"It's still the same problem as before, since the workshop moved, there have been more and more flies outside, and it's simply inexhaustible."

Lu Zifei said in surprise: "I really didn't have anyone tell me this, it's all from those forces." ”

Wei Chi said: "The most strange thing for me is here, there are people from Liao, Western Xia, and Goryeo, but there are not as many as I imagined, and the most are our people, and there are all kinds of reasons for arresting." ”

"Oh, are you sure it's our Song people? Not spies of other countries, the Liao State and Western Xia also had the presence of Han Chinese. ”

Wei Chi said: "I'm very sure, you know that I grew up in Bianjing since I was a child, and I am very familiar with the style of the forbidden army, including the way they walk and speak, no matter how a person pretends to be, but there are some small details that no matter how he pretends to be, it is impossible to pretend." ”

Lu Zifei said as he walked: "The workshops at home are basically here, and the gunpowder workshop is surrounded by them in the middle, Brother Wei, you know that I am not afraid of foreign invasion, but I am afraid that my own people will betray the country." ”

Wei Chi said empathetically: "Yes! But I went to consult the ancestor about this matter, he meant to catch one and kill the other, regardless of whose situation, this is a private territory, and no one else has the right to investigate except the government. ”

Lu Zifei thought for a while and said, "Don't kill if you catch it in the future, do you have a master of torture under your hands?" Without me to say hello to He Shangshu, there must be a lot of talents in his area, who sent them, Brother Wei, you will record them for me one by one. ”

"That's great, I'm afraid that a person like me He Shangshu doesn't even have the interest to meet, the emperor said that you have full authority to decide what to do here, and I have the backbone of my heart with you."

In the Taiping years, don't underestimate any royal influence, Wei Chi doesn't need to doubt the loyalty of the Zhao family at all, and Lu Zifei doesn't want to care about this, how other people's minions are trained is someone else's business, and it has nothing to do with him.

"Let's go see the finished product! I don't know what progress I've reached now, but no outsiders have seen the finished product! ”

Wei Chi said: "Except for the batch you took with you when you went to sea, there is not a single grain of gunpowder flowing out of the workshop, and most of our energy is now focused on research, most of the finished products in the inventory are samples, plus heavy military handles, no one can get here without my warrant." ”

Lu Zifei remembered another question and said: "What about the raw material channel?" If you pay a little attention, I'm afraid it will not be difficult to find out if you have any protective measures. ”

"They all go through official channels, and every time we send materials, we will write more names of materials on the material list to confuse their vision, and the workshops on Zhuangzi don't often enter materials, so it's not so easy for them to distinguish them."

Lu Zifei feels quite satisfied, although Weichi's professional ability is not good, it is still worthy of recognition in execution, this kind of person may not be suitable for scientific research, but it is very suitable for management.

In the clean and tidy warehouse, there are all kinds of wooden shelves, each wooden rack has labels, Lu Zifei took a closer look, they are all marked with various types of explosives, as well as the ratio of gunpowder, which should be the most satisfactory place for him so far.

"This is a place worthy of praise, you must keep it in the future, how many such warehouses do we have now."

It is not easy to get Lu Zifei's praise, Wei Chi is afraid that he will be dissatisfied with what he has done to make Lu Zifei dissatisfied, and his dream of returning to the capital will be shattered.

Wei Chi said with joy: "There are three such small warehouses, and there are five large warehouses, although we don't have many finished products, but we have accumulated a lot over time. ”

Lu Zifei frowned and said, "Are they all in bulk?" ”

"Yes, it's scattered all over the body, and we won't dare to make explosives bags without your orders."

"Five storehouses, that's a lot, so be it! Let people first make the gunpowder from these five warehouses into explosives bags, and don't put them in the original warehouses after they are made, Brother Wei, you should let people build two more warehouses as soon as possible. ”

Wei Chi looked at Lu Zifei with some incomprehension, and said with a little doubt: "Do you need to say hello to the emperor?" ”

Lu Zifei said: "Of course, don't you think it's okay not to tell?" There's no problem here, I'll go back first, you send that record to the capital when the time comes, and send a copy to the emperor by the way. ”

At this time, in the southernmost part of the Great Song Dynasty, Guangyuan Prefecture under the jurisdiction of Yongzhou on Guangnan West Road, the barbarian leader Nong Zhigao quietly looked at the people under his command to vent his dissatisfaction, he knew that these people did not have a little brain, except for fighting and killing nothing, such a team is not easy to bring!

In the chaotic quarrel, they found that their boss didn't seem to be very happy, and the scene instantly quieted down again, who were their food and clothing parents, they still knew very well, without the head of the person, they would not be where they are today.

"What, no more noise? Go on! Maybe the problem will be solved by arguing. Nong Zhigao didn't look angry at all, and said very kindly.

