Standing on the emptied wharf outside Jiangling City, Zhou Huaian sighed slightly as he watched the tube-shaped object wrapped with tarpaulin carefully loaded and unloaded from the ship. The journey and beginning of the firearm age may begin here.
This time it was a batch of rockets. It is not the kind of fire arrow that is ignited with oil on the arrow, but a rocket that can burn or explode propelled by the propellant; it is probably similar to the Hale rocket that was popular on the battlefield in the mid-nineteenth century; it adopts a relatively mature application The hard paper body tube and thin iron skin medicine tip. Use nitro reed fiber to make embedded wooden spinal canal to delay fire.
The final mass-produced finished product is like a truncated big bamboo, about a thick bowl and a length of five feet six inches. The biggest feature of the period is the four spiral tail plates encircled by the iron sheet; it avoids the predecessor Kangri. The guide rod full of metaphysical hit probability of the Rocket constrains the curved range and dispersion range within a barely reasonable acceptable range; it is mainly used as a supplementary method for long-range projection of firepower in addition to the limited production of artillery.
Although this thing is simple to operate and has good environmental adaptability, a packhorse or other large animals can be tied up on both sides and walked. It only needs a bamboo guide track to launch it, or simply dig a shallow pit. Okay; but the requirements for the corresponding operators are not simple, and basic mathematical calculations, surveying and mapping, and the ability to fix distances are required.
But this also guarantees a certain technical threshold outside the Taiping Army. Even if it accidentally falls into the hands of other people, without more systematic use training and basic learning, it will not be able to exert any real lethality and hit rate at all.
In addition, some things that came from the same ship were filled with wax-sealed wooden barrels. They were gun charge (propellant) and explosive (explosive) that were separately formulated; although the application of artillery has just begun to take shape, the corresponding However, preparations and planning have already begun for the gunpowder manufacturing and production projects in China.
For example, the use of these gunpowder is some simple transitional firearms equipment; such as wooden cannons made by hollowing out the iron hoops in the trunk, or leather cannons made from leather cores; although they are consumables that cannot be used several times, However, the advantage lies in the wide range of sources and the convenience of local production; another example is the gunpowder cans thrown by individual soldiers and the paper medicine bags wrapped with iron slag and broken ceramic pieces.
These things are easier to use. The former only needs to pay attention to the amount of medicine; the latter can be equipped with one or two soldiers as long as they are trained in throwing. The main purpose is to play a substitute and supplementary effect in projected firepower where the enemy cannon can't keep up.
And when these relatively cross-age technical equipment have accumulated and reserved a certain base; it is time for the Taiping Army to launch an offensive again; at the time when such imagination is in full swing, someone suddenly reports:
"The people from the imperial court have arrived in Jingzhou..."
. . . . . . .
After the promotion of Jialu, Mu Haogu, who was re-appointed as the emissary of the edict, did not have the slightest joy and excitement on his white face.
He only felt that he had been pitted once again; it was not enough to venture out the envoy's lair once, so he had to do it a second time. And for the first time, he was driven away after being locked in a hotel and doing nothing for a while; this time he was going to face the head of the peaceful thief, known as a generation of demon monks, who possessed many weird tricks including bewitching people's hearts. Virtual monk.
This is no more than the vassals of the feudal towns who are more or less reliant on the righteousness of the imperial court. They are the anti-thief chiefs who have made a real sword and attacked the country. If there is a disagreement, they will be cut into flesh. The sauce or the probability of throwing it into a big pot and cooking to death.
Moreover, Liu Jurong, who was guarding the anti-thief in Xiangyang, might not be irritated by the court's will, but did something unwise toward the angels and his party; he had to make a detour.
As a representative of the imperial court and a member of the group of eunuchs, there may not be any life-threatening concerns; however, the imperial envoys and representatives are detained and placed under house arrest in disguised form to prevent their opponents from gaining access. The advantage is that it has been a common drama in the game between the court and the town since Zhenyuan.
