Chapter 435: Do it to the extreme
Chapter 435: Do it to the extreme
The one who was keeping an eye on the Liu family was none other than Li Qiliang, the Sima of Wu County.
Ever since the previous threat at the dock, Xiao Xia unexpectedly discovered that Li Qiliang had no background. He was born in a small landlord family in Changshu County. He passed the imperial examination ten years ago and has been serving as a county official in various parts of the Central Plains. Six years ago, his father passed away, and he returned home to observe mourning. Three years ago, the mourning period ended and he was appointed Sima of Wu County by the court.
Xiao Xia decided to make use of Li Qiliang and gave him a task to keep an eye on the Liu family.
Li Qiliang did not disappoint Xiao Xia. For more than a month, he had been sending people to closely monitor the Liu family. Just a few days ago, Li Qiliang discovered that the Liu family suddenly sold off more than a dozen shops and restaurants at a low price. Li Qiliang immediately realized that this must mean that the Wei family was going to retreat, and he began to send his men to keep an eye on the Liu family day and night.
At dawn, Li Qiliang had just come out of the mansion when a subordinate who was squatting at the door ran up and reported a few words to Li Qiliang through the carriage window. Li Qiliang was startled and quickly wrote a note in the carriage and handed it to the subordinate, saying: "Go to Gaosheng Inn next to the East City Gate and give this note to Manager Zhao. Go quickly!"
The Gaosheng Inn next to the East City Gate is not an intelligence point of the General Administration's Office. It is an industry of the Jinling Xiao family in Wu County, temporarily used as a contact point for the Jiangnan Road General Administration's Office.
Soon, a carrier pigeon took off from the backyard of the inn and flew towards Jiangdu in the north.
It was already late autumn in early October, and there was a distinct sense of bleakness in the south of the Yangtze River. The weather was also turning cooler, with white frost appearing in the mornings and evenings.
In the afternoon, Xiao Xia once again witnessed the efforts of the craftsmen in the artisan area of the military camp.
A big firecracker stood in the box. The soldier lit the straw and ran away quickly. The fuse was lit at the same time and burned quickly. In just a moment, there was a loud "bang!" and the firecracker exploded into pieces.
Finally they succeeded. A dozen craftsmen hugged each other and jumped up and down, tears coming out. The chief craftsman Shao Fa was so excited that he covered his face and cried with joy.
In fact, this was the second explosion, but the first explosion might have been accidental. Only when the same process is used for the second explosion can it be called a success.
Xiao Xia nodded and said to Shao Fa with a smile: "Each of you will be rewarded with 30 strings of cash. Summarize your experience and continue researching after the saltpeter arrives!"
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness!"
Xiao Xia then left the craftsmen's area, thought for a moment, and said to Wang Pu, the commander of the Military Equipment Department who was accompanying him, "Give me a list of all the craftsmen who participated in the development of gunpowder!"
"I will go now!"
Wang Pu turned around and went back, and Xiao Xia returned to the General Manager's Mansion.
As soon as he sat down, Fang Xuanling came in quickly and handed Xiao Xia a pigeon letter saying, "Your Highness, I just received a pigeon letter from Wujun. The Liu family has begun to evacuate. Twenty-five ships left the Liu family at midnight last night."
Xiao Xia read the pigeon letter and immediately ordered, "Hurry up and ask You Junda to come see me!"
Xiao Xia wanted to intimidate the counties in the south of the Yangtze River. It was not just as simple as driving Wei Yue away. He also wanted to thoroughly dig out the roots of the Wei family in the south of the Yangtze River, that is, the Liu family. Only in this way could the officials of the counties in the south of the Yangtze River see clearly that he was serious and not just going through the motions.
Since I have already fallen out with the Wei family, I might as well make it a complete mess.
Not long after, You Junda hurried to Xiao Xia's official room, knelt on one knee and saluted, "You Junda, your humble servant, pays respect to His Highness!"
Currently, You Junda leads 3,000 soldiers to be in charge of internal affairs, which is actually the predecessor of the Internal Guards. The imperial court also has Internal Guards. For example, the Left and Right Wuhou Guards that Xiao Xia once led are actually the Internal Guards.
