If you can help Little Phoenix pass the test, you can use the cannon however you want, even if you have to dismantle it.
"I hope this helps, but I have a new idea." Xie Lanzhi told her about the concept of a double-bang firework for modern fireworks.
Si Xitong wasn't an expert in these things, but that didn't stop Xie Lanzhi from explaining in detail. The double-barreled cannon only needed to be set up in a fixed position, and the shells could be replaced with firework tubes. As long as the duration of the firework tube explosions was properly arranged, the performance of this small cannon could be stabilized.
Si Xitong knew how amazing Lan Zhi's era was, but she never expected that the simple composition and design principles she mentioned would be enough to bring about a qualitative improvement in the Ministry of Works.
Why didn't you take it out sooner?
"Inventing something like this would change the current battlefield and social structure. The risk is too great. Besides, I've been here for two years and only now discovered that the Xiongnu have advanced weapons." Xie Lanzhi had her own considerations. She originally thought that it was impossible for weapons surpassing flintlock muskets to appear in this era. After all, inventing such a thing would mean a huge leap forward, which was far beyond the original story. The late emperor was, after all, the empress's father, and he benefited from his halo to develop flintlock muskets ahead of time. But she didn't expect the second half of the plot to be so exaggerated than she imagined: the spread of the Mohist school, the Great Voyage of Treasure Ships, and the Xiongnu's hundred-man iron cavalry with muskets.
The author inexplicably pinned the standard flames of each main character to Hu Xiong, making her wonder if the author was part of a minority faction. But doubting was useless; she had to find a way to deal with it.
The Hu and Xiongnu are now preoccupied with internal affairs and the development of firearms; their king, Aqina, has ambitions that far exceed expectations.
Xie Lanzhi even had a suspicion about Aqina's identity. Perhaps there was a strategist with grand strategies behind him, or the trump card of the new leader of the Mohist school. But this suspicion was not valid for the time being, and she could not rely on her own guesses.
Despite all this, Xie Lanzhi still felt that the equipment from Aqina's side was the standard equipment for the protagonist.
Of course, the main character can't be changed on the spot. Even Xie Ying, whom she replaced, was a villain, but she changed him into the protagonist's side. That means one of the biggest villains is gone, leaving only Hu Xiong. Since Hu Xiong is the only villain, the difficulty can only be increased.
It seems that the impact of her changing the plot lies entirely in this.
"Little Phoenix, this whole thing was my fault. I'll take responsibility for resolving it," Xie Lanzhi assured her. "You just need to hold the base camp in the rear; I'll take care of the battlefield."
Si Xitong gazed intently at her. Her expression was complex, and she fell silent for a moment.
She also had her own concerns. And they all rested on her shoulders.
"The battlefield is never a one-person affair; there is no difference between the front and the back." She did not agree to simply shift all the pressure of the main battlefield onto her.
Xie Lanzhi was quite surprised: "Do you have other considerations?"
Si Xitong nodded: "We'll have to wait until you resolve the matter in Shangdu before we can get any results. As for the hundred-man firearms, I'll let you know as soon as I have any news."
"I had a premonition that things wouldn't go so smoothly in Shangdu." So she had to finish a fire-making machine that could be expanded in production as soon as possible before Lanzhi went to Shangdu.
At the same time, the Ministry of Works quickly received new instructions and designs, requiring them to produce them within ten days.
Wei Zhao and his eldest disciple Wei Gong looked at the design and found it to be very simple, using very little iron. The internal structure was also easy to understand. They fired it within a day and even tested it with a firework tube. The firework tube, launched from the double-bang tube, seemed to travel farther and be louder.
Moreover, with just a slight adjustment of the cannon muzzle, it can hit anything.
This gave the master and apprentice a lot of inspiration. Perhaps it could be paired with a cannon.
The Ministry of Works delivered the finished product to Si Xitong on the fifth day.
Si Xitong turned to Lu Qing, whose daughter Lu Qianqian pointed to the cannon barrel and said, "It looks a lot like the gunner that Daddy made, but it seems to be smaller than the one Daddy made."
Lu Qing patted her head and said, "The things your father makes are all weapons of war. This is just for setting off fireworks."
Xie Lanzhi arrived at Jianzhang Palace just in time to hear Lu Qing's words.
"Why don't we try it and see if it's only for fireworks?" Xie Lanzhi asked someone to change the firework tube, and she personally lit the fuse with an incense stick.
The lead burns rapidly to the end.
With a bang! The firework tube flew three meters high and exploded, sending shredded paper falling from the sky like flower petals.
