Fan Jingwen walked in the front, holding a small firecracker in each hand, about 20 centimeters high and estimated to be 20 centimeters in diameter.
Johann Adam Schall Johann Adam Schall Johann Adam Schall Johann Adam Schall 13 was the second person to walk in. He held a small firecracker in his left hand and a medium-sized firecracker in his right arm. The height and diameter of the firecracker were about ten centimeters thicker than the small one.
Jiao Xu walked at the back, holding an oversized firecracker in his hands. It was about 60 centimeters high and 50 centimeters in diameter. The firecracker was very heavy, and even Jiao Xu had a hard time holding it.
The Jinyiwei were shocked when they saw this. They drew their swords and took out their bows and crossbows, acting as if they were facing a powerful enemy.
The Jinyiwei captain who was leading the group was about to step forward to intercept them, but Chongzhen waved his hand to stop him, "No need to check, let them come over."
"Your Majesty, I am afraid that the three of them may do something unlawful."
"It's alright, you guys leave for now, I want to discuss a secret matter with them."
"Yes, yes, my Lord!" The captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard looked back every few steps, warning Fan Jingwen with his eyes not to act presumptuously.
If anything happened to Chongzhen, the three clans of these people would be buried alive.
Fan Jingwen was the first to place the grenade on the stone table next to him, and the other two followed suit.
Fan Jingwen pointed at the largest firecracker and said, "Your Majesty, this is a small grenade I made. From the inside out, it is made of gunpowder, cardboard, iron beads, and cardboard. It weighs four pounds and eight ounces (a pound in the Ming Dynasty was about 596 grams), the tip is five inches long, and it will explode after five breaths of lighting."
Chongzhen tried to weigh it in his hand. It was not light. It would be the limit for an ordinary person to throw it more than ten meters away.
It is definitely not suitable for plain field battles, as the slightest mistake could result in killing one thousand enemies but losing nine hundred of your own.
It's enough for defending the city.
If you look down from a high place and throw something down, it may hurt someone.
But...do the ordinary people who have just recovered from the plague have the strength?
He pointed at the grenade and asked, "Minister Fan, can the newly recruited soldiers in the capital throw it?"
Fan Jingwen was stunned for a moment, and remembered the requirements of the Ministry of War for recruiting soldiers: anyone who can lift a brick can be recruited.
No wonder the Ministry of War had such low requirements. It turns out that His Majesty had already thought of using grenades to defend against the enemy.
A brick (adobe) weighs about sixteen or seventeen pounds. Anyone who can lift a brick can definitely lift a grenade.
"Your Majesty, I think it is possible."
"That's good!"
Putting down the small grenade, Chongzhen turned his gaze to the second one.
The second grenade is the same size as the first grenade, the difference is the color of the outermost layer of paper is different.
Fan Jingwen introduced: "Your Majesty, this is a No. 2 grenade. From the inside out, it is gunpowder, cardboard, lead shot, iron sand, and cardboard. It weighs about five pounds, and the tip is five inches long. It will explode in about five breaths after being ignited."
"Yeah." Chongzhen nodded slightly.
In the days when only black powder was available, if you wanted a more powerful grenade, you had to increase the amount of gunpowder in the grenade, which would increase its size and weight accordingly.
"Keep talking, and then test it when you're done."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Fan Jingwen took a half step back and gave his seat to Johann Adam Schall von Bell.
"Your Majesty, these are the No. 3 and No. 4 grenades I made. The No. 3 grenade is made of gunpowder, cardboard, lead bullets, and cardboard from the inside out. The No. 4 grenade is made of gunpowder, cardboard, and shredded iron from the inside out. Their filaments are five inches long and will explode in about five breaths after being ignited."
Chongzhen nodded slightly.
The No. 3 and No. 4 grenades are just enlarged in size and have no other special features.
There are no highlights and no problems.
This foreigner seems to be restricted by his own rules.
Chongzhen looked at the last oversized grenade with some disappointment.
"Your Majesty!" Jiao Xu's voice was rough, giving people a silly feeling.
"This is the No. 5 grenade I made. I named it the Earth-shattering Mine!"
Chongzhen nodded as he looked at the oversized size: "From the weight, it can indeed shake the world, but I don't know if it has any unique features."
"Yes, hehe!" Jiao Xu laughed, patted the oversized grenade and said, "I added some seasonings inside the grenade. The innermost part is gunpowder, and the gunpowder is wrapped with a layer of cardboard. There are four kinds of things outside the cardboard. The first is lead bullets, the second is arsenic, the third is croton, and the fourth is chili powder."
"The outermost part is made of cardboard, which is ten inches long. It will explode after ten breaths after being ignited."
After listening to Jiao Xu's introduction, Chongzhen was stunned for a long time.
This guy has a rough appearance and gives people a simple feeling. In his spare time, he can write books and look like a scholar. (The book "Essentials of Fire Attack" was written by Jiao Xu. It is the first technical guide in Chinese history that fully explains the production and use of artillery.)
I didn't expect the weapons he made would be so vicious and cruel.
Chili powder, arsenic, croton...
Good job!
Evolved directly from thermal weapons to biological and chemical weapons.
Fortunately, this guy did not live in the 20th century, otherwise he would definitely be an expert in biological and chemical weapons.
Chongzhen was very impressed with Jiao Xu's creative thinking. He patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him, saying, "Mr. Jiao is indeed a great talent. I am very pleased."
After praising Jiao Xu, Chongzhen turned around and continued to say to Fan Jingwen and Tang Ruowang: "I am also very happy to see what you have done."
Since praise is free, Chongzhen praised the three people without reservation.
"Your Majesty, you are too kind. I am just doing my duty as a minister." Fan Jingwen was a little flattered.
The Ministry of Industry was different from other departments, which spent money all the time. It was often criticized by the emperor, so it was a bit unexpected to be praised by Chongzhen this time.
Fan Jingwen is old and has been an official for a long time, so he is very familiar with the affairs of the government.
How many people in the Ministry of Industry are not greedy?
Take the former Minister of Works Zhang Fengxiang as an example. He only served as the Minister of Works for less than a year, and it is said that he embezzled tens of thousands of dollars.
How can the ministers below not be greedy? Doesn't Your Majesty know that they are greedy?
Your Majesty obviously knows about this, but most of the people working in the Ministry of Works are talented, and the court is in need of people, so as long as they don't make big mistakes or are not greedy for money, Your Majesty will turn a blind eye.
"I will withdraw 500,000 taels of silver from the treasury for you to arrange for craftsmen to produce grenades in large quantities. You should also purchase and produce as many rolling logs and stones as possible to prepare for defending the city."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Fan Jingwen took the lead in kneeling and kowtowed to accept the order.
"Get up and return to the palace!"
At Wang Chengen's command, the entire imperial carriage team slowly set off and walked at a constant speed towards the imperial city.
Fan Jingwen looked at the direction where the imperial carriage was going away and shook his head slowly.
In his opinion, the capital city could not be defended.
The reason why Ming Dynasty is what it is today is not because of its weak cities and ineffective artillery, but because it has lost the support of the people.
What extravagant requests can ordinary people have? Nothing more than a full meal.
Without solving the problem of food, it will be meaningless to talk about defending the city!
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