In the 13th year of the history of Tianzheng (1586), the Tianzheng earthquake was affected by the earthquake, and the west side of the landslide.

Guiyun City collapsed, and more than 400 people from the Inner Island clan, including the head of the family, the Neiniao clan, were killed in this landslide.

This is also the only famous family in the history of the Warring States period who was killed by disasters.

However, since before the earthquake, Guiyun Castle was the main castle of the Uchijima family, and since the Uchijima clan, the head of the Uchijima family, was built during the Kansho period, it has been a fortified castle built for 100 years, and there is no record of it being captured.

It is said that in history, in the seventh year of Eiroku, the general of the Takeda family, Yamaprefecture Masakai went out to fly in battle, intending to subdue the Uchijima family.

But at that time, after receiving the envoy of the Takeda family, the Uchijima clan released a bold statement and said: "If you can attack, then attack and see!" “

Then he ordered the envoy of the Takeda family, accompanied by the retainers of the Uchijima family, to circle the city as a reference for the siege of the city.

As a result, after seeing the terrain of Guiyun City, the envoy of the Takeda family retreated in a huff.

In the fourth year of Tensho, Uesugi Kenshin also sent Shioya Akisa to prepare to persuade the Uchijima family to surrender, but the Uchijima clan did the same thing as before.

Shioya Akizhen accompanied the retainer of the Uchijima family to see Guiyun City after watching it, and finally left in shame.

After Takeda Uesugi retreated, the Uchijima family returned to Cloud City and boasted about it, claiming that it was the two strong countries of the Warring States, and Takeda Uesugi did not dare to attack the city.

Based on this, one can imagine how difficult Guiyun City is to attack.

Now they all have a full understanding of this Hida Fortified Castle, Li Xiao, and Honda Masanobu.

Otherwise, Honda Masanobu would not have said that Li Xiao would not be able to capture this city even if he pressed all his troops.

The three wealthy families of Hida Country, Sister Xiaolu's family started with the power of Sister Xiaolu, conspiracy and calculation, everything, and finally stole the name of Sister Xiaolu, and ordered the entire Hida as the Hida National Division.

Among the three strong, the sister Xiaolu family is the strongest" and has a famous righteousness.

Although the Jiangma family is not as powerful as the sister Xiaolu family, it has always had the support of the god circle silver mountain and abundant financial resources, so it has always been evenly matched with the sister Xiaolu family and has been competing so far.

Although the power of the Uchijima family is inferior to that of Jiangma and the sister Xiaolu family, they rely on the convenience of the fortified city to fight against it for a hundred years.

Therefore, in the troubled times of the Warring States Period, the "Weak and the Strong" these three wealthy families can stand to this day, and they all have his capital.

If Li Xiao wants to unify the Hida, he must first take one of these three wealthy families.

Sister Xiaolu's family is the strongest, and Sister Xiaolu is good at relying on father and son, both of whom are heroes for a while, "With Li Xiao's current strength, there is no certainty of destroying it in one fell swoop."

The Jiangma family is the basis for balancing the power of Hida, if Li Xiao rashly attacks the Jiangma family, it is likely to be attacked by the hostile sister Xiaolu family and the Uchijima family, and the three wealthy families will act together, and Li Xiao will be far from being able to resist.

In the end, Li Xiao could only choose the target at the Uchijima family.

Honda Masashi said: "In addition to the strong city that is difficult to attack, the inner island family is also the division alliance of the sister Xiaolu family, if our army attacks the inner island family, the sister Xiaolu family will never sit idly by." ”

Li Xiao thought for a while and said, "I understand" sending troops to the Uchijima family is likely to cause the interference of the sister Xiaolu family, so we must also prepare to repel the sister Xiaolu family in the field. ”

Hearing this, Dao Shengmeng said: "Lord, so it is not easy to attack the Uchijima family, please be cautious."

Li Xiao waved his hand and said: "Victory, if it is easy" I, Li Xiao, disdainfully do it. I have already had the intention to destroy this inner island family, and he has repeatedly gotten up with his sister Xiaolu's family, "Go against me, now there is an excuse to send troops, and it is only a matter of returning to Yunjian City, it seems difficult for outsiders to ascend to the sky, but in my Li Xiao's eyes, it is as easy as a palm." ”

Listening to Li Xiao's words, "The island is victorious, and Honda Masanobu are both shocked, Guiyun City is a strong city that is a man and a man, and Li Xiao actually said it so easily."

The "lord" has an internal response within the Uchijima family? ”

"My lord, did you contact the Echichu Shengxing Temple" They are already willing to send troops to help us capture the inner island? ”

Li Xiaojun shook his head and said, "Anyway, you can wait and see." ”

After finishing speaking, Li Xiao withdrew.

