After coming out of the craftsman's shop, Gao Heng weighed the spring gun in his hand and handed it to Jing Zhao: "Jing Zhao, put it back in the warehouse. Remember to keep it well. If we can't make it now, it doesn't mean I won’t be able to make one in the future. In fact, I still have an idea in my heart that is simpler than the spring wheel gun. But Master Cheng was right just now. Even making a matchlock gun is a big problem for us now. We haven’t learned to walk yet, so how can we run. "
Jing Zhao said: "General, if you give me a chance to go to sea, I will definitely be able to find you some powerful craftsmen who know how to use fire guns."
Gao Heng patted him on the shoulder and said: "You are interested, but we now occupy a small city with no ships, no port, and no manpower and funds. It is difficult to be penniless."
Gao Heng sighed, why was he in such a difficult situation when he traveled through time? I read some time-travel novels in later generations, and the protagonists were either airplanes, tanks, or Gatling tugs. Why did he end up like this when he got it? He had to start everything from scratch. At first, even if I wanted to open a golden finger, I didn't know how to open it, such as a flintlock gun. I knew the principle, but he didn't know exactly what parts were needed. He had to find a contemporary firearms master and tell him the principle himself. He produced samples, but where was such a master of firearms?
Just when Gao Heng was depressed, suddenly, Fan Yu hurried over with two personal guards. "General, you neglected your duty and did not follow the general closely." Fan Yu said with cupped fists.
In the morning, Gao Heng was called away by Jing Zhao in the military camp. Because he went through the back door, Fan Yu and two of his subordinates were temporarily unaware. When the training began, they discovered that Gao Heng had left. Although Fan Yu had never been a personal guard, He understood that the most important duty of the personal guard was to stay with the general at all times. This was a serious dereliction of duty on his part. If Gao Heng was in danger at this time, the consequences would be disastrous.
Fan Yu ran over to plead guilty, but Gao Heng waved his hand and said, "I won't do this again." Fan Yu cupped her fists and said, "I have the order!"
"General, there is one more thing." Fan Yu whispered.
Gao Heng said: "What's the matter? Just tell me."
Fan Yu said: "That's right, two strangely dressed people came outside the city gate. They were wearing traditional Annan costumes, wearing bamboo hats, and riding horses. They looked like Annan people from their faces, but they spoke Chinese very well. When they arrived at the city gate The person in charge is called for by name. Look, General."
"Huh?" Gao Heng frowned, and then said in surprise: "People from Annan, the Chinese language is good, isn't it? Damn it, it's finally here."
Gao Heng rubbed his hands and said to Fan Yu: "Go and inform the military advisor immediately to meet with me. The place will be in the side room of the county government office. Take the people over first and pour them some water."
Jing Zhao said: "General, what are you doing?"
Gao Heng said: "Zheng Zuo has been in our hands for so many days. It is abnormal that the Annan court has not sent anyone to contact us. I guess it is the person who came today." Thinking of this, Gao Heng felt a little bit in his heart Excited, this is a big deal, Zheng Zuo must be sold at a good price.
Gao Heng took three steps at a time and returned to the county government office. The Annan people had not arrived yet. Only Cheng Zilong was waiting for him in the main hall. Cheng Zilong was also very busy these days, just registering the population of the county. Xiang will consume a lot of his time, and many people's livelihood issues will also need to be paid attention to. In addition to soldiers, other people in the city must also perform their duties and make their due contributions. How to arrange them reasonably is how Cheng Zilong of life.
"General, I'm so anxious to find you, but we have something important to discuss." Cheng Zilong said.
"To be fair to the military advisor, Fan Yu just came to report that there are people from Annan outside the city asking to see him. I guess they are here to exchange for Zheng Zuo." Gao Heng said.
Cheng Zilong nodded, "Counting the days, it should be almost done. The Annan court cannot remain indifferent to this. There is still a war with the Ruan family in the south. It is not cost-effective for us to involve too much energy here."
Gao Heng said: "Military advisor, us?"
Cheng Zilong said: "Same as we discussed last time, let's open our mouth first, just like buying vegetables. We must always allow others to bargain. Population is a necessary condition. We also want land, money, and more food. It’s a need. As for how many conditions they can agree to, we can still discuss it, but on the issue of population, we cannot retreat even one step. This is the basis for our growth.”
