The two separated after entering the city. When Wu Chengsi returned to the palace, it was already dark, and the three ladies were waiting at the dining table in the side hall.
On a long table, Li Zhiying sat alone on the north side, Xu Wenqing sat on the left hand, and Liu Lanshuang sat on the right hand.
In addition to the three of them, Zhang Gou was also there, sitting next to Xu Wenqing.
Seeing Wu Chengsi enter the palace, Li Zhiying hurriedly stood up and stepped forward to help him take off his cloak.
"Husband, Pei Pushe ordered some books to be sent this afternoon. They are all about the customs and landforms of the Japanese country. I checked them carefully and found that they were not mixed with other things, so I accepted them."
Pei Yan gave the gift, obviously to thank Wu Chengsi for his help in court yesterday.
He is also very good at choosing gifts, knowing that Wu Chengsi will never accept other gifts, so he knows how to give them what they like.
Wu Chengsi nodded and said, "Then just accept it and have it placed on the desk in the study."
Li Zhiying agreed and came to the north with him to sit down. Feng Wu had already sat down opposite Zhang Gou, staring at Wu Chengsi's mouth.
When Wu Chengsi said "dinner", she stretched out her chopsticks, picked up a large piece of mutton, and stuffed it into her mouth.
While eating, he kept putting vegetables into the bowl.
Liu Lanshuang next to her was much more polite. She would pick up a dish with a spoon, then slowly put it into her mouth and chew it slowly.
Li Zhiying eats politely, but after all, she is a general, so her speed is not as slow as hers, and her movements are much brisker.
Xu Wenqing's eyes were not yet healed, so he was fed by the reeds around him.
She took a sip of the soup and said, "Your Majesty, I heard from my senior brother that Shenhuo Camp tried a new weapon today and it is very powerful!"
Unlike Li Zhiying, Liu Lanshuang, and Feng Wu, she likes to talk while eating and seems to dislike an atmosphere that is too quiet.
Wu Chengsi smiled and said:
"That thing is called a cannon, and it is a gunpowder-based weapon. In the future, as long as we continue to improve our smelting level, we will be able to create more powerful weapons in the future!"
Li Zhiying didn't understand what she heard and asked: "Husband, that fire...is artillery more destructive than gunpowder?"
Wu Chengsi said: "The artillery is similar to a trebuchet. It can shoot an iron ball weighing tens of kilograms several hundred feet away. It is naturally more powerful. If the artillery is regarded as a bow and arrow, the gunpowder is the bowstring!"
Liu Lanshuang put down her chopsticks and listened since Xu Wenqing spoke. When she heard this, her eyes shone with light and she seemed very happy.
Wu Chengsi noticed her expression and smiled: "Are you also interested?"
Liu Lanshuang's cheeks turned red and she nodded slightly.
Wu Chengsi smiled and said: "Zhang Gou, please tell everyone about the structure and mechanism of the artillery in detail!"
Zhang Gou's health has long since recovered, and he went to Shenhuofang to report the day before yesterday. He currently lives in Shenhuofang, but he often visits the palace.
He stood up, cupped his hands and said, "Yes."
Turning around to face the crowd, he said: "The artillery consists of a barrel, a wooden cart, a gunpowder bag, and a ball. The barrel is a round iron pillar with a hollow inside, narrow at the front and wide at the back."
Xu Wenqing's father is a master blacksmith and is quite proficient in blacksmith craftsmanship. He asked in surprise: "How was this iron pillar made? Is it a forging method or a casting method?"
Zhang Gou replied: "It is a casting method, with a total of twenty-one processes, which is extremely complicated and time-consuming.
Xu Wenqing sighed: "The craftsmen who can make such things must be very powerful."
Zhang Gou was silent for a moment and said, "It was developed by Yang Tai and Yang Wulian."
Wu Chengsi said: "With Yang Tai's method, a batch can be made in a month. He made ten in November, and with Yang Wulian who was originally the general to supervise the production, there were only twenty, which was far from enough.
