The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

In the blink of an eye, it was the beginning of May in the lunar calendar. The weather in the capital was unusually hot, without a trace of wind.

The commander of the Imperial Guards, Wang Daniu, personally called on several Imperial Guards to push a weapon similar to a cannon into the testing ground of the Ordnance Bureau and walked towards Li Hu.

Li Hu stood there quietly, looking at Wang Daniu and his group.

Behind him, He Shen stared at the cannon-like weapon and said to himself, "This is a gun that can fire automatically and continuously."

Li Hu smiled. Machine tools are called the mother of manufacturing. The production of military industry is closely related to machine tools. In the past three years, with the help of the group of Western Yi scientists recruited by Gaoxin, Datang's machine tool industry has been further developed and improved. The Royal Academy has made breakthroughs in hundreds of technologies and developed and produced a number of large and precise machine tools, which has made rapid progress in the research and development of military equipment and weapons.

After confirming that the Tang Dynasty could manufacture the Maxim, Li Hu personally drew the blueprints and personally guided the craftsmen of the Military Equipment Bureau. After nearly a year of research and development, he finally developed the world's first automatic rifle.

The automatic action of the gun is completed by utilizing the gas energy generated by gunpowder. The gunpowder gas ejected by the bullet during shooting enables the gun to complete a series of actions such as unlocking, ejecting the shell, feeding the bullet, and relocking, thereby achieving automatic continuous shooting and reducing the recoil of the gun.

It looks simple, but in fact, it uses a lot of new technologies. If Li Hu had not disassembled the Maxim in his previous life, he might not have been able to replicate it. It is just like the saying "I succeeded because I stood on the shoulders of giants".

If you want to copy, you have to copy thoroughly. Li Hu also developed a hydraulic buffer, which allowed the machine gun to fire single shots, bursts of ten or twenty rounds, or rapid fire adjusted to one hundred rounds per minute.

In addition, Li Hu also added a locking device to the end of the canvas bullet belt, which can connect more bullet belts for continuous shooting.

It is still a water-cooled machine gun. As long as there is water in the cooling water cylinder, the temperature of the barrel will not exceed 100 degrees, and it can continue shooting until the bullets are used up.

It’s a pity that the heat dissipation problem cannot be solved now, otherwise we would have to develop an automatic rifle.

At this time, Wang Daniu loaded the ammunition under the guidance of several craftsmen and was preparing to pull the trigger.

Li Hu: "I'll do it myself." After saying that, he walked forward, knelt on one knee behind the heavy machine gun, gripped the handle tightly with both hands, and pulled the trigger.

As the heavy machine guns poured out ammunition crazily, all the targets set five hundred steps away were turned into sieves.

As soon as the firing started, everyone was shocked!

The little fat boy exclaimed: "Too fast! Too fast!"

After firing all the bullets in the canvas bullet belt in one breath, Li Hu stood up with a smile on his face. There was only one word in his mind: Awesome!

Seeing Li Hu shaking his arms subconsciously, the fat boy hurried forward and gently massaged Li Hu's arms.

Li Hu smiled, the recoil was still very strong.

Wang Daniu's eyes lit up: "With such powerful firepower, even cavalry can't break through easily!"

After a pause, he said, "The era of cavalry is coming to an end!"

Everyone nodded.

Looking at the heavy machine gun in front of him, Li Hu suddenly remembered a line from an online joke from later generations: I woke up in the middle of the night with a start, and found that I was one of the great powers.

"How much silver does it cost in one minute?" Heshen suddenly asked.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone turned their eyes to the eunuch in charge of the Armament Bureau.

The eunuch in charge was silent for a moment, then replied, "About two hundred taels of silver."

"So many?!" Everyone was shocked.

The eunuch in charge said: "The main reason is that metal shell ammunition is expensive."

Li Hu raised his hand and said, "Okay, not everything can be measured by money. Imagine hundreds or even thousands of heavy machine guns pouring ammunition on the charging enemy. That's like mowing the grass!"

Everyone became excited again.

Wang Daniu: "Such a powerful weapon should be equipped to the Southern Xinjiang Army immediately, so that they can conquer South Asia as soon as possible."

He Shen agreed: "Not bad."

