Chapter 231: Military affairs are not as important as dogs
Chapter 231 Military affairs are not as important as dogs... (Second update)
Author: sunny
Chapter 231 Military affairs are not as important as dogs... (Second update)
After listening to Gao Zhang's explanation, the official Zhao Ji was convinced.
"If you don't tell me, I know very well that the military preparations of the Great Song Dynasty have been weakened for more than a day or two. The hand sword before and the bow you mentioned today."
"Do you know how much a good bow made in Xixia sells for in Tokyo?"
"This disciple really doesn't know." Gao Zhang quickly shook his head with a confused expression.
"Three hundred to five hundred strings..." Zhao Ji, an official, raised his fingers, his face full of envy, but helplessly.
"The small country of Xixia has a population of only two million, but its armor is stronger, its soldiers are more powerful, and its bows are more powerful than our Song Dynasty..."
"Every time something from Xixia flows into our Song Dynasty, it is treated as a treasure. This is simply a shame for our dynasty."
Speaking of this, as the emperor of the Song Dynasty, the official Zhao Ji couldn't help but feel a little angry.
Gao Zhang also had a look of pain on his face and felt sad in his heart. What should he do? Arms should not be ruined by a group of greedy and excessive officials in the imperial court.
What's more important is that the basic national policy of emphasizing civility and suppressing military affairs led the Song Dynasty to pay more attention to civil servants, and even used military and national affairs of a country as a means to inflame party strife.
For example, if the reformists want to attack Xixia, the conservatives will think that you are just a fool and jump out to express their opposition.
In short, there are too many messy things, but fortunately, Gao Zhang is still a child.
The important thing is that his master is a foolish king. With such a foolish king in the government, if there is a leader like Zhang Juzheng, he can gain his complete trust.
If we carry out reforms from top to bottom, we won't have to worry about the Song Dynasty not flourishing.
It's a pity that history's evaluation of Cai Jing's traitor is very clear.
So, here I come...
After the official Zhao Ji lost his temper, he felt more and more that Gao Zhang was thinking about what he wanted and worried about what he was worried about.
He knew quite well what his beloved disciple was capable of.
However, as a teacher who loves and protects his disciples, the official Zhao Ji raised his own questions.
"Xiao Gao, there is no doubt about your ability. As a teacher, I will naturally trust you."
"But for this ordnance reform, how do you convince the court officials and countless soldiers to recognize you? This is the biggest problem."
"After all, the type of long bow you mentioned has neither existed in real form, nor has anyone ever seen it."
"I would like to give you a suggestion. It is best to get a sample to try it out first. If it is as sharp as you say, it is also of high quality and low price."
"Then I will naturally stand on your side and let the Kaifeng Metal Workshop take over the bow-making outsourcing business."
"I thanked the master for his care. I went back to ask the craftsmen to try it out and try to make it as soon as possible. I presented it to the master and asked him to taste it."
Seeing Gao Zhang obey his advice made Zhao Ji, a master of the official family, who had hardly taught Gao Zhang anything in practice, a great feeling of being a role model.
"Okay, okay, if you can listen to my teacher's words, this is the best thing."
"You don't have to be anxious, just do it with your heart and patience. As long as you do it well and have the support of your teacher, you will definitely succeed."
Gao Zhang nodded obediently and honestly. In fact, he had already secretly asked the craftsmen to start it, and now it was in the stage of repeated testing.
But can you say these words yourself? Saying so only shows that your emotional intelligence is too low.
As a beloved disciple who has already figured out Master Hunjun's thoughts with almost certainty, Gao Zhang is not that stupid.
Another thing is the helmet, the reason why Gao Zhang only made helmets and not full body armor.
The main point is to worry about encountering strong opposition from the court officials. Since ancient times, concealing armor privately has been a serious crime.
Moreover, the cost of making armor in the Song Dynasty was really not cheap. A pair of standard iron armor in this dynasty cost between twenty and twenty-five.
The reason why there is such a big difference is naturally whether it is sophisticated or not.
The most common set of standard iron armor has twenty strings, and the high-end ones only cost twenty-five strings.
And Gao Zhang, who had done so much research, knew that the cost of this thing was between twelve and fifteen guan at most.
And what is the armor-wearing rate of soldiers in the Song Dynasty? Haha, more than 70%.
Yes, this number does not need anyone else. His own father, Gao Qiu, gave Gao Zhang the answer. Of course, those Xiang soldiers, rural soldiers and the like cannot be qualified to wear armor.
The armor rate here refers to more than 70% of the frontier army and the imperial army, and it is calculated based on full body armor, not short armor.
Because these people are special talents, such as some heavy shield bearers, heavy crossbowmen, etc., they can only wear half armor or short armor.
After all, everyone is going to the battlefield, and everyone else is covered in heavy armor. Apart from the military uniform, does your mother-in-law only have a crotch cloth to protect her vitals?
Is this how you are willing to go to the battlefield? If you are touched, you will be injured, and if you are stabbed, you will die. It is strange that the soldiers of the Imperial Army or the soldiers of the border army who only have a crotch cloth to protect themselves do not rebel.
Think about how big a business this is? Therefore, Gao Zhang knew very well that if he dared to directly say that I want to outsource armor. Haha...
For your own safety, but also for boiling frogs in warm water.
So, just using the helmet was a bargain.
For the Kaifeng metal workshop that has mastered hydraulic forging technology, this special girl is definitely as good a treasure as a money printing machine.
The most suitable helmet is forging. Think about many classic helmets from the World War II period. Isn’t it just forging that produces the most?
Although the helmet can only protect against shrapnel or stray bullets, it can still be used to protect against bows and arrows.
Because helmets were also a delicate job in the Song Dynasty, the helmets in the Song Dynasty still used the Zhajia type.
First get out the iron sheets, and then slowly forge them into shapes and rivet them together, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive and labor-intensive.
There are even many helmets that are actually felt helmets. The felt material has a wide brim, and only the head is made of iron or leather.
Such a helmet seemed a bit ridiculous to Gao Zhang.
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Just when Gao Zhang started talking about the helmet, before the meeting was over, there were already eunuchs coming to report.
It was said that the barking divine dog had arrived. Upon hearing this, official Zhao Ji's eyes lit up and he stood up.
As if he felt something was wrong again, he turned around and nodded at Gao Zhang with a smile.
"Xiao Gao, you don't need to say more. How can I still not trust you as a teacher?"
"Later, make samples of the long bow and helmet, and let my master give you a taste."
"If there is no problem, then the next step is simple. Let's go and follow my master to take a look at Xiaotian. I haven't seen him for a few days, and I don't know if he recognizes me as my master."
"..." Gao Zhang could only agree obediently, and followed the faint master towards the outside of the house.
If you are not acclimated to the local environment, you will submit to the foolish king. Military affairs such as military reform are not as important as meeting a dog.