!”
Xu Wenqing asked: "How many barrels are needed?"
Wu Chengsi pondered: "Although the Yangzhou side is also building, at least there are a hundred artillery pieces on both sides, so this war can be guaranteed!"
Li Zhiying said: "Husband, as long as Yang Tai passes the craftsmanship to other craftsmen, it should be able to increase the casting speed, right?"
Wu Chengsi sighed: "I heard from the craftsmen that Yang Tai's twenty-one processes are quite complicated, and you can't make any mistakes. In particular, you must understand the purpose and function of each process, otherwise you will not be able to control the heat at all."
"Currently, the only craftsmen who have truly mastered these twenty-one processes are Zhang Gou and another craftsman."
Li Zhiying said in surprise: "Isn't Mr. Zhang a mason? Has he also learned about cast iron?"
Zhang Gou smiled slightly, cupped his hands and said, "I have learned a little, but I am far behind my father and Uncle Xu."
Xu Wenqing said with a smile: "Although Master Zhang is the most proficient in masonry crafts, he is also proficient in gold, silver and iron crafts."
Zhang Gou hurriedly said a few words of modesty.
After the meal was finished, Zhang Gou said goodbye and left, and everyone went back to their houses.
Wu Chengsi wanted to go to sleep in the main hall, but Li Zhiying said: "Husband, Sister Liu has been here for four days, and you haven't slept with her yet. I'm afraid it won't be right if you delay it any longer."
Wu Chengsi recalled the situation with Liu Lanshuang that day and said, "Let's talk about it in a few days."
Early the next morning, Wu Chengsi arrived at the Xitu camp and stayed in the camp for an hour before going to the reserve camp and entering Hou Yanjing's camp.
Hou Yanjing stood up quickly and said, "Commander, why are you here?"
Wu Chengsi asked: "Did someone leave from the reserve camp last night?"
Hou Yanjing was stunned for a moment and said, "Yes, it's Chen Zi'ang. Didn't he ask to meet you? Have you forgotten?"
Wu Chengsi hummed: "Let me ask you, when he left, didn't he leave anything behind?"
Hou Yanjing said: "Ah! Are you talking about the policy paper he wrote?"
Wu Chengsi said: "Have you read the policy report?"
"I saw it."
"How's the writing?"
“The writing is very good and gives people a refreshing feeling.”
Wu Chengsi glared and said, "Then why don't you bring it over and show it to me?"
Hou Yanjing was stunned and said, "Here, let me show you?"
Wu Chengsi said: "With such an outstanding talent, don't you think we should make some efforts to keep him in the military camp?"
Hou Yanjing was not stupid. He immediately understood that Wu Chengsi wanted to keep Chen Ziang and said loudly: "General, I will go find Chen Ziang right now and ask him to return to the reserve camp."
"No need, I will go find him personally. But before that, please show me the strategy left by Chen Zi'ang."
Hou Yanjing said "Oh", took a piece of paper from the desk, handed it over, and said: "Commander, this is what he wrote."
Wu Chengsi glared and said, "Who told you to give it to me now? After I leave, you come to my tent and give me the strategy. Proclaim to the outside world that Chen Ziang's strategy is extremely good, which shocked you so much that you gave it to me."
Come give it to me!”
Hou Yanjing said loudly: "The last general takes orders!"
Wu Chengsi nodded and left Hou Yanjing's camp.
Half an hour later, Wang Xiaojie hurried to Guo Yuanzhen's camp, shook him awake, and shouted: "Old Guo, something happened!"
Guo Yuanzhen rubbed his eyes and sat up, frowning and saying, "What happened again?"
Wang Xiaojie said: "Do you remember that Brother Chen wrote a policy paper before leaving the camp yesterday?"
"remember."
Wang Xiaojie said loudly: "This morning, General Hou went to see the commander-in-chief with the policy proposal. I heard that the commander-in-chief was shocked when he saw the policy proposal and left the camp on horseback. It is said that he went to invite Brother Chen to come back!"
