A week later, most of the German delegation left Chengdu and returned with a full load, planning to visit Nanjing for a week, and then return to China by boat via Shanghai, where some of the professional and technical personnel will return to work in six months on a permanent basis.

On the day of departure, the rigorous and professional Germans left Xiao Yiming and Huaxi Company seven complete geological survey reports and factory construction opinions.

The day before the departure, the Huaxi Company sent a copy of the authorization letter signed by the governor of Sichuan Province for the purchase of weapons and equipment to the German Consulate in Chengdu for the record, and in accordance with the provisions of the contract, deposited the full amount of the funds for the purchase of more than 8,000 long rifles and ammunition from the Mauser Company into the Deutsch-Hua Bank.

After seeing off the German delegation, Xiao Yiming immediately inspected the renovation project of the shantytown of the arsenal and the Yuhe River, and everywhere he went was a busy and lively scene, on the two flattened lands cleared, rows of two-story houses with brick and wood structures had begun to take shape, and on both sides of the 1,400-meter-long river, the dirty and collapsed mud embankments were replaced by stone embankments, and it seemed that the rainy season would be completed as planned.

Everywhere Xiao Yiming went, the construction workers and family members stopped to greet him, and Xiao Yiming would also stop to carefully inquire about the progress of the construction and everyone's thoughts.

Three days later, Xiao Yiming returned to the governor's yamen with a happy mood and began to begin the arduous preparations for the construction and repair of the barracks, schools and city walls.

Zhong Ying, the commander of the seventeenth town, came to the door at this time, drank the good tea served by the guards, and smacked his lips vigorously:

"Brother, this Mengding tea is Bashu Gong tea, go back and get some for my brother, your sister-in-law also likes this mouthful."

"Oops! I forgot about it when I was busy, and when I was in Ya'an, the younger brother prepared it, and the things that Brother Qiluo asked the younger brother to bring to you and Brother Tiecheng are still in my house, and I will personally send them to you in the evening. Xiao Yiming replied apologetically.

Zhong Ying was very happy: "Qi Luo's old boy is good, if he hadn't been smashed by a mace more than ten years ago, I am afraid that his current official position is not below my brother and me, although he is in the border army, but he and I are a family, before my old man died, he almost lived at home for a few days in the Mid-Autumn Festival every year...... Ay! I said, your guards are all equipped with Colt M1903s and Mauser shell guns, why don't you get some pikes back? France's Hatch Chase machine guns are also very useful, and with such a crack guard, why don't you get a few to come back and support the façade? ”

Xiao Yiming immediately gave him a roll of his eyes: "I said, you arrived just after you came back, no, the fox's tail is exposed, isn't it?" ”

Zhong Ying laughed heartily, without the slightest embarrassment:

"Brother, who is with whom of our brothers? Ha ha! Brother asks you, when will the more than 8,000 new Mauser rifles arrive? ”

Xiao Yiming no longer joked: "It has been shipped from Shanghai, and the telegram from the Mauser company yesterday said that it will arrive in Yucheng on the 15th, that is, seven days later, because the large freighter is still loaded with steel and other things, and it is estimated that it will be reloaded with a small steamer at the Yucheng wharf and then go to Chengdu, which should be around the 20th."

"However, brother, you can't take it all, the master said that only 5,000 and 3 million rounds of ammunition will be approved for you, and the rest will be put into storage."

