stubborn thief

Chapter 111 Homemade Firearms
Chengyun returned to Zhuantianmao, and within a few days, he sent four guns.

Firecrackers and birdcrackers are nothing new.

At Yanshui Pass, they seized a lot of firearms, including one-eye and three-eye guns, small guns operated by one or two soldiers, and medium-sized guns to be loaded on mule carts, and many of them were thrown there.

There is no way to take it. In the entire mule camp, there are not many soldiers who can handle firearms proficiently. It is not as good as a bow and arrow to use as a club with a three-eyed blunderbuss.

They brought a lot of small cannons, Cao Yao's battalion had no more than a hundred artillerymen, and they could carry fifteen small cannons on mules.

There are also three [-]-jin vehicle-mounted Francophones pulled by mules.

The two bird guns and two double-barreled hand guns brought by the carrier are very fresh.

Because this is Liujiazhuang's self-made firearm, it was made by He Xin, a gunsmith who was brought by Cai Zhongpan's wife and brother from Sanyuan.

"The workmanship is very good, much better than those in Yanshuiguan, and not inferior to those made by Shanxi craftsmen."

On the drying ground of Dawang Mountain, Cao Yao looked at the musket, sniffed the wooden gun bed with his nose, and said with a grin: "His grandma's is a new-made gun bed. The last time I smelled it was in the Beijing camp in the 46th year of Wanli. !"

Hearing what he said, Liu Chengzong was relieved, he didn't understand firearms.

But Cao Yao is an expert in handling firearms, and he has a particularly tricky eye. He had his idea of ​​discarding a lot of firearms at Yanshui Pass.

So as long as the old thief said there was no problem, then Liujiazhuang's craftsmen must be very good at making firearms.

However, his words still made Liu Chengzong very puzzled, and asked: "I know that Shanxi is good at making knives, but is it good at making firearms in Shanxi?"

"Ha ha!"

Cao Yao laughed loudly when he heard the words, patted the Yanling knife hanging on his waist, and then weighed the bird gun in his hand: "Do you think there are differences in craftsmen's skills in making these things?"

He pointed to the postmen not far away holding tasseled guns and said: "The sleeve of the gun head is rolled; the barrel of the gun is also rolled; and this..."

He held the rod of the bird's blunderbuss tap, pulled the trigger, and the tap fell: "It looks exquisite here, what the hell is the difference between the reed and the stock scissors? The most difficult part is to drill through the barrel of the blunderbuss, The light must be straight, so that you can hit the distance and hit the target."

"It was a few years after the apocalypse. Damn forgot. Anyway, it was in Shanxi, and the same name as you, Sun Dushi, sent Zhang Daojun back to his hometown to make guns. Zhang Daojun, you know?"

Liu Chengzong shook his head in confusion.

"Commander Jinyi, he is not important, anyway, he is from Zezhou, Shanxi." Cao Yao said and raised a finger: "In one and a half years, more than [-] taels of principal, do you know that Shanxi Jinggong craftsmen made it for Liaodong?" How many weapons did you have?"

Liu Chengzong still shook his head.

"I can't remember exactly, but there are 1 waist knives." Cao Yao felt quite ostentatious, and said triumphantly, "There are more than 2000 three-eyed guns, more than [-] Buddha wolf machines pulled by mules, and wind guns. .”

"So much?" Liu Chengzong knew about the wind gun, and asked, "That's the wind gun you wanted to do when you robbed Wangzhuang?"

"Yes, I used to have a pole, and I would snatch it. That thing is very useful. After it is built, it will hit the big one with two hundred steps, and it will kill anyone with fifty steps."

Seeing Liu Chengzong pondering, Cao Yao raised his eyebrows and asked in surprise: "How about it, are you going to let craftsmen make wind guns for fun? Let me tell you that it is easy to make that thing with the skills of your craftsmen. !"

Liu Chengzong shook his head, looked up at the sky, and felt that there were too many people talking here, so he dragged Cao Yao into the cave where grain and stoves were stored, and said as he walked, "I plan to build an arsenal, um... it's the Ordnance Bureau .”

Frightened by his mysterious attitude, Cao Yao followed into the cave. Hearing this, he frowned and said, "Well, what are you doing so carefully? When you say this, are you afraid of who will hear it or something?"

Liu Chengzong turned his head with eyes like looking at a fool, and said as it should be: "Of course I'm afraid people will hear it. You think, let's go when the officers and soldiers come. ?”

Cao Yao nodded. In fact, he didn't think so. He just took people with him. Steel can't be snatched anywhere, and iron kilns are easy to build. Of course, the most fundamental reason is that he doesn't think about setting up a military bureau at all.

The reason for agreeing is entirely out of trust in Liu Chengzong.

Moreover, when he returned to Yan'an Mansion this time, he also read what the Liu family did and the map they made two days ago, and it was indeed unusual.

