Chapter 171
"Three armies?" Lu Yuechuan was amazed. "Your Majesty is trying to accomplish something that will last forever. If it succeeds, it will be a great achievement for generations to come. The young emperor is really courageous."
"This is what Zhongxuan said in the letter. Marquis Jingyuan personally led an army of 200,000 to Dingyuan County. Adding the original strength of the Duwei Mansion, it can be said that this battle will decide life and death. The officers and soldiers of the Duwei Mansion are all preparing for battle. I think they will go out soon." Lin Shuge said.
"It seems that General Wei's battle at Huposhan has indeed greatly boosted the confidence of the lords in Yandu."
"Otherwise, Zhongxuan would not have been allowed to lead a large army to go on the expedition. However, Envoy Wei's southern army is more responsible for the supply of military supplies. Envoy Wei has been in Dingyuan County for many years, so it is indeed appropriate for him to command the military equipment." Lin Shuge said after thinking for a moment.
"I heard that the small countries around the Xiongnu were so scared when they heard that Dayan had deployed troops on the border that they sent envoys to express their willingness to submit to Dayan." Lu Yuechuan said with a smile.
These small countries once sided with the Xiongnu because they were intimidated by their strength. Now, seeing the strength of Dayan, they want to change their backers. The survival of small countries has always relied on playing both sides between big countries. It is not surprising that Lin Shuge thought of the operations of small countries in later generations.
"The battle hasn't even started yet. Aren't they afraid that the Huns will find out about their tricks and then seek revenge on them? The law of the jungle prevails, and even if you want to curry favor with someone, you have to choose the right time." Lin Shuge frowned.
"Sir, we are not the only ones who know about General Wei's battle at Huposhan. The small countries have also heard about it. Muxie Chanyu led a large army to besiege Zhao Duwei, but was defeated by a small general. Now this young general is going to lead troops to fight again. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that he is another rising star. If he does not surrender to Dayan today, he may see General Wei at the prisoner offering ceremony tomorrow."
Lu Yuechuan was proud of it. Lin Shuge smiled and shook his head. The people of the Northwest had suffered from the Huns for a long time, and so had the officials. If this serious problem could be solved, the people of the Northwest would be able to live and work in peace.
"But I think the County Governor's Office can take this opportunity to re-establish contact with the countries in the Western Regions. If we can really drive the Xiongnu out of the border of Great Yan, we may be able to recreate the glory of the previous dynasty in the Western Regions." Lu Yuechuan became more and more excited as he spoke, and he couldn't wait to see such a scene. "By then, I may be able to travel to the Western Regions with the envoys of various countries and see the scenery of the Western Regions recorded in the history books of the previous dynasty."
Lin Shuge tapped him with the book in his hand, "Wake up, Lord Lu, you still have to deal with the taxation, household registration, and recommendation of various villages. Where is your mind flying to?"
"Has your Excellency never thought about this? I used to like traveling to famous mountains and rivers. After meeting you, I thought about stopping and doing something for the country and the people. But if the northwest is stable, there will be someone more suitable than me. Then I will resign and go west..."
"Resign?" Lin Shuge frowned, "Are you sure you want to say this in front of me?"
Lu Yuechuan finally came back to his senses, gave an embarrassed smile, and lowered his head to continue his work.
Lin Shuge smiled and wrote a letter back to Xie Chen, reminding him to be careful and remember to reply.
Xie Chen was inspecting the musket team with Lao Zhang. In the Battle of Huposhan, other people only knew that his soldiers fought one against five, but he knew that this battle was not only because of the initiative, but also due to the power of gunpowder. In particular, the musket team under Lao Zhang played a big role in the attack on the left wing of the Xiongnu, so the loss of gunpowder was naturally the highest.
"General, He Xin has already set off for Qingquan County. The craftsmen under Lord Lin are really amazing. The gunpowder they make is not just for us. But Lord Lin is still thinking about you, general. Otherwise..." Old Zhang grinned. He felt that he had a heart-to-heart talk with his general, and said everything he wanted to say regardless of Xie Chen's cold eyes.
"Military supplies will also be sent down from the Duwei Mansion and the County Magistrate's Mansion. Try to avoid the ones sent by my brother to avoid trouble." Xie Chen gave instructions, and when he heard a soldier coming to report that the general had a request, he headed for the Duwei Mansion.
He walked through the military camp, where soldiers were training outside with loud shouts and cries. When he arrived at the Duwei Mansion, he could see generals and soldiers training in the courtyard and could hear sporadic artillery fire.
In the mansion, Marquis Jingyuan was sitting on a chair with his horse and sword in his arms, talking with the quartermaster. When he saw Xie Chen coming, he waved his hand and asked his attendants to leave.
"I heard in Yandu that you and the magistrate of Qingquan County invented a new weapon called gunpowder, which played a big role in destroying the Shaoliang tribe. Later, the Wei envoy and the Zhao commander reported the method of making this weapon and the damage in the war to Yandu, which shocked all the civil and military officials in the court."
The advent of gunpowder, a hot weapon, may not be a dimensionality reduction blow in this era when cold weapons were mostly used, but its lethality is definitely astonishing.
"I heard that you formed a musketeer team?" Jingyuan Hou asked again.
Xie Chen replied, "Yes, during the Battle of Pingxiang, the craftsmen's skills in making muskets were not perfect, and they were improved later to produce the current muskets. In order to take precautions, and because muskets are indeed extremely powerful, County Magistrate Lin and I formed a musket team to prepare for emergencies." "County Magistrate Lin?" Marquis Jingyuan smiled heartily, "When I first met him, I felt that this boy was extraordinary. All the new gadgets in Yandu today are made by him, right?"