Zhong Ying scratched her head: "Brother, brother and you will discuss, although my brother and I serve as the commander, I still have to lead the old brother of the Thirty-Three Association, right?" You don't know, these days, the group of grandsons who came back from studying abroad in this book are making trouble, and my brother's head is bigger! I really had no choice, so I had to give them all the 5,600 rifles that the 33rd Association had in common, and as a result, my brother's 6,000 brothers of the 33rd Association were empty-handed, and all of them became idlers who ate and slept so, why do you want to get back 6,000 new guns for your brother as soon as possible, and when the time comes, how can you thank your brother, just squeak casually! ”

Xiao Yiming asked curiously, "You gave up all your weapons?" Are those people so anxious? ”

"Isn't it? This time, the old brother finally saw the true face of the group of grandsons who thought they were superior when they came back from a walk around the book, these people are usually five or six people, and they are harmonious on the surface, but once it comes to their own vital interests, they immediately turn their faces, accuse each other, and don't talk about the slightest bit of robes, and there are many guys who come to me behind me to complain to each other, alas

"To tell you the truth, brother, I'm young, I don't have any ink in my stomach, I don't want to be this commander for a long time, if I wasn't afraid that I'm sorry for the trust and cultivation of Lord Tai and Lord Admiral, my brother wouldn't want to play with those grandsons at all, no, they forced my brother to be miserable, so I had to let out all the weapons that the Thirty-Three Association had just arrived for more than half a year, and then I left with a smile and flattery, and the more than 5,000 spears were all good things that I didn't want to shoot a few shots!

"In addition, there are twelve infantry guns, my brother is angry, gritted his teeth and gave them all to the grandsons who are making noise in their ears every day, brother, my brother is miserable!"

Zhong Ying's sad face was not all pretended, and it could be seen that he was very disappointed and sad about the current new army.

Xiao Yiming hurriedly comforted:

"Don't worry, brother, isn't there a saying called Seon losing his horse? The old ones don't go, the new ones don't come, not to mention the new guns are about to arrive. The little brother will not hide it from you, this batch of guns is not an old Mauser sleeve with a bare long barrel, and it is no longer loaded with a leaky clip that gets stuck on a little dust, but a thickened barrel with a sloping plate ruler, built-in magazine design, and excellent rifles that use magazines and pointed bullets, whether it is workmanship or shooting accuracy, can overwhelm the best rifles in the world today, and it is two generations more advanced than the 30-type rifle designed by Ben more than ten years ago. ”

Zhong Ying showed a puzzled look: "Didn't you say that this time it's still the old Mauser sleeve?" And the price is also the price of the old model, what's going on? ”

Xiao Yiming suddenly realized:

"I see! Those people forced you to equip their troops with guns every day, so you had to give up all the guns in the hands of the thirty-three brothers under your command.

Zhong Ying nodded: "That's the case, many brothers under my brother's command are still so angry that they can't eat, and they are generally worried that the Mauser bought back this time is not as good as the thirty-year-old style." ”

Xiao Yiming laughed, and in a blink of an eye, he stomped his feet in anger: "Grandma's!" If I had known about this, Lao Tzu would have raised the price a little bit, and I would have made a mistake, a mistake! It seems that I am busy and dizzy, the best gun in the world is said to be like this, Lao Tzu is still stupidly thinking about others, desperately grinding with the Germans to reduce the price, and missing the opportunity to make money in vain! ”

Zhong Ying was surprised: "Is it really that good?" ”

"You'll know when you get it! I won't hide it from you, the more than 3,600 guns left by the master of Taiwan were left by the younger brother, and you have also seen the equipment of the junior brother's guards, are you picky enough? Look drooling, right? Everyone has two guns and special leather equipment, all of them wear thick rubber soles and suede military leather shoes imported from the United Kingdom, and even the military uniforms are customized British khaki military uniforms, but why has the younger brother been reluctant to receive the new rifles in the arsenal? I'm waiting for this batch of Mauser long rifles! Brother, you know, when it comes to familiarity and understanding of the weapons and equipment of the great powers, who in the whole army dares to be awesome in front of the younger brother? ”

Xiao Yiming told all his thoughts, and did not hide this generous profligacy and a few years older than himself.