Yang Dingrui, who was a government official, Liu Xiangyu, who was a county government official, and Liu Chengzu, who was a state tax official, and Liu Chengzu, who was an expert in the army, these professionals are tossing about the rebellion... Cao Yao, who has been a thief in three provinces, really feels that he is Gotta step aside.

People are worth knowing.

Cao Yao considers himself a thieves giant, fleeing for his life, he is considered a professional.

But within the scope of the state capital, he really couldn't do the job of drawing the imperial court's dragon tendon.

They don't think on the same level at all.

"It's up to you to make up your own mind on major matters. I, the dog-headed military strategist who drives ducks to the shelves, can also check for your omissions and fill in the vacancies based on experience."

Cao Yao reminded: "Anyway, I think, even if you hide in the mountains with this little craftsman, you can make 27 guns a year, and only [-] guns in the [-]th year of Chongzhen. Both of our graves are towering. gone."

As for increasing the number of craftsmen to increase productivity, Cao Yao didn't mention it at all, because there was no need to mention it.

Not to mention how difficult it is for masters to lead apprentices, only fire, water, grain, and charcoal are used to fight iron. At present, there are few places in northern Shaanxi that can provide them with such a toss.

And where does the amount of iron come from so much? These days, miners are running out to grab food, so who still mines?

"Did trees grow on our graves in the 27th year of Chongzhen? That life is too short."

Liu Chengzong said something with a hippie smile, and then put away his smile and said: "It's easy to say anything else, but the biggest problem now is to find a place. I have been looking at topographic maps for the past two days, and I have two choices."

"where?"

"Xichuan River."

"You mean... Wang Zhuang?"

Cao Yao is very familiar with Xichuanhe, that is the place where they robbed Prince Qin Zhuangzi.

Liu Chengzong nodded and said: "We didn't know before, but there are kilns, water, and land nearby, which is very suitable, but it is closer to Fuzhou than Fucheng, so it is very conspicuous when the officers and soldiers come."

"The other is in Ansai, northwest of the Xingzi River, and it is also a Wangzhuang. It is bigger than the previous one. In the early years, it was a pasture land for vassal kings, where sheep and horses were raised. Later, it was farmed and established. I asked Guo Zhashi and Wei Qian'er Go check it out, if it hasn't been robbed, we just happen to be short of food."

Cao Yao asked, "How far is it?"

"140 miles." Liu Chengzong said the distance easily, shook his head and said with a smile: "It's much easier now, it's not a problem at all."

Doing bad things cannot be seen by others.

There are two ways to keep people from seeing. The first is to always move out of the sight of others, such as going out at night.

So the last time they robbed Wangzhuang, they rushed to transport them in batches at night. They transported them back and forth many times during the hundred-mile journey, and it took nearly ten days before they brought the food back.

As for the second method, it is to cover other people's eyes.

Today's Yan'an Fucheng has been covered by the Liu family.

"Okay, since you've chosen the place, I'll let Pao Shao prepare. When Guo Zhashi and Wei Qian'er come back, we can discuss what to do."

Cao Yao nodded in agreement. It didn't matter to him whether to set up a military bureau, but to everyone, getting food was very important.

He said it was a good thing: "You can also see Yang Yao's ability... You said that this time you came back to cooperate with Chengzu, why is there no movement?"

"It doesn't fit."

Liu Chengzong shook his head and said: "I thought it was simple earlier. Guo Tianxing and Monk Wang are both forming a battalion of their own. Although they are advancing and retreating together, it is the same as our situation with Master Gao. They cannot organize their troops."

"If we only cooperate with my brother, they will lose their manpower. What the family is doing now is also very important, and it will be of greater use in the future."

The shortage of food and grass has polarized the situation of the leaders.

Some leaders, such as Buzhanni, Shangtian Monkey, and Mutian Monkey, will engulf the people and be pushed around like locusts to plunder.

Other leaders, such as Liu Chengzu, Liu Chengzong, and Zhang Wu, who knew the strength of the frontier army, were very cautious about the number of troops and tried to recruit experienced soldiers to eat.

They are less powerful, but because of this, the pressure on food and grass is less, and they have the opportunity to plan and move later.

But neither form is healthy.

"Think about it, the things I did with my brother and my brother, can you imagine what will happen in the future?"

Liu Chengzong drew a beautiful blueprint for the future to Cao Yao: "Yan'an Prefecture, take our salary; the people are our people; when the officers and soldiers come, the people will provide us with information; the village will be transferred by our people; Wherever we go, we don’t have to chop firewood, burn fire and bury pots to make food, the people will provide us with a meal of dry food.”

"When the officers and soldiers were still chasing us, the people had built camps and ditches in front of us, and when we moved in, the officers and soldiers were beaten..."

Cao Yao raised his hand to stop his beautiful fantasy: "But your elder brother, your elder brother, and your younger brother are not doing this kind of thing now, they are only fighting taxes for the people, if the old Liu family is full of lunatics like you, hold a bunch of If deserters and robbers build canals for the common people, then the fucking Yan’an Mansion will be changed a long time ago.”