Xie Chen nodded, "I haven't thanked the general for protecting my brother back then."
"It's just a small matter. I know his character well. Everything he did was for the people. He deserves the title of upright and selfless. I heard that General Wei was saved by him?" Marquis Jingyuan looked at Xie Chen with sharp eyes.
Xie Chen said: "I was once harmed by someone, but was saved by my brother. Without him, I would never be who I am today."
His voice was gentle yet firm. Jingyuan Hou thought that the two of them really had a good relationship and patted his shoulder happily. "It's your good fortune, General Wei. If you have any difficulties in the future, you can come to me. I had an old friend who was framed and his entire family suffered. I thought all his family members were killed..."
Xie Chen listened quietly, his heart was filled with turmoil, but on the surface he acted as if the old friend mentioned by Marquis Jingyuan had nothing to do with him.
While observing his expression, Marquis Jingyuan said, "But later I discovered that my old friend's most proud grandchild actually escaped and survived, and even relied on his own abilities to rise step by step and make great achievements."
Xie Chen lowered his head to drink tea, his knuckles turning white from clenching his fists. He endured it and said after a while, "I wonder what the general means by saying this?"
Jingyuan Hou sighed and said gently, "I just think he is a bit like you."
"General, you are joking. I am of humble origin. The general's old friends are all outstanding people. I am naturally not comparable to them." Xie Chen stood up and said respectfully.
He lowered his eyes. From Marquis Jingyuan's position, he couldn't see his expression clearly. He could only see the young man in front of him with his back straight, like a taut bowstring.
"General Wei, there is no need to be so modest. I asked you to come here today because I want to borrow your vanguard officer. My soldiers are naturally not as good as you in using gunpowder. The war is imminent, so I would like to ask him to come and give me some advice." Marquis Jingyuan changed the subject and said slowly.
"I'll ask him to come to the Duwei Mansion later." Xie Chen said.
Seeing that he was not willing to listen, Marquis Jingyuan could only say, "Don't worry. If you have time, why don't you accompany me to see the training situation? Although Yandu also has training on gunpowder, since this thing comes from Qingquan County, you should know how to use it better."
Xie Chen responded by saying yes, and the two of them came to the training ground.
The training ground was filled with noises like thunder. The "bang bang" sound of gunpowder explosions could be heard from a long distance away, mixed with Lao Zhang's roars.
Marquis Jingyuan and Xie Chen stood in the distance, watching a line of soldiers riding past, all holding copper-barreled muskets in their hands. The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and the sound of horse hooves. The soldiers half-crouched on their horses, aiming at targets in the distance. First there was the sound of gunpowder exploding in the distance, followed by a few "whoosh" sounds, and the sharp bullets went straight through the target, leaving deep marks on the target made of iron sheet.
"Your marksmanship is indeed excellent." Marquis Jingyuan shouted loudly.
Old Zhang looked up and saw Jingyuan Hou and Xie Chen in the distance. He said, "You guys continue practicing," and then rode his horse towards them.
"Greetings, General Wei." Lao Zhang saluted. Since there were outsiders around, he looked honest and reliable.
"Is this your vanguard officer?" Marquis Jingyuan looked at Xie Chen and said.
"Vanguard officer Zhang Su greets the general." Old Zhang said loudly, his voice was loud and full of enthusiasm.
"Good, very impressive. Seeing it in person is worse than hearing about it." Marquis Jingyuan praised loudly with joy in his voice.
Xie Chen looked at the two of them and saw that they hit it off immediately. He raised his eyebrows but said nothing.
"Are you training in close combat?" asked Marquis Jingyuan.
"Replying to the general, it is a close combat. Most of my soldiers use firearms. In close combat with the Huns, as long as your marksmanship is accurate, one shot can kill one person." Lao Zhang said arrogantly, but Jingyuan Hou was happy to hear it. Lao Zhang secretly winked at Xie Chen for a long time, and then took Jingyuan Hou to see the effect of the thunder bomb.
Xie Chen could only quickly catch up with them. The training ground here was very open, with billowing dust and smoke and deafening explosions.
There was a loud "boom" and the ground beneath his feet seemed to be shaking. Marquis Jingyuan was shocked, and his expression was the same as that of other people who saw the thunder bomb for the first time, a little stunned.
"This is the result of the craftsmen's repeated experiments," Xie Chen explained.
"No wonder there is a difference with the one in Yandu. Where are the craftsmen?" Marquis Jingyuan was very worried and asked Xie Chen.
"Both the County Magistrate's Office and the Commandant's Office have the formula for the Sky-shaking Thunder. If you want to see it, you can ask the craftsmen to come and ask."
"In that case, let them come to see me later." Marquis Jingyuan said after thinking for a moment.
Several more thunder bombs were thrown out, and the entire training ground was filled with smoke and dust. Marquis Jingyuan looked at it for a long time before he smiled, "This is God's help."
Xie Chen whispered a few words to Lao Zhang, then followed Marquis Jingyuan in a few steps.
"During this period, I have ordered the soldiers to train hard and get used to each other as soon as possible. When we face the Huns, I want to see how little Mu Xie will compete." He laughed out loud.
Jingyuan Hou was over 70 years old and in good spirits. He patted Xie Chen on the shoulder and said, "Let's go, Erlang."
The sound of gunpowder explosion was loud. Xie Chen doubted whether he had heard it clearly. He raised his eyes to look at Jingyuan Hou, and saw that he seemed to have said nothing and had walked a long way. Xie Chen pursed his lips and followed him.
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