When Zhao Yan talked about the second function of this crossbow, he signaled the old craftsman Zhu Hong to leave because the next words would involve the secrets of the military weapon surveillance. Zhu Hong also knew about this. He left the backyard and personally guarded the door so that no one could overheard the conversation between the prince and the two officials.

"Senior Chen, I believe you and Su Jue Cheng know that the Gunpowder Department could not be a separate agency, but because I have repeatedly suggested to the government, the Gunpowder Department was separated from the Crossbow Bureau." Zhao Yan changed his subject at this time and suddenly mentioned the Gunpowder Department in the Military Equipment Bureau.

"So that's it. I was also wondering at the beginning that although the newly produced grenades in the Gunpowder Department are amazingly powerful, the number and scale of craftsmen are not enough to be single. I didn't expect it to be the suggestion of the prince." Su Shi also spoke at this time. Although his performance was much worse than Shen Kuo just now, Su Shi didn't care much about it. After all, these were not what he was good at.

"Yes, the reason why I suggested that the Gunpowder Department be listed as a separate agency was because gunpowder weapons will surely spread throughout the world in the future, and even change the current situation of war. Among them, grenades are just the simplest gunpowder weapon, but what I want to say next is a weapon that is enough to determine the outcome of the war!" Zhao Yan said solemnly at this time.

"Weapons that determine the outcome of a war!" Although Shen Kuo and Su Shi were shocked many times today, they could not help but be shocked again when they heard Zhao Yan's words. In their concept, although weapons are very important to a war, the key factor that determines the outcome of a war is still human beings. Some armies are poor in equipment. However, as long as they are highly morale and do not fear death, they can defeat an well-equipped army, so they do not think that there are any weapons that can determine the outcome of a war.

Although Zhao Yan is not a weapon-only polite, after seeing various powerful weapons in later generations, he had to admit that when hot weapons began to appear on the battlefield, the personal courage of the soldiers was gradually no longer important on the battlefield. The protagonist of the battlefield became a contest between the weapons in the hands of soldiers. Only when the weapons of the two sides were not very different, the bravery of the soldiers would play a decisive role. What he is going to say now is a weapon that transcends this era.

Thinking of this, Zhao Yan took a long breath, then looked around, and confirmed that there would be no eavesdropping. Then he spoke: "The Gunpowder Department now only produces one weapon. That is the grenade. However, if the grenade is made larger, then the bed crossbow in front of us will be transformed into a pocket in the middle of the bowstring. Then, the large hand grenade is shot into the enemy's army, and then explode after landing, you can imagine how amazing the effect will be!"

Since Zhao Shu hoped that he would invent the cannons and muskets last time, Zhao Yan has been thinking about this. It is just that the cannons and muskets have too high requirements for the quality and craftsmanship of steel. Moreover, even if the original front-mounted cannons and muskets were invented, their power was very limited. For example, the cannons can only fire solid bullets with limited lethality, and the range and rate of firing of the musket may not be as good as the bow and arrow.

It was also in this case that Zhao Yan finally thought of a trick, which was to use the conditions of the Song Dynasty. First of all, the most primitive flowering bullet was actually an amplified grenade. As long as the combustion time and range of the leads were calculated, the shell could explode when it landed. As for the method of firing the shell out, it would be even simpler. For example, you could use a catapult, but this thing was too bulky. So Zhao Yan thought of the bed crossbow again. The cost of the bed crossbow was too expensive, so he thought of the torsion spring, which greatly reduced the cost. After solving this problem, the flowering bullet could be used on the real battlefield.

As the two officials with the highest positions in the military weapon surveillance, Shen Kuo and Su Shi naturally saw the power of grenades with their own eyes. When they heard Zhao Yan want to amplify the grenades and then shoot them into the enemy's army, a scene of broken limbs flying around in their minds. They even became more excited to think that the roar of gunpowder like thunder and the smell of gunpowder will panic the horses, so when this weapon is applied to the battlefield, it should pose a huge threat to the cavalry of the Xixia and Liao Kingdoms. This is definitely a great news for the Song army, which is mainly composed of infantry.

"The prince's idea really makes the lower officials admire him. There are obviously bed crossbows and grenades in our military weapon prison, but no one in the military weapon prison, including the lower officials, thought of this. It really makes us feel ashamed!" Shen Kuo bowed to Zhao Yan with a sincere expression. Although he had known Zhao Yan for less than a day, he was already impressed by the talent shown by Zhao Yan.

Su Shi was also impressed by the talent shown by Zhao Yan, and immediately bowed: "The prince's idea really opened Su's eyes and dared to think what his predecessors dared not think. Moreover, this idea is completely feasible. When this weapon is applied to the battlefield, it will be the day when our Song army is greatly boosted!"

Zhao Yan felt a little light in her body when he could make the two historical celebrities praise him so much. He hurriedly said a few words, and then told them to keep this matter confidential. After the new bed crossbow and shells he designed were made, it would not be too late to report it to the court. At that time, Zhao Shu, Han Qi and others could be found to demonstrate it. I believe that after seeing the effect of the weapon, they will naturally know how to use it.

Shen Kuo and Su Shi both deeply agreed with Zhao Yan's advice. After all, no matter how good the things are, they must be made, especially things like weapons, which must be seen with real results. Otherwise, no one would believe them by just one mouth.

Next, Zhao Yan asked someone to prepare a carriage. Zhu Hong took several sons and son-in-law to disassemble the crossbow and put it on the car, and then sent it to the military weapon prison. Zhu Hong was temporarily borrowed by Shen Kuo from Zhao Yan because he participated in the design of the new crossbow. After he taught all the steps to the craftsmen in the military weapon prison, he would naturally let him back.

After watching the carriage transporting the crossbow left, Shen Kuo and Su Shi immediately said goodbye to Zhao Yan. They all planned to realize Zhao Yan's idea as soon as possible after they went back. Although it was getting late today, they could at least make some preliminary preparations and even list the people they needed.

Zhao Yan originally wanted to talk to Shen Kuo about mathematics, physics and chemistry, and exchange food experiences with Su Shi, but seeing that they were anxious to go back, he also knew that the two of them must not be in a chat today, so he did not try to keep them anymore, but personally sent them out of the mansion and even passed the Qingshui River.
Chapter completed!