Judge of the Song Dynasty Chapter 800: The Age of Firearms

Excited!

I’m so excited!

The raid on Yushitai this time was very sudden. There was no sign beforehand and no one knew about it. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Li Bao and the others not to receive the news.

This made some people in the capital excited again. Although they didn't know what happened here. Although Zhang Fei had already returned home, it didn't matter. They could compile various inside stories.

This at least proves that the DPRK and China still have the power to check and balance the Chief Justice.

This also sounded the alarm to the public prosecutors and law officials. The Supervisory and Legal Affairs Department established by Yushitai was not just for fun, it was really staring at their public prosecutors and law officials.

From this point of view, Yushitai has achieved great success, regardless of whether it ultimately prosecutes the chief judge.

But they didn't know that this was exactly what Zhang Fei was looking forward to seeing.

The next day.

Wen Yanbo, Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, and Feng Jing came to the school grounds north of the palace on time to see this legendary new weapon.

Until this moment, they still didn't believe that there were any weapons worthy of the emperor. They all believed that the emperor and Zhang Fei were preparing for a war with Xixia, and this was all a cover-up.

At that time, he must have brought out a weird weapon to fool them, and they were all ready to be fooled.

Until a burst of deafening artillery sound passed.!

The whole world fell silent.

Wen Yanbo and the others all opened their eyes wide, looking at the thick smoke and the dust and sawdust rising from the ground.

It seems that what was shattered was not the wooden fence and low wall built in front, but all the doubts.

It's true.

The emperor did not lie.

This weapon is definitely worth it.

Although they are all civil servants, the prime ministers of the Song Dynasty are generally knowledgeable about military affairs. In fact, this is also a necessary course for them. Who made the external environment of the Northern Song Dynasty so bad.

It is not difficult to see that this new type of firearm is not the same as all the previous weapons, because it is a cannonball that does not rely on human power at all. The key is that this firearm is so cute, just like a larger spittoon. .

As for today's weapons with such power, the mobility of the huge catapult is completely incomparable.

Seeing their dumbfounded looks, Zhao Xu felt very happy and said, "You should believe what I said this time, right?"

Everyone came back to their senses and felt very embarrassed. They wanted to apologize, but Feng Jing took the lead and said righteously: "I have done nothing wrong. If you don't investigate this matter, then I am the one who is guilty."

After Zhao Xu heard this and thought about it carefully, it seemed that this was also the case. If he didn't know about it, he would definitely be very suspicious. He immediately changed his expression and said, "I don't want to blame you, it's just that I I hope you understand that I do not intend to hide it from you, but I do not want to undermine domestic governance because of this matter."

Sima Guang said: "Although your Majesty has difficulties, the country has national laws and families have family rules. Although sending troops and horses into neighboring countries is small, it is not a trivial matter. We should discuss it with the ministers, and at least let us have a Prepare."

Zhao Xu nodded helplessly, feeling aggrieved. Is it my fault?

Wen Yanbo quickly changed the subject: "Your Majesty, can this firearm make any achievements in Xixia?"

Zhao Xu said: "Not yet, and the firearm sent to Xixia is a sudden fire gun. I haven't decided yet to let this artillery in. This is the secret weapon of our Song Dynasty."

Wen Yanbo nodded and said: "I think this artillery can be used for fortress defense and can also block enemy cavalry charges. The court should vigorously develop it. Although it is made of copper and is relatively expensive, at least it is in our hands. , unlike a war horse, which is controlled by others."

Zhang Fei on the side was slightly surprised, was Wen Gong so foresight?

Wang Anshi suddenly said: "I think that although this kind of artillery is very powerful, it is difficult to determine victory on the battlefield. What can really determine victory is the cavalry. I suggest that for the time being, military expenditures should be invested in war horses."

Why did they start fighting?

Including Zhang Fei, everyone felt a little baffled.

Obviously, the two of them are talking about something!

Zhao Xu also heard the smell of gunpowder between the two and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Wen Yanbo took the lead and told Zhao Xu the whole story.

It turns out that Fan Chunren and the others immediately conducted a census of the local Forbidden Army after arriving at Daming Mansion. The results of the investigation showed that the shortage of wages was not very serious. After all, they had just experienced a disarmament and recruited soldiers to act as royal police, which was already effective. To suppress the salary, they found another problem, that is, the Forbidden Army they investigated had three thousand cavalry, but only five hundred horses, which was about five or six people per horse.

