Chapter 306: Volume 1 Chapter 306 Cannon

Why did His Majesty bestow the title Virtuous Consort when Kang Jinsi originally sent his daughter into the palace?

Because Kang Jinsi has already gotten on the Emperor's boat!

Rong Luoge grew more angry as she thought, her fury swelling; Han Xinglan, watching her, instead smiled, reached out and pulled her into his arms, gently coaxing, "Don't be upset; if you get angry, it's only because I care about you."

Rong Luoge never was a mother in her previous life, so she didn't know what it felt like to have a child, but this life she knows; what fault does such a small child have, why must they become cannon fodder in these people's schemes?

She protects her child; anyone who dares to move a single hair on him will pay tenfold or a hundredfold price!

Rong Luoge reached out, hugging Han Xinglan's waist, leaning against his chest; she has always been a strong person, but now she rarely experiences the grievances of a little daughter.

Han Xinglan, surrounded by the beautiful woman, had previously observed a mourning period, then she gave birth and was in confinement; later, because she needed proper rest, he endured for a while, but now he can no longer endure.

He bent down, lifted her, and strode into the bedroom; Rong Luoge was stunned for a moment, and when she recovered, Han Xinglan had already pressed himself against her, lowering his head to kiss her lips…

Rong Luoge and Han Xinglan have been together for so many years with deep affection; normally she wouldn't mind, but now a fire suddenly ignites, instantly spreading like a wildfire.

Han Xinglan waved his hand, pulling down the bed curtain, gazing at Rong Luoge's flushed face, letting out a light laugh, then reached out and gently pinched her waist twice.

Rong Luoge: …

Rong Luoge is not an ignorant girl; she can certainly see his teasing intent. Hmph, she reached out and looped her arms around his neck; having intentionally done post‑partum slimming, her waist has already returned to its former slender softness.

As a woman who loves beauty, she dislikes the gauntness of malnutrition, so her figure is not the delicate slenderness of a girl but the most beautiful curve of a woman.

With that initiative, Han Xinglan's passion surged, he threw himself onto her, his handsome face pressed against hers, with no more reservations…

The red candles flickered, casting a faint glow; the bed curtain swayed slightly, as if a gentle breeze brushed by.

Shi An, watching the time, noted that His Majesty had gotten up earlier, but today there was still no movement; he cleared his throat lightly, stepped forward and knocked on the door to wake him.

Last night, Fengyi Palace called for water, so she naturally knew what was going on.

Han Xinglan heard the knocking and opened his eyes; the person beside him was hugging his waist, sleeping soundly. When he moved slightly, she immediately startled and opened her eyes.

"It's fine, I'm going to attend court; you keep sleeping," Han Xinglan lowered his head, tapped Rong Luoge's lips, and said with a smile.

Rong Luoge hasn't engaged in any fairy‑like scuffles for a long time; even though her body is robust, her waist is a bit sore and weak now. She couldn't help glancing at Han Xinglan, who, though refined and scholarly in appearance, is quite fierce between the sheets.

She was too lazy to move; watching Han Xinglan get up and dress himself, she suddenly felt amused.

In fact, when she first arrived by his side, there were many attendants serving him; a Crown Prince wouldn't normally dress himself for such a trivial task—Yuan Bao and others would attend to him.

But she dislikes having people around; as a modern person, she can't stand needing someone to help her dress, nor does she like anyone keeping watch by her bedside; yet he even, following her habit, sat down.

The person who once was untouched by the mundane world now changes clothes and puts on shoes with great speed.

"What are you laughing at?" Han Xinglan, after putting on his inner garment, turned his head and looked at Rong Luoge, who was half‑turned, smiling at him; a strip of her snow‑white delicate arm was exposed between the crimson brocade mattress, causing his gaze to darken slightly.

"I laugh at His Majesty's current appearance; it's completely different from when I first entered Dong Gong."

