Rong Xiu looked excited when he saw her, although he was not very curious about the contents of the iron pot, he still suppressed the anger in his heart and walked over patiently.

But when he really saw the things in the pot, he was really surprised, he looked at Yan Xiaoyun on the side suspiciously, stretched out his slender hand and picked up the earthy yellow powder in the pot and put it on the tip of his nose and sniffed it, and looked at Yan Xiaoyun who was smiling lightly on the side in puzzlement: "This is ...... Earth? ”

Seeing her nodding, the small flame that had just been suppressed in Rong Xiu's heart rose again: "I looked for you several times in the cottage, but I didn't even see a trace, so you just got this?" It's just a pot of dirt, and you're still a baby! Do you know that today's big boss is holding a banquet in the front hall to announce something important, and nineteen, eight, nine will involve our entire plan, how can you still run around at this juncture! ”

Yan Xiaowei pursed her lips: "Didn't I come back without running far!" Let me tell you, don't underestimate this soil, I got it from the back kitchen with great difficulty! The kitchen has been cooking for years, and there is a lot of nitrate deposited in the dirt on the stove and the walls! Exactly what I was looking for! ”

Only then did Rong Xiu glance again: "Nitrate? You're saying there's nitrate in there? He frowned coldly: "So what, it's just something to make glaze and paint, if you want to inform others in the cottage, why bother to get such a pile of soil, how to get it?" ”

Yan Xiaowei covered the pot like a baby: "You don't know, I don't use nitrate for pigment or anything, I want to use the nitrate condensed from this soil to mix with sulfur and plant ash to make gunpowder!" ”

As she spoke, she thought, "Well, although the proportion of these ingredients is still up for debate, if they are made, they can definitely be very useful!" ”

After hearing this, Rong Xiu's expression suddenly became serious: "Gunpowder? Is it similar to firecrackers? ”

Yan Xiaoyu nodded: "Yes, but it's more powerful than firecrackers." One touch of the line of fire can quickly burn and explode. You have also seen the situation in this cottage, it is clearly an easy-to-defend and difficult-to-attack formation. The cottages are all built on the hills, not to mention, there are walls made of rocks everywhere. Even if Brother Pan leads people to attack from the bottom of the mountain at that time, if there are cloud ladders and flying hooks, I am afraid it will not be so easy to enter the inside of the cottage. If we had planted gunpowder bags in important places in the cottage in advance and blasted the surrounding rocks and iron walls, the whole offensive would have been much easier. ”

Rong Xiu looked at her deeply: "Where did you learn this method of making gunpowder?" "As far as he knows, Mrs. Yan and a literati should not be interested in these.

Yan Xiaowei blinked, and said without changing her face: "Oh, didn't I live in the countryside before I entered the Yan Mansion, the countrymen all set off firecrackers during the New Year, and I will follow others to see if they follow!" ”

Rong Xiu nodded, his eyes darkened: "What you said is really a good idea, maybe it can help a lot when the time comes." How to get the raw materials of this gunpowder, you will say that I will do it when the time comes! ”

Yan Xiaowei shook her head: "No, it's actually very simple, as long as you add water to this iron pot and keep boiling, a layer of white particles will condense on it after a day or two, which is nitrate." Grass ash is easier to obtain, just collect the ashes from the burning leaves and hay. It's just that the sulfur is hard to find, so you can only secretly find a way to get it in the cottage! ”

Rong Xiu pondered for a moment: "There is a lot of sulfur in this cottage, and the mountain is foggy, and it is often used to paint it on torches with pine resin for lighting. It's just that if the amount is too large, it will take a little more trouble. But if nothing else, you can definitely get your hands on it! ”

Yan Xiaowei had a bottom in her heart, and gradually breathed a sigh of relief: "Well, that's good, while there hasn't been much change in the cottage in the past few days, let's quietly start preparing and make it as soon as possible in case of emergency." ”

"It's just that there is one more thing, I have to tell you", speaking of this, she scratched her head in some distress: "The lethality of this gunpowder should be very large, if you accidentally hurt someone, it will be too cruel?" Moreover, if this method spreads in the future, many people will definitely follow suit, whether it is used in peacetime or on the battlefield, it is a bit inhumane! Whether to use it or not, I am a little conflicted now. ”

Rong Xiu didn't expect her to say such a thing, to be honest, he followed his father to the battlefield when he was a teenager, and it has been nearly ten years until today. Although he had seen a lot of bloodshed, fighting and plundering on the battlefield, in the depths of his memory, he still deeply remembered the scene he saw when he first walked to the battlefield. When a young man with the same skin and eyes as you falls, his blood splatters on the hem of your clothes, surrounded by the cries of battle, the screams of warhorses, and the harsh crackling of weapons fighting......

Even today, years later, he still remembers it when he closes his eyes.

Even sometimes in the middle of the night, he woke up from a bloody nightmare, and there was always a moment of confusion. What is the purpose of such cruelty and blood?

