Zhao Xingde mustered up his courage and suggested to Wang Yan to use a firecracker, and his blood was almost extinguished by the inferior products of the two-shot explosion.

"Since the Tong adults fled, everyone has almost completely discouraged and almost despaired," Su Wenyu said in an admiring tone, "but now that the royal system has changed, there is a kind of refreshment that has been opened." ”

"The usual courage is like the silver money in a purse, you have to take it out and gamble," Han Shizhong looked at the dark night sky outside the window, occasionally there was a flash of fire, followed by the roar of Liao cannons, and now many soldiers in the city can fall asleep in the sound of shelling from time to time, "You lose, you lose, suddenly you take out a void," he paused, and smiled at Zhao Xingde, "At this time, the real courage comes out." ”

"Brother Han said it well, be a big white man!" Zhao Xingde said with a smile, Su Wenyu listened to the two of them talk about gambling money, and he was also interested, saying that he still had a few gambling tickets from Fuhai Casino in his arms, and he didn't know if he had won points.

The three of them just drank light wine one by one, and Zhao Xingde's mind was chaotic, "This doesn't work, that doesn't work, it's useless to be a scholar, the Khitans broke the city only in ten days, someone took their lives to fight, what can I do?" He groaned again and again, and said to Han Shizhong: "Brother Han, can you lend me a thousand soldiers." ”

Han Shizhong was stunned for a moment, put down the cup, and said strangely: "What are you going to do?" "Seeing Zhao Xingde like this, it doesn't seem that he has suffered a little setback, so he is going to attack the camp at night and die.

"Brother think about it, although the firecrackers made in the workshop are crude, there are more than 20,000 firecrackers in the Hejian arsenal, and if you pick and test, maybe there will be thousands of sticks that can be used." Zhao Xingde groaned. He pondered for a long time, and the only thing he could do to help defend the city was his belief that the fire gun was a sharp weapon to kill the enemy. It's like digging a mine, maybe the bottom of the mine is a little farther away from the ore vein, and someone gives up after digging for dozens of meters, but he does know that as long as he keeps digging down, he will definitely be able to make a big gain. So even if you fight hard, you have to push the fire gun, anyway, the Liao people break the city, and in the end, the left and right are dead.

"I don't have a problem borrowing troops, but I can't teach and receive them privately, and I have to get the approval of the commander." Han Shizhong looked at him strangely, stretched out his five fingers and shook them in front of Zhao Xingde's eyes, "Are you drunk?" Or are you confused by the firecracker? ”

When Zhao Xingde went to control the yamen and made it clear that he wanted to test the 20,000 firearms in the warehouse one by one and select the suitable ones, Wang Yan also looked at him with the same gaze. In the afternoon, because he was a little annoyed because of his disappointment, Xingde opened his mouth, but when he thought that Zhao Xingde was also in Beijing, he didn't know who he had heard about the boast of Huogong, and he just believed it, so he didn't mind anymore. Young people, if they don't go through the world, they will inevitably lose their composure.

Who would have expected that Zhao Xingde would not be relenting, and when he found him overnight and offered to borrow a thousand soldiers to select the fire guns in the treasury one by one, Wang Yan was really angry. This scholar seems to be Sven, why is he so stubborn? Could it be that because of the incident in the afternoon, there is a loss of face, and it is impossible to redeem it?

Wang Yan's face sank like water, and he stared at Zhao Xingde coldly, as if he wanted to see his internal organs thoroughly. He has been in charge of Hebei Jinwei Mansion for a long time, and he can shock the arrogant soldiers and the giant bandits, and at this time he was really angry, Zhao Xingde only felt like a knife on his neck, as if there was a thousand catties of heavy pressure, and the cold sweat like the fine hairs on his back came down.

"The soldiers spared their lives to protect the territory and the people, and to expel the Tartars." He forced himself to stabilize his mind and said slowly, "From what I saw in my later life, the firearm is indeed a weapon to defeat the enemy," Zhao Xingde raised his head, looked directly at Wang Yan's cold gaze, and said with sincerity: "As long as there are more than 1,000 firecrackers in the 20,000 guns, I am willing to set up a military order to break the Liaoren iron wall camp!" ”

The roar of the Liao people's artillery outside continued, in order to avoid becoming a conspicuous target, the windows of the room in the city tower where the commander was located had been sealed with bricks and stones, and only a few small candles were lit in the room, and the light was very dim, but Zhao Xingde's eyes seemed to have a scorching fire, and he continued: "Please approve the commander, I am willing to make a military order!" ”

After Wang Yan was silent for a moment, he sat down, wrote a note, signed the flower charge, and handed it to Zhao Xingde: "Go to the second army in Zhenbei to transfer two thousand soldiers to pick up the firecracker." Fledgling, the military order hangs in the mouth, beware of mistaking your own life! ”

Zhao Xingde was overjoyed and said loudly: "Thank you, Lord Commander!" "After taking over the transfer,* turned around and went out, without further ado, he prepared and in one day, he tested all 20,000 guns with double gunpowder, with the assistance of 2,000 soldiers, and it would probably be completed in less than a day.

