Jia Lian of the Red Chamber

"Rare things are more expensive?"

"Yes, not only is there a price but no market, even if you have a gun, you can't afford it. You can make so many guns a year, which is not enough for the emperor to give you favors. Also, do you know where our gun-making technology comes from?"

Jia Lian frowned: "Where did it come from? You didn't steal it, did you?"

Feng Ziying smiled: "I really know how to guess. It's almost the same as stealing. Strictly speaking, they came from captives. We captured Japanese pirates. Some of these Japanese pirates happened to be able to make guns and ammunition. That's how we learned."

Jia Lian had focused on the battle of the Japanese pirates before, and asked, "How did you arrange the Japanese pirates to recover the prisoners in the Battle of Shuangyu?"

Feng Ziying nodded: "Exactly!"

Jia Lian frowned: "How many years has it been? Why should tens of thousands of guns be produced? It is enough to arm the army. Why is it still a shotgun battalion?"

Feng Ziying immediately sneered: "My brother, what you said is like making guns and ammunition is a woman kneading dough to make buns. Let me tell you, only my father has a bird's beak gun in the entire Fengsheng army, and you are also armed with one." Army, let’s dream, if it was so easy, we would be afraid of old Japanese pirates, and we would have beaten them to pieces long ago.”

Jia Lian's eyes lit up suddenly, and he punched Feng Ziying on the shoulder: "Hey, are we brothers?"

Feng Ziying nodded: "Of course, we are not only brothers, we are also brothers who have died. If you have something to do, just give orders."

Jia Lian smiled mysteriously: "I want to go to the Shotgun Camp, is there anything you can do?"

Feng Ziying had such deep meaning on his face, and asked: "Liu Zichao, Mr. Liu, thinks highly of you. Maybe, after he leaves, you can compete for Mr. Liu?"

Now that Jia Lian had the opportunity to get in touch with the shotgun, he couldn't even think of a young official, so he said: "What's the matter? The imperial guard is the fourth rank, and he just lost it. These are all false names, and the skills he has learned are his own. of."

Feng Ziying nodded: "That's very true. I agree. Let's go to ask my father together. It should work. It must be under my father's jurisdiction now. It should be no problem to send one or two people in to study. But, you know, I My father stuffed me in as a second-class apprentice, and I guess you are the same."

But Jia Lian said: "As long as you can go in and study, you can also be a handyman."

Feng Ziying said with a smile: "I recommend you to be a handyman? You don't care about fame, my father is too embarrassing."

Afterwards, Jia Lian and Feng Ziying went to Fengshengjun General's Mansion. Feng Tang had been waiting for a long time, but when he saw Feng Ziying, he gave Feng Ziying a cold look. Doesn't this bastard know that I am waiting for him?I went there in the middle of the night!

However, Feng Tang was very polite to Jia Lian, and when Jia Lian had finished seeing the ceremony, Feng Tang called out politely and said, "Well, you can be appreciated by your boss in a month, young people are very good, work hard! Oh, you are at such a time Come to see me, is there something wrong?"

Feng Ziying said casually, "Brother Jia wants to go to the Shotgun camp with me, so I would like to ask my father to make it easier for me."

This kid is really smart, he passed a step by himself, and he came up. If Jia Lian can't do it like the shotgun camp, he will be in trouble.

Feng Tangyan said: "When you go to the Shotgun Camp, you have to start from the beginning again. You are still a second-class soldier, do you know that?"

Jia Lian cupped his hands; "Thank you, my lord, for your fulfillment."

Feng Tang nodded: "Then go, but the ugly words come first, I recommended you to go, you have to fight for me, if you are kicked out and my prestige is ruined, I will punish you."

Jia Lian cupped his hands: "The humble position must be worthy of the general's cultivation."

The next day, Jia Lian took the general's warrant to the Shotgun Camp to report, and once again became a second-class soldier in the Shotgun Construction Office. His status was higher than Feng Ziying's. He could only make shotgun butts on the periphery. In his 40s, because he doesn't see the sun all year round, his complexion is fair, and he looks like a scholar.It's just that his hands are very rough, which doesn't match his complexion and skin.

