The legend of the king of crossing

Chapter 60 It's time to focus on the economy

I was anxiously waiting for the news of the test firing of the musket in the Imperial Study Room. This is the first matchlock gun in the world, and my desire is naturally eager.

As soon as Wen Tianxiang entered the door, he said, "Your Majesty, the musket test was successful yesterday evening, but..."

I said nervously, "Just what, say it quickly."

Wen Tianxiang took a breath: "Return to Your Majesty, this musket has a maximum range of 120 meters, but the actual effective range is only a little over 30 meters, and the projectile will deviate if it exceeds 30 meters, and the speed of firing once is also very slow."

I breathed a sigh of relief and found that Wen Tianxiang was sweating all the way. I didn't care to ask him to rest, and said happily: "The effective range of more than 30 meters is not bad. I will reward it well."

Wen Tianxiang arrived early and Lu Xiufu said: "Your Majesty, forgive me for being stupid. When I was in Yangzhou, I have seen that the bows and arrows of Mongolian soldiers have a range of at least 30 meters. The range of more than [-] meters is not enough to compete with archers."

Wen Zhang also said: "Yes, why is Your Majesty so happy? According to what I see, the bomb is still strong enough."

I knew that everyone still didn't pay much attention to muskets, so I said, "My dear friends, this is just the first trial shooting. I believe that the range and speed will gradually improve. Second, it takes two or three years to train a qualified archer. The musketeers only need one or two months of training to launch projectiles. As for other advantages, you will naturally know. Wen Zhang, the power of the bomb is of course strong, but only limited by manpower, few people can It can be thrown 50 meters away, but the range of future muskets can reach hundreds of meters.”

"Your Majesty, do you want to start mass production?"

"Song Rui, just ask Yun Bofei to make a hundred of them first. First, let the craftsmen gain experience, and second, let the new army get acquainted. Large quantities of muskets should be improved before they can be manufactured. Also, Song Rui told Yun Bofei Bofei, in addition to improving the musket, the projectile also needs to be improved, and the light weight of the projectile will also affect the range and accuracy." I then said to Wenzhang, "Wenzhang, the barracks at the foot of Luoshi Mountain have basically been built. You will move there tomorrow, and take over the outer defense of the Gunpowder Department by the way, remember."

"Wen Zhang obeys the order."

"Well, how is the training of the Youth Guard going?"

"Return to Your Majesty, everything is fine."

"After you move in, start throwing and aiming training."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Wen Zhang eagerly said, "The bomb is powerful, so equip our youth guards first."

"That's not enough. Bombs are my secret weapon. Right now, the young guards are full of tongues, so they can't equip them for the time being. You just need to practice throwing well."

Wen Zhang said helplessly: "I respect the order."

I smiled and said to Lu Xiufu: "Junshi, Xiao Tian has driven the Tongle Tower to outside Lin'an, and your intelligence department has also infiltrated."

"Your Majesty, I have made arrangements. At present, the intelligence department has established eight strongholds outside Lin'an, and there are three in the capital, but Mongolia has not been able to enter for the time being."

"Well, it's already very good. In Mongolia, you can ask Zhang Shijie, he is from Mongolia, and see if there is any opportunity to cut in."

"Yes, Your Majesty, according to His Majesty's will, Lord Li of Yangzhou expanded the military tax army to more than 3 people, led by his general Jiang Cai, divided into an army of [-] and a navy of [-]. They are currently practicing day and night."

I nodded approvingly and said, "Junshi, write a letter and tell Li Tingzhi that members of Longya were secretly recruited from the former Yangzhou Army and Wushui Army as part of our new army. Wen Zhang also secretly recruited members."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The two replied in unison.

Seeing that we had finished speaking, Yuan Ji got up and said, "Your Majesty, recently, I have noticed that strangers often come and go near Shifeng Trading Company, and they may be watching them."

When Wen Zhang heard this, he said anxiously: "Stalking? Sir, who are the idiots? Let Wen Zhang deal with them."

Yuan Ji said: "It is still unknown, the situation is unknown, and I dare not startle the snake."

"En." I said, "Among them Jia Sidao, Mongolia is the most likely. Jia Sidao knew about this teahouse when I was still the crown prince, and the Mongols must have worked carefully in the court, Xiao Qi."