Guo Yuanzhen woke up and said: "Is there such a thing?"
"Isn't it? This matter is being spread everywhere in the camp. Chen Zi'ang should be able to come back this time!"
Guo Yuanzhen touched his chin and said, "I've also read Brother Chen's policy statement. It's very good, but it won't shock the commander-in-chief so much, right?"
Wang Xiaojie curled his lips and said: "Maybe Chen Ziang's idea just suits the commander-in-chief's taste. Who can say for sure!"
Guo Yuanzhen nodded and thought to himself: "It seems that the commander-in-chief was not unable to help Chen Ziang yesterday, but he was unwilling. Today he learned that Chen Ziang is talented, so he is willing to help."
Then he thought: "This also shows that Chen Ziang's troubles are not ordinary. Even the commander-in-chief did not dare to agree easily. I heard that he was originally working for King Pei. Maybe this matter has something to do with King Pei."
Daming Palace, Zhongshu Province.
Wu Mei's face was expressionless. She sat in Liu Rengui's seat and read through the official documents that Li Hong had processed one by one. The expression on her face became increasingly ugly.
Major departments, as well as local officials outside Beijing, report various people's livelihood conditions and problems every day. Countermeasures are drafted by Zhongshu Province, reviewed by Menxia Province, and finally implemented by Shangshu Province and Jiusi.
This is the system in which the imperial court operates every day.
Only the more important issues, after being reviewed by the Menxia Province, will be reviewed and approved by the Emperor before they are submitted to the Emperor's paperwork.
When Wu Mei controlled the government, she reviewed and approved most official documents. She would even take the initiative to follow up on many important issues, always paying attention to the effects of the policy.
After Li Hong ascended the throne, all these official documents went to Li Hong's imperial cabinet.
In fact, Wu Mei did not want to immediately compete with Li Hong for the power to approve official documents, so as not to cause criticism.
It's just that there are a few policies she personally led that make her uneasy.
This morning, I ordered Xie Yaohuan to go to the Zhongshu Provincial Department to get the official documents on the policies, hoping to learn about the recent situation.
Unexpectedly, Li Hong wrote a lot in the official document. He overthrew all previous policies and asked the Ministry of Public Affairs to re-formulate policies.
Wu Mei was shocked and angry. She immediately went straight to Zhongshu Province and took a look at all the official documents that Li Zhi had handled.
It was found that he wrote a lot of opinions on almost every official document, asking the Central Secretary to re-implement the government according to his opinions.
This was not because Li Hong deliberately opposed Wu Mei, but because the two had completely different personalities, the direction of their governance naturally deviated greatly.
So when Li Hong saw Wu Mei's policy, he was very repelled.
Similarly, when Wu Mei saw Li Hong's annotation, she was also very angry.
Li Hong had no political talent and his policies were very conservative. How could she not be angry when he reversed all the reform measures she had worked so hard on?
She raised her phoenix eyes, stared at the officials, and said coldly: "It's okay for the emperor to do whatever he wants, and you all follow him to do whatever he wants?"
Liu Rengui was seriously ill and did not come. The only people standing in front of her were Liu Qixian, Pei Yan, Li Jingxuan, Lou Shide, Dai Zhide and others.
Liu Qixian remained silent.
He did not side with Li Hong at the court meeting yesterday or the day before yesterday.
Although they all had unavoidable reasons, they felt that they had failed the late emperor's entrustment, so they did not want to oppose Li Hong in this regard, so as not to damage the emperor's authority again.
Pei Yan and Li Jingxuan also took a step back because the emperor backed down on the issue of the throne.
Moreover, the two of them had also been entrusted by Li Zhi on his deathbed and were unwilling to go against the emperor on trivial matters.
None of them objected, and other officials did not dare to object, so all the official documents annotated by Li Hong were returned to Zhongshu Province and were no longer implemented.
