When we arrived at the training ground, the soldiers were demonstrating muskets.

But there was a row of targets facing forward, and the soldiers were holding their muskets, aiming and shooting. The stone bullets in the barrels spurted out, some of the targets were pierced, some were chipped, and then fell down in groups, with great power.

Feng Jianping said to Feng Ye, "The effective range of this fire gun is less than thirty feet, and it's best to be more than twenty feet. The farther away, the less accurate it is."

When everyone saw Feng Jianping coming, they all bowed to him.

Yuan Mao wanted to kneel, but Feng Jianping waved his hand to stop him: "Yuan Mao, you are not feeling well, so please don't kneel."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Yuan Mao bowed and looked at Yuan Sikong with a questioning look. Yuan Sikong smiled.

"Lord Li, General Han." Feng Jianping returned the greetings to Li Boyun and Han Zhaoxing.

"Why did your Highness leave and come back?"

"My son is clamoring to see a musket, so I brought him here to see it..." Feng Jianping said, "Let's have another shot."

The soldiers received the order, loaded the gunpowder, ignited it, aimed at the newly erected target, and shot again.

This time they were closer, and the muskets made loud bangs, shaking people's eardrums and feet. The stone bullets had riddled the targets with holes, which made people think of the flesh and blood. If they were hit like this, they would be crippled if not dead.

Feng Jianping shook Feng Ye's thin shoulders with his big hand and said with a smile, "Wolf boy, are you afraid?"

Feng Ye asked back: "Why should I be afraid?"

Li Boyun stroked his beard and complimented, "Your Highness is indeed a son of a general. At such a young age, he has such courage and spirit. He is a natural talent."

Feng Jianping laughed and said, "Master Li, you are too kind. He is just a child and doesn't know what fear is."

"Fearlessness is good." Han Zhaoxing quickly took over the conversation, "The brave are fearless."

Feng Jianping looked down at the still ignorant Feng Ye and smiled faintly: "A brave man can be fearless, but a general must not be fearless."

Han Zhaoxing smiled awkwardly, feeling a little embarrassed.

Yuan Sikong looked at Han Zhaoxing quietly, his heart full of disdain. This man in front of him had lost Qingzhou, the gatekeeper of Liaobei, and his flattery was ineffective. As he imagined, he was useless.

Feng Ye tugged at Feng Jianping's sleeve and asked, "Father, can I try the musket?"

"No, it will hurt you."

Feng Ye said "Oh" and was a little disappointed.

"We can let them demonstrate it again. If the Liaodong soldiers learn to use fire guns, they can stop the Jin cavalry."

The soldiers demonstrated it again.

Feng Jianping's subordinates explained the situation to the Liaodong generals.

Yuan Sikong was so absorbed in watching that he suddenly interjected, "It takes too long to change the gunpowder."

Everyone was stunned, and Yuan Mao scolded in a low voice: "Disrespectful."

Yuan Sikong knelt down hurriedly: "I am a reckless commoner."

Feng Jianping smiled and said, "It's okay. It's so cold, don't kneel down for no reason. Get up."

Yuan Sikong then stood up.

Feng Jianping said: "Sikong, go on."

"I have seen that it takes half a minute for the soldiers to load the gunpowder, and even if they are faster, they can only be faster than a finger snap. The effective range of the musket is thirty feet, and the soldiers can only shoot twice at most before the horse's hooves are in front of them."

"Yes, you saw the disadvantages of the musket at a glance." Feng Jianping nodded with satisfaction, "So when using the musket, we need to train the soldiers to refill the gunpowder quickly. The musket can resist the first wave of cavalry vanguards, and it must be flexibly deployed on the battlefield to resist the enemy."

Yuan Sikong looked at the targets that were lying all over the place and fell into deep thought. Perhaps there would be a more clever way to maximize the power of the musket.

Compared with the brave and warlike cavalry troops of nomadic peoples, the Chinese people who mostly grew up in the plains mainly raised armies composed of infantry. Infantry against cavalry is like an egg hitting a stone. Therefore, the cavalry that resists the barbarians has been the primary obstacle for the Central Plains regime in foreign wars for thousands of years.

Because of this, abandoning the seven states of Liaobei would bring disaster to future generations. The Liaodong soldiers, who had no place to defend, had to face the impact of the Jurchen cavalry on the Qianli Plain.

Feng Ye quietly approached Yuan Sikong and whispered, "Are you really taking the nine-year-old exam?"

Yuan Sikong nodded. His father had made a bet with a fellow student from the same hometown. It was just a joke during the banquet. No one thought that he would win. At one time, people who came to visit for various purposes almost broke down his door. His father then sternly asked him not to take the provincial examination for ten years.

"Then you will be an official in the future."

Yuan Sikong nodded again, his beautiful eyes were deep and smart, showing his ambition.

Feng Ye bit his lips with his white teeth, which were as fine as shells, and smiled: "You and I, one is a scholar and the other is a warrior, so we can accomplish great things."

Yuan Sikong also laughed. He knew that he was extremely talented, but since he had been living under someone else's roof, he dared not be arrogant at all. But Feng Ye was daring. Feng Ye's noble background allowed him to dare to think, dare to speak, and dare to do. He was very jealous.

