Chapter 12 second quarter

As expected, there are no secrets in official affairs. On the first day of April, when Shi Yue inspected the weapons research institute, Shen Kuo accompanied him on the inspection.While there was no one around, Shen Kuo asked worriedly: "Ziming, it is rumored that a military weapons supervision department will be set up, and the weapons research institute will be placed under the jurisdiction of the military weapons supervision department. Shi Yue groaned, noncommittal. "The establishment of the Military Weapons Supervision Institute has both advantages and disadvantages for the Weapons Research Institute. The most important thing is who will judge the Military Weapons Supervision. Let me bluntly say that if Wang Jiefu sent someone to come, the Weapons Research Institute is afraid that the hearts of the people will be distracted... ... Ziming should make plans early."

Only then did Shi Yue nod his head, and said with a smile: "Brother Cunzhong, don't worry, I will find a way." Shen Kuo couldn't rest assured, and said: "It's an open secret that the young master is serving as the official secretary of Zhimi Pavilion and Jianzheng Zhongshu. Please forgive me for being reckless. I really don't know who the young master can recommend to be the military supervisor." Shi Yue walked past a researcher who was copying the gunpowder formula, stopped to look at it with interest, and suddenly asked, "Brother Cunzhong, how is the development of firearms?"

Seeing that Shi Yue suddenly changed the subject, Shen Kuo quickly said, "We experimented with a thunderbolt, and its power is not bad, but everyone thinks that the formula of the gunpowder needs to be improved." "Shocking Thunder?" Shi Yue was very interested in this. "Yes, the power is quite powerful, but I think there is still room for improvement, and it still can't meet the requirements of mass production and cost reduction." Shen Kuo explained. Suddenly a flash of inspiration flashed in Shi Yue's mind, he looked at Shen Kuo, and said with a smile: "Brother Cunzhong, are you interested in being a military supervisor?"

Shen Kuo couldn't keep up with Shi Yue's leaping thinking, and said in a daze, "I'm taking too many positions now." In terms of qualifications, Shen Kuo is quite enough to be a military inspector, but now he is in Sitianjian, Sitianjian, Baishuitan College and Ordnance Research Institute hold positions, receive three salaries, and have quite a lot of affairs. Shi Yue looked at Shen Kuo and said with a smile: "If Brother Cunzhong is willing, the Military Weapons Supervision will be firmly in our hands. As for the Weapons Research Institute, we will be in charge at that time."

Although the military supervisor is the lowest rank among the nine temples and five supervisors, he is the head of a department after all. He is in charge of all affairs of the Song Dynasty's military manufacturing, which is a big job.In addition, now that the emperor is keen on side affairs, the Military Weapons Supervision is a place where there are great opportunities for meritorious service.Shi Yue's suggestion made Shen Kuo's heart skip a beat, he pondered for a while, and said hesitantly: "I don't think this matter is so easy." Shi Yue knew that he acquiesced, smiled slightly, and said: "It's up to people. Let's go and see Zhentianlei. How many experimental products are there in the research institute now?"

Shen Kuo said as he walked, "Fifty pieces were trial-produced, but the cost is too high. A thunderbolt costs 1,500 ren, which is equivalent to the price of a crossbow. However, the person in charge of the case believes that the thunderbolt is not as good as the fire oil." practical." Shi Yue couldn't help frowning.He knew that "Menghuoyou" was actually a kind of incendiary bomb, which was filled with oil in pottery to make throwing bombs, and the Siege Guangbei Workshop had a special organization for making this kind of weapon.But it's not cheap either.Unexpectedly, Zhen Tianlei's evaluation was not as good as that of Menghuoyou.

Shen Kuo didn't pay attention to Shi Yue's face, and continued: "However, in my opinion, Thunderbolt is more useful than fire oil. The production and storage of fierce oil is not as convenient as Thunderbolt, and Thunderbolt can make a loud sound to scare the enemy. There are also direct effects. Lethality. We have now produced two types of thunderbolts, twenty-five each, one is launched by a throwing vehicle, which is more powerful, and the other is thrown by hand, which is less powerful." Shi Yueqi said: "Why do you want to make the kind that is launched by a throwing vehicle?" He clearly remembered that there were cannonballs and muskets in "New Works".

Shen Kuo said with a smile: "It was thought up by a few students and firearms makers. They thought that hand-throwing bombs were too heavy but less powerful, so they designed a more powerful heavy-duty thunderbolt launched from a throwing vehicle." Shi Yue quickly understood what Shen Kuo meant by "too heavy".The so-called "shocking thunder" turned out to be a black iron ball from which a lead wire was drawn.It was too far from the grenade he thought, and it was a bit outrageous regardless of its size and weight.It's almost enough to pile up on the city wall to defend the city, but it's too difficult to be a man if you want to march with you.

