The year is over with the sound of firecrackers, and the spring breeze brings warmth to the summer.

When the crackling sound of firecrackers came from all directions, the first year of Yuanfu had become last year, and the midday of the first day of Yuanfu was already here.

According to convention, the first firecracker in the New Year must have come from the Yanfu Palace on the deep wall of the High Court. The so-called firecrackers have long since been thrown into the fire to burn, making crackling sounds. But real gunpowder firecrackers and fireworks!

Gunpowder that can be ignited with sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter as the main components appeared in the Song Dynasty - it was not the very complex ingredients recorded in "The General Yao of Wu Jing" and military gunpowder with a large amount of oil added. The gunpowder is actually a filling of incendiary bombs, and it doesn't sound even when added to firecrackers and fireworks.

The gunpowder filled in the firecrackers set off by the Song people can not only be done at a glance, but also firecrackers similar to the "two kicks" in later generations, which can be firecrackers that explode in the air. The black gunpowder filled in these firecrackers is undoubtedly the "one nitrate, two sulfonium, three charcoal". Although it is not granulated black gunpowder, it is enough to be used to launch projectiles.

So the idea of ​​inventing black gunpowder to save the country was completely redundant, because the Song people had this thing, but they didn’t have guns that could fire projectiles - it was much more difficult to make guns and cannons than to make gunpowder!

As for grenades that can ignite explosions, casting shells is not difficult, and grenades throwing grenades are even more difficult to train - if they really can train thousands of grenades, they can throw grenades and directly use a sword to cut people.

Therefore, the "combusting gunpowder" recorded in "The General Yao of Wu Jing" is a more practical weapon in the Song Dynasty. It may not have much effect in land warfare, but it is still very useful in water warfare (navigation). As long as there is a catapult device that can be installed on a ship, it can throw the incendiary bombs a few hundred meters away, it can have an overwhelming advantage on the water...

When Wu Haogu thought of gunpowder, incendiary bombs and future naval construction, he was walking with Ma Zhi, Ji Yi, and a middle-aged man named Zhang Yi on the sound of firecrackers and crowded imperial streets.

Ma Zhi found Wu Haogu after the Wu family's big night mat. He also brought Wu Haogu a little special good news: Ximen Qing will come to Kaifeng Prefecture in February and then go to Liao with Ma Zhi.

It is said that I wanted to take the easy ride of the delegation and bring a batch of gold to Liao Kingdom to purchase raw medicine.

Isn’t walking with Ma Zhi just like Wu Haogu?

It seems that Wu Dalang and Ximen Qing... are Ximen Qing's fate is not over yet!

Ji Yi came directly from Zhang Dun's mansion. He also brought a Zhang family member in his forties who looked a little dry and looked like an old man with a goatee. According to Ji Yi, this duke and Zhang Dun are of the same generation, both of them are children of the Zhang family in Pucheng. His name is Yi and his courtesy name is Ziyi. He was appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of Education and the Minister of the Ministry of Education.

The full name of Zhang Dun's official position is the Minister of Shangshu Zuo Pushe and the Minister of the Jung-in-law. His very long official name means the Prime Minister.

Among them, the Shangshu Zuo Pushe came from the Shangshu Province, one of the three provinces. The highest official of the Shangshu Province should be the Shangshu Ling, but the official position in the Song Dynasty was false, and the Shangshu Zuo Pushe was the largest official in the Shangshu Province.

The ministers of the ministry are from the ministers of the three provinces. The theoretical chiefs of the ministry are the ministers and are rarely appointed. They are empty just like the ministers of the ministry. The ministers of the ministry are the greatest officials in the ministry.

In other words, Zhang Dun was theoretically the highest commander of the Shangshu and the two subordinate provinces. The second prime minister who had been vacant was the Shangshu Youpushe and the Zhongshu Shishu Lingshi. Literally speaking, he was the second commander of the Shangshu and the head of the Zhongshu.

However, the official system of the Song Dynasty was relatively chaotic. The officials such as Shangshu left, Shangshu right, Junshi, and Junshi were not actually responsible for Shangshu, Junshi, and Junshi were in charge of the three affairs of the Secretary, Junshi, and Junshi, but were appointed by the other persons, "judging the Secretary to the Minister's affairs", "judging the Minister to the Minister to the Minister" and "judging the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to the Minister to

Therefore, the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, who truly abides by the system and does not form cliques for personal gain, had very little power, and even the three provinces that should be under their own authority in name. If they have no power, they can only be a good official who cannot do anything...

However, Zhang Dun is a treacherous minister who wants to do big things, so he naturally has to take over power. There are three ways to take over power: one is to be a separate minister to avoid constraints, the second is to form a party to take over the court's principles, and the third is to appoint a confidant to take over the key points.

The Ministry of Public Security, who appeared with Ji Yi, was a confidential official in the Ministry of Public Security. He was equivalent to a confidential secretary, a very small official, but he was in a very important position, and he was the confidant used by Zhang Dun to grasp the confidentiality.

Menxia Province is responsible for deliberating the imperial edict Wang Yan. Legend has it that the power of the prime minister of the Song Dynasty to refute the imperial edict was realized through Menxia Province!

