Chapter 242 Surge!

The capital's residence.

Xu Wenxi, Yang Tianzhu and others gathered together again.

This time, Xu Wenxi's attitude was much more respectful than the last time.

Because his grandfather Xu Pu was involved in Ye Qi's reform case, he was held accountable by the court.

Of course, Xu Pu has been dead for many years after all, and he is still the chief minister of the cabinet. His disciples and old officials are all over the government and the public, so even if the emperor wants to hold people accountable, nothing can be traced. With the help of these Jiangnan gentry, the matter will naturally happen in the end. Let it go.

At this moment, Yang Tianzhu came to the capital again and summoned a group of Jiangnan gentry representatives because he had heard some rumors and had to come to verify it himself.

"You must have heard the news, right?"

"I only want to know two things now."

Yang Tianzhu looked around and asked coldly.

"First, who deliberately released this information?"

"Secondly, is Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao really planning to go to sea for trade?"

The first message, no one answered.

In fact, they don't know who released the news.

However, these rumors immediately caused an uproar as soon as they appeared, and they became more and more popular with the exaggeration of the mastermind behind the scenes. It can be said that they are so popular that no one knows about them.

"These rumors may not be rumors at all."

Xu Wenxi said in a deep voice: "After all, what the Marquis of Zhongshan is doing now is indeed too suspicious."

"He has been in Shandong for half a year and has been stuck at the Qinghe Shipyard. He has also recruited a large number of craftsmen to build ships. It is obvious that he is rushing to go to sea!"

"I think the mastermind behind this may have noticed something was wrong, so he deliberately spread the news and let the princes in the court test the truth of His Majesty the Emperor's matter!"

Yang Tianzhu took a deep breath.

"I also believe that this is true."

"Because this Marquis of Zhongshan personally led a fleet to the sea before!"

"In other words, the last time he went to sea, I'm afraid it was just to explore the sea and get familiar with the routes so that he could go to sea for trade next time!"

Everyone was excited after hearing this.

There is no way, money and silk move people's hearts.

Why don't they know the astonishing profits of ocean trade?

Even they themselves had more or less traded with Japanese pirates and made a lot of money!

Therefore, they must seize this opportunity!

"Don't be too happy yet!"

Yang Tianzhu shouted coldly: "Don't forget, this is the overseas trade presided over by Tang Hao, the Marquis of Zhongshan!"

"You all know what Tang Hao is like. He is extremely hostile to the gentry, and he will not allow us to join him!"

Tang Hao, the Marquis of Zhongshan!

Countless gentry and gentry died in his hands!

In Shandong alone, hundreds of gentry families were defeated because of him!

"This is an absolute lunatic!"

"Yes, a lucky person!"

"A born cool official!"

The crowd cursed constantly.

But I have to admit, they seem to be really helpless!

After all, countless previous experiences have proven that His Majesty the Emperor has more trust in the Marquis of Zhongshan than anyone else.

With this emperor's favor alone, it is impossible for them to bring down the Marquis of Zhongshan!

"We must find a way to get rid of Tang Hao!"

Yang Tianzhu chuckled and said: "As long as the person in charge of overseas trade is not this damn Marquis of Zhongshan, then we will definitely have a chance to get a share of it!"

"The question now is, how can we force this Tang Hao away?"

Now that we have a direction, it will be much easier to think of some solutions.

The gentry and the gentry were, after all, cultural people, and they did not know too many tricks and intrigues.

Plans were proposed one after another, but they were quickly rejected one by one by Yang Tianzhu.

Because they discovered with some dejection that this damn Marquis of Zhongshan is now the number one person whom His Majesty the Emperor values ​​and trusts most!

Apart from him, there is no other suitable candidate.

Wu Dinghou Guo Xun?

This is nothing more than a dandy waste.

How could His Majesty the Emperor leave the matter of going to sea to such a waste?

There are no candidates among the military generals and nobles, and it is even more impossible for the civil servants and gentry.

So thinking about the problem from the perspective of His Majesty the Emperor, Zhongshan Marquis Tang Hao is the only candidate. Unless something big happens, His Majesty the Emperor will never transfer the damn Marquis of Zhongshan!