"Frozen three feet is a day's cold, what in the world is not learned?"

Liu Chengzong asked back: "I have charged several times, and I still have to rely on the support of my brothers to let the soldiers do what they don't want to do. Now our soldiers all know that you have done nothing wrong and built canals for the people. The people were killed. I will report to you if I snatch it.”

"I am very literary, Mr. Yang has the style of officials and masters, and my brother has the airs of military officers. They don't know. What they think is to settle down for each other. They don't even know what the common people look like. They do The purpose of this matter is to cover the eyes of the Yan'an Mansion and get what you ask for, which is normal."

When Liu Chengzong said this, he didn't mean to blame his father and brother in the slightest. It is already very good that his father and brother can do this.

In the era of imperial power, officials and common people were not a species.

Herdsmen, shepherd dogs and sheep all live on the grasslands. Herdsmen can repair the sheepfold, but it is difficult to get into the sheepfold to experience what it feels like to eat grass; on the contrary, even if the sheep enter the house, it is impossible to lie directly on the bed at the beginning sleep.

Liu Chengzong's tone slowed down: "It is only after my brother runs before and after that he can know what the people want in their hearts... My brother can know, I am older than my brother and I have the ability."

He raised his hand and pointed his thumb at himself: "And I have the desire to do this, and there is only one victory left."

Everyone benefits from their own experience, and each benefit strengthens character and thinking style.

In Liu Chengzong's cognition, youth limits him, and the prestige brought by victory can offset this weakness.

Cao Yao asked: "So you want to rob Wangzhuang?"

"It's too small to unite the battalions and set rules." Liu Chengzong shook his head, took a deep breath, and said, "Official army, the official army of Guyuan and Qingyang."

In the afternoon when he and Cao Yao had finished chatting about these matters, Gao Yingxiang sent people from Yanchang County, not only brought the Shangtian Monkey, Huntian Monkey and Wuzhe's subordinates, but also the subordinates of Yanchuan Huntian King Zhang Yingjin.

They're here to check in.

This means that Yan'an Prefecture, Hexi Road, Shaanxi Province, Yijun, Zhongbu, Luochuan, Ganquan, Fucheng, Yanchang, Yanchuan, and the leaders of various places have been connected together.

There are tens of thousands of them temporarily, and soon... Liu Chengzong thinks that this number can be tripled.

In the next few days, Liu Chengzong was busy meeting with Chuang Tatian, Monk Wang, Guo Tianxing, Yang Yanchang and others to exchange views on the officers and soldiers.

In the end, they reached an agreement to implement the plan of retreating to Yanchuan for a decisive battle after waiting for the official army to attack.

This is the difficulty of joint ventures. Many leaders are on equal footing, making it difficult to concentrate forces.

He needs prestige too much.

Soon on August [-]th, Chengyun sent two sheep to Dawangshan and asked Liu Chengzong to go to Zhuantianmao to reunite with his parents and brothers.

At the dinner table, it was hard to see the relaxed appearance in the past. Their conversations were full of views on the situation and worries about the future.

Liu Chengzong only ate half of it, so he left in a hurry, galloped across the Panlong River, and ran back to Dawang Mountain to catch up with his soldiers for two games.

This time they did not drink.

Originally, Liu Chengzong planned to find a way to get them some wine to drink, but he didn't expect that not only a few whistle chiefs objected, but even Cao Yao didn't plan to drink.

The time is wrong, and during the festive season, he misses his relatives a lot, and his team is full of miserable people who have lost their loved ones.

The last time he made a fool of himself while drinking in front of so many people, Cao Yao felt particularly ashamed, and strictly obeyed the prohibition order at the gun post.

When Liu Chengzong came back, he took Chengyun with him, he knew that this kid wanted to do something big.

Although he is not going to let the carrier 'do big things', he can observe and learn first.

He thought about the position of everyone around him in his heart, and in Chengyun's body, he saw an unpolished jade.

It can not only manage the supplies, but also go deep into the people.

There is also the ability to bribe and threaten. In the future, I will learn from Monk Wang how to incite the people.

He will have a generalist outside of war.

It was also on this day that Wei Qian'er and Guo Zhashi, who wore the stars and wore the moon, finally rushed back from Ansai County, and they brought back good news.

The Wangzhuang pasture land on the bank of the Xingzi River was not looted, but the surrounding fields were annexed by the drought that lasted for several years.

The people on both sides of the Xingzi River donated their land, and the displaced people sold themselves into slavery to survive.

It is very rich there, and it is very different from the hellish city of Ansai.

"And the boss..." Guo Zhashi's eyes were burning when he said this, and he said excitedly to Liu Chengzong: "Their team of renting money to Weizhou is already on the road, and they will soon pass through the city."
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Note: The number of weapons made by Zhang Daojun when he returned to his hometown is from "The First Collection of Zhang Sili · Zou Cao Burns the Surplus · Du Ye Fu Ming Shu Fu Ge Bu Shu"

　Good morning!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)