He glanced at Jia Lian and said, "Go out and turn left, go find Lao Liu."

Jia Lian found Lao Liu again and explained his identity.Old Liu got up and threw an ax to Jia Lian: "Go outside and cut the bark. You can rest after cutting ten."

Cutting bark is the most superficial work in carpentry. It does not require any skills, and even handymen can do it.

Jia Lian is a second-class soldier and an apprentice. He should learn how to make gun stocks from his master. This is his job.

However, in the army, the master's orders are military orders, and there is no price to talk about.

Jia Lian honestly went to chop wood. There are three kinds of wood in the building office, beech, birch, and walnut.The wood Jia Lian wanted to repair was beech, the worst of the three.His daily task is to peel the wood that other woodworkers have inklined, and then eliminate the excess, so that the whole wood changes from plain wood to square wood.

On the first day, Jia Lian finished it in half a day, and then he wandered around to see what other people were doing, only to find that it took more than a dozen processes to form the small butt.

Cutting back from the woods is not counted. Jia Lian’s peeling is the first step, and then sawing, planing, drilling, chiseling, grinding, oiling, drying in the shade, grinding again, drying in the shade, grinding again, and so on three times. It's smooth and smooth, and it can be handed over.The subsequent process is not within the scope of work of Jia Lian, a carpenter.

But Jia Lian was wandering around, he was handsome and had a sweet mouth, and he would never leave his mouth when he saw his elder brother. If someone ordered him to serve tea and water, he would not think it disobedient, and would be happy to do so.After making a conversation, Jia Lian will quietly take a sip of the Lingquan rice wine prepared by Sister Feng. This Lingquan rice wine can not only quench thirst, but also refresh oneself. Everyone feels that they owe him and Jia Lian. This person is approachable, unlike those royal family members surnamed Shui, who have upturned nostrils, making people fearful and disgusted, and they all want to make friends with Jia Lian.

Cannibalism has a short mouth, so Jia Lian was quickly recognized and loved by everyone, and everyone was happy to teach him a few tricks.

On the first day at the post, Jia Lian learned how to saw and plan wood.

Feng Tang got the news soon, and had a deeper understanding of Jia Lian.

It should be noted that Feng Ziying has the aura of the son of a general, and it took him three days to persuade his master to teach him how to make a matchlock.

It only took Jia Lian a day to win the trust of everyone, which shows that this man has a lot of skills.

In the evening of that day, the logs processed by Jia Lian were praised by the master.It's just a compliment.

The next day, Jia Lian was still processing logs.

However, the master felt that Jia Lian was qualified to process birch.Then, the master gave Jia Lian an adze, and Jia Lian could swing the bow left and right, and cut wood on both sides.

Therefore, the next day, Jia Lian concocted another ten birch logs.Then, the next day, Jia Lian wandered around again, pleasing these workers with fine wine, and he learned to use wooden drills and chisels.

In this way, after ten days, Lao Liu reassigned Jia Lian's work, and Jia Lian was assigned to do the polishing work.

This time, Jia Lian could get close to the structure of the gun stock.

In his spare time, Jia Lian used the cracked and discarded beech wood in the workshop to successfully make a gun stock with exactly the same length and size.Although there were cracks and could not be used, Jia Lian was very happy and planned to keep it as a souvenir, but Lao Liu confiscated it.

He sternly warned Jia Lian: "Even discarded gun stocks cannot be passed on. This is a military order, and there is an order from the top. Anyone who disobeys it will be regarded as disobeying the military order and will be killed without mercy!"

Jia Lian's white hair was covered in fright, and he hurriedly cupped his hands to defend: "I don't want to take the humble job out, but I just hone my skills in private."

Old Liu snorted coldly: "You don't dare to measure!"

After that, Jia Lian took turns in each process in the carpentry room. Half a month later, Jia Lian did not receive the transfer order for a long time, so he quietly asked the carpenter he knew well: "When can an apprentice like me be transferred to another place?" workshop?"

