Tang Dynasty: The Holy Prince, the Dragon that Reigns Over the World

After Li Chengqian dealt with the issues concerning the chief officers of Xizhou and Zangzhou, he rested for two days, then went to the palace to invite Li Shimin, and took his generals in Beijing to the Armament Bureau to watch the musket test.

Li Chengqian attached great importance to the research and development of armaments and technology, so the Armament Bureau occupied a large area. In order to ensure the safety of the Armament Bureau and the confidentiality of technology, there was a guard camp around the Armament Bureau, which had 2,000 Beiya Imperial Guards.

The central imperial guards of the Tang Dynasty were divided into two parts. One part was the Northern Ya Imperial Guards, which was the emperor's private army; the other part was the guards composed of palace soldiers from various places, also known as the Southern Ya Imperial Guards.

The Northern Yamen Imperial Guards were originally Li Yuan's old subordinates during the Taiyuan Uprising, also known as the "Yuan Cong Imperial Guards". When these people grew old, their sons and daughters served as the Imperial Guards, known as the "Father and Son Army". They were the most loyal to the royal family.

Li Chengqian also specially ordered the Jinyiwei to station a Jinyiwei Southern Pacification Division Thousand Households in the Armament Bureau. Not far from the Armament Bureau was the station of the Prince's Mansion Corps.

The Armament Bureau is 10 miles in radius and is surrounded by a wall to form a security zone. Soldiers patrol the area continuously. The security zone and the entrance to the security zone are under the responsibility of the Beiya Forbidden Army.

The entrance and interior of the Armament Bureau were under the charge of the Qianhu Division of the Southern Pacification Division of the Jinyiwei.

Staff of the Armament Bureau must enter with a pass that has a small upper-body portrait of the person on it. The guard will only let the person in after verifying the name, department and portrait on the roster.

No one else is allowed to enter without a warrant from Li Chengqian or Li Shimin, and anyone who trespasses will be killed without mercy.

The bureau is divided into five departments according to research directions: Equipment Department, Equipment Department, Weapon Department, Firearms Department and Material Department. Each department is divided into several divisions according to different directions.

Li Chengqian set up a military research and development funding department in the Ministry of Revenue to manage special funds, and invested large sums of money every year to encourage scientific research and development.

Technical personnel of the Armament Bureau can submit written project applications if they have any ideas. After internal discussion of the Armament Bureau, they will be submitted to the Ministry of Revenue's Armament Research and Development Fund Department for budget review. Finally, they will be submitted to Li Chengqian for approval. After Li Chengqian's approval, the Ministry of Revenue's Armament Research and Development Fund Department will issue funds to start project research.

After numerous checks, Li Chengqian and his party arrived at the Armament Bureau located by the Wei River. When Yin Tianzheng, the director of the Armament Bureau, learned that Li Shimin and Li Chengqian had arrived, he led the heads of various departments and the highest-level researchers in the bureau to wait at the door early.

When Yin Tianzheng saw Li Shimin's carriage stop, he hurriedly led everyone to kneel down and salute.

"The Marquis of Puqi County of the Tang Dynasty, the Director of the Armament Bureau, Yin Tianzheng, leads the entire Armament Bureau to welcome the Saint, the Holy Prince."

"Haha, Director Yin and everyone please stand up. You have improved and built many military equipments for the Tang Dynasty. Because of you, the men of our Tang Dynasty can shed less blood and make fewer sacrifices, and can be invincible in battle." Li Shimin said with a smile as he got off the car.

"We are willing to serve the Tang Dynasty with all our heart and soul until our death." All the people in the Armament Bureau bowed their heads and shouted.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, would you please let me take you to visit the Armament Bureau?" Yin Tianzheng walked forward and said with a smile.

"Old scholar, let's visit the muskets first. We have been looking forward to it for a long time. After the visit, it will not be too late to visit the Armament Bureau." Li Chengqian said with a smile.

"We'll go right away, right away." Yin Tianzheng said with a smile. The group came to the shooting range in the backyard of the Armament Bureau, and saw a long object made of iron pipes and wood on the table in front of them. Everyone gathered around curiously and took a closer look.

"This is the musket that Dalang has been talking about. I think it's just a fire stick." Yuchi Baolin said.

