Wang Fu exchanged a large amount of cowhide and sheepskin from the Xitu tribe, which was considered to be of great use. This stuff couldn't be better for making hot air balloons.

However, this thing belongs to the Taiyuan Chamber of Commerce after all, and it has nothing to do with Qin Ze and them. Therefore, Qin Ze himself can only exchange money for it, but fortunately, Cheng Chumo is not short of money.

More than 300 cowhides should be able to make thirty or forty hot air balloons. Qin Ze had already taught all the crafts to those masters, and because the time was a little tight, even Liu Lankou and the others were called over to fight.

Nandingjun returned to Qin Ze's hands, and even Cheng Chumo and Li Duwei each sent two hundred people for Qin Ze to dispatch. In this way, Qin Ze had more than 1,200 people in his hands, and the task given to them by Qin Ze was very simple, that is, to keep digging holes.

According to Qin Ze's idea, as long as the time for the Turkic soldiers to reach the city wall could be prolonged, then the gunpowder bullets could consume a large number of Turkic soldiers.

Nowadays, both oil and gunpowder raw materials are being transported from various places. Qin Ze didn't let Wang Fu and them touch this thing again, whether it was the raw material of fire oil or gunpowder, this thing Taiyuan Chamber of Commerce couldn't touch.

Although it was not possible, it was still possible to borrow the trade routes they had established, and in this way, the time for transporting supplies was greatly reduced. Qin Ze is going to use this method to improve the status of the Taiyuan Chamber of Commerce little by little. Until one day, it can become an existence that competes with the Chang'an Chamber of Commerce.

There are really too few masters accompanying him, otherwise Qin Ze would still plan to study some artillery. But for now, we can only devote all our energy to gunpowder and hot air balloons.

The city wall of Lingzhou City is ten zhang high, it is a strong rammed earth wall, I heard that this thing was made with glutinous rice water and the like, so it is extremely strong. Wind and rain, can stand for thousands of years.

And in this era of cold weapons, it is simply impossible to penetrate this wall. Even the current trebuchet of Datang is powerless in the face of the heavy city wall.

Therefore, in today's siege warfare, the most used are ladders and siege vehicles. As long as the city gate is breached, or the city wall is lost, then Lingzhou City will also be completely lost. For this, Qin Ze could only arrange a large number of bows and crossbows in the direction of each city gate, as well as rolling logs.

As for the trebuchet, there are also a few in Lingzhou City, but they are all a little dilapidated. Because this thing requires manpower to drive it, and it also requires a lot of stones, it has not been used much.

But Qin Ze saw its value, it was used to throw stones, it was indeed bulky and not as powerful as a bow and arrow, but it was different for gunpowder bullets.

With this thing, Qin Ze was sure to expand the attack range of the gunpowder bullet to five hundred steps.

Qin Ze placed three of these trebuchets at the east and north gates, and only two at the south and west gates. This is also because for Lingzhou City, the south city gate and the west city gate are complicated, which is not conducive to cavalry charge. And because the terrain is low, as long as you don't have a problem with your brain, you won't choose to attack the city from there.

But everything must be fully prepared, after all, no one knows if Yehulu will do the opposite.

With trebuchets at the gates, the next step was to slow down the charge of the Turkic soldiers. Qin Ze still used the method of Xishan last time to let people dig a large number of holes in the periphery of Lingzhou City.

Directly surrounded Lingzhou City, especially the East City Gate and the North City Gate, Qin Ze was ready to dig out three holes. Each cave contained a large amount of gunpowder, which was blasted open by Turkic soldiers as soon as they entered the cave's range.

And the soil that was dug up, Qin Ze asked them to pile up two earthen walls outside Lingzhou City. The earthen wall doesn't have to be too high, about one person tall, but it must be wide enough. In this way, even if the Turks rushed under the city of Lingzhou, with the help of these earthen walls, they could continue to throw gunpowder shells into the Turkic camp.

Qin Ze's style of play has been completely designed for gunpowder. As long as the earthen wall is not broken, those hiding inside will not be harmed by bows and arrows.

And even if the first earthen wall is breached, they can retreat behind the second earthen wall. Behind the second earthen wall, there is also a hole dug for escape. If the second earthen wall is also breached in the end, then the soldiers can also escape back to Lingzhou City along the tunnel.

I have to say that at this time, the people of Lingzhou City still had some help, and Huang Lao'er personally took Qin Ze to walk through the holes they dug.

Even Qin Ze was surprised, because they not only connected the various places in Lingzhou City, but even dug directly to a place ten miles outside Lingzhou City.

This is the escape passage for these people, and in the past two years, they have dug dozens of such passages.

These intricate passages are hidden very deeply. And with these passages, even in the end, the army of Hulu surrounded Lingzhou City, and Qin Ze and they were not afraid that the materials would not be able to come in.

Qin Ze was directing everyone to dig holes here, and Cheng Chumo over there had already begun to send scouts around to find out the news of the Yehu army.

As for Cui Shi, he is much more honest these days, and he didn't even interfere with Cheng Chumo's actions.

