Daming: Mixed in Dangzhi County, Beiping

Chapter 182 It's New Year's Eve Again

After the five catties of white sugar were wrapped into two pieces of gauze paper and tied firmly with two foil warp ropes, Guo An hurriedly sent it into Zhu Di's hands while looking at Zhu Di eagerly.

In the sugar workshop, Zhu Di may be the person Guo An most wants to send away.

However, Zhu Di obviously didn't want to go back so soon.

Weighing the white sugar in his hands, a trace of satisfaction flashed in his eyes, and then he said again: "Guo Qing, we never knew that white sugar can have such a great effect. Just in time, let's come here today, Guo Qing Then follow us to see the power!"

Guo An was filled with regret immediately, he made a mistake, he should have delivered the sugar to Zhu Di earlier, so that Zhu Di would not be like a bully and toss around like a bully when he came.

"Your Highness, His Royal Highness is still young, and I am worried that the bomb is too powerful..."

Zhu Di waved his hand casually, "It's okay, Chi'er is not young anymore, the father will conquer the world immediately, and we will lead the army to the north in the future. Although Chi'er is not proficient in these weapons, he must understand them." One or two... well, it's getting late, so without further ado, let's go to the gunpowder workshop!"

After speaking, Zhu Di walked out with Zhu Gaochi directly.

Behind him, Guo An sighed helplessly, turned around and told the steward beside him, "Hurry up and make sugar, don't worry about today's matter."

"Yes, Guo Changshi."

The steward responded quickly.

Guo An walked out quickly, "Li Baihu, please send two guards to carry the box of sugar in the room to the gunpowder workshop..."

……

Today, the defense of the gunpowder workshop has been upgraded from one hundred households to two hundred households.

Therefore, before Zhu Di and his party arrived at the gunpowder workshop, they had already been detected in advance.

Early in the morning, Qiu Fu had already stood at the door with several general flags to greet him.

"The last general sees His Highness!"

"Ok!"

Zhu Di nodded lightly, and asked directly, "When was the sugar bomb developed?"

Qiu Fu changed slightly, subconsciously glanced at Guo An who was following behind, "Forgive me, Your Highness, the bomb has been developed a few months ago. However, it has not been manufactured because it consumes too much sucrose."

"It's very powerful?"

Zhu Di nodded slightly, walked in without stopping.

Qiu Fu quickly replied: "Reporting to Your Highness, the power is two or three times that of ordinary bombs!"

Zhu Di said: "Order Tao Yiping to show us one, we have to see for ourselves."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Qiu Fu responded, and ran quickly to a house in the distance.

As for Zhu Di, he took Zhu Gaochi to the side where the experiment was conducted.

Soon, when Zhu Di and Guo An arrived at the test site, Qiu Fu and Tao Yiping also hurried over.

In Tao Yiping's hand, he was still holding a long wooden lump.

A trace of doubt flashed in Zhu Di's eyes, "Is this the bomb?"

Guo An replied: "Return to Your Highness, this thing is a grenade."

"how to use?"

Zhu Di asked.

Tao Yiping directly took out a lead wire from under the wooden handle, and Yang Ting at the side took out the kindling.

Guo An's expression changed, "Wait, stop!"

Immediately, he said to Zhu Di who was beside him: "Your Highness, as long as you ignite that fuse, the grenade will explode.

This thing is too dangerous, please Your Highness and Xiaoshizi back down a bit. "

"Ok!"

This time, Zhu Di did not try to be brave, but took a deep look at the grenade, and pulled Zhu Gaochi back a few steps.

Yang Ting ignited the fuse, and the tail of the grenade emitted green smoke and sparks. Tao Yiping threw it vigorously, and the grenade was thrown under a ruined wall in the distance.

After a few breaths.

'Boom' a loud noise.

The ruins disappeared immediately, and a large pit appeared on the ground.

Zhu Di's eyes widened directly, and the eyes were shining brightly.

He immediately thought of the beauty of this object on the battlefield, and looked directly at Qiu Fu, "How far can you throw this object?"

Qiu Fu quickly replied: "Reporting to Your Highness, according to the strength of the general's arm, this grenade can be thrown eighty steps away."

"Eighty steps..."

Zhu Di's face was full of joy. Although this distance is closer than the arrow, if it is used well, it will definitely be a big killer.

"Go and get us another one, we have to try it."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Tao Yiping quickly ran away with a happy face.

On the side, Guo An looked distressed.

"Your Highness, a grenade is a handful of sugar!"

Zhu Di smiled lightly and was not affected at all, "It's just two handfuls of white sugar."

Soon, the same grenade was handed over to Zhu Di, and as a blue smoke rose, Zhu Di shouted loudly.

The grenade flew into the distance.

boom!
There was a burst of fire directly at a distance of more than 70 steps, and the earth was splashed.

"Good item!"

Zhu Di was overjoyed, "If each of us Yanshan Guards had five grenades pinned to their waists, we wouldn't be afraid even if we were facing a hundred thousand Northern Yuan Tartars."

Guo An nodded and said, "Your Highness, as long as you can make [-] catties of sugar, you can easily make [-] grenades."

"Your Highness is brave."

On the side, Tao Yiping praised Zhu Di with a full face of admiration, and then said again: "Your Highness, there are still landmines..."

"Shut up!"

Guo An's face changed, and he shouted anxiously.

"Don't shout."

Zhu Di glanced at Guo An, then asked Tao Yiping who was beside him, "What are the mines?"

