Five Dynasties River Mountains Fengyue

Chapter 368 Moisture-Proof Problems
"Emperor Ming Dao, Chongde, Wenxuan and Filial Piety", the honorary title given to Li Jing by the Imperial Academy after discussion in accordance with the holy will.

Shi Congyun didn't think much of it, and immediately agreed, he didn't care about things like face.

However, Feng Yanlu, the envoy of the Southern Tang Dynasty, was very happy. When he met the saint again the next day, he thanked the emperor for his great kindness.Shi Congyun just reminded him not to forget what he said yesterday.

At the end of July, the expansion of the Shenhuo Army had begun in full swing, but Shi Congyun didn't intervene much, and only inspected occasionally, and most of them were handed over to Wang Zhong, the Privy Council, and many officials from the Ministry of War.

As the son of heaven, he is conscientious and conscientious. He has to deal with many important affairs of the country every day. How can he manage it!

In autumn, Shi Congyun rode a tall horse and took his little yellow flower to Bianshui to play.

Due to Emperor Shi's conscientiousness, taking care of everything and working hard every day, a few months after returning to Beijing, Mrs. Huarui Fei and Empress Fu Liumei were pregnant.

But the most considerate and well-behaved one is the little yellow flower, he likes to take it with him wherever he goes.

The little girl wore a bunt and neat palace attire, and she disguised herself as a man, looking very heroic.

Shi Congyun taught her how to ride a horse and put her in his arms.

The military attache of the accompanying imperial army behind him took no notice of it, and left the queue far away to protect Sheng Jia.

Autumn is coming along the banks of the Bian River, and the golden sky and the earth in the distance are rolling up a lot of waves in the wind, and they flow away in waves. There are people walking in and out of the fields, and people are looking here from a distance.

While teasing the little yellow flower in his arms, Shi Congyun rode his horse across a small hillside, and the rumbling iron cavalry followed immediately.

There is a pond and a stream on the hillside. There is a tall willow tree beside the pond, and there is a thatched hut with a hay roof above it.

Soon, a few soldiers came down from the hut, hurried over to this side, and respectfully said: "I have seen the official!"

Shi Congyun nodded, this small thatched hut is the place where the sentry is on duty, from here, the Bian River at the foot of the gentle mountain is already close in front of you, with a panoramic view, like a silver ribbon, many boats on the river come and go in an endless stream.

After being dredged and treated by Chen Chengzhao, the Bian River has directly become an important waterway, connecting Daliang, Huaihe River and Yangtze River.

Coupled with the successive victories in foreign wars in the past few years, the country was stable, and after Shi Congyun threatened Jiangnan to open the commercial ports, trade exchanges became more frequent. The main waterway was along the Yangtze River Canal northward to the Huaihe River, and along the Bian River to Daliang.

Even if the Lord of the South of the Yangtze River is unwilling, he can't stop the general trend. The political situation of Qin State is stable, there is no security threat, and there is strong force protection. No matter who is willing to come to Qin State to do business, because Qin State's strong force can effectively protect their wealth. .

In Southern Tang, Southern Han and other places, who knows whether the northern army will fight over one day, and the wealth that one has worked so hard to accumulate will not be guaranteed, and no one wants to be afraid.

So now many people want to go to Qin State, especially near Daliang, because Qin State's powerful force can protect them to live and work in peace and contentment.

This is also an important reason why the size of Daliang City has expanded several times over the years.

As a result, Bianshui has become a busy golden waterway, with an endless stream of business travelers coming and going in four seasons.

Along the Bian River at the foot of the mountain, there is a tidy tile-roofed house, neatly arranged like fish scales on the riverside flat ground. Walking down the dirt road on the hillside, a muddy road five or six steps wide has just been filled with gravel.

Before the others arrived, at the end of the road below, there were already more than a dozen officials waiting eagerly.

When Shi Congyun got off his horse, many officials from the Confidential Department gathered around, "I welcome the officials!"

Shi Congyun got off his horse, and then signaled everyone to be free. This building area by the Bian River is the new industrial area built by Qin State at a cost of 30 yuan after Shi Congyun ordered it. It has been under construction for three months. Feng Jisheng is fully responsible.

On the edge of Bian River, it is convenient to fetch water, live conveniently, and produce conveniently.

Crossing the avenue and entering the middle of the tile-roofed houses on both sides, the smell of sulfur and steel is everywhere, and some civil and military soldiers behind them cover their noses. The craftsmen here have long been used to it.

Shi Congyun noticed that Feng Jisheng was wearing his third-rank purple official uniform on the outside, with a dirty lining on the inside, and the corner of the clothes was exposed on the neck. He must have been working just now, and he only wore it when he heard that he was here. I hurried over to greet you.

Shi Congyun came to inspect this trip without prior notice, and they only saw it when the chariot was driven to the top of the mountain, so it was inevitable to be in a hurry.

Many officials surrounded Shi Congyun and entered, and many people looked around curiously. The sound of tinkling iron and noise was very loud and noisy. Feng Jisheng asked the workers to stop first, so as not to disturb the audience.Shi Congyun objected, "It's business as usual."

Along the way, the houses on both sides are all made of bricks and stones, with tiles on the roof. They are all designed for fire prevention, which is very different from ordinary houses.

Everyone was busy everywhere, introducing Feng Jisheng as he walked.

"Officials, it is convenient to serve by the Bian River. The iron and stone for cannons and the saltpeter for gunpowder are mostly produced in Hanzhong and Guanzhong. Now they come directly by waterway and unload by the river, which can save a lot of manpower and material resources every year.

