Sweep Yuan

Chapter 213 A New Era Should Not Be Without Rewards
The following morning, sunlight streamed through the window lattices, illuminating the fine dust particles floating in the rooms of the building.

Zhao Lian, the Vice Minister of the Huainan Provincial Government, woke up with a splitting headache from a hangover. The sun was already high in the sky outside the window, but he still hadn't received any news of Shi Shan's request to see him. Even when he tried to go out, he was politely but firmly stopped by two expressionless servants at the door.

At this moment, he finally understood—he, the Grand Archangel, had been completely fooled by this group of lawless thieves from beginning to end!

A surge of humiliated anger welled up inside Zhao Lian, making his cheeks burn.

He paced anxiously in the small room like a trapped beast, his official boots making a dull thud on the rough floor.

Finally, Zhao Lian could no longer contain himself, rushed to the door, and roared fiercely at the outside:

"Where is Shishan?! Bring Shishan to see me! I need to deliver an imperial edict! Guo Zongli! Where is Guo Zongli? Bring him to see me! You lawless traitors! How dare you detain an imperial envoy like this! Release me at once!!"

However, no matter how much he roared, threatened, or even pleaded, the servants guarding the door stood there like statues, eyes downcast, completely ignoring his shouts, as if he were just performing for thin air.

He shouted until his mouth was dry and his voice was hoarse, but he received no response. The anger in Zhao Lian's chest was gradually replaced by cold despair.

He slumped down in the hard wooden chair in the room, his hands hanging limply at his sides.

It's over! This mission is a complete disaster. I didn't even get to see Shishan, and I'm being kept here like a prisoner. How furious will Prime Minister Tuotuo be when I get back? How will the court deal with me, a provincial governor who failed in my duties?
Dismissal from office? Imprisonment? Even... He dared not think any further, only feeling a chill rise from his spine.

Just as Zhao Lian was in despair, the tightly closed door was finally pushed open from the outside with a creak.

Guo Zongli, the clerk of the Red Flag Battalion, strolled in with two attendants. He seemed to have a hint of mockery on his face, but as he got closer, Zhao Lian felt that it might just be a delusion caused by his anger. The other party's expression seemed to have returned to a formulaic calm.

"I heard that Councilor Zhao was in a bad mood today and was furious. Is there anything we have done wrong in our hospitality?"

Guo Zongli bowed slightly, his tone sounding quite respectful, yet carrying a distant politeness.

"You rebellious—"

Zhao Lian jumped up as if pricked by a needle, instinctively wanting to grab the other person's collar and yell at them.

But seeing the two sharp-eyed followers behind Guo Zongli, he swallowed the word "thief" that was on the tip of his tongue, suppressed his anger, and changed his words, his voice filled with barely suppressed urgency:

"Governor Guo! When will Marshal Shi arrive to receive the imperial decree?! The imperial envoy is here; how can we be so negligent!"

Guo Zongli took two steps closer, still maintaining his bowed posture, seemingly humble, but his tone was unusually decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.

"As for the Councilor, I'm afraid it won't be possible today. The Marshal left the city early this morning."

"Out of town?!"

Zhao Lian could hardly believe his ears. A surge of anger rose within him again, and he shouted:
"The angels are right in the city, awaiting the imperial decree. What could be more important than receiving a royal decree? Why would it require Marshal Shi to personally leave the city to handle this?!"

"Well..."

Guo Zongli looked troubled and shook his head slightly.

"Matters of state and military affairs are beyond my knowledge. The Marshal's whereabouts are not something I dare to inquire about at will."

Seeing that Zhao Lian's face was ashen and his chest was heaving violently, as if he was about to have another outburst, Guo Zongli calmly added:
"However, I have come here on the orders of the Marshal to inform Councilor Zhao. The Marshal said that he has a 'valuable gift' that will take some time to prepare and deliver to you. Please be patient and rest at the inn."

Once this "valuable gift" is delivered, the Marshal will discuss the specific time for receiving the imperial decree with the Councilor.

"A generous gift? What generous gift would take some time to arrive?"