"I understand, general. Please ask the military advisor to wait with me in the back hall." The two of them entered the back hall one after the other.
On Chengmen Street, two Annan people led their horses, led by Fan Yu and others, and were walking in the direction of the county government. As they walked, they looked at the buildings on both sides and the pedestrians on the street. It is the territory of Annan. Except for the buildings destroyed by the war, the rest has not changed much. It is no different from the ordinary small county town of Annan.
It's just that the pedestrians on the street are quite different from the people in Annan, not in appearance. They know that the county has been occupied by expatriates, and those they see are not Annan people. It is normal for the difference in appearance. What surprised them mainly was the state of mind. The people here walk with their heads held high and their steps in a hurry, as if they are rushing to work, or they feel full of hope and confidence in life. This may be the self-confidence generated after defeating Annan's army.
On the other hand, Annan has been fighting for many years. Whether it is the Zheng family or the Ruan family, the people's livelihood is in ruins and the people are tired. How can the people have such energy? The two looked at each other and marveled. It seems that the top leader here has some skills. He is really amazing at being able to organize this county into this state in a short period of time.
One of them said: "It seems that the Lord is right in sending us here. This person has some abilities. If we can attract foreign aid, there will be a glimmer of hope for the restoration of the country."
Another person said: "We can't speak too early. We should talk to him first to see if this person is worthy of our help. The Lord trusts us, sends us here, and gives us arbitrary power, just like It’s like gambling, there is no chance of regret, we have to be sure before we make a bet.”
The other party nodded, indicating that he understood, and the two stopped talking and walked all the way to the gate of the county government office. As the two of them expected, the county government must have turned into a temporary headquarters. Fan Yu motioned to the two soldiers to take the horses away. He walked up and said, "You two can understand Chinese, so I'll just say it. Before I go in, You need to search yourself to avoid danger or offending."
Fan Yu stepped forward. Unexpectedly, the two of them did not express any objection. Instead, they opened their hands calmly and let him search their bodies. Except for an envelope, there was nothing suspicious about them. Fan Yu waved, the door opened, and Fan Yu took the lead in introducing the two people into the county government office.
When they arrived at the side room, Fan Yu motioned for the two of them to sit down, and then his men brought hot water. Fan Yu said: "Sorry, there is no tea here, only hot water. You two can make do with it."
The two waved their hands, indicating that it was okay, and then said: "I wonder when I can meet with your leader?"
Fan Yu said: "I will report it right away."
"General and military advisor, they are here." Fan Yu came to the back hall and said.
Gao Heng and Cheng Zilong were discussing the specific price to be offered later. After hearing this, they immediately stood up and said, "Let's go and meet them."
The door opened, with Gao Heng in front and Cheng Zilong behind. They walked in and Fan Yu closed the door outside. Several soldiers were guarding the door. If there was anything going on inside, they could rush in and rescue as soon as possible.
When the two people inside saw Gao Heng and Cheng Zilong come in, they immediately took a look. Gao Heng was young and Cheng Zilong was older. They subconsciously thought that Cheng Zilong was the one who talked about the matter, so they immediately stood up and cupped their hands and said, "Sir, you are indeed extraordinary. I It’s time to be polite.”
Cheng Zilong laughed and said: "You two made a mistake, this is our General Gao, I am just a military advisor."
Gao Heng cupped his hands and said, "I, General Gao Heng, am the leader of the expatriates from this county. I wonder why you two are here? What are your identities?"
The two of them were a little surprised and exchanged a look. They didn't expect that this young man was the leader. This somewhat subverted their understanding. What kind of ability did this young man have that he could defeat Zheng's army? But then I thought about it, whether young people are not very reliable, and whether it is a bit hasty to place the great cause of national restoration on such young people.
As soon as the two of them hesitated, Gao Heng straightened his face and said, "You two, I'm afraid there's something wrong with this. You came with a mission, but you didn't talk to each other after meeting. What's the point? You know, Zheng Zuo is now It's in our hands, if you want him to survive, you should show sincerity."
The two of them suddenly realized that Gao Heng had mistaken his identity and thought he was Lord Zheng's envoy. No wonder they had such a reaction. One of the elders immediately said: "The general has misunderstood."
"Misunderstanding? What do you mean?" Gao Heng was confused.