By the way, the Shangshu, the Secretary of the Song Dynasty, and the Minister of the Ministry of Education were respectively responsible for the implementation, drafting and deliberation of the imperial edicts, that is, the Secretary of Education drafting the imperial edict, the Secretary of Education reviewing, and the Secretary of Education executed.

All the edicts that entered Menxia Province for review must pass through the eyes of Zhang Dadushi!

So it is conceivable how confidant this character is to Zhang Dun. The reason why he is just an eighth-rank minister is probably missing a Jinshi fame... This is where Zhang Dun abides by the rules. Although he has great power, he will never seek unruly benefits for his own people. So he is a traitor who is traitorous in the way.

After the four of them worshiped each other for a new year, Ji Yi proposed to go to Panlou together, so they traveled together. Just after midnight, the four of them walked to the intersection of Yujie and Panlou Street. Ji Yi stopped at this time and raised her hand to point to Panlou, which was decorated with lights.

"Mr. Ziyi, Brother Chongdao, Brother Liangsi, how can we go up Pan Tower to see the scenery?"

Panlou Viewing is a traditional program of Kaifeng Prefecture's New Year Day. Because Panlou is located at the intersection of Yu Street and Panlou Street, it is tall and has a great viewing. It is just for watching various performances and parades held on Yu Street on the New Year Day Day.

On the New Year's Day, sitting in Pan Tower, eating, drinking, listening to the songs, watching the performances and parades downstairs is also considered a kind of elegant thing. However, the seats that can be used for viewing on Pan Tower are not easy to book, and ordinary people don’t have to think about. Even ordinary rich people are not ashamed enough to book a private room on the side of Pan Tower on the New Year's Day.

However, Ji Yi always had a solution. Wu Haogu and others arrived at the gate of Panlou and saw Panlou’s second manager Panlou with a smile on his face.

This Panlou is actually the industry of the Pan Family Generals, but it is not managed by the children of the Pan Family Generals. When Panlou opened, doing business was still a very low-level thing. So the one who runs Panlou was a fake Pan Mei and the descendants of this fake Panlou. The Pan Family Generals just enjoyed dividends.

This Pan Xingye is a descendant of Pan Mei's playboy. He has been working in Panlou since he was sixteen years old, and has gradually climbed from a waiter to the second manager now - this is Panlou's No. 3 person, and further up there are the big manager and the shopkeeper.

"Official Ji, Master Zhang is here too!" Pan Xingye is a middle-aged man in his thirties. Because he has been working in Panlou, a place full of food, he is a little obese, but he is so fat that he looks so fat. He first sang to Ji Yi and Zhang Yi, and then he saw Wu Haogu's face turned a little strange.

"Oh, Chongdao is here too..." Pan Xingye bowed to Wu Haogu, then leaned closer and whispered, "Dizi No. 7."

The word "Di" room number seven? What does it mean? Is it the private room set by Ji Yi?

Wu Haogu didn't understand for a while, but Pan Xingye had already made a gesture of Suke and invited Ji Yi, Zhang Yi and Ma Zhi to Panlou. However, it was not the second floor where the word Di Zhujian was located, but the second floor where the word Tian Zhujian was located, a private room located at the intersection of Panlou Street and Yu Street, which was excellent.

There were already four stunning women waiting in the private room. They were all seventeen or eighteen years old, and their skin was covered in snow, their nose bridge was high, and their eyes were slightly sunken. You could tell at a glance that they were mixed blood of Bai Fan and Han people.

When the four women saw Ji Yi, they immediately came up. Yingying said with a blessing and said soft Wu: "I have met the great official."

Ji Yi turned around to Wu Haogu, and Zhang Yi and Ma Zhi smiled: "They are all family tricks I brought from Pingjiang, and they were all trained by Madam Mo. You can choose one of them to take them back. It is Ji's intention."

Is this the legendary "sending a girl"? Wu Haogu thought: Is this Ji Yi cuckold plot?

In fact, it was common for each other to give each other family tricks or even concubines in the officialdom of the Song Dynasty...

Zhang Yi was the first to bow his hand and replied with a smile: "Thank you then!"

Wu Haogu was a little hesitant, but he certainly liked it, a beauty, and a mixed-race beauty!

But what would Pan Qiaolian think? Before she married, Wu Haogu accepted a female apprentice, and now she wants to take over a family trick...

Just as he was hesitating, he suddenly saw the wink of Ji Yi - Ji Yi glared at Wu Haogu, looking a little anxious.

Wu Haogu then realized: Ji Yi was putting eyeliners next to Ma Zhi! If she refused, Ma Zhi would have reason to refuse.

He also bowed his hand at the moment: "Then it's better to obey your orders than respect."

Ji Yi smiled, looked at Ma Zhi again, and then pointed to the most beautiful of the four mixed-race girls, "Brother Liangsi, this is Ying'er, and she is the proud disciple of Madam Mo. Can you see it past?"

Ma Zhi smiled, his eyes seemed to lit up, and he immediately bowed his hands and said, "You are so polite, thank you."

"Dalang, who do you choose?" Ji Yi asked Wu Haogu with a smile again.

Can you really choose one? You don’t pretend to choose one, you will have to return it intact later, right?
Chapter completed!