Section 79 The bottom of the thief

Compared with powdered gunpowder, granular gunpowder is a step up, powdered gunpowder is easy to absorb moisture, and gradually divided due to bumps on the way to storage and transportation, resulting in more charcoal powder in the upper layer and more sulfur powder in the lower layer. This results in uneven mixing, which is detrimental to the power and safety of gunpowder.

Li Modao watched the granulation of the craftsmen with great interest, while inquiring about the details. It turned out that this jishu was also introduced by Westerners, and the craftsmen said that this kind of gunpowder not only broke out accurately, but also did not susceptible to moisture, which was much better than the powdered gunpowder used in the past.

"This is another Westerner's idea" Li Modao had an expectation in his heart, hoping to meet a Westerner and ask him face-to-face about the purpose of these Western firearms.

"How much gunpowder has been made?" He asked.

The steward of the Gunpowder Bureau announced: "Back to the master, now I have made 10,000 catties." Most of them are explosives, but there are also a small amount of explosives. There were also poisonous gunpowder and medicine cakes. ”

"That's too little. 10,000 catties are not used. ”

"Yes, it's just that the hemp charcoal to be used is hard to find, and I am changing to willow charcoal." The steward said, "Now that gunpowder is different from before, saltpeter and sulfur must be purified before it can be used." Butter lard is used for raw sulfur alone, and ten catties will cost two or three catties, which is quite time-consuming to raise. ”

Coming out of the earthen enclosure of the gunpowder bureau, three or four miles away is black smoke in the sky, this is the location of the blacksmith camp, most of the weapons in the army are made of iron, although the weapons of the official army are specially made by the government, but the army still carries some blacksmith tools, iron materials and charcoal, which are used to repair weapons at any time, and when necessary, they can also rush to make some weapons that consume a lot, such as arrowheads and iron. Now the blacksmith battalion is rushing to make cannon projectiles day and night.

In the camp, a shank was clanging to repair swords, spears and guns, and in the open air there were seven or eight iron-melting stoves, which were melting pig iron and pouring cannons. The ground was covered with large and small clay molds.

Li Modao saw that the stockyard on one side was full of all kinds of iron materials, including iron bricks and iron rods bought from the iron yard, as well as various weapons and objects that had been replaced in the army. Abandoned cauldrons and broken clay molds were piled up into hillocks several feet high. The newly cast various artillery projectiles were held in rattan baskets, which were already piled up to the size of several acres of land. Li Modao knew that the small basket was filled with a cannon, and the big basket was filled with a group.

Guan Yingqian saw him arrive and hurried out to greet him. Like gunpowder, Li Modao has an urgent requirement to make more cannon projectiles as soon as possible. When the artillery is consumed a lot during the battle, not to mention that this time he is still preparing to surround the enemy constantly, in case there is a firearms battalion without artillery projectiles available and misses the fighter, his head will not be protected.

He looked at the cannons in the basket, and the cannonballs were unevenly cast, some were very round, and some were very different in diameter. The finish of the projectile body is also different. Some of the cannons have a rough surface, almost honeycomb-like. What's even worse is that the same five-pound cannon, the size is still slightly different, and some are very different, and there is a big error when you look at the size

"This cannon scores one point." He said to Mr. Qian, who was in charge of the blacksmith camp who greeted him, "You have to be the roundest and brightest to use the Hongyi cannon." The others can only be used as sealers. There is also this size, big big, small small. Score it too. ”

Li Modao knew that it was not a big problem for such a cannon to be used as an old artillery such as the Tiger Squat Cannon, but when it was used on a cannon like the Franc cannon or the Hongyi cannon, there would be a problem of astringent firing, and in serious cases, it would even cause an accident of exploding.

Years of experience in igniting firearms have taught him that if the projectile is not smooth and round enough, no matter how cast the cannon is, there will be air leakage, and the shell will not be able to hit far or even more terrible explosion.

The next day, He Rubin was talking to the staff in the big tent, and suddenly someone came to report, someone from Qiongshan recruited, claiming that he was a native of Lingao, had fought with the thief, knew the thief very well, and was willing to serve before coming to the army.

"Okay, write Guangzhou, and quickly deliver this person over." He Rubin's spirits perked up, so far, he had not recruited a local from Lingao, let alone claimed to have fought with the thief.

"According to the Qiongzhou Prefect Daily: This person's name is Gou Chengxuan, who was once removed from the province to show his talent and fame because of 'traffic bandits', and was also wanted by the county, I am afraid he is not a good person."

