Although the emperor's order had been issued, it would take several months to recruit and train the troops, so Wei Zhan was temporarily unable to go out to sea to fight.
He led a group of loyal guards and rushed to Linxi. When he saw Qin Ke, he asked, "Where is the little golden-haired boy?"
"We are training troops by the river," Qin Ke said, "Your Highness, why don't you come with me?"
Wei Zhan naturally had no objection.
The two walked to the riverside and saw a head of golden hair shining brightly in the sun. Wei Zhan walked over quickly and shouted, "Little golden hair!"
Jin Jili has long been accustomed to this nickname.
He turned to look at Wei Zhan, and seeing that he was smiling provocatively, he couldn't help but want to teach him a lesson, so when Wei Zhan came close, he took advantage of his unpreparedness and suddenly pushed him into the river!
With a "gulp", Wei Zhan sank to the bottom of the river.
It was late autumn and the river water was quite cold. When the other soldiers in the river saw someone fall into the water, they realized that it was Coach Jin testing new recruits, so they all gathered around to watch the joke.
But after a long time, Wei Zhan still did not surface.
Jin Jili estimated the time, his heart skipped a beat, and he jumped into the river to look for someone without caring about anything else.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the water, he was dragged down by someone. He felt relieved and angry at the same time. Who else could do such a thing except Wei Zhan, this scoundrel?
The two men fought in the water, splashing water everywhere, and all the soldiers applauded and cheered.
In terms of water ability, Jin Jili was better. Wei Zhan gradually lost his strength, floated to the surface, waved his hand and said, "No more fighting."
Jinjili dragged it to the river bank like a dead dog.
"The deep sea is not like the rivers. You need to practice more." He said this and turned to train the soldiers.
Wei Zhan grabbed his belt, but because of his excessive force, the belt suddenly fell to the ground. Jin Jili quickly reached out to hold it down, and asked angrily with a frown: "What's the matter?"
"You teach me." Wei, who had never known what shamelessness was, said with a smile, "As the commander, my swimming ability cannot be too bad."
Jin Jili tied his belt again and said expressionlessly, "Follow me."
If someone comes to you to be abused, why not do it?
According to Jin Jili, the territory of Baisha Kingdom is less than one-third of that of Wei State, and its military strength cannot be compared with that of Wei State. Therefore, relying on Wei State's combat power and firearms, and using military strategies, two thousand people are enough.
However, after being ravaged by the wind and waves, I wonder how many of the two thousand soldiers are left. Moreover, two thousand soldiers would require many boats to carry them.
The ships of the Wei Dynasty were mostly used in rivers. Even the fishermen on the coast rarely went to the deep sea to fish, so there were very few people in the Wei Dynasty who were good at sea navigation.
Building ships is urgent, and training shipmasters is also imminent.
As the commander, Jin Jili was the strictest with Wei Zhan. After daily training, Wei Zhan no longer had the energy to find others to practice with, which saved Qin Ke a lot of trouble.
A new type of musket was produced. Rong Xi and Qin Ke returned to the prison. After trying it, they found that its power was indeed higher than the previous musket.
"How many firearms does Prince Shun need?" Rong Xi asked Qin Ke.
There are two thousand people, it is impossible for each of them to have a musket.
Qin Ke replied: "A hundred muskets will do."
With Prince Shun's fighting power, he can sweep across the Baisha Kingdom even without using muskets. In terms of tactical proficiency, Wei Zhan is not inferior to Qin Ke.
Although he is rough, he is also meticulous.
Jin Jili is also very familiar with the Baisha Kingdom and knows the enemy's military strength and temperament very well. Once these two people cooperate, the King of Baisha Kingdom will definitely be unable to resist.
By winter, the soldiers' training had shown results.
Captain Wei Zhan fell in love with winter swimming and often dragged Jin Jili to swim with him, using the excuse of asking for guidance.
The two not only fought on land, but also often fought in water, and they would get injured every day.
But Wei Zhan never gets tired of it.
The sea and the river are different after all. Seeing that everyone was familiar with the nature of water, Jin Jili asked Qin Ke and Wei Zhan for their opinions.