"It's quite heavy, probably about ten pounds." Cheng Huailiang couldn't resist his curiosity, so he picked up the rifle and weighed it.

"Haha, two county lords, let's let the designer introduce it to everyone." Yin Tianzheng said with a smile. Then he called the designer, a middle-aged man came over, saluted with his fists, picked up the musket, pointed it and introduced it.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, distinguished guests. I am Liu Yuanzheng, the designer of this musket. This musket was designed based on the ideas of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. It is named the "Seventeen-style" musket, which means it was developed and finalized in the seventeenth year of Zhenguan.

The length of this musket is 16 inches, the caliber is 5 inch, and the weight is 1 pounds. It consists of a front chamber, a powder chamber, a housing, a shoulder rest, a rear sight, and a front sight.

There is a metal hook on the gun, one end of which is fixed on the gun and can rotate around the axis, and the other end holds a burning match. When firing, the soldier pushes the metal hook into the firing port with his hand, so that the match ignites the gunpowder and then fires the projectile in the gun chamber.

The range of a musket is 300 steps, it can penetrate light armor at 200 steps, and it can penetrate heavy armor at 100 steps. However, after 150 steps, the accuracy is not very good. "

“This is the ammunition bag that comes with the musket. It is divided into two layers. The long layer contains gunpowder and projectiles, while the other layer only contains gunpowder.

When using it, tear open the long side first, pour the gunpowder and bullet into the barrel, and press it with the copper strip attached to the bottom of the musket barrel. Then tear open the other end, pour the gunpowder into the chamber, light the fuse, pull the trigger, and it can be fired.

It has been proven that a well-trained shooter can fire 60 to 90 rounds of bullets in the time of one stick of incense (one stick of incense is about 200 minutes). But the barrel needs to be replaced every rounds. "Liu Yuanzheng put down the rifle and picked up the ammunition bag next to him to introduce.

“Wow, the maximum range is 300 steps, which is 40 steps less than the Shenbi Crossbow, which has the longest range for a single soldier. Moreover, its loading speed is faster than that of the Shenbi Crossbow, and is not much different from that of the Link Crossbow.” Yuchi Baolin exclaimed.

"The most important thing is that it can penetrate light armor at 200 steps and heavy armor at 100 steps. Damn, if we get a lot of these things, we don't need too many, just of them. If we fire in echelons and conduct defensive shooting, wouldn't that be a nightmare for our cavalry? Dalang, this thing must be kept secret and must not be leaked outside." Cheng Huailiang said with his eyes wide open.

"Oh, I didn't realize that you, Cheng Xiaolang, are so smart." Ashina Heluohu joked.

"My lord, can we equip the cavalry?" asked Ashina Falcon.

"I'm afraid not. It's too long and a bit heavy, and it would be troublesome to reload it immediately. Besides, the horse will be bumpy and if you're not careful, you might burn the horse or trigger it by mistake." Huang Hu thought for a moment and shook his head.

"This thing is quite sharp, but what if the enemy gets close to us?" Li Zhen frowned.

"Haha, young master. The prince had thought of it a long time ago and ordered us to design and create special spikes for the musket. When the enemy gets close, the musket can be transformed into a long spear." Yin Tianzheng said with a smile.

"Director Yin, can we give it a try?" Li Shimin asked curiously.

Yin Tianzheng immediately arranged for people to test the guns, and saw the heavy armor of the Tang Dynasty's Black Armor Army placed 100 steps away.

The soldier raised his gun and aimed to shoot. There was a loud noise, like the roar of lightning, and everyone covered their ears. The muzzle flashed and smoke filled the air. The bullet flew towards the target like lightning and pierced through the heavy armor.

"What a loud noise! ​​What a powerful force!" everyone present exclaimed.

"General heavy armor can be worn, but where is my Xuanwu heavy armor? Come, place the Xuanwu heavy armor." Yuchi Baolin said excitedly.

Soon someone put the standard heavy armor of the Xuanwu Army in place, and the soldiers raised their guns and fired. With a gunshot, the Xuanwu heavy armor fell to the ground. Everyone went forward to check and saw that the bullet was stuck in the heavy armor and did not penetrate.

"It seems that the damage to the Xuanwu Army's equipment is not enough. If the Xuanwu Army's shields are added, they can't be penetrated at all." Cheng Huailiang said, touching his chin.

