The Jurchens' movements were not slow, Man Gui had just sent someone to Ningyuan to send some coal, and the blocking troops in Youtun had already exchanged hands with the enemy and sent a message back, they did not fight to the death and fought and retreated, all the way to the Dalinghe Fort when the Ming army had just dug a big long pit and built a wide wall, and at the same time set up the cannon and the water dragon cannon. This water hose is different from the reciprocating water hose of children playing with water and government firefighting, and it is necessary to water the musket barrel when drilling the musket barrel with a drill to avoid the heat of the musket barrel.

Ni Yuanlu thought that this thing was good, so he made dozens of them and brought them to Jinzhou, originally wanted to use this water dragon to attack Jinzhou, thinking that as long as there was water shooting into Jinzhou, the freezing would also freeze the people in Jinzhou City to death. Who knew that after arriving, he found that his water dragon cannon was useless, both in power and range were far from the cannon on the head of the Jinzhou garrison, so he wanted to use the water dragon cannon to deal with the enemy in the east to rescue Jinzhou. This rotating water dragon cannon is connected to a turntable on the iron pipe, using the rotation of the turntable fan blade to suck the water below to the top and spray out through the iron pipe, and the upper and lower iron pipes are connected to the soft leather tube, which can not only control the firing range by pinching and release, but also can shoot left and right, which is very convenient.

On this day, after testing the enemy who came to fill the pit, everyone was satisfied with this rotating water dragon, and even Zhang Xiangan thought that it was more economical to use water than fire in the ice and snow, and only Chen Qiyu sneered and said nothing. Ni Yuanlu didn't say anything at the time, and decided to ask after coming down, this is not the time to look down on each other and engage in infighting.

After everyone dispersed, Ni Yuanlu came to Zhang Xiang'an and Chen Qiyu's room, and as soon as he entered the door, he saw that the two seemed to be arguing. Can you tell me about it? ”

Chen Qiyu sneered twice when he saw Ni Yuanlu coming in, and said, "I was about to look for you, and you came over by yourself, it just so happened that we had an important matter for you to decide." ”

Ni Yuanlu smiled: "Does Lord Chen have an opinion on that rotating water dragon cannon?" It doesn't matter if you have any opinions. I also know that these things are easy to break after a long time, so I also prepared a large number of general water dragon cannons, honeycomb coal stoves turned snow into ice water water cannons to shoot water at the enemy, ensuring that the besieging enemy was drenched like a soup chicken, and then became a frozen chicken. ”

Chen Qiyu said: "I don't have an opinion on your water dragon cannon, even if we don't have that thing, we are not afraid of tens of thousands of people here, even if Huang Taiji comes in person, he can't rush it." I just want to ask you one thing, did you want to use this water dragon cannon to make contributions when you promised the emperor to take Jinzhou in half a month? ”

Ni Yuanlu said hesitantly: "Didn't I say that I have a cannon with a longer range than the Jurchens, as long as they can defend themselves against my cannon and no one comes to attack my cannon, it will be very easy to capture Jinzhou City." ”

Zhang Xiangan said at this time: "What do you think? Lord Ni's killer weapon is not a water dragon attacking Jinzhou here. ”

At this time, Ni Yuanlu knew that Zhang and Chen were arguing about what they would use to attack Jinzhou, and he calmly asked, "Does Lord Chen think that my cannon can't capture Jinzhou?" I've tried a shell with a pointed front and a tail, which shoots farther than a ball. ”

Chen Qiyu looked at Ni Yuanlu's face for a while, and suddenly smiled: "Lord Ni, Lord Ni, why don't you blush when you tell lies?" Even if your cannon hits farther than the Jurchen cannon, where is your cannon that hits far away? I saw that you brought dozens of boxes with you, thinking that your new cannon was made small and packed in boxes, who knows what kind of water dragon cannon and what honeycomb coal stove was turned out, I studied for a long time and couldn't see how the furnace was assembled into a cannon, can Lord Ni tell us? ”

Ni Yuanlu didn't answer Chen Qiyu's words, Zhang Xiangan said at this time: "There are still a few boxes that have not been opened, Lord Ni said if there are cannons inside?" ”

Ni Yuanlu just opened his mouth and didn't speak, Chen Qiyu said again: "Even if you look at that size, you can assemble two cannons at most, Lord Ni won't say that two cannons can take Jinzhou, right?" ”

Zhang Xiangan said: "Maybe it's a grenade, but I don't know. ”

Seeing that the two of them didn't give themselves a chance to explain, Ni Yuanlu shouted: "Don't say a word, listen to me." ”

Chen Qiyu and Zhang Xiangan both closed their mouths and looked at Ni Yuanlu at this time, Ni Yuanlu nodded vigorously and said: "Let's be honest with you, the remaining three boxes are not cannons or real grenades, but a batch of fake grenades, which are the kind they used to blow up horses last year." And even if it's a real grenade, it's useless, that thing can only defend the city, not use it to attack the city, who has the ability to throw things farther than cannons? You haven't thrown grenades into the city, and the enemy's shells have been fired. ”

Zhang Xiangan asked: "Fake grenade?" Can that thing blow up an enemy? ”

Ni Yuanlu shook his head and said, "I can't, but I can scare them." ”

