Chapter 645 [First Update]
Lu Xuan looked at Liu Tan in confusion: "Land mine? What is that?"
Liu Tan thought for a moment and said, "It's a variation of a powder keg. Just think of it as burying all the powder kegs underneath. When they pass by, they will explode, and then..."
Lu Xuan hadn't fully witnessed the power of a powder keg, but out of trust in Liu Tan, he nodded and said, "If you're confident, you can give it a try."
Liu Tan was momentarily stumped after hearing this. He chuckled dryly and said, "I do have confidence, but..."
Lu Xuan tilted his head and looked at him: "Hmm?"
Liu Tan said embarrassedly: "It's just that the landmines haven't been researched yet."
Lu Xuan was a little bewildered: "According to you, shouldn't we just bury the gunpowder barrels underneath?"
Liu Tan explained, "That's a simplified explanation. The gunpowder barrel needs to be ignited to explode, but because it's a trap, we can't send someone to ignite it. Otherwise, the enemy scouts would easily discover it."
Seeing that he didn't seem embarrassed at all when he said this, Lu Xuan said confidently, "You already have a solution."
Liu Tan nodded. "Yes, it uses a steel wheel ignition mechanism, but this mechanism needs further research."
The so-called steel wheel ignition mechanism is actually the one used on iron-cased mines. When the mine encounters vibration or pressure, the steel wheel inside rotates and rubs rapidly against the flint to produce sparks and then ignite the fuse.
This mechanism is relatively simple. After all, it is impossible to make a more complicated mechanism now.
The only trouble is how to control the mechanism. After all, it will be triggered by vibration or pressure, so you need to be careful about the degree of vibration or pressure that triggers it. Don't trigger the mechanism when you turn around to transport the mines, and blow your own people to pieces. That would be a major accident.
Liu Tan asked Gongshu Can to bring his men over quickly, without specifying who he should bring. He could bring anyone, but they had to be experienced in researching gunpowder. Those without experience would not be accepted.
Gongshu Can has been rather bored recently. With His Royal Highness the King of the Northern Territory away, he feels as if nothing he does is interesting. He has various research projects on hand, but those that have aroused his interest in the past are extremely dull compared to the novel things that the King of the Northern Territory often asks him to do.
He also thought about creating something new himself, but due to the limitations of his growing environment or vision, the ideas he could come up with were not very interesting, and most importantly, they were not very practical.
Now that he heard that the King of the Northern Territory had summoned him, Gongshu Can immediately had his people pack up and rush over, looking as if he wished he had two wings.
When Gongshu Can arrived there, the Han people and the Xiongnu people had already started small-scale contacts and fighting.
Liu Tan didn't plan to just wait for him. There were so many of them, and just because the Huns didn't discover them at first didn't mean they would never discover them.
What if they discovered the enemy and attacked them? Liu Tan was worried that after the fight, the enemy would run away when they saw so many of them.
Lu Xuan wasn't worried. "Don't worry. Even if the Xiongnu find out we have so many people here, as long as we don't let anyone know I'm here, they won't run away immediately."
Liu Tan was puzzled. "Ah? Do they still dare to fight? We have many more people than them."
Lu Xuan said bluntly, "No matter how many people the Han army has, they've been defeated before. They still have confidence in themselves."
Liu Tan looked incredulous: "How dare they have such confidence when I'm here?"
Lu Xuan thought for a moment and didn't feel like criticizing him. He simply said, "After all, you defeated Wu Shilu before. After Xulihu came to power, he did everything he could to discredit Wu Shilu. So everyone thinks he lost to you because he's incompetent. Besides, aside from a minor loss at your hands, the Xiongnu haven't lost any recent battles, have they?"
Liu Tan looked up and thought for a while, then he remembered that the last time the Han Dynasty fought against the Huns and it was when it colluded with the Left Grand Commandant. Zhao Po Nu... Zhao Po Nu didn't just lose, he also went there to give himself up for dead.
Thinking of this, Liu Tan felt a little uncomfortable and said angrily, "How dare they look down on us? Don't they know how the Wuhuan destroyed their country?"
Although many Wuhuan people are still alive, the country is indeed gone, so there is no problem in destroying it.
Seeing him like this, Lu Xuan couldn't help but pinch his face, suppressing a smile and saying, "Well, they are blind. However, the Wuhuan are nothing in their eyes."
In fact, just like the Han Dynasty, in the eyes of the Han people, their biggest enemy was only the Huns. Other small countries could only be regarded as provocations, and it depended on whether the Han Dynasty wanted to deal with them.
Isn’t the Wuhuan this time a good example? As long as the Han Dynasty wants to take action, these small countries will have no power to fight back.
The same was true for the Xiongnu, and they were even more confident than the Han Dynasty. In the past, the countries in the Western Regions all followed the Xiongnu's lead and were at most polite to the Han Dynasty. The Wuhuan did not have much contact with the Xiongnu, but they were forced to go directly to the Xiongnu for help. It can be seen that they were the only ones who could compete with the Han Dynasty.
Therefore, even if the Wuhuan destroyed the Xiongnu, they would not be wary.
After all, in the Western Regions, a small country would be destroyed almost every once in a while, and everyone was used to this kind of thing.
Liu Tan pursed his lips, thinking of what Lu Xuan had just said. He turned to look at him and smiled, "So you think you're more intimidating than all the soldiers under my command?"
Although Lu Xuan had a deep understanding of Central Plains culture and could apply it effectively, due to his upbringing, he likely never knew what humility was. He said frankly, "Even a 100,000-man army, no matter how large it is, will be a mess without good generals and can only be slaughtered."
Liu Tan rolled his eyes: "Watch your words, I'm still here."
Lu Xuan looked at Liu Tan with grievance. This...it was hard to say. The Xiongnu were indeed wary of the King of the North, but the problem was that they were not afraid of the King of the North's ability to lead troops in battle, but of his...witchcraft.
Yes, several times, they always lost inexplicably to the King of the North. Every time, the opponent came up with something very strange that made them unable to cope.
Therefore, as long as Liu Tan does not come up with anything new and simply serves as a commanding general, the Huns may not be afraid of him.
However, Lu Xuan didn't dare to tell the truth, as he was afraid that if he told the truth he would not be able to sleep with his wife.
Liu Tan was also very clear in his mind. He snorted and waved his hand, saying, "If you know so clearly, why don't you make arrangements quickly? If you don't make arrangements well, I will punish you."
Lu Xuan smiled, and taking advantage of the fact that there was no one else in the tent, he leaned over and hugged his waist, stealing a kiss before saying, "Yes~"
Yougudu Hou was also shocked when he heard that the Han army was coming with 100,000 troops. He had originally prepared to escape, but when he heard that the one leading the troops was the King of the Northern Territory, his greed prevailed - if the King of the Northern Territory could be captured alive, then the Chanyu would definitely be very happy.
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