But the cost of cavalry is several times that of infantry, because raising horses is very expensive.

However, the money was given, but few horses were seen.

It’s just money. If there are benefits, there will be flies. This directly leads to the cavalry being all connected. If the general doesn’t know this and entrusts the cavalry with important tasks, it will be all over!

So both Fan Chunren and Su Shi believed that this could be very fatal if there was a war.

As soon as Wen Yanbo finished explaining the cause and effect, Wang Anshi immediately said: "I believe that it was the previous imperial court that did not pay attention to horse administration, which led to a large number of horse farms being converted into cultivated land, and the only pastures were used for grazing sheep. This led to Our war horses are seriously lacking.

Now that the external situation is extremely unstable, the court should pay attention to horse administration. On the one hand, it can purchase war horses from the Hehuang area, but on the other hand, it can recruit people to raise horses. This can also be regarded as bringing livelihood to the people, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone. . ”

Although the Ordinance Department of the Second Government was abolished, Wang Anshi still continued to implement his new policies through the Third Department and the Ministry of Household Affairs. He gave up the Baojia Law, but he still retained the Baoma Law because he The purpose of his governance has not changed, and he still wants to fight, but if he wants to fight, he must raise horses. When he learned about it, he used this to build momentum and prepared to implement his own horse-preserving law.

Sima Guang suddenly asked: "The difference between recruiting people to raise horses or employing people to raise horses is a natural difference!"

Wang Anshi said: "Recruit people to raise horses."

Sima Guang said: "In other words, if the horse dies of illness, it will be the responsibility of the people."

Wang Anshi nodded, "But if you raise it well, the court will also provide subsidies. This is fair."

Sima Guang stroked his beard and smiled and said: "That's fair, but if you don't force the people to raise horses, I, Sima Guang, can guarantee that no people will be willing to do this work. They would rather starve and freeze."

Wang Anshi said: "Is this a matter of freezing and starving? Those Khitan people, relying on their superiority in war horses, rampaged across Hebei and killed and kidnapped many people in our Central Plains. What do you mean, they would rather be killed by the Khitan people?" Even if you kidnap a horse, don’t you want to raise it?”

Although there is no direct answer, it is definitely mandatory.

It’s not that Wang Anshi doesn’t want to hire people to raise horses, but he can’t do it because there is no pasture, so he can only break them into parts. If several families raise a horse, if they die without compensation, then this horse can Are you well?

But when Sima Guang heard this, he felt swollen all over. He hated Wang Anshi's rhetoric the most. He bared his teeth and claws excitedly and said: "You are always like this, always comparing yourself to the bad ones. When you launched the Green Seedling Method , that’s what they say, the landlords charge higher taxes, so the government charges less, which is good for the people, but the result is that the people of Jingdong East Road are living in dire straits.

Now you think that the Khitan people committed a heinous crime by kidnapping the people, so it is also good for the people to let the people raise horses at the risk of ruining their lives. You are simply being sophistical. ”

Wang Anshi also got angry, "The problem with Qingmiao Law on Jingdong East Road is that many officials violated the law, not Qingmiao Law. Later, the Public Security Bureau went to the Procuratorate. Isn't it great? Nowadays, those loan sharks Landowners have also started buying and selling low-interest loans."

Sima Guang smiled, "Is that because of your green seedling method?"

Wang Anshi snorted: "We can't do it just by relying on the Public Security Bureau and the Procuratorate. The statutory interest rate is six cents, and it can't be more than double at most. Nowadays, most of the settlement shops are offering one to two cents. Isn't this brought about by the Qingmiao Law?" ?"

Here we go again! here we go again!

Zhang Fei, who hadn't seen the two of them quarreling for a long time, was so stunned that he seemed to be transported back to those glorious years.

But he also understood why Wang Anshi asked him about weapons before.

Apparently, he was debating whether to raise a horse in Wen Yanbo.

Wang Anshi added: "In the past, officials were corrupt, which led to the collapse of Ma Zheng. Now that the officials are in charge and the treasury is abundant, it is time to revitalize Ma Zheng. Only in this way can we avoid being oppressed by neighboring countries."

