In fact, Daliang also has firearms.
Regardless of official history or parallel universe, gunpowder is China's greatest invention.
In the Liang Dynasty of this timeline, the use of black gunpowder was very mature.
Among the firearms thrown, there are thunderbolts, fire caltrops, thunder, etc., which are actually equivalent to the fire gourds made by Song Che. Iron nails, asphalt, gravel, arsenic and other poisons are mixed with paper or hemp, and the outer layer is made of It is wrapped with gunpowder and then coated with rosin. After the explosion, the debris scatters and burns poisonous smoke to kill the enemy;
Among the long-range firearms, there are rockets, fire crossbows, etc. The principle is also very simple. Gunpowder is tied to the arrow, and the flying arrow is used to deliver it to the enemy. But after all, it is powered by ejection, and then the gunpowder is tied. The accuracy and killing distance of the arrow are It is inevitable to decline;
There are even "artillery", but unlike modern iron tube cannons, they are actually just trebuchets that use the lever principle to throw stones. The range is fifty to two hundred steps. The operation is simple but requires a lot of manpower;
Although firearms are in use, their efficiency is too low. Cold weapons are still the ones that really dominate the battlefield.
The ratio of hot and cold weapons produced by the Chuzhou Ordnance Institute is about 28%. Firearms mostly produce rockets and fire crossbows, while cold weapons are swords and guns.
"Blacksmith Wang, I have improved and upgraded the musket. I am going to place a buckle on the head of the gun. In this way, bullets can be used in long-distance combat and bayonets can be used in close combat. I have also designed two more bayonets. One is for killing. The enemy's spikes, and the second is the hook's sickle, see if you can make it happen?"
Song Che handed the design to Blacksmith Wang.
As the saying goes, "one inch long, one inch strong", the musket itself is very long, and the bayonet attached is completely comparable to that of a long gun. In addition, it is made entirely of iron, so it is a bit heavy, but it can be used in both close combat and long range combat.
"Mr. Bai, don't worry, as long as you can design it, we brothers will rack our brains to type it for you."
As the saying goes, craftsmen are eternal gods!
After two days of rest, the army went to the front line.
In this march, in addition to 3,000 Yangzhou soldiers, there were also 800 logistics personnel escorting ordnance and baggage, led by Si Tongtao, the general secretary of Chuzhou Prefecture, and several teams of salt merchants.
Normally, official salt was not allowed to be sold privately, but due to the shortage of salt in various places, the official government was at war, and the transportation capacity was insufficient, they simply gave this piece of salt to private salt sellers.
The government issues a certificate called a "salt guide", and those who hold this certificate can sell salt legally.
Salt was a commodity that was sure to make a profit, so many salt merchants took risks and went to the front lines to purchase salt and then shipped it to various places for sale.
Today coincides with the Yangzhou Army going to the front line. Of course, the salt merchants will not miss this opportunity for free bodyguards. Among the salt merchants, the one with the most famous name and the largest team is undoubtedly the "Chu's" trading house.
The Chu family's entire team had six carts and thirty men accompanying them. It is said that the team was led by a woman, sitting in the front carriage of the caravan. A woman had the courage to brave the war to go to the front line to buy salt. Her courage has exceeded Most men.
Unlike the empty trucks of other salt merchants, Chu's truck was filled with goods, probably something to be transported to Yancheng.
"General Bao and Master Tong, thank you for your hard work. This is the fruit my wife specially prepared for you. Please accept it."
The two boys were holding two plates of pastries, one for Bao Dayou and one for Tong Tao.
Tong Tao took the cake with a smile: "Go back and help me thank Mrs. Chu."
"Oh? You're quite careful. How did your wife know that I didn't have enough to eat this morning?" Bao Dayou also happily took the cake. When he was about to eat it, he thought of Song Che beside him and handed it over:
"Mr. Bai, this pastry looks good. You can try it first."
"Hey, he has a mask on his face, so I can't stand it anymore. I'll try it for him to see if it's poisonous." Jiang Yuntian was not polite at all. He grabbed the cake and stuffed it into his mouth——
"Brother Jiang."
"what?"
"Be careful of clenching your teeth," Song Che reminded.
"Your teeth are chewing on pastries? No wonder you eat soft rice." Jiang Yuntian took a bite without any worries, "Ouch!" His teeth were really chewing.
He opened the pastry and took a look. There was a piece of white silver stuffed inside.
Song Che squinted and smiled: "If you don't listen to Sir, you will suffer the consequences."
Jiang Yuntian cursed: "Damn it, you did something like this so early in the morning! I really thought it was inside the fruit, but I didn't expect such a big stone inside!"
Tong Tao pretended not to notice and pocketed the cake without anyone noticing.
Bao Dayou smiled bitterly and said, "Then you tell me, should I eat this pastry or not?"
"General Bao, have you ever received any bribes?" Jiang Yuntian went straight and asked as soon as he had something to say.
Tong Tao over there gave him an unpleasant look.
The generals who lead the troops in battle are rough men, and there are no civil servants who understand the ways of the world.
Song Che remembered that when he went to the Yangzhou military camp earlier, he was accused of "bribery" by the guard. Bao Tongzhi never liked to accept money.
"It doesn't matter whether you eat the pastries or not. I think we can check the Chu family's goods. The other salt merchants' trucks are empty, but his truck is full. They were just allowed to enlist in the army without checking the goods. The front line is a place of trouble. It’s best to be careful in everything.”
Perhaps it was because the Yang family had been in the salt business before, so Song Che had some grudge against these salt dealers.
War wealth, the water is deep.
"The whole army stops advancing!"
Bao Dayou stopped the army and pointed at the Chu family caravan: "Surround them and check the goods!"
"Hey..." Song Che wanted to stop him but it was too late.
Check it out, and you will see that there are overt checks and covert checks. After all, they have also given money, so they should save some face.
This group of soldiers leading the war is still not detailed enough.
Bao Dayou personally led his troops to the Chu family's caravan, threw the cakes onto the carriage and said, "Don't do this useless thing, I won't do it!"
But the Chu family man said: "General, my wife gave you cakes to thank the army for escorting you, and she had no other intention -"
"Then why are other people's carts empty, but yours are loaded with goods?"
"These trucks are filled with grain and oil——"
"You are not a grain security team. What are you doing transporting grain and oil? You can stuff money in cakes, and maybe you can borrow grain to hide things! The last time the Japanese pirates sneaked into Yangzhou City, they wrapped their weapons in kelp and hid them. The search resulted in a tragedy, and now we are about to enter the front line, our army must not be careless!"
“General, our Chu family is a famous businessman in Chuzhou, how could we be Japanese pirates——”
"The Yang family is still the richest man in Jiangnan. Doesn't it also collude with Japanese pirates and assassinate court officials?"
"General——"
"Dachun, we maintain our innocence and are not afraid of investigation." A faint word of advice came from the carriage, followed by another apology: "The civilian woman is clumsy and has tarnished the general's integrity. I also ask General Haihan. Next time the Chu family does business, I will definitely meet you." Take the initiative to inspect the goods.”
Hearing this female voice, Song Che frowned slightly, why did it sound so familiar?
