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Text Chapter 16 Flintlock

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    This time he sent troops to Egypt to contain the Arabs and rescue Byzantium. Du Rui did not intend to lead the troops himself. Firstly, the battle was not difficult. Secondly, the new emperor ascended the throne and the government was unstable. Du Rui sat in the position of chief minister.  , I don¡¯t know how many people in the world have warm eyes and heartbeats. Once he leaves Chang¡¯an for a long time, who knows what will happen.

    Du Rui's favorite for sending troops this time was Xue Rengui. After the military restructuring, Xue Rengui was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Liaodong Military Region. He had 200,000 Liaodong troops under his command to guard the north and numerous fierce generals. Historically, Xue Rengui conquered three Koreas during the reign of Emperor Gaozong.  With great fame, he also attacked the Turks in the north and made countless military exploits for the Tang Dynasty. With him as the commander-in-chief, Du Rui also wanted to give him a chance to perform. After all, since the Yonghui Dynasty, Xue Rengui had not only fought with the Tungus people in the north, but also with the Mohe people.  Outside of fighting, there are not many opportunities for performance, and Du Rui also wants to take this opportunity to allow his sister Du Yunxi to return to Chang'an and reunite the whole family.

    Actually speaking, Su Lin is more suitable than Xue Rengui. After all, the legion led by Su Lin is guarding Central Asia. The climate, water and soil in Central Asia is similar to Africa, and the soldiers can withstand the heat.

    But Su Lin¡¯s position cannot be easily moved. Once the Tang Dynasty attacks Egypt, there is no guarantee that Yezid I will not come up with a trick to encircle Wei and rescue Zhao. Once the army reaches Central Asia, no one will be able to stop it.

    In the end, after much thought, Du Rui gave Xue Rengui the head coaching job this time. According to Du Rui's plan, this battle will mobilize 30,000 Liaodong Army, 30,000 Central and Southern Army, 30,000 Forbidden Army, 30,000 Tianzhu Army, and 30,000 Central Asian Army.  Ten thousand, a total of 150,000 troops and 3,000 battleships.

    Du Rui was in the cabinet discussing the dispatch of troops with Liu Rengui and Wang Xuance when he saw an assistant officer coming in and whispered a few words in Du Rui's ear.

    Hearing this, Du Rui's eyes suddenly widened, he looked at the official, with unconcealable excitement on his face, and said: "Seriously!"

    The assistant officer hurriedly replied: "How many of you are brave enough to deceive the Duke of the country? Just now Master Zhang sent someone to report it. With these words, I expected Master Zhang to be stable and there should be no difference!"

    Liu Rengui on the side saw this and said: "Master Du! But something important happened!?"

    Du Rui said happily: "It's not just a big event, it's a happy event. It's a huge happy event. Mr. Liu and Mr. Wang, let's discuss this today and accompany me to the Ordnance Department to see the most powerful weapon!"

    An excellent weapon!  ?

    Liu Rengui and Wang Xuance looked at each other, and they couldn't figure out what it was that could actually make people like Du Rui lose their composure. They had seen a lot of sharp weapons, such as the Tang Dynasty's standard military crossbow, Mo Dao.  It can be called a sharp weapon. Is there anything that can surpass the powerful crossbow and Mo Dao?

    With doubts in their hearts, the two of them followed Du Rui out and mounted their horses, heading towards the Arms Department. As soon as they arrived outside the door of the Arms Department, the three of them heard Zhang Yanshuo's laughter.

    " Du Rui felt helpless. This disciple of his had been obsessed with firearms since he was a child. Especially after Du Rui showed him the power of gunpowder, he became a little crazy.

    Du Rui just followed Zhang Yanshuo and told him about the general direction of the development of thermal weapons. What he didn't expect was that Zhang Yanshuo actually forged artillery when Du Rui went on a long trip to the sea, although the artillery fire at that time was all solid.  Although the bomb has great deterrence, its lethality is pitifully small. At most, it can only enhance the momentum, but after all, it is a big step forward from cold weapons to the era of hot weapons.

    Over the years, Zhang Yanshuo has never stopped developing firearms. He doesn't feel satisfied without injuring himself twice a year. Not only is he crazy, but even his twelve-year-old son Zhang Bo is affected by him.  He developed a great interest in firearms and spent every day bored in the Arms Department without going anywhere.

