Chapter 137 136 Watching the cannon

"Give them a new iron cannon? Is this OK?"

Hearing Wei Guangde's words, Wu Dong suddenly widened his eyes, but he seemed to be thinking at the expression.

Wei Guangde's words were unintentional, but he didn't know that Wu Dong and Wei Wencai had listened to them.

I saw it very quickly, and the two of them were talking in a low voice, but Wei Guangde didn't care about so much.

After the banquet, Wei Guangde sat aside and waited for his father and uncle to finish talking and go home, but it seemed that time would have to wait, because the eldest brother and cousin had come over and didn't know what they were discussing.

After waiting for a long time, there seemed to be a result there. Wei Guangde and his family said goodbye to their uncle's family and went out and walked back directly.

Although the two families are not far away, they still boarded the carriage and went back.

It’s nothing more, it’s too cold, and there’s a brazier on the carriage, so it’s not that cold.

The two carriages soon arrived at the Wei family's yard. Everyone got out of the carriage and walked into the house. There was a coachman who drove the carriage into the mansion through the small door at the corner of the courtyard.

When the Wei family and Wu family arrived in Jiujiang Mansion, they customized two carriages, one for their father to use, and the other for their family to use.

Well, the Wei family is really developed now.

But Wei Guangde was still not very happy because he had not released his usury in a year.

Nowadays, businessmen are shrinking. In the past, everyone was rushing to open a weaving yard in Susong, but now no one is going.

Just kidding, Shanghai County was just ignited by Japanese pirates, and Songjiang Prefecture suffered heavy losses this year.

This year has passed, what about next year?

He didn't even get the 10,000 taels of silver in Wei Guangde's account from the mansion, and he really couldn't find a place to use it.

Now he didn't want the thousand taels of silver that the Zhang family had sent, and asked him to keep it for his own order. Now he still has hundreds of taels left.

When he got home, Wei Guangde whispered to his elder brother, what they were talking about before, looked mysterious.

"You didn't guess?"

The eldest brother looked at him strangely.

"What did I guess?"

Wei Guangde was inexplicably surprised.

Wei Wencai pulled Wei Guangde outside and whispered: "The one you said is about using iron cannons for copper cannons. My uncle said he can operate it when the inspection is in progress."

Wei Guangde immediately widened his eyes when he heard this. You are so brave. I just said something casually, but they actually felt that there was really room for operation.

Wei Guangde didn't know what to say. Iron materials are expensive these days, but copper materials are even more expensive.

"Do you plan to sell it directly or mint the money yourself?"

Wei Guangde knew that as far as his classmates were concerned, some people had said in private that when they got copper materials at home, they would use them to cast some copper coins themselves.

In this era, private money was not just a casual talk. Most people did this at home, but copper materials were more rare and controlled by the imperial court.

There is no problem with a small amount, and it is also troublesome if the amount is large.

Logically speaking, this kind of thing should be hidden, but now that every family does this, there is nothing to worry about.

"Don't worry about this."

Wei Wencai smiled and didn't say much, so he asked Wei Guangde to guess himself.

The eldest brother and sister-in-law lived in the main yard with their parents. Seeing that nothing happened, Wei Guangde said and returned to his yard.

After entering the house, I began to think about it. These officials of the Ming Dynasty really tried everything for money.

Too dark, too corrupt.

However, it seems that it is nothing to do so, at least the combat effectiveness of the garrison has not decreased much.

Well, is it considered technological progress caused by corruption?

If the method spreads, would other garrisons follow suit and replace the copper cannons with shoddy iron cannons?

Wei Guangde had seen the bowl-mouth guns on Pengze, mostly made during the Hongwu period.

Forget it, it’s useless to think too much.

The next day, Wei Guangde slept in a lazy sleep. After getting up and washing up, he didn't know whether he would have breakfast or lunch next time.

As the end of the year approaches, the public school has stopped. Wei Guangde's annual test paper was handed over to the professor, and he has nothing to do.

During lunch, the elder brother said to Wei Guangde: "Follow me out in the afternoon to see if that cannon is the kind you think."

"Um."

Wei Guangde was chewing the food in his mouth and just answered vaguely.

"My brother, eat more to grow your body."

At this moment, sister-in-law Liu Yunhui used public chopsticks to pick up food for Wei Guangde, which was quite enthusiastic.

To be honest, my sister-in-law is a good person and is very good to Wei Guangde. She is just too enthusiastic. She either picks up food for me or picks up food for my brother-in-law at the dinner table.

Wei's mother looked at them happily, looking quite satisfied.

In the afternoon, she left her sister-in-law to accompany her mother to make trouble in the house. Wei Guangde and his elder brother went to his uncle's house in the same carriage.

Soon, Wu Dong also came out, and the three of them squeezed into a car and headed towards Jiujiang Wharf.

"Uncle and dad probably set out too."

Wei Wencai said on the bumpy carriage.

"Cousin, have you made any arrangements tonight? Why don't you guys go out for food and drink?"

Wei Guangde smiled.

"Forget it tonight, I have to go to my grandfather's side."

Wu Dong shook his head. He arrived in Jiujiang Mansion yesterday, and he must have gone to his grandfather’s side today.

While the three of them were chatting, the carriage left Jiujiang City Gate and arrived at the pier.

He found Peng Ze's clutch and called on the boat a few servants who accompanied him. Soon, Wei Guangde saw them lifting two two-foot-long iron pipes from the cabin.

Well, that's what they call iron cannon.

Two guns were released on the ground, and someone pushed two wheelbarrows out of the ship.

The wheelbarrows of this era were made of wooden, not iron and rubber tires like those in later generations.

However, wheelbarrows are still very popular at this time. After all, they are indeed convenient and labor-saving. They are all about carrying people and things, and they can also cross mountains and ridges.

"What did this car do?"

Wei Guangde asked curiously.

"What a craftsman means is that two people can carry this thing, but the distance is not enough, so I added this thing."

Wu Dong said, "After a while, the cannon is placed on one side and the other side is placed on the other side. He pushed it away by himself, and then moved it down to the ground and set it up."

Wei Guangde nodded. If you operate like this, it is indeed much more convenient to carry it from a distance. Think about it, two or three people can complete all operations with one cannon.

After a while, three more carriages came to the city gate. Wei Guangde knew two of them, which were from Wei and Wu families, and there was another one that was not familiar with, but he knew it was from the Zhang family, so he was afraid that his father and the others called Zhang Shigui too.

Think about it, the Zhang family has been operating in Jiujiangwei for many years and has a solid foundation. Don’t try to avoid their family if you do anything.

Everyone has the benefits, and they have money to make it.

If you get enough people to share the benefits, no one dares to investigate even if someone turns it out in the future, as it involves too much.

Perhaps, this is the way for middle and lower-level officials to be officials in this era.

Sure enough, the carriage was approaching and Zhang Shigui got off.

"That's it?"

After the three of them came forward to see the ceremony, Zhang Shigui asked, looking at the iron cannon that had been mounted on the wheelbarrow.
Chapter completed!