Compared with the excitement brought by Qin Xuan's appearance, the following archery will be much boring. This is for the purpose of passing the level, not a confrontational game, and the spectacle is much less, but after seeing There are exciting places, and cheers erupt from the crowd from time to time, but the number of people is obviously much smaller. His excitement of hitting the bullseye again and again is much less attractive than the current target card, which is a big circle. .
"Brother Zhengu, please stop praising me. My throwing stones is child's play. I can't reach the level of refinement. It's no better than your bow and arrow. You are the first person to pass the level shooting test. My level shooting test is probably just a show. The previous I just drank a bowl of porridge. I'm a little hungry. The test is only half done. Let's eat something first."
Qin Xuan said with a smile. He got a bag off the horse. After opening it, it contained roasted brown shortbread and oily braised chicken wrapped in oil paper. Archery is a strenuous job. He eats at four or five in the morning. Zhai Tan wrote in the military camp There wasn't much room to eat, and when he saw the food Qin Xuan took out, his stomach growled uncontrollably.
"Haha Jingyuan is really well-prepared and has brought all the food. I'm really a little hungry now. I saw someone selling bean curd with a load over there. I'll buy two bowls of it," Zhai Tanzhuan said.
"Let's take our things and go to the bean curd stall to eat. It's a bit unsightly here," Qin Xuan said with a smile.
This martial arts competition was held outside the city, and there were at least nearly 10,000 people who came to watch it. Some small businessmen carried home-made products such as tofu curds, rice porridge, Hu cakes, sweet soy milk, etc., and even some The barbecue stalls were placed not far away from the crowd of spectators, and there were quite a few people there to eat. Besides, there was a morning market three miles away from Mingde Gate, and some food stalls came directly to the martial arts competition. In the examination room, they continued their business. There were many people around each stall, and the business was still very good.
There was no urban management in this era, but it didn't mean that there was no one to manage the stalls. There was a department that collected taxes from the city. The East and West Markets in Chang'an City were managed by the city secretary under Taifu Temple. Everyone who did business had to pay taxes. About now The tax is 1/30, which is not high, but every quarter the government must assess the prices of various items for sale based on the actual transaction prices and make them public. This price is uniformly set by the court. Anyone who dares to violate or evade taxes will be punished. Punishment and whipping are indispensable.
Qin Xuan's items were extremely expensive because they were not available in the Tang Dynasty before him. After the two parties agreed on the price, the City Secretary would set the price of the item based on their transaction price. According to this price The same is true for tax collection, high-quality liquor, glass, etc. The transaction price is assessed once a quarter, and the amount of tax money he pays is much higher than that of ordinary people.
These small vendors next to the martial arts examination room are all taxed by the city officials, and they are part-time vendors. They also collect zero-hour taxes based on the value of the items, one in thirty. Dare to Those who buy and sell secretly without paying taxes will be severely fined and punished if caught. Commercial tax has now become a focus of the imperial taxation. The market is slowly liberalizing and more people are doing business. In the past, , such mobile vendors are prohibited.
¡°Old man, give us two bowls of sesame oil and tofu pudding,¡± Zhai Tanzhuan said.
At present, there are several tofu pudding shops in Chang'an City, and the varieties of tofu pudding are also increasing. With chili, spicy tofu pudding, oily tofu pudding, sesame oil tofu pudding, sweet tofu pudding, etc., the taste is also very good, and many Changan people like it. As snacks and cooking oil gradually became more popular, fried dough sticks, fried dough cakes, fried steamed buns, scallion cakes, and tea eggs all appeared one after another. Many of these were attributed to Qin Xuan, who added a lot of breakfast snacks to Chang'an.
"Jingyuan, Anqingzong and the others even went to the examiner to protest about your private possession of armor, do you know about this?" Zhai Tanzhan asked while eating.
"Ignore them, they can't get involved in this matter. They are just clowns. That armor is not for my personal use. It is a new armor designed for the weapons supervisor. The examiners don't know." Qin Xuan said with a smile.
At this time, Qin Xuan's armor had been sent to Li Longji on the city gate floor. Naturally, he wanted to see what was unique about this new armor. At present, in the imperial army, there were still many soldiers with Leather armor and cotton armor are the main ones. Only military attach¨¦s of rank five or above can wear high-end armor such as Mingguang Armor. Soldiers are not so lucky. Moreover, Mingguang Armor is very heavy and expensive. It is very difficult to make and cannot be popularized. .
The combination armor designed by Qin Xuan can have many styles. Chain armor combined with leather armor can be suitable for soldiers to wear. Just use a small amount of chain armor on the joints. It is not only light but also has good protection, and the arms are all covered. Leather armor can be used for protection to reduce sword damage and minimize casualties.
"This Qin Xuan is really a fantastic idea. This chain armor is something I have never seen before. This kind of interlocking chain is like"If it's damaged, it's easy to repair. It's a good idea, not bad," Li Longji said.