Seeing that everyone lowered their heads, Nong Zhigao raised his voice and said: "The Jiaozhi Li family can't tolerate us, and the Great Song Dynasty court has ignored our repeated requests. ”

Nong Xiaqing said: "Big brother, I think it's better for us to go south, the Great Song Dynasty has been recuperating for the past two years, and Guangzhou has added tens of thousands of new soldiers, who can support Guangnan West Road at any time, whether it is eastward or north, it is not good for us." ”

At this time, another important figure came out to speak, he was Nong Zhigao's military advisor Huang Shimi, compared with Zhang Yuan, who was killed by Lu Zifei back then, but the difference is that Zhang Yuan is a scholar who understands the system of the Han people and the way of doing things in the imperial court, while Huang Shimi is an out-and-out businessman.

The Nong family belongs to the Zhuang people, and the people in the 36th Cave of Guangnan West Road belong to the same barbarian tribe, Huang Shimi is a small businessman, and then gained their trust by doing business with the barbarians, and was finally discovered by Nong Zhigao and became Nong Zhigao's loyal dog.

"Due to the prosperity of maritime trade, we can indeed change the previous strategy, the strength of the Li family in Jiaozhi is not weak, this is what we need to consider, but we can't ignore the attitude of the Great Song Dynasty, so I suggest that we send people to the Great Song Dynasty to surrender and stabilize them."

Nong Zhigao sat on the tiger skin chair and said like a mountain king: "Then the two of you have the same opinion?" We have been dealing with the Jiaozhi Li family for so many years, and it is also a hard bone to gnaw! ”

Nong Xiaqing said: "Big brother, we have no way back now, A-Niang asked you to stand on your own feet, you didn't dare, and now we are resisting the invasion of the Jiaozhi people for the Great Song Dynasty, but what did we get in exchange, except for refusal again and again, there is nothing." ”

Nong Zhigao said: "Is there anything else else to say? If not, I'll give the order. ”

"Wang, you and the military advisor are the smartest people, decide that you will do it, and we will do the rest of the dirty work and tiring work, you refer to that, we will fight that, and besides, his Li family has nothing to fear, and it is not that they have not won after so many years of fighting."

Nong Zhigao wants to scold, is your brain full of water? A few hundred people is not called a war, once you decide to go south, it will be tens of thousands of people at every turn, can it be a level?

"Xia Qing, you stay at home, I will take the army to test the water first, so it is decided, everyone else will go down!" The military advisor left me with something to discuss with you. ”

Nong Xiaqing muttered what else he wanted to say, Huang Shimi gave him a look, Nong Xiaqing still gave in, he knew that if the military advisor couldn't change the eldest brother's mind, then no matter how much he said, it would be in vain.

When there were two people left, Nong Zhigao said: "These people of mine are all simple-minded and well-developed limbs, military advisor, tell me the truth now, can the soldiers of a tribe really fight against a country?" ”

Huang Shimi said: "There is still a chance for the upper and lower hearts, we have no way to retreat now, you know this, the Great Song Dynasty has changed a lot in recent years, if we want to fight against them, the only thing is to go east, but the territory of the Great Song Dynasty is too big, we only have one Yongzhou." ”

Nong Zhigao didn't understand Huang Shimi's words, once he wanted to be the emperor, he couldn't stop it! He now regrets that he didn't take advantage of the war in the northwest of the Great Song Dynasty a few years ago to stand on his own, and now he has given the Great Song Dynasty time and missed the best opportunity.

"Since you have decided, you don't regret it, military advisor, you take a little more effort, collect a little more information about the Li family recently, know yourself and know your opponent, you will not be defeated in a hundred battles, we are the weak side, these tasks are essential."

There are many reasons why Nong Zhigao can make Yongzhou a free kingdom, and the prime minister at the time, Lu Yijian, believed that the annual income of Guangnan West Road could not cover the expenses of the imperial court, so the policy for them was self-sufficiency, which was a bit similar to the 'one country, two systems' policy in later generations.

In the end, the imperial court gave Nong Zhigao a position as the governor of Yongzhou, which also fueled his ambitions, and the advantage of the tribe was that the patriarch could decide in one word, Nong Zhigao trained a lot of troops in Yongzhou, and his strength made him not satisfied with his current status.

Huang Shimi always had a bad premonition in his heart on the way back, he didn't know where this feeling came from, but it was lingering in his heart, and soon Huang Shimi cleared up these uneasiness, it was not easy for him to be a small person to get to today, he didn't want to let the power in his hands and himself miss out.

The Great Song Dynasty is still the same as yesterday, and the Han people are not interested in what happened in Yongzhou, which lives in Yiyu, let alone the imperial court, they only feel that the Great Song Dynasty has this territory in their hearts, as for those savages, they probably don't look at it as a human being!