The defense line of Lingzhou City is in full swing, and the people of the Taiyuan Chamber of Commerce have also entered Lingzhou City. The Great War is imminent, and it is very dangerous to stay outside.

Wang Fu looked very happy, because this time they Taiyuan Chamber of Commerce made the right bet. Not only did he exchange a large amount of cattle and sheep skins from the Turks, but he also sold them to Cheng Chumo and them in a blink of an eye. In this way, they even saved the cost of transportation to Chang'an.

When Qin Ze found him, he was sorting out the goods with those merchants. He was planning to bring some tea, porcelain, silk and the like to the Xitu tribe.

"Shaopu, come over first."

Shaopu is Wang Fu's character, because of the relationship between Qin Ze and Wang Yuxi, there is nothing wrong with calling him Shaopu.

Qin Ze pulled Wang Fu to the side, Wang Fu looked at Qin Ze's side with some curiosity, but he didn't see the figure of the second tiger. Instead, Zhou Cheng followed him.

"No need to look for it, he went to find his master."

As Qin Ze spoke, he pulled Wang Fu to sit on the ground, and Zhou Cheng quickly brought the table and poured tea for the two.

"Erhu is gone?" Wang Fu also knew that Erhu and Qin Ze were not simply a master-servant relationship, so now when he heard Qin Ze say this, he also asked curiously.

Qin Ze shook his head and said with a wry smile: "Mr. Impermanence hasn't come back for almost ten days, I'm afraid that something will happen, so I let him go and find it." ”

Wang Fu was slightly stunned, he and Impermanence had never met a few times, but he had only heard Qin Ze talk about this person. Seeing Qin Ze say this now, he didn't continue to ask.

Knowing that Qin Ze was looking for him, Wang Fu said directly: "Say, what are you looking for me?" ”

"If you go to the Xitu tribe this time, you don't want to go." Qin Ze said slowly.

"Nope."

As Qin Ze thought, Wang Fu directly refused.

"A few days ago, I finally gained the trust of Xi Ku Qianjin, if I break my promise like this, then how should my Taiyuan Chamber of Commerce deal with the Turks in the future?"

"It's not that you won't be allowed to go, but it's that you won't be allowed to go." Qin Ze pressed Wang Fu's shoulder and signaled him not to get too excited.

"Now that the situation at the border is turbulent, I really don't want you to put yourself in danger. And this time, I plan to let Zhou Cheng take your place and take a trip to the Turks. ”

The business of the Taiyuan Chamber of Commerce and the Xitu tribe naturally has to be done, and it is not that Qin Ze is greedy for this money. It's that they only have one way, and they can get the news of the army of Yehulu.

But this thing is too dangerous, and if there is a good one, it will be a catastrophe. How could Qin Ze rest assured that Wang Fu would take this trip.

However, Wang Fu's determination was beyond Qin Ze's expectations, he listened to Qin Ze's words, frowned and thought for a moment, and then said firmly: "The relationship we have established with the Xi Tu tribe itself is maintained by me and Xi Ku Qianjin. If I don't go this time, I will definitely attract their suspicion. Besides, this time I will go with you in Lingzhou, and I naturally have a psychological plan.

I know you're worried about my safety, but I'm going to make this deal. I have heard that you have been knighted by Your Majesty, though I don't know where your ambitions are. But for me, my lifelong dream is to develop the Taiyuan Chamber of Commerce to the point where it can compete with the Chang'an Chamber of Commerce. So even if you stop me, I'll follow myself. The heavens will descend on the ......"

"Stop, stop!" As soon as Qin Ze heard that Wang Fu was going to sell his literature again. Hurriedly interrupted his words, waved his hand and said helplessly: "You are ambitious, naturally I won't say anything." In that case, you should be careful. Don't do anything when you encounter anything, listen to Zhou Cheng's words......"

"You haven't married my sister yet, why did you rise up and preach me." Wang Fu frowned, and said to Qin Ze with a look of disgust.

In fact, the age of the two people is really about the same. But because Qin Ze was a human being in two lives, he unconsciously regarded Wang Fu as a child. Now when I heard him say this, I suddenly reacted.

"The eldest brother is the husband, how can I count you as half the eldest brother......"

"Half and a half ......"

Wang Fu spoke up and corrected Qin Ze's mistake.

Qin Ze pursed his lips, he didn't bother to talk nonsense with him, this guy was the same as Qin Ze in his bones, he was not serious. Otherwise, he would not have hid in front of the courtyard door with Erhu and teased those women from good families in the past.

It's just that as soon as they came to the border, the two of them instantly hid this cynicism.

"This time, I will ask Zhou Cheng and them to bring some other things in, you must not ask. Don't use the Turkic translator before, this time I asked Sun to join the army with you. ”

Wang Fu waved his hand and glanced at Zhou Cheng.

Qin Ze also turned his head to look at Zhou Cheng, not understanding what Wang Fu meant.

"The man has been removed." Zhou Cheng said a few words lightly.

Qin Ze pursed his lips and didn't say anything more.

With tea alone, there is no news. If you want to get more news, you have to be able to come up with something that will make Yegoru happy.

And now in this Lingzhou City, there is exactly this thing.