Zhou Wen had carefully observed the middle-aged man beside him, and saw that his skin was dark and rosy, and his face that had been exposed to the wind and sun all year round had some wrinkles from the years. He was wearing a black sheepskin jacket and a somewhat worn dog skin hat. , under his feet were winter shoes made of unknown animal skin, and in order to facilitate walking on the mountain road, he also wore irregular leggings on his calves. At a glance, you could tell that he was a regular customer who traveled around all year round.
As for his nephew Xiaoshui, he was a little shy. Perhaps he was a little reserved when seeing so many peers together and didn't speak much. Zhang Xiaoping went up to exchange a few words with him and answered whatever he asked. It seemed like he was There are not many opportunities to help out with my uncle.
Zhou Wen observed that the identity and performance of the two people were basically consistent with Uncle Jiang's introduction, so he listened intently to Wan Tiangui's talk, and learned a lot about the basic situation of this area.
It's not that he doubts the identity of the uncle and nephew, but no one can protect themselves these days when someone is interested in wealth, let alone a caravan like Fuyuan Company with seven or eight trucks full of goods and a caravan of more than thirty people. It shows that people of all ages carry money with them. A regular customer like Wan Tiangui, who is accustomed to traveling around the world, may be inextricably linked to the bandits in the mountains.
Of course, a veteran like Uncle Jiang can also think of these issues, so Zhou Wen still believes in his vision, otherwise he would not agree to the uncle and nephew joining the caravan.
Thinking of this, Zhou Wen asked aloud: "Master Wan, are there any bandit villages along the old trade route we are going to take?"
Wan Tiangui showed off for a long time, and almost finished talking. He was waiting for the young master's attention, and immediately replied hurriedly: "This young master, I call you Xiaoren Lao Wan. To talk about this road, because there are no roads all year round. People are engaged in business, there is too little oil and water, and there are no bandit villages. There are only a few hunters in mountain villages. They are all poor and bold. If they see oil and water, it is inevitable that someone will be tempted, but the villain hunts all year round. , I have such dealings with these people, I will never let the young master make any mistakes."
Zhou Wen smiled and nodded, and suddenly asked: "I heard that Uncle Jiang said that you are somewhat famous in this area because of your good marksmanship?"
That Wanda Gui was also a figure who had been in society for many years, and he was quite discerning. He saw that although this young master was young, he had an indescribable calm demeanor, coupled with the young men around him who seemed to be protecting him. All of them are powerful but steady people, so they thought that this young master's identity might not be simple, so they didn't dare to show off too much.
He held it in for a long time, and when Zhou Wen asked him this question, he was itched. His dark face instantly became bright, and he said loudly: "I don't dare to show off in front of the young master. It's just that I hunt all year round, so I can practice it." He is famous among the hunters around Jianchang Camp because of his shooting skills as a three-legged cat. Usually when everyone encounters big guys who need help to deal with them, they all come to ask for help. "
Judging from the humble words he kept saying, but between the lines, he was quite proud of his "three-legged cat" shooting skills. Especially when he talked about the big guy, his chest straightened up a little unconsciously.
"oh?"
Zhou Wen became interested when he heard the big guy, and asked: "What kind of big guy? Is it a tiger or a leopard?"
"Tiger can no longer be seen in the Phoenix Mountain area. I heard from the villain's grandpa that some people saw them during the reign of the Queen Mother and Lafayette, but no one has seen them since. The big guy the villain mentioned is a blind bear. This area There are many blind bears in the mountains. When there is less food at the end of autumn, the blind bears will go down to the mountains to find food to keep them fat for the winter. Sometimes they will go to the village to steal sheep and chickens. The one the villain attacked was blocked by a few hunters at the edge of the village. He stopped, and the villain shot him in the forehead from 50 steps away, and he ran for more than three miles before he died."
When Wanda Gui said this, his voice couldn't help but become a little louder, and he pointed to his forehead to show the area where the bear was shot.
Zhou Wen nodded approvingly, and suddenly thought that the shotguns used by ordinary people these days are actually muskets. They can shoot 20 to 30 meters away, which is considered good. 50 steps is at least 30 meters away. How could it still be so powerful and powerful? Can you kill the blind bear with one shot?
Then he asked: "Did you shoot it with a shotgun?"
Wan Tiangui said proudly: "How could a shotgun kill a blind bear? The villain used a steel gun, which was a single shot. The villain used a leopard skin and a caravan in exchange for it."
When Zhou Wen heard that it was a single shot, he immediately became interested. The so-called single shot rifle means that the rifle does not have a magazine and can only load one bullet into the chamber at a time. After firing, pull the bolt to eject the cartridge case and load the bullet again.
Although he has lived in two generations, he has never really seen a single-shot rifle. You must know that in later generations, every single-shot rifle will be an antique treasure and a collector's favorite, and the most valuable one he knows The most famous single-shot rifle is the famous British Martini-Henry rifle.
Zhou Wen asked: "Which country's rifle is it? Is it British?"
Wan Tiangui thought about it carefully, scratched his head and said: "It doesn't seem to be British. I heard the businessman said it was made in Sichuan."
Zhou Wen became even more interested when he heard this. He knew that during the Republic of China, the Sichuan warlords fought and split the Sichuan arsenal into countless small factories. If the materials and craftsmanship were not up to standard, the firearms produced would naturally have problems. During this period, some small factories controlled by warlords could not produce advanced rifles, so they used simple processes to produce single-shot rifles.
However, when the Anti-Japanese War broke out in full force, the Sichuan warlords who had been fighting among themselves for decades immediately responded to the Nationalist Government's nationalization instructions, no longer entangled in their previous grievances, and accepted the Military Commission's adaptation one after another. , hundreds of thousands of Sichuan troops from different factions, wearing straw sandals and bamboo hats, and carrying crude weapons, rushed to the front line of the Anti-Japanese War.
Many of their soldiers held Sichuan-made single rifles that were a century behind the times, and fought bravely against the Japanese bandits' planes, tanks, and artillery, and wrote chapters of heroic service to the country with their flesh and blood.
During the entire period of the All-out Anti-Japanese War, the Sichuan Army's footprints were all over the anti-Japanese battlefields across the country, and Sichuan Army soldiers were present in almost all major battles against Japan. When the nation was in danger, they put national interests first, understood the righteousness well, endured humiliation, and died generously. Using inferior weapons, they fought countless desperate battles with well-equipped Japanese troops.
In this eight-year defense war to save the nation from danger, more than 3.4 million Sichuan soldiers went to the front line of the Anti-Japanese War without hesitation, fought bravely, and fought bloody battlefields, paying a heavy price of more than 640,000 casualties. There are many people, and their sacrifices are tragic, ranking first in the country.
In later generations, there was a saying among the people that "without the Sichuan Army, there would be no resistance".
