocked, Emperor Ningkang showed displeasure: "Get out of the way."

The general in charge of the emperor's safety hastily withdrew the people, and his vigilance remained undiminished.Then Jia Lian also stood on the edge of the dragon platform and waved to his subordinates.

And the gunners below, who received Jia Lian's order, immediately suppressed their anxiety and excitement, and moved quickly.

"Boom boom boom..."

"Boom bang bang!!!"

Accompanied by three loud sounds, even the ground seemed to tremble.

Even Emperor Ningkang almost couldn't resist taking a step back, he immediately calmed down, looking suspiciously at the gunpowder smoke rising into the sky in the distance...

Seeing that the experiment was successful, Jia Lian also showed a smile on his face, and immediately ordered the audience around the stage: "Go and collect the destroyed targets and show them to Your Majesty!"

"slow!"

Emperor Ningkang stopped calling, "I'll go and see for myself."

Hearing the words, the crown prince immediately said: "Father, guns have no eyes. It was really wrong for Father to go in the past. It is better to let Zhenyuan Hou take the target over."

"No need to say much."

In Emperor Ningkang's impression, no matter how powerful a cannon is, it can be fired with an iron egg, which can cause devastating destructive power to the city wall.But like today, the scene of huge fire and gunpowder smoke after the shot was beyond his expectation.

So he wanted to see for himself how destructive this thing was.Move the target over, what can you see?
Jia Lian admired Emperor Ningkang's courage very much, and naturally he would not object, but ordered people to turn the muzzle of the cannon to the west.Even though he knew that the possibility of accidental shooting and accidental injury was basically zero, it would be disrespectful to point Hei Rumble's muzzle at the emperor.

A moment later, standing in the middle of the shooting range where the fiery temperature remained, Emperor Ningkang looked deeply.But the prince and the others had already involuntarily shown a bit of stunned expression.

Just because I looked around, the brand-new targets that should have been densely packed were already crumbling and even dilapidated.Centered on three pitch-black round pits that did not form a formation, they spread out in all directions.

Although most of the [-] targets seemed to be standing upright, they were basically damaged. It is roughly estimated that if these targets were soldiers, no more than half of them would still be able to retain their fighting power after these three shots!
Seeing the results beyond the previous training standards, Jia Lian smiled even more.

He didn't expect that the artillery, which he thought was more difficult, so he didn't rush to study it, had made great progress ahead of the musket!
It was an unexpected delight.It also means that the artillery filled with explosive bombs will really start to dominate the future battlefield.

Speaking of it, it is not that explosive bombs have appeared before, but most of them are short-lived, and then they are abandoned due to their extremely poor launch methods or huge disadvantages.

Not long ago, a craftsman from the Artillery Bureau of the Shenji Camp approached him excitedly, saying that he had thought of a way to develop what he had said before, the kind that is fired, explodes when it hits the ground, and then uses the fragments to kill and injure a large number of enemies. of the shells.

Jia Lian originally listened to his description with doubts, but after listening to it, he felt that it was really feasible.

After making a batch according to the method, I found that it was unexpectedly stable!That's right, the most important thing for an explosive bomb is stability, otherwise, wouldn't it be embarrassing if it exploded in the barrel before it was fired?
According to the historical data consulted by Jia Lian, there are many such incidents, which is also the main reason why the former dynasty and this dynasty did not use flowering bombs.

Therefore, even after repeated trials and felt that the safety was guaranteed, Jia Lian couldn't wait to play Ming Ning Kangdi.

Because Jia Lian felt that with this leap-forward progress, the Great Wei, like the "Red Yi" (the former and current dynasties collectively referred to the early sea colonists such as Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands), was able to carry out the interests of the age of great exploration. 's contention.

And Emperor Ningkang, who also wanted to achieve a great imperial career, heard Jia Lian's solemn introduction, and immediately decided that he would come and see for himself.This is how today's trip came about.

Seeing that Emperor Ningkang was obviously also shocked by the effect of the new cannon, Jia Lian added angrily: "Your Majesty, this new type of artillery has just been remodeled, and there are only three of these at present.

But His Majesty should have seen that, with just three cannons, in the face of concentrated enemies, they could already cause massive damage.

So it is not difficult to calculate, if there are [-] or even [-] such artillery pieces, all of which are lined up, then it can be said that we, the Great Wei, will be invincible in the battle of the plains!Whether it is the Oala and Tatars in the north, or the sea robbers from the far west, they can only bow their heads in front of my great Wei! "

Jia Lian's words fell on the ears of the people around him, some caused a huge shock, and some didn't feel anything.After all, for many people, Wei was invincible.

Emperor Ningkang was not so short-sighted. Although he lived in the deep palace every day, he was diligent and could still roughly know the situation of the whole Wei Dynasty.