    "This lunatic must have created something new!" Liu Rengui said with a smile as he walked inside.

    Wang Xuance also laughed: "What on earth is it? Just go in and have a look, but don't let it be the same thing as last time. If it is that thing, I will take it far away!"

    Last time, Zhang Yanshuo followed Du Rui's instructions and fiddled with the grenade. As a result, the fuse burned too fast and almost killed someone. Wang Xuance was nearby at the time. If he hadn't been able to hide quickly, he would have ended up in the Hall of Heroes.

    After the last accident, Du Rui didn't dare to let Zhang Yanshuo mess around in Chang'an City anymore. It would be terrible if the people were injured, so he moved the entire Ordnance Department outside the city, found an open space, and let them go.  toss.

    Du Rui didn't say anything despite Liu Rengui and Wang Xuance's teasing. He knew very well that it was not easy for these veteran generals to accept firearms. What they advocated was hand-to-hand combat, and even the artillery was very important to them.  Exclusion is just a decoration during the siege.

    But Du Rui is confident that if Zhang Yanshuo really follows his instructions,?If that thing is made, it will definitely surprise Liu Rengui and Wang Xuance.

    Walking in, Du Rui saw Zhang Yanshuo at a glance. He was naked with his upper body exposed, and his strong muscles were shining under the firelight. Du Rui felt angry and funny at the same time.

    When Zhang Yanshuo saw Du Rui arriving, he quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply: "Disciple pays homage to my mentor!"

    Du Rui looked at Zhang Yanshuo and said, "You are also a third-rank official in the court, so what will happen if you don't pay attention to appearance!"

    Zhang Yanshuo noticed this and scratched his hair in embarrassment. He was originally not good at words, but now that Du Rui said it, he didn't know what to do.

    Zhang Bo on the side saw this and said hurriedly: "Master! Didn't Master teach dad to be a man of his own accord? Why is it wrong again today!"

    The person Zhang Yanshuo respected the most in his life was Du Rui. Seeing that his boy dared to refute Du Rui's words, he immediately became angry and glared: "What nonsense are you talking about? It's your turn to talk!"

    When Zhang Bo saw him, he lowered his head, stuck out his tongue and did not dare to speak.

    Du Rui was not angry, but rather liked the child, saying: "Yes! It was the master who made a mistake, Yan Shuo! Don't blame the child, did you really make that thing!?"

    When Zhang Yanshuo heard Du Rui ask about this, his eyes suddenly lit up. He turned around and took a long object and handed it to Du Rui: "Disciple, you are lucky to have lived up to your fate. Please take a look at it, teacher!"

    Others would not be able to tell what this thing is, but after Du Rui took it, he couldn't hide the excitement on his face. Although it looked simple, it was an epoch-making thing, and it had a very loud name in later generations.  Flintlock gun.

    In the original history, the world's first flintlock gun was invented by Frenchman Mahan, who was born in a family of gunsmiths, locksmiths and watchmakers in 1547. It was an improvement on the revolving musket.

    The flintlock gun removes the spring steel wheel, clamps a flint on the jaw of the hammer, and has an anvil next to the fire hole. When shooting, the trigger is pulled, and under the action of the spring, the flint is hit hard on the fire.  Sparks appear next to the door, igniting the gunpowder and firing, which greatly simplifies the shooting process, improves the firing rate and shooting accuracy, is easy to use, and has low cost, making it convenient for mass production.

    In the middle of the 17th century, many European armies were generally equipped with flintlock muskets, which lasted for more than 200 years until 1848.

    The principle of the musket that Du Rui handed to Zhang Yanshuo was a flintlock gun. Du Rui originally thought that Zhang Yanshuo would have to develop it for at least many years before he could make it. However, he did not expect that Zhang Yanshuo succeeded so quickly, allowing Datang's hot weapons to directly  Beyond the matchlock and revolving musket, we entered the era of flintlock muskets. In Du Rui's eyes, revolving muskets were complex in structure, expensive to manufacture, and could not fire reliably when the steel wheel was contaminated.

