For the opportunity to leave the town justifiably, Qiu Mingbo naturally couldn't ask for it. In the face of high salaries and high profits, it would definitely be a lie to say that Chen Baoqiang was not moved. But first, he didn't know that Qiu Mingbo, who was standing next to him, had long wanted to leave, and secondly, he also planned to ask for the opinions of his wife and Wang Han's sister-in-law again. Therefore, without waiting for Qiu Mingbo to express his position, he told Manager Zhang that he would discuss it with his brother and family members, and would give an answer tomorrow.

Discussing with his brothers and family members is the proper meaning of the question, and the solicitation should not be too eager, lest the other party take the opportunity to ask for a high price and raise conditions, so Steward Zhang immediately said that there was no problem, and he went back to wait for good news, and came back tomorrow to listen to the answer.

Chen Baoqiang had already moved his heart, and Qiu Mingbo was trying his best to lobby and add fuel to the fire, so although the foundation of the Li family, the proprietor of Zhang's steward, and the smelting industry were far away in Zhaofu, Beijing, in the end, Chen Zilu and Wang Han nodded and agreed to Chen and Qiu's trip to the northwest to create a new world. So, just as the Mid-Autumn Festival in the second year of Xiande was approaching, Chen Baoqiang, Qiu Mingbo, Zhao Zilu and Wang Han embarked on the westward journey with Steward Zhang's caravan. First to Kaifeng Luoyang, then to Luoyang, and finally to Jingzhao Mansion, it took less than a year, Chen Baoqiang and Qiu Mingbo not only opened up the situation in the Li family's smelting and forging workshop, and gained a firm foothold, but also made a name for themselves in the northwest region, becoming a famous master craftsman in the northwest.

It was precisely because of Chen Baoqiang's fame that he attracted the attention of the Dingyan army, who had a lot of business dealings with Jingzhao Mansion and secretly purchased a large number of weapons from the Li family's smelting workshop -- at this time, when the smelting level and scale of the party members were far inferior to Li Yuanhao in his previous life, they still needed to purchase a large number of weapons and iron tools from the Central Plains and the Han people in the northwest. Although Li Yiyin is a member of the party, he still understands the truth that "it is better to teach people to fish than to teach them to fish". He knew very well that the long-term purchase of iron tools, especially weapons and equipment, from the Han areas would cost a lot of money and be more likely to be controlled by others, and it was by no means a long-term solution. Instead of spending a lot of money to buy from the Li family, it is better to find a way to dig these two capable craftsmen and master craftsmen of the Li family to the Dingyan Army, so that they can save a lot of money and will not be controlled by others, which is a good thing to kill two birds with one stone.

Therefore, Li Yiyin went to his own caravan to do business in Jingzhao Mansion through Guò, and secretly contacted Chen Baoqiang and Qiu Mingbo and others, promising them official positions and generous remuneration, hoping that the two could be transferred to his command and serve the Dingyan army.

Because they had only gained a firm foothold in Jingzhao Mansion and had a certain economic foundation and connections, Chen Baoqiang and Qiu Mingbo did not pay attention to the attraction of the Dingyan Army at first. However, as the price offered by the party members gradually increased, especially the promised official positions became bigger and bigger, Chen and Qiu's beliefs finally began to waver. Although the Li family treats them well, they also treat them with great respect and courtesy, which is not like the difference in status between the proprietor and the craftsman. But after all, the relationship between the two sides is that of an employer and an employee, and no matter how capable he is, he is just a worker with a relatively good reputation and a relatively high level, which is really a world of difference compared with the official status promised by the party members. As the saying goes, "people go to high places, and water flows to low places", since there is a chance to go to the next level, why worry because the other party is not Han, because I feel a little sorry for Steward Zhang's support and the respect of the Li family.

In the end, under the persuasion and instigation of Qiu Mingbo, who valued his official position very much, Chen Baoqiang decided to take another risk, leave Jingzhao Mansion and the Li family, and go to the Dingnan Army to break out of a broader and higher world. So, at the end of the third year of Xiande, on a snowy winter morning, Chen Baoqiang, Qiu Mingbo, Zhao Zilu and Wang Han said goodbye without saying goodbye, avoided the servants and the family guards, quietly left the mansion provided for them by the Li family, and joined the caravan of the Dingyan Army that had been waiting outside the city for a long time, and embarked on a journey to Xiazhou. A month and a half later, Chen Baoqiang, who had arrived in Xiazhou, became the Iron Envoy of the Dingyan Army, and Qiu Mingbo became the Deputy Iron Envoy of the Dingyan Army, two official positions that Li Yiyin had set up specifically for them, and who received a salary equivalent to twice their salary in Jingzhao Mansion.

