Choose Liu Bei at the start, I am the only one who knows the plot of the Three Kingdoms.

Chapter 379: Unexpected Incident, Dedicated to the Entire Life

"What the hell is this thing? It's so powerful!"

Zhang Fei stood aside with his eyes wide open. It was incredible that such a small box could unleash such powerful force that it could create a pit one meter deep and three meters wide on the flat ground. The pit was full of irregular shapes, all of which were caused by the explosion of gunpowder.

"The power of this thing is actually comparable to that of a small catapult. Is this another thing that the Prime Minister has researched?"

Guan Yu looked at Zhuge Liang curiously. The power of gunpowder surprised everyone so much that they couldn't help but turn their eyes to Zhuge Liang. After all, Zhuge Liang usually did some small research. Zhuge Liang shook his head mysteriously and didn't answer. Everyone didn't ask any more questions, but just kept looking at the deep pit.

"If we can attach something like this to the bows of our archers, it will be a huge improvement for archers."

Taishi Ci's eyes lit up. If there was one thing that this little thing would have the greatest impact on, it would undoubtedly be the archers. At that time, each archer would be a small mobile catapult, carrying an arrow that could cause such massive damage and falling into a crowd of enemies, the damage caused would be unimaginable.

"What is this called?"

Zhao Yun looked curious, and Zhang Liao beside him also asked.

“Can it be mass-produced?”

The discussion was mainly focused on the military generals. After all, they were the ones who would use these things, and the counselors were just there to watch the fun.

"This thing is called gunpowder."

As Gu Rubing spoke, he brought out another pile of gunpowder powder.

"This thing will produce huge power when it encounters fire. As you can see, the deep pit just now was caused by just this handful of it."

"gunpowder?"

Everyone stretched their necks to look at the rare object in Gu Rubing's hand.

"Before this, I have never heard of such a thing, nor have I ever heard of such a powerful killing weapon on the battlefield."

Guan Yu pondered, and Zhang Fei beside him patted his chest.

"I understand. This gunpowder, like the salt, is made by Big Brother, right?"

After saying that, everyone turned their eyes to Gu Rubing. Gu Rubing smiled and nodded without hiding anything.

"Then, my lord, can this gunpowder be used for archers? Or can it be used for our roving crossbowmen and scouts? When they break into the enemy's rear, we can shoot dozens of arrows filled with gunpowder, and they will be blown to pieces."

Taishi Ci, a scholar-official general, was so excited that he started swearing. The power of gunpowder that Gu Rubing had just demonstrated to them was too shocking. Even a first-rate general could not withstand the attack of this thing without getting hurt.

Looking at the anxious Taishi Ci, Gu Rubing patted him on the shoulder and comforted him.

"Don't worry. Give it to the archers, scouts, and the roving crossbow captains. More research is needed. Gunpowder is only in its infancy and cannot be put into use on the battlefield yet."

Gu Rubing's words were like a bucket of cold water poured on them, but this was not enough to dampen their enthusiasm for gunpowder. From that day on, Taishi Ci would come to Zhuge Liang almost every day to confirm the progress of gunpowder research and development with Zhuge Liang. After all, he would be the biggest beneficiary after gunpowder was put into use.

Another week passed in the blink of an eye. Gu Rubing, Cao Cao and Sun Jian were still busy with their own affairs, actively preparing for war and striving for victory in this battle.

That night, Zhuge Liang knocked on Gu Rubing's door. Gu Rubing had just experienced a passionate love affair and Cai Yan was already sleeping in Gu Rubing's arms. Zhuge Liang had never come late at night, so Gu Rubing hurriedly got up and went out.

"Prime Minister, what's the matter?"

Looking at Zhuge Liang's solemn expression, Gu Rubing knew that something had happened. Now all the information was sent to Gu Rubing and Zhuge Liang at the same time. Most of it was handed over to Zhuge Liang for processing, and Gu Rubing was at ease to be a hands-off boss.

"The fine salt we were transporting to Sili Prefecture and Yuzhou for sale was robbed on the way. Only one of the 200 elite cavalrymen escorting us was seriously injured and dying. Before he fainted, he said three words: Cao Cao, Western Regions, and Warrior Monk."

Zhuge Liang's voice was low. This was the first military conflict since the tacit truce of three months. Adding the three words he said before he fainted and thinking about the fact that Cao Cao had sent people to the Western Regions before, so many details combined together, the result was self-evident.

"Did Cao Cao really have secret dealings with the Western Regions?"