Among other things, in the memorabilia given to him by officials from Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian, there are quite a few things about "Red Barbarians" and "Japanese Bandits".Emperor Ningkang had already thought about eliminating the banditry at sea, but because of his limited energy, he was unable to do so.

Therefore, after hearing Jia Lian's words, Emperor Ningkang was silent for a moment and asked, "Does this new cannon have a name?"

"My minister was ordered by His Majesty to develop firearms, and did not dare to change the name without authorization. Please give me a name from Your Majesty!"

In fact, Jia Lian didn't think of changing the name at all, because this time it was just an upgrade of the cannonball, and the cannon still used the best Francois machine gun before with a slightly improved foundation.

Emperor Ningkang said: "Since you said that this cannon can deter northern Tatars, Wala, and Hongyi bandits, then I will name it 'Zhenyuan Cannon'. May this thing in the hands of my great Wei really be able to make the four sides submit. "

"Your Majesty Shengming."

Seeing that Emperor Ningkang had a smile on his face at the end of his speech, the prince and others immediately came to flatter him.At the same time, they all glanced at Jia Lian with complicated expressions.

Of course they knew that Jia Lian's title was the word "Zhenyuan", and they didn't know what Emperor Ningkang meant by this move.But considering that the new cannon was originally made in Jia Lian's hands, it is reasonable for Emperor Ningkang to name it after Jia Lian.

On the way back to Longtai, the fourth prince quietly walked up to Jia Lian, and said in a low voice: "You are so mean, you have such a powerful thing, but last time you only gave me such a small thing... I think this cannon It's very interesting, bang~~ sparks are lingering, why don't you give me another one to play?"

"Fourth brother, don't mess around, such fierce things are extraordinary, how can they be used as playthings."

The third prince stepped forward and smiled softly.After finishing speaking, he looked at Jia Lian: "The Marquis of Zhenyuan is really a capable minister of our Great Wei, the Zhenyuan Cannon developed this time will definitely enhance the prestige of our Great Wei, and by then, the Marquis of Zhenyuan will have another addition to the history. "

Speaking of this, the third prince suddenly thought that for Jia Lian, there is no doubt about being famous in history.It is enough to rely on his heroic deeds spread all over the world.

But if he is an imposing prince, if he can't succeed in seizing the heir, let alone history, I'm afraid there won't be too many records in the history books.Perhaps, there are only a few lines such as "Wei Yan, the third son of Emperor Ningkang of the Great Wei Dynasty, once fought against a certain emperor (the emperor's honorary title of the great prince), and died in failure", that's all.

In this way, a prince like him is not even as good as a courtier.Therefore, regardless of success or failure, I have to do a few things vigorously, even if I leave a bad reputation in the end, it is better than no one cares about it.

Facing the compliments from the third prince, Jia Lian immediately said humbly: "Your Highness is over-reputed. It is a great honor for a minister to serve the court and be loyal to His Majesty. As for whether the name can be preserved in history, it is not up to the minister." Take it into consideration."

"Hahaha, the Marquis of Zhenyuan is high-spirited and upright, showing his demeanor. Unlike some people, who are busy searching for chapters and excerpts all day long, doing some brilliant things, but always want to leave a name in history, haha."

The prince also came over.

The third prince looked at him, and suddenly said: "Brother Dahuang is right. Brother Cai also said just now that Marquis Zhenyuan is not only a capable minister of our Great Wei, but also a loyal minister, and he is also a loyal minister who dares to speak out and is not afraid of power .”

As he said that, the third prince looked at Jia Lian and praised: "Last time, the clan's children criticized the government and slandered the emperor. If the Marquis of Zhenyuan hadn't been resolute and insisted on handing them over to the emperor, I'm afraid they would have escaped punishment. Until now, Those unfilial children are still introspecting at the Taimiao, all of this is due to the contribution of Zhenyuanhou, this king also admires this very much, and thinks that if he is another courtier, he will not be able to be so loyal."

What the third prince said made Jia Lian narrow his eyes, and he naturally understood that this was giving him eye drops in the prince's heart.

The Prince's expression also changed slightly.The fact that the clan's children criticized the government really made him anxious for a long time, and even to this day, he doesn't know whether Emperor Ningkang's anger towards him has subsided.Seriously, this trouble was indeed caused by Jia Lian...

Jia Lian didn't even need to look at the prince's expression to know that the prince had some grudges against him.After all, the crown prince resolved the conflict between him and Wei Xian, but he still arrested a group of clan disciples headed by Wei Xian and others. It seems that he did not consider the crown prince's face...

"Third Highness's praise. Don't say that Four Highnesses were present at the event that day, the minister was just following orders, even if there was only one minister or other courtiers present, the result would be the same.