    Because of these shortcomings of the revolver, Mahan in history finally removed the clockwork steel wheel and clamped a flint on the jaw of the hammer.  He also had an anvil next to the fire hole. If he needed to shoot, he would pull the trigger, and under the action of the spring, he would hit the flint heavily on the side of the fire door, causing sparks to ignite the gunpowder.  This kind of firing mechanism is called a percussion flintlock machine, and firearms equipped with a percussion flintlock mechanism are called percussion flintlock guns.

    The advantages of the percussion flintlock gun are self-evident. It greatly simplifies the shooting process, improves the firing rate and shooting accuracy, is easy to use, and has low cost, making it convenient for mass production.

    Historically, Mahan's invention won the French a reputation in Europe, and French King Henry IV couldn't help but be overjoyed.  In 1598, Henry IV summoned Mahan for this purpose. He was surprised to find that the inventor of the flintlock gun could not only invent firearms, but was also a rare genius in the fields of painting and sculpture.  Henry IV then appointed Mahan as his "valet".  Mahan's fate was rewritten, but the fate of the flintlock was not so smooth.

    In 1610, Henry IV was assassinated with a knife on his way to visit his minister Sully in a carriage.  With the death of Henry IV, progress in equipping troops with fusiliers stalled.  Many French generals opposed the equipping of flintlock muskets on the grounds that "the sparks from the flint were not sufficient to ignite the black powder."

    But the flow of history is unstoppable.  In the mid-17th century, many European armies began to equip flintlock muskets.  What is shocking is that after the flintlock gun was equipped with the army, it was out of control. It was not used until 1848.

    The basic structure of a flintlock gun is not complicated. Just like a musket, the flint on the hammer is used to generate sparks to ignite the gunpowder.

    The current technological capabilities of the Tang Dynasty are not enough to manufacture reloading muskets, but under the guidance of Du Rui, this front-loading flintlock gun completely abandons the history of the birth of the flintlock gun when firing.  , the tedious steps when loading projectiles, history.?For the earliest flintlock gun, before it happened, you had to put the projectile into the bore, use a wooden hammer to hit the projectile stick, and push the bullet into the bore. This was very time-consuming and meant a waste of life on the battlefield.

    So Du Rui adopted a method of accelerated loading created by later American gunsmiths, using linen cloth or deerskin pieces dipped in grease to wrap the projectiles and load them into the bore, which reduced friction, not only accelerated the loading speed, but also made the  When it comes to the apnea effect, the accuracy increases and the range increases.

    The flintlock gun appeared on the land of China for the first time in history. It was made by Bi Maokang, a firearms researcher in the Ming Dynasty. Its structure and performance are not much different from the previous bird muskets, mainly because of the improved firing device.  The emergence of self-generating fire guns improved the match rope ignition method used in China for more than 200 years to flint ignition.  This is a major innovation in the history of Chinese firearms, because there are many shortcomings in using a match rope to ignite fire. In windy and rainy weather, the gunpowder in the fire door is either blown away by the wind or wet by the rain, so that it cannot be fired, and sometimes the aim is not correct.  , it was misplaced prematurely.  Bi Maokang recorded an impact-type flintlock gun. When the trigger tap was pressed down, it ignited due to the friction between the spring and the flint.  In this way, it not only overcomes the difficulties caused by wind and rain on shooting, but also eliminates the need to press the faucet with your hands, making the aim more accurate and firing at any time.  The flintlock gun is equipped with an automatic flint ignition device. It is not afraid of wind and rain and does not need to be ignited in advance. The firing speed and accuracy are greatly improved.

    Nowadays, front-loading flintlock guns have been born thousands of years in advance, so breech-loading guns are naturally not far away. The first person in history to try breech-loading firearms and ammunition was the Frenchman Pauly. The bullets he tried had an ignition device.  , but it failed because the rear end of the barrel was not sealed and the gunpowder gas escaped from the back.

    In the 1830s, someone invented a paper-cased fixed-loading bullet that integrated the projectile, primer, and propellant into one, thus creating conditions for the birth of the breech-loading gun.  In 1835, the Prussian Dresser successfully invented the breech-loading rifle with the support of the military. This gun that loads ammunition from the rear of the barrel consists of a barrel, a bolt, a transmitter and a butt. It fires paper.  Shell custom-loaded bullets.

