"Nonsense!" Wang Zhaotang shouted: "The former army led by General Manager Xue is still there, and the outcome is still unknown. Is there any reason to escape without a fight?"
"Okay!" The scar-faced man laughed: "I knew you would say that, whatever! What do you want to do with us, behead or whip?"
Wang Zhaotang snorted coldly. He could tell that these guys were mentally broken. If the usual practice was to follow, they should be executed immediately to prevent their fear from infecting other people in the camp, but they were definitely not like that. The only survivor of a tragic defeat, more and more people will definitely escape in the future. It is easy to kill these few people, but can we kill them all? There must be a way to cheer them up mentally.
"Take them to the back camp, which is the open space on the right side of the reservoir. Don't let them come into contact with other people for the time being!"
"As ordered!" The soldier outside said solemnly.
The deserters looked a little stunned. They thought they would at least get whipped. The scar-faced soldier was about to thank Wang Zhaotang when he heard Wang Zhaotang say: "This place is thousands of miles away from Longyou Shanzhou. You should know Most of the people in the camp are sick. If they escape as you said, what will they do? The only way to survive is to hold on. There is everything in the camp, as long as they can resist the Tubo people. A fierce attack will turn things around, but there will be no hope of escape!"
The deserters looked at each other, and after a moment, Scarface gave us a slap in the face: "That's all, Quan should have died in that valley. Anyway, this life was saved. Wang Sima, give us a pair of armor, let us Hold the camp!"
————————————————————————————
Songzhou, sparse forest hunting ground.
"It's really hard to imagine that the Tang Dynasty and Tibet are fighting to the death in Qinghai, but you and I are hunting together!" Langri sighed.
"Is this strange? Haven't you read "Three Kingdoms"? After Cao Cao attacked Jingzhou, he sent a letter to Sun Quan. The book said: "In recent times, I have sent words to attack crimes, and Jing Hu points to the south, and Liu Cong restrains his hands. Now he controls the navy. Eight hundred thousand people, Fang and General will hunt in Wu. They are also hunting in Qinghai, but they are hunting people, not wild beasts!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile.
"That's true!" A strange light flashed in Lang Ri's eyes. He glanced behind him and saw that except for Cao Wenzong, who was still following the two of them four or five steps away, the other guards had already fallen far behind. In the back, you can only vaguely see the figure, but can't hear the two people talking.
"General Wang, what do you think of the war situation in Qinghai?"
Wang Wenzuo did not answer Langri's question immediately. He shook the reins and let his mount walk slowly while looking around with interest. The smell of the woods filled his nostrils: the sharp aroma of fresh pine needles, wet and rotten The earthy fragrance of the leaves, but also the vague animal musk, and the smell of distant cooking smoke. He glimpsed a black squirrel weaving among the snow-covered branches of an oak tree, then stopped to stare at his uninvited visitor. After a winter of working indoors at his desk, being in the forest made him feel an indescribable comfort.
"I know very little about Qinghai, and I don't know what to say!" Wang Wenzuo picked a bunch of berries from a branch hanging down by the road, put it in his mouth, chewed two mouthfuls and said with a smile: "It's still a bit astringent, I have to get over it. How many days will it take to taste delicious!”
"I don't believe General Wang's words!" Langri said with a smile: "As the Governor of Songzhou Governor's Mansion, how little do you know about Qinghai?"
"There is some talk in the imperial court's newspapers, but after all, without personal experience, what I know on paper is shallow! Isn't it a joke to give casual advice?" Wang Wenzuo replied casually.
Wang Wenzuo tried to shirk the blame, but Lang Ri refused to let it go and said with a smile: "There are only three people here today, and that person must be your confidant. You should just talk about it casually. If you leave and don't recognize anyone, what's the harm?"
"Haha!" Wang Wenzuo clapped his hands and said with a smile: "If I must say it, you have a better chance of winning!"
"Do we have a good chance of winning?" Lang Ri laughed: "Really or not, this is not what you said!"
"You and I are both warriors, and soldiers are crafty. It's normal if you don't believe me! But this is indeed what I think. Your side should have a 60% chance of winning, while ours only has a 40% chance!"
"Why do you say that?" Langri asked.
"The Tang Dynasty has fought too many wars in recent years!"
Langri couldn't help but be stunned when he heard Wang Wenzuo's meaningless words. This sentence sounded simple, but there were many explanations and meanings behind it. He thought for a moment: "What does General Wang mean?"