Li Hu shook his head and said, "No, before the Tang Dynasty joins the war, no one is allowed to reveal any news. I want to give Shui Rong and the Western Yi people a surprise."

At this point, he thought for a moment, "As for the Southern Frontier Corps, recruit another 30,000 Japanese, no, 50,000. Tell the Japanese that if we take over South Asia, their descendants can enjoy the same treatment as the Koreans and Ryukyu people."

The little fat man smiled and said, "Your Majesty is as kind as the heaven! The Japanese will surely be grateful and fight bravely against the enemy."

Everyone laughed. The Tang Dynasty broke the traditional distinction between Chinese and foreigners and implemented a policy of national equality. However, this "national equality" referred to the people of the Tang Dynasty. The people of the Tang Dynasty discriminated equally against all foreigners.

Li Hu then asked the eunuch in charge, "Have the weapons and ammunition purchased by Shui Rong been shipped?"

The eunuch in charge bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the first batch of 15,000 breech-loading rifles and 1.5 million paper shell bullets have been shipped, and the remaining breech-loading rifles and bullets will be delivered before the end of October."

Li Hu nodded and asked, "Can the production capacity keep up?"

The eunuch in charge said: "The new factory officially started production last month. Now the Arms Bureau can produce 5,700 breech-loading rifles, 800,000 paper shell bullets, 3,000 new breech-loading rifles, 150,000 metal shell ammunition, 20 breech-loading cannons, and more than 40,000 grenades per month."

After a pause, he said, "If there is enough copper material, we can produce 600,000 rounds of metal shell ammunition per month."

Copper has been lacking since ancient times. In order to solve this problem, the Han Dynasty used iron coins to replace copper coins, and the Song and Ming dynasties were forced to issue paper money. But that was in the past. Now not only Outer Mongolia is in the hands of the Tang Dynasty, but even East and West Siberia have become the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Hu turned his gaze to Heshen.

He Shen understood: "The above-ground parts of several copper mines in the Mongolian grasslands in the north of the desert have already been mined, but the railway tracks will not be laid to the mines until the end of the year."

Li Hu frowned but said nothing.

At this time, Heshen took out two coins with a shiny white surface from his sleeve and said, "These are the new silver coin samples made by the Ministry of Revenue under the order of the emperor. Your Majesty, take a look. If you are satisfied, please notify the Mint to mint them in large quantities." Then he presented the two silver coins.

Li Hu's eyes lit up when he took the silver coin. He saw a portrait of Li Hu in military uniform engraved on the front of the coin, with the words "Made in the fourth year of Jianwu" written on it. On the back was a flying dragon, with the words "Great Tang Empire" written on it, and different denominations were marked below, one was "one yuan" and the other was "medium yuan" (five cents).

The fonts and patterns on the front and back of the silver coin are all very clear, with delicate and natural edge teeth, blending seamlessly with the surface of the silver coin.

Li Hu took a closer look, then weighed the two silver coins in his palm. When they collided, the silver coins made a clear and melodious sound.

Li Hu nodded with satisfaction: "Good! Good! This is a very good job! Come, take a look too."

Wang Daniu took a silver coin and looked at it, then said, "How do I exchange this thing? Oh, and how do I prevent it from being counterfeited?"

He Shen smiled and said: "One tael of silver can be exchanged for two "one yuan" silver coins. The new silver coins are not cast, but stamped by machines. This machine is modified from a new steam engine. Except for our Tang Dynasty, no other country has this ability.

And the sound of collision just now, only real coins can make such a crisp sound. In order to facilitate the daily life of ordinary people, there are two kinds of silver coins, 2 jiao and 1 jiao, which are much smaller than this one. "

At this point, he smiled and said, "After silver coins are circulated, copper coins will be banned from circulation, which will alleviate the copper shortage to a certain extent."

Wang Daniu nodded.

Li Hu said to He Shen: "Mint gold coins in the same style as silver coins, and exchange one ounce of gold for one gold coin." He Shen: "Yes."

Li Hu: "Tell Shui Rong and the Western Yi people that in the future, when trading with the Tang Dynasty, they should either settle directly with gold, or use gold to buy gold coins from the Tang Dynasty and then settle with gold coins. The Tang Dynasty does not accept their currency."