So, what should they do?

After a long silence, Xu Wenxi suddenly raised a possibility.

"Perhaps we can follow the example of Shandong's past events!"

"Old things in Shandong!" Yang Tianzhu's eyes lit up, "Wen Xi, what do you mean..."

"What Tang Hao, Marquis of Zhongshan, is best at is actually leading troops in battle. Once there is a local rebellion, His Majesty the Emperor will have to mobilize this trusted general to put down the rebellion!"

Xu Wenxi had a sinister smile on his face and said: "No matter what, the country, the country, and the country are what your Majesty is most concerned about. You can put everything else aside for a while!"

"This plan works!" Yang Tianzhu couldn't help but applaud, "Of course we must learn from the experiences and lessons of those fools. This time we must not let Zhongshan Hou put down the rebellion so easily again, and this place must be far enough away for him to We can’t return to Shandong in a short time, so we can take advantage of it!”

This time, the direction was clear, and everyone also proposed the location in their mind.

A well-planned rebellion is about to begin.

And their purpose was only to make profits from sea trade, and they didn't care what consequences these rebellions would bring to the Ming Dynasty.

This is the gentry, whose greed is even worse than that of merchants!

At the same time, at the Qinghe Shipyard.

Tang Hao couldn't help but smile as he looked at the warships that were being formed.

It was worth his painstaking efforts to invest money and people, and now he finally saw the results.

In addition to the fleet being formed, the firearms workshop was also not stopped.

Standard firearms made of fine steel have long become the necessary weapons of these imperial guards and soldiers.

Moreover, Tang Hao also issued a death order that everyone must master firearms as soon as possible, otherwise they would be rushed back to the capital.

The imperial guards and soldiers had no choice but to incorporate firearms training into their daily training tasks.

Just as everything was gradually getting on the right track and moving in a better direction.

Zuo Yidao brought bad news.

After reading the secret report of the Jinyiwei and the secret letter sent by Zhu Houzhao, Tang Hao sneered.

"Great!"

"That's great!"

"Can't you help but do it now?"

To be honest, it's impossible for those civil officials and gentry not to know about Tang Hao's big move at Qinghe Shipyard.

However, they have been patient for so long, until the fleet is almost formed and about to go out to sea for trade, these civil officials and gentry chose to make trouble, clearly wanting to pick peaches.

Zuo Yidao said in a deep voice: "Marquis, how should we deal with it? The capital is already in an uproar, and there are rumors that the Marquis is relying on the power of His Majesty to privately build a fleet to go out to sea, colluding with Japanese pirates and foreigners to trade for profit. If this goes on, I'm afraid..."

"Don't pay attention to it!" Tang Hao waved his hand indifferently, "If it's just these disgusting tricks, then this Marquis really overestimates them."

"Compared to ruining their reputation, this Marquis is more curious about what they can do!"

As long as Zhu Houzhao doesn't make a fool of himself and transfers him away at this juncture, then no one can move this fleet, and it won't affect the overall situation of their going out to sea for trade!

Tang Hao really wanted to know what else these civil officials and gentry could do.

Could it be that they would let the northern barbarians invade the border and transfer him, Tang Hao, to the nine borders to defend against the enemy?

Haha, would these civil officials and gentry dare to do that?

Just at this moment, Tang Mu rushed in happily.

"My Lord, the thing you want is made!"

As soon as this was said, Tang Hao stood up in surprise and immediately asked: "Which one is it?"

"Three-eyed gun!" Zuo Yidao laughed: "Is that the name?"

It turned out to be this thing.

Tang Hao was a little disappointed, but he could accept it.

After all, this thing has great lethality, and it has an advantage... It is suitable for naval battles.

"Let's go, come with me to test the gun!"

At this moment, Li Daniu and other craftsmen were waiting on the shooting range.

They took the finished product and compared it with the drawings of Zhongshan Hou, trying to verify that all the details fit.

After all, the strange-looking thing on the drawing given by Lord Zhongshan is neither a hand gun, nor a bowl-mouth gun, nor a large gun cannon!

So what exactly is this thing?

The craftsmen themselves don't know, they just made it according to the drawing.