——

After that day, the two of them became much closer. Feng Jianping's words "just little kids" were absolutely right, and they had long forgotten about the fight in the mud.

Yuan Sikong was going to work at the horse farm, and Feng Ye also liked the horse farm, so the two of them played at the horse farm every day. Of course, Yuan Sikong knew very well that playing with Feng Ye was more important than admiring horses.

That day, Yuan Sikong took Feng Ye to a stable and said mysteriously, "There will be something fun today."

Feng Ye's eyes lit up: "What's so fun?"

"The mare is about to give birth to a foal, do you want to see it?" Yuan Sikong looked excited.

"Look!" Feng Yexi asked, "How is it born?"

"How can I explain this? You will know once you see it." Yuan Sikong pulled Feng Ye into the stable.

I saw a mare lying on the ground, humming softly from her nose, her limbs restlessly pawing at the hay. Two people at the stable were surrounding the mare to deliver a baby.

The two of them walked over, and Feng Ye was a little nervous.

Yuan Sikong looked at it carefully and said, "The pregnancy time of a mare is about the same as that of a human. Usually, a mare can only give birth once a year. It's not easy to come across one."

As he was speaking, one of the midwives was helping while the other started to dig out the baby.

Feng Ye suddenly remembered what Yuan Shikong had done when he examined his horse that day. He frowned and said with disgust, "We have to come out from there too? How disgusting."

Yuan Sikong was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Feng Ye was a little embarrassed: "Yuan Sikong, what are you laughing at!"

Yuan Sikong pulled Feng Ye aside and said, "That place is different from this place."

Feng Ye was puzzled: "What's the difference?"

“Stallions and mares are different.”

Feng Ye frowned: "What's the difference?"

Yuan Sikong didn't expect Feng Ye to pursue him relentlessly, and he suddenly felt embarrassed. He was still young and ashamed to talk about the differences between men and women, even if it was about horses.

The midwife naturally understood what was said and couldn't help laughing. Feng Ye angrily said, "Don't laugh!"

Yuan Sikong blushed: "Mares can give birth to foals, but stallions can't, so they are different."

Feng Ye seemed to understand: "So when you marry a wife, you marry a woman."

There was a rude and bold midwife who, seeing that Feng Ye was young and had no guards around, actually teased, "Young prince, although men can't give birth, it's not that we can't..." Then he laughed softly.

Feng Ye was confused and a little angry: "I'll go ask my eldest brother."

"No way." Yuan Sikong said anxiously, "Don't ask."

"Why?"

"Anyway, don't ask. If you do, I won't play with you."

Feng Ye curled his lips: "If you don't want to ask, then don't ask."

Yuan Sikong didn't dare to take Feng Ye to watch any more, for fear of being asked more embarrassing questions, so he took Feng Ye to go horse racing.

After running around with the colts, Feng Ye had indeed forgotten all about the mare's birth. He also happened to run into Feng Liao who was at the horse farm for training.

Feng Lie led several of his personal soldiers to fight on horseback. They each held a long spear and rode against each other. The clatter of horses' hooves, the roars of the men and the sound of weapons clashing intertwined to create a small scene of fighting on the battlefield.

Yuan Sikong and Feng Ye squatted aside, watching intently.

When Feng Lie was resting, he sat next to Feng Ye, drank some rice wine to ward off the cold, and said with a smile, "Ye'er, how was the fight, big brother?"

"Brother is so awesome." Feng Ye said sincerely.

"This time when I go back, my father will let me lead the troops myself." The young man's eyes were full of ambition and heroism, and his tone was full of lofty aspirations.

Feng Yejian was even more excited than Feng Lie: "Really? Big brother can lead the troops himself!"

"Yeah." Feng Lie nodded vigorously.

Feng Ye blinked his eyes and said enviously, "Brother, when can I fight like you?"

Feng Lie smiled: "Wait until you... are taller than this horse." He rubbed Feng Ye's head affectionately.

"When will I be taller than this horse?"

"Don't be picky about food. Eat more vegetables."

Feng Ye was unhappy, so he jumped up, puffed out his chest, and said loudly: "A real man should eat beetle meat and drink Xiongnu blood, and only rabbits eat vegetables!"

Yuan Sikong couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Feng Ye was so angry that he said, "How dare you!"

Yuan Sikong had already called Feng Ye by his real name, and now he was not afraid of him at all.

Feng Lie also laughed out loud.

"Big brother also laughed at me!" Feng Ye was really angry, "Could it be that Ye'er won't grow up? Could it be that when Ye'er grows up, he can't lead troops to kill the enemy!"

Feng Lie took Feng Ye and let him sit on his lap, smiling and saying, "Of course Ye'er will grow up. When he grows up, he will certainly lead troops to kill enemies like his father and elder brother, and he will definitely become a famous general. But for now, you have to grow up well, study military tactics diligently, and practice martial arts diligently, right?"

Feng Ye nodded vigorously: "Yes!"

Yuan Sikong was very moved when he saw how young they were but how determined and serious they were in enfeoffment. The two sons of King Jingyuan were both so righteous and caring about the world. It was a blessing for all people to have the Feng Family Army around.