At the end of November, the second caravan that had procured supplies from outside the mountain finally returned.

In the past nearly half a year, the caravan led by the Lin family has purchased a large amount of various military supplies from all over the Great Zhou at high prices. For these supplies, a lot of gold and silver were spent. Lin Jue's original idea was to purchase materials at all costs. Especially after going to Liao, after seeing the strong combat power of the Jurchens and the Liao people, Lin Jue felt that he needed to raise the armament of the Luoyan Army to a higher level.

The combat effectiveness of the Luoyan Army is now very strong, and the high-intensity training has not been interrupted. Even in the current snowy weather, nearly 100,000 fallen geese still carried out various drills according to the normal training plan. They even practiced shirtless in the ice and snow to further exercise their willpower. But. Stuck in the predicament in the mountains and the overall situation, the armor and blades of the Falling Goose Army are not the best. It can only be said that it is barely usable. Of course, the Falling Wild Goose Army has several firearms, which are also the finale weapons of the Falling Wild Goose Army. However, relying on less than 200 firearms alone can only achieve a great advantage in local battles, and if a large corps fights, I am afraid that it will not be enough.

The large amount of materials purchased by the caravan this time is precisely to strengthen the shortcomings of the Luoyan Army that Lin Jue thinks. The first is the number of cavalry. After witnessing the cavalry impact of the large corps, Lin Jue knew that no matter what, the cavalry was still the king of the combat arms in this era. The number of cavalry in the Luoyan army is less than 10,000, which is difficult to compete with any cavalry in the Great Zhou court, the Liao State and the Jurchens. Of course, a swarm of bazooka launchers can be used against a large cavalry charge in favorable terrain, but combat does not always depend on favorable terrain. Sometimes they will be forced to fight the enemy in the Plains. If the Luoyan Army does not have such ability, it cannot be called a strong soldier.

Therefore, in the caravan's external procurement, the procurement of war horses and the procurement of basic raw materials such as gunpowder iron ingots are in the first place. For this reason, one of the Lin family's caravans went to the northwest, connected with the relationship between the previous merchants, and found a way. At a price fifty percent higher than the market price, 30,000 war horses were bought in two batches from the six imperial horse farms in Xixia and Qinfeng Road. The market price of the Great Zhou Liang horse was twenty-five taels and one horses, and the purchase price of the Lin family caravan was as high as thirty-five taels. The purchase of these 30,000 war horses alone cost more than one million taels of silver. And that's not even counting the matching equipment such as saddle bridles. It adds up to 1.5 million taels.

However, all this is obviously worth it, with these 30,000 war horses in place, the number of cavalry of the Luoyan Army is nearly 50,000. This is already a cavalry that has always had a considerable size.

In addition, if the Luoyan Army wants to become stronger, it must vigorously develop firearms. The process of making firearms had not been able to progress before, so the Rocking Valley Arsenal had no new achievements other than the creation of weapons and armor, and the manufacture of some of the swarms of firearms and the ammunition of the existing Wangba box. But two months ago, Lin Jue's wish was finally fulfilled. Shen Tan personally led people into the capital, and all the old shopkeepers of the blacksmith shop in Baishengfang in the capital, which Lin Jue had never forgotten, were invited to Luoyan Valley. The old blacksmith of this Pak Shing Fang would use acid to clean the metal and etch the delicate parts of the firearm. When Lin Jue was in the capital, with the help of this blacksmith shop, he made a large number of parts of the Wangba box and assembled it into more than 70 Wangba boxes. And that was also a weapon to help Lin Jue escape from the capital.

Old Zhou's blacksmith family was all taken captive and brought to Luoyan Valley, and Lin Jue went to see him in person and apologized to him. At first, the old blacksmith resisted very much, although Lin Jue was his big customer in the capital, but it was a fair trade relationship. Now that he has been forcibly taken into the mountains, he is really very dissatisfied. But Lin Jue was very patient and instructed everyone to treat the old blacksmith with courtesy and respect. took good care of his family, so that the old blacksmith's family lived better in Luoyan Valley than in the capital. Over time, Old Blacksmith Zhou's attitude also improved a lot.

