It was transported back to Zhuantianmao, and within a few days, someone sent four cannons.
Fire blunderbuss and bird blunderbuss are not new items.
At Yanshui Pass, they seized a lot of firearms, including single-eyed and three-eyed guns, small cannons operated by one or two people, and medium-sized cannons that were to be carried on mule carts. Many of them were thrown there.
There was no way to get it. There were not many soldiers in the whole mule camp who could skillfully operate firearms. Carrying a three-pronged blunderbuss and using it as a mallet was not as good as a bow, arrow and waist knife.
They brought a lot of small artillery. Cao Yao's battalion artillery posts only had a hundred people, and they could carry fifteen small artillery pieces carried by mules.
There were also three 300-pound truck-mounted franc machines pulled by mules.
The carrier brought these two bird cannons and two double-barreled hand cannons, but they were very fresh.
Because this is a homemade firearm in Liujiazhuang, made by the gunsmith He Xin brought from Sanyuan by Cai Zhongpan’s wife’s brother.
"The workmanship is very good, much better than those in Yanshuiguan, and no worse than 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, grinned and said: "His grandma's, a new gun bed. The last time I smelled this smell was in the forty-sixth year of Wanli." In the capital camp!"
Hearing what he said, Liu Chengzong breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't understand firearms.
But Cao Yao is an expert in handling firearms and has a particularly sharp eye. He had his own ideas when discarding many firearms at Yanshui Pass.
So as long as this old thief says there is no problem, then Liujiazhuang's craftsman must be very good at making firearms.
However, his words still made Liu Chengzong puzzled and asked: "I know that Shanxi is good at making knives, but Shanxi is also good at making firearms?"
"Ha ha!"
Cao Yao laughed when he heard this, patted the wild goose feather knife hanging on his waist, and then weighed the gun in his hand: "Do you think there is a difference in the craftsman's skills in making these things?"
He pointed to the postman who was practicing sparring with a tassel not far away and said: "The sleeve of the gun head is rolled; the barrel of the blunderbuss is also rolled; and this..."
He held the blunderbuss faucet rod, pulled the trigger, and the faucet fell: "It looks exquisite here, what the hell is the difference between the reed and the scissors? The most difficult part is to drill through the blunderbuss tube. Only when the light is straight can you hit the target accurately."
"That was the year of Tianqi. I forgot about it. Anyway, I was in Shanxi. I caught up with your namesake, Governor Sun, and sent Zhang Daojun back to his hometown to make guns and cannons. Do you know Zhang Daojun?"
Liu Chengzong shook his head in confusion.
"Commander Jinyi, he is not important. He is from Zezhou, Shanxi anyway." Cao Yao said, raising a finger: "In one and a half years, with more than 30,000 taels of principal, you know how to let Shanxi's fine craftsmen make the goods for Liaodong?" How many weapons did you buy?"
Liu Chengzong still shook his head.
"I can't remember exactly, but there are 7,500 waist knives." Cao Yao felt quite show off, and said proudly: "There are more than 10,000 three-eyed blunderbuss, more than 2,000 Buddha and Wolf machines pulled by mules, and there are also chasing winds. gun."
"So many?" Liu Chengzong, the wind-chasing gun, knew that and asked, "You want to use the wind-chasing gun when you rob Wangzhuang?"
"Yes, I used to have a shot that was snatched away from me. It's so easy to use. Once it's built, it can hit the big guys wherever you point them in 200 steps, and hit the loose guys to death in 50 steps."
Seeing Liu Chengzong thinking deeply after hearing this, Cao Yao raised his eyebrows and asked in surprise: "How about it? Do you plan to let the craftsmen make a wind chasing gun? I tell you that with the skills of your craftsmen, it is no problem to make that thing. !”
Liu Chengzong shook his head and looked up at the sky. He felt that there were too many people here, so he pulled Cao Yao into the cave where food and stoves were stored. As he walked, he said: "I plan to build an arsenal, um... it's the Ordnance Bureau. .”
Cao Yao was frightened by his mysterious attitude and followed him into the cave. Hearing this, he frowned and said, "Come on, why are you so careful? Are you saying this because you are afraid of someone hearing it or something?"
Liu Chengzong turned his head with a look that looked like he was looking at a fool, and said of course: "Of course I'm afraid that people will hear me. Think about it, we'll leave when the army comes, and the craftsmen can take them away. Is it possible that you can also carry two iron kiln bolts on your back?" ?”
Cao Yao nodded, but in fact he didn't think so. He just had to bring people with him. The steel couldn't be robbed, and the iron kiln was easy to build. Of course, the most fundamental reason was that he was not optimistic about setting up an arms bureau at all.
The reason why he agreed was entirely out of his trust in Liu Chengzong.
Moreover, when he returned to Yan'an Mansion this time, he had seen what the Liu family had done and the maps they had made two days ago. It was indeed extraordinary.
