Chapter 155: Iron Mold Cast

"What's the matter?"

Zhao Xu showed an interested look. Read

Wang Ying glared at Wang Chong and said slowly: "Your Highness has returned at the right time. The iron mold will be cast today. Would Your Highness like to watch it in person?"

"What a coincidence." Zhao Xu showed a surprised look.

Building bastions and warships are in progress. In the future, both bastions and warships will require a huge amount of artillery.

Now that the iron mold is cast, the next step is to make artillery.

For him, this matter is of vital importance.

He was not blinded by the victory of this autumn hunt.

The Northern Di is powerful.

This failure was just a trap set by Kutu.

Even Chang Wei admitted that the Northern Di soldiers were brave and good at fighting.

If the two families fought in the wild, he might win, but the loss would definitely be considerable.

The high mobility of the cavalry allows them to retreat at any time, making it difficult for the enemy to pursue.

And they can quickly maneuver to strategic points and seize the initiative.

Especially if there is a long supply line, facing an opponent with a large number of cavalry is simply a nightmare.

It was just thinking of these.

He believed that for a long time, facing Beidi and Xiliang, he could only take a defensive stance.

And the cannon was a weapon of defense.

Facing the complicated situation in Yanzhou now, this was also his life-saving straw for guarding the burial mound.

"Let's go and have a look." Zhao Xu walked out.

The three of them arrived at the Bingzhang Division and saw eighteen columns in the yard.

This was the last step of the pouring process.

When he came to the column, Zhao Xu saw half of the mud cannon was placed inside with the muzzle facing up.

The column where the mud cannon was placed was also made of mud, and there was a gap between the mud cannon and the cannon.

The molten iron was poured into these gaps.

The reason why the mud cannon was cut and half and half were poured was because when making the cannon, the two molds were combined and poured.

After the pouring was completed, the molds were separated and the cannon could be taken out.

If the whole was poured, the cannon could only be made once in the future, and the iron mold was destroyed once to take out the cannon.

"Your Highness, the molten iron is ready. Do you want to pour it now?" Wang Ying asked.

"Let's get started." Zhao Xu nodded.

Although he had the information in his mind, it was the first time he saw it on site.

Wang Ying gave the order, and the craftsmen immediately brought the molten iron.

A temporary platform was built with soil in front of the mud column, and the craftsmen went up the platform to pour the molten iron into the gap between the mud cannon and the mud wall.

After the molten iron filled the gap between the two, the craftsmen poured the molten iron into the muzzle of the mud cannon.

After the pouring was completed, the molten iron was allowed to cool for a while, and Wang Ying ordered the mud cannon to be broken.

Finally, it was cleaned with a pole with a cloth strip tied in front.

The iron mold was finally completed, and it took three hours.

After all, the iron mold needs a long time to cool.

"Bring the other half." Wang Ying stood in front of the iron mold, gently stroking the outer wall of the iron mold, which still had residual heat.

The iron mold in front of him was only half of it.

At this time, the craftsman brought the other half of the iron mold.

When the two iron molds were closed, it was just a complete iron mold.

"Well, good, that's it." Zhao Xu smiled.

The next step is to use this iron mold to make cannons.

"Your Highness, this iron mold is done, the craft of making cannons?" Wang Ying rubbed his hands.

For him, this is the thing that makes his heart itch.

The King of Yan said that one shot would destroy three or four miles, which was beyond his imagination.

He was obsessed with all kinds of skills and couldn't resist the desire to make cannons.

"You come to the palace to get it tomorrow." Zhao Xu said.

The manufacture of cannons is not just about pouring molten iron or steel into it.

There are a series of technical points in the casting process, and he needs to sort them out.

"Yes, Your Highness." Wang Ying was happy.

Zhao Xu looked at Wang Chong, "You father and son, one makes cannons, and the other researches ammunition. Now you can combine the two. I hope to see a real cannon that can fire shells in the end."

The father and son looked at each other and nodded.

After leaving the Arms Department, Zhao Xu returned to the palace.

Before he reached the gate of the palace, he saw Chang Wei and the generals above the rank of lieutenant in the army talking about something, and they looked angry.

Seeing Zhao Xu arrive, Chang Wei said: "Your Highness, do you know that Kutu will arrive at Yanguan soon?"

"Yes." Zhao Xu said.

He knew the news on the day he set out from Yunhai County.

Dong An was not only responsible for doing business in Jinling, but also for delivering important news from the capital.

"So Kutu just returned to the grassland?" Chang Wei's tone rose eight degrees.

"That's right, this Kutu was captured by the soldiers at the cost of their lives. How can we let him go just because of the threats from the northern barbarians? Your Highness, let me lead my cavalry to kill Kutu before he enters Yanguan." Chen Hu raised his fist, more excited than Chang Wei.

Lu Chang's eyes were red: "Your Highness, when we were besieging Charha, hundreds of soldiers died just like that, and Kutu just went back just like that. How can I be worthy of these dead soldiers?"

"..."

In their view, they fought the war and captured the people.

The court just released Kutu, which was a humiliation to the King of Yan and to them.

Zhao Xu waited for the generals to vent their grievances, and then slowly said: "Do you think I am not resentful? Am I not angry? Killing Kutu is certainly refreshing, and I can bear this responsibility. At most, I will be locked up in the sky prison for life, but what about the people of Yan County and Shanggu County? Waiting for the Yuan family to come back? Waiting for the iron cavalry of Beidi to slaughter their wives and daughters again?"

He currently has no capital to confront the imperial court, and has to rely on the imperial court to restrain the Yuan family.

One day, if he can dominate Yanzhou like the Yuan family once did, he will naturally not have to suffer this bad attitude.

He considered this more deeply than Chang Wei and others.

When the generals heard this, they all fell silent.

Mo Yu sighed, he told Chang Wei about this.

His old friend in Yanguan sent someone to bring him news.

But he didn't expect Chang Wei and the generals to be so impulsive.

"In the court hall, the eight powerful families and the heads of six families were at peace. Two families were silent. Some courtiers bluntly said that exchanging annual coins for peace. This is not a matter of whether Kutu should be released or not. It is a matter of disunity in today's world, and all forces are fighting against each other. He has his own thoughts and does not want to fight Beidi. In the battle of Ningjin, if the powerful army had not retreated when encountering the enemy in order to preserve their own strength, Mo Yu said.

Zhao Xu took the words and said: "So put away your grievances and go back to train your troops. Being weak is the original sin. When you are strong enough, the grassland is just a prison for the Beidi people. Not to mention Kutu, their khan can also Capture it!”

After Kutu was escorted to the capital, he was mentally prepared for this.

The royal family was weakened, and Zhao Heng was still reluctant to lose the elite of Yanguan to Beidi.

At that time, he, the emperor, really became a loner.

The powerful clan had the same idea as Zhao Heng, and they did not want to waste their own troops.

"The autumn wind is riding out of Yanshan Mountain, and the Xia Ming sword is bowed on its back to shine on the frost. The emperor has not taken over the river and Huangdi, and I don't want to look back at my hometown. This poem is given to you. I hope you will always chant it and don't forget the anger of today." Zhao Xu Said again.

"The horse is riding out of Yanshan Mountain in the autumn wind, with the Xia Ming sword on its back shining on the frost. Before the emperor takes over the river and Huangdi, he doesn't want to look back at his hometown." Mo Yu read this sentence softly.

He looked at Zhao Xu and felt that he had come to the right place in Yan County.

"Yes, Your Highness." Chang Wei and other generals chewed on this poem, feeling excited.