Wen Yanbo said: "Even if the officials govern the Qingming Dynasty, if you want to restore the horse administration and train a strong cavalry, you will definitely have to devote all your strength to the country. After all, our dynasty does not have as vast pastures as the Han and Tang Dynasties, and this will inevitably lead to war. Despite the current fiscal growth, this war cannot be fought just because it is fought, but it must be sustained even if it is not fought.

The key point is that even if you raise war horses, they are far inferior to those raised in northern pastures. People are born cavalry, and we need to train them. If we compete with them as cavalry, it is tantamount to using our own shortcomings against the other party. There is no reason to be invincible. ”

Wang Anshi said: "How much money did the imperial court save after neglecting Ma Zheng for so many years? When your majesty first came to the throne, there was not much money."

Wen Yanbo said: "Why don't you think so? It is precisely because the court ran out of money that Ma Zheng gradually fell into disuse. Now the court has saved money, but it was obtained from reducing the burden on the people. If Ma Zheng is revived, It will definitely increase the burden on the people, and it will be back to the original state in less than two years.

Now the imperial court has some money, and it should indeed be used for the military. However, our country does not have the conditions to promote horse administration, and the terrain also determines that we should focus on defense. I think this firearm is very suitable for our country's strategy, and it should Increase investment in the research and development of this firearm and deploy it in fortresses. The key is that doing so will not delay people's livelihood. ”

Wang Anshi said: "If we don't promote horse politics and just defend ourselves, we will be passively beaten, and it will not solve our dilemma of fighting on two fronts. Our own artillery and crossbows can only hit our own land. ”

Wen Yanbo said: "I can guarantee that I will be able to defend against the Khitan's iron hoof, but can you guarantee that I will win?"

This sentence caught Wang Anshi off guard, because he believed that the enemy was Xixia, not Liao, and he had no plans to go to war with Liao so far.

This is actually one of the main reasons why the two argued about this issue.

Xingma Zheng represents attack, so it must be an attack on Xixia, not the Liao Kingdom. Since the beginning of the New Deal, Wang Anshi has been planning the northwest, and Hehuang is the biggest achievement of his New Deal. Of course he wants to To consolidate.

But if defense is the main focus, the focus must be on the Liao Kingdom.

This also includes a strategic dispute. Wang Anshi's strategy is to first control Xixia and then Liao Kingdom, in order to get rid of the dilemma of fighting on two fronts.

But Wen Yanbo's strategic thinking is to develop internal affairs, develop people's livelihood, strengthen armaments, consolidate external defense, and not be afraid of war, and then use economic means to weaken the opponent, and wait until the opponent is very weak before trying to attack.

Zhang Fei saw that the people on both sides were conservatives, and they were old debaters like Wen Yanbo and Sima Guang. Wang Anshi was a little helpless, so he said: "Although I don't know much about military affairs, fighting is inseparable. Use cavalry, even for defense."

This is really a timely help!

Wang Anshi immediately said: "Even the president of the court, who doesn't know how to fight, understands the importance of cavalry."

Wen Yanbo said: "I'm not saying that the cavalry should be abolished, but I think that horse politics should not be established, and investment should be placed on firearms. As for the cavalry, two three thousand elite cavalry can be formed in Hebei, with It is suitable for maneuvering and fighting with firearms.

I very much agree with the method currently adopted by the Commander-in-Chief in Hebei. They use the Royal Police to train cavalry, because some Royal Police have to patrol everywhere all the time. The court can train such mounted police, which will get twice the result with half the effort. . ”

Zhao Xu finally said: "What you two said makes sense, but everything must be done step by step. For now, we must do a good job in defense. After the treasury accumulates some wealth, we can slowly increase the cavalry."

Wen Yanbo and the others immediately raised their hands and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

When Wang Anshi saw this firearm, he knew that the situation was not good, because the cannon was made of copper, and the current national power of the Song Dynasty was not enough to support the development of firearms and horse politics at the same time. This must be prioritized. , since the emperor valued firearms so much, he must have focused on Wen Yanbo's plan, and he could only say: "I obey your orders."

Zhao Xu added: "Now that the matter has been explained clearly, the Chief Justice did it out of good intentions, and I previously counted this money in the internal treasury. When the time comes, the Third Division will have to transfer this money The money will be returned to the Chief Justice."

Wen Yanbo immediately said: "As long as the chief judge brings out the specific ledgers, the court will return them."

