On the twelfth day of the first month, Du Zhongxiao and his entourage finally arrived outside Kaifeng City. Resting at the post house, Du Zhongxiao sent someone to report to the Chinese book and the Privy Council.

Less than an hour later, the Privy Council ordered the soldiers to go outside the city and go to the post house to see Du Zhongxiao.

The guest sat down, and the soldier Ning took out the document and handed it to Du Zhongxiao: "Privy Captain Zazi, order the bachelor to go to Xianping County with a cannon and place it in the Xiongyong Army in front of the palace." When you get there, you stay for a while, and wait for the command. ”

Du Zhongxiao took the notebook and said yes.

The official orders issued in the book are called edicts, and the Privy Council is called proclamations, all of which must be decreed by the emperor. In case of ordinary affairs, it is necessary to use a notebook and sign and draw a pledge. At the lower level there are also the chiefs, who are used to deal with trivial and small matters. Another powerful yamen, the order issued by the three divisions, is called the procuratorate. Each of these instruments has different forms, different powers and different effects of ministers.

Du Zhongxiao looked at the notebook, wrote a receipt to the soldier Ning, and asked: "This is going to Xianping, I don't know if the promise is with you?" ”

The soldier Ning said: "In order to avoid a lot of trouble, the privy councillor ordered me to go with the bachelor. It was still early, so we had some wine and we set off. Rest in Chicang Town at night, and go to Xianping County tomorrow. ”

Judging from the arrangement of the Privy Council, the cannons brought back by Du Zhongxiao this time are far more important to the Privy Council than last time. There are many people in the capital, and there are many forces from all sides, so they are simply not allowed to enter the city, and go directly to Xianping, south of Kaifeng.

Xianping County is located on the edge of the Cai River, with convenient transportation, and is one of the largest military camps near the capital, with nearly 10,000 forbidden troops of various formations. The Xiongyong Army is nominally subordinate to the former division of the palace, and has three commanders in Xianping, which is also considered an elite soldier. However, since the beginning of the Taizong Dynasty, the power of the Sanya has gradually decreased, and most of the forbidden troops outside Kaifeng City are only nominally subordinate to the Sanya, which is actually equivalent to the local forbidden army, and the same is true for the Xiongyong Army.

Du Zhongxiao, Tao Qiqi and others used wine and rice and brought cannons on the road. Akakura Town rested for a night and arrived at the Xianping Xiongyong Military Camp.

After entering the barracks, Wei Dujian did not let Du Zhongxiao and the soldiers Ning into the tent to rest, and directly let them pull the artillery to the school yard behind the barracks. He said: "Don't blame the two of you for being rude, the Privy Council has an order that artillery is a weapon of the country, and it cannot be shown." After arriving at the barracks, he was ordered to immediately choose a secret place and place it. There is also a Shi Taiwei from the palace, waiting here to test the cannon. ”

When I arrived at the school grounds, I saw a middle-aged man directing the sergeant to build a wall with soil on his back, which was very lively.

This person, Du Zhongxiao, recognized that when he first arrived at Hedong Road, he was there to serve and act as Shi Quanbin under the jurisdiction of Lu Xuan. Soon after Du Zhongxiao went to the Volcano Army, Shi Quanbin was transferred back to the palace from Hedong Road, and now he is the deputy governor of the palace, and he is one of the most powerful chamberlains.

Several people saw the salute, Shi Quanbin looked Du Zhongxiao up and down, and said: "You and I met on Hedong Road, at that time, the bachelor was weak and the scholar was weak, and the privy lieutenant made the judgment. I don't want to have the ability to march and fight, and it's a pity to miss it at that time. If I stay in Hedong Road for another year or two, I can also earn some credit when I harvest Tanglong Town. ”

Du Zhongxiao arched his hand: "The captain said that he was laughing, but it was just a fluke." ”

Shi Quanbin pointed to the newly built wall not far away and said, "Bachelors don't have to be modest, they don't have to be lucky, they will know if they try it in a while." ”

Du Zhongxiao looked at the wall, about two people tall, less than one step thick, similar to the female wall at the head of the city, and vaguely guessed what Shi Quanbin was going to do. He asked, "Dare to ask the captain, what is the use of this wall?" ”

Shi Quanbin said: "When you returned to Beijing to demonstrate guns the year before last, everyone thought it was a sharp weapon. As a result, in the Beizhou Rebellion last year, the Privy Council pulled out the cannon you made and demonstrated it, saying that it was completely useless to siege the city. I don't want you to go to Beizhou, and use artillery to beat the city again. You are changing the law over and over again, and you have different explanations back and forth, and the officials also feel that their heads are big. I don't need you to demonstrate this time, the official family has set a wall of such specifications, and you use your own artillery to bombard a few shots, what the hell, I see it in my eyes, and go back to report to the official. ”

Du Zhongxiao listened to it, and didn't know what to say for a while. There are many kinds of cannons, some iron and some copper, some large and some small, and of course their power is different. You can't just listen to one cannon word and think that it is all the same, let alone have different usages.