"Traffic bandits?" He Rubin thought to himself, could it be that this person had done something for the thief? If so, it will be more manageable. If it is a showman, he still has to be polite, since he is a fugitive from traffic bandits, that is, if he wants him to be round, he will be round, "Let Qiongzhou Mansion send people as soon as possible." ”

Gou Chengxuan escaped from Lingao a few months ago. When he was in the autumn endowment, he was waiting for the gentry and landlords to fish in troubled waters once they made a fuss, making a big fuss, and making the thieves suffer a lot, but he didn't expect Huang Yukun to disdain to form an alliance with him. I did it myself, but I was defeated, and the Jihua of Zhangtian, who was a thief, became a thing.

The trouble that took advantage of the situation failed, and he couldn't stay in Lingao County. With the takeover of the county government by the crossing group, the large-scale clean-up and rectification of Lingao County also began. The beggars and wanderers who used to live in the city were all arrested. Gou Chengxuan knew that it was not okay to continue to disguise himself as a beggar and stay in the city, in case he was caught by the thief, even if he did not reveal his identity, he would have to be arrested to quarry and dig sand, and be whipped by Fu Youland. At that moment, he hurriedly took out his clothes and a small amount of silver taels from his hiding place, and escaped from the county under the cover of the Lai brothers.

Seeing that he couldn't stay in Lingao anymore, Gou Chengxuan could only prepare to escape. He asked Lai Xiao, who was working in the county school, to continue to lurk in the city, and he took Lai Da to Qiongshan County to temporarily settle down. But Gou Xunli, who went to hug Pang Mountain and went to join the righteous brothers, has never been found. Without news of his father, the family wealth was lost, and Gou Chengxuan, who had no way to take revenge, almost wanted to commit suicide by throwing himself into the water in despair, but fortunately, he relied on the persuasion of Da Sui by his side from time to time.

In Qiongshan, when he heard that the imperial court was going to attack Lingao, Gou Chengxuan, who was already desperate, finally felt that God had opened his eyes, and when he saw that someone was recruited to know the inside story of the thief, he immediately applied for it.

After Gou Chengxuan was interrogated in Qiongshan for a while, he and Lai Da were sent to Daying in Guangzhou by the magistrate of Qiongshan County.

He was sent to the Humen camp in chains like a prisoner, and he got off the boat and let him be shackled, leaving him to wait in a tent.

Gou Chengxuan's heart went up and down, it seems that the government is very unkind to him, I don't know if it is because he has been known by the government because he has been charged with "traffic bandits"? This matter must be defended no matter what.

Before he could take a breath of relief, a personal soldier came to say:

"The chief soldier has a life: pass on Gou Chengxuan to come in"

"Yes, please lead the way." Gou Chengxuan was not only nervous in his heart—this was the first time he had seen such a big official.

He couldn't help but tremble, hurriedly adjusted his clothes, and walked towards the Chinese army with his own soldiers. A group of soldiers standing at the gate blocked him with swords. A small leader of the pro-soldiers looked at him and asked:

"You're Gou Chengxuan?"

"Yes, the villain is Gou Chengxuan." He replied in a low voice, his voice trembling a little.

"Do you have a sword with you?"

"The villain is a scholar......"

"Don't talk nonsense, do you have a belt?" The leader of the guards looked impatient.

"No, not really." Gou Chengxuan hurriedly confessed.

The leader of the pro-soldiers was still not at ease, so he searched his body before letting him walk into the gate. The Chinese army took him to He Rubin's desk and knelt down. His heart beat like a drum, and he did not dare to raise his head, and said:

"Xiaomin Gou Chengxuan sees Lord Zhentai"

"Is it that you unveiled the list and said that you knew the inside story of the thief?"

"It's the villain."

"You say that you know the inside story of the thief, so you have to really serve the court, and the court will naturally reuse you." He Rubin looked at him and felt that this person was cunning and not a good person. He didn't ask Gou Chengxuan to get up, he just drank tea slowly, and asked half-loudly:

"You know all the details of your self-proclaimed thief, who are you?"

"Back to the adult, the villain's surname is Gou ......" Gou Chengxuan first said his life experience, of course, he didn't dare to say that the Gou family had a glorious history in Lingao - the pirate's nest family, a local bully. He didn't even dare to say anything about his former talent, for fear of asking about the removal of his fame -- you must know that he is still a key criminal named and wanted by the government. It is only said that the Gou family is an ordinary local tyrant, and at the beginning of the landing of the thief, there was no food in his hands, so he moved the idea of Gou Jiazhuang, gathered people and horses to break Zhuangzi, killed his uncle's family, robbed the food and property, and coerced all the villagers, only he and his father escaped alone.

