Zhu Nao

At noon, Chen Wu excitedly came to Zhu Nao to report on the matter.Zhu Nao was busy, Chen Wu stood in the yard and waited for a while before the official who informed him came to call him: "Chen Gongcao, Zhu Yushi invites you in."

Chen Wu hurriedly walked in.

Zhu Nao was sitting in the hall, saw him coming in, and asked, "Chen Gongcao, what do you want from me?"

Chen Wu couldn't hide his excitement, he saluted hastily, and before Zhu Nao asked him to get up, he couldn't wait to speak: "Zhu Yushi, a few days ago a blacksmith named Tie Wu came to offer advice. He discovered a way to improve wrought iron. The iron forged by his method is much stronger than the traditional method!"

Lately he has been in contact with artisans from all walks of life.Most of the skills are reported to him, and he only needs to make a record, and then preside over the popularization.But some special skills should be valued by the government, and he will sort them out and report them to Zhu Nao.The art of ironmaking is obviously special—and very special!

Sure enough, after hearing this, Zhu Nao immediately became interested: "Have you tested it?"

Chen Wu nodded again and again: "It's been checked! I asked Tie Wu to make a knife, and found five official knives from the arsenal, and cut them with his knives. All the official knives were broken, but Tie Wu The knife that came out didn't even have a curled blade!"

Zhu Nao hurriedly stood up and said, "Bring some knives and show me."

Chen Wu hurriedly went out to make arrangements.

Not long after, several knives were sent to the yard.

Knives are controlled by the government, and Tie Wu is a folk blacksmith, who usually only makes some utensils for people.This time, it was because he found a way to improve wrought iron to offer advice to the government, so Chen Wucai allowed him to make a knife according to the size of the official knife and compare it with the real official knife.

Ever since, one official was holding a knife made of iron five strikes, and the other was holding an official knife, and the two hacked each other.The blades collided again and again, and sparks flew everywhere.After bumping into each other more than a dozen times, the two stopped, and the officer holding the official knife changed to a new official knife and continued to chop.

Not long after, all the blades had been cut, the two officials stopped and brought all the knives to Zhu Nao for inspection.

At first glance, you can't see the difference, but when you hold each knife up and look carefully, you can see the difference.The new knife made by Tie Wu's method chopped several official knives in a row, leaving only some light-colored marks on the blade.And the blades of those official knives have become potholes, and some have even gapped. ——Tie Wuda's knife is obviously much harder!

If this kind of weapon is used on the battlefield, not to mention it is the key to decisive victory, at least it is a boost when the strength is evenly matched, and it will also greatly improve the morale of the soldiers. At critical moments, it can even help the soldiers save their lives.

After inspecting all the knives, Zhu Nao was already smiling, and said, "I want to meet that blacksmith."

Soon, Tie Wu was also brought over by the officials.It was an old blacksmith who was nearly sixty years old. He was muscular and full of energy due to years of hard work. If it wasn't for his gray hair, he wouldn't be able to tell his age at all.

Zhu Nao asked kindly, "Are you willing to sell your iron forging skills to the government?"

Tie Wu fell to his knees with a thud: "Zhu Yushi is benevolent and generous, and the grassroots are willing to dedicate their skills to Zhu Yushi. As long as they can contribute to Zhu Yushi, it is the blessing of the grassroots. The grassroots don't need any rewards."

All the officials present were very surprised: How could someone not want such a generous reward from the government?

After Tie Wu explained the reason in detail, everyone finally understood: it turned out that Tie Wu had a daughter who had been defiled by Yuan Jilu before.Tie Wu hated Yuan Jilu so much that he gritted his teeth, wishing he could kill him quickly, but unfortunately he never found a chance.Later, Zhu Nao entered Chengdu and beheaded Yuan Jilu, which made everyone happy, and Tie Wu also regarded Zhu Nao as a benefactor from then on.But at that time, he didn't think of any way to repay.

Later, because Zhu Nao attached great importance to business and solicited the skills of craftsmen in the city, Tie Wu found a way to repay his kindness.He has been forging iron for more than [-] years. In fact, he discovered some secrets of smelting very early. He can forge stronger ironware than others, which makes his ironware always sell better than others.However, because folk craftsmen cannot forge weapons, he never thought of applying his skills to forging weapons before.He came to perform this time because he just wanted to offer his skills. Thanks to Chen Wu's attention, he thought of using this skill on weapons.