    When in use, the shooter uses the bolt to push the bullet into the gun chamber from behind. After pulling the trigger, the long rod-shaped firing pin on the bolt pierces the paper cartridge case, hits the primer, ignites the propellant, and ejects the projectile.  Because when the gun is fired, the firing pin penetrates the bottom of the paper cartridge case and strikes the primer, it is called a needle gun.  At the same time, because the bullets of this breech-loading gun need to be loaded into the gun chamber one by one, it is also called a "breech-loading single-shot gun."

    Throughout the history of the development of firearms in the world, the Chinese have been at the forefront at almost every point in time. Among China's four great inventions, the one that has had the greatest impact on the history of human war and killing, needless to say, is  Gunpowder.  The invention of gunpowder and its use in the military field are the most important innovations in the history of war. Before that, no matter how people explored the shape and tactical potential of weapons, they never jumped out of the circle of cold weapons. When it comes to gunpowder and manufacturing technology  After combining and appearing in the form of guns and cannons, the war pattern of mankind that has lasted for thousands of years since ancient times has been completely changed.

    The Chinese invented gunpowder, and were naturally the first to put gunpowder into the battlefield.  Gunpowder weapons appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty in history. The oldest gunpowder weapons are simply bombs and "rockets" that use the thrust of gunpowder to launch arrows.

    Thereafter, until the end of the 13th century, the mainstream gunpowder weapons on the Chinese battlefield were bombs.  Firearms, the ancestor of later generations of guns, appeared in 1132 and were crude artillery with bamboo tubes as tubes.

    A century later, when the Mongols invaded and the Jin Dynasty was on the verge of extinction, the Jin people invented the "flying musket". This weapon was then improved by the Song people. The most famous one was the "sudden musket" in 1259. These were the earliest firearms.  The range is quite short, only a few meters, and the only things it sprays are flames and iron sand, but in any case, in principle, these simple weapons are indeed the ancestors of countless firearms in the hundreds of years to come.

    However, contrary to what most people think, the materials used to make gun barrels in China were not strong enough at that time, which directly affected the power of the firearms. Therefore, barrel firearms were not used much on the battlefield at that time. They were used by the Jin and Song people.  The main thing to fight against each other and resist the Mongols was various projectile bombs, and these bombs were quickly learned by the Mongols and used in actual combat.

    The Mongols¡¯ Western Expedition brought terror and massacre from East Asia to West Asia and to the Mediterranean coast; but the expedition brought not only blood, but at the same time, China¡¯s advanced technology was also brought to the West.

    Before Europeans began to use firearms, the Arabs invented the motor method.  The word madafa is the Arabic name for a hand cannon used by infantry.  Different from the hand cannons used by cavalry, the motor method is designed for infantry, so the cannon body is fixed on a thick and long wooden stick. When using it, hold the cannon body with your left hand, clamp the wooden stick under your arm, and then use a piece of  Coal, a length of match rope, or??A strip of red-hot metal stretched through the fire door.

    The Arabs learned how to make and use gunpowder and firearms from the Mongols. Soon, these technologies were brought to Spain through the "exchange" of the Crusaders and the Arabs in North Africa.  When European Christians also mastered firearms through these "exchanges", the situation of European wars slowly but surely began to change.

    In the early days of the use of firearms in Europe, these simple firearms could not stand alone in battle.  Even after the open-fire gun appeared, its insufficient range and long loading time made it unable to compete with crossbows in actual combat.

    The loading process of an open flame gun is quite cumbersome. First, measure a certain amount of gunpowder and put it into the barrel, then put the lead bullet, stuff some rags to fix the bullet and gunpowder, and then fill it with another refined gunpowder.  Powder pool, and then fix the match rope to the trigger, open the powder pool, aim, and fire.

    In the above process, an accident at any step will prevent the projectile from being successfully launched. If it is successfully launched, the projectile weighing less than one ounce will fly out of the barrel with a muzzle velocity of about 800 feet per second, and then there is a half probability  It can hit soldiers who are close together at a distance of 100 yards, and it can fire one shot per minute, which is very good.