Only Shimoshima Katsu and Honda Masanobu are left, and they all admire Li Xiao's plans and judgments.

But none of them dared to believe Li Xiao's words at the moment.

Honda Masanobu said to Shimakatsu: "If you storm and return to Cloud City, my family will not even have a chance of winning." Is the lord too careless? ”,

The next day, Li Xiao left the Divine Circle City and led more than 20 lightly armed Jian Cong to Chengsheng City.

After entering the castle, Li Xiao first went to the castle town to see how the Echichu branch of the Meikoku ramen restaurant opened by Yusada Kohata was doing.

As soon as he entered the Yuezhong ramen restaurant, because it was not the time for meals, there were not many people in the restaurant, Li Xiaoxian saw a bearded Nanban man wearing a cloth robe, holding a girl on the left and right, sitting in the ramen restaurant while talking and laughing, eating ramen.

When Li Xiao saw this person, he immediately frowned and asked, "Rui Costa, why do you have such leisure to come here to eat ramen?" ”

As soon as the southern barbarian saw that it was Li Xiao, he quickly pulled his arm out of the chests of the two women, jumped out of his seat, came to Li Xiao in a panic, performed the etiquette of a samurai to see the lord, and said loudly: "See the lord, I don't know that the lord is coming, and the ministers are not welcome." ”

Li Xiao couldn't help but laugh when he saw Rui Costa, which country's worship etiquette is this, but he waved his hand, and he didn't care, and asked: "You are obsessed with women all day long, if you want you to do it this time, if you mess it up for me again, I will order someone to whip you a hundred times." ”

Rui Costa listened to Li Xiao's words, and was immediately frightened, and said: "My lord, we Francos don't like to eat whips. ”

"And what do you Francos like?"

"Beauty." Rui Costa said without hesitation.

There was a lot of noise in the room, and Yuzhen Xiaohata hurriedly rushed out of the kitchen with a rice spoon in his hand, and when he saw Li Xiao, a warm smile suddenly appeared on his face, and then he remembered something and hurriedly ran back to the kitchen.

Li Xiao saw the back of Yuzhen Kohata, smiled slightly, and then glanced at Rui Costa, who was kneeling on the ground, extremely flustered, and couldn't help laughing.

Li Xiao kicked Rui Costa's ass and said, "I didn't expect that there are also flattering people like you among the Southern Barbarians, get up." ”

Rui Costa stood up with a smirk smile on his face.

Then Li Xiao followed Rui Costa to a factory on the outskirts of Chengsheng City.

The factory was set up in the mountains, "with only a small road running through it, and the location was very secluded, and there was a foot light with a spear guarding the door."

Once you arrive at your destination.

Rui Costa walked beside Li Xiao, pointed to the row of factories and said, "With God's blessing, oh no, under the wise guidance of the lord, I, Rui Costa, have completed the ...... of the lord......

"That's enough, just tell me how your cannon is casting? If it were like a month ago, "up, you will never save a hundred lashes." ”

"Yes." Rui Costa's riding boots slammed together on his heels, and then led Li Xiao to a warehouse made of wood.

The door to the storehouse was guarded by two ashigaru, and the door was tied with three large wooden strips.

After Li Xiao and Rui Costa arrived, the two ashigaru lifted the deadbolt and pushed the door open.

After entering, the warehouse was empty, except for a central object wrapped in cloth and slightly bulging.

Rui Costa impatiently walked over to the cloth-covered object and said, "Your Excellency, this is the cannon that Your Majesty has rebuilt, please take a look at it." ”

Li Xiao nodded, walked to the item with a solemn expression, bent down and stretched out his hand to slowly uncover the cloth, only to see a copper round pipe with a circle of iron hoops wrapped around it, lying quietly on the ground.

Rui Costa repeated, "My lord, I have learned the lesson of the last time, and I am still satisfied with this cannon?" ”

Li Xiao stared at it for a while and asked, "Why is it shorter than the last time?" I don't know about casting cannons, but I remember that the shorter the cannon, the shorter the range, and the range of your cannon is probably only to hit your own feet. ”

Rui Costa hurriedly gestured and said: "Your Excellency, you misunderstood, this is the legendary siege artillery, and the siege cannon is not inferior to the cannon, so the cannon body is ............ It's normal to be shorter. And the short barrel has the advantage of saving materials. ”

Hearing Rui Costa say this, Li Xiao was speechless for a moment.

However, Li Xiao squatted down, reached into the cannon chamber and stroked it, compared to the last time, the cannon chamber was polished smooth enough.

Li Xiao nodded, stood up and glanced at Rui Costa, the king of big words, the last time he bragged about the result, he actually made a bombing incident, what is the specific result this time, it is still a try to see. ,

So Li Xiao said to Rui Costa, "Show me it." ”

Rui Costa also knew that the results of the cannon casting test this month were going to be tested today, so he also had a worried expression, and immediately two ashigaru carried the cannon out of the warehouse.

