Tiantang

Chapter 261 Deadly

Chapter 268 The Fatal Temptation
Zhang Xuan left the Shence barracks, and took people back to his governor's mansion. As soon as he entered the study and sat down, he heard the report that Guo Ziyi asked to see him.

Zhang Xuan smiled, "Let General Guo in."

Guo Ziyi strode in, bowed and said, "Commander, I just heard that the commander brought all the town commanders to the Shence Army to watch the firearms drill?"

Zhang Xuan nodded, "Well, not bad. This commander just returned from the Shence Army's camp. What's the matter, General Guo?"

Guo Ziyi hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Commander, firearms are the magical weapons of our Longshuo army, and they should have been kept secret—but now the commander is openly sending envoys to various towns for drills. Could it be that he intends to report to the imperial court? Promote it in the Tang army?"

"Hehe, General Guo, firearms have been used in actual combat, shaking the world. Half of the purpose of envoys from various towns coming here is for firearms. Therefore, firearms cannot be kept secret. Instead of hiding them, it is better to show them openly. It won't look like we are petty in Longshuo."

"As for the promotion to the entire army, it is not realistic for the time being. Because the technology of firearms is still very immature-this commander has already submitted a letter to the imperial court. After the development of firearms is stable, he will report to the Ministry of War. With the power of the whole country, It was popularized by the army of the Tang Dynasty."

Zhang Xuan said so lightly, but there was a strange smile on the corner of his mouth, but it disappeared in a flash, and Guo Ziyi didn't notice it.

In the eyes of others, Zhang Xuan let the envoys of the towns watch the firearms drill of the Shence Army, which seemed to be showing off or showing off, but in fact, Zhang Xuan had other plans.

One is deterrence, mainly facing Fan Yang's soldiers and horses in Anlu Mountain.Fan Yang's iron cavalry's fighting power is famous all over the world, but compared with the Longshuo soldiers and horses equipped with infinitely powerful firearms, it is no longer on the same level. If Shi Siming sends the news back to Fan Yang, An Lushan will feel uneasy.

As a result, it will virtually delay the time for An Lushan to rebel.The more fearful An Lushan felt, the more he felt that he was not prepared enough, and the time for the rebellion would be delayed.

The second is temptation, which is aimed at Shi Siming himself.Zhang Xuan didn't believe that Shi Siming could not be tempted and be baited by the deadly temptation of firearms.During his stay in Longshuo, Shi Siming will definitely do everything possible to inquire about and steal the research and development technology of firearms.At the very least, they will try their best to obtain some finished firearms so that they can be brought back to Fan Yang for imitation.

Zhang Xuan's strict control over firearms is beyond ordinary people's imagination.

At the technical level, "technicians" and "operators" are completed independently. Those who understand the technology and principles don't care about production, while the craftsmen in charge of production and processing don't understand the principles. They just follow certain procedures and on-site instructions to complete them step by step. Assembly of each firearm.

The firearms produced are guarded by special personnel and firmly sealed in the warehouse of the firearms camp. There are four checkpoints in front and back.If you want to use firearms, Zhang Xun, Nan Jiyun, and the head of the firearms battalion, the school lieutenant, must sign and pledge, and then report to Zhang Xuan for approval before taking out the firearms from the warehouse.

As for the firearms equipped to each soldier, the principle is that as many as equipped should be consumed in time, and the finished products are never allowed to stay in the hands of soldiers.For example, in this on-site drill, all the firearms issued to each soldier were consumed at one time.

Under such strict control, one can imagine the difficulty for Shi Siming to obtain finished firearms.Therefore, Zhang Xuan is not worried about the leakage of firearm technology.

It's just that he was looking forward to Shi Siming's "little moves" behind his back, and the bigger the moves, the better.

This Shi Siming is definitely a dangerous person in Zhang Xuan's eyes, and his desire to get rid of this person is getting stronger and stronger.

But how to attack Shi Siming is a problem.To kill a heavy general Fan Yang for no reason, even if it is Zhang Xuan, it is impossible for the court to order an official.

Therefore, he secretly set up such a set, which contained eye-catching bait.Of course, whether Shi Siming will take the bait is another matter.

Seeing that Zhang Xuan spoke calmly, Guo Ziyi didn't dare to say any more.

In fact, he originally took the opportunity to test Zhang Xuan's tone, to see if it was possible to equip his Lingzhou Guards with some firearms.However, judging from Zhang Xuan's voice, Zhang Xuan does not want to let the firearms out of the Shence Army for the time being, even if it is the Lingzhou Guards, it is impossible to obtain equipment.

Guo Ziyi couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

Seemingly seeing what Guo Ziyi was thinking, Zhang Xuan laughed, "General Guo, I won't lie to you, the production of firearms is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the cost is high. I don't have the financial resources to support a large-scale equipment army for the time being— Even if it is the Shence Army, it is only equipped with 2000 people, and it is not enough to use it."

The firearms battalion is a mysterious organization in Lingzhou. All kinds of information about firearms, including production capacity and inventory capacity, are all secrets among secrets, and even Guo Ziyi knows nothing about them.

