At this moment, the palace servant came in to report that the head of Daying Kuku, Xu Qilin, was waiting for him to see him.

"I'm here to report good news to me." His Majesty Li Er nodded with a smile and ordered the palace servant to invite Xu Qilin in.

Xu Qilin walked in with two glass lamps. According to the standards of later generations, glass bottles in the shape of canned bottles and candles were made into simple lanterns. The canned bottles were not round and were defective.

But in this era, glass is a precious thing, and anything you make is valuable.

"This is for the two high men of Jinyang and Xincheng to play on the Lantern Festival." Xu Qilin put down the glass lamp and bowed to him again. "I have seen Your Majesty." Then, Xu Qilin turned around and bowed to Ma Zhou.

His Majesty Li Er reached out and signaled to the palace servant to bring the glass lamp over and fiddled with it for a few times.

Dyeing agent was added, the glass was translucent pink, and the characters were also drawn outside. If the candle inside was lit, it would be quite beautiful.

"This item is also to be sold?" His Majesty Li Er raised his head and asked with a smile.

Xu Qilin replied: "Your Majesty, you have to wait several months before you can create a certain amount of goods."

His Majesty Li Er nodded and said, "I already know the situation of the auction. I earned 30,000 yuan, and did a good job."

Xu Qilin hurriedly presented the account and said, "The price of the mirror is basically determined, please allow your Majesty to allow it."

His Majesty Li Er took the account and looked at it, saying, "I also need to allow the pricing?"

Xu Qilin said: "Your Majesty is a good person, so it is the best to set the price."

"Are you afraid of the royal relatives, the ministers in the court buying it, and take private paths?" His Majesty Li Er guessed Xu Qilin's thoughts and smiled faintly: "This price is much less than that at the auction, and they should be able to accept it."

As he said that, His Majesty Li Er took the pen and approved it on the pricing order, and the name of Long Live Pricing was finally given to Xu Qilin.

Xu Qilin smiled and said, "The powerful and powerful officials should buy mirrors, but they should raise less genius and less expensive. They should also think it is expensive, so don't buy it."

His Majesty Li Er smiled and said nothing else. He handed over the pricing order to Xu Qilin by the palace servant, and then asked: "The auction has passed, and the gunpowder demonstration on the tenth day of the lunar month is time to concentrate on preparing."

Xu Qilin bowed and said, "I have started to prepare, and the exercise on the tenth day of the first lunar month will definitely not be delayed." After pausing, he continued, "I think the exercise should be kept confidential, so your Majesty can bring less ministers to watch."

His Majesty Li Er smiled and teased: "Why, do you still have to make money by making gunpowder formula?"

"Why don't you dare?" Xu Qilin scratched his head and said, "This is a problem related to the equipment and tactics of our Tang army. I will naturally offer it for free."

"In fact, in addition to gunpowder, I have another weapon to demonstrate to His Majesty. These two things are not useful in the battle formation for the time being, but they may be of great use, so it is best if few people know it."

His Majesty Li Er nodded, thought for a while, and said, "Since that's the case, I will only bring a few veterans to watch. On your side, I will send some guards to do a good job of keeping secrets."

Xu Qilin bowed to accept the order and wanted to leave.

His Majesty Li Er remembered something again and said, "Don't forget, you also said that you would edit agricultural books about increasing grain production and income."

Xu Qilin really forgot, but he didn't dare to say it, so he could only bow and say, "How dare I forget it? I will present it to the imperial examination before spring."

Well, His Majesty Li Er showed satisfaction and waved his hand, indicating that he could retreat.

…………………

Why are things going on one after another? I didn’t leave me some time to enjoy the freedom?

Xu Qilin complained in his heart that he left the palace and went to the workshop to supervise the manufacturing of the stone thrower.

After two days and two nights, the first counterweight trench with a grenade belt was finally built.

The boom is sixteen meters long, and the four balanced sandboxes can hold up to 6,000 kilograms. During the experiment, more than 130 kilograms of stones were shot out for more than 200 meters.

According to historical records, the giant catapult can eject more than 800 kilograms of bullets, with a counterweight of nine tons and a maximum range of three hundred meters.

In such a short time, Xu Qilin certainly could not create such a giant thing. This experimental trencher was enough to demonstrate its power to His Majesty Li Er.

You should know that more than 100 kilograms of stones smashed over with kinetic energy, which is enough to shake the strongest brick and stone wall. If it is replaced with gunpowder bullets or fire bullets, it will also cause great damage to the people and residences in the city.

On the ninth day of the first lunar month, Xu Qilin finally finished preparations. Dozens of large trucks were loaded with gunpowder, bombs, and parts of stone throwers, and slowly drove towards the exercise site.

