Chapter 782 Civil and military affairs go hand in hand
Zhang Fei still didn't quite understand Zhao Xu's complaints.
As everyone knows, there are no big things in industry and commerce, and there are no small things in literati.
No matter how big or small a businessman is, the ruler can ignore it, so he is just a businessman.
But once the literati started to care about it, no matter how small it was, it was still a big deal. Zhao Xu was also very scared and quickly made up for it, otherwise, something would happen.
This task naturally fell on Zhang Fei.
Because Zhao Xu didn't know how to do this.
However, there is still a legal difference between theoretical knowledge and actual inventions, especially since the Copyright Law has been enacted before and has been written into the "Provisional Law".
Without this method, how could Yan Jidao have made so much money for Di Newspaper Institute based on his stories? This is because in many places, no one dares to use pirated copies.
It is obviously inappropriate to use literati's articles for motivational purposes.
It can only be reflected in the form of rewards.
Zhang Fei suggested to Zhao Xu that we create a grand prize to fool, oh no, to appease these literati.
Moreover, you have to create a gimmick.
Academic articles on state governance are named Mencius Prize.
Naming this grand prize after an ancient saint is a gimmick.
The reason why Confucius is not used is because his status is too high and Zhang Fei is a little afraid to use it. However, Mencius's status began to rise significantly during the Song Dynasty, and he was highly praised by the literati of the Song Dynasty, whether it was Sima Guang,
Both Wang Anshi and Wang Anshi respected Mencius.
Because Mencius’ thoughts can effectively alleviate the current social conflicts in the Song Dynasty, and at the same time, Mencius’ emphasis on the relationship between monarch and ministers is also very consistent with the idea of co-governing the world.
In Mencius's thought, the monarch treats his subordinates like his own brothers and feet, and the subordinates will treat the monarch as their own heart; the monarch treats his subordinates like dogs and horses, and the subordinates will treat the monarch as passers-by; the monarch will treat his subordinates like dirt and grass, and the subordinates will treat the monarch like
Like an enemy.
It is a two-way relationship. Many ministers in the Song Dynasty thought so. If the monarch is unhappy with me, I will not coax you. I will go back to my hometown to farm, and no one can do without the other.
Mencius' temple worship began in the fourth year of Jingyou's reign (1037) in the Northern Song Dynasty.
But it has not been deified yet. Naming it after Mencius will not offend but also adds weight.
Since there is a literary award, the military man cannot be left behind, otherwise, something may happen again. The key is that Zhao Xu attaches great importance to military development.
Therefore, the Taigong Award was established for academic articles on military aspects.
This grandpa is Jiang Taigong.
It will be evaluated jointly by all the scholars.
Reviewed every five years.
Then the emperor personally issued a reward---the bonus was 10,000 guan.
All in all, the cards are sufficient.
As soon as this news came out, it immediately detonated the literary world.
The literati were ecstatic!
Mencius Award.
Listen to that name...!
Incredible!
Moreover, it was the Zhuge Grand Master who made the assessment.
This is professionalism.
Moreover, the election only takes place once every five years, and the imperial examination only lasts three years, which shows how important this is.
With all these bonuses, this award immediately became the highest honor for literati.
emperor?
Even if the emperor didn't personally issue the decree, it doesn't matter. The emperor knows a lot about chickens, so he is just a mascot for awarding awards.
Scholars expressed great satisfaction with this.
One factor here is that the rise of the Imperial College has led to the gradual weakening of the imperial examination, and the imperial examination only involves young students, not all literati.
There has never been a stage for literati to discuss swordsmanship in Mount Huashan and compete for the best in the world.
Although there is no first place in literature, literati are very fond of competing for superiority. Especially the literati of the Song Dynasty were very good at this because the political environment was relatively tolerant. When Wang Anshi and Su Shi were young, they wrote articles every day to comment on current affairs and criticize.
Prime Minister.
This award comes at just the right time.
No one complains about incentives anymore.
The literati are all ready to take action and set this award as their ultimate goal.
Not long after the award was established, the first batch of winners were announced. These were actually appointed by Zhao Xu, the twin stars Wang Anshi and Sima Guang.
The scholars in the cabinet did not refute this. After all, in the past ten years, the imperial court was their duo, and the current political structure was also established by the two of them.
This is all indisputable.