"We are not the envoys of Lord Zheng. If Lord Zheng sent an envoy here, it must have been with great fanfare. The general looks at me dressed like this, and we don't look like envoys from the imperial court." The man said.
Now Gao Heng was really confused by Monk Zhang Er. He was not from Annan, the envoy of Lord Zheng. What was his identity? The man cupped his hands and said, "In this case, we should make our identities clear. To be honest, we are members of the Zhen Sect."
"Who?" Gao Heng asked subconsciously.
The two looked at each other for a long time. Gao Heng didn't even know who Zhenzong was. It was rumored that this person was a low-level officer in the Ming army. It seemed true. He didn't know anything about the situation in Annan, and he didn't know if he was reliable. .
Cheng Zilong reacted. He had been in Annan for so many years and he had a somewhat clear understanding of the situation in Annan. "General, Zhenzong refers to the emperor of the Annan Li Dynasty, Li Zhenzong. After the Zheng family took control of the government, they put Emperor Li under house arrest. The people only know Zheng family, but not Emperor Li."
Gao Heng said: "Isn't this Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty?"
Cheng Zilong smiled and said: "Haha, the general is powerful, it can be understood that way."
Gao Heng said: "So you two are here on behalf of Zhenzong, so I don't understand. It is true that we are at war with the Zheng family, but we have no contact with this Zhenzong. The Zheng family's people did not come, but you came first. Why is this? Could it be that you want to use our power to bring down Lord Zheng?"
The man gave a thumbs up and said: "When I came here, I said that the leader here must not be an idle person, otherwise how could he defeat Lord Zheng's army? Now it seems that it is indeed the case."
Gao Heng shook his head and said: "Then I'm afraid you two will be disappointed. You should have seen it when you came here. Our city has a small population and has just experienced a war. If Zheng Zuo had not been captured and Lord Zheng's lifeline had not been captured, I'm afraid he has already launched a large army to suppress the situation. Although I personally sympathize with Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and, ah, no, your Zhenzong's experience, we do not have the strength. No matter how bad Lord Zheng is, he still has a hundred thousand soldiers. Even in the days of war, our city cannot be defended. I think Lord Zheng must have prepared two things during this period. On the one hand, he wants to negotiate with us, and on the other hand, he mobilizes his troops to destroy us."
"The general misunderstood. Of course we will not let the general send troops to attack the Zheng family now. That is tantamount to hitting an egg with an egg against a stone. The general is right. With your current strength, you are still far from it. But Zhenzong has told us that if we want to I wish you a helping hand." The envoy said.
"This is really a joke. We have never met your Zhenzong, and we have no basis for cooperation. How can you be so kind and help us for no reason? To put it another way, your Zhenzong yourself is under house arrest. Ni Bodhisattva has passed Jiang can't protect himself, so he sent you here secretly. How can he restore the country after this?" Gao Heng pressed his hands and motioned for the two of them to sit down.
"No, General Gao, we have common interests." The envoy said.
"Oh? Tell me?" Gao Heng raised his eyebrows.
"The cooperation between the two parties is nothing more than finding an intersection. If you can help me, I can help you. Our appeal is very simple, which is to help Zhenzong reset and eliminate the Zheng family. At present, Annan is controlled by Lord Zheng. Although the south and the The Ruan family is fighting, but the Ruan family's strength is limited, and the battle lines between the two sides have been in a stalemate. But now you have suddenly emerged, captured the county seat in the north, and defeated tens of thousands of Zheng's troops. This means that there is a nail in the Zheng Lord's sphere of influence. Nails are like thorns on the back, Lord Zheng will never be able to support fighting on both sides," the envoy said.
Another person said: "Given time, if you can become stronger and attack the Ruan family from the north to the south, Lord Zheng will be dead. By then we will have hope of restoring the country. So General Gao must be strong and we must restore the country. Obviously, everyone has Common interests, mutual benefit in the future, the general just wants to build a country, and Zhenzong has said that it is not impossible to consider dividing some territory for you."
"It's easier said than done. What help can you provide us?" Gao Heng said lightly. He understood that Zhenzong was also a master who would not let go of rabbits but Gao Heng also wanted to see what kind of bargaining chips the other party had.
The envoy took out the envelope from his arms and said, "This is a personal letter from our lord to the general. I would like to ask the general to read it."
