Of the 53 horsemen who were caught, 65 were shot. Zhao He didn't need to be interrogated, he had already recognized that these people were all deserters from the northern tribes who had been scattered. Zhao He didn't dare to make an arbitrary claim, so he immediately asked the cavalry company to escort the fifty-three people to Xiao Yiran's tent.

At this time, Xiao Yiran and Xuan Liang were already dressed and waiting outside the tent.

"Emperor, a total of one hundred and eight people who drove wild horses to sneak attack, shot sixty-five people, captured fifty-three people, and none of them escaped."

"Who are they?"

"It's the deserters who were scattered in the last battle."

"Ask them how they knew I was here."

Zhao He interrogated several captured cavalrymen, turned around and reported to Xiao Yiran:

"Emperor, they don't know that the emperor is here, because they have no weapons, they want to use the wild horses to scatter us, so as to rob us of weapons. From the moment we entered the steppe, they had their eyes on us. ”

"That's right. So what do they think? If you are willing to submit, leave them, and if you are not, let them go. ”

Xiao Yiran has always been reluctant to kill indiscriminately, looking at the more than 50 people who were captured, it will not be a climate, and it will not bring any danger to Xiao Guo, so he ordered Zhao He. Zhao He walked over again, asked the meaning of the fifty-three people, and turned back to report:

"Emperor, these are all my soldiers, and they are willing to return to Xiao Guo and the emperor."

"In that case, let them stay. Weilong, these people will be handed over to you temporarily. After training the formation, it was sent to Wangshan City and handed over to Xuan Liang. ”

"Yes, Emperor."

Xiao Yiran and Xuan Liang, who were interrupted by a false alarm, returned to the tent again and continued their unfinished business.

For four or five days in a row, Xiao Yiran lingered in the beautiful scenery of the grassland in front of him, and he had the meaning of not thinking about it. It is rare to see the four Xuanliang people who are so relaxed by the emperor, so they naturally will not urge loudly. Following the emperor, he gradually came to the northern edge of the prairie. It was blocked by an east-west mountain range, towering into the sky, stretching for an unknown number of distances.

From afar, the top of the mountain is white, and below the snow line is a dense jungle, which extends to the foot of the mountain, reaching a third of the foot of the mountain, and the jungle stops abruptly, forming a neat dividing line with the green grassland, which is conspicuous. Xiao Yiran shook the reins, rode his horse slowly to a small river valley on the dividing line between the grassland and the jungle, and ordered Zhao He to camp on the spot, intending to stay here for two days.

"Zhao He, does this mountain have a name?"

"Emperor, we all call this mountain Yin Mountain?"

"Why do you call it Yin Mountain?"

"Because the legend has passed this mountain, it is the underworld, so it is called Yin Mountain."

"Hasn't anyone crossed the Yin Mountain?"

"Nope."

Xiao Yiran looked at the peak of the snow-capped mountain deep into the clouds, and remembered that there was also a Yin Mountain before rebirth, but the direction of that Yin Mountain did not seem to be east-west. Could it be that there was a violent crustal movement later, and this Yin Mountain is not the other Yin Mountain?

Xuan Liang watched as the emperor kept staring at the mountain range in front of him, and couldn't help asking:

"Does the emperor want to know the scene on the other side of Yinshan?"

"Don't you want to know?"

"Emperor, of course I want to know. Why don't you let me take someone over the mountain to have a look? ”

"Huh? I said a few days ago that I would never agree to you to take risks again, you don't think I'm talking about fun, do you? ”

Xuan Liang raised his hand in embarrassment and scratched the back of his head, but did not say anything more.

"Tomorrow we'll take a look at the snow line."

Since being harassed by the wild horse herd on the first night, nothing has happened in the following time, so Xiao Yiran asked the four of them to divide into two groups, take turns to be on guard, and take turns to sleep. Xuan Liang and Wei Tian are in a group, and Zhao He and Wei Long are in a group. Although Zhao He had already had the experience of serving in bed a few times, he still looked a little immature compared to Wei Long. However, with Wei Long's demonstration, Zhao He quickly mastered some necessary skills. When sucking the emperor's abundance, it is no longer just like a baby's milk. And because of the initial excitement and nervousness, Zhao He, who gradually relaxed, was no longer as good as the first night, and soon erupted, and the time gradually extended, and it was comparable to Wei Long.

Xiao Yiran enjoyed the fierce reaction that his touching and swallowing brought to Zhao He. Therefore, when the three of them were entangled, Xiao Yiran preferred to let Weilong below, while he comforted Zhao He's Weijian more.

In the silent night of the grassland, the emperor's weeping and complaining moans were full of clear and charming moans, like the sound of a charging horn, inspiring Zhao He and them to launch a more fierce attack on the emperor. For a moment, the sound of skin colliding, and the popping sound of Wei Jian going in and out of the mud, like a frog throwing into water, was mixed with the emperor's louder and louder moans, filling the silent grassland night.

Between the snow line and the jungle, there is about a dozen miles of open land, on which there is almost no grass, and the melting snow soaks into the soil, making the bare ground very muddy. The horse stepped on it, leaving deep hoof prints.