Shi Quanbin's ancestors have been palace attendants for several generations, he has been in the palace since he was a child, and he has always been cautious and cautious, and he has slowly sat in today's position. Unlike the previous chamberlains who were arrogant and domineering when Yan Wenying was in power, Shi Quanbin had always had no conflict with the officials of the outer dynasty and had a good relationship. When he was on Hedong Road, he was in charge of the military horses of Goulinfu Road with the power of Lu Xuan, and if he was two years late, he could really mix with the military exploits of Tanglong Town.

Du Zhongxiao and Shi Quanbin have worked together on Hedong Road, they don't have a deep relationship, the relationship is not good or bad, they don't understand his temperament, and they don't talk much.

Wei Dujian instructed his soldiers to bring tea, invited Shi Quanbin and Du Zhongxiao to sit down, and said, "What the Taiwei and the bachelor are doing here has nothing to do with the subordinates." The Privy Council just borrowed my barracks, and there was something to do, even though I was told to do it. ”

Du Zhongxiao hurriedly said that he didn't dare. After drinking a cup of tea, he instructed Tao Seventeen to take a mule and prepare artillery to bombard the city wall built by Shi Quanbin.

Shi Quanbin and Wei Dujian stepped forward, looked at the thick and long bronze cannon barrel, glanced at each other, and said: "No wonder the city wall of Beizhou can be collapsed, such a cannon, where is the small cannon cast before!" ”

Du Zhongxiao hurriedly said: "The two of you are wrong, such a cannon can't collapse the city wall of Beizhou, but it only collapses the female wall above." ”

Wei Dujian said: "Without the female wall, what is the use of the city wall?" There are no people standing on it, and it's not at the mercy of others! ”

The reason is that after the maturity of European artillery in history, fortresses quickly changed their shape, and fortresses developed from city walls. It is not artillery that knocks down the walls, but the defenses that rely on the walls. Without a defensive system, the walls would be useless.

Shi Quanbin stepped forward, carefully inspected the artillery, and said: "I naturally know that I can only collapse the women's wall, and the bachelor looks at the construction over there, and it is only as thick as the women's wall." But being able to collapse the women's wall is also a very powerful weapon. ”

As he spoke, he patted the barrel of the cannon vigorously and asked, "Bachelor, how many catties of copper are used for this cannon?" How much does it cost? ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "These are all made of fine copper, weighing more than 500 catties and worth more than 100 pounds." However, this is only the cost of materials, and the labor cost is calculated separately. ”

Shi Quanbin nodded, and asked again: "I don't know how much work it takes to cast such a cannon?" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "A master with more than a dozen apprentices will take more than a month. Of course, if there is a good mold core, there is less labor. ”

Shi Quanbin made a silent calculation in his heart, and he had a rough idea of the salary, and the salary would not be cheaper than the cost of materials.

After drinking tea for a while, the soldiers over there built the earthen wall, Shi Quanbin looked at the sky, and said to Du Zhongxiao: "It's still early, the bachelor can order someone to shoot at the wall to see how it goes." If it can collapse, I will order someone to build it stronger in the next few days, and I will test the power of this cannon. ”

Du Zhongxiao listened and ordered Tao Seventeen, command the gunners, load gunpowder shells, and bombard the newly built earthen wall.

After the loading was completed, Du Zhongxiao took the small red flag commanded and came out, and with an order, there was an earth-shattering sound, and a burst of gunpowder smoke appeared.

Shi Quanbin and Wei Dujian didn't expect the voice to be so loud, they were both startled and speechless.

This cannon shocked the entire barracks, and several commanders ran to the school in a panic and were scolded by Wei Dujian.

After settling down, Shi Quanbin looked at the city wall not far away, which had been blasted out of a gap and was dusty.

After staring at the gap for a while, Shi Quanbin said: "This cannon is clean, and the wall over there will collapse." After seeing it with my own eyes, I realized that the female wall of Beizhou collapsed, and what I said was true. A sharp weapon, a real weapon! ”

stepped forward to look at the gap that had been blasted out, and Shi Quanbin said: "Bachelor, we have been in the barracks together for the past few days, and we have to try the power of this artillery!" Today's wall has collapsed, and tomorrow I will lead people to build another wall, until it can't collapse! ”