"Lao Zhang, I really let you guess correctly, the Hu people really want to take the southern inland area for themselves." Looking at the secret report from the capital, Ning Zhiyuan couldn't help but sigh.

Mr. Zhang Wenxuan stroked his beard and said: "Although it cannot be compared with the prosperous and wealthy Jiangnan, the southern inland area with a large population and abundant products is simply a big piece of fat for the Hu people who have lived outside the customs for many years.

Once these jackals come in, they are not willing to retreat easily. The Xie family and others still underestimated the wolf ambitions of the Hu people. ”

Ning Zhiyuan sneered: "To put it bluntly, in the eyes of the old thief, I, Ning Zhiyuan, am the confidant, and Hu Ren is just a disease of scabies."

For An Lao, the power in his hands is the most important thing, and he doesn't care about the survival of the nation and the hatred of the country at all.

Now that things have come to this, I'll see how the old thief ends. ”

"Lord, although this matter is quite far away from us, the subordinates think that it is better for us to prepare early."

"You mean to blockade the Wujiang River?"

"Yes. Last time, the puppet dynasty had already thrown more than 100,000 displaced people over like hot potatoes and left them to fend for themselves, and we finally settled these displaced people under Mr. Su's strange plan to burn the mountains and make fields.

In case as the situation in the south continues to deteriorate, there will be a large number of displaced people next time, it is difficult to guarantee that the puppet dynasty will not repeat its old tricks and force those displaced people to us again.

We have done our best to resettle the current group of displaced people, and we really can't accommodate more displaced people.

In order to prevent the lord from being this wicked person, the best way is to seal the Wujiang River and prevent the ships of the puppet dynasty from coming. ”

"You're right, we should be prepared in advance.

Originally, I intended to assemble a powerful sailor to dominate the entire open sea. After the New Year, I will ask the people below to speed up the progress and seal the two sides of the Wujiang River first. ”

"My lord, I suggest that the eldest prince be in charge of this matter."

Ning Zhiyuan was stunned for a moment, and then glanced at him meaningfully.

Zhang Wenxuan's proposal was obviously to let his eldest son Ning Yabai take this opportunity to make meritorious contributions in order to increase his prestige in the army.

However, this is only the superficial meaning, and the deeper intention is that Zhang Wenxuan wants to test whether the lord has considered the second son Ning Yafeng in terms of the selection of the future heir.

After all, it is not uncommon for some parents to prefer young children.

Moreover, the second son and the eldest son are not much different in age, and they have also served in the army for many years, if the lord intends to let the second son inherit the Ning family, it is not impossible.

But the issue of heirs is a matter of great importance, and it is by no means a trivial matter, and it is better to decide in advance.

From Zhang Wenxuan's point of view, of course, he hopes to follow the traditional inheritance system of the eldest son, so as to avoid disputes over the issue of heirs in the future.

What's more, the eldest son, Ning Yabai, is calm and capable, with outstanding ability, and is a very good heir, whether it is the identity of the eldest son or his own ability, he is impeccable.

"That's fine, then I'll let Bai'er take care of this." After thinking clearly about Zhang Wenxuan's intentions, Ning Zhiyuan decided to give the top staff member around him a reassurance.

Hearing the lord's answer, Zhang Wenxuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Now it is rare for the northwest to develop so smoothly, and he really doesn't want any variables to occur because of the heir issue.

The rivalry between the eldest prince and the second prince during the period of Emperor Jing'an is the best counterexample.

The same situation must not occur in the northwest, and the northwest today really cannot afford to toss.

In fact, Zhang Wenxuan was too worried, Ning Zhiyuan originally planned to inherit the family business by his eldest son Ning Yabai.

In view of the fact that many famous big families gradually fell because there were too many losers, the successive heads of the Ning family were very strict with their children's family education.

Don't even think about looking for flowers and willows, fighting cocks and walking dogs like other gentlemen all day long.

As long as the children of the Ning family reach a certain age, they will go to the northwest to experience and stay away from the bustle and noise of the capital early, in order not to let them mess up their minds.

