Zhao Huan was very anxious about the paper money, but according to his own pace, he shouldn't focus too much energy on it now.
Although Zhao Huan was a bandit-like man who could fly into a rage when he lost his temper and seemed reckless in his actions, he definitely had his own plans.
At least he always had a main theme in his mind, and he wouldn't let other things lead him astray.
He has given Xu Churen and Shao Chengzhang ten days. If they don't finish, he will really sacrifice them with his blood!
He won't inquire about it for the next ten days; he'll just ask for the results when the time comes.
Now, he has some very important things to focus on.
No matter how turbulent things were within the Song Dynasty, he could control them; no matter how much trouble Jiaozhi (Vietnam) caused, he could suppress it; no matter how difficult the sea routes were, he could still go out into the world.
The war in the north, however, remained a constant threat to Zhao Huan, hanging like a sword over his head.
The Jin Dynasty, the Tanguts, and Yelü Dashi.
That's not accurate; it should be said that they were nomadic peoples from the north.
For thousands of years, the nomadic peoples surrounding China have been a major concern for the Chinese people.
If you encounter an emperor as powerful as Qin Shi Huang or Emperor Wu of Han, you can easily suppress them and beat them up outside.
But if China has even the slightest problem, they will take advantage of the situation.
After the Western Rong left, the Xiongnu came; after the Xiongnu destroyed the Five Barbarian Tribes, the Five Barbarian Tribes disappeared in the great waves of history; then came the Turks; after the Turks came the Khitans, Jurchens, Mongols...
In short, you can't kill them all.
Zhao Huan was certain that war would break out between the Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty soon.
The current peace is merely a result of the two sides reaching an agreement on certain interests.
As the Song Dynasty grew stronger, the powerful Jin Dynasty would not sit idly by and allow itself to be threatened from the south. Once the balance of power was broken, not only Wanyan Gao, but even Wanyan Zongpan would resolutely advocate for war.
Therefore, Zhao Huan now needs to accelerate the process of making the Song Dynasty truly powerful.
Otherwise, relying solely on sheer numbers is not a sustainable solution.
It can be said that the Song Dynasty is still accumulating strength. While accumulating strength, it must ensure peace on the northern border, refrain from launching attacks, and also prevent others from attacking its homeland to disrupt its strategic plans.
Although Yan Yun had deployed a large army, and although Wanyan Zongpan was there to restrain the Jin court, none of that could guarantee absolute safety.
When two superpowers are vying for supremacy, they will use any means necessary. There is no such thing as respecting agreements, no such thing as propriety, morality, or shame. It's all about life and death!
After leaving the Great Song Bank, the emperor went straight to the Military Equipment Bureau.
Li Gang, Zhong Shidao, and Zhang Shuye were already waiting there.
One of the most important aspects of the military and political reform was the reform of military equipment. It was impossible to develop firearms so quickly, and Zhao Huan did not expect the Military Equipment Bureau to be able to produce anything like firearms at that time.
At least for the next few years, we should stick to using cold weapons like knives and fight directly.
Therefore, we can only strengthen what we already have.
When the emperor arrived at the Ordnance Bureau, not only were the bigwigs of the Western Prefecture there, nor only Ling Zhen and Chen Gui from the Ordnance Bureau, but Han Gonglian from the Academy of Sciences also came, as did another person.
This man was named Sima Qi. He was from the Academy of Sciences. Zhao Huan remembered him. When Qin Hui introduced him, he said that Sima Qi was a master swordsmith who had inherited ancient sword-making techniques from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.
This ancient method has been perfected over a thousand years, and the technique is now extremely advanced.
The Imperial Arsenal is now an independent entity, and the emperor entrusted its management to Chen Gui.
However, the Military Equipment Bureau and the Academy of Sciences had an inseparable connection. Sima Qi of the Academy of Sciences was tasked by the emperor to develop a new type of steel, which was needed to manufacture the gun body of the fire lance.
In fact, steelmaking made great progress during the Song Dynasty.
During the Song Dynasty, there were different types of iron-smelting furnaces and wooden bellows.
The "Xinglu" recorded in the "Wujing Zongyao" is a smelting furnace consisting of a square iron-smelting furnace connected to a trapezoidal wooden bellows, with a wooden frame underneath that allows it to be moved.
The evolution of blast furnaces from stationary to mobile not only facilitated their widespread use but also led to their development as weapons for defending cities.
More importantly, the invention of the reciprocating bellows greatly improved the efficiency of the blower.
However, the steelmaking technology in the Song Dynasty still could not meet Zhao Huan's requirements.
The importance of steel goes without saying, especially in Zhao Huan's strategic blueprint for hot weapons, where it is the most basic material.
Shen Kuo's "Dream Pool Essays" contains the following record: "So-called steel is made by bending soft iron, then stuffing pig iron into the middle, sealing it with mud and refining it, and forging it so that the two are integrated. This is called 'ball steel' or 'cast steel'."
Soft steel is wrought iron, and the name "cast steel" comes from the fact that molten iron is poured into wrought iron blocks during the production process.
Before the invention of molten steelmaking, this semi-fluid steelmaking method was the fastest and simplest, greatly improving production efficiency compared to molten steelmaking.
Everyone stood at the gate of the Armory to welcome the Emperor.
Zhao Huan alighted from his imperial carriage and was very pleased to see these people; the atmosphere at the scene was harmonious.
But they didn't know that the emperor had just thrown a tantrum before he arrived.
The Imperial Ordnance Bureau and the Academy of Sciences were Zhao Huan's most prized possessions. No matter what, the emperor had to show them a good face and would often host banquets and bestow gifts upon them.
Surrounded by a crowd, the emperor entered the Arsenal, calling out loudly as he strode in, "Sima Qi! Chen Gui!"
"Your subject is here!"
"I have a very important task for you, which is related to the fate of the Song Dynasty for the next ten thousand years. You must complete it!"
Upon hearing this, Sima Qi and Chen Gui felt immense pressure, but they braced themselves and said, "We are willing to go through fire and water for you!"
Everyone was curious, wondering what new thing the emperor would come up with this time.
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