The emperor nodded slightly: "Then let's get started."
"Yes -" Chen Dong immediately accepted the order and went downstairs to give instructions.
Soon, a gunner quickly loaded the cannonball again. When the soldier holding the flag waved the red flag to give the order, he immediately pulled the breech of the gun and made a loud bang.
A ball of fire immediately erupted from the muzzle, and the smoke-laden shells drew a beautiful parabola in the sky and fell far away.
The measurement was very precise, perhaps because of many drills. The cannonball fell on the wooden village and blew up a piece of wood.
"Boom——"
After a few more shots, the wooden village was completely destroyed and turned into a flat ground. Dust filled the sky and it took a long time to subside.
The drill was very good. It has obviously been done many times before, so it is skillful and powerful.
The emperor saw clearly with his telescope that a large area at the impact point was plowed up by artillery fire and exploded into debris all over the sky.
The ministers did not have telescopes, but they could clearly see the wooden village in front of them, and the roaring sound could also be heard.
This is even the first time for many people to be so close to artillery and see the power of modern artillery.
For a time, I was shocked, and there were no longer a few people with tinnitus.
Many people had deep thoughts on their faces.
This kind of power is naturally too small for a city with brick and tile structure, but for those barbarians, it is definitely a big killer.
"Okay -" Zhu Yixi slapped the armrest of the throne hard: "Try the shotgun and fire a few shots -"
Soon, the targets turned into scarecrows.
The decorations of the scarecrows are like nomadic animals, scattered in twos and threes, and there are even wooden horses to fill in the numbers. The targets look very serious.
Zhu Yixi nodded slightly, this was really thoughtful.
Chen Dong hurriedly waved his hand and roared.
The red flags in the hands of the soldiers in the audience continued to wave, and the gunners quickly loaded the gun with skillful movements. Amidst the deafening bombardment, the shells flew out of the gun barrel with a roar that cut through the air, and landed densely around the gun target.
Like a sickle, a large number of scarecrows were harvested and carried away, falling to pieces in random directions. The scene was spectacular.
Of course, if it were the yellow powder period and the cannonballs contained real gunpowder, these scarecrows would have disappeared.
Yellow gunpowder and black gunpowder are very powerful.
For a time, there was an endless stream of words praising the saint, many of which came from the heart.
Those who can hold high positions, especially in the Shaowu Dynasty, must have lofty insights. After many years of war, no one can ignore the importance of artillery.
There are even many folk rumors that the emperor conquered the country with a musket and an artillery.
However, the cabinet ministers had different expressions.
On the surface, this artillery test is about attaching importance to the military, but the political implications of bringing the civil and military ministers here are too obvious!
The emperor is clearly telling everyone that with the new artillery, the war in the northwest will not be a problem.
An artillery piece that is lightweight and suitable for field battles will have a great impact on the war.
The gazes of several people moved around, making it difficult to guess what they were thinking.
Zhao Shu looked at the shooting range from a distance and praised repeatedly: "The imperial weapons are becoming more and more powerful..."
Everyone praised him heartily, which made the emperor feel very good.
Foreigners also praised them repeatedly. Judging from the field artillery, the Ming army was clearly in the lead.
Ivanov on the side had a look of astonishment on his face and worry in his heart.
Frankly speaking, what the Russians rely on is nothing more than the cavalry inherited from the Mongols and the muskets learned from Europe.
The combination of the two, plus a large number of soldiers, achieved Russia's status.
Obviously, today's Ming Dynasty has an army of hundreds of thousands, more than Russia, and its firearms are also extremely advanced, not weaker than the West, France, etc. If this happens, it will not be easy for Russia.
The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable Ivanov felt: "Fortunately, there were Tatars blocking the way, otherwise I would have suffered a bitter fruit."
Even brother
No matter how ferocious the Sak people are, they can't resist the cannonballs with their bodies!
It was simply too cold in winter and it was over after an hour.
Even though it was so short, after eating a lot of west wind, just after returning to the capital, several ministers fell ill.
The Ordnance Department listed the cost parameters of the artillery and asked the emperor to name it.
The cost, including copper and iron materials, is about 400 yuan, and labor is ignored.
The biggest cost is the copper core, and the others are quite cheap.
Zhu Yixi thought about it and named it Zhenxi Pao.
As the name suggests, it is thought that this artillery can suppress the northwest and win the Western Region.
The Ministry of War ordered one hundred of them from the Ministry of Industry at one time to equip the Gansu army.
"The dispute over the Northwest War will cease to exist after this time."
The emperor was filled with joy.
Facts are often more sobering than letters of rebuttal.
The cabinet also responded quickly. After learning that it was irreversible, it immediately discussed setting up an ordnance depot in the northwest to produce artillery, muskets, shells and other firearms.
The location is in Xi'an Prefecture, responsible for the manufacturing and repair of ordnance in the four northwest provinces, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Suiyuan.
This is also a necessary result.
It's impossible to deliver firearms and gunpowder all the way from Beijing.
In addition, the Ordnance Institute in Nanjing is also preparing to be responsible for firearms throughout the south.
As a result, Beijing, Nanjing, and Xi'an each had their own ordnance depots, and the Ministry of Industry was responsible for preparing and establishing them.
With the cooperation of the cabinet and its efficient operation, the efficiency is extremely high, which is much better than the prevarication of the previous three-province and six-department system.
Of course, the most efficient one was the Qing Dynasty’s Military Aircraft Department.
The emperor's oral instructions, the ministers' edicts, and a policy's development from brain to form do not take half an hour.
The suspicious military aircraft department is a test of the monarch's talent. Once a mediocre ruler, a young monarch comes to the court, or the monarch is seriously ill, the court will immediately shut down.
Compared with the previous cabinet, the biggest feature of the Shaowu Dynasty cabinet is that cabinet ministers no longer hold concurrent posts in the six ministries.
In other words, they are purely cabinet ministers and enjoy decision-making power, while the specific execution power is left to the eight ministers.
To a certain extent, this highlights the special status of ministers and the power of ministers has further declined.
No way, this is a trend.
At the end of October, news came from the northwest, clarifying the reason why Russia sent an ambassador.
The four Mongol troops in Oirat attacked Tomsk at the beginning of the year and returned with a draw.
Later, Gao Yigong sold the matchlock gun to them and obtained a large amount of money to recruit troops.
Thanks to the blessing of firearms, the Mongols captured Tomsk in one fell swoop, threatened Tyumen, and shocked the Russians.
If this continues, won't the Siberian Khanate lose all its land?
Not to mention Russia's deployment of troops and generals, it is necessary to contact the Ming army, prevent its firearms export, and make allies.
In view of the fighting between the Russians and the Mongolian tribes in the desert, Gao Yigong once again asked for war, demanding to take down the Yarkand Khanate.