Guo Ziyi seriously looked at the new helmets in his hands. Listening to Li An's introduction, he was suddenly filled with great interest in these new helmets. He very much hoped that his subordinates could be equipped with these new helmets to increase their combat power.
"Assistant Minister Li, how many of these new helmets do you have?"
Guo Ziyi asked.
"They're all here. There's a total of ten. There's no more."
Ang Lee replied with a smile.
"Only ten? That's too little. Assistant Minister Li, why don't you make more? With such good helmets, the fighting power of the Tang dynasty's army will definitely become stronger."
Guo Ziyi couldn't help but look forward to it.
"General Guo, I personally invested in the research, development, and manufacture of these. The more we manufacture, the greater the loss. The Imperial Court needs to research and equip many things now, so we can't spare enough resources to manufacture these unnecessary equipment."
Ang Lee said indifferently.
"Equipment is extremely important to the army. How can you say it's unnecessary? Equipping a good helmet will increase our combat power and reduce the number of casualties. "
Guo Ziyi didn't agree with Ang Lee's words.
Ang Lee shook his head and said seriously, "General Guo, you're wrong. The Turks are in chaos. The Shuofang army has nothing to do, so how can it be necessary? Also, General Guo, do you know where the Imperial Court has invested its resources? Plowers, harvesters, trains, steam ships, none of them are more important than the helmets. I made these helmets for you to test their effects. When we have more resources in the future, we can make them on a large scale. Right now, we don't have enough resources, so we can only choose the most important ones to make. "
"Assistant Minister Li, the Shuofang army isn't really idle. Although the Turks are in chaos and don't have the energy to go south, the Tang dynasty's army is always ready to go north. War can happen at any time."
Guo Ziyi explained.
"Go north to attack the Turks? If the Turks don't go south, you'll go and attack them. Is that okay? "
Ang Lee asked curiously.
"That's natural. Since the Turks can go south, our Tang dynasty's army can also go north. His Majesty has already agreed. As long as the Turks experience another major upheaval, our Shuofang army will immediately go north."
Guo Ziyi whispered.
"Oh, so Your Majesty also has plans for a northern expedition. However, no matter how many helmets we make, it won't increase our combat power by much. I'm currently researching and developing equipment that can greatly increase our combat power. Furthermore, I'll begin experimenting very soon."
Ang Lee also introduced in a low voice.
"Equipment that can greatly increase combat power? What is it? Can I have a look?"
Guo Ziyi's face was filled with anticipation.
"It's none other than the artillery I mentioned last time. This thing is extremely powerful, and its range is far greater than the existing crossbows and catapults. With the artillery, the Tang dynasty will no longer be afraid of any strong checkpoints."
Ang Lee explained and brought Guo Ziyi back to the research and development center.
"Assistant Minister Li, this is a big iron rod with two wheels in the middle. How can it kill the enemy?"
Guo Ziyi frowned at the sight of the artillery. He really couldn't see how this big iron rod was used.
"Haha! General Guo, this is the artillery I've developed. It's very powerful. I originally planned to use pure copper to make it, but considering that pure copper is too soft, I changed to steel. This way, the artillery is more powerful and cheaper to make. However, more research and development time has been wasted. "
Ang Lee smiled and looked at the researchers beside him. "How is it? There won't be any problems this time, right?"
"Assistant Minister Li, I personally supervised the production. There shouldn't be any problems this time."
Ang Lee nodded and said seriously, "Bring the horse here and take the artillery out for testing."
Although the artillery was very heavy, it could be pulled by a horse because of the iron wheels. Even a man could push it, but the speed would be a little slower.
In a test field of the research and development center, an earthen wall about six meters high and five feet thick was built. It was specially used to test the power of the artillery.
The location of the artillery was 500 steps away from the earthen wall, which was a very long distance.
"Assistant Minister Li, you're not going to use this big iron rod to blow down the earthen wall 500 steps away, are you?"
Guo Ziyi seemed to have seen through Ang Lee's purpose and felt very surprised.
In Lao Guo's opinion, the earthen wall 500 steps away was too far away for any weapon to reach such a distance. Moreover, even if it could reach such a distance, it might not be able to hit the target. Even if it could hit the target, its power would not be enough to knock down the earthen wall.