The improvement method of Iron Five is actually not complicated.Folks have long had the skill of combining pig iron and wrought iron, and then tempering them through miscellaneous refining.Decades of experience in making iron with five irons has allowed him to find the best ratio of pig iron and wrought iron. After forging and carburizing, he can create the hardest iron.

Since Tie Wu came to repay his kindness, he didn't want a reward, thinking that it was over by offering his skills.But even if he didn't want to reward him, how could Zhu Nao, a talent like him, let him go for nothing?So after inspecting the knives, Zhu Nao immediately invited him to work in the government-run iron smelting workshop, and arranged for him an official position and a generous salary.

This result was quite beyond Tie Wu's expectations.However, being able to do things for the government is also a kind of repayment, and with such a generous treatment, he naturally has no reason to refuse.

So within a few days, the old blacksmith entered the iron smelting workshop, passed on his experience and skills to the craftsmen in the iron smelting workshop, and began to transform the weapons of the Chengdu army...

=====

Various matters in Chengdu Mansion are in full swing, and people in other places will naturally not be idle.Not far away, but near, in the southeastern corner of Shu, Qianzhou, which is also under the rule of Chengdu Prefecture, is already full of rain and wind.

Liu Buxing was inspecting the barracks when a soldier ran towards him from a distance.

"General!" The soldier ran up to Liu Buxing, panting, "Xue Zhoumu is here again."

Liu Buxing felt dizzy when he heard the word Xue Zhoumu, and couldn't help frowning and "tsk".

But everyone is here, and it’s impossible to see them.Liu Buxing took a few deep breaths to adjust his mood, then turned and walked towards the military tent.

When he got outside the military tent, he lifted the curtain of the military tent, and Qianzhou Mu Xue Baohui was sitting inside waiting for him.

"General Liu." Seeing Liu Buxing coming back, Xue Baohui immediately stood up to greet him.

Liu Buxing waved to the army tent, and the people in the army tent went out one after another.In the end, only Liu Buxing and Xue Baohui were left in the tent.

Liu Buxing made a smirk all over his face: "Why is Xue Zhoumu here again? Come on, let's sit down and talk."

Xue Baohui also had a smile on his face: "Isn't it because General Liu refused to give me an answer for so long, so I can only 'come again', 'come again' and 'come again'?"

The two sat on one side, Liu Buxing sighed and said, "Xue Zhoumu, it's not that I don't want to answer you, it's because this matter is of great importance, and we have to think long-term."

Xue Baohui couldn't hold back, and his tone couldn't help rushing: "A long-term plan? General Liu, you've been making long-term plans for half a year. The best time has already passed for you! If you don't send troops again, then Zhu Nao has secured his position and earned enough money, if he continues to recruit soldiers, it will be too late!"

Liu Buxing looked embarrassed, and took a sip of the tea on the table.

Xue Baohui saw his evasion, and said angrily: "Liu Buxing, General Liu, what are you thinking? You must tell me today! If you don't plan to deal with Zhu Nao, I won't wait for you , I can simply recruit soldiers myself!"

Liu Buxing was afraid that he would really do this, so he hurriedly said: "Oh, Xue Zhoumu, brother Xue, don't worry. We must deal with Zhu Nao, so don't worry about that. I'm already stepping up my military training. ?only……"

Xue Baohui asked: "Just what?"

Liu Buxing said: "Xuezhou Mu, as the saying goes, before the soldiers and horses are moved, the food and grass go first. I have five thousand soldiers in my hand, and Zhu Nao also has five thousand soldiers in my hand, but I have to march hundreds of miles to fight there. If there is not enough food, grass and military pay , I am afraid that my soldiers will not be happy."

When Xue Baohui heard this, his nose was almost crooked: "You! Isn't the money and food I gave you enough?! You still have the nerve to say that Zhu Nao has 5000 people in his hand? You should listen to me earlier and call In the past, where did Zhu Nao get these 5000 people!"

