Chapter 34: I Shall Manufacture Cannons for the Great Song Dynasty

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Torsion catapults combined with cannons were quite common even in the Great Song Dynasty. After all, firearms had already appeared during the Song, and gunpowder was used extensively on the battlefield. For instance, the Jin army’s iron cannons were modeled after those of the Song. Li Chong and Wang Si found nothing unusual about this.

Wang Si said, "Your Majesty, the Armory currently holds them."

"How many?"

"According to my count seven days ago, approximately 8,456 pieces."

"Are you referring to thunderclap bombs?"

"Yes."

"That’s far from enough. With 800 catapults, each equipped with 200 bombs, that makes 160,000 pieces."

Hearing this, both Li Chong and Wang Si were greatly startled.

Li Chong said, "Your Majesty, this... this might be beyond what we can manage."

"Is it a shortage of raw materials?" Zhao Ning asked, not looking at Li Chong but at Wang Si.

Wang Si replied, "Your Majesty, the quantity is indeed large, but I will do my utmost to find a solution. I may need the Ministry of Works’ assistance."

"No problem. Whatever support you require, just ask. Deliver what I need, and I will give you what you want."

Zhao Ning preferred dealing with people like Wang Si; business was straightforward. Every endeavor inevitably encountered numerous problems. If a subordinate immediately declared something impossible upon hearing of a difficulty, that would truly be a headache.

Why do some people never advance despite years of effort? Because they block their own path. Why do others rise quickly? Because they think not of obstacles, but of solutions.

You say the Jin army, with 150,000 troops, besieges the city—does that make things difficult for the Song? Of course it does! Zhao Ning now faced this hellish scenario, leading a group of civil officials who only knew how to talk and an imperial guard largely inexperienced in battle, resisting the fiercest army on this planet.

Is there anything harder than this?

Yet he said nothing about defeat or giving up. Instead, he sought every possible means to withstand both the physical and psychological assaults of the Jin, then to reform internally, unite all factions, and present a united front.

When a man confronts hardship, he must face it head-on!

Wang Si said, "I take your command to heart, Your Majesty. I shall do everything in my power."

"Good!" Zhao Ning patted Wang Si's shoulder.

Wang Boyan was a shameless surrender advocate, but his son was surprisingly competent.

"What is the status of other military equipment—armor, iron bones, knives, swords, helmets, arrowheads?"

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Li Chong replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty: there are still 100,000 suits of armor, 60,000 iron bones, 200,000 each of knives and swords, and 4 million arrowheads."

"Oh, take me to see the armor."

"Your Majesty, the armor is stored securely. To inspect it, some unpacking and preparation time is needed."

"No matter, I have plenty of time today."

Li Chong added, "Perhaps Your Majesty would prefer to see the firearm workshop first."

"That will do."

The 'firearm workshop' referred to the place where firearms were manufactured.

Upon arrival, Zhao Ning felt something was amiss. Could examining armor really be so difficult? He refrained from questioning Li Chong further and instead toured the workshop.

At that moment, someone approached.

"I pay respects to Your Majesty."

"You’ve arrived."

"May I ask Your Majesty’s orders?"

"Nothing special, just wanted to invite you to join me in inspecting the Armory workshop today."

Zhao Ning glanced at the man—none other than Zhao Ding, the renowned statesman at the turn of the two Song dynasties, the foremost among the four ministers who revived the Southern Song.

If Zhao Ding were not a capable minister, then there were none at all during that transitional period. In the early Southern Song, he helped Zhao Gou stabilize the entire administration and balanced disputes among various factions.

His decisiveness was outstanding, and his values commanded respect.

The prime minister’s post was still vacant, and Zhao Ning had not yet appointed anyone.

Why?

Because it was reserved for Zhao Ding.

At this time, Zhao Ding held the title of Kaifeng Prefecture Personnel Officer—a minor official responsible for signing and sealing documents during personnel appointments and maintaining official rosters.

Puzzled as to why the emperor suddenly summoned him and brought him directly to the Armory workshop, Zhao Ding did not press for answers and simply replied, "At your command."

"Zhao Ding, come here."

"Your Majesty."

"Take a look at this. This is the thunderclap bomb."

Zhao Ning held one up, causing those nearby to startle.

Li Chong hurriedly warned, "Your Majesty, be careful."

"What is there to fear? It won’t explode on its own."

Zhao Ning handed the thunderclap bomb to Zhao Ding and said, "I intend to have them produce 160,000 of these. What do you think?"

Nearby, Zhang Shuye pondered quietly. The emperor’s sudden summoning of Zhao Ding was strange enough, but asking such a question confirmed his intention to entrust Zhao Ding with great responsibility.

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"One hundred and sixty thousand is a vast number. I am not well versed in the affairs of the Armory and dare not make rash judgments," Zhao Ding replied.

Zhao Ning said, "There are nearly ten thousand workers under the Armory, with over one thousand in the firearm workshop."

Hearing this, Zhao Ding realized the emperor was determined to hear his assessment.

"Given these numbers, the workforce is somewhat tight. To ensure completion, some personnel could be drawn from the military and civilian population."

Zhao Ning did not respond but looked at Wang Si and said, "Did you hear that? Officer Zhao has given you a suggestion: mobilize people from the military and civilian ranks. By tomorrow, draft a detailed plan outlining manpower requirements, costs, and how the Ministry of Works will assist. Submit one copy to me, one to Prime Minister Shuye, and one to Officer Zhao. Everything must be clear and precise."

"If it’s not clear, I won’t accept it."

Wang Si promptly responded, "Understood."

Why insist on clarity? Because every task requires a plan, especially when teamwork is involved. Without a plan, the group becomes disorganized. If things go wrong, there’s no documentation for review and blame is tossed around, resulting in chaos and failure.

This is project management.

This is why Zhao Ding was considered a talent—he was a top expert in this area.

Zhao Ning pulled a sheet of paper from his sleeve and said, "Wang Si."

"At your command."

"Take a look at this. Can the Armory produce it?"

Wang Si took the paper from the emperor.

It was a roughly sketched blueprint depicting a thick tube. The rear part of the tube was mounted on a carriage with two wheels.

Wang Si, a man of the Song era, had no idea what this was.

If it had been late Ming officials Xu Guangqi or Sun Yuanhua present, they would immediately recognize it as a Western-style cannon.

The Western-style cannon required good iron quality, but given Song iron, manufacturing such artillery was not particularly difficult.

With the Song’s craftsmanship level, making cannons was not impossible.

But it certainly could not be done all at once, much less mass-produced immediately.

Still, Zhao Ning needed to give the Armory a hint and let them explore on their own.

"Your Majesty, forgive my ignorance, but what is this?"

"This is called a cannon. It’s cast from iron, hollow inside—you can think of it as an iron bamboo tube."

"Iron bamboo tube?"

"Exactly. Place an iron ball inside, fill it with gunpowder, and when the powder explodes, the force will propel the ball outward."

The principle of the cannon was not difficult. Since the Song already widely used gunpowder, understanding cannon operation was even simpler, though it required some time and practical experience.

"I understand. I will attempt to develop it."

"No rush. I won’t demand this from you soon. The immediate priority is mass production of weapons like catapults and thunderclap bombs."

"Yes."

Having said this, Zhao Ning returned to the previous topic and looked at Li Chong.

"Officer Li, let us go see the armor."