But the award was for the work, not the person, for the two articles they originally published in celebrity newspapers.
One is an article written by Wang Anshi on his New Deal philosophy. The main idea is that those who enrich their family will benefit the country, and those who enrich their country will benefit the world. If you want to enrich the world, you will benefit the world.
No matter what Wang Anshi thought at the time, it was almost the same as the current trend of national development.
The other article is about Sima Guang’s article on the Public Security Bureau.
The success of the Public Security Bureau is even more uncontroversial.
It definitely lives up to its name.
Zhao Xu was also quite satisfied with this.
But as soon as the news came out, these two people were immediately called dogs.
Are you worthy?
This is a literati.
Wen Wu is the first.
They cited articles by Wen Yanbo, Ouyang Xiu, Fu Bi and others. Take a look. Isn't this more beautiful than those two articles?
what.
Are the scholars of the various pavilions blind?
Or is there an inside story involved?
Zhao Xu expressed that he was tired.
What do you want?
Zhang Fei also hurriedly explained in the newspapers that the criterion for winning the award is that one must be creative. For example, no matter how good or correct the writing is, you will definitely not be able to win this award because it is just a policy, and
It is not a theory worth studying, and there must be sufficient evidence to prove its feasibility.
Don't scold me first, understand the rules clearly before talking.
.....
Three divisions.
"Although these three articles are not very good, they are always original and to the point. Good, good!"
Wang Anshi closed the newspaper, nodded with a smile and said: "This is how this award should be given. As for what Sima Junshi said before about recuperating and recuperating, who doesn't know? But it can't solve the problem at all, so this is how this award should be awarded."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Xue Xiangdao: "But those people outside don't care at all, and they also slander Xianggong, saying that the key to the country's grand situation lies in the public prosecutor and the law, not because of Xianggong's new policies.
But the damn thing is, they turned their backs and scolded Sima Xianggong. I think they were just jealous."
"This is the nature of a scholar."
Wang Anshi laughed and asked again: "By the way, is there no one in the court who can defend me?"
Xue Xiang nodded and said, "Of course."
Wang Anshi said: "It is not popular to talk about it now, you have to publish an article."
"ah?"
Xue Xiang was stunned for a moment, "Don't my husband always care about these things?"
"I don't care, but the New Deal does." Wang Anshi said: "This award does not mean much to me personally, but it is an affirmation of my New Deal philosophy, which is crucial. If you want to continue the New Deal,
It must be recognized by more people.”
Xue Xiang nodded in deep agreement.
Without Wang Anshi's New Deal, he would not be where he is today. This concept is very important.
Wang Anshi said again: "No, they are still used to opening their mouths and not writing. In this way, you send someone to Di Newspaper Institute and ask Di Newspaper Institute to cooperate with each college to develop a newspaper for the college, specifically for the inside.
Teachers and students publish articles. Those teachers and students will definitely be very happy. Besides, this Mencius Award also requires the same. It must be published before it can be entered into the selection."
But as he said this, he suddenly thought of something and said to Xue Xiang: "I'll go by myself. You've been busy calculating tax coins recently, and you've been quite busy. Besides, this article is not what you're good at."
Xue Xiang thought to himself, you don't have to say the second half of this sentence.
Of course, Wang Anshi said that his writing was not good, and he also had no temper!
However, Xue Xiang then thought about it and realized that he also had to practice writing. He also had his own political ideas and he also wanted to win the Mencius Award.
...
Zhang Fei, who was about to go out, had just stepped out of the gate and met Sima Guang walking towards him.
"Zhang Fei has seen...ah! Bachelor Sima, your face..."
Just as he was about to salute, Zhang Fei suddenly noticed some red rashes on Sima Guang's face. He couldn't help being frightened and quickly distanced himself.
Sima Guang was very unhappy and said: "Isn't this all thanks to you?"
"I?"
Zhang Fei pointed at himself in surprise and hurriedly explained: "I did not poison Bachelor Sima."
Sima Guang said: "Do you want to win the Mencius Prize?"
"Uh... what does this have to do with Bachelor Sima's face?" Zhang Fei asked curiously.
Sima Guang said: "Why do you give me the Mencius Award? You clearly know that you proposed the law of public security and the legal system. Isn't this sincerity embarrassing me?"
"But this is different from Bachelor Sima's face..."