Listening to Rong Luoge's teasing words, Han Xinglan hummed, "I don't know which person has such an odd temperament, insisting on doing everything themselves. What can the Emperor do? If I like someone that much, I can only go along and coax her."

Rong Luoge smiled even more brightly; perhaps love is becoming a better self for the sake of the other.

He alone could not properly wear the imperial crown robe; after putting on his inner garment, he strode to the curtain, bent down and forcefully kissed Rong Luoge's lips, then briskly left the bedroom.

Outside, Shi An had long been holding the imperial dragon robe with the inner guard, waiting; when His Majesty emerged, they immediately stepped forward to serve.

Inside the inner hall, Rong Luoge no longer felt sleepy, so she got up; she was still pondering the cannon she had discussed with Han Xinglan earlier.

This time, making a proper, respectable cannon is not such a simple matter.

In ancient times, cannons were called "Yongzhu Cannon", "Weiyuan Cannon", or "Niujiao Cannon"; they actually existed as early as the Yuan dynasty, but due to manufacturing techniques, their development was unsatisfactory until the Ming dynasty, when they finally flourished.

A cannon consists of a barrel, a powder chamber, and a breech; smoothbore cannons are mostly muzzle‑loaded and can fire stone, lead, iron, or explosive shells, and are usually mounted on dedicated carriages or gun carriages.

In the era of cold weapons, when two armies met, bows and crossbows vied for the initiative; therefore, the Fire Thunder and the modified bows and crossbows she gave Han Xinglan gave them an edge in the war against Qingxuan Kingdom.

The ruler of Qingxuan Kingdom ascended hastily on an unstable foundation; a swift victory is not unusual. However, unlike that, the noble families have over a hundred years of roots; their money, grain, and weapons are the best. If they cannot produce superior arms and only rely on their wealth, the Emperor may not win easily, and even a protracted war might not be won.

For example, why does the Empress Dowager, knowing that Prime Minister Su opposes the Emperor, still cannot abandon her natal family?

Prime Minister Su's faction holds office in the court, but its true foundation lies in the ancestral home; the genuine century‑old Su family gives Prime Minister Su the confidence to contest power with the Emperor.

If the Su family cannot be crushed in one blow, the court struggle between the Emperor and Prime Minister Su will end up as a joke; this Emperor will become everyone's laughingstock, losing all dignity, and it will be even harder to assert authority in the court thereafter.

Thus Han Xinglan proceeds with utmost caution; even though he despises the Su family and dislikes Su Ying, the Su family still sent Su Ying into the palace and she was granted the title Virtuous Consort.

Doesn't a proper Emperor like Han Xinglan feel stifled?

But there's no choice; Rong Luoge knows that Emperor Han Xinglan's foundation is too weak, so a proper Emperor would lower his face to do something like a glazed kiln; if he were an Emperor with a wealthy background, he wouldn't engage in such actions that noble families ridicule.

It's just that there's no way.

An Emperor's dignity also requires strength to support it; otherwise, he's nothing but a mascot.

Rong Luoge first went to see her son, then ate a simple snack before entering the study.

The first firearms to enter China were the Flang Machine Gun and the Red Barbarian Cannon. The Flang Machine Gun has a "giant belly" behind its barrel, with a long opening on the belly for loading sub‑guns. The sub‑gun resembles a small musket, usually equipped with five to nine of them, pre‑loaded with ammunition, allowing them to fire in rotation during battle, increasing the cannon's rate of fire. Because the sub‑guns hold little powder and the main gun's caliber is not large, its power is limited.

The Red Barbarian Cannon has a barrel cast with a sighting bead and a flash hole, with a gun ear in the middle. Compared with the Flang Machine Gun, it has a larger caliber, thicker barrel walls, and the thickness increases from the muzzle to the breech, allowing it to withstand higher chamber pressure; it was the most powerful cannon of its time.

Rong Luoge intends to replicate the Red Barbarian Cannon first.