This caused the blacksmiths to be worried at the moment, not knowing whether the finished product meets the requirements of Lord Zhongshan.

If it doesn't meet the requirements, then the bounty will be gone!

Not long after, Tang Hao came proudly surrounded by the generals.

Before Li Daniu and others had time to salute, Tang Hao waved his hand.

"Where is the thing? Bring it over and have a look."

Li Daniu immediately handed over a new thing.

The new thing looks very strange, with three muzzles and three barrels connected.

Seeing this strange new fire gun, Tang Mu, Zuo Yidao and others were all disappointed.

"Lord, this thing... is a new fire gun? Can it kill the enemy?" Tang Mu couldn't help asking.

Looking at the ugly thing in his hand, Tang Hao did not dare to make a guarantee for a while, after all, the finished product was still a little different from what he imagined.

"It should be OK, let's try it first!"

Tang Hao asked someone to send some gunpowder. The firearms workshop not only produces firearms, but also gunpowder. Tang Hao also improved the formula of gunpowder and changed the proportion of raw materials, which greatly enhanced the power of gunpowder.

After the gunpowder was delivered, Tang Hao first picked up some sharp corners from under the blacksmith's furnace, stuffed them into three empty round holes together with the gunpowder, tamped them tightly, pulled out a fuse from the bottom, and then ordered people to erect a human-shaped straw target on the open ground.

Everything was ready, Tang Hao looked around.

"Is there any brother who wants to test the gun in person?"

Everyone shook their heads when they saw this.

What a joke?

Who the hell knows what kind of ghost thing you made!

What if this thing explodes and blows itself up?

For a while, no one responded, and the atmosphere was a little awkward.

Well, it's not that everyone doesn't respect Lord Zhongshan, but this new thing is a bit scary!

It was Li Daniu who took the initiative to ask for a test shot.

After all, this is something made by their firearms workshop. If it really explodes, it can't be blamed on others.

Besides, Li Daniu is now the head of the firearms workshop and is responsible for the entire firearms workshop.

If the finished product can meet the requirements of Lord Zhongshan, then these craftsmen can be considered to have truly mastered their skills.

Tang Hao patted his shoulder happily and said, "Just lift this thing and aim the round hole at the target."

Li Daniu nodded solemnly, then held the torch in his hand and lit the fuse, and smoke suddenly burst out!

boom!

There was a loud noise that shocked everyone!

A burst of white gunpowder smoke immediately rose and filled the entire place!

When the smoke dissipated, Li Daniu's face was completely blackened by the smoke, and he looked up at the sky in confusion, as if he was doubting his life.

"big cow?!"

Tang Hao reacted and rushed forward to check Li Daniu's injury.

Fortunately, Li Daniu's face was only blackened by the smoke, and the gun did not explode.

In fact, these fire blunderbuss are all made of fine steel, and they will not explode easily.

As for why there was such a loud movement, it was because Tang Hao stuffed in more gunpowder, or the improved gunpowder was too powerful.

"Master Hou, the little one is fine!"

Li Meng spoke and exhaled a breath of black air.

At that moment, he seemed to see that he was so milky!

After a brief fright, everyone came to their senses and subconsciously looked at the human-shaped grass target not far away.

hiss……

hiss……

There were waves of gasping sounds!

I saw that the human-shaped straw target had been blown into pieces, and even the leather armor and uniforms on it were blown to pieces!

Even the wooden frame covered with straw has become loose, and there are countless sharp iron pieces embedded in it. It looks extremely miserable!

Seeing this situation, everyone's expressions became very exciting, and they all couldn't help but stepped forward to observe it personally.

"Be good!"

"What the hell is this?"

"The lethality is so great!"

It was confirmed with his own eyes that the leather armor had been destroyed. Even Tang Hao himself was amazed at this moment.

Although this is just leather armor with only the same defensive power, the armor wearing rate of the Beibei Tatars is not high because they are not engaged in production, and many Tatars cannot afford to wear armor.

That means that most Mongolian Tatars may not even have leather armor!

If you hit him with this three-eyed blunderbuss, wouldn't he be dead?