He Shen: “Yes.”

Li Hu looked up at the sky, then said to the eunuch in charge, "Start producing heavy machine guns immediately. Each heavy machine gun must be engraved with a serial number, and no parts are allowed to be lost."

The eunuch in charge said: "I must have taken good care of the Military Equipment Bureau for His Majesty."

Li Hu nodded and said, "Go back to the palace." Then he said to He Shen, "Go to the study."

study room

Li Hu took the tea bowl from the fat man and drank a few sips before putting it down. Then he said to He Shen, "Keep a close eye on the Western Yi people. Don't let William and others get away before they fulfill the contract."

He Shen stood up quickly: "Yes."

Li Hu waved his hand: "Sit down and talk."

Heshen knew Li Hu's temper and sat down directly. After more than a month of tug-of-war negotiations, the Tang Dynasty and the Western Yi countries signed an armistice treaty at the end of April. France, England, the Netherlands and other countries paid 14.7 million taels of silver as compensation to the Tang Dynasty, ceded their colonies in Southeast Asia, and gave up support for small South Asian countries such as Annan and Siam.

In addition, the Netherlands had to pay an additional one million taels of silver and send the heads of several Dutch nobles who persuaded Japan to attack the Tang Dynasty.

As for the Tang Dynasty, the Southern Xinjiang Corps cannot attack India to the west, the Tang Dynasty navy cannot attack the Malacca Strait, and cannot plunder merchant ships of the Western Yi countries.

Li Hu: "By the way, how are the preparations for the bank going?"

He Shen bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, I have already discussed it with the officials of the Ministry of Revenue. According to the emperor's order, I have interviewed the heads of various banks and money houses in the capital, informed them of the upcoming establishment of the Royal Bank, and asked them to notify the heads of each family to rush to the capital before the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Li Hu nodded, holding the purse in one hand and the gun in the other, he had to be strong in both the military and finance. With these two things, he had nothing to fear, and he could basically stabilize the situation by controlling public opinion in the future.

"In addition to supervising and managing the bill exchange offices and money houses across the country and collecting their deposits, the Royal Bank also conducts deposit, lending and foreign exchange business. In the future, the salaries of officials and soldiers will be distributed through the Royal Bank. In addition, not only will the Royal Bank not charge management fees for the people's deposits, but it will also pay interest to the people according to the length of time they deposit money."

He Shen was stunned for a moment: "Isn't this compensation?"

Li Hu smiled: "The duty of the Royal Bank is to implement the economic policies of the court. To put it bluntly, it is to control the wealth of the people!"

Heshen was shocked. He realized that controlling the wealth of the people was equivalent to controlling the people of the entire country.

Li Hu: "The Royal Bank, like the Royal Academy, is independent of the imperial court and is not subject to the jurisdiction of the cabinet and the six ministries and nine government offices. You will serve as the vice president of the Royal Bank. If you have any questions, report directly to me. Do you understand?"

He Shen knelt down without thinking and said, "I will definitely take good care of the Royal Bank and the wealth of the Tang Dynasty for my master."

"Get up. By the way, I've got something for you to see." Li Hu took out a piece of paper from the case file and handed it to the fat man.

The little fat man quickly handed it to Heshen.

Heshen took it and read a few lines. His eyes widened immediately and he looked at Li Hu in surprise.

Li Hu: "Officials and gentry have been eating the country and the people at leisure for thousands of years. It's time for them to be full and have had enough! Now the times have changed, and this rule should be changed."

He Shen was stunned for a moment: "But, I studied hard for ten years just to pass the imperial examinations, and then get the opportunity to become an official, without having to serve as a clerk or pay taxes."

Li Hu laughed, "This is just an excuse. Why do they become officials? For the power granted by the court. They will not sacrifice watermelons for sesame seeds. I know they care about face. They can pay money and food and ask the common people to work for them."

He Shen: “This.”

Li Hu interrupted him: "I know, but now is not the right time. This is what we have in our minds, so don't say it now. Go back and think about it carefully, and write a brief summary for me to see."

He Shen had nothing else to say, so he had to answer, "Yes."

Li Hu: "I have delayed you for half a day again. I will not keep you any longer. Go back and accompany Madam He." As he said this, he glanced at the fat man.