"Since the founding of this dynasty, many foreign troops have been used! Relying on the blessings of our ancestors, we have won all the battles. We have expanded our territory thousands of miles, and our martial arts are unprecedented. But the soldiers are unlucky, and the saints have to use them as a last resort! The late emperor used his troops to conquer all battles. They are all invincible, but the way they use their troops is ultimately about 'temperance'!"
"control?"
"Yeah!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "If we can, we won't fight. If we don't have to, we won't use troops."
"Haha!" Langri laughed twice, his voice full of disdain. It was obvious that he didn't believe what Wang Wenzuo just said, but just didn't want to argue with him.
At this time, there was a stream lying in front of them. Since it was the snow melting season, the stream was fast and the water was high. The two dismounted and led their mounts across the shallows, where the deepest part of the water reached their thighs. The stream lapped against the rocks and tree roots, stirring up bursts of droplets. Wang Wenzuo could feel the water splashing on his face. He couldn't help but smile and said: "The water is good. If we build a dam to store water for ponds and open up the wilderness, within ten years, this place will be It’s a land of plenty!”
"Oh? General Wang still has this plan?"
"Yes! To the north of Songzhou is a large area of wetland meadow. As long as we build dams and drain the swamps, it will be cheaper for farming and animal husbandry! The two countries have business and travel exchanges, and the population is booming. In less than ten years, they will be a city. Isn't that right? Far better than attacking each other?"
"So, General Wang really doesn't want to fight?" Langri asked, staring into Wang Wenzuo's eyes.
"Yes! Otherwise, why would you and I be hunting here!" Wang Wenzuo laughed.
At this time, only a long howl was heard from the woods, the pitch became higher and higher, and the lamentation lasted for a long time, like a cold wind blowing through the forest. Langri's expression suddenly became solemn: "It's a bear, damn it!" he finished. As soon as he finished speaking, a second burst of howls joined in.
"Don't panic, Wenzong, give me that thing!" Wang Wenzuo said loudly.
"Yes!" Cao Wenzong rode over, took an object wrapped in deerskin from the saddle and handed it to Wang Wenzuo. Wang Wenzuo unwrapped the deerskin, but it turned out to be an iron pipe about one meter long, with a bronze gourd connected to the tail. Wrapped in a layer of deerskin, there is a frame at the connection between the two. While Wang Wenzuo was fiddling with it, he said to Langri: "The stuff I made a few days ago, let's try it today!"
Langri looked curiously at the thing in Wang Wenzuo's hand. At this time, the guards on both sides also heard the sound and rushed up with about ten riders. At this time, he felt relieved and said with a smile: "What is this thing? Let me drive it." Open your eyes!”
Wang Wenzuo smiled but said nothing. At this time, the guards released the hunting dogs. After a while, the sounds of hunting dogs and bears were heard in the forest. Hearing that the sounds were coming this way, Wang Wenzuo picked up the object and pulled the iron One end of the tube was pointed at the source of the sound, and the bottom of the gourd was pressed against his shoulder, waiting for the prey to appear.
A few minutes later, there was a rustle in a forest, and a black bear roared out, followed by a dozen ferocious hounds. The guards immediately raised their spears and blocked it back. The black bear was hit by the shining spear. The sharp bear retreated and pounced on the hounds behind it. The hounds quickly retreated, forming a sparse encirclement. The black bear pounced twice, but was avoided by the hounds, so it simply retreated under a big oak tree and rested its butt against it. Looking at the oak tree, I came to relax and wait for work.
With a soft sound, the black bear suddenly roared in pain. Langri noticed that one of the bear's eyes was blind, and blood was flowing out of the eye socket, but strangely, there was no arrow stuck in it. He glanced at Wang Wenzuo curiously and saw that the other party handed the thing in his hand to the soldier on the side, and then took another similar thing.
"What are you-"
"I told you, it's a new thing!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "The shot just now should have penetrated its brain, it only took a few breaths!"
Facts have proved that Wang Wenzuo was right. The black bear's roar soon became weak. The beast lay on the ground and could only let out a dying cry. Red and white liquid flowed out of its eyes. The hounds pounced. When it came up, it could only shake its head feebly twice. The end of its life was not far away from it.