"Father, is this different from the previous one?" Princess Xianyi asked.
"Yes, the current iron rings used for chain mail have to be hammered and fused by blacksmiths to form a ring. They are flattened, drilled, and connected with thin wires. Look at Qin Jingyuan's design. It's just a small iron ring. The joints don't need to be fused, but there is an extra section that overlaps together. When making it, you only need to make this iron ring separately, and then put one iron ring inside another. Even if one of them is broken, replace it with another one. Just a new one is enough, it is simple and convenient, and as long as there is an iron ring, the soldiers can repair it themselves," Li Longji said with emotion.
Qin Xuan's chain mail borrowed paper clips and key chain rings from his previous life, and used thin steel wire to make small iron rings. Four rings were placed up, down, left, and right in an iron ring. In this way, the circles were connected to form a chain mail. This is much simpler to make than the previous chain armor, and it is also much lighter. As for protecting swords, it is not a big problem. The protection against arrows at close range within twenty steps is still poor, but the long-distance protection of about a hundred steps is absolutely No problem. As for heavy weapons such as maces, even bright light armor can't withstand them, let alone chainmail.
"What do you mean, father, that anyone can make this chainmail, no need for specialized craftsmen?" Princess Xianyi asked curiously.
"That's right. This is just like sewing clothes. As long as the iron rings are prepared, anyone can make it. This kind of armor is the most convenient on the battlefield. It can be repaired at any time. You can just remove the broken iron rings with your bare hands. Just replace it. This chain armor can be used in combination with other armors. Look at this breastplate, it can completely protect the main parts. Even ordinary soldiers can also be used in combination with leather armor. Then my man of the Tang Dynasty It can reduce a lot of casualties on the battlefield," Li Longji said excitedly.
"I don't know what is in this Jingyuan's mind? He can think of things that others can't think of, and he makes complicated things simple. What a credit this is. If our army all wears this The armor is not invincible on the battlefield," Princess Xianyi said with a smile.
"This is not impossible, as long as the armor is not too heavy. For infantry, half-body armor is enough. Full-body armor affects their mobility. We lack horses, and it is not as good as those in Tubo and other places where they are all full of armor. Cavalry comes and goes like the wind. In our army, infantry is the main force, and cavalry is the auxiliary force. When infantry confronts cavalry, casualties are high. How to ensure that the damage suffered by infantry on the battlefield is reduced is the top priority. , Armor is the most critical point, especially armor that is well protected, lightweight and cheap. It seems that Qin Xuan is confident in solving this problem," Li Longji said.
Li Longji knew that with the emergence of muskets, it was impossible for current muskets to penetrate good armor. Lead bullets were obviously soft, but if iron egg pellets were used, they would not be able to protect against hard armor. Live, the long distance may be barely enough, but at a distance of about fifty steps, even bright light armor will not work. As for leather armor and cotton armor, let alone this.
Future wars are likely to be wars of muskets. As for bows and arrows, they will be eliminated and completely replaced by muskets and artillery. Then, in addition to muskets and a sword, the only equipment left for soldiers is protective armor, whether it is a sword or a sword. Muskets and armor are indispensable items and the main equipment in the army. On this point, Datang must be in the forefront.
It is necessary to use one generation, develop one generation, and pre-research the ideas of one generation. If Datang wants to prosper for a long time, it must not only have strong ideas, but also have a forward-looking vision. The cultivation of talents is an important issue for a country. Qin Xuan's ability to invent these is inseparable from his studies. A country cannot rely solely on officials. Farmers are important, craftsmen are equally important, and businessmen are equally important. If a country wants to have a good foundation, these shortcomings One thing is impossible, Li Longji thought to himself.
"Father, Qin Xuan is very capable in this area. He will definitely design good armor. My daughter sees that this piece of armor provides a direction for the craftsmen. According to this, they will definitely be able to create better and cheaper ones. "Here comes the armor," Princess Xianyi said.
"That's good, but have you ever thought about why Qin Jingyuan is so smart and can design so many good things?" Li Longji asked with a smile.
"This is not just because he has seen and learned a lot in his hometown," Princess Xianyi said with a smile.
"Well, he is a doctor, but he knows many things besides medical skills. But besides knowing medicinal materials, what else do our doctors know? Including officials and scholars, I guess some people may not know how food is grown. Yes, if the Tang Dynasty wants to be strong, we need a lot of talents like Qin Xuan, not those who know nothing but reading. A country does not become strong only by its scholars. It needs honest officials and smart craftsmen. , hard-working farmers, and smart businessmen, all of these are indispensable. Only with these talents can Datang Dynasty endure forever," Li Longji said.
"Father, do you want to cultivate more talents in all aspects like a medical university?"Craftsmen, hard-working farmers, and smart businessmen are all indispensable. Only with these talents can the Tang Dynasty continue to prosper forever," Li Longji said.
"Father, do you want to cultivate more talents in all aspects like a medical university?"