Liu Buxing automatically ignored the second half of his sentence, and only discussed the first half: "Xue Zhoumu, you don't lead soldiers, you don't know the hardships of leading soldiers. Of course you gave me some money and food, but the war is to kill the soldiers. Fighting, there is not enough food and pay, who is willing to fight? If the morale is not enough, the battle will undoubtedly be lost."

Xue Baohui almost pointed at his nose and scolded "robber", but swallowed it abruptly.He slapped the table and stood up, and said coldly: "General Liu, Ming people don't talk dark words, and I don't want to delay with you anymore when it comes to this matter. Whether you send troops or not, make a decision as soon as possible, preferably in three months." Give me a clear answer within a few days! If you are determined to send troops, whether it is food or wages, or how you and I will distribute the Chengdu Mansion in the future, we can discuss it carefully. But if you really can’t make up your mind, then I won’t beg you , I will figure out a way for myself in the future!"

After finishing speaking, he walked away.

Liu Buxing stretched out his hand: "Hey...Xue...don't..."

Xue Baohui ignored him, opened the curtain of the military tent and went out.

Liu Buxing withdrew his hand helplessly, and rubbed between his brows with a headache.

Speaking of Liu Buxing's identity, like Xie Wuji, he was a general who was previously arranged by the imperial court to garrison troops in various places, and his garrison was near Xiushan on the border of Shu.In fact, there were still several garrisons in Shu, but due to the raging war in the north, those troops were transferred to support the northern front and suppress the rebels. Only Liu Buxing stayed in Xiushan because of the remote location.So now he has become the nearest garrison to Chengdu.

After the military power was liberated from the imperial court, the most unlucky ones were actually the original garrisons.Originally, their food and salary were provided by the imperial court, but the imperial court completely disrupted the former military system, and they became abandoned orphans, and their food and salary were all cut off.At this time, there are only three ways they can choose: first, disband on the spot and go back to their respective homes; The army supported by the locality; third, directly replace the local forces and establish themselves as kings.

As a general, no one is willing to easily dismiss the soldiers he has worked so hard to bring out.However, Liu Buxing did not have the ability to establish himself as a king.So he can only choose the second way: colluding with local officials.

You can enter Shu after crossing Xiushan Mountain. It stands to reason that he should have colluded with Yuan Jilu and became Yuan Jilu's general.But he had some quarrels with Yuan Jilu in the past, and the two looked down on each other.So Yuan Jilu didn't come to him at all when he started recruiting soldiers, and he naturally didn't go to Yuan Jilu either.

When Yuan Jilu recruited troops to deal with Zhu Nao, he didn't intervene, and wanted to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, and reap the benefits of the fisherman.It's a pity that his wishful thinking was not done well. What he never expected was that Yuan Jilu's future would be ruined by the 2 people he had recruited.So when he received the news from the Chengdu Mansion, Zhu Nao's rebels had already entered the Chengdu Mansion generously and took over the Chengdu Mansion, and it was too late for him to think about what to do.

Thinking of this until now, Liu Buxing still regrets it - if he had known that Yuan Jilu was so useless, he should have sent troops ahead of Zhu Nao and occupied Chengdu Mansion in advance.

It is no longer possible for him to defect to Yuan Jilu, and he has no intention of defecting to Zhu Nao.The Liu family is also an aristocratic family, although he is only a side branch of the Liu family, but Zhu Nao is just a traitor, how can he lower himself like this?In fact, in the final analysis, family background is only one thing, and the other thing is that he is not optimistic about Zhu Nao, and does not believe that Zhu Nao can make great achievements in the future-he does not know how Yuan Jilu collapsed, and he thought that Zhu Nao was just Lucky to pick up a cheap one.

Neither could Yuan Jilu, nor could Zhu Nao, so the only ones who could be chosen were lower-level officials.Fortunately, before he could find anyone else, Qianzhou Mu Xue Baohui came to him on his own initiative.On this point, the two have a very good understanding.

There is one similarity between Xue Baohui and Liu Buxing: they both came from aristocratic families, and they both came from less powerful offshoots of aristocratic families, so they have identities, but they are not very prominent, and they can only be found in Qianzhou. Fumbling.This kind of background determines that they all have ambitions and want to make a career of their own to impress others.So the two hit it off, quickly colluded together, and decided to join hands to get rid of Zhu Nao and rule Chengdu Mansion together.