The master laughed aloud: "Which workshop do you want to go to?"

Jia Lian was so confused by his laughter, he didn't dare to say that he wanted to go to the blacksmith shop, but said, "For example, Mr. Feng's □□ workshop?"

A sawman next to him chuckled: "This old Liu didn't explain clearly to you. Our manufacturing office is different from other places. If you are a woodworker, you can only be a carpenter, and if you are a blacksmith, you can only be a blacksmith. Wait for you to work in the carpentry workshop." After a year or so, when the general is happy, he will transfer you directly to the Shotgun Battalion to learn how to shoot."

Jia Lian was very sensible and didn't continue to ask. He already knew the answer, two words: keep it secret.

It is impossible for the imperial court to allow anyone to master the method of making the bird's beak gun, but it is also impossible for the emperor to do it himself, he can only arrange cronies, and he can't trust all cronies, so he has to divide and prevent, as long as anyone leaves here , Don't even think about making complete guns and ammunition.

Jia Lian gave Emperor Qianyuan a thumbs up in his heart: a thief!

However, this is not difficult for Jia Lian.How can Jia Lian be reconciled if such a good thing cannot be owned.

Previously, Jia Lian thought that he could rotate at will, and one day he would be able to learn all the techniques of making guns, but it didn't work.Then, if it is not obvious, you can only take it secretly.

From this day on, everyone found that Jia Lian didn't like to move, and liked to pause.Everyone thought that Jia Lian's novelty had passed, so they didn't care. He likes to sleep and it's not hard for him.Because even if Jia Lian likes to doze off, it doesn't affect the errands, and he does all the tasks beautifully.

Furthermore, it has already entered July, and everyone is a little sleepy, but they dare not delay things and just hold back.

Just like that, Jia Lian dozed off in a daze for half a month. Finally, he had a thorough understanding of the manufacturing process of the bird's beak gun. Those manufacturing processes took root in Jia Lian's mind like blood. .Once out, he can make his own guns.

Serving, Jia Lian continued to be an apprentice in the carpentry workshop. One day in January, Jia Lian met Feng Ziying once when the carpenter's son went to sleep.

However, things soon took a turn for the better.

At the end of July, Jia Lian received a warrant from Feng Tang and went to the Shotgun Camp with Feng Ziying to learn how to shoot.

There are three main steps to be mastered in bird beak gun shooting. First, the ammunition is loaded with granular □□ [-] qian and lead bullet [-] qian each time.When launching in the second step, first light the fire rope and put it into the faucet.The third step is to aim and launch.Hold the butt of the gun tightly after opening the fire door with your right hand, and pull the trigger.

Don't think it's very simple, some people are in a hurry, put too many particles, the result did not increase the shooting power, but because the pressure is too high, the chamber is exploded, and the bird's beak gun will also be fired many times because of the bamboo tube at the end of the barrel become brittle and break easily.

Shotgun Battalion is said to experience several disabling incidents each year.Therefore, playing with guns is exciting and dangerous.

Furthermore, the front sight of the gun is not very good, and many people miss the target nine times out of ten.

However, Jia Lian is not afraid of these things, because he has spiritual sense, which can help him detect the problem of the gun barrel in advance, and also help him lock the target.

Therefore, Jia Lian has become a sharpshooter after practicing shooting for only one month.

This is the result of Jia Lian's deliberate suppression of himself. In fact, after using the bird's beak gun for three days and familiarizing himself with the habits of the bird's beak gun, he can already hit a hundred shots. If you miss a shot, you miss the target.In this way, slowly passing through one month, the accuracy was improved to three hits.

However, the bird's beak gun is diffuse, and the killing area is large, but it cannot be killed by one blow.

Therefore, Jia Lian knew why the emperor did not expand production.

After a month of shooting, Jia Lian finally figured out the performance of the bird's beak gun, and its deterrent power is greater than its lethality.