Lin Jue was a little cautious, he didn't urge and coerce the old blacksmith, he only asked people to accompany the old blacksmith to patrol and watch in the dozen or so blacksmith shops in the Luoyan Valley Arsenal every day. Old Blacksmith Zhou has been a blacksmith all his life, and he can't see the incompetence and waste of others in this craft. Finally, when he visited the arsenal to polish firearm parts, Old Blacksmith Zhou couldn't stand the clumsy craftsmanship of these blacksmiths in the cottage, and finally personally guided the production. Lin Jue's plan succeeded, and he laughed.

Lu Ban got an axe in front of the door, in addition to making Lu Ban laugh, Lu Ban must not be able to stand it, and he will personally take action to teach these people who get axes in the class. Lin Jue wanted this effect, and the exciting old blacksmith finally ended up in person. Lin Jue appointed the old blacksmith as the head of the blacksmith shop in the arsenal, and gave him full responsibility for all the work of the blacksmith shop, which gave him great respect. And the old blacksmith finally stopped insisting and agreed to do things for Lin Jue. After all, although the other party brought his family to the mountains by forcibly plundering them, he did not harm himself and his family. If you really don't know how to lift, you may also make them angry and hurt your family.

Another thing that made the old blacksmith excited was because he saw the iron ingots stacked like a hill in the blacksmith's warehouse in Xishan. There are not only ordinary cast iron ingots, but also various kinds of iron ingots, steel ingots and other raw materials. For Old Blacksmith Zhou, he has been engaged in the profession of blacksmith all his life, but the types and quantities of iron ingots in front of him are so many that the old blacksmith has never seen in his life. To use a vulgar analogy, a top blacksmith saw this

Some iron ingots are no less than perverts seeing all kinds of beauties, gluttons seeing all kinds of delicacies from the mountains and seas, and drunkards seeing all kinds of fine wines in the world. It's a feeling that ordinary people can't understand. With so many raw materials for him to use at will, it was definitely the greatest fulfillment of a blacksmith's life.

With the addition of Blacksmith Zhou, it is no longer too difficult to make accurate firearm parts by acid erosion, and over time, a large number of Wang Ba boxes will be made. The personal guard firearms battalion beside Lin Jue will also live up to its name.

It's not enough to have firearms like the King Eight Box and a swarm of bees. The several major battles between the Great Zhou and the Liao State, and between the Jurchens and the Liao State, made Lin Jue also realize that the strength of siege weapons was a must. A soldier who can only fight in the field cannot be considered a strong soldier. A truly strong army must have the ability to storm the city, so that it will not be helpless if it encounters a strong city with high walls. Therefore, Lin Jue was determined to restart the development of Shenwei's cannon.

In the past month, Lin Jue has spent a lot of time discussing with the people in the blacksmith workshop and the gunpowder workshop how to improve the Shenwei General Cannon. Lin Jue was determined to get the siege cannon out, which would subvert the tactics of attacking the city by storming the city wall in this era. Make all the walls of the fortified city useless. Although the progress is not fast, the main reason is that it is impossible to break through the technical difficulties of artillery shells that can be exploded on the ground. But in terms of range and accuracy, there was a breakthrough. It's a pity that only solid shells can be fired at the moment. However, in this case, the power of Kamui cannon will be greatly reduced.

However, Lin Jue has been careful to control the expansion of firearms, because he fears that once these things become mainstream and their powerful power is recognized by the current generation, it will have disastrous consequences. But when it really came to life and death, Lin Jue couldn't care much about it.

All in all, with the procurement of various materials in place, the arsenal was fully engaged in the manufacture of the required equipment and materials. The entire Luoyan Army is preparing for war with all its might.

On the fifth day of the lunar month, the second heavy snow fell in the Funiu Mountain. Let the already peaceful years in the mountains become more comfortable. The heavy snow did not have much impact on the soldiers and civilians in the valley. They have enough food, firewood, and meat, so they don't have to worry about it at all. And because the New Year is approaching, there is also a more festive atmosphere in the comfortable days.

Everyone in the Lin family is also living comfortably, but Lin Jue is the only one who is busy. The daughters of the Lin family have recently become obsessed with something called mahjong, which was originally a game that her husband Lin Jue felt that their days seemed to be a little boring and taught them to play. The women didn't think there was any fun in the little bricks between the square inches. Soon, however, they fell like so many other laity, and became obsessed with it. The little thing that laughed so much had so much fun that they couldn't put it down, which they didn't expect themselves.