Zhao Lian's heart sank, a chilling premonition creeping over him like a venomous snake. Shi Shan's attitude—wasn't it a sign of accepting amnesty? He was clearly stalling for time, perhaps even preparing for something bigger!

But now he is trapped in prison, like a turtle in a jar, unable to even send out messages. How can he cope?
Are we really going to wait for that unknown "gift" to be delivered to us?

If Shishan had simply blocked the delegation outside Wuhe and declared the surrender a failure, he would have been punished upon his return, but at least he could have offered some explanation.

But now that he has already arrived in Hefei, he is under house arrest here and cannot even see Shishan. If he goes back in such a disgraceful manner, how can he explain it to the court, to Prime Minister Tuotuo, and to the emperor?

To say that the rebel leader disdains his low rank and ignores the angel? This is an utter disgrace!
More importantly, he can't leave even if he wants to!
"In that case, I will not disturb your rest any longer. I will take my leave."

Seeing Zhao Lian standing there, his expression shifting, Guo Zongli decisively bowed and led his men out. The door was slammed shut again, the soft click of the lock sounding particularly jarring in the silent room.

Shishan is indeed not in the city.

After having breakfast early in the morning, he led his personal guards and Deng Dagang, the commander of the Shenji Battalion, out of the east gate of Hefei and arrived at a remote and spacious valley outside the city. The terrain here was secluded, surrounded by mountains on all sides, with only one road leading in and out.

Li Wu personally led his elite cavalry to the scene ahead of time, thoroughly clearing the valley inside and out. The sentries patrolling the perimeter were placed ten miles away to ensure no unauthorized personnel could infiltrate the area. The atmosphere was tense and deadly.

A large area has been temporarily cleared out in front of a steep mountain wall at the end of the valley.

Tao Chengdao, the head of the Crafts Institute, Ma Hua, a master craftsman, and more than ten core craftsmen's assistants had been waiting there for a long time.

In the center of the field, two newly cast cannons stood silently on specially made gun carriages, the linen covering them had been lifted.

The early October sun was bright but not scorching, shining clearly on the two bronze cannons.

The brand-new gun barrel gleamed with a dazzling golden luster in the sunlight (the original color of bronze before oxidation). The cold metallic texture combined with the exquisite structure (gun barrel, trunnions, gun mount, sights) exuded a breathtaking sense of power.

After months of casting cannons, expending countless efforts and resources, the first batch of cannons has finally yielded fruit. Shi Shan stared intently at them, his heart filled with anticipation. He couldn't wait to witness this epoch-making weapon unleash its deafening roar.

"let's start."

Shi Shan suppressed his excitement and gave the order in a deep voice.

When the master craftsman Ma Hua was in charge of casting cannons in Chuzhou, he had several apprentices who acted as his assistants and were responsible for the first few high-risk test firings.

However, Tao Chengdao, the director of the Crafts Institute, only watched the test firing process once and complained that these apprentices were clumsy and only knew how to work blindly. They did not understand the subtle relationship between the firing angle, the beam, and the powder ratio. They were simply wasting precious test firing opportunities and gunpowder.

This scholar from Wuzhou, with his strong thirst for knowledge and spirit of exploration, disregarded his "noble" status as the director of the Crafts Institute and resolutely took off his long gown and put on a coarse cloth short shirt that was no different from that of an ordinary craftsman to test the cannon.

At that moment, he rolled up his sleeves high, revealing his arms, which were not particularly thick but were exceptionally steady, and began to operate the equipment himself.

A few months ago, Shishan halted Tao Chengdao's research on "miniaturization of the bowl-shaped gun," fearing that his excessive curiosity might lead him to come up with some unrealistic ideas. Therefore, he proposed several more fundamental and directional research topics.

For example, the evaluation of the effectiveness of hydraulic power in various machines, the calculation and formula derivation of the flight trajectory of a projectile after it leaves the barrel, etc., were originally intended to give Tao Chengdao a direction to "pass the time" and solidify his theoretical foundation.

To everyone's surprise, Tao Chengdao displayed astonishing enthusiasm and focus on this.