The same question appears in everyone's mind.

What would happen if this hit someone's body?

Especially those without armor?

Tang Mu, Zuo Yidao and others were stunned.

Even Li Daniu and other craftsmen who made the three-eyed gun with their own hands were shocked at this moment, with their mouths wide open. They couldn't believe that this thing was made by their own hands!

Everyone was silent, staring blankly at the human-shaped target!

Immediately afterwards, the eyes of all the soldiers became eager!

Zuo Yidao asked in a low voice: "Master Hou, this fire gun...?"

Tang Hao smiled and nodded, quite satisfied with the power he just tested.

"This thing is called the "Three-Eyed Gun"!"

"The advantage is that it can fire continuously, because it has three barrels, so it can fire three times in a row without reloading the ammunition. The disadvantage is that the range is not long. It can damage the enemy within a hundred steps, and can break armor within fifty steps. Can’t hit anymore…”

Well, the three-eyed blunderbuss, commonly known as the "big troll"!

The craftsmanship of this thing is not complicated. Before the nationwide ban on guns in later generations, many civilians could open their own black workshops to make it, because the workmanship is simple and rough, and basically does not require any technical content. As long as you can make iron and have gunpowder, you can make it. It can definitely be made.

Later, after the ban on guns, this kind of original unified gun was preserved in many areas in the south. If it was not loaded with projectiles and only gunpowder, it was used to ward off evil spirits and pray for blessings during festivals. It was full of ritual.

"Oh my God!"

Tang Mu laughed and said: "This thing is so damn powerful!"

"You can injure the enemy within a hundred steps!"

"You can break armor within fifty steps!"

"It can be called an out-and-out melee weapon!"

The other generals also looked at the three-eyed gun eagerly.

They did boycott firearms before, but that was because these gadgets were too troublesome to operate and had only so much lethality.

The fire gun thing requires two people to cooperate, one person holds the gun to aim, and the other person lights the match.

After a salvo, you have to reload the ammunition and so on.

The battlefield is changing rapidly. In this spare time, the barbarian's cavalry have already rushed in front of you and chopped off your head with a knife!

Not to mention that the standard firearms in the military in the past were all crudely made and had the risk of exploding the chamber!

Because of this, the soldiers of the three armies will resist the fire guns and are more willing to trust the swords in their hands.

But now, after witnessing the terrifying destructive power of these three-eyed guns, no one wants it!

"Do you still remember the first time we went to sea, that shameful naval battle?"

Tang Hao spoke softly, which immediately aroused bad memories in everyone.

That was the first naval battle fought by Ming soldiers, and it was indeed a shame.

At the very beginning, the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were beaten by the sharp bows and arrows of the Japanese pirates. More than 300 brothers were even killed by these Japanese pirates' heavy arrows!

"Naval battles are different from land battles. The sea is rough and swaying, and the range and accuracy of bows and arrows are greatly affected. Unless we live at sea all year round like these Japanese pirates, we, the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, will not be able to do this in a short period of time!"

Tang Hao finally saved some face for them and told the truth.

"But you should be clear that naval battles are ultimately about archery and then the ships approaching each other for close combat!"

"Now that we have this three-eyed gun, as long as we line up and shoot calmly, the enemy's ships can't get close at all. Instead, they are chased and shot like a target. Archery at sea is full of uncertainty, but the three-eyed gun is not affected. With one shot, the area within a radius of ten feet is within the attack range. It can be called a naval weapon!"

"So, that shame must never happen again. Do you understand?"

The soldiers nodded and cheered excitedly.

If they had this three-eyed gun in the last naval battle, they would never be suppressed by the Japanese pirates!

It would be a one-sided crushing and massacre!

Tang Hao handed the finished product to Li Daniu.

"Well done, the reward will be paid immediately!"

"The firearms workshop will go all out to produce these three-barreled guns and make 5,000 guns as soon as possible!"

"All the craftsmen in the firearms workshop will receive one tael of silver as a bonus, 10 taels for the manager and 100 taels for the head!"

As soon as these words came out, Li Daniu and others were immediately overjoyed and cheered.

A thousand gold coins for horse bones!

This is the charm of silver!