Speaking of the tragedy, Gou Chengxuan secretly wept. But within this Zhongjun Yuanmen, he didn't dare to cry. It's just a lecture on the cause and effect.

He Rubin gritted his teeth when he saw him, and his eyes turned red. Knowing that what he said was true, it was unlikely that it was a spy sent by the thief to go undercover before asking:

"Your father and son are both key criminals named by Lingao County to arrest 'traffic bandits', what do you say? From the truth."

Gou Chengxuan's brain boomed, this was what he was most afraid of. He settled down, and then kowtowed and cried:

"The little one is really wronged" When he said this, countless thoughts turned in his mind, the first one was to tell Wu Mingjin about colluding with thieves? He wanted to bite the county order hard, but he didn't dare. The so-called protection of officials and officials, who knows what kind of backstage this Wu Mingjin has, if he bites it, it is really easier for the official to kill his mouth than to pinch an ant to death.

Now I can only blame all the sins on the thief, and it is not too late to take revenge after I can win the full trust of the government.

"The villain was wronged by the thief." Gou Chengxuan sadly and sadly fabricated a story, saying that after the thief broke his family's Zhuangzi, he was afraid of the government's investigation, so he bribed the bad officials in the county and deliberately planted the pirate's banner documents and seal letters on him.

It doesn't matter who this bad official is, anyway, the officials in the county either killed the thief or completely obeyed the thief, and they were not afraid that they would bite back.

"Master Wu misheard Xiaoxiao's words, thinking that the villain's family colluded with pirates. The villain is indeed wronged, and please let the adults know it," he said and kowtowed.

He Rubin didn't care whether he was wronged or not, but he used this to beat him and make him obey and obey. Seeing that he kowtowed like pounding garlic, he said:

"Whether you are wronged or not, I will give you an explanation after you are a thief, but you have to do your best, even if you are a sinful person, you can also make a contribution. If you do have great achievements, it is not difficult to have a background. ”

"Mr. Xie Hongen" Gou Chengxuan heard that not only would he no longer pursue his crimes, but if he had merit, he could still get a meritorious name, and he couldn't help but be grateful, and knocked his head on the ground with a bang, "The villain must do his best to repay the kindness of the adult."

"The thieves' firearms are known to be sharp, have you ever seen them?"

"Back to your lordship." Gou Chengxuan said cautiously, "The thief's firearms are indeed sharp. The sharpest thing is their bird guns and platoon guns. ”

At present, it is said that there are two kinds of birds, one is for the use of the dosage that works, and the other is for the real man's own use. Regardless of whether it is a real wig, the bird gun does not need a fire rope, and you can put a gun with your hand.

"The gun used in the wig is called Dense Mud. It is similar to the bird gun used by officers and soldiers. It's just that when the gun is fired, there is no use of the fire rope, and there is no use of the lead stick. Only a copper piece can be placed in the fire door to shoot, and even if the wind and rain are blowing, you can also fire a gun. Only one gun is used for each gun, but it is extremely powerful, not only can it pierce through iron armor, but the range is also 400 paces away. ”

Everyone in the big tent of the Chinese army showed disbelief. A bird gun can be placed 400 steps away, can this still be called a bird gun? Even the medium-sized Franc cannon couldn't hit that far.

Then Gou Chengxuan said that the bird gun used in the real hair is more powerful, and there is no need to cast a casual load. All bullets and medicines are stored in the iron box of the gun, and the soldiers can put them at will, called the Lianzhu Bird Gun.

Now everyone doesn't believe it anymore. Gou Chengxuan knew that everyone didn't trust what he said, so he hurriedly confessed:

"A few days after the thieves landed, Wu Ling immediately supervised the county township Yong thousands of fierce attacks on the enemy camp, but the enemy's birds and bullets rained down, and the township Yong did not get close to the death and wounded most of the people.

"What is a platoon gun?"

"The platoon gun is more than ten barrels of bird guns connected into one, and the gun hand clasps the hair with his hand, and the bird gun can be fired in a row, or three or four times in a row, or seven or eight times in a row, and there is also a full shot. The power of the projectile is no different from that of dense mud - it can pierce through iron armor at a distance of 400 steps. ”

There was a sigh of surprise in the big tent, and although Akito had never seen a repeating gun, he was still aware of the power of rapid-fire weapons.

