The ceremony was like rituals, Du Zhongxiao and Wang Kai followed the little yellow gate and entered the Chongzheng Hall.

This is the third time that Du Zhongxiao has arrived here, and everything is still the same. The first time he came here was when he was taking the Jinshi exam, everything was messy. The second time, the atmosphere was too heavy, and he didn't even see what the emperor above looked like.

This time I felt much more relaxed, and after coming forward with Wang Kai, I gave him a seat.

Facing whether the king and his subjects were sitting and talking to each other, the capital hall was right, just to practice it first. The questions asked by the emperor were basically not out of what the minister asked just now, and there were very few things he did on the spot. It would be fine if the minister had not asked. Anyone who had just asked, Du Zhongxiao and Wang Kai's answers must be consistent with those in the capital hall. If you go to the emperor to complain, you will not have to be the official in the future.

At this time, Emperor Zhao Zhen was about forty years old, with a fat body, and was sitting there with a solemn face.

Just like in the capital hall, the first thing I asked about was the situation of the attack of the Khitans in Tanglong Town. The final outcome was negotiated with the Khitans. What kind of free trade will be in the future?

Wang Kai talked about the war situation at that time, and Du Zhongxiao explained what free trade meant, just like in Dutang.

Zhao Zhen said: "I think it's a good thing to sell sugar in Tanglong Town. The sugar is a good thing. But sugar is expensive and it's not enough to use it in this dynasty. I'm afraid it's not easy to sell it to the Gentiles."

Du Zhongxiao said: "Your Majesty, it's just that the price is high. Moreover, this sugar product is squeezed from sugarcane. It can be sold for money and can be widely planted in Sichuan, Sichuan, Guangnan. As far as I know, sugarcane is not difficult to plant. Just cultivate land and use more manpower. It is best to plant this product like a land business, organized by the government and recruit people, which can easily benefit."

Zhao Zhen said: "This thing competes with grain for land. If you plant too much, you are afraid that there will be insufficient food."

Du Zhongxiao bowed: "Your Majesty, Sichuan and Shu are rich, with sufficient food, so it's nothing to move some land to plant sugarcane. I heard that this thing is the most suitable for Guangnan area. There are vast land and sparsely populated areas, and there are deserted fields everywhere. If it is opened up, I don't know how much sugar can be produced."

Zhao Zhen nodded: "There is a lot of land in Guangnan, but there is no manpower. You can discuss this matter again."

Historically, Europeans started with sugarcane and made countless profits. The sugar market was vast and sugarcane cultivation had endless benefits. At this time, not to mention Lingnan, both lakes had not yet been developed, and that area was vast and sparsely populated, so a large number of sugarcane gardens could be opened. However, the sugar market in the north has not yet been opened, so Du Zhongxiao is not going to discuss in detail. In the future, if you have the opportunity, you can plant sugarcane in Guangdong and Guangxi.

What Zhao Zhen was most concerned about was muskets and cannons. This weapon change would profoundly affect the army, which was what the emperor was most concerned about.

"I heard from the ministers that artillery guns are extremely terrifying and will definitely be a weapon in the military in the future. You made this thing, and let me tell you what is the most important, where is the difficulty, and how to use it in the future."

Du Zhongxiao bowed: "When you go back to your Majesty, the most important thing about artillery and firearms is actually gunpowder. Although the imperial court has made all gunpowder, the gunpowder made can only fire smoke and fire, but not explode, or shoot projectiles, which is because of the different formulas. The gunpowder we use now is actually made of three types, not as many as seven or eight types commonly used now. Although there are only three types, the more or less, the effect will be greatly reduced."

赵祯沉吟了一会,还是问道:“哪三样?”

"Charcoal, sulfur, and sulphur. These three things are enough. The others are not only useless, but also harmful."

Zhao Zhen nodded and remembered it in his heart. This should be controlled by the Si. It would be useless if the emperor knew about it. He could not guide others to make gunpowder and firearms. There are these three things in gunpowder now, but the ratio is chaotic, so there are some parts to get angry. Of course, there are other things for gunpowder of different uses. There are seven or eight kinds of general formulas, and some are 10 or 20 kinds.

There is no need to continue to explain the specific technical details. Zhao Zhen said: "How to make gunpowder? You can use the Privy Council to make it. The ratio of this thing is extremely accurate, but it will not be too difficult. Is it the key to artillery and firearms?"

Du Zhongxiao said: "Actually, it's not. As long as you know the recipe, it's not difficult to make. The most important thing about artillery guns is actually quite expensive. Let's talk about artillery guns first. If you want to make a cannon, it's hard to remove the residue in the iron. It's best to use copper cannons. Copper is expensive, and it's not a big country, so I'm afraid it can't afford it. Another musket is not easy to forge the barrel and the price is high. The same principle is. The projectiles used are made of lead, and it's not easy to recycle after being shot out, and they all cost money."

Zhao Zhen said: "Where are there any cheaper weapons for killing people? The swords and guns used in the army are expensive now. Not to mention arrows, one branch can cost dozens of coins, and one branch can often cost hundreds of thousands of branches in a battle, which is not cheaper than a musket. No matter how expensive the musket is, one branch is not as expensive as a hard crossbow."

Du Zhongxiao nodded, this is the truth. Although muskets and cannons are expensive, they are not much more expensive than the weapons they use now. An arrow is thirty to fifty cents, which is more expensive than the lead balls used for muskets. Copper cast cannons are really expensive, but compared with similar crossbows, they are not as expensive as they are. Thinking of this, it is not unacceptable that all the troops use firearms.

After thinking about it, Du Zhongxiao said: "In fact, the biggest thing about using muskets and cannons is that fighting is different from using swords and guns before. If muskets and cannons are properly coordinated, they can go far and fight in close combat. Many of the previous tactics will be useless. The firearms can penetrate armor, and there will be no more powerful generals to take a small number of elite soldiers to rush to the enemy formation, and the grasp of the fighter plane is more important. In the face of the battle formation of muskets and cannons, the use of cavalry is greatly reduced, which is the most useful to our dynasty. Cavalry cannot carry cannons when they attack. Without cannons, it will be difficult to break through the military formation with cannons."

Speaking of this, Du Zhongxiao bowed and said, "Your Majesty, artillery and firearms are new things. How to use them in the army? I can only think of so many things. I still have to work with the Three Yases to let the officers and soldiers try them little by little, so that they can know how to use them."

New weapons and new tactics, Du Zhongxiao is not a soldier, and his knowledge is not enough to depict overall war changes.

赵祯点了点头:“枢府上奏,欲在相州制火枪火炮.你此番回去,详画图形,精选工匠,到相州听用.火山军边陲之地,又不产铁,制火枪火包多有不便.”

Du Zhongxiao obeyed the order. Xiangzhou was the center of the iron smelting industry at this time, and its output accounted for more than half of the country. In fact, the Privy Council considered asking Du Zhongxiao to leave the Volcano Army and serve as the governor of Xiangzhou, and was responsible for casting guns and cannons. First, the Secretariat did not agree, and the volcano army was facing a new situation. Everything was caused by Du Zhongxiao, and it was indeed inseparable, so it was finally abandoned.

After asking Du Zhongxiao, Zhao Zhen asked Wang Kai about the war before the New Year, which was much more detailed than before. Who participated in the war, how many people made meritorious service, the names of officials above the head, and even the family backgrounds of these people were asked clearly. What rewards did these people receive after the war, and how many people were promoted, checked with Wang Kai one by one. A few of them were lucky, Zhao Zhen asked for promotion in person.
Chapter completed!