Lin Jue actually regretted it a little, he originally felt that there were not many entertainment methods in these years, and there were many wives and concubines of the Lin family who were proficient in poetry, calligraphy, painting, piano and chess, but those things were like delicacies from the mountains and seas, and they were tired of eating them all the time. Therefore, he asked people to make a white marble mahjong card and teach the women this quintessential game of later generations, only for them to kill time when they are bored. But who would have thought that these women would immediately indulge in it. After teaching them to play, the Lin family's back house reverberated from time to time with the sound of mahjong tiles and the sound of women enthusiastically discussing the card game. Sometimes, Lin Jue wanted to find someone to talk to, but he was snubbed.

Lin Jue couldn't regret it, except for handwriting a banner of 'small gambling pleasure, big gambling hurting the body, moderate entertainment, reasonable work and rest' hanging in the mahjong room of the warm pavilion, there was no other way to stop it.

It snowed heavily today, and Lin Jue didn't go out. In the morning, I hugged Fang Huanqiu and slept in the quilt for a while, and after eating at noon, I planned to call the girls to see if the plum blossoms on the hillside had bloomed, and to enjoy the snow. But when I walked outside the Dongnuan Pavilion, the sound of mahjong inside came into my ears. Mixed with the voices of warblers and swallows.

"It's a pity, I didn't touch myself, I blame the county lord, why don't you hold my chicken? I'm. It was Gao Muqing's voice.

"Don't blame me, how can I call you with a pair of chickens? It's strange that Huanqiu girl calculated that you want a chicken, and she just doesn't fight the one in her hand, and would rather not listen to it than call you. You've got to blame her. The little county lord's grinning voice came.

"Yes, Sister Huanqiu, I love you so much, you actually deduct my cards? Isn't it a sister? Gao Muqing said.

"The husband said, there is no father and son at the gambling table, let alone sisters? I can't just watch you fight in a daze, so don't you have to scold me for Green Dance and Sister County Lord? Fang Huanqiu's weak voice came.

Lin Jue's eyes rolled to the sky when he heard these words, Fang Huanqiu's cherry mouth should have popped out of poetry and articles, but it was a pity that she was a talented girl. This is their own sin.

Lin Jue entered the room, and on the square table, the small county lord Fang Huanqiu Green Dance and Gao Muqing with a big belly of Liujia were fighting, and the three daughters of Bai Bing, Xie Yingying, and Yingying Qianqian were watching and cheering. Seeing Lin Jue coming in, Qianqian hurriedly shouted: "Husband, we are missing one of the three, and it is just right to come." ”

Lin Jue's head was big, and he smacked his lips and said, "It seems that I have to marry someone and get two tables of mahjong." ”

"Okay, okay, okay." All the women nodded frequently. Not in the slightest. Lin Jue was completely speechless.

"Mu Qing, it's not good for you to sit for a long time, it's not good for children." Lin Jue looked at Gao Muqing's bulging belly and said

。

"Thirty thousand!" Gao Muqing played a card and turned his head and said with a smile: "Don't worry, husband, the child doesn't know how to be stable." As soon as I played the cards, the child was at peace. Otherwise, it will be stirred in the stomach. Jumping around. ”

Lin Jue was completely speechless.

"Who will accompany me to the mountains to enjoy the plum blossoms?" Lin Jue asked.

Seven women and fourteen pairs of eyes stared at the fierce game of cards and said in unison: "Don't go!" ”

Lin Jue was helpless. looked at Bai Bing and said: "Bing'er is the most well-behaved, go to the snow with your husband to find plums." ”

Bai Bing said with a smile: "Husband, I will accompany me to rub four laps first, I lost three hundred taels yesterday, and I want to turn it over today." ”

Lin Jue glanced at the banner on the wall that said 'Little Gambling Pleasure' and was speechless again. Later generations said that there was a "football widow" saying, and she became a "mahjong widower" today.

"That's it, I'll accompany you for a few laps, it seems that it won't work without giving you some punishment." Lin Jue looked at the heavy snow outside, and decided to give up those elegant tastes and join the crowd. In this kind of weather, it is indeed a bit difficult to invite people out. Besides, the women are not doing anything bad, but they are just rubbing mahjong. And the culprit of all this is themselves, and it's no wonder they are. They are actually victims. Although they are addicted to it, it is also because there is really nothing for them to do, since playing mahjong, some subtle disharmony between wives and concubines seems to have been eliminated, but mahjong is not without promoting the atmosphere of family life. It's good that your own woman is happy, and she asks so much.