"Qingzhou is not far from the sea. I want to go to the sea to test the results. If we encounter pirates, we can fight back."
Wei Zhan nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Qin Ke thought for a few breaths, nodded and said: "Yes, it's dangerous at sea, take care."
The two men then led their elite troops to leave Qingzhou and head straight for Cangzhou.
Cangzhou is near the sea and has a shipping office. The ships needed for this voyage were all built under the supervision of the Shipping Bureau, which was very convenient for the operation.
After the two left, the weather became colder.
Rong Xi pulled his clothes tightly together and went to the prison with Qin Ke. Seeing Cheng Hao's worried face, he couldn't help but ask with concern: "Uncle Cheng, what happened?"
"Just now, a soldier from the Shenji Battalion came to report that the barrel of the gun was damaged and a musket had become scrap metal."
He sighed softly, his eyes showing worry.
If the musket has such defects for a short period of time, it will not be able to be used on a large scale.
Rong Xi nodded and said, "This is within my expectations, Uncle Cheng, don't worry."
Many things cannot be accomplished overnight. Problems must be discovered before everyone can work together to remove obstacles.
When the craftsmen were making the barrel of the gun, they were concerned and therefore did not apply enough force, resulting in the gun wall not being compacted and unable to withstand the impact of prolonged firepower, so cracks were inevitable.
However, the top priority at that time was to make the musket, so Rong Xi did not raise the issue of the damage. Now that the problem has occurred, we should focus on solving it.
"Da Lang has a solution?" Cheng Hao's eyes lit up.
Rong Xi smiled and asked, "Does the craftsman have any brilliant ideas?"
Cheng Hao shook his head, "No."
The three of them sat down together, and Rong Xi asked calmly, "Uncle Cheng and the Prince, do you remember the ditch bicycle?"
"Are you referring to the water bicycle?" Qin Ke asked.
Cheng Hao also nodded and said, "I remember, but what is the connection between a bicycle and a musket?"
"The bicycle uses the gears to generate power, driving the river water into the ditch," Rong Xi explained with a smile, "and the craftsman can use the power of the gear linkage to cut through the solid iron pestle and make it into a gun barrel."
Seeing that the two were a little confused, he took out paper and pen and patiently explained his ideas.
Later machine tools could not only be more efficient, but also more sophisticated. He wanted to imitate others and tried to build a machine tool that combined water power and human power. He used gears and cranks to convert the water power or human power into reciprocating power, allowing it to operate day and night and more efficiently.
After all, penetrating and compacting iron bars with manpower is time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Cheng Hao pondered for a while, first affirming its feasibility, and then doubting its practicality.
"There is no good solution at the moment, so we might as well make a mold to test whether it is feasible." Qin Ke made the final decision.
That's all there is to it.
After that, Rong Xi led the craftsmen to build a simple small hydraulic and human-powered machine tool.
Machine tools can generate power by water flow or by human power.
The craftsmen were all eager to try.
Someone bravely stepped forward to try. The crank drove the gear to rotate, and the gear transmitted force to the shaft. The shaft began to approach the barrel slowly and evenly.
It really works!
Although the speed is slow, its efficiency is several times higher than that of human labor.
Everyone was excited and came forward to try it.
Cheng Hao was very pleased and said with a smile on his face: "Da Lang, this method should be applicable elsewhere."
Rong Xi nodded, "The principles of mechanics are widely used."
He would not teach the craftsmen how to make other machine tools one by one. He believed that with the craftsmen's wisdom, they would be able to come up with more ingenious ideas in the near future.
It was already November when the machine tool was completed.
The cold wind was biting and after Rong Xi returned home, he immediately huddled down on the kang.
Because Rong Xi was afraid of cold, Liu He would heat up the kang before he returned home every day to help him ward off the cold.
Qin Ke poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to him.
"You don't seem to be afraid of the cold." Rong Xi drank the hot tea, as if he was reborn. Seeing Qin Ke acting as if nothing had happened, he couldn't help but mutter something.
He was still wearing a cotton vest. If he were like Qin Ke, he would have frozen to death outside.
"I've lived in the northern border for a long time, so I'm used to it." Qin Ke smiled, "Besides, you had a very bad physical condition when you were a child, so it's normal for you to be afraid of the cold."