And if his mission ends here to no avail, halfway through, it must be one of the results of the new eunuchs who rely on and rely on the father to act in the footsteps of Ouchi, who will be happy to see it; in this way, even if he is not taken The scapegoat and the price tag for negotiating with the Fanzhen were sacrificed, and he was released from prison in the future. After returning to Chang'an, it was no better than that.
Therefore, after leaving Wuguan and entering Shannan Road in the south, he abandoned the traditional old roads of gold, Shang, Jun and Xiang, which were relatively convenient for water transportation. Instead, he took the land route east to Deng, Tang, Sui, and Ying. Dao Jiangxi recruited Cao Quanzhu to rule, and the river was discharged from the Han River straight down to Fuzhou, and the tributary connected to the Yangtze River was re-watered and arrived in Jingzhou.
Therefore, the worries and worries who hurriedly hurriedly hurried and worried about this journey were overwhelmed, and Mu Haogu, who was originally known for his wealth, couldn't help but quickly lose weight in a circle in the past few days, revealing the outline of his cheekbone.
The process of being stopped by the navy of the grass thief and showing his identity did not have any accidents and twists that he imagined. It also allowed him to accumulate a lot of rehearsals and belly-drafts that Xiaoxiao would denounce the other party with righteousness and righteousness.
Before being trapped in a hotel, it was impossible to see how many grass thieves were, but the short time they came along this way was enough to make him feel very scared. The scene here is completely contrary to what the princes in the DPRK said; not only are there not many ruined and withered soldiers under the fire company, and the bones of the bandits outside the city who want to kill and robbery are exposed in the wild, on the contrary, there is also a group of busy and prosperous people. meteorological.
I saw that between the fields and the paddocks were full of laboring figures such as pulling cattle, carrying water, hoeing the ground, and digging ditches. On the roads and trails, the crowds of scholars and people were woven and there were few dishes. Although they are inevitably thin and thin, they are rare. The existence of unclothed bodies; even everyone in the Tao is in a hurry, but there is no anxiety and worry about living in a living, or a lifelessness and numbness under precariousness.
Even the thief soldiers patrolling in the road are full of red light and strong, and there is a sense of shocking and full of vitality in the well-dressed. When encountering people in groups, there will even be spontaneous greetings and few talks in awe. This is an unprecedented event under the imperial government.
However, there are still many things that surprised and unexpectedly made him.
For example, along the gravel avenue that has been swept away by ice and snow and is stacked on both sides separated by straws, there are more than carts, horses and horns full of gray-brown coal; river boats of all sizes are braving the still cold wind. Many shipboards are piled with frozen hard fish catches or other cargoes of unknown purpose.
Another example is the river channel brought in along the riverside, the huge water wheels lined up and many furnaces and workshops that emit fireworks all day long. The roaring noises of various forging and building langdang can be described as far and near. Smellable.
Mu Haogu even saw a group of big children sitting on the bald drying valley, basking in the rarely seen winter sun, while following a bald head, shaking their heads and singing in unison singing and thinking, crisp and childish. There is already a bit of order and order between the voices.
And the content of their raps and chants was vaguely heard in Mu Haogu's ears, but they were a little horrified but shuddered; because what these children were reading in unison was the sheer slander of the imperial court and the nonsense of rebelliousness.
"Good brother, good brother,
After the rebels turned over, the poor all over the world looked up;
Suppress injustices in the world, kill all harmful insects,
Eliminate corrupt officials and bullies, and sit still in peace. . . "
"Corrupt officials should not be rampant, and poor families should not be sad.
One day the clouds will clear up, and I will wait for Qingping to go down;
With a gun on your shoulder and a knife in your hand, let's fight the world;
When the rebels arrived, the government fell,
Local tyrants and evil gentry are not merciless, and corrupt officials and corrupt officials are all buried. . "
"The sun came out and the hall was bright, and the rebels were famous in all directions.