Zhang Fei said hurriedly: "I will turn over the account then, but forget about this money and treat it as a donation from me to the court. In fact, we ministers enjoy high official salaries and should contribute to this. , defending against enemy invasion is also protecting yourself."

As soon as these words came out, everyone else was embarrassed.

Can we compare with you?

No matter how high-ranking the official is, he will not blink an eye if he takes out half a million yuan.

Zhao Xu smiled and nodded: "I am very pleased that the Chief Justice understands the righteousness and is dedicated to the country. Well, since the Chief Justice is so generous, then the Chief Justice at that time donated it to the court. After all, the Chief Justice has always been Since then, they have paid attention to charity. For example, the Di newspaper court and the military weapons inspector have been deeply supported by the president of the court. Feng Zhongcheng, do you think so?"

Feng Jing nodded, "Yes."

This meeting was undoubtedly a great victory for Wen Yanbo.

Wang Anshi was very dissatisfied with this. After the meeting, he complained to Zhang Fei: "I always want to sit back and wait for my opponent to die, but there is nothing so cheap in the world. In fact, they all know it in their hearts. They are afraid, so they always make excuses for their own weakness. Just wait and see, over time, they will gradually forget about it and indulge in their own intoxication."

In fact, it is not unreasonable for him to be so radical, because facts have proven that the longer you delay, the less you want to fight. You have to be determined about this kind of thing!

It is rare to meet Zhao Xu, a relatively powerful emperor. He has always urged Zhao Xu on this point. Which Central Plains dynasty has suffered as much humiliation as us.

You must **** him.

Zhang Fei listened silently.

Wang Anshi said: "Why don't you say anything? Do you also agree with Wen Gong's strategy?"

Zhang Fei said: "I don't know much about military affairs, but Bachelor Wang should know that I definitely support Bachelor Wang. This will definitely lead to a fight. We have all had enough of this cowardice."

Wang Anshi said: "But now the official family is obviously biased towards Wen Gong and the others."

Zhang Fei said: "But Wen Gong only adopted a conservative approach in tactics, and he did not mean to continue to grovel to the outside world. This is still in line with the strategic purposes of the official family and Wang Xueshi.

We can take it step by step. After strengthening the defense, we can toughen our backs, negotiate with the Liao Kingdom, put pressure on Xixia, and then take the offensive. We have confidence in this.

If you can't defend it and launch a large-scale attack, you are risking your life, and you have to compromise with the Liao Kingdom first. ”

Wang Anshi sighed: "I hope I can wait until that day."

Zhang Fei said: "I can definitely wait."

Wang Anshi turned his head and looked at Zhang Fei, what do you mean?

Is there anything wrong with being young?

After leaving the palace and separated from Wang Anshi, Zhang Fei did not go home, but returned directly to the school grounds.

When the monarch and his ministers met, they breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

Zhang Fei cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I am guilty. If I had not taken the initiative to ask for some money to donate to Your Majesty, what happened today would not have happened."

"No wonder you."

Zhao Xu waved his hand, "You are also loyal. If you want to blame, blame Li Bao. What are they doing every day?"

Zhang Fei said hurriedly: "It's no wonder that Li Bao and the others have not taken action. After all, the Supervision and Justice Department has never taken action. It is really hard to guard against them."

At this point, he paused for a moment and then said: "Besides, I don't think this is a bad thing. Five hundred thousand dollars suddenly disappeared. If we don't find out, no one will be able to sleep well. On the contrary, I I hope the Yushitai can be maintained forever."

"It's rare for you to be so generous."

Zhao Xu hurried down the **** and got off the donkey. In fact, he thought so in his heart, and said: "But in the future, we should try to do this as little as possible, especially you. Your current status is the president of the court. If there is a slight difference, Maybe they will hold on to you."

Zhang Fei nodded.

The other party's surveillance capabilities are also increasing, but they can no longer engage in unscrupulous black-box operations like before.

Zhao Xu asked again: "By the way, what do you think of their argument just now?"

Zhang Fei said: "I don't agree with the promotion of horse politics. It will indeed interrupt the development of the country, but Duke Wen's strategy is also lacking. As a great Confucian, he has forgotten what the real weapon of Confucianism is."

Zhao Xu asked: "What is it?"

"The benevolent are invincible."

