The Northern Song Dynasty first used firearms in the war, which was the "Seven Cannons". This kind of cannon is actually a heavy stone thrower, with a fixed gun carriage, also known as a turret, which was fired and fired by manpower when it was first invented.

The manpower stone throwing machine has high requirements for the soldiers to operate, and it needs to be dragged and released by seven ropes and seventy people synchronously, mainly to test coordination, and is mostly used to destroy the enemy's siege equipment, such as siege vehicles, rushing vehicles, etc.

Moreover, according to the records, the shells fired by the seven-pronged cannon are not as simple as just a round ball, and some specially designed shells can be loaded according to the needs of different battlefields. There are golden wheel cannons, wind cannons, sky-bombing cannons, sub-mother cannons, etc., among which the sub-mother cannon is the most powerful, and the mother cannon is followed by forty-nine sub-cannons after the explosion, which can be regarded as the prototype of today's cluster bombs!

"Ling Zhen, Ling Zhen, follow me to get ahead, and leave a name in history!"

In a high-end teahouse at the north port of Yujie, Chao Gai sat in a private room and drank tea. I thought that I had seen the literature on the development of ancient artillery. is full of expectations for Ling Zhen, a little expert in fighting artillery in the Water Margin.

In the original trajectory, Ling Zhen had the ability to "make artillery" and was known as the first gunner of the Great Song Dynasty. He is the best at playing seven-tip cannons, and he hits far and with high accuracy.

It is a pity that the ruling class is incompetent, the system of the Song Dynasty is heavy on civil affairs over military force, and the position of civilian officials in the army is even higher than that of military attachés, and it is not surprising that Ling Zhen, known as the first gunner, is only a deputy position. From the fact that he could only bring "thirty or forty military men" to the expedition, it shows that firearms were not particularly valued in the Song Dynasty, and were only used to assist the battlefield and deter others.

"Great official, Deputy Envoy Ling is invited!"

"Oh, what are you waiting for? Come on in,"

There was a knock and shouting at the door, and Chao Gai came back to his senses and jumped up from his chair. The door creaked open, and a man of seven feet five or six in length, of medium stature, with clear eyebrows and a small black beard, walked in hesitantly.

"Deputy Envoy Ling? You may be seated. Chao Gai glanced at the visitor and invited warmly.

Ling Zhen was a little nervous, his eyes on Chao Gai and the few people in the room back and forth. He has lived in Bianliang City for a long time, he knows that the teahouse outside Fan Lou is very high-end, although it is not low, but he has not been here a few times, and the guests he does not know are invited here as guests, and he sees that there are not many people on the other side but they are all strong. The leading man was dressed in luxurious clothes and had an extraordinary momentum, and he was by no means an ordinary person.

Why did you invite yourself as a little person? Ling Zhen's heart swooped out.

"Oh, my brother has been working in the armor warehouse for a few days and hasn't eaten, so bring it quickly." Chao Gai poured a full cup of tea in the pot, patted his head, and hurriedly asked Han Shizhong to take out bread, cakes and other snacks from the big food box he brought over.

"Brother Ling, don't stand, sit down, eat some pastries first. In the evening, I will take you to the big restaurant for dinner, and then take a stroll around the Fan Building. ”

Chao Gai's enthusiasm made Ling Zhen, who was already a little nervous, become nervous.

"Why did the officials call me?"

"Hey, I'm not busy, of course it's my brother's ability." Chao Gai saw that this man looked restrained, smiled, and praised it with a thumbs up.

"Brother Ling Zhen, ancestor Guan Yanling, is good at making artillery, and can fight fourteen or fifteen miles away. Known as "the first gunner in the world in the Song Dynasty", nicknamed the thunder. He is also proficient in martial arts, skilled in bows and horses, learned Wen Tao martial arts, full of ambition, served in the official army, and is now the deputy envoy gunner of the Tokyo Jiazhan Library. ”

"The big officials are too ridiculous, but why do you know the villain?" Ling Zhen was both surprised and happy when he saw someone talking about himself like a few treasures.