    People have long begun to try to make up for these shortcomings of open-fire guns.  In addition to inventing the matchlock trigger, the Spaniards in the second half of the 15th century also made a series of modifications to the open-fire gun.  In addition to simply enlarging it, the two most important improvements are: adding a rear sight to ensure the accuracy of aiming.  And the combination of V-shaped spring and gear is used instead of a simple lever, which can keep the match rope clip firmly in the ready state, increase the trigger force and reduce the risk of fire.

    At the beginning of the 16th century, with the development of clocks and other mechanical processes, some whimsical inventors tried to use these machines in firearms, and the revolver pistol was born.

    The so-called runner fire pistol is to replace the matchlock clip of the ordinary matchlock pistol with a snail-shaped spring and a large metal runner. Use the right thumb to pull the hammer, tighten the spring, and the spring drives the rotation when the trigger is pulled.  The wheel rotates at high speed and rubs against the spring leaf or other metal sheet on the fire door to generate sparks for ignition.  This mechanism is complex, expensive, and difficult to repair, but it is beautiful and easy to use.  Although it is difficult to use as a mass-equipped weapon, for cavalry, this kind of gun allows them to avoid the trouble of sudden flameout of the match rope during high-speed horseback fighting.

    Naturally, the revolving musket is not perfect, so the birth of the flintlock gun came later. The wide application of the flintlock gun greatly accelerated the process of eliminating cold weapons.

    " Hot weapons replace cold weapons. This is an irreversible trend in history. What Du Rui is doing now is to accelerate this trend and even develop it by leaps and bounds. Only in this way can Datang's absolute advantage on the battlefield be ensured.

    Liu Rengui and Wang Xuance on the side saw Du Rui holding a fire stick and did not say anything. They just stood there. Liu Rengui finally couldn't help but asked: "My lord! Is this the magic weapon you said!?"

    Du Rui woke up with a start and said with a smile: "Master Liu! Master Wang! You don't think this thing looks inconspicuous, but when it comes to the battlefield, he can kill people!"

    Can kill people!  ?

    Liu Rengui thought about it for a long time, but he still couldn't figure out how to kill people with this fire stick. Could he use this thing to hit the head and kill the person?

    Fortunately, Liu Rengui knew that Du Rui had millions of strange thoughts in his mind, so he remained silent and waited for Du Rui to explain.

    Du Rui naturally knew what Liu Rengui was thinking, so he handed the flintlock gun to Zhang Yanshuo and said, "Come and demonstrate!"

    Before Zhang Yanshuo could catch it, the flintlock gun was snatched away by Zhang Bo: "Master! It's better for my disciple to demonstrate it to you and the two adults!"

    Du Rui smiled and nodded, saying: "Okay! Be careful!"

    Everyone came outside together. There were soldiers guarding nearby who had already set up gun targets. The Arms Department was the weapon research unit of the Tang Dynasty, and there was no room for sloppiness. Now there are Hu merchants from all over the city gathered in Chang'an City. Who knows who among them is?  It would be a big deal if there were no spies from the enemy country to find out all the military secrets of the Tang Dynasty.

    Zhang Bo was explaining the launch steps while operating it. It was obvious that he was very skilled in the operation. It seems that he had completed the previous drills with his own hands.

    As Zhang Bo pulled the trigger, there was a thunderous sound of gold and stone. Liu Rengui and Wang Xuance were not prepared and were trembled by the huge noise. Both of them are also warriors on the battlefield, although they have been fighting for many years.  They have never experienced war, but I think back then, these two were the first-class generals of the Tang Dynasty.

    Liu Rengui once followed Du Rui to pacify the Three Koreas and the Japanese Kingdom, and Wang Xuance even defeated Tianzhu with a cobbled-together team.An army of hundreds of thousands of people.

    Now they were stunned by a flintlock gun. When the two of them reacted, apart from their embarrassment, they were only shocked because the target in the distance was blown to pieces at some point.

    Liu Rengui had seen the power of cannons. Although he had always stubbornly believed that close-quarters skills were more practical on the battlefield, and he looked down on firearms in his heart, seeing the huge power of the gun, Liu Rengui still sketched out the idea in his mind.  Got a picture.

    On the battlefield, tens of thousands of Tang troops carrying this magical weapon faced an opponent several times their size. They heard bursts of roaring sounds, and the opponent instantly flipped over and fell to the ground. What a spectacle it must have been.  .

