The rise of the prince

Chapter 244 Conflict of Thoughts + Emperor's Joy
"My lord, come and take a look with me!"

Li Xingzhou was mixing perfume with Yue'er and melting beeswax. He recently asked Zhu Rong to help bake a few special tools, a small funnel, and a porcelain mixing stick with scales. He was teaching Yue'er how to use it when there was a shout from the yard .

When I went out, I saw that it was actually a happy Tie Niu.

"Bold, yelling, it's too impolite!" Yue'er who was interrupted pouted dissatisfied.

Tieniu also reacted, with a flustered look on his face, he just rushed directly into the yard and yelled, it was really not big or small
"Your Majesty, I...I just for a while"

Seeing him kneeling down in fright, stuttering, Li Xingzhou asked him to get up: "It's nothing, just tell me what's urgent."

Tieniu nodded, then stood up and patted the ashes: "Senior, Guan Er made something, you go and have a look, you can grind out a pool of fire!"

"Fire pool?" Li Xingzhou asked in disbelief, "You said gunpowder pool!"

Tieniu nodded quickly, his face flushed.

"Go, take me to have a look!" Li Xingzhou couldn't wait to get up, explained to Yue'er in a few words, and left with Tieniu in a hurry.

The gunpowder pool is the key part of the Suifa gun. It needs to be ground into a semi-elliptical shape. It is one of the most time-consuming and labor-intensive processes in the production of the Suifa gun. It is different from the barrel because it is relatively small and inconvenient to process. It can be polished by hand, and it takes a skilled old craftsman two or three days to finish one piece.It has always been one of the main reasons restricting the production speed of suifa guns.

Off two?

As Li Xingzhou walked, he continued to think about it in his mind. He vaguely remembered that he was also a blacksmith in the palace, but he was not too old or young, and his impression was not deep. Quite a few, he couldn't remember them all.

When they came to the workshop by the river, more than a dozen blacksmiths had gathered there, all looking at the room in amazement.

Tieniu shouted from behind, "Here comes the prince!"

Everyone turned their heads one after another, and then unanimously gave way.

Li Xingzhou couldn't wait to pass through the crowd, and he didn't have time to respond to everyone's greetings. He saw a manual rotary lathe in front of him, which was very similar to the one he asked Zhao Si to make at the beginning, but the work department was different. Obviously, it was changed and changed to an ellipse. Pig iron, uneven surface.

"My son!" A middle-aged blacksmith knelt down excitedly.

"You are."

"Little Guan Zhong!" the blacksmith said hastily.

Guan Zhong?Immediately, Li Xingzhou understood that there are relatively few people who can read and write in this era, and there are not many parents who can name people, so many of them use "Bo Zhong Shu Ji" to call brothers and sisters. The second is Mou Zhong, the third is Uncle Mou and so on, Guan Zhong means Guan Er.

"You made this thing? How do you use it?" Li Xingzhou asked directly.

Guan Er smiled complacently, and then said: "I'll show it to Shizi, but in fact, the villain just changed it, most of it was made by Shizi."

While talking, he demonstrated to Li Xingzhou that he fixed a small piece of iron on the platform under the work department, and then stepped on the newly added pedal with his foot, and then the iron piece was raised, and he quickly turned the big wheel to work. The head turns fast.

Li Xingzhou understood it all at once, Guan Er added a lever to it, and replaced manual polishing with the rotating elliptical working part!As soon as the two came into contact, there was a disgusting rubbing sound. After one rubbing, a small imprint appeared on the fixed iron plate, only a few millimeters deep. Li Xingzhou knew that as long as there was this imprint, it would become more and more serious in the future. Faster and smoother!
Sure enough, Tie Niu helped to smear lard on the newly ground gap, and then the iron sheet was lifted by the pedal again to polish it.

Through repeated repetitions, after more than an hour, Guan Er was so tired that he was sweating profusely. Li Xingzhou asked him to rest for a while on the way, and he continued to work with a happy face, shaking his head.

In about an hour, the gunpowder pool has begun to take shape, and it can be used with a little processing!

Li Xingzhou was excited, and quickly asked: "How long will it take to make a gunpowder pool!"