It's just that Chao Gai's next words made him feel bitter in his heart.

Because Chao Gai got up and pressed him on the seat, he said sonorously: "My brother has the ability but no one knows it, but he is also an upright person." is also excluded in the officialdom, used to seeing the dark side, and Huai Cai is not encountered! ”

"Hey, what the big official said is very true." was talked about the sore spot, Ling Zhen's face was full of helplessness. I think he joined the army and was eager to fight on the battlefield, but he was making artillery for people in the rear. Colleagues are busy making money, everyone is selfish, and everyone is greedy.

Chao Gai saw that his words made the other party's face full of depression, and he knew that he had guessed correctly. Originally, Ling Zhen, a soldier, worked as a deputy envoy gunner in a logistics department like the armor warehouse, and the depression in his heart can be imagined.

In addition, when Hu Yanzhuo attacked Liangshan, Ling Zhen was invited to assist. Ling Zhen behaved extremely actively, hurriedly led people to support, and when shelling Liangshan, he not only put forward opinions many times, but also showed a mentality of being eager to make meritorious contributions.

Only then was Wu Yong's very childish trick to lure the enemy into the water, and Ruan Xiaoer captured Ling Zhen alive in the water. After Ling Zhen was caught on the mountain, Song Jiang was again the old routine of "personally untying him", and Ling Zhen was persuaded by Song Jiang and Peng Xi, the deputy general of Hu Yanzhuo, who had returned to Liangshan, and decisively returned to Liangshan.

From this, it shows that this person has a heart of struggle and does not have much loyalty to the court. Chao Gai tentatively confirmed in a few words, and his heart was full of joy.

"Brother Ling, as the saying goes, trees die, people move, do you want to change places? Not only to live better, but also to be able to fulfill ambitions. ”

Ling Zhen came back to his senses and asked, "Can the official explain it in detail?" ”

"Brother, don't worry, you eat something first, I'll draw something for you." Chao Gai pushed a plate of pastries over, and asked Dr. Tea to bring a pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, and spread out the white paper, splashing ink to quickly outline.

"Officials are good at painting." Ling Zhen looked at the praise on the side, in fact, there was another sentence that he didn't say for fear of being laughed at, that is, this kind of golden pastry is delicious.

I saw Chao Gai skillfully sketching on the paper, and in a short time, a strange wooden box connected by a long tube appeared on the paper.

Ling Zhen, Han Shizhong, Guo Sheng, and Lu Fang couldn't understand it with wide eyes. But if it were to be a random person in the future, it would be a back-mounted pesticide machine.

This is a simple flamethrower drawn by Chao Gai based on what he knows. This kind of thing was similar in the Southern Song Dynasty, disposable, with a bamboo tube as the oviduct, and the back handle was solid wood, which could spray a tongue of fire when ignited.

But others didn't know, Han Shizhong, and Ling Zhen asked in unison.

"Brother, big official, what is this?"

"Well...," Chao Gai thought for a moment, and could only explain vividly: "The box is filled with oil pipes for spraying, you can call it a flamethrower." ”

"Flamethrower!" Han Shizhong and others still don't understand.

Seeing this, Chao Gai could only popularize knowledge a little, and explained the power of this thing. With the addition of explosive oil, a flame several meters long can be formed, similar to a modern flamethrower. After being mixed with white phosphorus, it can turn into fly ash when touched, and it is extremely powerful on the battlefield.

Han Shizhong, Guo Sheng, and Lu were surprised.

Only after Ling Zhen heard the gunpowder, he looked at Chao Gai thoughtfully. This incredibly lethal flamethrower is suitable for use on the battlefield.

Maybe inviting yourself is just that!

Yes, he guessed right. The principle of this mass killing weapon is not complicated, and the materials required are not very precious, as long as the craftsman is skilled enough to overcome several key difficulties, gunpowder is one of them.