There were more than a dozen craftsmen crowded on the playground, most of them were bare-chested, their complexions were dark, and their faces were a little boring after a long period of smoke and fire.

Because these people learned that Li Xiao was going to test the cannon today, they stood aside in a nervous mood, and they also wanted to see the results of their hard work.

"See your Excellency."

When these craftsmen saw Li Xiao walk in, they hurriedly bowed down together.

Li Xiao ordered them to stand up without much politeness, and said, "Everyone has worked hard. ”

After Li Xiao finished speaking, he saw that after the target was determined on the playground, three or four ashigaru began to pile up sandbags under the command of Rui Costa.

Li Xiao also saw from European oil paintings in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries that it was not used for field artillery, when the Europeans were attacking cities, they basically held the barrel of the cannon on the sandbag as a gun mount.

The history of cannons is that when they first appeared, cannons were still used as siege tools, not in field battles.

In history, the two emperors have created the era of the use of cannons.

One was the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, and the second was King Gustav II of Sweden.

The former captured Constantinople in 1453 with artillery, and the latter ushered in the era of field artillery.

Rui Costa patiently commanded Ashigaru on the side, increasing and decreasing the elevation angle of the barrel, and from time to time he raised his thumb to correct, looking very professional.

After determining the elevation angle of the barrel, Ashigaru will then carefully fill the barrel with a solid projectile and a reasonable proportion of gunpowder.

After equipping the gun, Rui Costa stood next to the cannon with a torch in his hand, and after making a cross in the sky, he lit the rope on the cannon.

As soon as Rui Costa lit the firestring, several ashigaru hurried to the side, retreating in fear.

The last time the boss was in the same scene, it was also a cannon explosion, and as a result, Ashigaru who was standing on the side directly turned into a bird with a cannon.

This time, however, the arquebus sounded, and Rui Costa was the only one standing beside the cannon, motionless.

Seeing that the firerope was burning to the end, Rui Costa suddenly raised the torch in his hand, pointed forward with his other hand, and shouted, "Amen! “

As soon as the words fell, there was a roaring cannon.

The cannon rang out, and almost everyone squatted down by ear.

Li Xiao's body was shocked, the power of this cannon is really much stronger than the so-called arquebus, and the power of one shot is so fast, no wonder he is called the king of land warfare.

Li Xiao turned his gaze to the field, and the first thing he made sure was Rui Costa, and his cannon was fine.

"Hit! Hit! “

Rui Costa threw down his torch and immediately ran around the playground as if he had gone mad, undressing as he ran, with all sorts of expressions on his face and a long tongue sticking out like an old dog that was too hot in the summer.

Compared with Rui Costa's madness, the dozen or so craftsmen were much more reserved, one by one with tears in their eyes, and the whole person fell to the ground, hammering the ground with both hands.

"Finally it worked!"

Li Xiao looked at the target that had been destroyed and nodded with satisfaction.

Li Xiao walked to the side of the cannon, which was still hot and hot at the moment.

This was made by Rui Costa, which is called a cannon in China.

Not inferior to field artillery, field artillery kills and injures infantry, because of the low elevation angle, it mostly uses the method of ricocheting projectile launch, chain ejection, and a dozen is a column.

The principle of the directional gun is similar to that of a mortar, which is a gun with a high elevation angle, but a short barrel and a large caliber.

This was mainly due to the fact that the metal casting process was not exquisite, and it was difficult to cast long-barreled guns.

Therefore, the short cannon body to the cannon is easier to make than the long cannon body, such as the cannon and other field guns, which is more suitable for Li Xiao to study as a starting point.

It seems that the decision to choose Rui Costa is not a gamble wrong for Li Xiao.

"Rui Costa!"

Li Xiao shouted.

When Rui Costa heard Li Xiao's call, he hurriedly stopped his crazy actions, and the whole person ran in front of Li Xiao almost naked.

"My lord, I hit, I hit."

"Okay, I know," Li Xiao then asked, "How many months will it take for you to build this cannon?" ”

Rui Costa thought for a moment and said, "In two months, I can build two doors in time, but I am lucky to be able to pass one of the two doors." ”

"Okay, even if you have one for two months, plus this cannon, you must make me ten more siege cannons within a year."

"Yes, Your Majesty will swear to complete it." Rui Costa said excitedly.

Li Xiao looked at Rui Costa's expression, but he couldn't help but think of what kind of expression the inner island family had when his siege cannon appeared under Guiyun City.

Artillery, well, this magic weapon, known as Da Jian, is about to appear on the stage of the Warring States for the first time in Li Xiao's hands. (To be continued.)