A simple sentence revealed that the third prince's ambition had long been inflated.
He really thinks that with the support of hundreds of officials, he is already a great minister, and in fact, this is indeed the case.
Now that he has the advantage, if he continues to fight with the prince, the situation will become increasingly unfavorable to him.
Why?
If you don't advance, you will retreat. If you cannot make progress, your own power will be gradually eroded by the prince.
The Ministry of Punishment's arrest of lazy government officials is an example.
Therefore, he can only ensure that he will not die by advancing.
If the third prince wants to go further, he can only get that authority, which is only in the hands of the emperor and now in the hands of the prince.
King Pingxi did not deliberately keep silent before, but was suppressed by the third prince.
The third prince sent a letter from him, making a half-hard and half-soft promise: "As long as you follow my orders, you will be allowed to double the size of King Pingxi's land in the future. If you are not willing, your letter will be
It will be sent to the prince."
"How you choose is all up to you."
King Pingxi quickly wrote back, "The prince oppressed my son. This hatred is irreconcilable. I hope that the third prince will make the decision for me."
The third prince smiled when he received the reply, "That's very wise!"
It was because of King Pingxi's guarantee that he had the confidence to compete with the prince for the chair in the palace.
The Queen was also his ally. In order to trick him into continuing the feud with the Crown Prince, she sent her personal maid to deliver a message to him.
"I support all his decisions. After overthrowing the crown prince in the future, I will definitely support him to become Emperor Jingyang. I just hope that after the third prince gets the throne, he can treat her as a woman well."
The third prince didn't know that he had been deceived. He laughed so hard that day that he pampered several of his concubines.
While being favored, he muttered: "Queen, please rest assured, this prince will definitely treat you well!"
Therefore, when the third prince revealed his plan, the other officials did not express any objection and all nodded secretly.
Give it a try and you will be a hero in the future.
If you don't let go, you will definitely face the prince's liquidation in the future.
The officials also believed that the third prince had a chance of winning, otherwise, they would not be so confident.
With the Dongchang Jinyi Guards and the Royal Guards in the hands of the Empress, as well as the private troops raised by the officials, all of them combined, how can the prince fight against them with the few guards stationed in Beijing?
Thus the prelude to the war began.
…
Before leaving the Hou Mansion, Zhao Xiaole warned: "Any student who comes to the Prime Minister's Mansion to handle government affairs must not stay up late at night, go to a brothel, drink outside, or discuss government affairs outside."
This is to prevent Jin Yiwei from causing trouble.
Qin Sining also told all the students about this, "Recently, the situation in the capital has been tense. This is for everyone's consideration. Just continue to be patient for a while."
After that, Zhao Xiaole left the Hou Mansion and went to Xichang.
He wanted to inspect the work of the craftsmen.
From the very beginning of making muskets to now, one month is almost enough. In this showdown with the Queen and the Third Prince, these muskets will be his secret weapon.
Zhao Xiaole must personally inspect it before he can rest assured.
All the way along the tunnel, we walked to the prison in the West Factory. The empty cells were different from last time. In order to facilitate the testing of artillery, the cells were dismantled.
It is specially set up as a testing ground.
Because it's underground, I'm not afraid of being heard.
A group of craftsmen have been waiting for a long time.
Although these craftsmen looked tired, they were all in good spirits and excitedly waiting for their boss to inspect their work.
Before Zhao Xiaole could speak, the head craftsman stood up and said, "Master Marquis, we have already made the musket you want. Do you want to see it now?"
Zhao Xiaole nodded, "Don't waste time, show it now!"
"Okay!"
The head craftsman waved his hand, and a tray was immediately brought over. Although it was covered with a red cloth, Zhao Xiaole could see that there was a musket underneath.
The head craftsman lifted the cloth, and an extremely smooth musket appeared in front of his eyes.
Zhao Xiaole was stunned for a moment, and he felt that time and space were confused. This gun was so similar to what he had seen in his previous life.
If it wasn't too new, it would be exactly the same!
Unexpectedly, he only provided ideas and simple drawings, and these craftsmen could imitate such similar guns.
Talent, indeed talent!
"Master Marquis, are you satisfied?" the head craftsman asked with a smile, "This gun is the best-made among all guns. We specially dedicated it to Master Marquis for you to play with."
Zhao Xiaole nodded and reached for the musket, "The workmanship is very good, but I don't know how effective it is?"
The head craftsman immediately said: "Master Hou, don't be anxious, I will demonstrate it to you right now!"
Soon, I found a fan who often tested fire, and asked him to load the gunpowder and marbles, light the matchlock and shoot!
This time, Na Fanzi stopped an apple fifty steps away, then took aim and shot!
Just hearing a gunshot, the apple was beaten to pieces!
"good!"
I remembered the cheers of the craftsmen all around.
Zhao Xiaole frowned. After the shooting was completed, he stood aside and asked:
"If it were further away, could you still hit it?"
Hearing this, Na Fanzi immediately stepped forward and replied: "Sir, I can hit the target with this gun. I think within a hundred steps, this gun can hit the target!"
Zhao Xiaole nodded, "Very good, tell me what's your name?"
name?
Fanzi was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly knelt down and replied: "The villain's surname is Zhang and his given name is Xiaoyi. He is originally from Chuzhou!"
"Your name is quite ordinary." Zhao Xiaole smiled.
Zhang Xiaoyi also smiled and said: "The villain originally had no name. He only got it after he entered the West Factory and his superiors registered his name in the register."
Zhao Xiaole picked up the musket in his hand and handed it to Zhang Xiaoyi, "Treasures are given to warriors. Zhang Xiaoyi, your shooting skills are very good, I will reward you with this gun!"
Zhang Xiaoyi was stunned for a moment and refused: "No one dares to take what belongs to an adult."
Zhao Xiaole explained: "I'm not giving you this gun for free. I want you to help me train other fans and improve their shooting skills to your level. Can you do it?"
After Zhang Xiaoyi hesitated, "I am willing to try my best!"
Zhao Xiaole also knows that things like archery also require talent, and it is impossible for everyone to become a sharpshooter.
So he said: "Take it!"
Only then did Zhang Xiaoyi respectfully take the good gun.
Then, Zhao Xiaole looked at the head craftsman again, "How many muskets did you produce in one month?"
When asked about the quantity, the craftsmen immediately hesitated and refused to speak directly.
Zhao Xiaole didn't frown and felt bad, "Is it one hundred and fifty?"
The craftsmen shook their heads.
"Is there a hundred?"
The craftsmen looked around and shook their heads.