Zhong Ying turned from worry to joy: "So, my brother is a blessing in disguise?" ”

Xiao Yiming nodded: "Those people will definitely regret it, I don't believe it, wait and see, go back and tell your brothers, don't be impatient!" When you get a new gun, you will go to the shooting range to shoot, and if you don't have enough bullets, you will go to the master of Taiwan to approve the strips, anyway, those guys can't use 7.92 caliber pointed bullets, and even more than 1,000 Hanyang-made guns in the city defense battalion can't use them, and the bullets are all yours! ”

Zhong Ying smiled, stood up and turned to leave, but after a while, she ran back, closed the door with her hand, walked in front of Xiao Yiming in a few steps, and asked in a low voice:

"How much does Krupp's latest 75-barrel gun cost?"

Xiao Yiming put down the brush: "Is the old brother talking about wild artillery or mountain artillery?" ”

"I want to know both." Zhong Ying replied.

Xiao Yiming thought for a while and replied: "Three months ago, the Krupp company sold 36 75mm tube annealing guns to the Huai Army, of which 16 were 14 times the diameter of the mountain artillery, and the rest were all 30 times the diameter of the field artillery, the price of the mountain artillery was 3500 oceans, and the field artillery was 4600 oceans...... How? Did you get the money from the master of the table? ”

Zhong Ying smiled, rubbed his beard and pulled his big chin:

"This price is not expensive at all, it is nearly thirty percent cheaper than the batch of French artillery that the border army bought back half a year ago, grandma's! The grandsons of the border army are making a lot of money! ”

"Hey, hey! I ask you about it. Xiao Yiming pushed him.

Zhong Ying's bulging eyes quickly turned a few times, and she leaned out closer to Xiao Yiming: "Let's do it together, buy eight mountain artillery and field artillery, six thousand flowering bullets, and buy five hundred Mauser shell guns, and you can raise all the prices by thirty percent, and you won't make any money in vain!"

"Those dead-faced grandsons are going to leave all the artillery of Lao Tzu, and Lao Tzu has to change to the best Krupp, which is called the loss of the embankment and the compensation outside the embankment, haha! Later, I will take the approval document to the Fanku for a trip, and transfer this special fund to your Huaxi company account tomorrow at the latest, and you kid can hurry up for me. ”

Xiao Yiming was stunned on the spot, Zhong Ying's shadow disappeared outside the door before she came back to her senses, walked to the window and quietly looked at the blooming Yueji and Zilan in the courtyard, and finally turned her eyes to the hand-drawn map of the whole city on the left wall, and her fingers slowly slid to the more than 300 acres of land separated by the city wall and moat on the north side of the North School Field, and her heart suddenly became eager:

"The loss in the embankment is compensated outside the embankment, and the loss in the embankment is compensated outside the embankment...... Damn, that's a good point! The old man who led the soldiers is not qualified enough, and he has just been promoted to an official for two years, and he has not gotten anything after his hard work, and he has all become a wedding dress for others, and he has not yet said a good word, what is this not a stupid hat......

"No! How can you get something affordable, just this piece of land with only dozens of broken grass houses and more than 300 beggars living in blind streams, well, the two broken temples must have no title deeds, and a few little monks who eat and drink half-dead have to work for Lao Tzu, otherwise they will pat their butts and roll away, and they are worried that the power plant will be polluted close to their yards, and these more than 300 acres of land are surrounded by rivers and water, and the east and west are navigable, isn't it the best land for the construction of power plants? A few poles were erected, and then several hundred meters of wires were pulled......"

Xiao Yiming looked at it again and again, counted it again and again, and finally packed up the relevant documents, straightened up the military uniform, buttoned up the military hat, and rode straight to the Chengdu Mansion with two personal guards:

"Humph! Parents and officials of one government and two counties, don't you always shout that you can't get the money to repair the city wall? Well, then, that messy wasteland that no one cares about belongs to Huaxi Company, and Huaxi Company will share all the labor costs for repairing the city wall, and a few parents and officials only need to pay a little money for bricks and ashes......"

;