Xiao Xia slowly said to him, "Last night, 25 tugboats sailed out of Wu County. They were the fleet of the powerful Liu family in Wu County. Leading the fleet was a 2,000-stone ship with a statue of the water god on the bow. Behind it were 24 ships fully loaded with cargo. The cargo should be the copper coins of the Wei family. You must lead 1,000 naval and land forces to the canal to intercept the fleet and confiscate it."
"I humbly obey my orders!"
Xiao Xia wrote another note and handed it to him, "After intercepting the cargo ship, rush to Wu County. Wu County Sima Li Qiliang will cooperate with you. I have sent someone ahead. He will wait for you outside the city. You follow the steps on the note!" "I will definitely get it done!"
You Junda bowed and left in a hurry.
Soon, Wang Pu came and presented a list to Xiao Xia.
“Here is a list of all the craftsmen involved in the development of gunpowder!”
Xiao Xia nodded and said, "The gunpowder developed by these craftsmen is extremely secret and cannot be leaked out at all. You have to do three things well. First, sign a lifetime employment agreement with each craftsman and increase their monthly salary to 30 strings of cash. Shao Fa will give them 50 strings of cash per month. Second, explain to them clearly that if the secret of gunpowder is leaked out, their entire family will be executed. Let them know the seriousness of the consequences of leaking secrets. Third, provide each of them with housing, a two-acre yard, and bring their families over so that they can work for me with peace of mind."
Wang Pu hesitated for a moment and said, "I'll remember this!"
Seeing that he was still a little hesitant, Xiao Xia reminded him, "I'm not a philanthropic prince. I know very well who can get how much money. You don't understand my three rules. I don't blame you because you don't know what gunpowder is, but you must follow them to the letter!"
Wang Pu was really ashamed and said, "I completely understand and will carry it out to the letter."
After Wang Pu left, Xiao Xia walked to the window with his hands behind his back, thinking silently. Gunpowder is a double-edged sword, which can hurt others as well as oneself. Even in the future, the most strictly sealed military secrets will be leaked, just like the Sany Express.
This is the Sui Dynasty. Once large-scale production begins and it plays a huge role, and it is targeted by other forces, will it be possible to keep the secret?
People die for money. It is impossible for every craftsman to stick to his principles under the temptation of huge profits, especially when they are threatened with kidnapping their families, they will be even less likely to keep secrets.
Just like the firearms of the Song Dynasty, as soon as the use of fire caltrops on the battlefield, the Khitans obtained saltpeter and sulfur through smuggling and began to make fire caltrops.
After learning the Song Dynasty's clay pot fireball, the Jin Dynasty quickly upgraded it to an iron cannon, and finally transformed it into a powerful thunder bomb.
In the Middle Ages, various military leaks were commonplace. At most, the other party could not obtain the raw materials and could not use them on a large scale.
Just like the weapons of the Sui and Tang dynasties, couldn't the Turks and Huihe learn it? It was just that their pig iron production was too low.
The best way to avoid being targeted by the enemy is to reduce the lethality of gunpowder, use it as an accelerant, and develop it into a combustible weapon. In this way, its explosive properties can be used at a later stage, when the war is almost over.
What we can do is to delay its leakage as much as possible, and this requires strict regulations.
Xiao Xia sat down and began to write a set of rules, "Regulations for the Production and Use of Gunpowder."
In Piling County, You Junda led a thousand soldiers to set up a dragnet on the canal, patiently waiting for the arrival of prey. Judging from the time, the fleet had already arrived in Piling County, unless they sailed at night most of the time and hid somewhere to rest during the day, but it was impossible to think about it. The other party could not know that there was an ambush waiting for them. If they knew there was an ambush, they would not sail.
"General, look, is that the fleet?" a soldier shouted, pointing at one in the distance.
You Junda hurriedly looked into the distance. There were many ships traveling on the canal, and countless ships were moored by the shore. He saw a fleet in the distance sailing towards this side.
The one leading the way was indeed a boat, with wheels turning, white waves surging, and a rumbling sound that could be heard from far away. More importantly, a statue of a river god stood on the bow.
You Junda silently counted the ships, and there were indeed twenty-five of them. That was it.
You Junda immediately ordered: "Prepare to intercept!"
(End of this chapter)