"Cheng Xiaolengzi, do you think anyone can build the armaments for the Xuanwu Army? Even if they can, can the average country afford the cost of establishing the army?" Chang Sun Chong rolled his eyes when he heard this.

As a part-time steward of the Prince's Palace Army, he knew how expensive the troops under the Prince's Palace Army were. Especially the heavy armored troops, each of which cost an astronomical amount of money to build. If it weren't for Li Chengqian's ability to make money, ordinary countries really couldn't afford to build them, let alone support them.

"How much does it cost? How long does it take to build?" Li Shimin asked.

“Your Majesty, the quality requirements for the ironware used in muskets are very high, especially the barrels, which are extremely difficult to make. The defective rate is relatively high, but the Armament Bureau is already thinking of ways to improve it.

At present, the cost of a musket is 5 taels of silver. If we work hard at production, we can produce 100 muskets a month. "Yin Tianzheng said.

"A gun costs 5 taels of silver, or 10 strings of coins. It's so expensive. How much money would it cost to form an army of this guy?" Li Zhen said in surprise.

"It's mainly due to the low yield rate and the difficulty of forging the material. The Armament Bureau's Materials Department must speed up its research on steel, and the Equipment Department and the Gun Department must also conduct research on improving the gun forging process to reduce the defective rate.

Also, the flintlock rifle I mentioned should be developed as soon as possible. This rifle can barely meet the standards, but the rate of fire, range, power, lightweight, mass production, etc. should be solved as soon as possible. At the same time, develop a suitable carbine for cavalry use. "Li Chengqian ordered.

Li Chengqian looked at the matchlock gun in front of him, it was still too crude. There was no way, the level of craftsmanship, material level, and production capacity were all constrained by the times. Especially materials, the progress of science and technology is often constrained by materials.

If it weren't for him, the time traveler, the birth of the musket would have been unknown. But it's better than nothing. The birth of this musket indicates that in the near future, the Tang Dynasty will be the first to enter the era of hot weapons.

As the Tang Dynasty entered the era of hot weapons, it would form a clear generation gap with other countries in the world. The generation gap meant that when the Tang Dynasty faced its opponents, it would attack them at a dimensionality reduction level and defeat the entire world.

"Yes, I will obey the orders of the Crown Prince. Then, Your Highness, will you put the 'Type 17' musket into production?" Yin Tianzheng.

"Well, although there are still many problems and the musket is very crude, it can be used as a first-generation sample to equip troops on a small scale and explore training methods and combat modes.

Thus, a gun manufacturing factory was built within the Armament Bureau, and the factory director was the same as the head of the Fifth Department of the Armament Bureau. The gun manufacturing factory was responsible for manufacturing firearms such as muskets and cannons.

500 of them were immediately built and sent to Zangzhou along with 20 artillery pieces and other firearms to equip the Iron Blood Battalion, and a number of technicians were dispatched to accompany them to record their use and take charge of their daily maintenance.

The Shenji Army will expand to 5 battalions and equip them with muskets. The Armament Bureau will also send someone to accompany and record. The Shenji Army must find out how to use muskets and various firearms together. After training them, they will directly expand to a division equipped with muskets. You can train me at any time, don't worry about the ammunition consumption, this prince is not short of money.

The "Seventeen-style" musket research team has made great contributions to the development of the musket. The research leader will be promoted one level and rewarded with 200 strings of cash. The rest of the designers will be awarded first-class merit once and rewarded with 100 strings of cash.

The Qianhu Office of the Armament Bureau of the Southern Pacification Division of the Jinyiwei carried out comprehensive and strict supervision on the design and manufacture of muskets to ensure that no information about muskets was leaked.

Mr. Liu, if you can design a flintlock rifle, I will ask my father to make you a marquis. Work hard. "

"Yes!" Yin Tianzheng, Liu Yuanzheng, Li Zhen and the captain of the Thousand Households Branch of the Armament Bureau of the Southern Pacification Division of the Jinyiwei clasped their fists and responded loudly.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, it's lunch time. The Armament Bureau has prepared lunch. You can eat here." Yin Tianzheng said with a smile.