Rong Xi suddenly felt distressed, "I wonder if the Northern Rong will come south to invade the border this year."
If the Northern Rong return to their old ways, Qin Ke will probably have to travel far to the border again.
Qin Ke smiled and said, "Don't worry, there are good generals guarding the northern border, and they will definitely keep Wei peaceful."
"Yeah." Rong Xi was not worried about the fighting power of Wei.
Some firearms have been secretly transported to the northern border. Even if the northern barbarians come with great force, muskets and fire bullets can drive them back to the border.
"There is news that pirates appeared near the coast of Cangzhou and were captured by troops led by Prince Shun and Jin Jili at sea." Qin Ke suddenly said.
Rong Xi's eyes lit up, "Very good."
The pirates have been harassing the people along the coast for many years. They come and go without a trace and are very familiar with the waters near Cangzhou. Now that they have been arrested, it is really gratifying!
This is enough to prove that Jin Jili and Prince Shun are indeed capable of leading an army.
And they had not yet used firearms.
This news was exciting, and when it reached Shengjing, the emperor was very pleased and became more interested in establishing a navy.
However, the time is not yet ripe, and the military funds and manpower are not sufficient to build a navy.
"When will they return?" Rong Xi asked curiously.
He curled up in the quilt, with only his head showing, which looked quite cute.
Qin Ke couldn't help laughing when he saw it. He reached out and brushed the scattered hair behind his ears and replied, "I'll be back in a few days."
Previously, Jin Jili and Wei Zhan both focused on training their water skills, and later went to the waters near Cangzhou to conduct surface combat, and the results have been seen.
When they return, they must teach the two men and the soldiers how to use firearms.
"My dear, Madam He is looking for you." Mr. Liu reported outside the house.
Rong Xi was puzzled for a moment, then got up from the bed and said, "I'll go right away."
When they reached the front yard, He saw him and said with a gentle smile, "Dalang, this is the ointment I made myself, for moisturizing and nourishing the skin. It can prevent skin chapped in the dry winter weather, but it's not very useful, so don't dislike it."
"How could I dislike it?" Rong Xi said gratefully, "I was in need of ointment to apply, and I wanted to shamelessly go to you to ask for it in person."
He has been running a cosmetics shop for several months. Since the cosmetics, powders and ointments are all very effective, business is booming. Although he is exhausted every day, he is in better spirits than before.
Her strength alone was not enough, and it happened that a young lady in the school was quite interested in this art. He also wanted to take her in as a disciple to pass on this art. Seeing that although the young lady was young, she had great talent, she accepted her as a disciple and carefully taught her the art of applying cosmetics to nourish the skin.
With the young lady helping her with chores, she felt much more relaxed.
He's smile became gentler, "As long as you like it."
Rong Xi accepted several boxes of perfumed ointment and returned to his bedroom. Seeing Qin Ke playing chess with himself, he took out a small piece of perfumed ointment, walked to him with his hands behind his back, and said, "Stretch out your hand."
Qin Ke didn't know what it meant, but he obediently stretched out his left hand.
Although a certain person has an extremely handsome appearance and long, beautiful fingers, the skin on the back of his hands is slightly rough and his palms are covered with thick calluses.
In winter now, the skin on the back of my hands is actually a bit chapped.
Both of them were men who didn't pay much attention to skin care and didn't even notice the chapped backs of their hands.
Rong Xi grabbed his hand and evenly smeared the perfumed ointment on his fingertips. A faint and elegant fragrance wafted into his nose. Rong Xi deliberately moved closer to sniff it and teased, "There is a beauty, and the fragrance fills my sleeves."
He pretended to be frivolous, which made Qin Ke laugh.
After both hands were evenly coated, Rong Xi nodded in satisfaction and praised: "Aunt He's skills are extraordinary. I see that my hands are indeed much smoother now."
"You come too."
After Qin Ke finished speaking, he stood up, took the ointment and rubbed it on Rong Xi's hands. Then he put both of her hands into his palms and rubbed them slowly, even between her fingers.
It was just applying ointment, but it made people feel beautiful for no reason.