Although limited by the era and tools, he has not yet been able to deduce the accurate mathematical formula for the range of a projectile (due to the lack of the concept of gravitational acceleration), but through a large number of meticulous observations and records, he keenly realized that the trajectory of a projectile is not a straight line, but a parabola.

Furthermore, its range is greatly affected by various parameters such as initial velocity, firing angle (which he called "firing angle"), and ammunition quantity.

Tao Chengdao even went so far as to propose the concept of "ray" (roughly equivalent to aiming baseline) based on this.

To verify his theory, Tao Chengdao personally designed and supervised the manufacture of a gun carriage and aiming device that could finely adjust and lock the firing angle, greatly improving the firing accuracy and ease of operation of the artillery.

At this moment, he is fully focused on making the final preparations before launch.

Tao Chengdao first carefully used a specially made long-handled spoon to pour the precisely weighed gunpowder into the gleaming cannon barrel, and then carefully tamped it down with a long push rod, his movements steady and skillful.

Next, he loaded a polished cast iron bullet into the muzzle.

Finally, he bent down, squinted one eye, and repeatedly adjusted the elevation angle of the gun through the simple sight he had installed, muttering some parameters that no one else could understand, his expression so focused that it seemed as if he were performing a sacred ritual.

Shi Shan watched from the side, initially worried that the scholar might make a mistake. Destroying a cannon was a minor issue, but if it exploded and injured Tao Chengdao, the loss would be immeasurable.

But seeing Tao Chengdao's smooth and rigorous operating procedures, and the calm and confidence of a true researcher in his eyes, he knew he had worried unnecessarily. This kind of person who truly uses their brain to get things done is exactly the kind of research talent he needs!
"marshal!"

Although this procedure had been repeated many times to ensure no mistakes, since the Marshal was personally inspecting the area, Tao Chengdao still turned to Shishan and shouted before the test firing:
"Please step back a little further, just in case!"

Shi Shan readily agreed and led Li Wu, Deng Dagang, and the others back another twenty or thirty steps.

Seeing that everyone had retreated to a safe distance, Tao Chengdao raised the torch again. His hands trembled slightly with excitement, and he unconsciously murmured, "It must succeed! It must succeed!" Then, he steadily extended the torch towards the exposed fuse at the breech of the cannon. "Swoosh—"

The fuse was lit, burned rapidly, made a rapid sound, and emitted a plume of blue smoke.

Tao Chengdao's two assistants had already turned pale and hurriedly covered their ears with their hands, instinctively shrinking back.

Tao Chengdao, however, stared wide-eyed, his eyes fixed intently on the direction the cannon was pointing, as if trying to see every minute detail of the bullet leaving the barrel!
"boom--!"

The next moment, an indescribable explosion erupted. Like a bolt from the blue striking the valley, the massive sound wave assaulted everyone's eardrums, and even the ground beneath their feet seemed to tremble!

At the muzzle, a huge burst of orange-red flame and thick smoke erupted, instantly engulfing half of the cannon. The scorching heat wave, carrying a pungent smell of sulfur, rushed towards us.

Almost simultaneously with the deafening roar, a black bullet, carrying terrifying kinetic energy, shot out of the smoke. It sliced ​​through the air at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, leaving a slightly curved parabolic trajectory and emitting a chilling shriek.

In a very short time, the bullet flew nearly a mile and slammed into the thick wooden target that was nearly ten feet tall in the distance!
"Bang!!!"

Another dull and enormous impact rang out. The wooden target, which was about an inch thick, shattered instantly as if struck by a giant hammer, sending wood chips flying like rain. The largest fragments were even thrown several feet away by the tremendous impact.

"Hahaha! I got it! I got it!!"

The deathly silence was broken. Tao Chengdao suddenly threw down the torch in his hand, jumped up excitedly like a child, waved his arms, and danced around on the spot. His face was filled with an extremely happy and satisfied smile, and the previous tension was swept away.

It's a pure joy that comes from exploration, verification, and ultimate success!

"My goodness..."