"Official, the younger one is here."

"Let Xiao Tian buy all the houses from the imperial palace to the commercial bank in batches."

"Yes, I will do it immediately, little one."

"Junshi, the Ministry of Intelligence focuses on monitoring the movements of Jia's mansion, as well as investigating Wei Quanzhong's villa at the foot of Lingyin Mountain."

"The minister obeys the order."

Yuan Ji said: "I also think that it is likely that Jia Sidao is the one. Perhaps it is His Majesty's prediction of the celestial phenomenon that attracted Jia Sidao's attention."

My opinion is the same as Yuan Ji's, but now I am not as afraid of Jia Sidao as I was then.

After three or four months of understanding, I basically saw Jia Sidao clearly.

Jia Sidao's greatest strength is that he is good at capturing the emperor's mind, and he can be called a master of psychology.Its success is to create an illusion for Song Lizong. He Jia Sidao is capable of writing and martial arts, can deal with courtiers with literature, and can fight against Mongolia with martial arts. He is the only capable person in the Song Dynasty. Song Lizong also gradually believed it. After receiving the power given to him by Song Lizong, Jia Sidao started forming cliques inside and outside the court for personal gain, excluded dissidents, and blocked the real news of the border area between Sichuan and Hubei and Mongolia. From time to time, he told Emperor Lizong that Mongolia When someone is about to call, Li Zong is stupid and orders Jia Sidao to deal with it. Jia Sidao makes up a story to make Li Zong think that as long as Jia Sidao is allowed to go out, there is nothing he can't do.

Jia Sidao's strategy and tactics reached the pinnacle, but he was not able to stabilize the country with literature or military power. Moreover, many important officials in the court belonged to the Queen Mother's party or were neutral, so Jia Sidao could not completely overshadow the sky.

Of course, it is not that simple to deprive Jia Sidao of his power. After all, he has been operating in the court for more than [-] years, and it is already deeply entrenched.The dog will jump over the wall when he is in a hurry, not to mention Jia Sidao still controls the forbidden army.

However, the ultimate enemy is Mongolia, and the Mongolian cavalry who have fought all over the world are not vegetarians.

Thinking of this, I said: "In the future, when I travel, I will send more secret workers to the surrounding areas. I expect that Jia Sidao will not dare to openly rebel. The only thing to be wary of is Wu Tieshan's fellow family, the Wu family in Changsha. However, the Mongols cannot be completely ruled out." Possibly, last time those men in black must have accomplices lurking in Beijing."

Yuan Ji said: "The minister will arrange for the Longya Security Department to handle it carefully."

"Well, don't worry about this matter, and make a decision after you find out the situation slowly. Tomorrow is the day of the mid-term court meeting. I want to discuss the current economic affairs with the ministers. Everyone knows that the treasury is empty now. Song Ruijun is real. What's the best way?"

Wen Tianxiang said: "I don't have much research on the economy, but since ancient times there has been a saying of increasing income and reducing expenditure, so I think we need to start from both aspects at the same time."

Lu Xiufu said: "Song Rui's words are justified. Up to the imperial court and down to the government at all levels, it costs a lot of money. Compared with it, it can save a lot of money, but the more important thing is to open source, similar to the Ministry of Commerce in Longya. Your Majesty should encourage agriculture, industry, trade and other industries, and only when the people become rich can the treasury tax be increased."

"Well, the two lovers are right. Song Rui, I heard that you built a convenience bank when you were in Ruizhou that day. Is there such a thing?"

"Returning to Your Majesty, Ruizhou was ravaged by the Mongols at that time. The city walls and houses were destroyed, the people were cruelly killed, and the cultural relics and historical sites were looted. After Tianxiang took office, he implemented a policy of leniency, tried his best to appease the people, and raised funds to build a "convenience bank". For loans and relief purposes, to restore local order. "

"This convenience bank can be promoted. I plan to set up a Ministry of Economy, which is independent of the six departments. I will consider it carefully tonight and discuss it at the court meeting tomorrow. In recent days, my winner has seized the economy of my court, otherwise I will have no money. There is no money to pay your salaries even if you make guns and cannons."