Late autumn is approaching, and the bleak autumn wind is blowing in the northwest border. The wind and sand are everywhere, covering people's eyes.
In Fengxiang of Qi Country, there is still a scene of singing and dancing.
In the past month, countless refugees from the Central Plains or other northern lands have fled into foreign countries, adding a little bit of popularity to the dilapidated houses in various towns.
Fengxiang, an important city in the northwest, also welcomed many literati and elegant guests from the Central Plains. The brothels and restaurants that had not had business for a long time became prosperous again.
Since ancient times, literati have been ruthless, and the scene of troubled times is really nothing more than drunken conversation. Wherever there is no military disaster, just run away.
Today is September 28th, frost is coming.
An autumn poetry gathering composed of several young men from literati families will be held in Tingchao Pavilion tonight. But it was still daytime, and there were already many idle people gathered outside, watching countless beautiful Jiaofangsi girls being taken inside.
There are also many poets and literati who flock to each other.
They are all dressed in white as snow, elegant and graceful. They walk among them and talk loudly.
"boom!"
At this moment, a huge sound like thunder came from the north of the city.
The sound was so loud it was almost deafening.
Countless literati just frowned, secretly cursing in their hearts that this sound really disturbed their enjoyment.
But that's all. The north of the city and the suburbs there had been blocked by heavy troops a month ago. Anyone who is not a fool knows that what is over there is not something they can pry into.
…………
"The range is six hundred feet!"
A knight in red singlet rode over from afar, with sweat on his forehead, a look of joy on his face, and a small flag waving in his hand. When he was about to reach the high platform here, Gulu stood up and dismounted.
"Your Majesty, the range is six hundred feet! The obstacle has been destroyed and the flag has fallen!"
On the high platform, a dozen civil servants and military generals stood together like a crowd. In just an instant, their voices buzzed, and all eyes turned to the figure in front of him who was wearing a dark red brocade robe with thorns.
The empress clasped her hands behind her back. Although her heart was full of surprise, her face was just a nod and she spoke calmly.
"Good, go down and receive your reward."
The knights below kowtowed in thanks and retired happily.
The slender figure passed by in the distance without any trace in her eyes. The empress turned around, her expression cold and her eyes covered.
"But there are still people who think that by investing money in this thing, I am wasting money and people?"
A group of high-ranking civil and military officials on the opposite side immediately fell silent and knelt down: "I don't dare..."
The bleak wind blew by, and everyone felt that their backs were soaked with cold sweat. The scene where they angrily scolded King Qi for wasting money in the main hall was still vivid in their minds.
The empress snorted coldly and pointed to the fort not far from the high platform.
"You must have seen the power of this thing. With this sharp weapon, why worry about foreign enemies coming? Why worry about a fortified city being unable to defeat it?"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
The empress just sneered: "But now that you have seen this thing, I can only help you take care of your families and children for the time being. If anyone dares to leak the secrets of this powerful weapon of the country, you must all know what I will do."
The civilian and military generals who were kneeling in a row had only bitter looks on their faces, but they could only grit their teeth and swallow.
King Yueqi spent a lot of money this time. I thought he would use it to do ridiculous things again, but who knew that he actually studied such a thing quietly.
The power of the heavy artillery just now was witnessed with my own eyes, not to mention the smaller squatting tiger cannons and so on.
Calculating it this way, the money spent is completely enough, and it can even make a lot of money...
"I respectfully obey the king's orders."
There was another response, but the Empress was too lazy to reply to them. She just turned around and walked off the high platform without looking back, leaving them to kneel there.
…………
This school ground is surrounded by fences on all sides and heavily guarded everywhere.
The blacksmiths and civilians who participated in the development of the artillery were all drawn from various places. They had to live and eat in this school for more than a month. Therefore, in addition to various appropriate buildings, there are also tents set up in the school grounds.
Under the leadership of Kui Mu, the young man from the Jaundice tribe masked in black gauze saw every move and grass here under the eyes of Li Jing or the empress.
Seeing the empress riding towards this side on horseback from a distance, Li Jing smiled and patted Han Ba's arm beside her.
"Hanzhao Corpse Ancestor, this thing was developed so quickly and far exceeded my expectations. I'm really indebted to you!"
Hanbao scratched the back of his head and said shyly: "I had the idea of these artillery pieces before, but I could only make simple things. Without your drawings, I would have nowhere to start..."
Li Jing just smiled and shook his head without saying a word. He knew the composition of the picture he drew.
According to the saying of later generations, Hanbao is worth three armies...
Next to him, Chi Meng plugged his ears with cotton, put his palms on his forehead, looked from the fort to the large pit six hundred feet away, and opened his mouth in a circle.
"With this one shot, the Poisonous Bastard won't even get ashes!"
Li Jing laughed loudly: "As long as you hit the target, even if the gods come, you won't be able to catch it."
Hanbao continued to rub the back of his head and said in a buzzing voice: "The biggest one won't be able to build a second one in a short time. There are still many problems with this cannon. It can easily explode, explode..."
"Exploded chamber."
Hou Qing sat on the branch above the heads of several people, gestured with the bone flute in his hand, and sounded a reminder.
"Yes! It's what Brother Li said about exploding the chamber. It's very likely to happen if you're not careful, and the sound is too loud. When it's lit... it can easily deafen ordinary people."
Hanbao slapped his head, looked at Li Jing seriously, and said hummingly.
"If ordinary people can't do it, then there's no need for ordinary people."
Before Li Jing could answer, the empress' neutral voice came from the front.
Li Jing turned around and looked into the empress' beautiful eyes. Then he saw her turn over and dismount, and bowed to Hanba with a serious look on her face.
"Ancestor Drought Demon Corpse, thank you for creating this thing for Qi Country."
Hanba was a little embarrassed, so he ducked away and waved his hand: "Without Brother Li, I couldn't have made it. If King Qi wants to thank you, just thank Brother Li..."
The empress raised her head, looked at Li Jing with a proud face, smiled, and stretched out her hand as an invitation.
"I ordered people to prepare wine and food in Huanyinfang. The two Corpse Ancestors are going to have a drink together?"
Hanbao was stunned for a moment. He and Hou Qing were either living in an inn in the city these days, or directly on the campus. When he thought of the young women everywhere there, he felt even more embarrassed.
"I won't go. Brother Hou will just go..."
Li Jing patted Han Bao on the back and pushed him forward.
"What are you sorry for? It's just a meal, I'm not taking you on a blind date. Let's go, let's go, don't refuse..."
The empress raised her long eyebrows and looked at Han Bao who was being led out by Li Jing. He got on his horse and raised his chin towards Chi Meng.
small book booth
"Let's go back first."
"The Corpse Ancestor..."
Chi Meng took off the cotton from his ears and looked up, only to see that Hou Qing on the branch had long since disappeared.