    When Du Rui watched the flintlock gun successfully fired, he couldn't help but feel excited. Although this flintlock gun is insignificant compared with various gun products of later generations, history has developed and technology has continued to advance.

    Du Rui believes that as long as the foundation is laid for the Tang Dynasty, the firearms of the Tang Dynasty will definitely become more and more advanced in the future. Didn't Europeans also advance through constant exploration in history?

    Since Europeans in history were able to find their own path, now that the Tang Dynasty has the guidance of Du Rui, they may not be able to create a path that belongs to them in the future, and it will be faster than Westerners.

    The era of hot weapons will replace the era of cold weapons. This is also the general trend.

    In the era of hot weapons, armies equipped with advanced firearms basically have an absolute advantage on the battlefield when fighting against civilizations with cold weapons.

    During the Second Opium War, when Senggelinqin's Mongolian cavalry charged against the British and French forces, they were completely exposed to the artillery fire of the British and French troops. It was a bloody massacre. The Mongolian cavalry was brave and good at fighting, but it could no longer compete with enemies with modern equipment.  There was a fight, and in the end almost the whole army was annihilated.  Using cold weapons tactics to deal with guns and artillery, it was a blessing that Prince Monk survived. There were more than 30,000 cavalry, but only a few were left in the end.

    In the era of cold weapons, economic and technological progress do not seem to be directly related to victory or defeat.  The outcome of the war seems to have little to do with the advancement of civilization. On the contrary, it is often the victory of barbarian nations over advanced nations.

    ??In the main axis of the history of human civilization before the industrial revolution, it was basically backward civilization that finally conquered advanced civilization.  Although advanced civilizations may dominate surrounding backward civilizations for a period of time, for example, the Roman Empire once took the Gauls as slaves.  However, the Roman Empire eventually fell to the Germans.

    Ancient Greece is the cradle of modern Western civilization. During the glorious years of ancient Greek civilization, the Romans were basically still in a state of ignorance.  However, it was the Romans who finally defeated the city-states of ancient Greece one by one.  When that Roman soldier killed Archimedes, he may not have known that this was one of the greatest scientists in human history, the most outstanding scientist in ancient Greece.

    The Persians conquered Egypt, the Romans conquered ancient Greece, the Germans conquered the ancient Romans, and the Mongols conquered the Chinese. Why were these advanced civilizations conquered by civilizations that were more backward than them?  When these barbarian nations conquered advanced civilization, their own culture was still very backward. After conquering advanced civilization, they learned more civilizational achievements from the conquered.

    The ancient Romans believed themselves to be the successors of ancient Greek civilization, and the Germans believed themselves to be the successors of ancient Roman civilization.  This is unimaginable in modern times. If a country does not have technological and economic advantages over its opponents, it is almost impossible to defeat the opponent.

    Precisely because of people¡¯s understanding of the rules of the modern war game, many Chinese people in later generations, including historians, are very puzzled by the history that took place in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and felt deeply humiliated.

    When people were humiliated, they unthinkingly blamed the historical responsibility for the loss of the country on the rulers or ruling groups at that time.  attributed to the political system and cultural traditions of the time.  In addition, the Song Dynasty was the first dynasty in Chinese history that allowed barbarian peoples to occupy and implement brutal rule. People after the Song Dynasty unthinkingly made the Song Dynasty bear all the responsibility for the decline of Chinese civilization.

    Even though the Ming Dynasty was eventually replaced by the Jurchens, many historians still place some of the blame on the Song Dynasty.  This is actually a kind of prejudice or ignorance of history.  As long as we calm down a little and carefully examine the Twenty-Four Histories, we may be more tolerant of the Song Dynasty.

    Throughout Chinese history, it is almost an unwritten rule that the forces in the north will defeat the forces in the south and ultimately gain power.  It is basically the main axis of China's political evolution.  When the Shang tribe became the masters of the Central Plains, the Zhou tribe was located in a remote area of ??what is now Shaanxi, neighboring barbarians such as the Yi and Di. However, it was this tribe that eventually replaced the Shang tribe and became the masters of China.