Xiao Yiran, who was just about to turn the horse's head and return, accidentally saw some whitish stones under the snow at the snow line. Xiao Yiran felt a little familiar, and immediately ordered the guards around him to go over and pick up some. Xiao Yiran took it in his hand, looked at it carefully for a while, and his heart couldn't help beating.

"Saltpeter is the saltpeter I was looking for."

Xiao Yiran tried his best to hide the surprise in his heart, and ordered all the soldiers to pick up as many as possible and hunch on horseback. Although Xuan Liang and the others also asked why they picked up these stones, Xiao Yiran did not tell them.

Xiao Yiran also had to use saltpeter, with the sulfur and charcoal that had been prepared for a long time, to develop black powder, in order to fulfill what he said to Zhao Chuan and Zhao He, "The dragon clan still has a trick". It wasn't until all the soldiers brought saltpeter that the weight limit of the war horse could bear that Xiao Yiran ordered to set off and return.

The group only spent two nights on the road, then rushed back to Zhao County, stayed in Xiao'an's Taishou Mansion for another night, and returned to Wangshan City the next day. After a night's rest, Xiao Yiran came to the smelter at the northern foot of Wangshan the next day. This time, Xiao Yiran only brought Li Yu and Xuan Liang, plus Liang Mu, the secretary of the manufacturing department, a total of four people.

"Liang Mu, immediately arrange for people to separate the sulfur and charcoal into powder, this is saltpeter, and it is also ground into powder separately, do not let the three folds be adulterated. At the same time, stay away from fire. It is never allowed to have Mars close to you while grinding. ”

When Liang Mu led the people to grind a small amount of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal according to Xiao Yiran's instructions. Xiao Yiran made a scale, put a stone weighing about one catty on one end, and weighed one part saltpeter powder, two parts sulfur powder, and three parts charcoal powder. When the three powders were placed in front of him, Xiao Yiran ordered Liang Mu to find a piece of dry bark and peel off a thin layer of fibrous bark from the side near the trunk from the inside. Hands-on, according to the ratio of one nitrate, two sulfur and three charcoal, sprinkle a layer of mixture of the three, and rub it into a lead by hand. After that, mix the remaining and weighed saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal together with a linen cloth, mix them well and wrap them tightly. Plug the lead into it.

"Xuan Liang, hold it carefully, don't fall to the ground, Li Yu bring the fire, come with me."

The three of them followed behind Xiao Yiran, came to the bank of the big river, asked Xuan Liang to carefully put the gunpowder bag on the ground, led Liang Mu and Xuan Liang to a large rock to hide their figures, and then ordered Li Yu:

"As soon as you light the fuse, run over without delay."

Although Li Yu didn't know what was about to happen, from the emperor's tone, Li Yu still heard the emperor's caution and warning. He bent down and lit the fuse, and quickly ran behind the big stone hidden by the emperor, and as soon as he lay on the ground, he heard a deafening loud noise. I even felt the earth trembling a few times with it.

The three of them were dumbfounded, first looking at the deep pit that appeared where the sackcloth bag was placed just now, then you look at me, I look at you, and finally focused their eyes on the emperor.

"Do you want to know what's going on? Why is it so powerful? ”

None of the three spoke, but only nodded vigorously.

"If only they could find saltpeter before they started fighting with Zhao He."

Xiao Yiran sighed first, as if he was deliberately fishing for the appetite of the three of them. After a pause, he continued:

"It's called black powder, and it's very lethal. It can be used not only in war, but also in life. For example, mining ore, such as hunting, etc., can be used. ”

The three of them still did not recover from their great surprise.

"Now only the four of us know about this, if it leaks out, the three of you will be questioned."

"Yes, Emperor. We swear to God that we will never divulge this. ”

"No swear, I trust you, otherwise I wouldn't have called just the three of you."

Xiao Yiran glanced at the three of them and said.

"Did Liang Mu understand the ratio just now?"

"One, two, three, right, Emperor?"

"You look very carefully, it's one nitrate, two sulfur and three charcoal. This recipe can only be known to the four of us, understand? ”

"Understood."

"Okay, next, Li Yu supervised Liang Mu to make black powder in batches. It is important to remember that the three powders should never be mixed in advance, and the three powders should never be exposed to an open flame. ”

"Yes."

"Liang Mu, in the future, the lead will be made of linen, and you can write a note and go to the Ministry of Finance to get it. Xuan Liang, the matter of excavating and transporting saltpeter is temporarily in the responsibility of your cavalry division. ”

The three of them each agreed respectfully. Xiao Yiran told Liang Mu again:

"Three days later, on the fifteenth day of August, prepare three servings for me at that time, and the amount will be the same as today's, and I will be of other use."

That night, it happened to be Li Yu and Xuan Liang to sleep, and with the excitement in their hearts, Li Yu and Xuan Liang did their best to wait for the emperor who was getting bigger and bigger in their hearts.

Xiao Yiran was actually very excited, with black powder, he would no longer be afraid of the more powerful races than Xiao Guo. Especially those who have always been concerned about the southwest border that are good at raising Gu worms.

The three of them lingered all night, and it was not until they climbed to the top several times that Xiao Yiran fell asleep.