The fat boy understood and walked towards the cabinet on the side of the hall.

Heshen's face turned red and he was about to speak.

The fat boy came over holding a piece of ink paper and said with a smile, "I heard that the Tenth Princess is weak in Qi and blood, so the Emperor summoned Li Yuanzheng and Doctor Wang who took the pulse of the Tenth Princess early in the morning to inquire about her condition, and asked Li Yuanzheng to prepare a dietary prescription to replenish Qi and improve her physical condition."

Heshen knelt down and said, "I thank my master for his grace." Then he kowtowed three times.

Li Hu looked at him and smiled: "Okay, go back quickly."

"Yes." Heshen kowtowed again, then stood up, took the ink paper with both hands, and walked out.

The little fat man listened to He Shen's footsteps for a while before speaking: "Your Majesty, the spies of the Imperial Household Department sent news from Lanzhou Prefecture that the local people there rioted and besieged the government office. They were suppressed by the local garrison, and seventy or eighty people died."

Li Hu: "What's going on?"

The little fat man was silent for a moment, then replied, "This matter is related to Master Xue."

Li Hu: "Xue Pan? Why is he in trouble again?!"

The little fat man smiled bitterly, "In fact, we can't blame Uncle Xue entirely. The fur coat is made of old sheepskin from Pingliang. The fur is long and thick, and it is strong and cold-resistant. Uncle Xue took Xiao Si to Pingliang to purchase fur coats, intending to sell them to Liaodong. Later, they went to Lanzhou Prefecture, and ran into someone selling wild Tianshan Snow Lotus in a restaurant in Lanzhou Prefecture.

Master Xue fell in love with it at first sight and wanted to buy it. There were too many people who wanted to buy it for the Empress Xiao Xian, and Master Xue's money was all spent in Pingliang Prefecture. Master Xue had a bad temper. When he got angry, he used the Second Prince and the Empress Xiao Xian to pressure others and would not allow anyone to compete with him for the snow lotus.

Li Hu picked up the tea bowl, took a sip, and looked at him.

The little fat man: ". The merchants in the mainland were frightened, but the locals and people from the northwest were still competing with Uncle Xue for it. Just when Uncle Xue was about to send Xiao Si to the Governor's Office of Shaanxi and Gansu to borrow money, the group of usurers bought the snow lotus at a high price as a gift to Uncle Xue."

In order to guard against local forces in the northwest, the Shaanxi-Gansu Governor's Office was moved from Xi'an, Shaanxi to Lanzhou, Gansu.

Li Hu: "Lending money? Why did they come to Datang?"

Little Fatty: "Those people heard that Shui Rong's hometown is a place full of gold, very rich and prosperous. They hope that Uncle Xue can help them obtain the identity of Tang Dynasty citizens."

Li Hu's eyes flashed. Did they want to come to the Tang Dynasty to be speculators? Calculating the time, they came to the Tang Dynasty at least two years ago. Because of them, Shui Rong and the Luosha people fought each other to the point of bloodshed, but they just left without a care in the world. They really have no conscience.

Li Hu: "What about the local people?"

The little fat man: "The problem lies with those loan sharks. Before they attached themselves to Master Xue, they concealed their identities and beliefs from the local people, and even lied to them, claiming that they had the same beliefs as the local people in exchange for their help. Now that they have a backer, they have revealed their true colors. They made some humiliating gestures to the local people, and said that they were untouchables who didn't deserve to live in this world. Then they started fighting."

Li Hu understood: "Xue Pan took them to hide in the government office?"

The little fat man nodded: "Mr. Xue is the uncle of the second prince and the elder brother of the virtuous concubine. The prefect of Lanzhou naturally favors them and ordered the yamen runners to drive away the local people, which led to the escalation of conflicts. Hundreds of people besieged the government office and set fire to it. After the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu learned the news, he dispatched troops to suppress it."

He is indeed a great scourge, whoever gets involved will be in trouble. And Xue Pan, when he comes back, I will break all five of his limbs!
This is an opportunity. We can take this opportunity to eliminate the local forces entrenched in the northwest, completely open up the road to Central Asia, and prepare for the war. (End of this chapter)