"Okay, let's eat now. Old man Yin, the Armament Bureau is full of elite talents of our Tang Dynasty. Today I want to see how the food is in your Armament Bureau. If I find out that you have withheld the food, you can just wait to go to jail." Li Shimin said with a smile.

Li Chengqian smiled and nodded in agreement. Yin Tianzheng led everyone to have an ordinary working meal in the cafeteria. The diners saw the saint and the prince eating with them, and they felt excited but also uneasy during the meal.

After dinner, the group began to visit the Armament Bureau.

The Armament Bureau was filled with the sounds of clanging and heated discussions. The entire bureau was busy and orderly, and the staff were full of energy and spirit.

Whenever Li Shimin and his party arrived at a place, the people in front of them would kneel down and salute excitedly when they saw the emperor and the crown prince. Li Shimin comforted them and encouraged them with kind words, while Li Chengqian would make jokes from time to time, making everyone laugh.

Everyone walked to the outside of a room and heard a sound coming from inside.

"Why can't the power be increased? Is it because the prince wrote this creation of heaven, and we haven't fully understood it yet?"

"That shouldn't be the case. This steam engine is built according to the principles mentioned in the book. Why not increase the amount of steam?" said another person.

"No, we're already at the maximum steam level. If we add more, the pressure will be too high and the cylinder will explode."

When Li Chengqian heard the word "steam engine" outside the door, he was stunned for a moment, and then he pushed the door open excitedly. Looking at the simple steam engine composed of a metal boiler, iron pipes, cylinders and pistons in front of him, he said excitedly.

“This thing is a steam engine.”

The people inside the door looked at Li Chengqian with dissatisfaction when they saw someone suddenly break in. Yin Tianzheng said hurriedly after he came in.

"Your Highness. These two are the youngest technicians in the Power Division of the Equipment Department of our Armament Bureau. You two brats, the Saint, the Holy Prince, is here, why don't you quickly pay your respects."

Upon hearing this, the two were stunned at first, and then saluted excitedly.

"Shazhaliang/Tianlong, Power Division, Equipment Department, Tang Armament Bureau, kowtows to our emperor, the crown prince."

"Get up, tell me how the steam engine research is going." Li Chengqian said excitedly. The two were puzzled by Li Chengqian's excitement, but they still stood up and introduced him.

Li Chengqian listened to the two people's introduction and nodded with satisfaction. When he heard that the power of the steam engine could not be increased, Li Chengqian frowned and observed. When he saw the steam engine working, the steam was rampant, and he smiled.

"It should be a problem with the boiler and the pipeline, or the sealing between the pipelines. The seal is not good, resulting in steam leakage and pressure loss, so the power cannot be increased."

The two of them hurriedly observed what was going on, and then suddenly realized what was going on. Li Chengqian looked at the steam engine in front of him, and he was so excited that he couldn't calm down for a long time.

Steam engines, the Industrial Revolution, the colonial era, memories of past lives floated through my mind. After the Industrial Revolution, the great powers surpassed China and became the world hegemons, wantonly slaughtering the poor and weak China.

However, in this time and space, the Tang Dynasty had already built the first steam engine more than a thousand years earlier than the West (in 1688, French physicist Denis Papin used a cylinder and a piston to build the first simple steam engine.) The Tang Dynasty would also surely enter the industrial age more than a thousand years ahead of the West.

In our previous life, we were bullied by the powerful countries. In this world, I, Li Chengqian, will lead the Tang Dynasty to humiliate them a hundred or a thousand times more.

Li Chengqian looked at the two people who were discussing in front of him and said with relief.

"As long as the Tang Dynasty has such a pragmatic and thoughtful young man, the Tang Dynasty will be strong for eternity."

"Wait, your name is Shazhaliang. Who are you to Shazha Xiangru, the Duke of Fuyang?" Li Chengqian asked.

"It was my father. My brother Zhongyi has followed my father to join the army. I have been sickly since childhood and I don't like military affairs, but only like construction. So I joined the Armament Bureau." Shazhaliang said with a smile.

"So you are the descendants of a famous general of Baekje. You two should improve the steam engine well. When it can be put into practical use, you two will be granted the title of marquis." Li Chengqian said with a smile.

"We, your Highness, will do our best not to let you down." The two men knelt down in delight and saluted.