"Aim at the earthen wall and load the artillery shell."
Li An personally gave the order and stood ten steps away from the cannon to ensure their safety.
After the artillery was aimed at the earthen wall and fixed, a round solid iron ball was put into the artillery from the muzzle, and the gunpowder and fuse were put into the barrel.
"Ignite and fire."
Ang Lee ordered immediately.
"Boom …"
After a loud bang, a solid iron ball was thrown out and accurately hit the earthen wall 500 steps away.
"Crash …"
The earthen wall was hit with a dull cracking sound and quickly collapsed, raising a cloud of smoke and dust.
"It can hit the earthen wall 500 steps away and even break it down. The power of this artillery is beyond words. It's amazing."
After Guo Ziyi saw it, he was very excited. At first, he looked down on the cannon, thinking that it was just a big hollow iron rod. After testing it, he was completely convinced and believed that Li An was right. The cannon was indeed very powerful, and its practicality was far beyond the defensive nature of the new helmet.
"General Guo, it's not that powerful. This artillery is a solid iron ball, and I'm working on an explosive shell with gunpowder inside. In this way, the thrown shell can explode in the crowd of enemies and cause more damage."
Ang Lee said seriously.
"This artillery has just been developed. When can it be mass-produced?"
Guo Ziyi asked eagerly.
"As long as we have enough steel and money, it can be mass-produced at any time. After I report it to His Majesty, he will make the decision."
Ang Lee said in a low voice.
"Such a powerful artillery. We must make more of it. It's a great weapon to kill enemies!"
Lao Guo seemed to be more eager than Ang Lee.
"Don't worry, General Guo. General Guo, His Majesty will also see the power of this weapon and will definitely support mass production. However, the power of cannons is too great. It is a technical weapon and requires specially trained artillerymen to operate it. It will probably take some time to equip the army. "
Ang Lee told Guo Ziyi not to worry. The successful development of the artillery didn't mean that it could be ready for the army. It would take some time to run in and experiment.
"Haha! Old Guo finds that Assistant Minister Li is really a genius. He can even invent something like a cannon. That's amazing, really amazing. "
Guo Ziyi praised Ang Lee from the bottom of his heart. His admiration was indescribable. Although he was living in an era where only education was the most important thing, it still couldn't stop Guo Ziyi from admiring Ang Lee.
After all, the things that Li An invented were all important pieces of equipment that transcended eras. Apart from Li An, no one else would have thought of them even if they were dead.
"You are too kind, General Guo. It's nothing. I will invent more powerful equipment in the future, so that the Tang dynasty can easily wipe out a big country in a few months. A big country like Tibet can be wiped out in a few months."
Li An said proudly with longing.
"Wipe out Tibet in a few months? Assistant Minister Li, do you know how powerful Tibet is? That's impossible!"
Guo Ziyi's face was filled with astonishment. He really couldn't imagine what kind of divine weapon Li An could invent that could easily destroy the Tubo Empire in just a few months.
"Forget it. No matter how powerful the weapon is, it's only meaningful when it's created. It's still too early. Let's not talk about it. I will tell General Guo after it's created. "
Ang Lee felt that it was better not to reveal it. Moreover, even if he did, Guo Ziyi might not understand it. Bombers and tanks were not something that people in Guo Ziyi's era could understand.
Seeing that Li An suddenly didn't want to talk about it, Guo Ziyi didn't ask. He was more concerned about how to transport the equipment back to the north. When he came here, he only brought a few dozen cavalrymen. After getting the 2,000 solar stoves, he planned to rent a carriage to transport them back. But on the way here, he saw a lot of steam trains that were transporting iron rails. He felt that they were faster than carriages and had a stronger carrying capacity. So, he already had an idea.
"Assistant Minister Li, on the way here, I saw a lot of big cars transporting iron rails. They were much faster than carriages. What are those?"
Guo Ziyi asked.
"They are steam trucks! General Guo, please don't have any ideas about these steam trucks. We are lacking in capacity to lay the tracks. Currently, we have a large shortage of steam trucks. We don't have any extra for General Guo. "
Li An hurriedly spoke up, blocking Guo Ziyi's request.