Gu Rubing asked doubtfully. In history, Cao Cao had never done such a thing. The character of Cao Wei, the romance of Shu Han, and of course the rats of Jiangdong were all recognized. Soon, Gu Rubing figured out the relationship. He had been stuck in a fixed mindset. Who said that the characters in the game would develop in the same way as in history?

Some of the early side quests will constantly correct the direction of these characters, making them gradually move closer to historical figures, but how long has it been since he received a related side quest? Gu Rubing himself can't remember how long it has been, which also leads to Cao Cao and others no longer developing according to the established character, but will have more ideas that the time traveler already has.

"It seems so at the moment. In addition, the ten roaming crossbow captains we sent to follow Xiahou Dun to the Western Regions were also beheaded by the monk he mentioned, along with the 199 bodies, which were hung on the trees by the roadside."

Zhuge Liang's eyes were dark and unclear. The first thing he did after seeing the seriously injured and dying soldiers was to send Zhang Fei with the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun to rush to the scene. When they arrived, there were only 199 corpses hanging on the trees on the road and ten heads of the roving crossbow captains neatly placed on the roadside.

"Cao Cao!"

Gu Rubing's eyes were cold and he couldn't help but clench his fists. He had been wondering why the captain of the Younu Army had not returned yet, but it turned out that he had been discovered a long time ago.

"Warrior monk, what's his origin?" "A powerful soldier in the Western Regions, affiliated with the Shule regime, the largest regime in the Western Regions. Now it seems that Cao Cao sent people to the Western Regions to unite with the Shule regime."

"What about Liu Zhang? He is in charge of defending the Western Regions and the Southern Barbarians. Doesn't he have any role model for this matter?"

"Liu Zhang should still be kept in the dark. After all, even we just found out about it."

After finishing speaking, Gu Rubing and Zhuge Liang both fell into a long silence. Right now, they were in a state of rapid development. If a war broke out again at this time, the impact on them would undoubtedly be huge.

The silence between the two complements the quiet night.

"How's the gunpowder research going?"

"We are still testing. Different distances require different gunpowder equivalents. Distances from 300 meters to 500 meters should all be taken into consideration. We need to equip them with fuses of different lengths. We should be able to put them into training in the next two days, and they should be ready for use in about half a month."

Gu Rubing breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, there was good news. However, Zhuge Liang's subsequent words made Gu Rubing fall silent again.

"We don't have enough saltpeter. The gunpowder we make can probably supply 10,000 arrows. We have to keep some for backup, so we can only provide about 7,000 gunpowder arrows."

All the saltpeter now comes from an above-ground saltpeter mine in Qingzhou. There is not much of it to begin with. It is a pipe dream to want to explore other saltpeter mines after the mining is completed. There is no such thing at all. Even this saltpeter mine can only be found because of Jian Yong's national policy bonus. The saltpeter is used up, and before the next saltpeter mine appears, they only have this gunpowder to use.

Now, saltpeter has been used up, gunpowder can no longer be produced, and fine salt has been robbed. The voices of Silizhou and Yuzhou will no longer be heard. Presumably, the other side will intercept the salt transport troops to Bingzhou, Liangzhou and Jingzhou. Next, their development speed will be much slower.

"Prime Minister, we cannot stop shipping salt. Even if we have to abandon Sili and Yuzhou, we have to ensure that we can sell the salt in all eight states. Is there any good way to transport it so that they can grab the salt in time and not take it away?"

Gu Rubing looked at Zhuge Liang expectantly. Historically, Zhuge Liang had developed the wooden ox and flowing horse when transporting grain. Each ox and horse could carry more than 400 kilograms and saved time and effort. So Gu Rubing was going to provide Zhuge Liang with some ideas so that he could make the wooden ox and flowing horse as soon as possible.

Then, with the characteristics of Zhuge Liang and the bonus of Lu Ban's ingenious items, the experience points of generals and soldiers will be increased, which means that experience points can be gained without fighting. This is why the professional skills of the Younu Xiaolie are much faster than those of the Qinglong Xiaolie.

Wait, Lu Ban's ingenious objects?
Gu Rubing's thoughts suddenly became clear. Lu Ban's ingenious creation? Does gunpowder count? Without a doubt, it definitely counts. Although it was the method he gave, Zhuge Liang personally made it from beginning to end. How can it not be Zhuge Liang's work? If it is, it must enjoy the bonus of Lu Ban's ingenious creation. Now it seems that the reason why the power of gunpowder is greater than Gu Rubing expected should be because of Zhuge Liang's characteristic gain bonus.