At the beginning, both of them were full of confidence and ambition, thinking that this matter was sure to succeed.But over time, the contradiction between the two gradually surfaced.

——Xue Baohui is a civil servant after all, he doesn't understand war, and he thinks war is too simple.And Liu Buxing is a military officer, and his soldiers are his capital, so if he is asked to gamble with his own capital, he must be thinking about the future.

In addition, fighting does not mean that fighting can be fought, there are a lot of preparations to be done in the early stage.Liu Buxing's team has guarded Qianzhou for many years, but they have never fought any battles at all, so the pre-war drills will inevitably take time; although Chengdu and Qianzhou are both in Shu, one is in the west and the other is in the north. There are also a lot of military supplies to buy.The preparatory work dragged on for several months, and Zhu Nao recruited troops and horses over there, and recruited 5000 people.

Seeing that the stronger the enemy is, the smaller his chances of winning, Liu Buxing is more hesitant.He hesitated back and forth, but Xue Baohui was very anxious.In Xue Baohui's view, they still have a great chance of winning right now. Although Zhu Nao has recruited 5000 soldiers, his soldiers are new recruits, and they don't have much combat effectiveness yet.And Liu Buxing's soldiers have been with Liu Buxing for several years, the two are not the same.On the contrary, if it drags on, Zhu Nao's side has trained their soldiers well, and they are really completely useless.

After Xue Baohui left, the military tent was opened again, and Jia Cong and Xu Zhuben, Liu Buxing's staff, came in.

"General," Xu Zhuben asked, "Is Xue Zhoumu here to urge you to send troops again?"

Liu Buxing was upset and said: "Is there anything else he can do when he comes to me? He just said harshly, saying that I must give him an answer within three days. If I send troops, he will help me prepare food and pay. If I No troops, he said he planned to recruit troops himself."

After hearing this, Jia Cong frowned and shook his head slightly.

Xu Zhuben persuaded: "General, I think Xue Zhoumu's words are reasonable. Zhu Nao's side is already training soldiers intensively, and we still have a chance before he is fully trained. If we wait any longer, this matter will be difficult." .”

Liu Buxing sighed: "Hey! Actually, I still have another consideration for not sending troops right now, that is Xue Baohui. I don't think he has any future prospects. I thought before that he is a child of the Xue family after all, so I will take it with him. When he goes down to the Chengdu mansion, he has the support of the Xue family, so he will have a bright future. Originally, I had already made plans to send troops, but who knew that the news came from outside that Xie Wuji had actually slaughtered the Xue family in Jinzhou! What Xie's boy did, the face of the Xue family was completely lost, and I think it will be in decline in the future."

Liu Buxing is a military officer, he knows his own weight, he can't be a local official, so he has to find a civil servant who can govern one side to cooperate.He didn't look for Zhu Nao because he was not optimistic about Zhu Nao, and now he was not optimistic about Xue Baohui, so it was not right for Bao to bet anywhere.

Xu Zhuben disagreed: "General, even if the Xue family's power is damaged, it is still a skinny camel that is bigger than a horse. Xue Baohui has a better future than that deceitful Zhu Nao. Zhu Nao is a big traitor! Right now the court hates him. He hated his teeth so much. If the general can get rid of him, he can earn the name of justice, and take the opportunity to become famous in the world. Moreover, after taking down the Chengdu Mansion, the military power will be in the general's hands, and the general will continue if he is willing to cooperate with Xue Baohui Cooperate with Xue Baohui, if you don’t want to, you can drive him away and choose someone else.”

He analyzed a series, finally took a deep breath, and concluded: "General, the most urgent task right now is to get rid of Zhu Nao as soon as possible and take down the Chengdu Mansion! We can't delay any longer!"

Liu Buxing was a little moved by what he said, so he turned his gaze to Jia Cong and asked, "Jia Cong, what do you think?"

Jia Cong said nothing.

Liu Buxing dissatisfied: "I asked you something, why are you silent? What's going on with you recently?"

In the past, Jia Cong was just like his name, smart and capable, he gave Liu Buxing advice several times, and every time he hit the key point, Liu Buxing once valued him very much.But in the past few months, Jia Cong has become more and more reticent.Liu Buxing spent money to support his staff to listen to their advice. Jia Cong's passive sabotage made him very dissatisfied.

