Xiangzi rode a horse and followed the head of the regiment to the military camp in the south of the city.

Commander You took off the cowhide holster hanging on the wall and pulled out the heavy blue barge gun.

Xiangzi recognized it at a glance, exactly the same as the one in Master Huang Xing's hand.

Master's gun, which Shoko often plays with when hunting, can be said to have been coveted for a long time.

Regiment Commander You held the gun in his hand, and said to himself as if he was a little reluctant: "This gun was captured on the battlefield when I was the company commander."

All these years, he has been with me.

It's really reluctant to give it away now. ”

Seeing that Xiangzi was smiling and not saying a word, he gritted his teeth and fiercely put the gun into Xiangzi's hand.

Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he dragged Shoko to the playground outside the courtyard.

Pointing to the chest target fifty paces away, he said slyly, "Can you hit?" If you don't miss, the shot won't be missed. ”

Shoko smiled at him, speechless.

Skillfully unloaded* and looked at the bullets.

There was another "bang", the bullet was loaded, and the twisted body "snapped" was two shots.

Regiment Commander You first froze for a moment, and hurriedly waved his hand to the soldiers who were watching the excitement in the distance, and said, "Go and see, did you hit?" ”

The soldier ran over, glanced at it, and said, "One eight rings, one nine rings." ”

Captain You, with a strange gaze, glanced at Xiangzi and said, "Master! It seems that I am admitting it today. ”

Xiangzi didn't care about being hot with him, but just held the gun as if he had found a treasure.

Commander You laughed at himself, "haha", and said: "A good gun with a hero, it's worth it!" ”

Xiangzi hurriedly thanked him.

Head You looked at Xiangzi with approving eyes and said, "Work hard, the future is immeasurable." ”

Shoko didn't speak, just looked at him gratefully and smiled innocently.

Xiangzi reported what had happened to Monk Guanghui and asked for a revelation.

Monk Guanghui sat cross-legged, his eyes slightly closed, and his temples appeared deeper on his thin face.

After being silent for a while, Monk Guanghui said in a slow and confident tone: "It is good to do righteousness when bandits are coming, and to save the people." Since then, idle things have continued, and the merits are all fate. ”

In the afternoon, in the office of County Magistrate Liu, people shuttled.

Personnel from various departments rushed to report the situation one after another.

The mobilization of the people in the city went far more smoothly than expected.

When I heard the news that County Magistrate Liu was going to lead the people of the whole city to defend Fuyuan City, the crowd was excited.

There is a thing out of things, and there is a powerful force.

For a time, everyone worked together to fight against bandits.

The Orions outside the city landed thirty or forty people, and they rushed to the county seat overnight to assemble.

Seeing that the people's enthusiasm for resisting bandits was so high, County Magistrate Liu felt relieved and down-to-earth.

At the same time, it also further stimulates the determination to resist bandits and the confidence to win.

After sending everyone away, County Magistrate Liu said to the police chief Zhang Degui: "Curry, there are two mountain cannons left by Lao Maozi, and someone in the police force will make them."

You go check it out, and let them pick it up quickly, and then they can use it. ”

After Director Zhang left, County Magistrate Liu was preoccupied and walked back and forth in the house.

Suddenly looking up, Chong Xiangzi asked, "Do you have any other good ideas?" ”

Xiangzi hesitated for a moment, and said cautiously: "I heard that the Yuan family can make fireworks?" ”

County Magistrate Liu was slightly stunned for a moment, looked at Xiangzi with puzzled eyes, and said, "Well, there is such a thing, what's wrong?" ”

Xiangzi smiled and said, "Defending the city, the fireworks can also come in handy."

It can't hurt anyone, but it can slow you down.

Horses, in particular, are afraid of it.

Besides, it can also create momentum.

In addition, rockets made from fireworks can not only hurt people, but also use it to transmit signals.

Wherever there is a crisis, as long as the arrow is released into the air, the four sides can send people to support in time.

lest the messenger of the letter run back and forth and delay time. ”

When County Magistrate Liu heard this, he pondered for a moment, and suddenly slapped the table and said, "Good way!" Walk! Let's go to Lao Yuan's house to have a look. ”

The ancestors of the Yuan family have the skills of making fireworks for several generations.

Every New Year, the family is busy making all kinds of fireworks.

In addition to selling to people outside the city, there are also merchants from Guchengzi (Qitai County), who also come to order.

Firecrackers are the main livelihood of the Yuan family.

The Yuan family saw that the county magistrate came to the door in person.

panicked and gave way to the front and back, with a smile on his face.

The county magistrate explained his intention, and the old man of the Yuan family said happily: "Mo Mada!" Mo Ma ride! If you want to defend the city, you can take as much stock as you want. ”

County Magistrate Liu smiled gently at him and said, "It's not for nothing, I'll give you a cost." ”

Old Man Yuan was so anxious that he glared at him and said, "Then what is it!" When is this going on, I can't pay back the money.