    When the Qi, Lu, Jin, Zheng and other countries in the Central Plains were busy competing with each other, that year Zhou DynastyThe Qin tribe appeared near where the tribe flourished. It was also located in a remote area of ??northwest China, adjacent to the Yi and Di. The geographical environment and ecological environment seemed to be quite different from those in the Central Plains. However, history chose the Qin State to unify China.

    Many subsequent histories seem to have repeatedly proved that once the north and the south confront each other, the north will ultimately win. Chu and Han fight, and in the end the Han in the north defeats the Chu in the south; in the Three Kingdoms era, the Jin in the north finally eliminated the south.  Wu and Shu; the Southern and Northern Dynasties ended because the Sui in the north finally eliminated the Chen in the south and unified them; at the end of the Five Dynasties, the Song in the north eliminated the Southern Tang, Wuyue, and Bashu and unified them; at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Jin in the north eliminated the south  The Song Dynasty; at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty in the north destroyed the Song Dynasty in the south; the only exception was the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty in the south defeated the Yuan Dynasty in the north and established Nanjing as its capital.  Defeated Emperor Jianwen in the south; finally, the Qing Dynasty in the north wiped out the small Ming dynasties in the south; Hong Xiuquan went to Nanjing to make his capital, and finally added another example for the north to defeat the south.

    In the era of cold weapons, wars require hand-to-hand combat between soldiers to determine the outcome of the battle. Soldiers' fighting will, physical fitness, weapons, tactics, and strategies are the key to victory or defeat in battle.

    During the Spring and Autumn Period, the strength of vassal states was often expressed by the number of chariots. The so-called country with ten thousand leftovers was a big country, a country with a thousand leftovers was a medium country, and the third was a small country.  This kind of army, which uses chariots as its basic combat element, is not mobile enough in battle, and often only gets beaten when faced with the impact of Hu cavalry.  Therefore, King Wuling of Zhao implemented Hufu cavalry and archery, making cavalry the basic combat organization of China, thus basically reversing the shortcomings of traditional chariots, greatly improving the combat effectiveness of the Zhao army, and making Zhao a powerful country for a while.  Since then, the cavalry has played the most important role in Chinese affairs.  For the Han people in southern China, nothing is more frightening than the Mongolian cavalry and the Manchu cavalry.

    The most well-bred horses in China are Mongolian horses, and the best horse-raising areas are the Hetao area and the Hexi Corridor. This place has fertile land, humid climate, and is suitable for farming and animal husbandry. It is known as the Little Jiangnan in the North.  Therefore, the Hetao area is not only a place for horse breeding, but also the most important strategic corridor and place for garrisoning troops.  By owning this land, not only could the Song Dynasty's war horse problem be solved, but the desert could also be controlled when advancing, and the land could be defended when retreating.  However, since the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Dangxiang people have controlled the area, gradually operated it, and continued to grow in strength, and then competed with the Song Dynasty.  By the time of Li Hao, it had become the main foreign trouble of Song Dynasty.  The Song army used troops several times, and even if it was managed by the capable minister Fan Zhongyan himself, it did not achieve much and had to end in peace talks.  Losing control of the Hetao area is actually tantamount to losing the strategic advantage of the cold weapon era.

    In the era of cold weapons, battles were basically completed with cold weapons.  When both sides are evenly matched, the outcome of the battle is often not unexpected. If you want to create a miracle in war, you must find other means of warfare other than cold weapons.

    The battles of Guandu, Chibi, Yiling, and Panshe Valley were all won by surprise.  All four battles were fought with fire. Although it was not the era of hot weapons, the power of fire was skillfully used to achieve great victory.

    The economic and technological strength of the Song Dynasty greatly exceeded that of the Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties.  Based on this, it is concluded that the Song Dynasty can defeat the Liao, Jin, and Yuan Dynasties. This is the way of thinking about modern war.  The tragedy of the Song Dynasty was that it had not yet entered the era of hot weapon warfare. Although its economy and technology were the most advanced countries of that era, and although it invented gunpowder, it had not yet had time to manufacture powerful firearms.  It has not or has not found the right way to turn its technological and economic advantages into military advantages.  The amazing thing is that it is indeed not far from this point, perhaps only one step away.