After arriving at the exercise site, Xu Qilin began another arrangement.

The stone thrower was assembled and experimented continuously. Many straw men and wooden signs were set up at the approximate range of the bounce point, as imaginary enemies. Then they turned around and fired stone bullets towards the old city wall, determining the approximate location of the stone thrower.

There were about a hundred Qianniu Guards sent by His Majesty Li Er, among them Xu Qilin's acquaintance - Wang Fangyi.

Qianniu Guards were responsible for blocking the exercise venues and ensuring that no idle people came into the inside to see. They also saw the advance arrangement of the exercise and were very shocked by the power of this new stone thrower.

"Xu Cheng, is this a catapult?!" During the rest, Wang Fangyi and Xu Qilin met and asked curiously.

Xu Qilin nodded and said, "I want to ask His Majesty to name it the improved catapult."

Wang Fangyi felt that this flattery was good, but he was still more interested in the performance of the stone thrower. "This weapon is so powerful, that stone has about a hundred pounds, right?"

As he said that, he stared at the stones on the ground not far away and acted to move forward, "I'll show you how heavy it is."

Xu Qilin hurriedly held it and said with a smile: "The weighed ones have labels and records. The piece that was thrown out for the experiment weighed 130 kilograms."

One hundred and thirty kilograms are nothing to Wang Xuanyi, and he can certainly lift them up. But it is quite shocking to throw such a heavy stone so far with a stone thrower.

"Is this to be used on the battlefield?" Wang Fangyi blinked, "Is it prepared to fight Gaochang?"

Xu Qilin felt that it might be used to fight Gaochang, and the one that can exert its power should be in Liaodong.

So, he said with no certainty: "Maybe it? I don't know much about this, but I just think that the old-fashioned catapult is very inconvenient to use."

Wang Fangyi nodded in recognition and said, "This catapult is indeed much sharper than before. Xu Cheng is smart and amazing. If he wins the battle against Gaochang, Xu Cheng will also make contributions."

Xu Qilin looked at Wang Fangyi carefully and asked tentatively: "Does Brother Wang want to fight on the battlefield and make achievements?"

Wang Fangyi smiled embarrassedly, but turned to the point of saying seriously: "I did have this intention. The battle against Gaochang is already an arrow on the string. This is the opportunity for a real man to achieve success."

Xu Qilin scratched his head and said, "Actually, there are many opportunities to achieve success in the battle, so there is no need to rush for a moment!"

Wang Fangyi said, "Time is not waiting for me. I am so old, but I dare not waste my time. Xu Cheng, have you not forgotten the old words, right?"

Xu Qilin laughed twice and said, "I haven't forgotten, I haven't forgotten. I just haven't found a good opportunity. I hope Brother Wang can wait more."

Wang Fangyi pointed to the catapult and said, "I think this is a good opportunity. Xu Cheng cannot go to Gaochang. I am willing to learn how to use it and go to the army to serve."

Hum? This is really an excuse. It is not difficult to let Wang Fangyi show his face while His Majesty Li Er comes to inspect in person.

Xu Qilin touched his chin and thought for a while, nodded and said, "Then I will hand over the general data to Brother Wang, and you can test it more. If you can master it as soon as possible, what will you do if you come tomorrow?"

Wang Fangyi was overjoyed and bowed, "Thank you for your accomplishment."

Xu Qilin quickly waved his hand and said, "Brother Wang has great ambitions, why not help? Besides, this is just a slight effort, and it may not be as good as Brother Wang wishes."

"Then I have to thank Xu Cheng, too." Wang Fangyi said: "The matter is due to the people. Xu Cheng has helped me, so I am very grateful."

Xu Qilin smiled and said, "Then I have to take the exam for Brother Wang, which is the battle against Gaochang."

According to historical records, although Wang Fangyi was listed as a famous general in the early Tang Dynasty, his real talent was still in the governance of the local area. Of course, this guy was also very powerful in leading troops to fight.

The purpose of His Majesty Li Er's conquest of Gaochang was by no means a lesson. He also allowed the existence of Gaochang State like he surrendered to the Turks.

As the beginning of the Tang army's conquest of the Western Regions, it was a stepping stone. It was necessary to stably occupy it. There were many small countries in the Western Regions, many tribes, and the Western Turks were in trouble. Military alone was far from enough.

First, we must fight to the extreme, minimize the enemy, isolate and attack the Western Turks; second, we must operate, not only strive for self-sufficiency of the garrison, but also not oppress the local tribes too much, so as not to rebel.