Tao Yiping glanced at Guo An cautiously, and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, a landmine is a bomb that is buried in the ground in advance, and will explode immediately when the enemy steps on it."

On the side, Guo An saw Zhu Di's bright eyes, felt bitter, and quickly said: "Your Highness, it's not because I'm a humble minister, but it's because the mine is three or four times bigger than the grenade, and it uses more gunpowder and sugar. Exploding one for no reason is really a bit of a waste..."

"If that's the case, then there's no need to try!"

Zhu Di chuckled, looked at Guo An and said, "Guo Qing, don't worry, we just want to see the power of white sugar, and we are not such wasteful people."

As he said that, Zhu Di looked down at the five catties of sugar in Li Wang's hand, and said with emotion: "A landmine needs at least one catty of sugar, plus gunpowder and steel, and a grenade is only made of materials." It needs four or five taels of silver, and Guo Qing doesn't feel sorry for it at all, but it's more wasteful than us..."

Guo An hurriedly said: "Your Highness, I feel sorry for you, and I can't sleep because I feel so sorry for Yinzi every day, but the Northern Expedition is related to the life and wealth of our Yan Palace, and I dare not relax at all!"

Zhu Di waved his hands impatiently, "Okay, okay! Guo Qing is really becoming more and more brazen like a Cao thief..."

"Cao Thief?"

Guo An was taken aback and said unwillingly, "Your Highness, how can this humble minister be Cao's thief?"

However, at this moment Zhu Di had already taken Zhu Gaochi and walked out slowly.

After death, Guo An was still somewhat incomprehensible, how could such a kind and virtuous person like him stand side by side with Thief Cao?
Moreover, that thief Cao likes other people's wives, but Guo An...

In short, no matter how anxious Guo An was, Zhu Di ignored him.

As for the matter of sugar, under Zhu Di's deliberate order, no one gradually spread it around.

A few more days later, when the vegetables in the farm greenhouse were ready to eat, all the officials in the entire Yanwang Mansion, and even the gentry and common people in the entire Beiping Mansion were also attracted by this incident.

In addition, two poetry gatherings were held in the academy, each time with the participation of several great Confucian scholars, which again aroused joy in the faces of the gentry in the entire Beiping Prefecture.

……

Soon, it will be the time of New Year's Eve.

"Guo Qing wants to kill pigs and sheep?"

In Yan Wang's mansion, Zhu Di was a little puzzled when he heard Guo An's report.

"On New Year's Eve, do we still need our consent to kill some pigs and sheep?"

"Exactly!"

Guo An nodded slightly.

"How many hogs does Guo Qing plan to kill?" Zhu Di asked curiously.

Guo An said: "Let's kill three hundred hogs first."

"Cough cough..."

Zhu Di almost couldn't swallow his breath, and stared at Guo An closely, with a look of surprise on his face.

"Kill three hundred hogs a day? Guo Qing, do you know how much meat three hundred hogs can produce? How many people are needed to eat it all? How many sheep are you going to kill? How many more are you going to kill?"

Guo An replied honestly: "Your Highness, let's kill three hundred sheep too."

"Another three hundred?"

Now, Zhu Di calmed down instead, and looked at Guo An quietly.

"Speaking of which, it's been a long time since we got to know the situation of the farm in detail. According to Guo Qing's temperament of hoarding things, the situation of the farm must be good this year."

"Your Highness is wise."

Guo An replied respectfully: "His Royal Highness, although the farm still slaughters some hogs and sheep from time to time this year, there are still 900 hogs in the farm, more than 2000 sheep, and [-] chickens and ducks. How many..."

"There are so many?"

Hearing this, Zhu Di sucked in a cold breath, his face flushed instantly, and he felt that his whole body was transparent.

"With so many hogs, sheep, chickens and ducks, our Palace of Yan Palace will have a good year... so many hogs and sheep are slaughtered, how much money can we sell for?"

"..."

Guo An was stunned for a moment, then said slowly: "Your Highness, I am not going to sell you."

"Ok?"

Zhu Di was also taken aback.

Guo An said: "I heard before that there was a servant in the gentry's house who worked hard for a year and wanted to eat some meat, but the gentry took a rag and wiped it on the chopping board where the meat had been cut. over again.

Then he put the sackcloth with the minced meat into the pot and boiled it, and gave it to the servants as meat soup.

But even so, those servants still drank the meat soup with joy on their faces..."

Zhu Di looked contemptuous, "That gentleman is really an iron cock."

"What Your Highness said is very true."

Guo An nodded slightly, and then said: "The New Year's Day is coming soon, and the officials and guards in the mansion must really want to eat some meat on the New Year's Day.

Coincidentally, His Highness is about to go to war, and these guards will have to fight next year.

The minister was going to distribute the slaughtered sheep to officials inside and outside the palace, as well as a group of guards.

Even after the hog meat and mutton are distributed to them, there won't be much.But at least let them know that His Highness still cares about them.

As long as you follow His Highness, His Highness will let them eat meat one by one, and their families can also eat meat...

In this way, after His Royal Highness and the ministers leave next year, no matter what happens to the Yan Palace, these officials and soldiers will sincerely protect the Yan Palace and protect His Highness..."

Zhu Di took a deep look at Guo An, "I didn't expect Guo Qing to think so far."

Guo An quickly explained: "Your Highness, please forgive me. I just feel that the officials and soldiers of King Yan's Mansion are all my own people. This year's income in the mansion is still good, so I dare to advise His Highness..."

……

(End of this chapter)