Seeing that everyone was silent, Wu Mei became even more angry and secretly thought of replacing these officials.
She has a fierce and courageous side in her temperament, but also a forbearing side in times of trial.
Since no ministers came out to oppose it, she had no legitimate excuse to allow them to continue her original policy.
He immediately said no more, stood up and left Zhongshu Province.
After returning to Zichen Hall, she paced back and forth in the hall, with names appearing in her mind one after another.
These names are all her confidants, and she intends to select a capable person from them to replace Liu Rengui's position as secretary.
At this moment, the old palace maid entered the main hall. She saw Wu Mei pacing back and forth and knew that she was deep in thought, so she stood aside and did not dare to disturb her.
After a long time, Wu Mei stopped and asked, "Hu Ping, what's the matter?"
The old palace maid hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Highness, it's about Chen Zi'ang."
Wu Mei looked cold and said, "Why, he hasn't left the military camp yet?"
"No, he left the camp last night, but...but when he left the camp, he left an article about his strategy for fighting the Tibetans."
Wu Mei's expression softened and she said: "He does seem to be interested in going to the battlefield. In a few years, I will give him a chance."
The old palace maid said: "Your Highness, I'm afraid things are a bit troublesome. Somehow, his strategy was seen by King Zhou. King Zhou seems to be interested in his talent and personally went to his house and asked him to return to the camp."
Wu Mei was surprised and said: "Chengsi's vision is very high. He can actually let Chengsi come to him personally based on a policy. Could it be that he really has military talent?"
The old palace maid had a good impression of Chen Ziang and said:
"My servant has always felt that among your internal guards, he has the most potential. Now that even His Royal Highness the King of Zhou recognizes his talent, it shouldn't be wrong."
Wu Mei frowned and thought for a long time, thinking: "Even if Cheng Si discovers that Chen Zi'ang is mine in the future, he will chase him back by himself, and he cannot blame me."
He nodded and said: "In that case, let him go back."
The old palace maid agreed.
…
When Chen Ziang returned to the reserve camp, he found that all the people in the reserve camp looked at him differently. There was both envy and jealousy.
Being chased back by the Generalissimo himself, who wouldn't envy this kind of treatment?
Chen Zi'ang didn't look sideways and walked without saying a word.
When he arrived at his tent, he saw Wang Xiaojie and Guo Yuanzhen leaning outside the tent, obviously waiting for him.
Wang Xiaojie took two steps forward, patted him on the arm, and said with a smile:
"You're a good boy. You can actually let the commander find you back in person. Your future seems to be stable. When you get rich in the future, don't forget the two of us!"
Chen Ziang said with a smile: "Both of you are more talented than my younger brother. If my younger brother can become successful, it will be even more important for you two."
Wang Xiaojie turned back to Guo Yuanzhen and said: "Look, his speech has become arrogant again. It seems that he has fully recovered!"
Guo Yuanzhen smiled and said: "Brother Chen, General Hou just issued an order. After lunch, the top ten people in the reserve camp assessment can go to the Shenhuo Camp with the generals of the Chinese Army."
Chen Ziang said happily: "Excellent, the new weapon conceived by the commander himself will definitely not be inferior in power."
Wang Xiaojie laughed and said: "Nonsense, gunpowder can break down the Korean city walls, so the new weapons are naturally stronger. Let's get close to the new weapons, and in a month, we will use these weapons to beat those Japanese bastards hard."
After lunch, the three of them gathered at the school grounds.
After everyone arrived, Hou Yanjing led everyone towards the main camp.
This time, there were 300 officers from the main camp visiting Shenhuo Camp. They were all officers above the school level and were led by Russell.
After reuniting with the brigade, the team arrived at Fenghe Wharf, followed the river, entered the city through the water gate, and directly entered the Imperial City Zuowuwei Campus.
The team stopped at an open space in the school grounds, and Hou Yanjing ordered everyone to rest where they were.
Wang Xiaojie sat down cross-legged and whispered: "Why don't you leave? Didn't you say you were going to visit Shenhuo Camp?"