Lin Jue's bad luck may be due to too much pride in the love field. Qianqian Bai Bing and Xie Yingying took turns to win cards, and they were both big names, Lin Jue was disgraced when he lost, and he lost more than 100 taels of silver on his body. Still Lu Wu couldn't look at it, so he asked the maid to send five hundred taels of silver to Lin Jue for emergency relief.

When the husband and wife are in full swing. Suddenly, there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside, and someone shouted loudly outside: "Sister, brother-in-law, it's not good, my father is not good." ”

……

Under the candlelight, there was a soft cry in the quiet room, Guo Caiwei was standing beside the bed with the princess, and the mother and daughter were crying quietly in tears.

A man bent down to check the pulse of Guo Bing, who was lying upright on the bed, and after a while, he straightened up and turned his head to look very solemn.

"How?" Guo Kun hurriedly stepped forward and asked.

"Little prince, let's go outside." Na Langzhong said respectfully.

Everyone came to the outer room, and in the face of everyone's eager eyes, Na Langzhong sighed and said: "Princess, little prince, county lord, county master." The villain was straight to the point. ”

"Say, say it quickly." Guo Kundao.

"Little Prince...... This one...... Let's hurry up and prepare for the future. Lang Zhong said softly.

"Huh?" Guo Kun and Lin Jue both took a breath of cool air, stunned. The princess and the little princess were already in tears.

"Little Wangye, Jun Ma Ye. Wang Ye's disease is a stroke disease, and it is a blockage of blood vessels in the mind. To put it simply, a blood vessel in the brain is broken. The blood flowed into my brain. Now the prince can no longer see things and cannot speak. As the blood inflows more and more, I am afraid that I will not be able to return to heaven. In the lower medical way, shallow and powerless. But even if Hua Tuo is alive, I'm afraid it will be difficult to save. Hey, let's prescribe a pair of medicines, which is a prescription for thinning blood and dissolving stasis, but I'm afraid it will be difficult to have an effect. If the signs are detected early, they can be treated. At best, the body is paralyzed. ”

After writing the prescription with a brush, Na Lang Zhong bowed down and left.

Guo Kun looked at Lin Jue blankly and said, "Brother-in-law, what should I do?" Is my father really going to die? ”

Lin Jue said softly: "Brother, don't be sad, life and death are things that everyone must go through." It's better to meet the prince and see if he has anything to say. I'm here to prepare for my father-in-law's funeral, you don't have to worry about it. ”

Guo Kun nodded with a white face, and said softly: "Brother-in-law, I have worked hard." ”

Lin Jue nodded, watching Guo Kun leave with heavy steps. Lin Jue actually understood as soon as he heard what Lang Zhong said, Guo Bing This is a stroke disease, commonly known as cerebral blood vessel rupture. This disease is difficult to cure on earth in later generations, let alone in this era. Guo Bing has been pampered for so many years, his body is getting obese and fat, and he likes to eat meat and drink excessively. These destroyed his body. In addition, after entering Funiu Mountain, Guo Bing has basically been excluded from important affairs, and he may be in a bad mood. Every day, sighing and gloomy. The little county lord told Lin Jue many times, saying that her father was angry at every turn, weird, beating and scolding subordinates at home, smashing bottles and bowls, and didn't know what was wrong. Of course, Lin Jue knew that this was the result of Guo Bing's bad mood because he was excluded from the cottage affairs by Lin Jue and Guo Kun, so he was often to blame for getting angry. The long-term gloomy mood must have been one of the reasons for his illness. But in this regard, Lin Jue could only say sorry.

After coming to bring Funiu Mountain, Lin Jue certainly couldn't let Guo Bing take the lead. Guo Bing can't do anything, Lin Jue must lead all the big things by himself. Even Guo Kun must listen to Lin Jue in many things. Lin Jue explained to Guo Kun, but he didn't have the opportunity to explain to Guo Bing. Guo Bing's psychological imbalance cannot be resolved, and it is also helpless.

But no matter what, Guo Bing is always his father-in-law, although he has not cheated himself, but he has also given himself a lot of help. At this moment, Guo Bing is about to die, and Lin Jue is also sad in his heart.