In Ning Zhiyuan's generation, although he will be more pampered and pampered to his two daughters, he does not dare to relax the cultivation of his two sons.

The eldest son Ning Yabai's introverted and calm personality now, in addition to his natural personality, is also Ning Zhiyuan's intention to cultivate like this.

The head of a family is equivalent to the helmsman of a big ship, if the mind is not calm and resolute, once it encounters any strong winds and waves, how can it lead the family to survive safely?

Ning Zhiyuan did not particularly favor his young son, so his education for the eldest son Ning Yabai was even stricter than that of the second son Ning Yafeng, and everything was required by the standards of the family heir.

Under such a strict family education, the probability of a loser being a son can be said to be very small, which is one of the reasons why the Ning family can always remain tall.

Whether a family can maintain prosperity for a long time, the decision-making and ability of each generation of the family are too important.

After saying this, Zhang Wenxuan mentioned another equally important matter, "My lord, do you plan to hand over the establishment of the Integrity Society to Mr. Su?" ”

Ning Zhiyuan shook his head and said, "No, Ah Zhen is just coordinating this matter as a behind-the-scenes staff officer, I don't want him to offend too many people." After all, this new policy cuts off the way for those civil officials to accumulate money.

The situation in the northwest is good, after all, the civil service is limited, and it is also suitable for the trial of the new policy.

But if it is implemented in the Northeast, it is estimated that the vast majority of local civil officials will hate Ah Zhen to the core.

Ah Zhen is a big person, I don't want him to be disturbed by these villains and general affairs. ”

"The lord's intention to protect Mr. Su is understood by his subordinates."

A gentle smile appeared on Ning Zhiyuan's face, "Although Ah Zhen is not surnamed Ning, in my eyes, he is actually no different from Bai'er and Feng'er, they are all their own children.

If the Ning family has a chance to succeed in the future, this kid will make a great contribution. ”

Zhang Wenxuan's heart moved, this was the first time that the lord had clearly expressed his intention to compete in the world.

It can be seen that the success of the Northeast has given the lord great confidence, which is a good thing.

When Ning Zhiyuan and his confidant Zhang Wenxuan walked outside after talking, they happened to see their two sons, their youngest daughter, and their youngest son-in-law sitting in the hall, chatting and laughing, looking very happy.

"Dad, are you done talking to Mr. Zhang? We've been waiting for you for a long time. Ning Yafeng was a lively and outgoing person, and she screamed loudly when she saw her father.

Ning Zhiyuan scolded with a smile: "What are you doing so loudly, Lao Tzu is not deaf."

I haven't said anything about you yet, you stinky boys haven't seen anyone all day these days, what are you doing running outside every day? If you want to go hunting, I don't see you coming back with your prey and adding vegetables. ”

Ning Yafeng walked over and said with a smile: "Dad, Ah Zhen made a very interesting thing, and we have been trying it out for the past few days." I just wanted you to check it out today. ”

Ning Zhiyuan looked at Chi Fei on the side and asked, "Ah Zhen, what is Ah Feng talking about?" ”

Chi Fei and Ning Yabai looked at each other for a moment, and then smiled: "Father-in-law, you better go over and have a look first." ”

Ah Zhi also watched the excitement with a happy face.

"Wow, a mysterious look. Okay, I'll go over and see what tricks you're playing. Lao Zhang, let's go over together. ”

"Yes, my lord."

After the group came to the racecourse behind the Ning Mansion, Ning Zhiyuan and Zhang Wenxuan saw a human-high shelf erected in the center of the racecourse, and a pair of armor commonly used by cavalry was hung on the shelf.

The three of them stood about thirty paces away from the shelf, two of them were Zhang Wu and Su Zihang, the leaders of the five hundred elite cavalry who were responsible for protecting Chi Fei, and the other was Ning Yabai's adjutant.

As soon as Zhang Wu and the others saw Ning Zhiyuan, they immediately saluted him, and said in unison: "Hello general." ”

Ning Zhiyuan nodded to them as a return salute, and then asked the little son-in-law beside him, "If there is anything you want to show me, come quickly." ”

"Father-in-law, please, wait." After Chi Fei finished speaking, he glanced at Zhang Wu and the others.