Guan Sheng patted his chest and said: "My lord, with this thing, just me and Tieniu, we can grind three to four medicine pools out in one day!"

four pairs!

Li Xingzhou was really surprised. With the continuous completion of the hydraulic drop hammer, the production speed of the gun barrel is constantly accelerating, but the gunpowder pool that needs to be polished by hand has greatly restricted the production speed. As a result, the palace can only produce more than a dozen quick-fire guns a month. It can only produce about [-] rods a year.

Now the gunpowder pool is in groups of two, and can produce three or four pieces a day!

That is to say, if the blacksmith in charge of producing gun barrels in the palace is removed, it can produce about [-] to [-] pieces a day. Excluding rest, it is conservatively estimated that it can produce [-] pieces a month!

Within a year, if things go well, more water drop forging hammers will be built one after another, and the palace will be able to produce three thousand Suifa guns!
Two hundred to three thousand, the output can be described as a world of difference!

And everything changed because of a small and simple invention of this little-known blacksmith named Guan Er.

Sure enough, the spark of wisdom is always in the place where experience is accumulated and precipitated, and it is easiest to burst out.

"Reward!" Li Xingzhou waved his hand happily: "Guan Er, I reward you with two hundred guan!"

Two hundred guan!
The blacksmiths present were dumbfounded. After all, many people may not be worth the two hundred guan for a lifetime of hard work. Even Guan Sheng himself was dumbfounded.

Li Xingzhou patted Guan Er on the shoulder and said happily: "You deserve it!" But he knew in his heart that this little wisdom is more than two hundred guan, knowledge is priceless, although it is a small change, the benefits it brings are even [-] guan not too much
"No!" An old blacksmith in his 50s interrupted suddenly. As soon as he spoke, the surrounding blacksmiths fell silent.

Li Xingzhou was in high spirits, and someone interjected and couldn't help frowning. It could be seen that this old blacksmith was more prestigious, because when he said something, no one dared to say it, but he always felt familiar.

The old blacksmith knelt down in front of him with a plop, then cupped his hands, and said sincerely: "Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible. How can such a thing be contracted? In this way, who would learn the craftsmanship of our ancestors? When strange skills replace real skills, young people will become lazy, not honest in their work, not serious about learning skills, and even forget their original skills after a long time, that is deceiving teachers and destroying ancestors!
Ancestral craftsmanship, but it has been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years, it is not easy to continue, the son must think about it!Not just for the momentary gain, but also for the sake of future generations, rooting for morality.”

The more the old blacksmith spoke, the more excited he became, and in the end he was crying alone, kowtowing to him again and again, and some of the blacksmiths watching were moved.

Guan Er also looked embarrassed when he heard this, and said in a low voice: "Shi Shizi, I don't want this money anymore."

The smile on Li Xingzhou's face was completely hidden, and he raised his hand to signal Guan Er not to speak.

He finally remembered why he thought the old man looked familiar, because the old blacksmith had talked to him when he first used the water drop forging hammer and expressed his objection, so he was transferred to polish the medicine pool.

"Feng Tongqiang?"

"It's the old man, I didn't expect my son to remember it." The old blacksmith wiped away his tears, flattered.

Li Xingzhou's face became more and more ugly, and a anger slowly brewed and rose in his heart. He didn't let the old blacksmith stand up, and some people had better kneel.

He could feel the changes in the surrounding atmosphere. Most of the blacksmiths were honest people who put their heart and soul into their craft. How could they think so much? If someone said something reasonable, he believed it.

Li Xingzhou's face was as frosty, and he said while pacing: "You told me about the water wheel last time, and what you said is similar to this time. I think you are right about one thing. If you have ancestors in your heart, ask yourself your conscience, and you can't do things that are unworthy of your ancestors."

Feng Tongqiang knelt on the ground and nodded hastily. Just as he was about to get up, Li Xingzhou said coldly, "I didn't ask you to get up!"

Suddenly, the breath of the people around was stagnant, and the air instantly cooled down. Finally, someone realized that the atmosphere was not right.
On weekdays, the prince is kind to them, but he has never seen such an expression, and everyone is afraid to speak.

