Chapter 150
The sky was clear and blue. The neighing of horses could be heard from afar, trampling the fallen leaves on the roadside. The birds in the forest were startled and chirped.
Wei Huan pulled the reins, and with a "whoosh", the horse stopped galloping. He looked towards the city gate in front of him.
"Sir, we have arrived at Qingquan County." The guard also stopped his horse, said something to Wei Huan, then dismounted and walked towards the soldiers at the city gate.
Wei Huan still sat on his horse, waiting for the guards to negotiate with the soldiers.
After a while, the guards and soldiers came over, "Sir, please come this way. County Magistrate Lin has been waiting for a long time."
"Oh? Why doesn't he come to see me?" Wei Huan asked sideways, fiddling with the whip in his hand leisurely.
"This... County Magistrate Lin..." The soldier did not expect him to ask this question and did not know how to answer for a moment.
At this time, a group of people came here in a hurry. Lu Yuechuan, the leader, bowed and said, "Greetings, sir. You have worked hard on the way. I have arranged food and accommodation for you. You should take a rest first..."
"It's true that seeing is believing for Lu Jiazi. However, it seems that Magistrate Lin is really busy. He hasn't shown up even now. Given our friendship, why wouldn't he come to see me?"
Lu Yuechuan didn't know what his relationship with Lin Shuge was like in the past, but seeing this situation, he could only say, "Sir, the master has gone to the trial field and is waiting for you to come over."
"Really? Then let's go to the trial field. I want to see what he said in the letter." After saying that, he raised his chin and motioned Lu Yuechuan to lead the way.
Lu Yuechuan was unsure of the situation between the two, and secretly complained about his boss for not telling him earlier. He could only say yes, then he mounted his horse and led his group towards the trial field.
The trial field was on high alert, and Lin Shuge was watching everyone prepare all the gunpowder.
"Brother, I'm ready." Xie Chen's leisurely voice sounded.
Lin Shuge turned around and said, "It's just right. Xiangli Valley is also ready. Young Master Wei should be here soon. I asked Ah Chuan to take people to greet him. I don't know if he has arrived yet."
"Maybe he's trying to make things difficult for County Magistrate Lu." Xie Chen whispered.
“As for you, Young Master Wei is easy-going and not that kind of person.” Lin Shuge pinched his face and said helplessly.
Xie Chen curled his lips and did not comment.
"Sir, County Magistrate Lu sent someone to tell you that Young Master Wei is coming to the trial field." A soldier came running to report.
"I see." Although Lin Shuge was confused, he didn't say anything, thinking that Wei Huan and his party were eager to see gunpowder.
At the trial site, Xiang Ligu and Fang Yuan seemed to be arguing about something. When Lin Shuge heard them, he called them over and asked, "What's going on, you two?"
Xiang Ligu didn't say anything. Fang Yuan hesitated a little, "Your Excellency promised me before that you would recommend me to Envoy Wei. It just so happens that Young Master Wei is here this time, so Your Excellency can..."
Xiang Li Gu opened his mouth to interrupt him, but Lin Shu Ge waved his hand and said, "I will do what I promised you. When I reported the gunpowder incident to Envoy Wei, I explained your and Xiang Li Gu's contributions. But if you want to talk to Master Wei in person, I can give you a chance."
"Thank you, sir." Fang Yuan was overjoyed. He bowed to Lin Shuge and went to see the buried gunpowder happily.
Lin Shuge found it funny. Fang Yuan was an alchemist. Most alchemists of this era pursued immortality and becoming immortals. He must be feeling uncomfortable having the furnace blow up every day during this period, so he had to let him do his old job.
However, Master Wei himself was not interested in becoming an immortal, so Fang Yuan estimated that he would return empty-handed.
Just as he was thinking, he heard a burst of hurried horse hooves sounds. Lin Shuge turned around and saw Wei Huan riding a horse towards him, followed by Lu Yuechuan and others.
He glanced at Xie Chen, who nodded reluctantly, and he hurried forward to greet him.
"Greetings, sir." Lin Shuge bowed.
Wei Huan dismounted and looked at him with a half-smile, "Lin County Magistrate is really easy to find. I thought that given our relationship, Lin County Magistrate would come to meet me in person, but who knew... Alas, I was too self-righteous."
The autumn wind blew, bringing a hint of coolness. Lin Shuge touched the goose bumps on his arms and looked at Wei Huan, who was acting well. "Young Master, you are joking."
Wei Huan frowned and saw Xie Chen standing next to Lin Shuge. "Captain Wei is here too. I haven't seen you for a few years. You look even more handsome and elegant."
"Thank you for your kind words, sir." Xie Chen replied.
Lin Shuge had no idea what he was talking about, and looked at Lu Yuechuan with a puzzled look. Lu Yuechuan gave him a helpless expression, so he had no choice but to say, "Sir, we have prepared the gunpowder. Do you want to see it now?"
"Of course. Then we have Magistrate Lin to help." Wei Huan strode ahead. Lin Shuge, Xiang Ligu and others gave a few instructions and followed.
Wei Huan stood with his hands behind his back, watching several soldiers in the distance put something on the catapult. The thing looked round and seemed to be made of iron.
"That's gunpowder?" Wei Huan asked.
"There is gunpowder inside and a layer of pig iron outside. We call it a thunder bomb." Lin Shuge explained.
"Sky-shaking thunder?" Wei Huan raised the corner of his lips, "Then I want to see how it works."
Xiangli Gu made a gesture to the soldiers over there, and the soldiers lit the fuse and threw the thunder bomb out with the catapult. The sound was like thunder, and the deafening sound seemed to penetrate the ears. The ground under their feet also shook. In the distance, where the thunder bomb landed, thick dust was raised, almost blocking the eyes.