As a minister, loyalty to the emperor is the first priority. This is the principle that has never changed throughout the ages.Therefore, even if His Highness the Crown Prince was not there that day, if he were, there would be no need to ask His Majesty for instructions. His Highness the Crown Prince would personally deal with those people and punish them heavily.In this way, those clan disciples were lucky to meet the fourth highness who was easy to talk to. "

Next to him, the fourth prince listened to his brothers playing riddles. Although he couldn't quite understand them, he thought it was quite interesting.In Jia Lian's heart, I, the king, am I really easy to talk to?Well, it's probably like this, this king is a person who is good at accepting advice and obedient like water.

The prince also realized at this time that he couldn't follow the schemes of the third prince, so he said in a deep voice: "Marquis Zhenyuan is right, if I had been there that day, I would have to let that bastard take off his skin to relieve his hatred. They reflect in Taimiao, it is indeed cheap for them!"

The third prince smiled slightly, turned around and backed away.

Seeing that the third prince retreated, the prince only gave a word of encouragement.On the other hand, Princess Zhaoyang, after the two elder brothers lost their attention, she quietly gave Jia Lian a look of approval. She didn't know whether to praise him for developing a new cannon, or to praise him for being between the two princes. Lost game.

Jia Lian and the others didn't even pay attention. When they were talking, Emperor Ningkang in front deliberately slowed down.

When they came to the Dragon Terrace and returned to their respective positions, Emperor Ningkang called Jia Lian to him, "I heard by chance that your ancestors also made great achievements in maritime affairs?"

"Returning to Your Majesty, it's not about making achievements. It's just that when the great-grandfather was alive, the great-grandfather treated him generously. After he was too old to go to the battlefield, he gave him an honorary position. At that time, he mainly built coastal defenses in the two Huaihe Rivers and the two Zhejiang provinces. Repair seawalls and build ships.

After the great-grandfather passed away, my family gradually faded out of maritime affairs. "

Emperor Ningkang pondered for a while when he heard the words, "I heard from you before that the reason why those red barbarians were able to reach our Great Wei Sea from thousands of miles away in the extreme west to make troubles was because of strong ships and sharp guns. It is true that this cannon can only display its true power if it can be carried on a large ship."

When Jia Lian heard that Emperor Ningkang's implication, he couldn't hold back the joy in his heart, and immediately said: "Return to Your Majesty, that's exactly the case. Although the artillery is powerful and far surpasses ordinary military weapons, it is not only huge in size, but also unusually heavy. .In land warfare, moving is a huge problem.

But it will be much more convenient if it is placed on the boat.As long as there are connected water bodies in the world, you can go there. "

Then, Jia Lian went further: "Your Majesty, the reason why those red barbarians are only making trouble on the South China Sea islands and not entering our territory of Wei is not because they don't want to or dare not, but because they came from afar and are in our territory. The side of Wei's couch has not yet gathered effective strength.

Once I, Dawei, let it go, at least for decades, or as many as a hundred years, this red barbarian will definitely cause great trouble for my Dawei!For the benefit of the Great Wei, I once again implore Your Majesty to develop the sea division, not to completely eradicate the troubles of the Red Barbarians, but at least cut off their wings and roots in the sea surrounding my Great Wei! ! "

Jia Lian's words, of course, have elements of tampering.

In fact, Western powers did not achieve success overnight.This process can be said to be very slow, so slow that Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom have alternated from old to new, and from strong to weak. This process took hundreds of years.

According to Jia Lian's speculation based on the current situation, these small countries still have at least two or three hundred years to go if they want to have sufficient capabilities to pose a threat to the vast land and resources of the Great Wei!
Of course, he speculated based on the situation in his previous life, and he did not rule out the premise that something happened in the West, which led to the advance of the industrial revolution.

But in any case, it's better to prepare early.He said it quickly, just to attract the attention of Emperor Ningkang and others.

Sure enough, no matter Emperor Ningkang or the prince, they all frowned at what Jia Lian said.Emperor Ningkang was fine, he had not only heard Jia Lian say it once, he had thought about it in many ways, but the crown prince and others felt that Jia Lian's words were alarmist.

Hongyi, a small country in the west, is said to have a population of only a million...

Before the crown prince and others questioned, Emperor Ningkang had already made a decision.

"Jia Lian."

"The minister is here."

"I want to send you to Tianjin Wei to build a seaport and supervise the construction of warships. I wonder if you would like that?"

"The minister leads the order!"

Jia Lian's answer was so fast that Emperor Ningkang couldn't help but said: "Although Tianjin Wei is not far from Beijing, it takes a day's journey to get there, don't you think about it?"

"Being able to serve His Majesty is the duty of the humble official. The humble official only needs to follow the will and act, and there is no need to think about other things."