"It's because this award was given to me that I felt very uncomfortable. As a result, I got this red rash in the past two days."
"ah?"
Zhang Fei was stunned when he heard this.
Sima Guang couldn't stand this kind of thing. When he was asked to be prime minister, he was not worthy of life or death. This time the game was so big that he was pushed to the forefront, and he was allergic.
Zhang Fei was also drunk.
Sima Guang said anxiously: "Before the award is awarded yet, you should quickly think of a way to give this award to you. I deserve it."
Zhang Fei was slightly startled, shook his head and said: "I'm afraid that's not possible. This is awarded by the official personally and cannot be changed at will. Besides, I think it is reasonable and reasonable to award Sima Bachelor!"
Sima Guang puffed his beard and glared: "Don't you feel hypocritical when you say this? You still don't know what is going on?"
Zhang Fei asked: "But the article was indeed written by Bachelor Sima yourself, and everyone knows that the public security system was also written by Bachelor Sima. If this is not awarded to Bachelor Sima, who should be awarded it?"
"You!"
Sima Guang pointed at Zhang Fei.
"I...."
Zhang Fei wanted to cry but had no tears. After all, this was not a law given to the legal system, but a system given to the public prosecutor and the law. At the beginning, he still recommended Sima Guang's judicial reform through Xu Zunzhi, because he was just a small Erbi at that time.
It was even more inappropriate. Suddenly, he had an idea and said: "Actually, I also want to win this award. How about, Bachelor Sima, you write an article for me to brag about me, so that I can have the right to win this award."
Sima Guang was immediately overjoyed, nodded and said: "Okay, okay, I'll help you write it, I'll help you write it."
"But say it well."
Zhang Fei said: "Scholar Sima can write anonymously, and no one can tell that it is Sima's writing style."
Sima Guang nodded repeatedly and said, "Of course I know that."
Zhang Fei said: "Also, Bachelor Sima cannot say that this public security system was suggested by my father-in-law, or that it was my idea."
Sima Guang asked: "Why is this?"
Zhang Fei said: "Although it was my father-in-law who gave the suggestion to Bachelor Sima at the beginning, there is no evidence. My father-in-law didn't even publish an article. It would be even more confusing to drag him in."
Sima Guang asked curiously: "How to write it?"
"Blur this point." Zhang Fei said: "The main emphasis is on my contribution to the public security, procuratorate, and law."
Sima Guang thought for a while, nodded and said, "Okay, I'll just follow your words."
Just as he was talking, Long Wu suddenly drove the carriage to the door.
Sima Guang turned his head and asked, "Are you going out?"
Zhang Fei nodded and said: "There is something urgent at the charity foundation. I have to go and take a look."
"Go and do your work! Leave this article to me."
"Bachelor Sima, I really am not greedy for fame. I am entirely here to help Bachelor Sima."
"I know. I'm very grateful too."
Sima Guang even handed over his hand to express his thanks.
Zhang Fei said hurriedly: "I don't dare! I don't dare!"
I laughed secretly in my heart, this old man is really...
After Sima Guang left, Zhang Fei also hurriedly got on the carriage. Of course he was not going to the charity foundation, but to see the new firearms with the emperor.
...
In the western suburbs, the headquarters of Dianqian Division.
Those stationed here are all the emperor's personal troops. If the emperor wants to escape, he will definitely take this group of people with him.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Testing new firearms here means that this is the highest military secret of the Song Dynasty.
After all, the Liao State's spies were not just for show, and the Liao State had always been trying to obtain the Song Dynasty's gunpowder.
boom!
There was a loud noise.
Zhao Xu, who was sitting on the high platform on the east side, was so frightened that he stood up and watched a black shadow draw a beautiful arc from the sky, which made his eyes open like bells.
boom!
There was another loud noise, but a wooden fortification three hundred steps away was directly blown down, and then a thick cloud of dust rose from the ground.
After a while, Zhao Xu came to his senses. He looked around and saw no large trebuchet. He couldn't help but ask, "What kind of weapon is that?"
"I...I don't know either."
Zhang Fei scratched his head and thought to himself, didn't I ask them to invent the musket? How did he come up with the cannon? This was really a surprising breakthrough.
The monarch and his ministers immediately walked quickly to the open space next to the ground.
But he was stopped by the guards downstairs. The chief of the guard told the emperor that if the emperor wanted to come in person, all the gunpowder must be removed.
major!