For the second shot, she adjusted the muzzle to align with her right toe, aimed at the railing five meters away, and launched the firework. This time it hit the target directly.
Lu Qing's eyes flickered inexplicably when she saw the accuracy, and Qianqian clapped her hands and cheered, "Sister's thing is different from the one Daddy makes, it's accurate!"
"This double-barreled cannon doesn't require overly complicated manufacturing processes." Xie Lanzhi didn't say that as long as the shells were prepared, the double-barreled cannons would become scrap metal and consumables after a few uses. However, iron objects don't require very advanced manufacturing processes, so quantity can completely replace them.
Scrap iron can also be reused.
Semi-production is possible; all we need now is for the Ministry of Works to integrate the mortar and the double-barreled cannon, which will bring about a leap in production.
"Madam Lu, is this two-stage kicker likely to pass your test?" Her knowing question made Lu Qing feel that this person was not easy to deal with.
Lu Qing had no choice but to admit, "Your Highness has passed the test. I will certainly teach Your Highness some ink techniques. However, I do not know how to make them, so the Ministry of Works will have to explore that."
So he's just someone who knows chemical formulas. It really does take time to fully activate and utilize them.
So this person's role is merely that of a mouthpiece within the Hun storyline?
Xie Lanzhi began to question her role.
Lu Qing felt a little uncomfortable under that gaze, but she forced herself to say, "Marshal, don't underestimate me."
"Did you also come up with the anesthetic?" Xie Lanzhi was very interested in this kind of thing. Whether it could be used in the military was no longer important, and she was clearly not a person on the military front.
Lu Qing shook her head: "I got it from a legendary doctor, but I did make the anesthetic powder, though it's not as effective as the doctor's."
"Moreover, the fertile land in the south is perfect for growing poppies."
Xie Lanzhi replied without hesitation: "Approved, but troops must be deployed to control it. If this substance spreads, it may become a poison that harms the people."
Lu Qing was quite surprised that this person was so generous. She had tried growing poppies in the Xiongnu, but was told it was better to grow rice. Even if she did grow them, that bastard Aqina would take them away, and he even used them to make elixirs. He would bestow these flowers upon anyone he met, using them to control certain military and political officials. Many people fell for his trap.
Later, she simply stopped planting, so Aqi sent someone to ask her how to grow it. She refused and then ran away.
Si Xitong remained silent, but she knew that the cannon barrel issue was half resolved.
She reminded Lu Qing, "Since I have passed Madam Lu's test, I will pass on some of your ink techniques to Wei Zhao and his apprentice."
“Yes!” Lu Qing said, “I believe that the Central Plains, with its vast territory and abundant resources, will surely be able to find suitable materials.”
Si Xitong then ordered the men of the Western Guard to protect Lu Qing as she went to the Ministry of Works.
Xie Lanzhi wasn't idle either. Wu Qiu rushed over and handed her the letter from Yelü Lili urging her to enter Shangdu.
A quick glance at the documents reveals that the Red River's water level has risen recently, and thirty merchant ships from the southern region have already entered the Red River; navigation is safe. Additionally, it specifically reminds Si Lei, the lord of Weidu, of the trade agreement submitted with the Red River.
It seems that Si Lei's year-long efforts to support the silk industry have yielded results.
Si Xitong sat down next to her and finished reading the letter. As she looked at the cloth transaction, her eyes flickered a few times: "Lanzhi, has Fourth Uncle reported the silk to Tianjing?"
Xie Lanzhi suspected she was up to something, so she reminded her a few more times: "His silk is now sold through a monopoly system, meaning he has the power to set prices."
“Then we should set up a commercial tax.” Si Xitong finally revealed her purpose, and she still did some calculations: “It should be at least 10% tax.”
Ten percent. That is, out of every one hundred taels sold, ten taels are commercial tax.
It's considered a high profit. However, the Xie family's protection already requires some fees, so it can be considered as collecting commercial taxes. Besides, Si Lei has the advantage of monopolizing the sale of silk on the shore, so he has to monopolize the sale of all silk, and the money he earns is like flowing water. The amount that Little Phoenix takes from him is just a drop in the bucket.
"Wu Qiu sends orders to Weidu to increase commercial taxes." Xie Lanzhi will let Si Lei get started for now; once the silk business flourishes, she will break the monopoly. Everything needs to be developed aggressively first to bring prosperity.
After Wu Qiu wrote it down, he brought up the matter of the Red River again: "Marshal, General Xie Ji wrote a letter urging you to enter the Red River first. Otherwise, there may be some changes."