From this point of view, Zhao Xingde is similar to the deceased Zhao Shiji, father and son, and his master and father-in-law, can be called like things. The so-called good and stubborn, this dynasty Yourongshi doctor, just want more people like this, the better.

Wang Yan touched his beard, looked at Zhao Xingde's hurried back a little strangely, and said secretly: "Try it all, those waste products, return to the furnace to create some arrowheads, spear heads, and earth-shaking thunder." It's just that Yuan Zhi's stubborn temperament has to be sharpened. Good jade still needs to be cut, otherwise, it is also a waste product. ”

At dawn the next day, Zhao Xingde took two thousand soldiers to the shooting range to pick up the firearms one by one. In the city between the rivers, the banging and banging are continuous, one after another, and there is a faint sound of artillery outside the city. It is rumored among the people in the city that this is to amplify the artillery battle to ward off evil spirits and suppress the arrogance of the Hu people, and everyone also feels very relieved.

Because the fire gun is really a dangerous thing, and it also needs to be more careful when picking, Han Shizhong specially sent Su Wenyu, Ouyang Shan, Wang Jian and several other smart and capable people to Zhao Xingde to assist him.

Two thousand soldiers every 500 people in a team, one team to transport the fire gun and powder bullets to the shooting range, one team is responsible for loading, one team is responsible for placing the fire gun, because the fire gun is too much to blow up, so it is tied to the tree branch, after the stone pier, and then ignited with a fire fold, the other team is responsible for cleaning up the scene after launching, the fragments of the explosion are made of scrap iron, and the detailed number is stored after the good washing.

Cai Yang, who was transferred from the Xuanwei Army to the Zhenbei Army, tried every time, the medicine primer had just been lit, he covered his ears and fled backwards like a rabbit with an arrow, several times, even before the medicine primer was lit, he ran away from afar, while looking, he explained with a hippie smile: "It was warm some time ago, but it suddenly turned cold these days, and my hands were numb from the cold, otherwise I would replace a certain one." He must have been beaten and scolded before he was willing to go forward to inspect the situation, and he shivered and lit the fire again.

Rao was like this, and at the end of the morning, he still injured a few soldiers who ran to other firearms in a daze. The soldiers below complained. "Everyone is not afraid of death, but death is another story. This thing, almost one to blow up, it is better to use it as a thunder envoy to shake the sky, and leave the city to blow up the Khitans. "Even the officers who don't have to do it themselves, when they look at the guns to be tested, they are afraid in their eyes, and they are willing to touch the guns that are not on fire.

Zhao Xingde was sweating profusely in the shooting range, except for Su Wenyu and a few other archers and horse disciples and Han Shizhong's henchmen, the other officers were faintly resistant to him. Zhao Xingde had to order that every hour, if the number of firecrackers was less than 1,000, the officers must personally go to the fire to test the remaining firearms, so that the officers began to desperately urge the soldiers.

After the speed of the inspection went up, Zhao Xingde kept an eye on the cleaning, numbering and making a record of the qualified fire guns for a while, he didn't care whether it was reasonable or not, he strictly ordered that the fire guns that had been let go must be wiped clean, and the inside and outside of the guns were coated with lard and grease, so that the craftsmen could engrave the number and the name of the inspector at the mouth of the guns, and place the books.

He estimated that in a short period of time, it would be absolutely impossible to train musketeers who could calmly reload and shoot in a loop in front of the enemy, and the only way was to use the muskets equipped with bayonets as cold weapons after they had been released. "The gun pipe is made of pure iron, and when the two armies clash, even if the enemy uses a heavy axe to cut it, it is not easy to break," Zhao Xingde recalled the style of the bayonet while gesturing to the workshop foreman, "Can you put the iron spear head at the mouth of the gun, take off the gun head when you set the gun on fire, and then put the iron gun head back into hand-to-hand combat with the enemy after it is fired." ”

The head of the craftsman, Han Tiedan, nodded again and again: "No problem, no problem." ”

Zhao Xingde was stunned for a moment, he didn't expect him to have such a high level of understanding, and said, "Be quick!" Tonight we will take out a sample, and within five days, we will have a gun head for 3,000 guns. "At this time, there are more than 5,000 guns that have been tested, and more than 700 of them have not been blown up. The number of 3,000 was estimated by Zhao Xingde according to the 15 percent pass rate of the sample.