"I am dissatisfied with what you said, my lord. I have already had an idea. It was made for transporting grain before. Now it seems that it is the same for transporting salt."

"Oh? How far has the production progressed?"

Gu Rubing was excited. Once the wooden oxen and flowing horses were made, it would mean that the transportation of food and fodder would no longer require the protection of a large force and would be more convenient. Once this war started, it was bound to stretch the battle line to a very long distance, and the wooden oxen and flowing horses would be able to solve the problem of food transportation very well.

"It has been made. There are still some details that can be adjusted to save more effort. Let's see if we can expand the capacity. Now it can only hold 500 kilograms. I expect it can hold 700 kilograms."

Hearing Zhuge Liang's words, Gu Rubing couldn't help but take a deep breath. According to historical records, the wooden ox and horse could only hold 400 kilograms of grain, but now the unimproved ones can hold 500 kilograms. The improved ones can hold 700 kilograms? This increase is really too exaggerated.

Seven hundred jin is about twenty-six dan. A normal soldier would consume 1.3 dan of grain a month. If an army of were to march out, the monthly grain consumption would be as high as dan. Even if wooden oxen and flowing horses were used for transportation, carts would be needed to transport the grain a month. And it turned out that if an army of were to march out for a month, the food would surely be cut off. Those soldiers could only buy food from nearby villages and military towns. Some cavalrymen were so spoiled that they bought food without paying, which led to a precedent of being hated by the people.

Of course, this kind of thing has never happened in Gu Rubing's army.

Before, Gu Rubing didn't worry too much about the food problem, because when the battle line was not extended, the army's own reserve food was usually enough. Even if it was not enough, every time they arrived at a place, the people would spontaneously deliver food, fodder, and even meat. This is what it means that whoever wins the hearts of the people will win the world.

Gu Rubing now has a deep understanding of the saying that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.

"It is a blessing to have a prime minister."

Gu Rubing couldn't help but sigh that Zhuge Liang and Gu Rubing didn't seem like master and subject at this moment, but more like friends. They sat on the steps of the corridor, chatting about this and that, until late at night, Zhuge Liang left.

Looking at Zhuge Liang's departing back, Gu Rubing made up his mind. In history, Zhuge Liang took a last nap in Longzhong, and did not take a nap for decades. Even now, Gu Rubing is the largest prince with great power, but Zhuge Liang still devotes himself to his work and plays the two positions of military advisor and prime minister to the fullest.

"Prime Minister, this time we will finally restore the Han Dynasty and return to the old capital!"

Yuzhou and Xudu, Cao Cao almost laughed out loud when he looked at the hundreds of kilograms of salt he had intercepted. These things were all pure silver. Because Xiahou Dun had saved him a lot of silver, he was now massively developing armaments in the three states. Looking at those monks with bare chests and holding sticks, Cao Cao really couldn't bear to watch.

This time, he mainly made armor and spears for these monks. Spears and sticks belong to the same family. If the stick can be used well, the spear will not be much different. Cao Cao planned to assemble these 120,000 monk soldiers to the teeth. After all, this was his most powerful army besides the tomb-raiding lieutenant.

Under his summons, the Mojin Captains have also begun to rush towards Xu Du. This army of 500 Mojin Captains, who are all third-rate generals at the peak of their powers, will become a powerful weapon for Cao Cao. Moreover, the Mojin Captains have been specializing in this job for so long that some second-rate generals have already appeared among them. They enjoy the basic attributes of second-rate generals and can also get the bonus from their followers. The strength of this army of 500 people can be imagined.

Liu Zhang has almost withdrawn all the border troops that have been stationed on the border for many years. Due to years of fighting, most of Yizhou's troops are located on the border. However, the invasions of foreign races often cause them to suffer losses, so the entire Yizhou has only 140,000 troops.

However, compared to the Jingzhou army who are mostly not good at fighting, they are different. Almost every one of them has experienced the baptism of blood and war on the battlefield. Their momentum is much stronger than that of the Jingzhou army, and their combat power is also unmatched by the Jingzhou army.

Moreover, the foreign races were extremely ruthless and would usually use despicable means to attack. This also made the border guards of Yizhou develop the habit of being ruthless to the enemy, striving to kill with one blow and then finish them off afterwards. Because the Gu tribe in the southwest had a kind of insect that could allow a dying person to stay alive for a few seconds, the Yizhou army had suffered heavy losses because of this.

The chaotic world that has been peaceful for more than three months seems to be coming again!

(End of this chapter)