Li Xingzhou looked at the old man kneeling on the ground trembling. He didn't want to do this at first: "Look up, I ask you, your ancestor's handicrafts are handed down from generation to generation. Thousands of years ago, the ancestors drank blood and slept in the open air. Why don't you also learn together?" ? Thousands of years ago, the ancestors used bronze for their craftsmanship. Where did you get the ironsmithing skills? Are you stealing or deceiving your ancestors, and you have set up another family!"

Li Xingzhou's sentences became more severe, and Feng Tongqiang was dumbfounded and couldn't answer at all.

"Deceive masters and destroy ancestors one by one, slick teeth, gossips are top-notch, thousands of years ago when the ancestors used bronze tools, the foreign tribes outside the Great Wall still used stones and wood, and when the ancestors used strong iron tools a hundred years ago, the foreign tribes outside the Great Wall used rough rotten copper!

Therefore, the ancestors were always victorious in every battle, expelled the barbarians, and shocked the world.

But it’s good now, now that the Liao Kingdom uses iron as its name, and iron weapons are actually far superior to our swordsmen, the face of our ancestors has been completely humiliated by people like you! "

Everyone bowed their heads, and Feng Tongqiang, who was kneeling on the ground and trembling, couldn't say a word.

Li Xingzhou shouted angrily: "Look up!"

Everyone was startled, and the old blacksmith quickly raised his head.

"If you don't want to make progress, you still use your ancestors as an excuse? Your ancestors are really professional blamers. If your ancestors knew that there were descendants like you, they would crawl out of their graves in anger! Whoever deceives their masters and destroys their ancestors has no heart." Do you count?" Li Xingzhou gave him a cold look after speaking, the anger in his heart was still strong, even though this situation was expected, it was still irritating when it happened.

"From now on, I don't want to see you in the palace, get out, the farther the better!" Li Xingzhou said mercilessly.

Feng Tongqiang was stunned, and just wanted to argue, but Li Xingzhou didn't give him a chance at all: "You don't need to say anything, and remember, if you dare to talk nonsense and gossip about the affairs of the palace, I will send you to see him." Dear ancestor!"

Li Xingzhou's face was as cold as frost, and he spoke very seriously. The old blacksmith was frightened and froze, nodded repeatedly, and then fucked up, not daring to turn his head back to drive away the crowd, and climbed out of the workshop.

He turned his head and looked at the many silent blacksmiths.

"At the beginning, when Zhao Si was asked to help me find someone, he deliberately explained that he wanted young people as much as possible. Zhao Si said that young blacksmiths are not as skilled as old blacksmiths, that they are negligent in their work, and that they are not capable enough, but this son insists on hiring you young people. Do you know why? "

As he spoke, he patted Tieniu on the shoulder. Tieniu was the youngest among them, four years older than Li Xingzhou, and only in his early twenties. The blacksmiths all shook their heads.

"Because young people's thoughts and ideas have not been completely imprisoned by Old Antique!"

Li Xingzhou looked around the crowd: "Skills can be practiced and improved, but if I live to the point like old man Feng, no matter how good the skills are, I don't want to. I just said that the copper and iron artifacts of the ancestors are better than those of other races outside the Great Wall. , but up to now, can any of you make the iron of the Liao Kingdom?"

Everyone lowered their heads and shook their heads in shame.

"Up to now, the forging skills of foreign races outside the Great Wall have surpassed ours. This is a shame to our ancestors!" Li Xingzhou said heavily.

"Don't think about making progress, have no achievements and innovations, just use your ancestors as an excuse, comfort yourself, and be complacent, think you are great, this is what old man Feng said!"

"That's why I want young craftsmen, because you are young, passionate, quick-witted and flexible, and you can always have good ideas and methods, instead of being complacent." Li Xingzhou said and pointed to Guan Er: "For example, what Guan Er did this time of."

"This is to be worthy of the ancestors. The ancestors meditated day and night, constantly innovating and progressing, so they can always surpass the foreign races beyond the Great Wall. The swords and guns are always better, the armor is always harder, and the bows and crossbows are always stronger. Be a place of respect and inheritance for the younger generations! Forging ahead and innovating is like sailing against the current, if you don’t advance, you will retreat.” Li Xingzhou spoke every word with a loud voice.