Hearing what Zhang Xuan said, Guo Ziyi thought about it, but he didn't doubt it.Thinking about it, it must be very complicated to process this magical weapon, and it will cost a lot of money-Zhang Xuan has not been developed and manufactured by the imperial court, which in itself makes Guo Ziyi and others think about it, but they dare not ask or say it. .

Guo Ziyi smiled with embarrassment, cupped his hands and said, "Marshal, the last general is greedy."

Zhang Xuan looked at Guo Ziyi and smiled softly, "However, General Guo doesn't have to be like this. This commander can promise you that after a year at most, firearms can be equipped to the guards of Lingzhou. There is no doubt about this."

Guo Ziyi was overjoyed, and suddenly looked up at Zhang Xuan and trembled excitedly, "Marshal, are you serious?"

"This commander never jokes." Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

……

……

Back at the residence, Shi Siming sat there quietly, his expression changing.

The handsome young man opened the door and walked in, and said carelessly, "Father, are you thinking about the firearms in the Shence Army?"

Shi Siming nodded silently, and said in a deep voice, "This firearm is infinitely powerful. If Fan Yang's soldiers and horses can equip such a sharp weapon, it will be just a matter of effort for King An to conquer the world. The control is very strict, and there is no way to start..."

The young man sat down disapprovingly, waved his hands and laughed, "What's there to think about? The so-called money can make ghosts turn the millstone. Let's spend more money, find an insider, and get a few finished products to bring back. With the power of King An, It's not that hard to imitate."

"Yellow mouthed child, full of nonsense! How can it be as light as you said! Wei father sent people to the firearms camp outside the city to inquire about news, and they couldn't get close to half a step. The security was very strict. Moreover, Wei father heard that there was no Zhang Xuan. Even the commander of the Shence Army Firearms Battalion cannot take out a single firearm!" Shi Siming glared at the boy and reprimanded him.

This boy is Shi Siming's favorite youngest son, Shi Yan.Shi Jian has an out-of-the-ordinary personality. Although he is not very old, he is bold. This time he followed Shi Siming to Lingzhou, and he caught up with him halfway. Shi Siming had no choice but to take him with him. fellow.

Shi Yan curled his lips, "Father, no matter how mysterious this firearm is, it is still a weapon used by soldiers. Since it is the army's luggage, how can it be watertight. Why don't you let my son try it, I don't believe it. , can there be something that money can’t do?”

Shi Siming's face changed, and he suddenly lowered his voice and shouted angrily, "Don't act recklessly, so as not to cause trouble for Weifu and King An. Remember, you are not allowed to go in and out of Lingzhou City indiscriminately, and don't cause trouble!"

The corner of Shi Yan's mouth twitched, he pouted and lowered his head, but he clenched his hands tightly, not knowing what the hell he was thinking.

It's just that Shi Siming was full of thoughts at the moment, and after saying a few words to Shi Yan, he stopped talking to him, frowned and thought about his own thoughts, and was hesitating whether to write a secret report to Fan Yang's An Lushan immediately.

……

……

In the afternoon, Shi Kai changed into a splendid attire, and suddenly regained the gorgeous appearance of the general's son.With Shi Siming on his back, he quietly slipped out of the post house with a few entourages, and went out of the city to the firearms camp outside Lingzhou City.

But after observing hundreds of meters outside the Huoqi camp for a long time, and waiting for a long time, there was still no chance to get close to the Huoqi camp.The workshops of the entire firearms battalion were guarded by the heavy army regiments, and the surrounding area was covered with sentry posts of the Shence Army. No soldier or civilian could approach within a hundred steps of the firearms battalion.

Later, Shi Yan found helplessly that the craftsmen of the firearms camp lived in the camp inside the firearms camp, and could not go out at all on weekdays.Daily life is provided by the army, and even if there are special circumstances that require you to go out, there are soldiers to protect and monitor.

Shi Yanlian carefully observed the periphery of the Firearms Battalion for several days, and finally had to give up this idea, and decided to start from the Shence Army, to see if he could buy soldiers who were familiar with firearms and even had fired firearms before.

Shi Yan quietly left the Firearms Camp with a few entourages, and headed for the Shence Army barracks on the other side.On the other side, because it is an ordinary military camp, the security is not so strict, and there are even a few small grocery stores and restaurants around the military camp, which are dedicated to the business of soldiers.

Shi Yan led his entourage into an open-air restaurant.

The wine shop was just an open top, with a few dirty desks inside, and there were three or two low-level generals dressed as lieutenant colonels gathering there for a drink.

The Shence Army has strict military discipline. Unless at a certain time, during daily training, it is difficult for ordinary soldiers to drink and have fun outside. Only some middle and low-level officers are eligible to go out occasionally to eat meat and drink.

Shi Kai hated this dirty table very much, but when he saw a Shence military officer drinking here, he was secretly happy, so he didn't care about the dirty, sat down, ordered a pot of low-quality rice wine, Bowl of lamb.

Shi Yan was about to prick up his ears to listen to the words of the school captains over there, but he heard the roar of galloping horseshoes from the official road not far away.

Shi Yan looked around and saw the smoke and dust billowing in the air, a team of hundreds of people slowly walking towards the city gate from far to near.

(End of this chapter)