Zhang Fei said: "In fact, the Xihe area has already proved this very well. Although Wang Xuanfu made great achievements in the beginning and expanded the border thousands of miles away, before the public security law was removed, local rebellions continued, spending hundreds of dollars every year. Wan Guan, and the soldiers also suffered great losses.

After the Public Security Bureau went away, the local finance gradually turned around and gained more territory and people through non-war means, and was even willing to fight to defend Xizhou.

Everyone yearns for a better life, whether it is the people of Xixia or the people of Liao. This is our strongest weapon. As long as your Majesty does this well, we will win without a fight.

Of course, we also need to strengthen our armaments to prevent them from being overwhelmed. As long as they can't grab it, they will be dead. ”

"You are right."

Zhao Xu smiled and nodded, "Yesterday, I received a letter from Wang Xuan. They believed that the Queen Mother of Xixia was already engaged in a battle between trapped beasts. She had previously sent soldiers to block the border, but those soldiers did it themselves. Smuggling started, causing smuggling at the border to become even more rampant.

This is a small matter, but the Xixia ruler has always firmly supported trade with us and demanded the restoration of Han rites. Therefore, once the Queen Mother of Xixia compromised, it would prove that she had lost the power struggle with the Xixia leader, and she had no way out.

Wang Xuanfu believes that in the near future, the Queen Mother of Xixia may take more extreme measures and even go to war against our country.

However, after our propaganda, more and more people in Xixia turned to us. More and more merchants and craftsmen secretly crossed the border and went to Xizhou. This even caused the housing prices in Xizhou to rise. More than double. ”

In fact, he is also a radical, but the situation in Xixia has made him more patient and able to deal with problems more calmly.

Because of this situation, he was more confident to defend the Liao Kingdom.

If we send troops, we must make major concessions to the Liao Kingdom to ensure that the Liao Kingdom does not take advantage of the situation.

However, this dispute will not only determine the grand strategy, but also determine which technology tree the Song Dynasty will light up in the future.

Firearms.

It is undeniable that this was all forced. For the Song Dynasty, the cost of raising horses was much higher than the cost of producing firearms. Even copper castings were cheaper than raising horses.

The key is to pay such a high cost, and the horses raised are far inferior to those on the grasslands in the north.

No matter how many horses you raise, they will be better than yours, and the fatality rate is much lower. You have to be rich to be able to compete with the enemy's cavalry.

The only way to go is firearms.

However, in the past, it was all about R&D and small-scale investment, and the charity foundation only donated tens of thousands of guan every year. This time when he went to the northwest, Zhang Fei's first investment was only a mere 500,000 guan.

This is actually a personal behavior.

Nowadays, it is necessary to use the power of the state to produce, which is very different.

Wen Yanbo immediately chaired a meeting in the political hall. After discussions with the Third Division and the Ministry of Household Affairs, it was finally decided to set up a firearms camp, and stipulated that starting from next year, at least 5 million yuan would be invested every year to purchase firearms.

Why purchase? This is what Lu Huiqing strongly requested. He said that this can bring more wealth to the people of Hebei instead of being a burden.

For such large-scale production, unless it is commercialized, the people will not get reasonable returns.

Everyone knows about the imperial court's workshops, but craftsmen don't get much money.

Secondly, he believes that firearms are not yet mature and still need research and development, and the Agency is obviously more competitive.

Anyway, the imperial court spends so much money every year. I will buy from anyone who has good quality and low price. This can be regarded as an official agency to support these undertakings. After all, most of the firearms workshops are controlled by the emperor.

Of course, Lu Huiqing suggested this mainly because the Agency was mostly in the hands of their reformists, which had a very strong political purpose.

Wen Yanbo's heart is like a mirror, but he can't refute what Lu Huiqing said, because it is consistent with his philosophy. It is impossible for him to say that when talking about Ma Zheng here, he will just talk about the people. When it comes to producing weapons, we need to change our rhetoric.

At the same time, under Xue Xiang's suggestion, minting workshops in various places were laid off on a large scale, and then craftsmen were recruited into these firearm workshops.

You must know that the highest craftsmen at present are all in mint workshops.

Xue Xiang is a staunch monetizer. He gave away all the craftsmen, and I no longer minted copper coins. The future trend will be paper money.

Everyone has a plan in mind.

All policies serve politics.