At this moment, when he heard Yan Xiaoyi's words, he realized that what he had not understood, been confused, and entangled for so many years was actually the collision of the concepts in his mind and the cold reality.

As a person who often goes into battle to kill enemies, he just hates blood the most, and if he says this, many people will think it is ridiculous!

However, facing Yan Xiaoyi, whose eyes were shining with clear eyes, he suddenly felt that his long-standing confusion had been understood. He thought he liked her already, but now he knew that he could have liked her even more. This mood made his chest swell with warm emotions, as if something in common, it was full, and even the eyes that looked at Yan Xiaoyan became more affectionate.

When he came back to his senses, he thought about it seriously: "Almost everyone in this group of people in the cottage has committed a crime to a greater or lesser extent, and even more of them are carrying human lives. You may not know that a few years ago, a group of co-cyanines of the big bosses went down the mountain to rob. Robbed a convoy of tributes on the outskirts of Beijing, but was found and restrained by the soldiers escorting the vehicle, and in the process of fighting, Liu Yi, the second leader of Qingyun Mountain, was stabbed with a sword and died on the spot, and the big boss escaped. On the way back to Qingyun Mountain, he led the remnants of the people, passing through a small town not far from the outskirts of Beijing, Lingfeng Town. In retaliation, they burned, killed and looted in the town, and by the time the officers and soldiers of the neighboring town saw the distress signal and rushed to the rescue, the entire Lingfeng Town had become an empty city! Therefore, this group of people is simply the most evil, even if they are injured by gunpowder, they deserve it! ”

Although Rong Xiu has been warning her that the people around her are dangerous since she came to this cottage, she has no personal experience. However, at this moment, just listening to a story, she already had a chill down her spine. It's really hard for her to associate the smiling look of the big boss with the demon who kills people without blinking.

Suddenly, she somewhat understood Rong Xiu, why he lost his temper just now because he couldn't find her.

"But", Rong Xiu's voice changed: "Although they are guilty of great crimes, but if we also use the same method to deal with them, then what is the difference between them and these people." Therefore, this gunpowder should be used to blast through the rock wall, not on people. And after this incident is over, gunpowder should not be used lightly, lest someone follow suit and kill innocents! ”

Unexpectedly, he was similar to what he thought, Yan Xiaoyi's mood suddenly became lighter, and he hurriedly put away the iron pot on the table and hid it under the bed, and then opened the food box on the table to solve the hungry stomach.

At night, the servants stepped on the ladder and lit the fiery red embroidery lanterns and hung them under the high eaves, and the red lamps illuminated the hazy night. At first glance, there is a sense of joy.

A banquet was set up in the front hall early, and there were some heads and faces in the cottage sitting on the banquet, gags and jokes one by one.

Yan Xiaoyi, as Rong Xiu's entourage, changed into a rose-red dress and sat on the low table below him, but she was a little apprehensive in her heart, not knowing why this big boss was so excited.

After a while, the big boss was helped by the small servant to come around the back hall, sitting in the first place, his smile that had not changed for a thousand years swept over the people present, and the atmosphere that was still hot just now fell silent all of a sudden.

Yan Xiaowei was swept by his eyes, and suddenly remembered the story Rong Xiu told her during the day, cold sweat broke out on her body, and she pinched her fingers in the cuffs without a trace.

The big boss smiled faintly: "Why, it was still lively just now, why didn't you squeak as soon as I came?" ”

Everyone looked at each other, and for a long time a stout man spoke up: "Brothers, I just wonder, according to the rules in our cottage, in addition to catching the wind and washing the dust, celebrating and individual festivals, the big boss is not easy to set up a banquet!" What kind of day is it today, and why did it suddenly get so big? ”

He stretched out his finger and pointed to the big sauce elbow on the plate in front of him: "Look at this food, even if I robbed a rich businessman in Lingshui last time, I didn't do it like this, isn't there anything good that the big boss can't do?" ”

As soon as the words fell, someone made fun of him: "You have a big stomach, I'm afraid that others won't know what you can eat, and you actually use the dishes on the table to speculate that the big boss is here!" If you are annoyed, you will be punished to raise pigs in the back mountain! ”

When everyone heard this, they all laughed. That Liu Da stomach was not annoyed, but scratched his head: "I haven't read anything, a rough person, I don't know how to observe words and looks, I say what I see, the big boss knows my temper, so I won't be annoyed!" ”

Hearing him say this, the big boss was also happy: "Although this Liu Dayu's speculation is clueless, but he also guessed a little correctly!" Our cottage is indeed going to have a good thing! ”

Seeing that everyone's eyes were focused on him, the big boss narrowed his smiling eyes, looking like he was very scheming, but he didn't mention what that good thing was, but turned his face to look at Rong Xiu, who was sitting on the left: "Brother Qin, it's been half a month since you came to our Qingyun Mountain, and the general situation has been almost mastered." Tell me, if you want to strengthen our Qingyun Mountain, what are the good strategies? ”