Jia Cong sighed before saying anything: "Does the general really want to listen to my opinion?"

Liu Buxing said, "Say it."

Only then did Jia Cong say, "According to my subordinates, the most beneficial thing for the general right now is to kill Xue Baohui, take away all the food and grass in Qianzhou, and then leave Sichuan to find another opportunity. It is suitable for generals, why not go south to Guizhou and Liuzhou, recruit troops slowly, and accumulate strength."

As soon as this remark came out, Liu Buxing was stunned, and Xu Zhuben was also stunned.Not long after Zhu Nao took office, the situation in Sichuan is still unstable. They are obviously thinking about how to fight for the hegemony of Shu, and how to fight against Zhu Nao and Xue Bao. Who would have thought that Jia Cong would give him an elbow to Guizhou? Willow is gone!This is simply inexplicable.

"Leaving Shu?" Liu Buxing asked incredulously, "Shu is rich, osmanthus and willows are barren, and there are many barbarians. What am I going to do in that place where no birds shit?"

Jia Cong smiled wryly, and said in a low voice, "I'm afraid the general won't be able to defeat Zhu Nao."

Liu Buxing's face collapsed in a flash.Xu Zhuben's eyes lit up, and he saw the opportunity to explode: "Jia Cong, what nonsense are you talking about! Then Zhu Nao is just a fool, he got into Chengdu by bragging, lying and some shit luck. Maybe you can't beat him?"

Jia Cong said, "Do you really think he got into Chengdu by luck?"

Xu Zhuben was confident: "Yuan Jilu shot himself in the foot with a stone, so he got a big deal for nothing. Isn't this luck?"

Jia Cong said indifferently: "Yuan Jilu recruited 2 troops in Chengdu. Instead of bowing his head and begging for mercy, Zhu Nao is still recruiting troops in Langzhou, trying to fight with the power of a state and a government. What do you think of the [-] troops?" Did the riot really have nothing to do with him?"

Xu Zhuben's eyes widened: "He recruited troops to fight against Yuan Jilu, because he is a fool! What does the riot of 2 people have to do with him? You don't think he instigated those 2 people, do you? If he really has that ability, why doesn’t he take 2 people under his own command and recruit new troops?”

The two quarreled tit-for-tat, and Liu Buxing's head got dizzy from the quarrel, and he slapped the table hard to signal them both to shut up.

After the tent became quiet, Liu Buxing stared at Jia Cong coldly, and said, "Jia Cong, I don't know what's wrong with you recently. I'll bear with you for a few more days because of your past achievements. But you It’s best to wake up quickly. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rude! What do you mean I can’t beat Junao? Am I not as good as him, or my soldiers and horses are not as good as him?!”

Before Jia Cong could reply, he slapped the table hard again and said, "Even if I really can't beat him! What do I spend so much money every month on supporting you counselors? It's just to let you give me advice, I How can I win him! Instead of saying that I can't fight, let me run to a place where the birds don't shit!"

Hearing what he said, Jia Cong sighed secretly, no longer explained anything, and bent down to admit his mistake: "This subordinate knows his mistake."

Xu Zhuben snorted triumphantly.

Liu Buxing was already a little indecisive, otherwise he couldn't have dragged on for more than half a year and still hasn't decided whether to send troops.Now Jia Cong's dejected words made him even more depressed, he waved his hands and said, "Forget it, forget it, you all go out. Let me think about it myself."

Xu Zhuben wanted to persuade him to send troops as soon as possible, but he didn't expect Jia Cong to rush ahead of him and said, "General, since Xue Zhoumu wants the general to give an answer within three days, and the general is worried that it is too hasty, there is a reason that maybe you can." Help the general."

Liu Buxing quickly asked, "What reason?"

Jia Cong said slowly: "The general can tell Xue Zhoumu that in order to ensure the morale of the entire army, we must ensure that our division is famous. As long as Xue Zhoumu has the ability to make our division famous, the general can immediately send troops to attack Chengdu."

Liu Buxing was stunned.The teacher is... famous?Could it be that they are going to fight Zhu Nao now because they have learned from no one?