And this kind of bird's beak gun must be within a certain range to work. If the target is too far away, it may not be effective.Moreover, the bird's beak gun is very slow to fire. If you are really facing the enemy, the enemy's bow and arrow will probably hit you by the time you put on the gun.

In this regard, the Shotgun Battalion also has a countermeasure, that is, three people shoot in groups, one person stands and holds the shooting posture, and the two people next to him reload and ignite for him, so as to shorten the shooting time.

This will affect the design techniques of the other two.

After a month of exploration, Jia Lian proposed his own idea to Feng Ziying, and he proposed a two-person combination shooting method.That is, when going to the battlefield, two groups, when the first person shoots, the second person reloads quickly, and when the second person shoots, the first person reloads, this way, the gap between shots is shortened , but also the role of airway mutual protection.

This method was approved by Feng Ziying.

After training in this way for a month, Jia Lian and Feng Ziying came up with the method of shooting formations, that is, nine people in a row, [-] for the first shot, [-] for the second time, and [-] for the third time. The shooting gap is shorter, which is like three people shooting consecutively, so Zi's lethality is even more powerful, and the deterrent effect is also greater.

This time the improvement involved nine people, and it was impossible to hide it, and Jia Lian and Feng Ziying felt that this method was very feasible, so they reported this training method to the battalion commander of the Shotgun Battalion, Captain Captain.

The lieutenant attached great importance to the report, and quickly organized the battalion to test it, and the combat effectiveness was doubled compared to the previous one.

The school lieutenant was very happy, thinking that Jia Lian and Feng Ziying could be made, he strongly recommended them to General Feng Tang as Lang Guan under the Shotgun Squad and in charge of a team.He said that the two are young talents who are rare in a hundred years, if they are well cultivated, their future is immeasurable.

Feng Tang was very happy to receive the recommendation letter, and directly sent the rare and sealed fast horse to the palace.

When Emperor Qianyuan intercepted the secret letter, he burst out laughing and shouted, "Jun Heng, please write an imperial edict with me quickly, so that Jia Lian and Feng Ziying can quickly enter Beijing."

Jia Lian was thinking about how to persuade General Feng Tang to agree to give him a gun, but before he could open his mouth, Feng Tang came with the eunuch who delivered the edict, but the emperor ordered Jia Lian and Feng Ziying to return to Beijing quickly and stand by.

Jia Lian and Feng Ziying didn't have time to tidy up, so Feng Tang urged him to get on the army horse that was going back to Beijing.

Feng Jia and the two also thought that there was an accident in the capital, so they rushed back to the capital without stopping, but they unexpectedly received an order from the emperor at the gate of the palace, telling them to go home and wait for orders, and they will enter the palace to have an audience early tomorrow morning.

When Jia Lian heard this, he knew that there was probably nothing wrong with the palace, and even if something happened, it had nothing to do with the Feng Jia family.

Feng Ziying was worried, and told Jia Lian to go home and wait for the news, but she went to the palace gate to wait.Not a moment later, I saw a guard of high value coming out of the palace. When I saw Feng Ziying, I was very enthusiastic.

Three cups and two cups, Feng Ziying roughly understood the reason of the incident, the bandits on the canal became more and more rampant.A few days ago, they robbed a senior official. It was strange to say that this senior official happened to be the father-in-law of Mr. Li from Taipu Temple.

The methods of the bandits were also ordinary. In addition to robbing property, they also stripped the official Wang Dao's clothes, tied thorns on his back, and knelt down on the deck facing south.

Feng Ziying was aroused when the two court officials explained such a rectification.

He didn't go home, but went directly to the Rong Mansion to ask Jia Lian to see him. When the two met and analyzed it, they felt that this was a bit of revenge, not like a bandit.

After discussing with each other, the two decided to go to Shuntian Mansion to understand the case. Because a section of the canal in the suburbs of Beijing belongs to Shuntian Mansion, Du Butou, who secretly suppressed bandits in Shuntian Mansion last time, also participated.Accidents happened to the canal one after another during this period, and Yin Feng of Shuntian Mansion was also battered, losing his temper in the mansion, pointing at Du Butou and scolding him because of a small matter.