Now, caught in a pincer movement between Yelü Wen and the Xiongnu, Li Li is cooperating with him under immense pressure. Although Beiluo hasn't sent any messages, the old Khan is undoubtedly pressuring his son privately to put pressure on Li Li.
We really can't delay any longer.
She told Wu Qiu to leave.
When Si Xitong heard that Lanzhi was about to go to Honghe, she looked at her with a hint of reluctance in her eyes. She knew that Lanzhi was doing this for their great cause, and that the temporary separation was for their future peace of mind, so that they could stay together under the rule of the Great Jin Kingdom.
“Go ahead. Li Jun won’t rush you unless absolutely necessary. I know him. He always keeps his promises.”
During the Tianjing Incident, even though the Yellow Turban rebels caused a great disturbance, they dared not lay a hand on Si Xinian, largely thanks to Yelü Lili as their patron.
Xie Lanzhi said with a hint of helplessness, "Hearing my wife praise another man still makes me unhappy. But he really is a reliable partner."
"Also, while I'm not here, you can use Qi Nian more often."
Si Xitong nodded.
The two fell silent for a moment, gazing at each other without saying a word, and understood each other's thoughts.
The Minister of Agriculture rushed over again.
It's harvest time for the second year's early rice.
The official in charge of agriculture was promoted after the sweet potato harvest and is now in charge of the experimental fertilizer fields. Early July is the season for harvesting early rice.
The official in charge of agriculture stepped forward, knelt down, and exclaimed excitedly, "Your Highness, Marshal, one mu of the twenty mu of experimental fields that I was in charge of has already been harvested this morning."
Si Xitong immediately looked away, focusing all her attention on the Minister of Agriculture.
"How many stones?"
The official in charge of agriculture quickly counted on his fingers and gestured: "A total of six shi!"
Upon hearing this, Xie Lanzhi was quite surprised. Six shi, or 660 jin, was a moderate harvest even in modern times, exceeding her expectations. In ancient times, this far surpassed the best rice harvest records of all dynasties.
Si Xitong was even more excited. She immediately told the Minister of Agriculture to stand up and give her a detailed report.
The agricultural official explained to her how the new fertilizer was made: it was a mixture of lime powder, urine, wood ash, and manure, diluted with water before being applied to the fields. She had expected the white, paste-like coating to kill the rice paddies with drought, but the rice grew even more vigorously, three inches taller than before.
The twenty mu of land that was distributed was already fertile, and the usual yield was three shi and one or two dou, but now it has doubled.
Even barren farmland was fertilized with new fertilizer, yielding 3 shi per mu. Normally, 2 shi would be considered a blessing from heaven, but even barren dry land yielded 3 shi, which is simply a miracle.
Late rice is harvested in late July, so we can rush to plant it after the early rice is harvested. We've already had a good harvest on just twenty mu (approximately 1.3 hectares), and the Great Jin Dynasty has tens of thousands of mu (approximately 6,667 hectares) of fertile land, not to mention the Southern Region.
Each mu of fertile land in the southern region can produce about four shi of grain. If new fertilizer is used, it is estimated that it can really exceed nine hundred jin.
This means that with the addition of this new fertilizer, the annual rice production in the Southern Region, which is typically two to three times a year, could potentially double the total grain output. The Southern Region's total output is 20 million tons; this would increase to around 40 million tons. Adding the 2 million tons produced annually by Tianjing and the various Jin states, that's a total of 4 million tons. With a population of over 30 million in the Southern Region, averaging 30 jin of rice per person, this would be more than enough to ensure that the total population of the Southern Region, Tianjing, and the various Jin states could enjoy a meal of white rice every day.
"Lanzhi, I need to leave the palace myself." Si Xitong turned around and asked the Minister of Agriculture to lead the way, as she was in a hurry to leave the palace.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:01:45 on December 23, 2021 and 20:06:40 on December 24, 2021!
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Calvados, Mi, and Asu (1 each);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Xinxin and 41476541 (2 bottles); and Mi (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 96 Bumper Rice Harvest
An endless expanse of farmland.
During the early rice season, farmers are harvesting rice in the fields.
A carriage from Tianjing had just stopped at the edge of a field when a vast army of a thousand men arrived. They carried not weapons, but sickles, and swarmed into the fields like ants, spreading out to begin harvesting rice.
The local people had never seen such a battle before. When they saw Xie Bing entering the fields, they thought he was going to arrest them. But Xie Bing was bent over and busy harvesting rice, even faster than they were.
A black horse galloped along the field road. A female general in black armor was waiting by the carriage. She jumped onto the carriage, lifted the curtain, and saw her daughter-in-law looking out at the farmland. She breathed a sigh of relief.