Seeing that Han Tietang nodded again and again, he smiled a little flatteringly: "No problem, no problem." Zhao Xingde couldn't help frowning. Just as he was about to recall the structure of the bayonet in detail, and then carefully explain it to Han Tiedan, he saw someone arguing in a place where the fire was lit, so Zhao Xingde went over to see the situation first.

"Mr. Zhao, according to the military order, this commander failed to release a thousand firecrackers in one hour, so the commander and the head of the capital should personally light the firecrackers, but this Zhu Dutou actually refused, and scolded and scolded and disobeyed the military order." Su Wenyu replied while pointing to an officer wearing a brocade hat, with a bulging chest and belly, and round eyes.

"What's going on?" Zhao Xingde's face sank and he shouted. Everyone knows that these soldiers are vaguely resisting him, but it is not trivial to dare to openly violate military orders.

The officer opened his mouth and scolded in a Bianjing tone: "What kind of bullshit military order, I, Zhu Hou, am the head of the five bodies, and I am not a whale pawn, why should I take the risk and send the gun myself?" He was still unsatisfied, pointed at Zhao Xingde and said viciously: "You are a little Confucian who is too learned, the fox is just a fake tiger, my uncle is the dignified Wuchang military envoy Zhu Bernard, just rely on you, and also in front of me?" After saying that, his eyes were empty, and he looked around, and those soldiers who watched the excitement seemed to fuel his arrogance even more.

Zhao Xingde was so angry by him that his heart was on fire, but at this time, he retreated, and this fire gun army didn't have to practice, and he didn't say much to this bastard, but only turned his head coldly and asked Su Wenyu: "Since this Zhu Dutou has violated military law, military law is like a mountain, how should he be punished?" ”

Su Wenyu was stunned, didn't he just let the officer take the risk himself? However, under the slight turn of his mind, he understood Zhao Xingde's intention of killing chickens and monkeys, he was a young man with strong blood, and no matter how big this Zhu Bernard was, he sneered twice in his heart, and said loudly: "Four of the seven laws and fifty-four cuts: more complaints, anger at its main generals, do not listen to constraints, and it is difficult to control it. ”

As soon as these words came out, the army was in an uproar. Zhao Xingde was stunned, but he didn't expect Su Wenyu to be more ruthless than him. Zhu Houwu was even more stunned, he laughed angrily, pointed at Su Wenyu and said: "Su Monkey, you have a kind, you don't have to go back to Bianjing, your uncle can clean you up!" In turn, he turned his face up and said to Zhao Xingde: "The surname is Zhao, you will kill me if you have a kind!" "He was originally not in business, and he was mixed in Beijing, and the elders of the Zhu family also looked at him, so he made up for the shade official and sent it to Hebei, out of sight and out of mind. At this time, he started to make a lot of effort, and he was more like a scoundrel.

Zhao Xingde was a little hesitant, he didn't know who the Wukang military envoy Zhu Bernard was, and Zhu Bernard's son Zhu Sen was also a figure in the Science Society, and he could be called a good friend, if he beheaded his family, it would be difficult to see each other in the future.

While thinking, he stroked the handle of the saber on his waist and approached Zhu Houwu step by step. When he arrived in front of him, suddenly, with a bang, the saber was drawn. That Zhu Houwu's face turned pale, and his hands suddenly touched his waist, and Zhao Xingde shouted: "Do you dare to beat your boss and assassinate your own official?" Zhu Houwu's heart trembled, and in front of everyone's eyes, he and Shangguan faced each other with swords, and he couldn't escape punishment no matter what. Just hesitated slightly, the steel knife brushed, the blade was as fast as white practice, and a strong wind came to his face. All the troops on the side burst out in exclamation, Zhu Houwu's legs suddenly trembled, and a line of cold sweat slid down his forehead, just between the steel knife and the end of his nose.

Zhao Xingde slowly withdrew the waist knife, shook off the drop of sweat, returned the knife to the sheath, and said coldly: "If you commit your first offense, the death penalty can be avoided, and the living crime cannot be escaped, and the heavy responsibility is thirty military sticks." ”