Chen Qiyu said: "I don't care if you are true or not, you can tell me what to use to attack Jinzhou, I heard that now Li Yongfang has blocked several city gates with stones, where is your long-range cannon?" Will it be able to blast open the door or blow up the wall? ”

Ni Yuanlu said: "You can't blow down the wall or open the door, but you can knock down all the defenders on the city, then we can take the opportunity to dig the foot of the wall or set up a ladder, the main role of the cannon is to suppress the enemy, and the real siege of the city has to rely on people." ”

Chen Qiyu said: "I have calculated, if you really want to suppress the enemy on all sides of the city, you must have at least 80 cannons if you don't have 200, do you have so many cannons?" ”

Ni Yuanlu whispered: "There are not so many at present, but there will be in the future." ”

Seeing that Ni Yuanlu couldn't justify himself the more he talked, Zhang Xiangxin couldn't help but secretly doubt, he picked up the tea bowl and drank two sips, then sat down next to Ni Yuanlu and said, "Lord Ni, Brother Ni, do you have something to hide from us?" Now the three of us are grasshoppers on a rope, and we should help each other to take Jinzhou, if we can't take Jinzhou, we won't be able to go home, I heard that Brother Ni's two sisters-in-law are relatively young, so you don't want to go back to reunite early? Lord Chen just told his wife that he wanted to ask for a concubine, and the ceremony was all down and he was just waiting to carry someone, can you not be in a hurry if there is a leak here? ”

Ni Yuanlu nodded and said: "I see, I didn't notice it for a while, I didn't think clearly that I said a big thing in front of the emperor, and I will apologize to you first if I have two adults." Just as Master Zhang said, we are now grasshoppers on a rope, I don't have an idea, you should think of some good way to get out, I usually have a lot of things, you usually don't have so many miscellaneous things. ”

Zhang Xiangan said: "According to me, I still take the mobile fire cage at the head of Ningyuan City, it is both water and fire, I don't believe that Huang Taiji can attack it." Didn't Li Yongfang from Jinzhou say that he could hold out for five years? In order to reduce the number of casualties, we made up our minds to besiege him for six years, and then we would take the starved and dried Li Yongfang and Sun Degong to the Guannei to show the people, so that they could see the fate of the traitors. ”

Chen Qiyu said: "I don't want you to be a monk for six years, I'm still waiting to go back and have a son with my wife as soon as possible, my family is thin and can't compare to you." ”

Zhang Xiangan said: "Lord Chen really couldn't help it, so he quietly took the little concubine you had decided, and dressed up as a personal soldier to serve you every day. ”

Chen Qiyu shook his head and said: "I mean to defend Dalinghe Fort first, whether tens of thousands of people use ice, fire, or knives and guns, there should be no problem in defending it for half a year." When the snow melted, the people who built Huining City were pulled over, and they were trapped in two circles around the range of the Jinzhou cannon, and then they were diverted to dig deep wells to cut off their water source, and it would take them their lives in less than half a year. ”

Ni Yuanlu shook his head and said: "Although Dalinghe Fort has expanded, it is at most a city rather than a pass, Huang Taiji really wants to support Jinzhou, he can take a detour, will he come out to fight with him or will he be surrounded by him in Dalinghe Fort at that time?" Jinzhou itself is very large, and if you want to build a big city around the periphery of the cannon range to besiege the enemy, I am afraid that it may not be repaired well for three years, and these are not good methods. ”

Zhang Xiang moved with peace of mind and said softly: "How can there be such a way in a hurry? It's Lord Ni who you boasted about in front of the emperor, what is a good way for Lord Ni to make up for your mistakes? ”

Ni Yuanlu said: "To be honest, it is very difficult to take Jinzhou with fewer deaths, Dalinghe Fort is the same as Youtun, and it is a sentry fort that does not have the value and conditions to stick to, don't look at the expansion now, that is because it is winter and the ice wall is built quickly." It is barely possible to use ice walls as protection, but it is problematic to use cannons and fire cages on them, because they are not resistant to fire or vibration, and if you are not careful, they will collapse and cause losses. When the spring flowers really bloom, the ice and earth wall is a pile of mud, and when the time comes, there will be a strong city and a strong enemy in front of us, what should we do? ”

Zhang Xiangan nodded and said: "That's right, we don't have a real city east of Ningyuan, and tens of thousands of people are equivalent to being in the ice and snow." ”

Ni Yuanlu said: "Lord Zhang is wrong, we still have the city, that is, the Yizhou City guarded by Wu Xiang now, the two sides of the Yizhou City are mountains next to the Daling River, and the mountains are only more than ten miles between the mountains, that is to say, the two sides of the Yizhou City are only a few miles away from the mountains, and it will not take long to build a Guancheng in front of it." ”

Chen Qiyu and Zhang Xiangan took a look at the map, and it was really similar to what Ni Yuanlu said, Chen Qiyu asked: "Lord Ni means that we slowly retreat to Yizhou?" Do you want to build a Yizhou Pass in front of Yizhou like Xiuning Yuanguan? Then don't you want this Jinzhou in front of you? What should you do with the Haikou that you boasted to the emperor? ”

Ni Yuanlu said: "People only have one mouth, don't gnaw if you can't gnaw, before leaving, my mentor Sun said that saving yourself in the war is the best means, as long as we take one of Jinzhou or Yizhou is victory, saying that the emperor also thinks so." ”