In my heart, I am also glad that he found out early. If it was too late, and a blacksmith like Feng Tongqiang stayed for a long time, the precious craftsmen of the palace would be brainwashed by him in all likelihood!
Many craftsmen seemed to suddenly realize it after listening to it. Most of them were overwhelmed, their faces flushed, and they nodded repeatedly.

Seeing everyone like this, Li Xingzhou heaved a sigh of relief, his face turned better, and he said with a smile: "Guan Er's innovation and improvement of the rotary lathe has made great contributions, and he rewarded two hundred guan of silver. Don't miss it."

Guan Er nodded again and again, his face was full of joy, and he quickly thanked him. The blacksmiths all laughed and gathered around.
"Why is Your Majesty so happy?" As soon as Concubine Tian entered Kunning Palace, she saw the emperor writing in the small garden pavilion with a smile on her face. Since the defeat at Anxiakou, the emperor hadn't smiled like this for a long time.

"Concubine Tian, ​​come and see how I write this character." The emperor waved his hand.

Concubine Tian took the basket from the accompanying maid, and then walked over alone. The small pavilion was in the pool, and there were two door gods standing at the intersection of the upper pavilion. Concubine Tian has long been used to shadows.

Seeing her coming, the two saluted respectfully, and then let her go.

Concubine Tian carried the basket and approached slowly, only to realize that what the emperor had written was a poem, which was the "Sapphire Case. Yuan Xi" that was famous in Kyoto and sung everywhere.

His Majesty happened to write the sentence "Suddenly looking back, the man was in a dimly lit place".She also likes this word very much. In fact, anyone who has a little knowledge of poetry and loves poetry will probably be impressed by it.

Recently, I heard many literati talk about a song "Sapphire Case", and there will be no more metawords in the future. This is probably the case. This word deserves this evaluation. It is so good that many people are discouraged just by looking at it and dare not write. .

But when it comes to Li Xingzhou who wrote the lyrics, Concubine Tian never expected it.

She is actually kind to Li Xingzhou. First, Li Xingzhou was the adopted son of her own son Li Yu when he was young, so he was considered a family member. Second, Li Xingzhou was the grandson of the empress, so she was more polite to this child when she met him a few times. The empress is the son of the harem First of all, she will naturally not offend for no reason.

But she also heard the bad rumors about this child, so she really didn't expect this child to be so talented, probably a natural child prodigy.

After the emperor finished writing, he handed the words to her: "How?"

Concubine Tian nodded, watched quietly, and didn't say much.

"Do you think it's better to write or to write?" the emperor asked.

Concubine Tian didn't even think about it: "Good words."

"Hahahaha, you, you are as straightforward as ever." The emperor was not angry, smiled happily, and then put down the words: "If the queen must say words well, if it is Fu'an, it must be said that words are words, words are words, and we cannot generalize. He can't understand it at all."

When the emperor said this, Concubine Tian was also amused, and said with a smile: "Why is the emperor happy today, and he is so elegant." She put down the basket, which contained her carefully made tea cakes. Well, she made these fresh, not greasy, refreshing pastries.

The emperor tasted her pastry, and said: "Look at my handwriting, can't you guess it?"

Concubine Tian was taken aback: "Could it be that the emperor is happy because of his son?"

The emperor nodded and put down the writing brush in his hand: "This morning, I wanted to elect a royal heir to lead the new army of the Imperial Guard. I didn't expect Wang Yue to be the first to recommend Xingzhou. I was a little angry at first, because I heard that the Prime Minister's family recently He has a close relationship with the palace, and he is afraid that he is doing favoritism.

Unexpectedly, He Zhao, Ji Chunsheng, Tang Zhouwei, Lu Jie, Chen Yu, Mao Luan and others would all stand up and recommend Xingzhou."

Concubine Tian was shocked when she heard this. Although she didn't care about government affairs, she knew these people.

Tongzhong Shumenxia Pingzhang Shi Wang Yue, Kaiyuan Fu Yin He Zhao, Household Department Secretary Tang Zhouwei, Yantie Division Yantie Envoy Lu Jie, Hanlin University scholar sentenced Tokyo Imperial College Chen Yu, Ministry of Industry judge Mao Luan this , almost half the imperial court!

(End of this chapter)