And there is no need to go through land and weeks, and it saves escorts. The amount of gunpowder produced this year will be at least [-]% more than last year. If the weather is better in summer and autumn, with less rain, and production will not be delayed, more can be produced.

The output of iron cannons can also increase. The canal in Hebei was dredged by Han Tongcai a few years ago. Although it is still very difficult to supply the army with food, it is much easier to transport the iron and stone from the north to Daliang.

The government has added engineering to the imperial examination, and in the past two years they have also recruited many skilled craftsmen. They are very good at forging iron and making cannons. If the government orders, at least 120 iron cannons can be made this year. "Feng Jisheng made an oath, and now he speaks with full confidence, and his waist is straight, because he is also a secret envoy, and he has risen from a third-rank purple-robed official.

Shi Congyun laughed, Feng Jisheng was thinking of an engineering man, "If you dare to say this in the court, I don't know how many people will impeach you. Less rain is really good for work, but what about the world's grain harvest?"

Feng Jisheng was taken aback: "The official forgives the crime."

Shi Congyun waved his hand, "I understand your feelings, everyone can see the power of the artillery, I wish you could make a thousand guns a year, but things can't be simply thought of in this way.

The quality of the cannon, whether it will explode and hurt your own people, whether the production of gunpowder can keep up, whether the ammunition is sufficient, whether there are enough soldiers who can use the cannon, whether the training can keep up, whether the military salary is sufficient , These things have to be considered one by one. If there is any part that can’t be done well, it will be futile to produce too much food. "

"Thank you for your teaching!" Feng Jisheng said repeatedly.

Going forward, the houses on both sides are scattered, noisy, jingling beating and chanting are incessant, people in the distance can't notice the emperor's driving at all, and even when Shi Congyun passes by, many of them cover their heads. The men who worked did not know that the emperor was coming.

"It's not easy for the workers to work, and the wages cannot be owed." Shi Congyun ordered as he walked.

"Yes!"

"Safety is the most important thing in gunpowder production, and fire prevention is the top priority. In case of water leakage, it is not comparable to other places." Shi Congyun reminded.

"The official reminded me." Feng Jisheng cupped his hands, and then continued: "The last Battle of Hedong, and the previous Battle of Guanbei, the soldiers also gradually discovered a problem. In rainy weather, the gunpowder is easy to get wet, and the cannons can't fire. , It will even explode and hurt your own people.

This matter has also been reported to the Privy Council. The craftsmen of our Confidentiality Department have been trying to find ways to solve this problem, and recently they finally have some clues. "

Shi Congyun was curious and excited, and asked, "What's the clue?" You must know that the problem of waterproofing gunpowder has always been one of the main reasons for limiting the combat effectiveness of the Shenhuo Army. It won't be so smooth. Now that the craftsmen actually said that they have a solution, he is naturally happy and excited.

Feng Jisheng took a few steps forward, beckoning someone to give some instructions.

After a while, several green-robed officials came over respectfully with a small bowl of black particles in a pottery bowl.

Shi Congyun didn't see it clearly at first, but when they got closer, he realized that it was actually gunpowder, because it smelled very similar, but it was particles like mouse droppings, which were larger than ordinary gunpowder.

He grabbed a few, rubbed them on his fingertips, and smelled them again, "Is this waterproof?"

"Reporting to the official family, it is impossible to achieve complete waterproofing. When it is rainy and wet, we are not afraid at all. We have tried it, and even if it is soaked in water, it can start about [-]% of the time. And after making it into this granular shape , the power seems to be stronger, and it is not easy to loose and scattered during transportation, which is more convenient.

It is not completely waterproof at the moment, but it can be used in rainy weather. "

Feng Jisheng said excitedly, and then grabbed a few gunpowder grains and explained: "Guan, this thing is not complicated. The main thing is to use egg white to stir the gunpowder powder into a paste, shape it, and dry it."

Shi Congyun nodded, "Eggs are not cheap, but they are much cheaper than the lives of soldiers. Later, you will take me to see your experiment. If it really works, the imperial court can allocate money. The cost is worth it." .”

"Yes, I would never dare to lie to the officials!" Feng Jisheng said solemnly.

Soon, surrounded by many Imperial Army soldiers and officials, a team of more than a hundred people passed through the long and noisy workshop area. The road behind was a bit muddy due to the light rain just the day before yesterday. Shi Congyun directly put on men's clothes Many people stared wide-eyed, but the soldiers who followed Shi Congyun every day were not surprised.

Behind the workshop area is a wasteland, guarded by soldiers on the outside, and inside is the testing ground of the Confidentiality Division. There are four battalions of imperial troops stationed in this area, mainly responsible for protecting the safety of the workshop area and its surroundings.

On the testing ground, Feng Jisheng, together with officials and craftsmen of several confidential departments, demonstrated to Shi Congyun the waterproof performance of the new large-grained gunpowder, which was indeed much better than the previous powdered gunpowder.

Shi Congyun was very happy, and with a wave of his hand, he directly allocated funds to the Confidentiality Department for the waterproof treatment of gunpowder. Although it was not completely waterproof, the effect was indeed very obvious.

In the afternoon of the same day, Shi Congyun checked several important ferries in the workshop area. He drove back to the city with satisfaction until it was getting dark. Before leaving, he also set a goal for the confidentiality department. A high-quality cannon comes out, and next year he will come to Bianshui to shoot cannons in person, but only if he feels good about it.
(End of this chapter)