Chapter 960: Metal Bullet

"Your Highness, your return this time is perfectly timed. This general has just received intelligence sent by Guan Tong: the armies of Jiaozhi, Piaoman, Nanzhang, and Funanguo have invaded the borders of Yuezhou and Yunzhou. After a small vanguard force clashed with the Vermilion Bird Army, they retreated temporarily, but they remain stationed on the opposite side, seemingly brewing something."

Everyone took their seats in the Council Hall of the Prince's Mansion, and Chang Wei reported first.

After all, among all matters, military affairs were the priority.

Zhao Xu nodded.

Transmitting news from Jiaozhou and Yunzhou back to Yancheng no longer required riding horses along the post roads all the way to Yancheng as it did before.

This was because the wired telegraph was being laid along multiple routes simultaneously.

Wired telegraph stations were naturally being constructed at the same time in the capitals of important provinces.

The coastal route was naturally being laid southward along Qizhou, Ningzhou, Zhezhou, and Haicheng.

The route for the central provinces started from Yancheng, reached Jinzhou, and then went south from Jinzhou through Sizhou, Yuzhou, Jingzhou, and Xiangzhou, before arriving at Jiaozhou.

Currently, this central line had been laid as far as Shacheng in Xiangzhou.

The western route went from Qinzhou to Yizhou, and then to Yunzhou.

However, the western provinces were remote, and the roads were difficult, so the progress on this line was the slowest.

But this did not matter much.

Intelligence from Yunzhou and Jiaozhou only needed to be sent to Shacheng.

In this way, the one-month information transmission time previously required from Yunzhou to Yancheng was shortened to five or six days.

In the future, in addition to these three vertical lines, there would be three horizontal lines laid from east to west, allowing the entire wired telegraph network to form a grid pattern across the territory of Da Song.

With this, information transmission in Da Song would truly be unobstructed.

"So, before this Prince even returned, a full-scale war against Da Song had already been raging for five or six days?" Zhao Xu pondered for a moment and said.

"Yes." Chang Wei's expression was grave, "And almost on the same day, the Northern Di also made moves. Northern Di troops appeared at Songyang Pass in Yizhou, the north bank of the Jin River in Yongzhou, and the Ningjin Dusi, and both sides have already had several small-scale battles."

"Acting from both north and south?" Zhao Xu frowned upon hearing this, "If so, they must be following a unified plan. Hmph, the pack of wolves has finally lost their patience."

"Fortunately, Your Highness had the foresight to expand the army beforehand; otherwise, our manpower would certainly be stretched thin in responding to this now." At this moment, Liu Fu could not help but sigh with emotion.

At that time, the internal chaos of Da Song had just been quelled, and everything was waiting to be rebuilt; he naturally had objections when Yan Wang suddenly wanted to expand the army.

After all, there were too many places in Da Song that needed silver.

Moreover, he did not believe at the time that Yan Wang's overseas wars would not only fail to consume silver but could also yield huge benefits.

But when Qu Sheng went to Luzon and transported back a large amount of rubber, he admitted he was wrong.

Yan Wang was ultimately more farsighted than him, including on the matter of expanding the army.

"Exactly, otherwise this time would truly be dangerous." Yang Feng chimed in.

After a pause, he frowned again, "However, even so, we cannot let our guard down. Currently, the north is bitterly cold, and there is already a thin layer of ice on the narrow sections of the Jin River. If it continues to get colder, it is not impossible to run horses on the ice. By then, for the Northern Di people, the Jin River will be like flat ground."

"Is Minister Yang implying that the Northern Di might launch a large-scale offensive within the Hetao Plain, and that Songyang Pass and the Ningjin Dusi are actually just diversions?" Zhao Xu heard the subtext in Yang Feng's words and asked.

"With Your Highness's intelligence, I fear you understand better than this old minister." Yang Feng took the opportunity to flatter Zhao Xu without giving a clear answer.

Zhao Xu smiled, "You all don't need to put me on a pedestal. Since you have thought of this, you must have already taken corresponding actions, right?"

The ministers all smiled, and Chang Wei said, "Reporting to Your Highness, this general has already ordered Chen Hu to lead the Gun Cavalry to Yongzhou, and at the same time, we have set up Large Landmine Arrays near several narrow sections of the Jin River. I fear the Northern Di's wishful thinking has gone wrong."

Zhao Xu revealed a smile, very satisfied with Chang Wei's handling of the matter.

Having been with him for so long, if they couldn't even handle this, they really should go home and sell potatoes.

"Since that is the case,"

"I can rest easy, just waiting for the Northern Di to come and offer their heads." Zhao Xu looked toward the north.

This time, there was the Western Lands Allied Forces led by Britain in the south, and the Ross and the Northern Di in the north.

They were besieging Da Song at the same time, with great momentum.

But today's Da Song was no longer the weak Da Song of the past.

In the end, they would only end up with broken heads and bleeding faces.

Once he defeated them one by one and neutralized this siege, he would deal with them one by one.

Just as he was thinking, Wang Ying suddenly stepped out and said, "Your Highness, although I cannot wear armor to kill enemies on the front lines for Your Highness and resolve this crisis, while Your Highness was heading south, this general finally made this."

Having said that, Wang Ying opened his right hand, revealing a golden-orange object in his palm.

Chang Wei and the other generals heard this and immediately cast their gazes over.

During this period, Wang Ying had been cheerful.

They knew that Wang Ying must have achieved an extraordinary accomplishment.

But when they asked, Wang Ying just wouldn't say.

Now that Wang Ying had finally brought out the secret, they were naturally extremely concerned.

After all, every breakthrough by the Armament Bureau concerned the Da Song army.

Zhao Xu was naturally also attracted by that golden-orange object.

After examining it repeatedly, the corners of his mouth rose, and his smile grew wider, "Hahaha, after waiting for so long, I did not wait in vain. The Metal Bullet has finally been born. From now on, Da Song's firearms and artillery will also usher in a revolutionary leap."

"Metal Bullet!" Chang Wei swallowed his saliva.

Yan Wang had once introduced the concept of a Metal Bullet to him.

This was the ultimate solution to the gas leakage problem of breech-loading rifles.

If the Qin-series Rifle could use Metal Bullets, its power and range would be greatly improved.

The original effective range of six hundred meters would be able to increase to about one thousand meters.

"That's right, it is the Metal Bullet. Currently, the Armament Bureau has not only mastered the technique for manufacturing Metal Bullets but has also achieved small-scale production; providing five thousand Metal Bullets a day is no problem," Wang Ying said proudly.

Upon hearing this, Chang Wei couldn't help but click his tongue, then laughed and scolded, "Good for you, Wang Ying, you really kept it well hidden."

Zhao Xu laughed softly; the breakthrough in Metal Bullet technology was naturally something worth being happy about.

However, five thousand bullets a day was still a drop in the bucket for the war, and it was impossible to distribute them to the soldiers on a large scale.

So he said, "Is this Metal Bullet designed according to the caliber of the Qin-series Rifle?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Wang Ying replied, "and I have already tested it; the Qin-series Rifle can use this model of Metal Bullet."

"That is good; naturally, we shall expand production next," Zhao Xu instructed.

Remembering an important matter, he asked again, "Since the Metal Bullet has been unveiled, how is that important item coming along?"

As Zhao Xu's voice fell, the ears of Chang Wei and the other generals pricked up again.

There was still a secret between Yan Wang and Wang Ying!

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