After waiting for a long time, Zhao Xu and Zhang Fei entered the venue.
"Did that big black egg come out of this 'copper mortar' just now?"
Zhao Xu pointed to the thing on the ground that looked like a mortar but not a mortar, and looked like a bell but not a bell. He was very surprised because this thing was much shorter than he expected, and it looked thicker.
It turned out to be a mortar. Zhang Fei secretly said.
He was not surprised by this. Since the muskets have already been released, this is the principle anyway. Changing to metal is not impossible with the current technology. The key is the research and development cost and the emperor's attitude.
The craftsmen's idea is also very simple. If the container is smaller and stronger, more gunpowder can be put in it, and the power will naturally be greater.
So this mortar was built.
Chen Wudao, the young inspector of the Ordnance Supervision, said: "Reporting to your Majesty, I just fired the shot. This is what was completed."
Zhao Xu was surprised and said: "It is such a small thing, but its power is no less than that of a catapult. It is really powerful."
In the past, those who could throw stones were trebuchets. This was the first time he saw stone projectiles thrown in this way.
Chen Wu immediately said: "Reporting to your Majesty, we can actually make a more powerful firearm, which is more powerful than the current trebuchet."
When Zhang Fei heard this, he frowned secretly and thought to himself, this guy wouldn't be hiding a few tricks to defraud the charity foundation of donations, right?
Zhao Xu said: "Then why not do it? Is it because the school is too small and they will be beaten out?"
"No...that's not the case."
Chen Wu hurriedly explained: "The main reason is that it is too expensive, so it cannot be made. This firearm alone uses more than five hundred kilograms of copper."
Zhao Xu gasped, this copper is money!
Chen Wu said again: "To be honest with you, your Majesty, the biggest disadvantage of this firearm is that it is too expensive. We borrowed the copper here from the Third Division. Some people even think that if it is used on the battlefield, it may
Stolen by soldiers."
This is definitely possible. If this lump of copper is stolen, it will be a big deal! Zhang Fei asked: "Can't we use iron?"
Zhao Xu nodded repeatedly.
Chen Wu replied: "Prosecutor Zhang, please don't underestimate this firearm. It seems relatively simple, but it was actually developed by more than 20 of our most skilled bell-casting craftsmen in the capital. The process is very complex. We also
I tried to use it to cast iron, but the effect was not good and it was very likely to explode.
We are thinking of trying copper first to see if this firearm is feasible. If Your Majesty thinks it is feasible, we will then find a way to cast it in iron."
To produce this kind of weapon, we must still use casting at the moment, because the Song Dynasty was a big copper coin casting country, and the copper casting process was relatively mature. If forging was used, it would still need to break through many processes before it could be completed.
If it's iron, it won't work for the time being.
Zhao Xu nodded repeatedly after hearing this, "Of course it is feasible. It is much more convenient than a trebuchet, and it requires less manpower. It can be completed by two or three people."
Chen Wu added: "In addition, we have also developed a copper firearm."
"Yeah?"
Zhao Xu hurriedly said: "Hurry up and take a look."
But I saw a soldier coming up with a one-meter-long firearm. It was about half copper pipe and half wood. The caliber was similar to the previous bamboo tube. Then it was tightened with iron hoops and leather. There was a sharp ring on the iron hoop.
prick.
Zhao Xu didn't show much surprise about this weapon. It was similar to the one he saw last time, except that the bamboo tube was changed to a copper tube and became longer.
Zhang Fei suddenly said: "Chen Shaojian, I remember that I made some suggestions to you, changing the wooden part into a handle that is convenient for shooting. Why are you so accustomed to using this handle?"
Chen Wudao: "We have tried Zhang Prosecutor's suggestion, but if we only want to facilitate shooting, it will not be convenient to use it to kill the enemy after getting close. For this reason, we also have spikes on the iron hoop, which can be used after getting close.
Kill the enemy."
Yes! You have to use it as a mace! Zhang Fei nodded, "That's true."
At present, it is absolutely impossible to rely solely on the musketeers to keep the cavalry away.
After Zhao Xu and Zhang Fei retreated to a distance, they saw a group of soldiers coming up for one hundred people, divided into twenty-five groups of four. There were twenty-five soldiers holding giant shields in front of them, but
There happened to be a gap on the giant shield. Among the remaining three people, one was responsible for loading, one was responsible for igniting, and one was responsible for shooting. They put one end of the firearm on the gap on the giant shield, and the other end on their shoulders.