    For Chinese civilization, the Song Dynasty can be said to be the most likely dynasty that can successfully maintain the advantages of Chinese civilization while absorbing advanced Western civilization and developing together with it.  Different from the national policies of other mainstream dynasties that emphasize the roots and suppress the weak, the national policy of the Song Dynasty is that of emphasizing literature, commerce, and trade. This is indeed an anomaly in Chinese history, and it is precisely the reason why the Song Dynasty is most criticized by later generations.

    The Song Dynasty was like a premature fetus that arrived at the wrong time. When it was about to give birth, it was stillborn due to external force.

    Du Rui is not sure that after him, no more nomadic peoples such as the Guifang, Xiongnu, Xianbei, Turks, Khitans, Jurchens, and Mongols will be born in the north of China.

    ¡°If by then, China is not prosperous, will history repeat itself again, with the land of China groaning under the iron hooves of the aliens?

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    " Du Rui will never allow such a thing to happen and let Chinese civilization regress, so he wants to add another lock to the safety door of Datang.

    "Master Liu! Master Wang! How do you like this?" Du Rui asked with a smile.

    ?Liu Rengui was already excited. He was deeply attracted by the scene outlined in his mind, and said: "Your Majesty! If the army of the Tang Dynasty could be equipped with ten thousand, twenty thousand, or even one hundred thousand such sharp weapons,  , who else is Datang¡¯s opponent during this time!¡±

    As Liu Rengui said this, he couldn't help but feel a little lucky. Because of his anger towards the imperial court, he was obsessed with making an enemy of the Tang Dynasty. Fortunately, with Du Rui's persuasion, he stopped at the brink. Otherwise, with this thing,  He had long since vanished into ashes.

    Wang Xuance did not rush to make a conclusion. He frowned and thought for a while before saying: "My lord! This thing is good, but I just saw Lord Zhang's son demonstrate it. It is very complicated to operate this thing, and I am afraid it will be difficult to use with the battle formation."  It plays such a big role!¡±

    When Du Rui heard this, he secretly praised it. It was indeed Wang Xuance. Wang Xuance saw the shortcomings of the flintlock gun at a glance, but there was nothing he could do about it. Du Rui didn't have the ability to let Datang master advanced firearms manufacturing technology all at once.  , let alone have the ability to create more powerful weapons for Datang. With this flintlock gun alone, I am afraid Zhang Yanshuo has not had a good rest for several months.

    "Master Wang! Everything is improved and perfected through constant use. Although this flintlock gun has flaws, I believe that as long as the capable people of the Tang Dynasty continue to study, they will one day be able to make it.  There is a better weapon than this flintlock to equip our Tang army!"

    When Wang Xuance heard this, he also knew that his statement just now was a bit biased, and hurriedly said: "I am just complaining. This~~~~~ flintlock gun is indeed a magic weapon. Even if it has shortcomings, if it is used on the battlefield  Above, combined with the cooperation of other arms, it is enough to scare the enemy! I just feel that if the operation process can be improved to make it easier to use, the power of this thing will be even greater!"

    Hearing this, Du Rui looked at Zhang Yanshuo and said with a smile: "Yanshuo! Did you hear that? Mr. Wang has high hopes for your flintlock gun. I also hope that you can continue your efforts to develop better firearms and serve the Tang Dynasty again."  Make new achievements!"

    Zhang Yanshuo was very excited when he received Du Rui's approval. His only hope has always been not to be promoted to an official position, nor to be granted the title of wife. The only thing he is looking forward to is to get Du Rui's approval. Hearing this, he hurriedly said: "  Don¡¯t worry, my mentor, my disciple will definitely live up to his high expectations. Even if the disciple is not good enough, there is still a dog, and one day he will definitely be able to develop a more powerful firearm!"

    Zhang Bo on the side also said: "Don't worry, Master! I will leave this matter to my disciple! I will definitely not disappoint Master!"

    Du Rui was even more happy when he heard this. This was the scene he wanted to see the most. What one generation cannot accomplish, as long as the next generation can continue to follow this goal, with the wisdom and wisdom of the descendants of Yan and Huang, there is nothing they can't accomplish.  Arrived.

    Liu Rengui and Wang Xuance went back temporarily after watching the demonstration of the flintlock gun, while Du Rui followed Zhang Yanshuo and others into the Arms Department.
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