Guo Yuanzhen was silent in thought.
Chen Ziang smiled and said: "As far as I know, when the gunpowder was first displayed, it was in a large open space in Furong Garden. Naturally, new weapons must be displayed in a spacious place."
Wang Xiaojie rubbed his hands, his face full of excitement and anticipation: "I heard that the sound of gunpowder is louder than thunder! I don't know what the new weapons are like."
Guo Yuanzhen pondered: "Since the commander-in-chief plans to use this weapon against the Japanese, it can at least be used at sea. It should be a long-range weapon."
Someone behind him suddenly said: "Hey, why do you think the imperial court suddenly wants to start a war against Japan? Isn't the Western Expedition Camp aimed at the Tubo people?"
Another person said: "I must be training with Japanese people. Before you find a strong person to compete with, you must first find a weak person to practice with."
This person used to be a charlatan, and he likes to think like a charlatan when thinking about problems.
Wang Xiaojie couldn't listen anymore and glared: "Don't you pay attention to the important affairs of the court on weekdays? The Japanese people have been harassing our coastal states and counties, and the newly-in-power Japanese royal family is a militant faction and will attack our country sooner or later."
The sergeant who was born in the martial arts world was surprised and said: "Where did you hear this news?"
Wang Xiaojie snorted and said, "What do you usually do every time you enter the city?"
The man said: "Of course I drank."
Wang Xiaojie curled his lips and said: "This is the difference between you and me. I will go to the Ministry of War Branch Courtyard every time. Do you understand?"
The man stopped talking.
The group of people sat there for about a quarter of an hour, when suddenly a horse came running from a distance and said something to Russell.
Russell shouted: "Line up!"
Everyone stood up and headed north. Not long after, they came to another open space.
A sergeant suddenly pointed to the east and exclaimed: "Look, it's the commander-in-chief."
Wang Xiaojie and the other three looked towards the east and saw a general platform in the distance, with a row of generals standing on the wooden platform.
In addition to the Western Marshal Wu Chengsi, Li Ji, Su Dingfang, Han Cheng, Cheng Wuting and other generals were standing on it.
There was another person wearing commoner clothes and he was extremely tall.
Someone whispered: "General Xue is here too."
"What General Xue? He is no longer a general." Someone else said.
The first man said angrily: "How dare you disrespect General Xue?"
"I'm not being disrespectful, I'm just telling the truth."
Hou Yanjing suddenly turned his head and roared angrily: "Shut up, everyone! Anyone who speaks again will go back to the camp."
No one dared to speak out.
Chen Ziang ignored the quarrels of those people and kept observing the other small wooden platform carefully.
The wooden platform is very short, located on the right side of the Dianjiang Platform, only five feet long and wide.
The reason why Chen Ziang looked at the short wooden platform was because the generals on the platform were all pointing towards the short wooden platform.
There are three two-wheeled wooden carts on the low wooden platform. Each wooden cart has a black iron pipe, and there are soldiers standing next to each cart.
Chen Ziang thought to himself: "Could that wooden cart be a new weapon? It looks a bit like a siege vehicle."
Russell gave an order, and three hundred generals and ten reserve battalion sergeants followed him and slowly came to the short wooden platform.
The wooden cart could be seen more clearly, and Chen Ziang discovered that there was a hole in front of the round iron pipe, which was actually hollow!
Wang Xiaojie behind him suddenly whispered: "Look, there is a target in front of the wooden platform. The distance is about... my God... it's more than one hundred and fifty feet!"
Chen Ziang turned his head and looked towards the front of the short wooden platform, and sure enough he found several wooden sticks with armor hanging on them a hundred feet away.
His heart skipped a beat and he thought, "Could this weapon be similar to a ballista?"
Turning around and looking at the wooden cart, I couldn't see the bowstring at all, and there couldn't be such a small crossbow cart.
Everyone stood still between the low wooden platform and the Dianjiang platform.