"The barbarians created the flintlock rifle!"
This news surprised Fu Xiaoguan slightly.
The First Brigade of the Divine Sword destroyed the barbarians' arsenal at the cost of two thousand people. He originally thought that this move could delay the replication of flintlock rifles for at least half a year, but now it seems that he underestimated the power of the barbarians.
Then the research and development of the second-generation flintlock rifle must be accelerated.
In Fu Xiaoguan's plan, the second generation of flintlock rifles will be produced in the Wu Dynasty and equipped to the Wu Dynasty's army... He has not changed his mind for the time being.
Because although the barbarians have invented flintlock rifles, their production capacity is necessarily limited. A barbarian army consists of 100,000 people, so it is considered good if they can equip 3,000 guns.
Emperor Xuan gave him a group of craftsmen from the Ministry of Works, who were assigned to the Pingling Arsenal.
The arsenals in Xishan and Pingling can now produce 5,000 flintlock rifles every month, and their popularity rate far exceeds that of the barbarians, so after a moment of silence, he felt relieved.
"In the battle of Canglangyuan, Tuoba Ying will definitely lose. I hope he can kill more barbarians before he loses."
Yu Wentian nodded. "The Eastern Frontier Army currently possesses 4,000 flintlock rifles. I have already deployed 30,000 men to form a mountain division. Give me those rifles as quickly as possible!"
Fu Xiaoguan laughed and said, "You're probably overthinking it. According to His Majesty's order, the subsequent production of flintlock rifles will prioritize the northern border troops."
He raised his glass to Yu Wentian, and the two drank together. He continued, "The Yi people certainly wouldn't dare attack Waqiao Pass right now. Besides, your eastern border troops now possess a full 400 red-coated cannons. The Yi people are already frightened by them, so how could they dare to act rashly? On the other hand, in the north... although the northern border troops have expanded to 400,000, the barbarian cavalry cannot be underestimated!"
Yu Wentian glared at Fu Xiaoguan but was helpless. He understood this logic, but as a commander-in-chief, he certainly hoped that his men would be strong and powerful.
"My fifth brother, how is he doing in the Excalibur Army now?"
"Yu Wendao is a martial arts expert. I'm not being partial to him. He's excelled in training and is now the commander of the Fourth Divine Sword Brigade."
After hearing this, Yu Wentian was silent for a while, then he sighed deeply, "If it were me, I would also be willing to accept that training... Forget it, let's drink!"
The four of them drank a cup together. Yu Wentian looked at Xi Xunmei and said, "You still can't let it go."
Xi Xunmei twisted the bottle and poured a glass of wine for the three of them. She smiled bitterly and said, "After all, I've lived in Jinling for so many years. I thought even if I retired, I would be able to enjoy a glorious life. But I didn't expect that to happen... How can I let it go?"
Yu Wentian laughed, "You haven't seen through it. A dead tree will sprout again when spring comes. You've been sitting in the position of Minister of Justice for nearly ten years. The next step up is at most the position of Vice Minister of State Affairs vacated by Qin Huizhi.
Rather than spending your whole life in that temple, I think it would be better to come out. Maybe you can find your true value, just like me."
Yu Wentian toasted Xi Xunmei and said, "I feel happy every day since I left that cage. Even when the barbarians attacked Lanling City, I slept soundly because I felt that all this was real."
Xi Xunmei was suddenly shocked. Of course he knew Yu Wentian.
The eldest prince had been fighting openly and secretly with the fourth prince for the throne of the Eastern Palace for many years. Yu Wentian even tried to recruit him, but after the incident at the Imperial Mausoleum, he was sent to the Eastern Border Army by His Majesty.
He is not dead!
In the eyes of many ministers in the court, this is a huge hidden danger!
Including Xi Xunmei, he was once extremely worried that Yu Wentian would gather his own troops and turn against him for the sake of imperial power.
But now after listening to Yu Wentian's words, Xi Xunmei knew that she had overthought. This eldest prince had really given up the idea of fighting for power.
So, he escaped from the cage and was reborn.
But I am still trapped in that cage and have not been freed yet.
Ning Yuchun poured a glass of wine for the two of them. Instead of trying to persuade Xi Xunmei, he talked about Qin Mowen.
"Brother Mo Wen had a family tragedy, and he sent me a letter. I thought he would express his inner pain in this letter, but in fact, there was not a single word.
He was talking about Guanxi Road. Now, in the two pilot counties of Fengzhou and Yinzhou in Guanxi Road, the work of attracting investment is proceeding in an orderly manner. The effect is not very significant, but it has attracted dozens of businessmen of all sizes.
His letter was filled with hope. He firmly believed that Guanxi Province would get better and better. He believed that if he was given five years, he would be able to move Guanxi Province from the second-to-last of the fourteen provinces of the Yu Dynasty to at least the top six.
Ning Yuchun glanced at Fu Xiaoguan as he spoke, and smiled, "Brother Mo Wen said... that he received the most instruction from Master Qin Bingzhong since childhood, but later on was greatly influenced by you, especially the line 'There will always be a time to ride the wind and waves, to set sail and cross the vast ocean,' which spurred him on."
"He also said, 'I don't believe I can't defeat Fu Xiaoguan, hahahaha!'"
Ning Yuchun laughed heartily and raised his glass to Fu Xiaoguan. "Lord Ding'an, Brother Mo Wen said that next time we meet, he wants to compete in two things: your drinking capacity, and your political achievements. I don't know about your political achievements, but your drinking capacity is far worse than Brother Mo Wen's. Come, let's have a drink first to cultivate our spirits!"
Fu Xiaoguan smiled, shook his head and raised his glass. He naturally understood what Qin Mowen meant.
This guy was quite experienced. He did not write directly to him, but wrote to Ning Yuchun. He expressed his gratitude to him through Ning Yuchun's mouth.
This glass of wine is offered by Ning Yuchun on behalf of Qin Mowen, so you must drink it.
Fu Xiaoguan then changed the subject:
"Daoqiao shares have already been raised, and the Sitong Bank branch in Wofeng City is also operating normally. Taking over the road construction is a major event for Wofeng Road..."
Fu Xiaoguan thought for a moment, took out a map from his pocket and placed it on the table: "From Wofeng City to Lanling County, the official road is more than 870 miles long. But we have to take Qizhou and Qingzhou into consideration, take a look."
His hand fell on the map. "This section of Wofengyuan is flat and easier to repair, but to leave Wofengyuan, you must cross Jinyang Mountain to reach Jinyang, a major town in Qizhou. This mountain road... will take some work. The original pass must be widened by at least ten feet."
After leaving Jinyang Mountain, everything will be fine. From Jinyang to Qiyun City, the capital of Qizhou, and then to Daqiu, and from Daqiu to Huolan City, the capital of Qingzhou, the road is basically smooth. "
Fu Xiaoguan paused and looked up at Ning Yuchun. "So the three prefectures need to proceed simultaneously, and you will be responsible for the section from Wofeng City out of Jinyang Mountain. This is the first phase of road construction. After this main road is completed, we will have to build several branch lines based on the commercialization level of the counties under the jurisdiction of each prefecture."
“The transportation network will only be complete once all branch lines and main roads are connected.”
"This will probably take five years!"
Fu Xiaoguan's last words were meaningful. Ning Yuchun understood what Fu Xiaoguan meant and nodded cautiously.
Yu Wentian looked at Fu Xiaoguan in surprise, asked nothing, and drank a glass of wine alone.
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