Zhang Wu immediately took out a smooth wooden plank that had been prepared a long time ago and put it behind Za Jia, and then stood in a line like he had practiced before.

Zhang Wu stood at the front, holding a bulky thing like a burning wooden stick in his hand and standing it up to the sky, while Su Zihang and the adjutant also stood behind with a serious face holding an identical thing.

Chi Fei walked up to them, then pointed to the armor hanging on the shelf and ordered, "Aim." ”

Zhang Wu immediately placed the burning wooden stick that was originally standing vertically in front of him, and then aimed forward with one eye.

"Fire."

With Chi Fei's order, Zhang Wu immediately pulled the sheet metal machine, and the "burning stick" in his hand immediately burst into a burst of fire and a muffled sound, and a puff of smoke rose.

After firing the first shot, Zhang Wu immediately went around to the rear, and then reloaded with gunpowder and buckshot with skillful movements.

Su Zihang, who followed closely, immediately took a step forward, raised the "burning stick" in his hand like Zhang Wu and aimed at the armor, and then quickly pulled the sheet metal machine.

The "burning stick" in his hand also burst into a burst of fire, a muffled sound, and a puff of smoke.

After doing all this, he also went around to the back of the line like Zhang Wu and reloaded his ammo.

The third-ranked adjutant also took a step forward like Su Zihang, doing the same thing, and the "burning stick" in his hand also produced exactly the same effect.

The three of them repeated this step back and forth like juggling, at first Ning Zhiyuan and Zhang Wenwen were a little puzzled, but after the fifth round, their faces began to change, and they all focused their eyes on the armor in front of them.

They saw that every time the "burning stick" in the hands of the three people sounded a few times, the armor in front of them would occasionally shake.

This is not always the case, but it happens almost every three or four times.

When the experiment reached the ninth round, Chi Fei finally ordered to stop firing, and then ordered Zhang Wu to bring over the wooden plank that was placed behind Zajia.

After seeing the wooden board up close, not only Zhang Wenxuan's face changed greatly, but even Ning Zhiyuan trembled with excitement and his eyes lit up, just like seeing a bandit leader full of treasures.

I saw that there were four or five holes the size of thumbs on the plank.

With the knowledge of Ning Zhiyuan and Zhang Wenxuan, they naturally figured out at once that these holes must have been pierced by the three "burning sticks".

But the point is that this plank is obviously placed behind the armor, and it stands to reason that this situation cannot happen.

The only explanation is that these three "burning sticks" pierced the armor and the wooden plank behind it by the way.

This kind of power is by no means comparable to ordinary bows and crossbows.

What exactly are these "burning sticks"? How powerful is it?

Seeing the shocked expressions on Ning Zhiyuan and Zhang Wenxuan's faces, Ning Yabai, Ning Yafeng, and Chi Fei couldn't help but look at each other and smile.

Ah Zhi looked at her sweetheart with admiration, because this thing was made by her sweetheart, which made her feel extremely honored and excited.

In fact, the two brothers, Ning Yabai and Ning Yafeng, were as excited as their father when they saw this situation for the first time.

They are all people who are accustomed to leading the army to fight, so they naturally know how terrible the thing called "musket" developed and manufactured by their brother-in-law Chi Fei is.

This is simply a weapon of mass destruction designed specifically against cavalry and infantry.

And such a big killing weapon is now in the hands of their Ning family, how can this not make them excited.

Compared with Ning Zhiyuan's excitement, Mr. Zhang Wenxuan looked at Chi Fei not far away with a frightened and inexplicable look.

Zhang Wenxuan didn't even dare to imagine what a terrifying impact it would have on the entire battlefield once this new weapon that could easily penetrate the armor of cavalry appeared on a large scale on the battlefield.

And it was none other than Mr. Su, the little son-in-law who was regarded as a son by the lord.

At this moment, Zhang Wenxuan had only one thought in his heart: Who is Mr. Su sacred?

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