Chang Qingyun, who was sitting on the side, couldn't help but say: "There is a lot of nonsense in the world, there is no firerope and no lead, and there is no need to light the door with incense, how to ignite gunpowder?" Put a piece of copper and you can get angry, isn't it a monster?"

The other aides were also very skeptical. After all, this is too beyond the common sense of the people of the time. However, Lu Yizhong was more serious, and said: "There are quite strange things overseas, such as: crystal mirrors, spontaneous fireboats, iron clippers and the like. Thieves are also known for their ingenuity, and it is not surprising that they have such firearms. ”

He Rubin saw that Gou Chengxuan didn't dare to speak, so he said: "You don't have to be afraid, just say it." ”

"Yes, yes." Gou Chengxuan saw that someone defended him, and the chief soldier did not refute his words, and his courage grew again, "Australia...... No, the thieves' firearms, in fact, are no different from the Ming Dynasty, but their gunpowder is more refined, and there are several secret medicines, which are used on guns, which can not be afraid of wind and rain and spontaneously start fires. ”

"Do you know how to make this elixir?"

"The secret medicines are all made in the thieves' village. All the construction is done by the real man, and the fake can only do some hands-on work. Therefore, the villain does not know the method. ”

Then Gou Chengxuan said that the Lu Shi soldiers of the thieves did not wear armor, only wore short cloth clothes, wore rattan helmets, and no one used knives and contradictory cards, etc., all used dense mud fast guns, and the guns were equipped with three-edged short spears, which were very sharp.

“…… The thief was shot at a distance and stabbed with a three-edged spear at near. ”

Hearing that the thief did not wear armor, but only wore cloth clothes and rattan helmets, several generals couldn't help but laugh with disdain. Because it has long been rumored that the thieves' men and horses do not wear armor - not even cotton armor, and it is even more unusual to wear rattan helmets, is it to imitate the rattan armor soldiers in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms?

"The thieves are all armed birds, don't they practice swords and spears?"

"Yes, the villain has only seen the thief cast a bird gun, or practiced the art of stabbing. But some of the people they were carrying were accustomed to spears. ”

"I heard that the thief has a giant cannon on top of the Bopu beacon, and it can be cast for up to ten miles. DID YOU KNOW? ”

"The villain knows that there is one on the beacon, and there is also one on the deck of the big iron ship."

"One shot and ten miles, can there be such a thing?"

Gou Chengxuan had seen the test firing of these two guns, and the naval fort artillery in Bopu had to fire live ammunition once a month. He had seen the amazing range of the shells with his own eyes, but the reaction of the officials just now made him hesitate to say that the range was smaller. However, if it is too small, as soon as the thief fires the cannon, his lies will be immediately exposed, and he may be directly "pushed out and beheaded" by the official army. He thought for a moment before saying, "The villain has never seen it in person, but every time he casts it, the sound shocks ten miles." According to people, it is possible to put the cannon ten miles away. ”

He Rubin asked again: "How many people are there in each of the thieves and Lu Shi and the water master?" How many of them are real? ”

"If you go back to your lordship, there are more than 10,000 thieves in the Lu Division." Of course, Gou Chengxuan knew that the Australians did not have so many troops, but he was determined to exaggerate, so as not to anger the official master by saying less, "There are also 10,000 sailors." He hurriedly added, "Among them, there are very few real people, but more than 1,000 people, all of whom are traitors on the Fujian and Guangdong seas and the people who are coerced everywhere." ”

"How many cannons are there for the thief?"

"As far as the villain can see, it's almost everywhere." Gou Chengxuan said that Australian cannons can be seen everywhere in Lingao -- many of the turrets along the road have a small cannon. As for the artillery used in field battles, he had seen more than a dozen of them. He also told He Rubin and others that the thief's cannon was lighter than the Hongyi cannon, the cannon body was not thick, and the gun carriage was also very light, which could be easily dragged by horses. The smallest small artillery carriage can be pulled by a Sichuan horse.

"The thieves have no mules and horses, they only use the people's fake cannons, and dozens of people are needed for a cannon, so only light artillery is used in field battles, and heavy artillery is not used."

"So, the thieves don't have any Hongyi cannons?"

"As far as the villain can see, there is indeed none." Gou Chengxuan hesitated and said.

"How powerful is the thief cannon?"