Li Wu, standing to the side, stared in disbelief, subconsciously smacked his lips, gasped, and muttered:
"If this thing were to hit someone directly, even someone wearing three layers of iron armor would be blasted into pieces, right?"

He couldn't help but imagine the carnage this terrifying weapon would cause on the battlefield, and even he felt a chill run down his spine.

Shi Shan's heart was also filled with turmoil. It was worth the huge amount of manpower and resources he had invested. This weapon that transcended the times had finally shown its true ferocity!
He nodded in satisfaction, suppressing his excitement, and turned to Ma Hua, the master cannon maker beside him, asking:

What were the final specifications for this cannon?

Although the original sketches for casting the cannons were drawn by Shishan, they were very rough. They only made the cannons different from the peculiar shape of the bowl-shaped cannons. To actually cast them, they would not be possible without experienced master craftsmen like Ma Hua.

Based on Shishan's sketch, Ma Hua, drawing on his decades of experience in casting bells and cannons, proposed modifications to several key details, including the thickness of the cannon wall, the position of the cannon lugs, and the bore curve. He also explained the reasons for these modifications in detail to Shishan.

The actual casting process cannot be as precise as the drawings. It requires repeated trials and adjustments, and the final product parameters will inevitably differ from the initial design.

As expected, Ma Hua respectfully recited a series of data:
"Reporting to the Marshal, the barrel of this cannon is four feet five inches long (about 1.5 meters) and weighs six hundred catties (300 kilograms). The projectile used weighs three catties and nine point six liang (about 1.8 kilograms; in ancient times, one catty was 16 liang)."

These data have indeed been optimized and adjusted from Shishan's original plan.

"Hmm, very good! Master Ma has done a great job in casting cannons and deserves a reward!"

Shi Shan smiled approvingly and immediately announced:
"A reward of five hundred strings of cash! From this day forward, Ma Dajia's treatment will be equivalent to that of a first-class combat battalion commander, and he may also grant the privilege of sending one of his descendants to study in the Imperial Guard!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Hua trembled with fear and almost collapsed to the ground! The generous reward of five hundred strings of cash had already made him tremble with fear, but the treatment of "comparable to a first-class battalion commander" and "blessing his descendants" was an imperial grace he could never have dreamed of.

He hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, his voice trembling:
"Marshal! You mustn't! I... I am just a lowly craftsman, my family has been doing this lowly trade for generations. The method of casting cannons is entirely due to your guidance and divine instruction; even the wonderful method of sand casting was invented after your inspiration."

Even this cannon was originally designed by the marshal. I merely copied it, making slight adjustments; how dare I claim credit for this divine achievement! You've unduly humbled me! You've unduly humbled me!

In his deeply ingrained belief, craftsmen are merely tools, and all ingenuity and creativity should rightfully belong to those in power.

No! You're wrong!

Shi Shan stepped forward and personally helped the apprehensive old craftsman to his feet. His expression was serious and earnest as he said:
"I reward you not only because you successfully forged this cannon, but also to show the world that China has countless skilled craftsmen, whose wisdom and ingenuity are second to none. We are capable of creating countless exquisite and ingenious machines that benefit the country and its people."

What was lacking in the past was not skilled craftsmen, but an environment that valued craftsmanship, encouraged creativity, fostered a love of invention and exploration, and allowed artisans to earn respect and wealth through their abilities.

Two days ago, Zhou Wendao reported to Shishan on the feasibility verification of the spinning wheel improvement – ​​it was indeed feasible, but there were still many difficulties that could not be overcome for the time being when it came to specific materials and processes.

Shishan also hoped that the news of the generous reward for casting cannons would spread and stimulate the research on spinning wheels to produce results as soon as possible.

Just then, at the launch site not far away, Tao Chengdao had calmed down and was loudly urging his two assistants to quickly clean the gunpowder residue in the cannon barrel with a long pole dipped in water, and to cool down the hot barrel with a damp cloth in preparation for the next loading and firing.

Watching this scene, Shishan continued speaking to Ma Hua and all the craftsmen around him who were listening intently:

"Today, in your hands, Ma Hua, a weapon that is truly groundbreaking has been created. This is your glory, and also the glory of all craftsmen."