If you let the horse thief enter the city, I'm afraid that you won't even be able to die, and what's the use of leaving idle things. ”

County Magistrate Liu, looking a little excited, shook the old man's hand and said: "The old man really understands the righteousness, and the people in the city can have this determination to resist bandits. ”

Then, Shoko spoke her mind.

The old man pondered for a moment and said, "I can see this method!"

Curry has a kind of cannon called "Sky Whistle", which can fly into the sky, emitting sparks and sounds.

If you tie it to the shaft of an arrow and shoot it out, I'm afraid it will fly farther. ”

As he spoke, he led County Magistrate Liu and Xiangzi to the warehouse in the backyard.

The shelves are full of all kinds of fireworks, some of which Shoko has seen and some of whom have never seen before.

Old man Yuan pointed to the treasury and said, "It's all here, and all the ones you use will be moved." ”

As he spoke, he took out a handful of small flower cannons with a bamboo strip and said, "This is the 'Sky Whistle'." ”

Shoko took it in his hand and looked at it, thinking it was okay.

So, he said to County Magistrate Liu: "Or, let's take some back and try it first, and see how it will be used in the future." ”

County Magistrate Liu nodded approvingly.

Xiangzi each took a kind of firecracker and placed it in the square, and County Magistrate Liu also came over.

Seeing that Xiangzi was stunned with a "Sky Splitting Whistle" in his hand, he stepped forward and asked, "What are you wondering?" ”

When Xiangzi asked, he hurriedly said, "I'm worried, I don't have a bow and arrow." ”

County Magistrate Liu smiled disapprovingly and said, "Some of those things are left by the Qing Dynasty officials and soldiers. ”

As he spoke, he shouted behind him; "Lao Wang, you take him to the treasury and give him all the useful ones."

Then, he turned to Xiangzi and said, "If you see any guys who can do it, you can do it." ”

Xiangzi responded and followed Lao Wang to the old treasury of the county government.

It is said that it is a warehouse, but it is better to say that it is an armory exhibition hall.

There are knives, guns, swords, halberds, axes, hooks and forks, everything.

It's all something left over from the previous dynasty.

Shoko slipped around, except for the bow and arrow, the only thing that interested him was a few barrels in the corner*.

Xiangzi pinched a pinch of half a brick in the courtyard, and took the fire with a little "poof", and sparks splashed everywhere.

Shoko smiled happily and had a plan in her heart.

So, he came to County Magistrate Liu in a hurry and asked him to send two people, and he wanted to make a batch of *.

County Magistrate Liu didn't say a word, and immediately said to Zhang Guangqian, the corner chief in charge of the deployment of migrant workers: "Come and find two people with neat hands and feet to give Xiangzi." ”

It didn't take much effort, Zhang Guangqian brought two strong men.

The leader is called Lu Kui, slender and tall, with a Confucian face.

At first glance, he is a literate and hyphenated person.

Xiangzi asked the county government to pick up a pile of old crockpots and empty wine bottles in the backyard of the county government.

Fill it with gravel and *, put it with a medicinal twist and seal it with clay, and a piece of *, it is done.

After a lot of work, the crockpot and wine bottles that could be used were gone.

Xiangzi was worried about this, only to see Lu Kui come over with a smile and say: "According to this principle*, the gravel is rotten and the tiles are flying and hurting people, it must be very powerful."

But relying on the old crockpot alone, there is not much wow. ”

Shoko muttered as if sympathetic, "yes, I'm worried about this too." ”

Lu Kui stomped his foot disapprerovingly and said, "Hey! Yes, yes.

I only got half a truckload of urine cans last month, and I still have half a mile to go. ”

As he spoke, he picked up Xiangzi and came to Dongguan Street in the center of the city.

It turned out that Lu Kui opened a grocery store on Dongguan Street, and the porcelain in it, in addition to cups, plates and dishes, also contained medicine jars and urine jars.

Shoko picked up a urine jar and took a closer look.

A satisfied smile overflowed his face.

He looked a little excited and said: "Brother Lu, you really solve a big problem, how many are here, all of them."

After that, I asked the county government to give you money. ”

Lu Kui smiled heartily and said, "It's not worth anything, it's not worth anything, it's worth defending the city, what are you doing if you don't have money." ”

As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on his mother-in-law who was lowering her head to place the goods.

With the house of the charge, Xiangzi led people to make dozens of * and hundreds of ringing arrows overnight.

Everything was ready to stop, and the three archers that Zhang Guangqian was looking for also arrived.

Shoko gave them separately and told them about the use of the rattling arrow and *.

