Chapter 789 A Dream of Youth 321
Before Chief Song could reprimand him, Xie Ning spoke gently, “Elder, the Northern Jin invaded Zhou. Under their iron hooves, none of us can remain unscathed. If we can help Wenshui County and repel the Northern Jin army, we can safeguard peace in this region.”
"But the Northern Jin army is so powerful. Although we have some weapons, we have no horses or armor. How can we fight them? Moreover, it is illegal to recruit militia on our own." Keeping private retainers is even more illegal.
Xie Ning raised an eyebrow. “The elders are right. We cannot recruit soldiers without authorization. Those who went to the aid were people who wanted to protect their homes. They had no choice but to take up arms and fight against the Northern Jin army. I believe His Majesty will not blame us.”
She was quite adept at finding loopholes, and she also gave the other party a reason.
Seeing that they had stopped speaking, Xie Ning continued, "If my prediction is correct, then the main force of the Northern Jin should have gone to besiege Bingzhou, and the number of soldiers who came to plunder the surrounding counties and towns is at most less than five thousand."
In this situation... rather than passively defending, it might be better to take the initiative; only in this way could we gain a sliver of hope.
Chief Song was still hesitant. He was not very willing to trust Xie Ning. Even though there was some truth to what Xie Ning said, she was just a physician and collator. Although she had been on the battlefield, she had only worked in the rear.
Being young makes it difficult to gain people's trust.
Xie Ning knew this, and since she only had a rudimentary understanding of military affairs, if she acted recklessly, she would only lead her troops to their deaths. Therefore, she simply turned her head to look at Chief Song and said, "Chief Song, today I will bestow upon the Song clan an opportunity."
Things rarely go as planned. She should have been in the capital preparing for the New Year and waiting for the imperial examination next year, but the sudden invasion of Northern Jin disrupted all her plans.
The others were confused. Seeing this, Chief Song asked everyone else to leave. When he turned around and heard what Xie Ning said, his heart almost jumped out of his throat.
"Thunderbolt, thunderbolt bullet!?"
Xie Ning was slightly taken aback, then shook his head, "No, I would prefer to call it the Thunder of Heaven."
Or it could be called a "fireball." The technology she used was naturally an improvement on the existing technology in this world. This "fireball," which used multiple layers of paper and cloth to form a shell, was ignited, thrown by manpower, and exploded to generate flames to kill enemy soldiers, was the prototype of a hand grenade.
She was fortunate enough to witness it during the Western Expedition, and then secretly memorized it. After returning to the capital, she improved upon the existing technology to make it closer to the form of a "hand grenade".
Chief Song's eyes lit up, and he almost lost his composure, rubbing his hands together. "Um, Lord Xie, you really know how to make this Heaven-Shaking Thunder?"
"Why would I lie to you? I had the honor of seeing it a few times during the Western Expedition, and then I pondered it for a while before making it. I originally planned to present it to His Majesty as a gift during the Imperial Festival... Alas."
Xie Ning felt that his ability to make things up was getting better and better.
Chief Song's face immediately broke into a smile. "I wonder what materials are needed to make this Heaven-Shaking Thunder? And as for craftsmen, Lord Xie, there's no need to worry, we will find them for you."
Regardless of whether Xie Ning's words are true or not, it's always good to treat people warmly.
If they had the thunderbolt Xie Ning mentioned, wouldn't they have the Northern Jin army completely under their control? And what about the Song family's future... they've really hit the jackpot.
Xie Ning had no idea what was going on in Chief Song's mind; he was only thinking about how to control the power to a certain extent, but that all of this would depend on the materials available.
She knew very well that even if she made the grenade, it would only slightly improve her side's strength. In battle, weapons were only one factor; there were many other factors at play.
Chief Song dared not disturb Xie Ning's contemplation. Seeing that the teacup on Xie Ning's table was half full, he immediately got up and poured tea for Xie Ning himself.
"Chief Song, may I have pen and ink prepared?"
"Someone come here!"
Chief Song hurriedly ordered someone to bring pen and ink. The elders waiting outside had no idea what was happening inside. They only saw Chief Song running out with a beaming face, completely unlike his usual solemn and self-possessed demeanor.
"Although we should take the initiative to attack, we must also be prepared. Chief Song, in this critical moment, everyone, regardless of gender, should do their part. Even if women don't go to the battlefield, they can still do some work within their capabilities..." This will allow more women to participate and further demonstrate their value, for others to see, and for themselves to see.
Xie Ning not only wrote down the materials needed for the Thunderclap Bomb, but also some prescriptions, all of which were commonly used in the army.
Handing the paper to Chief Song, Xie Ning remembered seeing people transporting timber in Song Clan Fortress when she arrived. It was for making rolling logs for city defense. In addition to rolling logs and stones, city defense also included battering rams and other items specifically designed to deal with siege ladders. Xie Ning planned to modify them.
During the western expedition, she mostly watched people attack cities, but she had a fairly good understanding of some of the weapons used by both sides.
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