Yang Dingrui, a former auxiliary government official, Liu Xiangyu, a former tax collector of the county government, and Liu Chengzu, a knowledgeable soldier, this group of professionals started the rebellion... Cao Yao, who traveled to three provinces as a thief, really felt that he Gotta step aside.
The most important thing is self-knowledge.
Cao Yao considers himself a thief and bandit who runs for his life and survives. He is considered a professional.
But in the state capital, he really couldn't do the job of pulling the strings of the imperial court.
They are not thinking at the same level at all.
"It's up to you to make the decision on big things. I, a dog-headed military advisor who is just trying to catch up, can use my experience to check for your mistakes and make up for them."
Cao Yao reminded: "Anyway, I think that even if these craftsmen are hidden in the mountains, they can make forty guns a year. In the twenty-seventh year of Chongzhen, they will only have one thousand guns. There is a big tree beside our tomb." They’re all towering.”
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 a master to lead an apprentice. To make iron alone requires fire, water, grain, and charcoal. There are few places in northern Shaanxi that can support them like this.
And where does the amount of iron come from? These days, miners are running out to grab food, so who is still mining?
"Did trees grow on our graves in the 27th year of Chongzhen's reign? Then our lives were too short."
Liu Chengzong said something with a playful smile, then put away his smile and said: "Everything else is easy to talk about. In fact, the biggest problem now is to find a place. I have been looking at the topographic map for the past two days, and I have two favorites."
"where?"
"Xichuan River."
"You mean...Wangzhuang?"
Cao Yao was very familiar with Xichuan River, which was where they robbed King Qin Zhuangzi.
Liu Chengzong nodded and said: "We didn't know before. There are kilns, water and land nearby. It is very suitable. However, it is closer to Yanzhou than Fucheng, so it will be conspicuous when the army comes."
"The other one is in Ansai, northwest of the Xingzi River. It is also a Wangzhuang. It is bigger than the previous one. In the early years, it was the grazing land for the vassal kings, where they raised sheep and horses. Later, they farmed and set up a village. I asked Guo Zashi and Wei Qian'er to Let’s go check it out, if it hasn’t been robbed yet, we happen to be short of food too.”
Cao Yao asked: "How far is it?"
"One hundred and forty miles." Liu Chengzong said the distance easily, shook his head and smiled: "It's much easier now. A hundred miles is not a problem at all."
Don't let others see you when you do bad things.
There are two ways to prevent others from seeing you. The first is to always move out of sight of others, such as staying up during the day and going out at night.
So the last time they robbed Wangzhuang, they traveled at night to transport the food in batches. They transported the food back and forth many times over a hundred miles, and it took them nearly ten days to bring 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, now that you have chosen the place, I will let the artillery post prepare it. When Guo Zashi and Wei Qian'er come back, we will discuss what preparations to make."
Cao Yao nodded in agreement. It didn't matter to him whether to set up an arms bureau or not, but for everyone, getting food was very important.
He said this was a good thing: "You can also see what Yang Yao is capable of... You said you came back to join forces with Chengzu this time, but why was there no news?"
"It doesn't fit."
Liu Chengzong shook his head and said: "I thought it was simple earlier. Guo Tianxing and Monk Wang Chuantian are both in their own battalion. Although they advance and retreat together, they are in the same situation as our master Tong Gao and cannot reorganize their troops."
"If you cooperate with your brother alone, they will be deprived of manpower. What the family is doing now is also very important and will be of greater use in the future."
The shortage of food and grass made the situation of the leaders polarized.
Some leaders, like the Bu-Tian Mu, Shangtian Monkey, and Huntian Monkey, would encircle the people and push them around like locusts to plunder.
Other leaders, such as Liu Chengzu, Liu Chengzong, and Zhang Wu, who knew the strength of the border army, were very cautious about the number of troops and tried to recruit experienced soldiers to feed them.
Their power is smaller, but they also have less pressure on food and grass, and have the opportunity to make plans later.
But neither form is healthy.
"Think about it, what my elder brother and my younger brother did, can you imagine what will happen in the future?"
Liu Chengzong painted a beautiful blueprint for the future to Cao Yao: "Yan'an Prefecture, take our salaries; the people are our people; when the officers and soldiers come over, the people will provide us with information; the villages will be moved by our people; Wherever we go, we don’t have to chop wood to make a fire or put a pot in the pot to make rice, the people will provide us with a meal of solid food.”
"While the officers and soldiers were still chasing us, the people had already built camps and trenches in front of us. When we moved in, the officers and soldiers were beaten..."
Cao Yao raised his hand to stop his beautiful fantasy: "But that's not what your elder, your elder brother, and your younger brother are doing now. They only fight taxes for the people. If the old Liu family were all lunatics like you, they would suppress a bunch of people. If the deserters and bandits build canals for the people, then the damn Yan'an Prefecture will have changed a lot."