Now he can deeply understand why he wanted to create a thunderbolt fired from a thrower! But the students of the research institute, including Shen Kuo, all had a sense of accomplishment, and when they saw Zhen Tianlei, their expressions were very excited.When we arrived at the test site, everyone covered their ears exaggeratedly, except for the soldiers in charge of launching. Shi Yue glanced at these people inexplicably, and Shen Kuo kindly reminded: "Ziming, the voice is too loud..." Shi Yue waved his hand and said, "It's okay, let's start." He also wanted to see the power of Zhentianlei.

The first experiment was the thunderbolt for throwing. Two soldiers carefully put a two-basketball-sized thunderbolt on the launch position, carefully ignited the fuse, and then pulled the thrower hard. Ray drew a parabola in the air and landed on the shooting range tens of feet away, followed by an earth-shattering loud noise, and a burst of thick smoke billowed from the shooting range.There was a burst of cheers from the academy. Shi Yue was almost stunned by the "Sky Thunder"!The grenade he had conceived turned into a primitive cannonball, which was really unexpected to him.When the smoke dissipated, he went to the shooting range to check, and saw that the wooden man nailed there was blown to pieces, and the wooden man was covered with deeply embedded iron beads and iron pieces, densely packed—at last they still knew that the sky was shaking There are some iron beads and broken iron pieces in the mine.

Although it was not satisfactory, Shi Yue knew that this was already a remarkable invention. After all, black powder was used at that time, and the formula of gunpowder was also quite primitive. The formula of gunpowder alone increased the purity and content of nitric acid. It took a lot of work, so Shi Yue still expressed his approval. However, the thunder that shook the sky next, made him dumbfounded. A soldier carefully ignited the fuse, grabbed a wooden handle with both hands, lifted it high, and then slammed it down the slope.Shi Yue also lamented - it turned out that they were designed to defend the city!The feeling of wanting to cry without tears made Shi Yue not even bother to see the effect of the explosion.He felt that it was necessary for him to discuss with them the idea of ​​future weapon design. Shen Kuo stroked his beard proudly and boasted: "When we find a way to safely produce gunpowder on a large scale and reduce the cost to about 500 wen, the city of the Song Dynasty will really be as solid as gold." Until the next day, when Shi Yue received the official edict, he was still thinking about the Weapons Research Institute when he received the official edict. things. Pan Zhaolin, who was helping Shi Yue polish his table in the study, looked at him strangely, and couldn't help but ask, "My lord, do you have something on your mind?" Shi Yue sighed and told what happened the day before. But Pan Zhaolin put down his pen excitedly, and wondered, "It is the blessing of the Song Dynasty and the great achievement of the young master to create such a sharp weapon. Why should you worry?" Shi Yue laughed bitterly at himself and said: "Those who know me say I am worried, those who don't know me say what I want - I originally wanted a firearm that can be used to attack and defend, but what's the use of defending the city all the time? Can defending the city restore Yanyun and annex Khitan?" Pan Zhaolin was startled, and then he understood what Shi Yue was lamenting, and couldn't help laughing: "Young master, since the founding of this dynasty, the biggest goal is to restore Yanyun. No one has ever thought of annexing Khitan. How have you ever made such an aggressive move?" Pioneering spirit? When designing a weapon, it is understandable to think about defense first and then attack. Don’t rush into everything, and you don’t need to pay too much attention to it.” Shi Yue smiled helplessly, and said: "That's all." Pan Zhaolin ignored him and continued to look at his thank you form.Shi Yue was alone in a daze, and suddenly shouted: "Yes!" Pan Zhaolin didn't even raise his head, and the sword servant who stood aside saw that Shi was getting more bored, so he laughed and said, "My lord, what's the matter?" Shi Yue said with a smile: "I thought of a way. In the future, the weapon research institute has something to do." Pan Zhaolin shook his head and sighed softly, "Poor." Shi Yue smiled and said: "Brother Qianguang, do you know what solution I have come up with?" Pan Zhaolin snorted and said lightly, "It's nothing more than arranging some specific things for them to study." Shi Yue was taken aback, and asked, "How do you know?" He really wanted to set up some research teams in the Armament Research Institute, and first designate a few topics for them to concentrate on solving problems first, and slowly accumulate experience in this kind of research. . Pan Zhaolin smiled lightly, and said, "I guessed it. But I advise you not to do this. It's just backfired." "Why don't I know that this is a bit of a quick success? But now people are eyeing the military surveillance. If we don't make some achievements, I'm afraid we won't save the skin." Pan Zhaolin looked at Shi Yue with a half-smile, and said, "Isn't it enough to have a Thunderbolt?" "That thing is too bad." Shi Yue said casually, and then he suddenly came to his senses, and asked in surprise, "What do you mean it's not enough to have a thunderbolt?" Pan Zhaolin smiled and said, "It's a tacit understanding. Hehe..." Shi Yue secretly admired Pan Zhaolin's extraordinary wit, and couldn't help laughing.