Chao Gai is not omnipotent, knowing the recipe of black powder but never trying it. Seeing Ling Zhen's thoughtful expression, he smiled and said straight to the point: "My insider and I know some tricks, and many powerful weapons need gunpowder. Brother Ling Zhen is the best at this, so he came to visit. ”

Ling Zhen didn't answer, but asked, "I don't know the surname of the big official?" ”

"My surname is Chao, from Jeju, Shandong!" Chao Gai responded with a smile.

"The surname is Chao, isn't the official Chao Gai, the king of Shandong?" Ling Zhen's face was full of surprise after muttering, and he looked at this famous gangster again.

"Oh, brother has heard of me!" Chao Gai was a little surprised by Ling Zhen's expression, and then laughed: "It seems that Chao's reputation has spread to Tokyo." ”

"My brother helps the needy and helps the people, which people don't know how famous he is?" Ling Zhen is not less, he purchased sulfur and other raw materials in Bianliang City, and naturally heard of it, but he didn't have the opportunity to see it, so he didn't have the opportunity to make friends.

"Brother, the foolish brother will not beat around the bush, and specially invite you to join Chaojiazhuang." Chao Gai saw that his identity was broken and did not hide it, and threw an olive branch.

Ling Zhen is not a fool, nor is he one of those dignitaries who do not look at people squarely. How do you not know that Shandong Tianwang Chao Gai has a lot of plans, and he wants to go but doesn't want to disrupt his stable life, and he is entangled for a while.

"Hmph, what's there to be nostalgic about." Han Shizhong was upset, and snorted coldly: "I have fought dozens of battles in the Western Army, and the credit has been replaced. Nine years was still a brand army, but now he is a general in command of 35,000 troops. ”

"What? An officer of the Western Army? Ling Zhen looked at Han Shizhong with a shocked face, first, he was surprised by the identity of the other party, Chao Gai had this kind of talent under his command. The second is to serve in the army for the other party for nine years, only to be a card army, and feel sympathy. Why haven't you been in the army for many years, but you can only make artillery for others?

"It's just, what's there to hesitate about." Guo Sheng, the woman also wanted to persuade, but was pulled by Chao Gai, looked at Ling Zhen with sincerity, and said with a smile: "Brother, Chao will never force others, and joining the gang is all voluntary." You don't want to wade into this troubled water, and leave without a name for the rest of your life. ”

Ling Zhen was relieved when he heard this, and wanted to turn around and leave. But when I heard Chao Gai's sonorous voice again, the idea of stepping was dispelled.

"But if you want to leave a name in history, you can follow me if you want to be a wife. Isn't it fragrant that you don't need to be rewarded by others, and you have to fight by yourself? ”

Chao Gai smiled when he saw Ling Zhen's move of wanting to leave and staying, and leaned closer and whispered, "Brother, you know the power of gunpowder, which can open mountains and crack stones." ”

"What the King said, but is it true?" Ling Zhen raised his head sharply, his face full of surprise. His skill in preparing gunpowder is an ancestral tradition, and the power of gunpowder should be greater if he listened to his grandfather's nagging since he was a child, but he has no clue for so many years.

This is the main reason why Ling Zhen was able to stay in the armor warehouse to make artillery for others.

Unexpectedly, someone would say such a thing!

"Of course, the man of God dreamed of me!" Chao Gai pointed to his head, and after thinking for a moment, he whispered a ......

Ling Zhen's eyes were round when he heard this, he often mixed gunpowder, how could he not know what Cha should say, the steps were so detailed to add sugar, and so on. Suddenly, I thought of the words of the god and man dreaming, and my eyes suddenly changed.

Isn't it the man of destiny?

When Chao Gai stopped talking, Ling Zhen recovered from the shock and gritted his teeth to make a decision. Instead of slumping for the rest of your life, it's better to do it vigorously!