The poor follow to fight the world, and the powerful and evil gentry are wiped out. "
If it weren't for his extremely important mission, at this moment Mu Haogu just wanted to step forward to scold and teach these humble people who have no ruler or father and are determined to follow the thieves, regardless of decency and self-cultivation.
How can these ants and worm-like villains fail to understand the overall situation of the court and the long-term future? Why can’t they hide at home and wait for death from starvation or sickness after a disaster? Coming out in many generations to corrupt the world of the imperial court, so that the emperor and the princes of the court above the ninth level, are exhausted and unsettled at all times.
Then, Mu Haogu even saw the existence of some suspected scholars, either on the side of the road or on a construction site not far away; they stood among the sweaty crowds gesturing something, or rushing to and from sheds and seals In between; although the poor clothes are also patched, they have a different attitude and behavior from others.
Because of this kind of familiar and similar character style, he actually hadn't seen him less in Chang'an. That is because of the poor people who have gathered in Chaicao City between Yanxingmen and Shengdaofang because they have tried repeatedly and are destitute. They live in shacks built by the poor indiscriminately.
Because they lacked food and clothing to describe their withered appearance, they were also called "Lu Chai Jing" by the people of Chang'an; almost every winter, they would freeze to death and die of illness; especially in the past few years, the imperial court’s financial plan has gradually deteriorated, even the Imperial Palace. He Taixue is unable to maintain, and their daily life is not easy.
But the suspected poor people here, although their faces are still frozen blue and white or sallow and dry, but they don't have the usual sadness and gloomy resentment, instead they have a color of vitality and cheer up.
And Mu Haogu could only sigh helplessly about this, and even his thoughts of scolding and cursing were weakened. Since even Xiaoyi's sages and sages cannot be changed, how many people who read books and know rituals are willing to degenerate, then only let the sword of the king let people understand what is the way of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism.
At this moment, he suddenly felt a bit sympathetic and sympathetic to those who had been repeatedly impeached by the Qingliu and Naomin as indiscriminate killings and cruel defenders and generals. These people who don't want to be loyal to the monarchy and only use small gains and small harms to drive the thieves, it is really not enough to kill the whole family is not enough to clear the hearts of the people in the world.
However, when he arrived at the bottom of Jiangling City, he couldn't help but burned with anger. Because Mu Haogu saw a new big ship approaching on the pier, as well as merchants who were clearly dressed in furs and robes coming down from the ship, and passengers covered in silk and brocade.
The former has always been known for speculation and profiteering. Even at the risk of being robbed by thieves and being liquidated by the government, it is not surprising to appear in the grass thieves. But between the latter's gestures, even if it was broken and turned into a gray and old age, it could be recognized; if it was not an official family, it was from the background and relationship of a certain family.
When he was in Chang'an and Xiao Yang's Secret Mansion, he had already seen many people of all kinds; but he did not expect that when he arrived in the southern part of the official family or aristocratic family, some people would openly kill these officials. The rebellious grass thieves commuted for a while.
Suddenly he didn't have much room for anger and standpoint, and became a kind of faint panic. It seems that he has accidentally discovered an incredible truth. Why did the imperial court's situation outside Hunan and Ling collapse and sink so completely? Is it possible that besides the decadence of the officers and the army and the incompetence of the generals, it is also related to the unintelligible families in these places
However, in the ensuing time, in accordance with the additional instructions of Xiao Yang, he focused and worked hard to record the scenery of the place under the rule of the grass thief, Mu Haogu; but he was not taken to the hotel or official residence in the city, but was cited. Arrived in a schoolyard outside the city.
This couldn't help but make Mu Haogu suddenly two battles and heavy and secretly screaming, even the thoughts and lobbying words he had previously thought about were forgotten seven or eight eight; is it that these grass thieves have no intention of negotiating, And why don't you just kill yourself to sacrifice Qi Mingzhi first? (End of this chapter)