As a bridgehead for conquering the Western Regions, Gaochang had an irreplaceable advantage, which also determined that the Tang army would adopt different strategies.

This advantage is that Gaochang's population is mainly Han people, and it is a place where Han people gather. The traditional Han culture dominates Gaochang, and even Gaochang kings of all dynasties were mostly Han people.

In other words, it was relatively convenient to turn Gaochang into a county in the Tang Dynasty. There were no such contradictions and barriers in ethnic and cultural traditions, and the rule of the Tang Dynasty was easily recognized by the Han people in Gaochang.

In this case, the Tang army could not kill and loot too much in Gaochang, at least show some of the appearance of a benevolent and righteous army. In order to conquer the hearts of the people of Gaochang and facilitate stable and long-term rule, it also allowed other Western countries to watch, so that they would not be scared to run to the Western Turks.

Why do you think the soldiers in the early Tang Dynasty were happy when they heard the battle? Do you think the Tang army was the people's soldiers who were completely uninvassed? That would be a big mistake.

In the war against foreign tribes, the Tang army was not ruthless in killing people and snatching property. Therefore, there was an army that was so happy to jump up when they heard about war. Without it, it was going to make a fortune again!

Why did Hou Junji in history be punished after destroying Gaochang? It was because he was too greedy and he stole the gold, silver and treasures of the Gaochang royal family first.

As the saying goes, if Hou Jun gathers to rob the royal family, the officers and soldiers below will naturally rob the people. He will be able to restrain his subordinates by himself, and he will no longer be able to restrain his subordinates with shame.

This destroyed the image of Tang Jun. The whole group of robbers! You said that His Majesty Li Er would not be angry. How could the ministers in the court not be jealous of Hou Junji and became a robber?

Xu Qilin's so-called test comparison was to see if Wang Fangyi had a long-term vision and whether he could see His Majesty Li Er's true intention to conquer Gaochang.

Obviously, Wang Fangyi's answer satisfied Xu Qilin. He had agreed to help before, but perhaps a little perfunctory, but now, Xu Qilin really decided to recommend it so that Wang Fangyi, a famous general, would be on the stage of history earlier.

You should know that what made Xu Qilin feel most uncomfortable in ancient times was the inhuman law. If relatives and friends commit serious crimes, they will probably be implicated. This is especially true in the officialdom.

For example, Du Gou, the son of the wise prime minister Du Ruhui, was named Duke Lai. He was originally doing a good job, but because Du He, who cheated his father and brother, was exiled to Lingnan and died in the border area.

There is also Mr. Wei who recommended Hou Junji and Du Zhenglun, but these two guys actually rebelled and cheated Mr. Wei who had already been buried. His Majesty Li Er's servant tablet was also very angry.

Therefore, be careful when recommending people. Even if you are a famous general in history, Xu Qilin should also check whether you have nothing to do with a false reputation.

…………………

Early in the 11th day of the lunar month, Xu Qilin set out from his home and rushed to the exercise site on the outskirts of the city.

This is the final arrangement. The gunpowder cannot be filled too early to avoid getting damp. Taking advantage of the time when His Majesty Li Er takes the morning court, he will make the final preparations.

Wang Fangyi repeatedly tried the catapult yesterday and had mastered the key points and some tricks. In fact, Xu Qilin could not determine the landing point completely through paper calculations, but also had to rely on repeated practice to summarize.

Therefore, if it is actually done, Wang Fangyi is not worse than Xu Qilin. After all, this guy is a smart guy. He can develop a coupling farming method to replace oxen with human power, but it is very powerful.

Seeing Xu Qilin starting to fill gunpowder into the pit under the city wall, Wang Fangyi approached and watched it like a learning baby, and asked Xu Qilin questions from time to time.

Xu Qilin did not hide his own personal information. After all, if the army uses gunpowder weapons in the future, someone must understand how to operate it, and he cannot command it.

"The more stuffy you are, the more powerful you are blown up." Wang Fangyi seemed to understand, but he still remembered the key to the gunpowder explosion.

Xu Qilin commanded the personnel to put the gunpowder from several large coffins into the pit, use hollow bamboo tubes to lead the lead, and then collapse the tunnel to form a confined space.

He looked carefully again and felt that it was not strong enough and that it was filled with soil and was considered completed.

But Xu Qilin always felt that today was a little different. He looked around and finally found a problem from the flying flag. He couldn't help but slapped his thigh and cursed: "This damn God."

Xu Qilin hurriedly asked someone to build a new shed, but looking at the time, it was estimated that His Majesty Li Er was already on the road, so time might be too late.
Chapter completed!