"Is it possible to freeze three feet in one day? Is there anything in this world that cannot be learned?"
Liu Chengzong asked back: "I have charged into battle several times, and I have to rely on the strong support of several brothers to allow the soldiers to do what they don't want to do. Now our soldiers all know that if you build canals for the people without committing any crime, the people will be destroyed." If I rob it, I will report it to you."
"I am a man of fine character, Mr. Yang has the airs of an official, and my brother has the airs of an officer. They don't know, they just want to keep everyone in their own place, and they almost don't even know what the common people look like. They do The purpose of this matter is to cover Yan'an Mansion's eyes and get what you ask for, this is normal."
When Liu Chengzong said this, he didn't mean to blame his father and brother at all. The fact that his father and brother could achieve this level was already very impressive.
In the era of imperial power, officials and common people were not the same species.
Herdsmen, shepherd dogs and sheep all live on the grassland. The herdsmen can repair the sheep pen, but it is difficult to get into the sheep pen and experience what it feels like to eat grass. On the other hand, even if the sheep enter the house, they cannot lie directly on the bed at first. sleep.
Liu Chengzong's tone slowed down: "Only my brother can know what the people want by running around. My brother can know that I am more capable than my brother."
He raised his hand and pointed his thumb at himself: "And I have the desire to do this. I am only one victory away."
Everyone benefits from their own experiences, and each benefit strengthens their character and way of thinking.
In Liu Chengzong's perception, youth limited him, and the prestige brought by victory could offset this weakness.
Cao Yao asked: "So you want to rob Wangzhuang?"
"Too small, not enough to unite the camps and set rules." Liu Chengzong shook his head, took a deep breath, and said: "The officers and soldiers, the officers and soldiers of Guyuan and Qingyang."
In the afternoon after he and Cao Yao finished talking about these things, Gao Yingxiang sent people from Yanchang County, not only bringing the Shangtian Monkey, Huntian Monkey and the non-mud subordinates, but also the subordinates of Yanchuan Huntian King Zhang Yingjin.
They came to recognize the door.
This means that the leaders of Yan'an Prefecture, Hexi Road, Yijun, Central, Luochuan, Ganquan, Fucheng, Yanchang, and Yanchuan in Shaanxi Province have been connected.
There were tens of thousands of them temporarily, and soon... Liu Chengzong felt that the number could be three times more.
In the following days, Liu Chengzong was busy meeting with Chuang Taotian, Wang Monk, Guo Tianxing, Yang Yanchang and others to exchange views on the officers and soldiers.
Finally, they reached an agreement and agreed to implement the plan to retreat to Yanchuan and then fight the decisive battle after the official army attacked.
This is the problem with cooperation. Many leaders are on equal footing, making it difficult to concentrate efforts.
He needs prestige too much.
Soon on August 15th, the shipping company sent two sheep to Dawang Mountain and asked Liu Chengzong to go to Zhuantianmao to reunite with his parents and brothers.
The dinner table was no longer as relaxed as it used to be, and their conversations were filled with opinions on the situation and worries about the future.
Liu Chengzong only ate half of the meal, then left in a hurry, crossed the Panlong River on horseback, and ran back to Dawang Mountain to catch up with his soldiers.
This time they didn't drink.
Originally, Liu Chengzong planned to find a way to get them some wine, but he didn't expect that not only a few sentry commanders objected, but even Cao Yao didn't plan to drink anymore.
The time is wrong.
The last time he made a fool of himself while drinking in front of so many people, Cao Yao felt particularly embarrassed and strictly followed the no-drinking order at the cannon post.
When Liu Chengzong came back, he took Chengyun with him. He knew that this boy wanted to do something big.
Although he is not ready to let Chengyun "do big things", he can observe and learn first.
He thought about the position of everyone around him in his heart, and in Cheng Yun, he saw an unpolished jade.
Not only can he manage the baggage, but he can also reach out to the people.
He also has the ability to bribe and threaten. In the future, I will learn from Monk Wang how to incite the people.
He will have an all-rounder outside of war.
It was also on this day that Wei Qian'er and Guo Zashi, who were wearing stars and wearing moonlight, finally rushed back from Ansai County, and they brought back good news.
Not only was the Wangzhuang pastoral land located on the banks of the Xingzi River not plundered, but the surrounding fields were also annexed due to the drought that lasted for several years.
People on both sides of the Xingzi River donated their land, and the displaced people sold themselves into slavery to make a living.
It was very wealthy there, and it was far different from the hell-like Ansai City.
"And the boss..." Guo Zashi's eyes were on fire when he said this. He said to Liu Chengzong excitedly: "Their team transporting rented silver to the palace has almost passed the city."
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Note: The number of weapons made by Zhang Daojun when he returned to his hometown comes from "The First Collection of Zhang Sili·Zou Cao Burning Yu·Du Ye Returned to Order and Shu Fu Ge Bu Shu"
