Fenghou

Chapter 1289 Clues
Early the next morning, Pi Xiangyang found Tang Qi, the new director of the Gunpowder Bureau. Tang Qi was sixty years old and had a lot of experience. He was originally the deputy director of gunpowder in the Liao Kingdom. After attacking the Song Dynasty, he returned to Yanshan Mansion, and was later employed by Jin Guo as a gunpowder maker. He retired last year and was invited by Wan Yanchang to Daming Mansion to be in charge of gunpowder production.

"I read the information overnight, and I found that the gunsmith gave the reason that we and the Western Army have different types of gunpowder, so we can't make iron fire mines. Does Director Tang think it's possible?"

Tang Qi sneered and said: "That's the excuse they couldn't make Tie Huolei. Even Marshal Du didn't believe what they said, but there was nothing he could do. Yang Jingong found some clues before, but unfortunately he was burned to death. I suspect He was killed by spies from the Western Army."

"Is it really possible that the two types of saltpetre are different?" Pi Xiangyang continued to ask.

"I make gunpowder. How could I not know? Let's put it this way! The gunpowder I made is exactly the same as the gunpowder made by the Song Dynasty Gunpowder Bureau. In the first year of Jingkang, Li Gang had already made iron fire thunder. It’s a squib, and one out of ten can explode at most. This may be a problem with the casting of the iron shell, but there is no problem with the gunpowder, but maybe the gunpowder formula will be slightly adjusted, and I don’t know the details.”

Pi Xiangyang said again: "I read the information that I got an iron fire mine before, but later all the tests were used up, and it was not developed. Could it be a fake iron fire mine, leading us to take a detour .”

"Your suspicion is very likely, because the gunpowder maker who saw the iron fire thunder told me that the powder of gunpowder is very fine, as fine as dust. I think it is wrong. According to my experience, the finer the gunpowder, the more it burns." The speed of fire is not fast, if there are some loose particles, it will burn faster, but I don’t make firearms, so I don’t have the right to speak, although I understand a little bit in my heart, I can’t say anything!”

"I see, thank you, Manager Tang!"

Tang Qi smiled and said, "Marshal Du asked you to get the formula and samples of Tiehuolei, where are you going to start?"

Pi Xiangyang said lightly: "Based on my understanding of the Western Army, it is almost impossible to obtain the formula and Iron Fire Thunder from any Western Army. I want to find a way from the user's direction, or make Iron Fire Thunder As long as I search carefully, I will definitely gain something."

"Not bad! Not bad! I can give you a clue."

Pi Xiangyang cheered up, and hurriedly said: "Please enlighten me, Director Tang!"

"At that time, the Tokyo Firearms Bureau made the iron fire mine, but it was not taken seriously, and all of them were destroyed. The drawings and formulas are gone, but what about the craftsmen of the Firearms Bureau at that time?

In the second year of Jianyan, when I was about to return to Yanshan Mansion, I met two gunpowder craftsmen from the Tokyo Firearms Bureau. They were from Taiyuan Mansion. After Bianliang City was broken, they also returned to their hometown. Wu, they should have participated in the development of Tiehuolei, but after twenty years, I don't know if they are still alive, they should be about [-] years old now, and I don't know which county they are in Taiyuan Prefecture, However, there may be information in the old official archives, and there may be hope to find the two of them. "

Pi Xiangyang nodded and said, "Perhaps this is a loophole in Chen Qing's hundred secrets."

Zhong Huan led [-] elite troops to Taiyuan City in three groups.

Although Jin Guo's spies exist independently in Jingzhao, Taiyuan does not. Taiyuan City is the location of the intelligence headquarters of the entire Yongwang District.

This is also the reform that Pi Xiangyang carried out after he became the intelligence chief. To avoid the edge of the Western Army's internal guards, ten spies were placed in Jingzhao, each of which had a single-line contact with Pi Xiangyang.

Chong Huan saw Niu Gao, the military envoy of the Hedong Road, and Niu Gao immediately lent the old military envoy's government office to Zhong Huan for use, and promised that he could send troops to assist Zhong Huan at any time.

But the first thing Chong Huan had to do was to visit the Wangji fur shop in the south of the city. Lu Mengda and Wang Jinniu both confessed that the Wangji fur shop was Jin Bing's intelligence terminal in Taiyuan.

However, Zhong Huan didn't hold out much hope. Since Lu Mengda and others were arrested, the Taiyuan Intelligence Center must have changed location.

Sure enough, the door of Wangji fur shop was closed, with a big iron lock hanging outside, and a shop closing notice was pasted on the door, because of poor management, the small shop closed down, I am ashamed of all the old customers.

Zhong Huan immediately sent several men to monitor the shop, and arrest anyone if they appeared.

In addition to Wang Ji Leather Goods, there is another more secret clue, which is Pi Xiangyang's woman. Wang Jinniu told Zhong Huan that such a woman existed, and Lu Mengda further explained the clue of this woman. This woman's surname is Jiang, and she is a Dance girl, no one knows where she lives, but Lu Mengda knows that she has a brother named Jiang Ping, who is a scoundrel in Taiyuan City and likes to cause trouble.

Although Lu Mengda didn't know where Jiang Ping lived, but knowing that he was a scoundrel in Taiyuan City was enough.

Chong Huan immediately came to the county government. Peng Shirong, the county magistrate, heard that the internal guards were investigating the case, so he didn't dare to be negligent, so he immediately called the capital head Wang Jian. , there will be news tomorrow morning."

Zhong Huan also instructed: "Try to keep a low profile, don't let others know, we are looking for this Jiang Ping."

"Don't worry, general, I will do things properly!"

At the same time that Zhong Huan was looking for Jiang Ping, in an unknown mansion outside the east city of Taiyuan, a middle-aged man was assigning tasks to several subordinates,

The middle-aged man was called Song Kuan, and he was Pi Xiangyang's deputy. Pi Xiangyang was not in Taiyuan, so he was in charge of the operation of the intelligence station.

"I just received a letter from Fei Ge from the manager. He is on his way to Taiyuan, but let us do two things first. The first thing is to send three hundred taels of silver to Wu Yasi, the sixth son, Wu Yasi It's your responsibility, and it's up to you to handle it."

A man in his thirties said: "I have no problem handling it! Give me the money."

Song Kuan glared at him, "I'll give it to you, what's the rush?"

Another subordinate next to him asked: "Didn't the manager say that this Wu Yasi is unreliable? Don't deal with him in the future, why do you want to give him money again?"

Song Kuan snorted and said, "Don't ask too much about this kind of thing. Just do what the manager tells you."

"Hey! The Wu Yasi provided false information last time, which hurt me so badly. Now I want to give him money again. I will speak first. If it is false information again, it has nothing to do with me!"

Song Kuan said coldly: "Go and tell the manager yourself!"

He Liutong lowered his head and dared not make a sound.

Pausing for a while, Song Kuan explained again: "The manager also told me to send some money to Madam, Liu Kai, find a time to send thirty taels of silver to Madam."

"Okay! I'll go early tomorrow morning."

Song Kuan thought for a while and said, "I'll leave the money in the afternoon. Go to the barracks tomorrow morning and find Zhou Qing. I have something important to tell you."

(End of this chapter)