It was July. Although the weather was still hot, it was much better than June. When it was August, although it was still a little hot under the sun during the day, it was much cooler in the house. It was very comfortable.
Du Qi was still in the imperial harem.
He was playing with the two children.
Du Qi had two slightly older children, Du Ye and Du Yan. He also had two younger children, Du Hu and Du Ya. The imperial harem was quite lively. Du Ye and Du Yan especially enjoyed playing with the children. It was especially comfortable.
Du Hu was almost four months old, and Du Ya was three months old.
The children were already fully grown.
They were chubby and adorable.
The child had a special wet nurse to look after him. Although Li Yanyun and Qianxue also took care of the child, after giving birth and the child was already this big, the two women's focus was still slightly less. They were more focused on the business of the palace treasury.
Du Qi did not care.
In any case, the children were good-looking, and the two women had things to do. With Du Ruhui teaching Du Ye and Du Yan, everything was running smoothly, so Du Qi just let it be and didn't bother with these things at all.
Du Qi had just finished playing with the children and returned to the palace when a servant entered and reported, "Your Majesty, Daoist Dan Yangzi requests an audience."
"Let him in!"
Du Qi ordered.
Du Qi was a little surprised that Dan Yangzi would take the initiative to request an audience. Dan Yangzi kept a very low profile. Most of the time, Dan Yangzi was in charge of the development of gunpowder, as well as the improvement of weapons like gunpowder. He focused on his research and did not have any other thoughts or matters.
When the University of Science and Technology moved, the gunpowder factory also began to move.
It was moved to the Imperial Capital.
Soon, Dan Yangzi entered the palace.
The current Dan Yangzi was completely different from his previous sage-like appearance. He no longer had the sage-like appearance of the past. In fact, his skin had become much darker, and his appearance had also become much older. After all, Dan Yangzi was in charge of the development of gunpowder. He was so busy that his feet barely touched the ground.
After Dan Yangzi stood still, he bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
The current Dan Yangzi also had an official rank.
He was a fourth-ranked official. In the imperial court, his rank was equivalent to that of an assistant minister, which wasn't considered low.
Dan Yangzi was also very satisfied with this.
Du Qi ordered them to take a seat, then said, "Daoist Dan Yangzi, what brings you to the palace today? You've been in charge of things in the pharmaceutical factory all year round, so it's rare for you to go out now. Previously, when the civil and military officials arrived, we held a banquet to welcome them. You were too busy to attend. Now that he has come out, there must be something important. "
Dan Yangzi said, "Your Majesty, I came here today to report two things, one bad and one good."
Du Qi said, "Just say it."
Dan Yangzi said, "The first thing is that this subject recently discovered that a gunpowder maker in the gunpowder factory has disappeared. At that time, when the gunpowder factory was moving, one of the gunpowder craftsmen said that his parents were ill and asked for leave for a period of time. This subject immediately approved it and arranged for someone to keep an eye on it. "
"At that time, I didn't notice anything. On the one hand, there were too many things to do. On the other hand, there were people keeping an eye on it. After all, when the people in the gunpowder factory went out or did things outside, there would always be people keeping an eye on them to ensure their whereabouts and ensure that the news didn't leak. "
"When we arrived in Sovereign Capital, everything began to run. When I did a headcount, I realized that the artisan who applied for leave had never come for roll call. I sensed that something was amiss, so I arranged for someone to investigate. Only then did I realize that the artisan had vanished along with his family."
Dan Yangzi said, "Your Majesty, such a major incident happened in the gunpowder factory and caused the news to leak. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
Du Qi narrowed his eyes. His gaze was sharp. It was obvious that someone had done this.
Otherwise, the person wouldn't have disappeared into thin air.
Du Qi said in a deep voice, "This person's disappearance means that our gunpowder recipe has been leaked."
Dan Yangzi said, "Your Majesty, that is indeed the case. Back when gunpowder was still in its infancy, this subject was the one who made it. However, as gunpowder became more widely used, there are now many people involved in making it. There is a group of people who know the recipe and configuration of gunpowder. The person who left also knows about it. "
Du Qi pondered for a moment and said, "It seems that the culprit must be the Tang dynasty."
Dan Yangzi's heart sank when he heard this.
The Tang dynasty was involved.
The crime he had committed was too great.
Plop!
Dan Yangzi immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed, "Your Majesty, this subject is guilty. Gunpowder is the foundation of Xia Xia's country and also Xia Xia's secret weapon. Now that the Tang dynasty has gotten their hands on it, it will inevitably lead to the Tang dynasty possessing gunpowder. This subject is guilty. Your Majesty, please punish me. "
At this moment, Dan Yangzi blamed himself very much.
The existence of gunpowder was related to Xia Xia's long-term stability. As long as Xia Xia had gunpowder. Du Qi wouldn't be afraid even if the Tang dynasty attacked. However, once the Tang dynasty also had gunpowder, the gap between the weapons of the two sides would be filled. It would be very difficult to suppress the Tang dynasty with gunpowder in the future.
Du Qi was a little upset when he heard this, but Du Qi also knew that there was no such thing as an airtight wall in the world. Since he had developed gunpowder, and the Tang dynasty had arranged people to inquire about it, one day, the Tang dynasty would get it. It was impossible to be foolproof all the time.
Fortunately, Xia Xia had gained a foothold in Tianzhu now.
He had really stabilized his situation.
Even if the Tang dynasty started a war, Du Qi wouldn't be afraid. After all, Du Qi now had enough strategic depth. All the states in the Western Region were Du Qi's frontlines, and they could resist the army of the Tang dynasty.
Du Qi stared at Dan Yangzi who was kneeling on the ground and said, "Dan Yangzi, you are indeed guilty. This incident will affect the war between Xia Xia and the Tang dynasty. Considering your merits, your merits offset your demerits. Your salary will be deducted for three months. "
"Ah!"
Dan Yangzi exclaimed in surprise.
The so-called merits offset demerits. In fact, it was equivalent to not punishing him. The so-called three-month salary penalty was just scratching an itch through one's boot. Such a punishment actually didn't have much impact.
Dan Yangzi took a deep breath and knew that Du Qi didn't want to punish him. But the more it was like this, the more guilty Dan Yangzi felt. He said, "Your Majesty, I'm guilty! I'm the sinner of Xia Xia. "
Du Qi looked at Dan Yangzi, who was crying and blaming himself, and said, "Dan Yangzi, Xia Xia didn't rely on gunpowder for a lifetime. The establishment of Xia Xia was built on the foundation of countless brave soldiers. "
"If gunpowder could ensure long-term stability, then we would be too lazy to govern the country. In the final analysis, it's still people. What's more, even if the Tang dynasty gets the weapon, it still won't have much impact on us. "
Du Qi said, "We have enough strength now. We're no longer afraid of the Tang dynasty. Well, get up now. "
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Dan Yangzi bowed and thanked him before getting up.
Du Qi said, "What's the second thing?"
Dan Yangzi replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, we've developed a new weapon with the help of many craftsmen in the School of Gunpowder. Dan Yangzi said, "Well, it's not a new weapon, because this weapon is the most basic cannon developed according to the history of cannon development given by Your Majesty."
"Hahaha …"
A smile appeared on Du Qi's face after he heard it.
Great, great!
You've actually developed a cannon.
In fact, the development of the cannon benefited from the improvement of the iron smelting technology. Because the smelting and forging of iron and steel had greatly improved, the use of minerals had also improved. Therefore, the final cannon was created.
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