Rong Xi's heart was pounding and his face was hot. He tried to struggle out, but Qin Ke held him tightly. He couldn't help but look up, but saw that Qin Ke still had a calm expression, and he felt as if he was overthinking.
After a while, Qin Ke released his hand and said calmly, "It is indeed effective."
Rong Xi: “…”
Someone seemed to be teasing him, but his expression was so cold that he didn't dare to make any random guesses.
"My lord, the meal is ready." Liu He came to report.
Upon hearing this, Rong Xi threw away his chaotic thoughts and turned to walk out of the house.
Qin Ke was left sitting alone at the desk, sighing helplessly.
A few days later, Jin Jili and Wei Zhan returned on horseback.
"Da Lang." Jin Jili jumped off the horse, his golden hair shining and his green eyes filled with smiles.
Wei Zhan was immediately displeased when he saw this, and he shouted, "You have never smiled at me before, why do you only smile at Rong Dalang like this?"
"Da Lang has been kind to me," Jin Jili turned to look at him with cold eyes, "I am naturally grateful to him."
Wei Zhan was quite dissatisfied, "I will help you seize the throne in the future, why don't you thank me?"
Jin Jili didn't want to talk much with him. As a prince of a country, he was proud and didn't like someone as rude and unreasonable as Wei Zhan.
"Da Lang, can you teach me how to use firearms?" Jin Jili's eyes were full of eagerness. "We will go out to sea in the spring of next year. I am afraid I won't be able to learn it."
When he heard about firearms, Wei Zhan was suddenly shocked and no longer talked about what had just happened.
"Jili, you and His Highness should rest for a day. Once you have rested enough, the prince will teach you how to use firearms." Rong Xi replied with a smile.
After getting his promise, Jin Jili felt relieved and left happily.
When Wei Zhan saw him, he hurriedly chased after him and said, "You and I haven't had a fight yet today, don't leave!"
After watching the two figures disappear, Rong Xi and Qin Ke looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.
As the end of the year approaches, all departments of the court are extremely busy.
At the end of each year, all ministers of various ministries must report to the emperor, and this year is no exception.
The six ministries compete secretly with each other every year. In previous years, the Ministry of Industry was at the bottom and received the least attention. However, this year is different.
The Minister of Works, Yang Qianmu, changed his solemn and silent style in previous years and was passionate when reporting on his work in the court, which greatly pleased the emperor.
The Minister of Revenue, who in previous years was always afraid of angering the emperor due to insufficient tax and land taxes, was very happy this year. Taking Mengshan County as an example, he described the harvest scene in a way that made people applaud.
Finally, he said respectfully and sincerely: "Your Majesty, I think that since Mengshan has set a precedent and achieved a good harvest, we might as well implement the method of dividing the canal and using phosphate fertilizer next year. In this way, the Great Wei will have a good harvest everywhere."
After hearing this, the emperor praised sincerely: "This is a great achievement for the country and a blessing for the people. Approved."
The Minister of War also has something to say.
"Your Majesty, half a month ago, pirates were rampant in Cangzhou. The prince of Baisha Kingdom was good at navigation and led his troops to chase the pirates on the sea. He finally subdued and captured them, and brought peace and tranquility to the people of Cangzhou. I think the pirates are not just here, and they may become more rampant in the future. However, our coastal defense is weak and I am afraid it will be difficult to resist."
The emperor's agreement to lend troops to Jin Jili was not a rash decision.
The matter of borrowing troops was a joint decision between him and other important officials including the Minister of War, so it was known to everyone in the court.
The emperor thought for a moment and said, "We'll discuss this later."
After finishing their report, the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Works held their heads high and walked out of the palace with the other four.
The Minister of Rites whispered to the Minister of Punishment: "If it weren't for Rong Dalang, the other two...tsk tsk."
The Minister of Justice glanced at him coldly and said pointedly: "Before, people had mixed opinions about the Rong family's affairs. You said that Rong Dalang was unfilial and unfraternal, and you belittled him as mud. Why do you say that today..."
Seeing that the Minister of Rites' expression changed slightly, he changed the subject and said, "I wonder if Rong Dalang is good at torture instruments."