is the so-called "reciprocating the peach", Li Yiyin gave them such a high courtesy, Chen Baoqiang and Qiu Mingbo naturally wanted to repay it, and at the same time, they also wanted to make some achievements to prove that they were "worth the money". Therefore, after arriving in Xiazhou, Chen Baoqiang first built the open-hearth steelmaking facilities that he had always wanted to build in the town and Jingzhao Mansion but for various reasons - in the town because of lack of funds, in Jingzhao Mansion to temporarily keep a hand of skills for the future to consolidate his position in the Li family - and began to produce a large number of high-quality steel in this era. Subsequently, Chen Baoqiang cooperated with Qiu Mingbo, using the knowledge of chemistry and weapons and equipment of the two to make the first and the original front-loading artillery made of copper and steel, as well as the steel front-loading flintlock pistol.

Li Yiyin greatly admired the talents of Chen and Qiu, especially the appearance of front-loading artillery and flintlock pistols, which made him marvel at it, but also immediately keenly aware of the great role that these equipment could play in the war. Especially when Chai Rongnan conquered Huainan, and the news that the Zhou army's "divine and straight" firearms shined in Shouzhou came, Li Yiyin saw the great power of firearms in the siege, and was glad that he had picked up a treasure, and he also paid more attention to Chen and Qiu.

In fact, when Chen Baoqiang and Qiu Mingbo heard the news of the large-scale use of firearms by the Later Zhou army in Shouzhou City, the two of them, while realizing that there were likely to be people other than them in this time and space, did not have the idea of going to Shouzhou or Kaifeng to find out, and thus enter the Later Zhou court. But as soon as it comes, it is impossible for Li Yiyin to let a talent like them leave, if he doesn't say goodbye, with the character and ability of the other party, it is naturally impossible to suffer a dumb loss like the Li family in Jingzhao Mansion, and he will definitely not give up with himself, and he will not worry about his life. Second, there were already other travelers who had already offered firearms to the Later Zhou court, and if they went again, they would have fallen behind - they had only heard the news nearly a year after the end of the battle of Huainan in the south. Not only will they not be able to get the rewards they deserve, but they will also be suppressed and excluded by other traversers. Rather than this, it is better to continue to stay in the Dingyan Army and enjoy the preferential treatment that has really been received.

Later, as there were more and more rumors about the crossing team, especially when the news of the Beiping Army going south to Kaifeng reached the Dingyan Army, Chen and Qiu's thoughts gradually changed, and they slowly had the idea of defecting. It's just that he couldn't find a suitable opportunity to leave Xiazhou and leave the Dingyan Army for a while, so he temporarily stung and waited for the opportunity. It wasn't until this time that the Zhou court cut the feudal domain, and he had the opportunity to leave Xiazhou and go to the capital openly, that Qiu Mingbo made up his mind to take the risk of coming to Kaifeng to break through.

Qiu Mingbo talked there for a long time before he and Chen Baoqiang and others had completely and clearly explained their experiences since they separated from Xin Feiyu. Of course, in order to hide his careful thoughts, Qiu Mingbo still lied about the reason why the four of them left the town and went to Jingzhao Mansion, only saying that the four of them were moved by Zhang Da Steward, and did not mention that he was afraid that he would be embarrassed and lose love when Xin Feiyu returned to the town to visit, so he raised his hands in agreement on the westward journey, and tried his best to persuade others, especially Chen Baoqiang, to leave the town.

Although the experiences of Chen Baoqiang, Qiu Mingbo and others are not as ups and downs and vigorous as those of the crossing team, they can also be called twists and turns, vivid and impressive. However, after listening to the other party's introduction, Xin Feiyu did not have time to sigh, let alone care about the "personal grudge" of his original girlfriend marrying Qiu Mingbo, but immediately realized two important problems. One is that if the crossing team agrees to accept Chen, Qiu and others, how should they justifiably let Qiu Mingbo stay in Kaifeng, and ask Chen Baoqiang, Zhao Zilu, Wang Han and others from the hands of the Dingyan Army; The other is that if what Qiu Mingbo said is true, then in the face of the Dingyan army, which already has primitive firearms, does the team's plan for cutting the feudal domain and pacifying the world need to be changed and adjusted.

Therefore, when Qiu Mingbo once again tactfully proposed to him that he hoped to meet with Wang Kunjun, Zhang Weixin and other leaders of the "Qingyuan" brothers, Xin Feiyu did not give him a clear answer, but said that he could not make a decision on this matter and needed to ask several brothers for instructions. After speaking, he left his mansion on the pretext of reporting the situation to several elder brothers, leaving only Qiu Mingbo, who was a little anxious because he did not receive a clear answer, waiting there.