Song Dynasty's Ignorant Prince

Facing the issue of redundant troops, Zhao Ji began to discuss with Zong Ze and Li Gang. This is actually the consistent policy of the Song Dynasty. Although many people of insight have seen the problem, it has been unable to solve it because the emperor was afraid of mutiny.

By this time, the excess of soldiers has become very serious, and you can see from the Guards. Of the 800,000 Guards, 200,000 are simply empty, and the rest are still some old, weak, sick and disabled. Not to mention the Xiang Army, which is used as a conscript. The Xiang Army is also called the Bandit Army. Those who have been assigned and committed crimes are all stuffed into the Xiang Army.

After discussing for more than ten days, it was finally decided to solve it in steps. The first is to eliminate the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled, and give them fifty taels of severance pay. The second is to select elite soldiers and generals, form a regular army, and improve the treatment to be equivalent to the Guards. The third is to voluntarily retire, to give the "680" land, and to waive the rent for three years. The last remaining talk.

"Your Majesty, this plan is not easy to implement. It is mainly allocated to land. Although the population is increasing, where is there any unowned land?" Li Gang and the others were scratching their heads.

Zhao Ji chuckled, "It will always be resolved at that time, and some people use improper means to occupy a lot of land, this is not right, they should be strictly investigated and let them spit it out!"

Li Gang was stunned for a moment. Isn't this the content of Wang Anshi's reform? Wang Anshi once proposed the method of equalizing fields, but later Wang Anshi's reform failed, and no one mentioned this method. Several people are a little worried, this is easy to say, but it is very big when it is actually implemented, and there will be a lot of resistance...

At this time, Xiao Lizi came over and whispered to Zhao Ji.

"Let's talk about this later!" Zhao Ji's face showed joy, "Li Aiqing, Zong Aiqing, how about you accompany me to see a sharp weapon today?""

Li Gang and Zong Ze are a bit strange, but looking at Zhao Ji's expression, it should be something amazing.

The place they went to was in a valley a hundred miles away from the capital, which had been closed by officers and soldiers and had been used as a secret research place for red-clothed cannons. Now Xiao Lizi is reporting that the red-clothed cannon has been successfully developed, and I hope your majesty will come to watch the ceremony!

Zhao Ji was of course very interested in the first cannon of this era, and wanted to know how different the actual cannon was from what he saw later.

When they came here, Zhou Yue and Yuan Duomi greeted them respectfully from a distance, but Zhao Ji didn't have time to greet them, so he directly asked to see the red-clothed cannon.

After entering the valley, they saw something on the ground covered with a red cloth,

"Your Majesty, this is the red-clothed cannon," Zhou Yue stepped forward, smiled very proudly, and lifted the red cloth.

One door is three or four meters long, with the thickness of the mouth of the sea bowl, and it is dark and looks very thick.

Because of the drawings provided by Zhao Ji, although only the appearance, it also saved the craftsmen a lot of time, and finally made the red-clothed cannon after three or four months. Without the help provided by Zhao Ji, that is, telling them something roughly, without a few years or even a dozen years of exploration, I am afraid that the red-clothed cannon would not be able to be made.

"This, what is this thing?" Li Gang and the others were very strange, touching this thing, "This is made of steel, is it for siege?"

"But I think this thing is too heavy. It would be useful if it hit the city gate, but it's too difficult to transport..." Zheng Juzhong stroked his beard and couldn't understand.

Zong Ze didn't know either, so he looked back and forth, "Your Majesty, what exactly is this?"

"Haha, let Zhou Shangshu introduce it to everyone!" Zhao Ji also got close, looking at the craftsmanship of the cannon casting, the outer wall is still smooth, which is naturally far worse than the modern cannon, but it should be second to none in the Song Dynasty Bar!

Zhou Yue bowed and saluted, then touched the cannon with pride, and said affectionately, "This is a red-clothed cannon, it can fire iron pellets, and its range can reach ten miles! 35

"What, is it impossible?" Li Gang and the others were stunned and couldn't believe it at all.

They know that the Biniu crossbow has the farthest range. It can shoot a crossbow a thousand steps, which is roughly equivalent to 1,500 meters, which is three miles away, and this red-clothed cannon can reach ten miles! It's iron pills, that kind of thing is placed next to the cannon, they took it, it's solid, and each one weighs five or six pounds.0

They wouldn't believe something so heavy that they wanted to fly ten miles.

"Bold Zhou Yue, how dare you lie to the public to deceive Your Majesty, what's your sin?" Li Gang frowned and angrily scolded Zhou Yue.

Zhou Yue was a little confused, but Li Gang was a big official, so he could only bow and ask, "Your Majesty is loyal, and the sun and the moon can learn from the sun and the moon. I don't know where there is a place to deceive Your Majesty?"

"Hmph, do you think we are all fools? Do you say that ten miles is ten miles? If you can't beat ten miles, what's your sin?" Li Gang's eyes widened. Li Gang hated it immensely.

In Li Gang's eyes, Zhou Yue was almost the same as Cai Jing. But I don't know why, Your Majesty would reuse such a person?

At this time, Zhao Ji laughed, "Haha, Li Aiqing doesn't need to get angry, you can tell if it is right or not. Zhou Aiqing, let's start the test shot!

Zhou Yue nodded and said respectfully to Zhao Ji, "Your Majesty, when the cannon was fired, the sound was like a thunderbolt, please move your majesty!

There was a stone house a hundred meters away, which was specially prepared by Zhou Yue for Zhao Ji. He was worried that if something happened to the cannon, he would not let His Majesty get injured, otherwise many people would fall to the ground.

There are windows in the house, Zhao Ji and the others stood by the windows and watched.

I saw the soldiers scattered, and only three remained there. One person filled the gun barrel with gunpowder, pounded it hard with a wooden stick, and then put an iron pellet into it. Then a man lit a torch and came over, and there was a length of rope on the fire door.

"Your Majesty, should I set the fire now?" Zhou Yue asked.

"Ignition 1"

Zhou Yue immediately said, "Fire! 99

A soldier next to him waved the red flag in his hand and shouted loudly, "Fire! 99

The soldiers behind the cannon put the torches together, lit the fire, and quickly retreated.

"Your Majesty, please plug your ears!" Zhou Yue brought a cloth strip.

But Zhao Ji shook his head, Li Gang and the others saw that His Majesty didn't use it, so of course they couldn't use it either.