"Get out of the way, get out of the way!" The guards stepped forward and drove the hounds away from the black bear to avoid damaging the intact fur. Although the bear skin now is not as rich as it was in the autumn, a complete piece of bear without any scars is still there. The skin is still very good prey. Wang Wenzuo threw the utensils in his hands to the soldiers and said with a smile: "We are lucky today, we have bear paws to eat tonight!"
"What did you use just now?" Lang Ri asked carefully: "You killed this black bear in one go. Was it a spell?"
Wang Wenzuo didn't say anything. He walked to the black bear's body, pulled out a knife and stirred it twice at the only wound on the black bear's body. Finally, he picked out a black gadget and handed it to Lang Ri: "This is the thing that killed the black bear." !”
Langri weighed it twice: "Is it a lead bullet?"
"That's right, it's lead bullets!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "How about one shot to the head, my little toy is good, isn't it?"
Langri opened his mouth but said nothing. It was not unusual for high-speed flying lead bullets to kill ferocious beasts. The elite of the Tubo slingers used lead bullets. Compared with pebbles, lead bullets were not only heavier, but could also be specially made. With its spindle shape, experts can even use this thing to kill cavalry wearing iron armor. But the lead bullet Wang Wenzuo just fired was only one-fifth to one-sixth the weight of the lead bullet fired by the slingers at most. If such a light lead bullet had the same power, it must be faster. Not to mention the accuracy, Wang Wenzuo had just shot through the black bear's eye twenty steps away. It would be good if the best slinger could hit the black bear's head at this distance.
"Why did Wang Wenzuo show this new weapon in front of me? To threaten me?" Langri thought to himself.
"You don't have to worry. Although this new weapon is powerful and accurate, it is too expensive to equip soldiers!" Wang Wenzuo saw Lang Ri's thoughts: "One of these cost me almost 400 guns. Just use it for hunting and fun!"
"400 pieces?" Langri breathed a sigh of relief: "But it's worth the money!"
"It's really worth the money!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Especially to let the shooter hide in the crowd and assassinate his political opponents, there is nothing better!"
The smile on Langri's face suddenly froze. As Wang Wenzuo said, this new weapon has the advantages of being quiet, accurate, and powerful. It is indeed very suitable if used to assassinate political opponents. As for the disadvantage of being expensive, it is nothing in this regard. After all, no one has succeeded. Hundreds of political opponents needed assassination.
"General Wang, what do you mean?" Lang Ri said coldly.
"It's just a joke!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "After all, there are always a few guys in this world who will make life difficult for others unless they die. If we can let them pass away, it will be a good thing for everyone. You think I am right. That’s not right!”
Langri snorted coldly and said nothing. Of course he knew the deep meaning of Wang Wenzuo's words, but he didn't want to pierce the layer of paper. He took the instrument from Wang Wenzuo's hand, played with it twice and asked, "I didn't see any tendons, how could it be so powerful?"
"This thing doesn't use muscles, but air energy. I call it an air gun!" Wang Wenzuo didn't hide his secrets and explained with a smile. It turns out that what Wang Wenzuo just shot and killed the bear was a multiple-pump air gun, which uses an air pump to compress air in a bronze cylinder, and then releases the thrust of the compressed air to accelerate and launch the lead bullet. This weapon has The advantages of quietness, accuracy and high power.
Its earliest originator appeared in Europe in the 15th century, and was first used for hunting by nobles. In the second half of the 18th century, Austria improved it and used it for military purposes. This is the famous Kiranduni air rifle, which has significantly superior performance. Front-loaded musket. First of all, the air rifle can be used in humid environments, such as rainy days; secondly, the gun does not produce smoke when shooting, and has good concealment; most importantly, this rifle can fire continuously, and a well-trained soldier can A shot of lead bullets (20 rounds) can be fired in half a minute. Such a high rate of fire puts it beyond the reach of complex and slow muskets. However, the high manufacturing price and the slowness of pressurizing the air pump made it obsolete by newer gunpowder weapons.
After Wang Wenzuo arrived in Songzhou, he asked the accompanying craftsmen to restore an early air gun according to the structure in his memory, firstly as a technical reserve, and secondly as a hunting toy. This time when Langri came, he took out this thing and used it as a pebble to ask for directions, to test the other party's thoughts. Now it seems that it is still a bit early!
"Can you give me one, no, sell me one?" Langri asked in a low voice.
I forgot that today is the Dragon Boat Festival, I wish everyone a happy holiday and full rice dumplings! Don’t forget to vote, subscribe and reward!
(End of chapter)