After spending a lot of time together, Ang Lee knew Guo Ziyi's character very well. Now, as long as Guo Ziyi stuck out his butt, Ang Lee knew what he was going to do.
"I, Old Guo, don't want these things. I will return them after using them. I am in a hurry to return to the capital and didn't bring a supply team. It's not easy to transport so many things back. "
Guo Ziyi didn't give up.
"No, it's still not possible. General Guo, just give up! If you don't bring a supply team, you can hire a carriage from the capital! Lingzhou isn't far. We will definitely be able to return within a month. "
Li An would definitely not transfer the powerful steam trucks to Guo Ziyi. After all, the most important task at hand was to pave the way for Guo Ziyi. It was not very important for Guo Ziyi to return to Shuofang one day earlier or one day later.
"Hahaha! Okay, a carriage it is. It's rare for me to return to the capital. Assistant Minister Li, won't you treat me to a good drink? "
Guo Ziyi was generous. He tried his best to fight for it. If he couldn't, he wasn't angry. He didn't blame Ang Lee at all.
"Let's go. I have a lot of liquor stored in my villa. Whenever General Guo comes, I guarantee you will have a good drink. There are also fresh cucumbers, delicious roast goose, and limited edition beef."
Ang Lee certainly wouldn't be stingy. He took Guo Ziyi to his villa and treated him to a good meal.
The successful development of cannons was a very important event for the Tang Empire. The sensation it caused in the imperial court was no less than when gunpowder was invented.
Moreover, not long after the solid bullets were tested, the explosive bullets were also successfully developed and passed the cannon firing test.
Li Longji attached great importance to cannons. Not only did he personally lead the ministers to the research and development center to observe the firing test, but he also carefully inquired about all aspects of cannons.
"Your Majesty, cannons are very powerful and are much more convenient to move than catapults. If we can equip them on a large scale, it will greatly increase the combat power of the Tang Empire's army. We should build them in batches as soon as possible."
Li Shizhi was the first to suggest.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject agrees. Cannons are very powerful and should be built in batches."
"Your Majesty, this humble subject agrees."
After the ministers saw the great power of the cannons, they were all shocked by this powerful weapon. They asked the emperor to order the construction of cannons in batches to use this advanced weapon to deter the surrounding barbarians.
Of course, Li Longji was also very tempted. After seeing the great power of cannons with his own eyes, he was so shocked that he was speechless for a long time.
In ancient battlefields, the soldiers were arranged closely together to form an airtight formation. Such a dense formation had a great advantage when defending against the enemy's army. However, this also allowed the powerful catapults to be put to use. The power of cannons was far greater than catapults, and the range was even greater than catapults. Under such circumstances, the solid iron balls fired by the cannons would inevitably cause great damage to the enemy's dense formation.
After the explosive bullets fell into the enemy's group, they would cause a violent explosion. The killing range was even greater than that of solid bullets. In this way, it would inevitably cause more damage to the enemy.
The most pleasing thing about such a powerful cannon was that it was very small and equipped with two iron wheels on the bottom. It could be pulled by a horse to move quickly in the wilderness, thus increasing the tactical flexibility.
"Assistant Minister Li, I want to hear your opinion."
Li Longji looked at Ang Lee and asked.
"Your Majesty, the technology for cannons is already very mature and can be mass produced. However, the production of cannons is not easy and the price is relatively high. The requirements for operation are also not low. The cannons produced in batches in the early stages should all be equipped with the capital's soldiers. A specialized artillery unit should be formed and undergo strict professional training."
Ang Lee seriously replied.
"Artillery unit? Mm, that's a pretty domineering name. Good, I agree. I will select a portion of the Dragon Martial Army and Imperial Guard to form an artillery unit. I will leave this matter to Assistant Minister Li. "
Li Longji readily agreed to Ang Lee's request. After all, Ang Lee was an expert in this field. Naturally, Ang Lee would be responsible for everything.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your trust. This humble subject will definitely form the artillery unit well and not let Your Majesty down."
Li Anda expressed his loyalty and accepted the mission without hesitation.
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