In the future, I hope that when your deeds of being richly rewarded for your inventions become widely known, countless talented individuals will emulate you and flock to your cause! What we are creating is an era where craftsmen are no longer considered inferior, a new era where all pioneering masters will be revered for generations to come!

"boom!!!"

Another deafening roar followed, and Tao Chengdao completed the second launch.

This time, he aimed at a target two miles away.

Everyone could clearly see the bullet fly a much greater distance and land steadily two miles away. Although it was still off target, the range was already astonishing!

Ma Hua, however, was no longer in the mood to appreciate the long-range shot. His mind was buzzing, repeatedly echoing Shi Shan's words—"A new era in which craftsmen are revered for all time," "Everyone loves to invent and everyone loves to explore," "Respect and wealth are earned through ability"...

These words, like the resounding toll of a bell, challenged his decades-old, ingrained beliefs.

In the Yuan Dynasty, skilled craftsmen might be able to make a living, but they had no political standing. Their families were "state slaves" bound to the craftsman register for generations, with no hope or dignity whatsoever.

Ma Hua spent half his life casting cannons and bronze vessels; how could he dare to hope for a "comeback," let alone "eternal admiration"?
It wasn't until Zhou Wendao tricked him into coming to the Red Flag Camp that he felt like a "person" for the first time.

But his greatest hope was simply to be able to work steadily and earn more tips.

"boom!!!"

The third shot fired, still missing the bullseye, but the landing point was much closer than the last one.

Ma Hua finally snapped out of his shock and contemplation. He understood that the marshal was spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones, to set an example! An indescribable excitement and sense of mission instantly filled his chest, dispelling all fear and humility.

He bowed deeply to the stone mountain once more, as if overturning a mountain of gold and a pillar of jade, his voice choked with emotion, yet exceptionally firm:
"Marshal! Marshal! I am old and inexperienced, and I fear I will not be fortunate enough to witness the day when craftsmen are truly revered for generations to come. But the Marshal does not despise my humble status, entrusting me with important responsibilities, bestowing upon me generous rewards, and entrusting me with such a grand vision."

Although I am foolish and dull, I know the kindness of being recognized and appreciated, and I will do my utmost in my remaining years to serve the Marshal with all my might!
"We must spread the Marshal's grace and expectations far and wide, and let the whole world know that in the Red Flag Battalion, under the Marshal's command, the craftsman's ingenuity and sweat are worth a thousand pieces of gold and ten thousand pounds of weight! I must personally witness countless talented individuals vying to join us and contribute to this great undertaking!"

"Haha, good! Well said!"

Shishan patted the old craftsman's strong arm again, laughed heartily, and said:

"Our ancient ancestors ate raw meat and drank blood, and even the sages of antiquity could only wear animal skins and live in thatched huts. But nowadays, even ordinary people, as long as they have some money, can travel by car and live in tiled houses to shelter them from the wind and rain."

What has enabled this monumental transformation? It is the result of generations of craftsmen's tireless dedication and continuous improvement. The times have already changed because of you. The future will surely change even faster because of you!

"boom!!!"

The fourth cannon shot added a powerful and resounding footnote to Shishan's words.

As the smoke slowly dissipated, everyone looked into the distance and saw that although the wooden target two miles away had not been destroyed, the shot had indeed hit its mark!

"Hahaha! I won again! I won again!!"

Tao Chengdao excitedly dropped the torch again, and like a child who had discovered a new toy, he jumped and cheered on the launch site where the smoke of battle had not yet dissipated, waving his arms and legs.

Sunlight shone on his face, which was covered in soot yet gleamed, and also on the two bronze cannons that symbolized power and change.

……

Note: The units of measurement such as jin, li, and zhang mentioned in this chapter differ significantly between the Yuan system and the current system, making conversion quite complicated and not conducive to readers unfamiliar with the Yuan system. Therefore, the current system is used directly here. Those who are particular about historical research, please do not worry about it.

(End of this chapter)