The standing soldiers immediately stepped forward to light the fire.
After seeing this, Zhao Xu asked Chen Wu: "It's just a demonstration of firearms, why do we need so many people?"
Chen Wudao: "Your Majesty, the power of this kind of firearm can only be seen if it is fired in volley."
Zhao Xu nodded.
After a burst of uneven sound, I was suddenly confused by the smoke, but I saw that the dummy about fifty steps away had been beaten into a sieve.
For this kind of firearm, they used gravel and iron filings as ammunition, unlike the small cannon just now, which used stone bullets.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Zhao Xu personally came forward to inspect the results. It was indeed much more powerful than the bamboo tube last time. Coupled with the bronze cannon just now, he agreed with Zhang even more.
What Fei said before.
At present, although they seem inferior to bows and arrows, the prospects of firearms are unlimited and their power can continue to increase. However, bows and arrows have reached a critical point.
"This firearm is good, but it's just too expensive."
Zhao Xu sighed with emotion: "It would be better if it could be replaced with iron."
This copper was really too expensive, and it had to be used for minting coins. The Song Dynasty's finances simply couldn't afford it, and it was impossible to manufacture it on a large scale.
Chen Wu immediately said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will definitely work hard to develop artillery."
Zhao Xu smiled and nodded, then looked at Zhang Fei and said, "Zhang San, Mr. Chen and the others have developed such a powerful firearm. Could your charity foundation donate more?"
Zhang Fei nodded quickly and said: "The charity foundation will double its donation to the weapons inspector next year. I wonder what your majesty will do."
Zhao Xu pondered for a while and said: "It's still a little less, but that's it for now. I'll donate more next time."
Zhang Fei nodded and said: "Yes."
Isn’t this enough? Then don’t you donate twice as much next time?
Chen Wu was ecstatic and full of motivation!
You must know that only a small part of the donations from charitable foundations are used for research and development losses. Most of them are bonuses given to officials and craftsmen, and the main raw materials are still produced by the imperial court.
Without the support of those bonuses, how could those craftsmen rack their brains every day to develop firearms.
If there is a way, there will be a brave man who will be rewarded heavily.
Taking advantage of Zhao Xu's first move, Zhang Fei whispered: "Young Master Chen, honestly speaking, is this really the best? Or are you saving some money and planning to ask for more donations from the charity foundation?"
Chen Wu hurriedly said: "As for Prosecutor Zhang, even if we dare to lie to you, we would not dare to lie to His Majesty. This is the crime of deceiving the emperor."
"Yeah?"
Zhang Fei nodded and said: "Now I regret teaching you this trick. It can easily double and the charity foundation can't handle it."
Chen Wu said hey: "Prosecutor Zhang is too modest. Now the charity fund still lacks this little money."
"I knew it, I knew it."
Zhang Fei pointed at Chen Wu, "You must be watching."
Chen Wu was laughing.
Then Zhang Fei and Zhao Xu went to the attic of the Royal Garden, where the food and wine were ready.
After inspecting the new firearms, Zhao Xu was also very happy. He had several drinks with Zhang Fei before he was willing to give up.
Zhang Fei said: "Your Majesty, if you can make a more powerful firearm, even if it is made of copper, you have to make it!"
He knew in his heart that if he wanted to change to iron, he would still have to develop metallurgy, which would be a relatively long road, but given the current situation, he might not be able to wait that long.
Zhao Xu nodded and said: "I know it too, but the imperial court does not have so much copper, and the copper has to be used to mint coins."
Zhang Fei thought for a while and said: "Nowadays, tax coins are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Although the Legislative Council requires that copper be used as capital, the Legislative Council has not stipulated in what form the copper should be stored, cast into firearms, and placed.
It’s also copper!”
Zhao Xu nodded and said, "What do you mean?"
Zhang Fei said: "On the one hand, we are studying iron for use in future firearms, and now we are asking them to step up the development of mature firearms, and then let go of manufacturing to prepare for this unexpected need. In addition, we can also secretly purchase bronze wares and use them
In the manufacture of firearms.”
Zhao Xu thought for a while, then nodded and said: "That's it. I also want to think about how powerful this final firearm is."