Emperor Ningkang snorted, although he could see that Jia Lian wanted to be loyal, but it was very rare to be able to do so.How could he not know that there are very few officials in Beijing who are willing to be transferred outside to endure hardship, let alone Jia Lian, a wealthy child from a distinguished family.

In fact, this is also the reason why it is difficult for the disciples of the Xunmen to take up important positions, and the reason why he doesn't like the disciples of the Xunmen, they are used to being rich and honorable.

So he added: "Tianjin Wei has a navy, and I will order you to concurrently serve as the leader of the Tianjin Wei Navy. The prime minister supervises the building of warships. If you need anything, you can transfer it to the Ministry of War or ask me directly. Can."

When Emperor Ningkang said this, everyone fell silent.

It's nothing more than adding an official to Jia Lian. It is not surprising that a talented courtier who can please the emperor like this will be promoted to a noble.It is worth noting that in the back, what do you mean if you need everything you need, you can transfer it to the Ministry of War or ask him directly?

This seems to mean, as long as you want, I will give it, if the Ministry of War can't give it, I will give it, you don't have to worry about it!

This, father is serious.

The princes couldn't sit still.

The third prince came out first: "Father, although the matter of developing artillery and using strong boats and guns to resist Hongyi was mentioned by Zhenyuan Hou, there is nothing wrong with Father using him.

However, Marquis Zhenyuan already had two roles, if he sent more missions, even if Marquis Zhenyuan had three heads and six arms, he would be powerless after all.

If the father can trust the son-in-law, the son-in-law is willing to share the worries of the father and go to Tianjin Wei to lead the matter in person! "

From Emperor Ningkang's attitude towards this matter, the third prince knew that this was a great opportunity.

The prince still has the duty of supervising the country, but he has nothing to do in Beijing.If this matter can be done, or if it is done according to Ning Kangdi's wishes, it will be helpful to the great cause.

Seeing that the third prince was willing to go to Tianjin Wei in person in such a way, the prince couldn't sit still.

But he is the crown prince, so he must not leave Beijing, so he hurriedly said: "Third brother is too impatient. You said that the Zhenyuan cannon was developed by Zhenyuan Hou, and even the strong ship and sharp cannon are also Zhenyuan. Hou proposed it, but now you are rushing to grab the errand before Zhenyuanhou, it is a bit of a royal demeanor."

"As long as I can share the burden for my father and get things done well, there is no need to talk about whether to grab it or not. Besides, I am also considering the overall situation. If Zhenyuanhou really holds three positions, he is still in two places, but because of overwork, what will happen?" Wrong, isn't it my big Wei Mo's big loss?"

Although Jia Lian also felt that the third prince was shameless, he couldn't express anything in the face of the rivalry between the two princes, so he could only watch silently from the sidelines.

"enough!"

Emperor Ningkang thought it was all right after hearing what the third prince said.But seeing the two princes arguing on the spot, he immediately dismissed the idea.

If these two unsatisfactory things are willing to fight, they will fight hard in the capital to see what they can make of it.

So he asked Jia Lian, "What do you think?"

Of course, Jia Lian felt that it was not difficult to hold three positions, and even wanted as many as possible, because after all, it was not a job to go to work on time.

But the third prince said that, he still said sincerely: "I would like to listen to His Majesty's arrangement."

"If that's the case, then that's it. If you really feel that you are not strong enough, you can write a letter to me." Emperor Ningkang didn't know that Jia Lian's several positions, except that there might be some daily official duties to be dealt with at the Military and Horse Division, others Both are up to him to arrange.

He doesn't even have the coordination ability at all, and there's no need for him to expect so much.

And Jia Lian, who originally thought that he would be kidnapped for at least one position, was also happy, and thanked him: "My minister obeys the order."

Seeing that Emperor Ningkang seemed to have the intention of leaving, Jia Lian said again, "I have one more request."

"Say."

"Your Majesty wants to develop the navy and build enough warships, so artillery, muskets, etc. are very important.

Today, bows, crossbows and chariots dominate the Shenji Battalion. Wei Chen suggested that it is better to move out all other items in the Shenji Battalion, and only keep the guns and cannons, or move the muskets and cannons out of the Shenji camp separately. The battalion forms another army, which is beneficial to both parties. "

Emperor Ningkang thought for a while and said, "Just move the muskets and cannons out of the Shenji Battalion, set up a firearms camp, and put them under... under the Imperial Guards. You can write a memorial to me about the specific organizational needs."

"Yes."

From the choice of Emperor Ningkang, it can still be seen that Emperor Ningkang did not fully accept his idea that firearms are king.But that's fine, one day, he will use firearms on the battlefield to change the world's perceptions and let them choose between good and bad.

　I don’t know if the old-fashioned shells are so powerful. I just speculate that a single shot with a good effect can kill or injure dozens of people. Military fans don’t want to criticize.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)