In order to avoid the crockpot, it fell to the ground and shattered before the explosion.

Shoko and the others repeatedly adjusted the time of the detonation to make sure that the crockpot exploded before it hit the ground and did not hurt themselves.

After some exploration, the gunners mastered the timing of the bombing, and at the same time, they also dispelled their timidity and nervousness.

For the smooth bomb dropping, confidence was built.

Xiangzi was giving County Magistrate Liu a report on the production of the arrow and *, and the head of the regiment You broke in in a hurry.

He threw his military hat on the table and wiped the sweat from his face.

Slightly uneasy, he said: "The sentry came back and said that the horse thieves had already passed three times, and it was estimated that they would be able to reach the city after dark." ”

County Magistrate Liu pondered a little and said, "Have you settled down in the city?" ”

Commander You said: "Stop it, you have come up with the idea of digging a wide moat, it's too right."

The moats in the south and west of the city are wide and deep, and the thieves can't cross without a bridge.

The east and north of the city are narrower, and you can cross the river by piling up some bales of straw.

Therefore, I focused my forces mainly on the north and east of the city.

As you commanded, every hunter's position was covered with wool bundles and sacks, so that bullets could not easily injure them.

Two mountain-splitting cannons were erected on two mounds protruding outside the wall in the northeast, as long as the horse thieves dared to cross the river, we would use the cannons to clean up the dog's day. ”

After a pause, he sighed dejectedly, and then said, "It's a pity that there are too few shells, I'm afraid it won't last for two days." ”

County Magistrate Liu smiled as if he was relieved and said, "Don't worry, we have other ways to clean him up." ”

Then, after saying that Xiangzi had made a batch of *, Captain You's face stretched a little.

County Magistrate Liu then said: "I have arranged for people to register the stones and purlins that people in the city are going to build houses.

If you talk about it, you can transport it to the city, I don't believe it, the horse bandits are all three-headed and six-armed. ”

As he was talking, Zhang Guangqian walked in, and County Magistrate Liu hurriedly said to him: "You came just in time, how are the personnel deployed?" ”

Zhang Guangqian hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Young and middle-aged people, all gathered together, organized into four teams, and ready to be dispatched by the headquarters at any time.

The women cooked, and the dolls sent food and drink to the city walls.

Spare tools such as shovels and shovels are registered and stored in a centralized manner.

He also collected some woollen bales, empty sacks, and wooden doors from several large households.

All are concentrated in the square, ready to call at any time. ”

County Magistrate Liu smiled at him with satisfaction and said, "Well, yes, it's thoughtful." ”

After a pause, County Magistrate Liu Chongyou said, "Let's go around the city again and see if there is any shortage." ”

So the group went up to the wall.

The sun was already red in the treetops in the distance.

The dense trees of Thousand Buddha Mountain are also dyed with a faint color.

A corner of the cornice, which sticks out obliquely from the bosom of the tree, flashes with colorful light under the warm sunset.

By the time it turned to the north of the city, the sun had already quietly hidden into the horizon.

A lonely town, shrouded in a gray twilight.

In a short time, there were sporadic fires in the city.

The scenery outside the city became even darker and more dim, and gradually the moat also lost its outline.

All around, everything is quiet.

Only the frogs in the moat, and the crickets hiding in the weeds, chirped from time to time, and they did not know the height of the earth.

County Magistrate Liu raised his eyes and looked around, and suddenly, an inexplicable worry hit his heart.

He sighed lightly, and said as if to himself: "This black light is blind, and the horse bandits have touched the moat, and they can't see a single person." ”

When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but whisper.

Just when everyone was anxious about this, I saw Lu Kui carrying wood on his shoulders and passing by.

When he heard the people talking, he put down the timber and said, "I have been pondering this for the past two days."

I will see if I can chisel the green bricks into the eyes, feed them with tung oil, hang them on iron chains, and lift them to the outside of the city wall with rafters.

I reckon, illuminating the moat, Mo Ma rides. ”

When County Magistrate Liu heard this, he was so excited that he patted his thigh and said, "That's right! This method has been used by the ancients, so why should I forget it. ”

As he spoke, he stepped forward and patted Lu Kui's shoulder and said with a smile: "Have you read a book?" ”

Lu Kui smiled shyly and said, "I've read it for a few years." ”

County Magistrate Liu immediately turned around and said to Zhang Guangqian: "Immediately call someone to do it, this method is accurate." ”

In the second half of the night, there began to be sporadic fires around the city walls.

The surface of the moat was gradually painted vividly.

The grass on both sides of the strait could not resist the excitement of the firelight, and with the breeze, they played with their slender figures.

Seeing the scene in front of him, County Magistrate Liu smiled with relief.

At the same time, a wave of tiredness, and without losing time, pressed heavily on him.