The Minister of Rites felt a chill down his spine and was about to flee when he heard the Minister of War respond coldly, "Rong Dalang is indeed gifted in the art of torture."
He had some dealings with Qin Ke's subordinates and thus learned some interesting things.
"Have you ever heard of a hundred needles entering the body?"
The Minister of Justice suddenly became interested and asked, "Tell me in detail."
The two men came close to talk in detail, and what they said was bloody and brutal. The Minister of Rites turned pale and hurriedly stepped away.
As the end of the year approaches, the official road in Mengshan County has been completed.
Because of the large amount of donations, Shen Yi was extremely generous. He refined enough cement, mixed it with sand and gravel, and used it to pave the road.
The road surface is extremely flat. Even on rainy days, it is no longer muddy, and vehicles and horses can travel unimpeded, which is quite convenient.
After the official road was built, more and more vehicles and horses passed on the road, and Mengshan County became more and more prosperous.
On that day, Rong Xi and Qin Ke brought Jin Jili and Wei Zhan to the wilderness and taught them how to use firearms.
Wei Zhan and Jin Jili were both good at archery, and their accuracy was better than Rong Xi.
Seeing this, Rong Xi could only sigh inwardly that he was indeed a loser.
It was the first time for the two men to come into contact with muskets. They were both extremely excited and wanted to compete with each other.
Fortunately, Qin Ke stopped them firmly, otherwise, with the momentum of the two of them, they would have competed for days and nights.
On the way back, Rong Xi asked casually, "Jili, can you tell me how you and His Highness captured the pirates?"
Before Jin Jili could reply, Wei Zhan said, "Those pirates are quite cunning. If it weren't for Little Golden Hair, it would be really hard to catch them."
"After I arrived in Cangzhou, I observed the sea currents and wind directions for a few days and knew where the pirates would be most safe to escape, so I was able to catch up with them."
Rong Xi asked with a smile: "The ocean is so vast, how can you tell the direction?"
"This is a secret technique," Jin Jili said apologetically, "If Dalang wants to know, I am willing to help you understand."
Rong Xi shook his head and smiled: "If I ask you seriously, do you want to trade with the art of firearms?"
"I can't hide it from Dalang." Jin Jili felt guilty.
Although he was grateful to Rong Xi, the art of navigation was now his way of survival, and he was afraid that the Wei Dynasty would no longer lend him troops after learning about it.
It’s not that I don’t trust Rong Xi, but that I don’t trust others.
"Don't worry," Rong Xi saw what he was thinking, and said, "I don't want to know your secret navigation technique. I'm just worried whether this method can save the lives of the Wei soldiers."
Jin Jili was silent, he couldn't guarantee it.
"In fact, our country has had Si Nan since ancient times, which can indicate the direction. Later, skilled craftsmen made the compass, but it has never been used for navigation."
Rong Xi paused, and seeing Jin Jili's surprise, he continued, "I wonder if your secret technique is the same as Si Nan's?"
Using magnets to determine directions is an ancient method.
However, Wei State was mostly inland, and its people lived inland. Except for fishermen, few went out to sea and had no need for navigation skills, so its navigation power was relatively weak.
He and Qin Ke agreed to Jin Jili not for the secret of navigation, but just hoped that Da Wei could take this step and take advantage of Jin Jili's return to broaden its horizons.
Jin Jili knew what he meant, and suddenly smiled and said, "What Dalang said makes me feel ashamed. I wonder if I can see a compass?"
Rong Xi nodded and smiled: "Of course."
The author has something to say:
Some fairies asked whether Shunli and he would form a couple. Actually, I don’t know either. It depends on whether the two of them can get together, hahaha.
PS: Today's update is a little late, sorry. I have been thinking about finishing this book every day recently. This is the most tiring book I have ever written… I will just stick to the main plot and write as much as I can, muah~
Thank you to the little angels who cast their votes for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angel who threw [hand grenade]: zyl's little cutie 22 1;
Thanks to the little angels who cast [mines]: Tian Shao, Lily Chang 8;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:
zyl's Little Cutie 22 60 bottles; Mochen 15 bottles; Christmas Eve 5 bottles;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
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