The air was suddenly filled with the smell of gunpowder. Wei Huan's ears were numb from the shock, and his hands were shaking with excitement. He came from a prominent family and had been to the battlefield with his father before. He knew what effect this thing would have if used on the battlefield. He really wanted to see how the enemy would be terrified.
"Good, good, it really is the Sky-shaking Bomb." He walked to the front of the big pit caused by the Sky-shaking Bomb, clapped his hands and laughed, "Lin County Magistrate, seeing is believing. Although I believe what you said in the letter, it is still not as shocking as seeing it with my own eyes. You have concealed it so well."
"Young master, you have misunderstood. The gunpowder I asked people to make at that time was not stable, so I did not dare to present this dangerous thing to Envoy Wei. It was just a fluke that I was able to use it to repel the enemy. After testing it step by step, I told Envoy Wei and Young Master about it." Lin Shuge's heart trembled, and he bowed to him quickly.
"What are you afraid of? I don't blame you." Wei Huan helped him up and said softly.
"Sir, would you like to see the musket? My soldiers can't wait to let you see it." Xie Chen said, standing next to Lin Shuge.
Wei Huan said coldly: "What good stuff has Wei Duwei prepared? Is it stronger than the Thunder Bomb?"
“It’s not that powerful, it’s just another way of using gunpowder. My brother used it to save me from a powerful enemy.” Xie Chen said casually.
"I see, I must come and see it," Wei Huan's smile deepened, "But I heard that the guard captain is brave and good at fighting, why does he need my brother to save him on the battlefield?"
"Young Master, the thunder bomb just now actually wrapped gunpowder inside, and the fuse was ignited to make it explode. The musket this time uses the momentum after the gunpowder explosion to send the projectile out. Therefore, like the crossbow, it is very suitable for long-range combat." Lin Shuge held down the restless Xie Chen and steered the confusing topic back to the right track.
When Wei Huan heard his words, he smiled and said, "Oh? If it's such a divine weapon, the captain of the guards should have someone take a look at it."
Xie Chen said coldly: "Young Master, you must take a good look at it later."
“We’ll see.”
Lin Shuge was frowning, while Lu Yuechuan watched the show with a gloating look, considering that Wei Huan was still there, otherwise he would have asked Lin Shuge about the relationship between this Master Wei and them.
He Xin and several soldiers waited for a long time but received no news. Finally, Xie Chen sent someone to tell them that they could start. He Xin then led his men on horseback and marched out with muskets in hand.
"What is this?" Wei Huan asked Lin Shuge when he saw a group of people coming out.
"You will know soon, sir." Xie Chen said first.
Wei Huan opened his mouth, too angry to speak. Lin Shuge glared at Xie Chen, but Xie Chen was visibly happy. He made a gesture to He Xin, and He Xin led his men towards the targets.
These targets were different from the usual archery targets. They were stone slabs. Several soldiers were seen holding muskets. At He Xin's command, several violent impact sounds were heard. The smoke produced by the explosion of gunpowder filled the air, and the bullets shot towards the stone slabs in the distance like meteors. The speed was so fast that Wei Huan was stunned.
With a few "bangs", the stone slab was penetrated by the bullets, several obvious holes appeared in front of everyone, and the stone slab was also shattered.
"Is this a musket?" Wei Huan was extremely shocked. "Lin County Magistrate, this thing is indeed much more powerful than a bow and arrow."
"But you can see, sir, it takes time to install bullets in a musket. If the enemy has archers, they can shoot arrows to disrupt the soldiers while they are installing bullets. This is also one of the shortcomings of the musket. In addition to this, the amount and concentration of gunpowder are still being tested step by step. Although the material of the musket has been changed and the bamboo tube has been replaced with copper and iron, the barrel will still explode when the soldiers use it." Lin Shuge listed the shortcomings of the musket one by one.
"Therefore, I thought that there are many talented people in the county magistrate's office, and maybe they can make further improvements on this basis. But now the situation with the Huns is critical, so we can only make more muskets and thunder bombs like this to gain the upper hand on the battlefield. The Huns, like the Qiang people, have never seen such weapons. We should scare them first so that they dare not rashly invade the border." Lin Shuge said slowly. The development of gunpowder did not happen overnight, but it had already made the muskets and thunder bombs of later generations appear in this era. Any more subtle changes would be left to future generations.
"What Magistrate Lin said is true. With these things here, the Xiongnu will probably have a headache first." Wei Huan stepped forward and took a musket from He Xin. "Is this where the gunpowder is stored?"
Lin Shuge replied, "Yes, sir, the gunpowder burning here can shoot the bullets out of the gun, and the range can reach 150 steps."
Wei Huan was eager to try with his gun in hand. Seeing this, Lin Shuge could only say, "Young Master, you should take a rest after the long journey. I have prepared a better gift for you and will present it to you tomorrow."
Wei Huan's smile deepened. In his heart, he forgot about the fact that Lin Shuge had not come to greet him in person. He smiled provocatively at Xie Chen, then turned around and took his men back to the post station.
Xie Chen smiled back disdainfully, looking completely magnanimous. Lin Shuge looked at their expressions and twitched his lips, "Zhongxuan, what are you doing..."
"Some people become cocky when they get a good thing from my brother. They have no vision." Xie Chen raised his head and disagreed.
Lin Shuge looked up at the sky in silence, gave a few instructions to Xiangli Valley and pulled Xie Chen back to prevent him from saying anything shocking again. Didn't he see that there was Lu Yuechuan who was blatantly eating melons behind him?
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