Just at this time, Menzi came to the door, because Yin Feng was jumping and cursing, and they trembled: "Master Yin from the Rongguo Mansion, Jia Lian from the Rongguo Mansion, and Feng Ziying from the General's Mansion, please see me!"

When Yin Feng heard Jia Lian begging to see him, he almost wept with joy. This Jia Lian was his lucky star, and he had to help him get through the previous two misfortunes, so he stepped out of the signing room and went to greet him in person.

Jia Lian and Feng Ziying were overwhelmed by flattery, but Yin Feng actually talked about peer friendship with them. Yin Feng pulled one of them: "It's a coincidence that the two brothers came here. I said that I was surprised to hear the magpies who love you making noise this morning. It's unlucky enough, the magpies also come to bully people, but I don't think it's the two virtuous brothers who are coming, this is really good news for the magpies."

Jia and Lian didn't know why he was so excited, maybe he was stimulated by something.Jia Lian and Feng Ziying exchanged glances, they both felt that Yin Feng was behaving strangely, but they kept silent, and the three went to the study together and sat down.

After the fragrant tea was filled, Yin Feng left his seat suddenly, and bowed to the two of them: "You two brothers, please save me!"

Jia Lian and Feng Ziying hurriedly got up to escape from their seats, they both supported Yin Feng at the same time: "My lord, please tell me if you have something to say, wouldn't such a great gift break us!"

Only then did Yin Feng sigh and say: "You don't know that Mr. Wang, who was appointed as an official, fell ill after returning home, and died in the middle of the night yesterday. The Holy One was furious and ordered me to solve the case within ten days. Without soldiers, how to encircle and suppress the bandits? If there is a reward for the capture of the bandit leader, I am so shy that I can’t afford the bonus, do you think I have to wait to die?”

Jia Lian's eyes lit up when he heard the words, and he said with a smile, "My lord, post a reward. As for the reward, Jia has his own way."

Yin Feng was overjoyed when he heard the words, and then frowned: "Ah, actually, this is just a way to quench my thirst. I thought that the Xiaoqi Battalion was good at fighting, but they couldn't catch half of the bandits. How can a hero in the world be stronger than an army?"

Jia Lian persuaded: "Whether it is successful or not, the adults will issue the arrest documents and reward orders first, and then we will discuss the following matters with the adults."

Yin Feng was overjoyed when he heard the words: "The two virtuous brothers are really willing to help me?"

Jia Lian said with a smile: "It's hard to say, we have some ideas, but we don't know much about the details of the robbery incident that happened on the canal recently, so it's hard to draw conclusions, please explain it to us in detail."

Yin Feng said: "What's so difficult about this, the government has detailed records, come here!"

For a while, the yamen servant came in and asked, "What orders does Mr. Unknown have?"

Yin Feng said: "Ask Du Butou, and also, ask Master Hong to bring the case file of Yunhe to the study."

The yamen servant should have withdrawn, and Du Butou came when he was young, because the case file was still in the room for signing, so Yin Feng ordered Du Butou: "You talk to the two adults about the latest case, and when the case file is mentioned next time, the two adults have something to say If you have any doubts, explain it to me."

Yin Feng went to arrange for the official document to offer a reward without mentioning it.

At this time, Catcher Du stepped forward and bowed to salute: "You two adults, if you have any doubts, just ask, and the younger one will know everything."

Jia Lian said, "Do you know what happened to those cloth merchants and medicine merchants after they were robbed?"

Du Butou is very keen: "My lord wants to ask, are those who hurt people forced to take the blame?"

Jia Lian nodded: "Exactly!"

"No, those cloth merchants and medicinal material merchants were just robbed of money, food, and a small amount of medicinal materials. These cloth merchants and medicinal material merchants may lose their vitality, but they will not go bankrupt.

"This is also a strange thing. They seem to hate court officials. When Mr. Li and Mr. Wang were robbed before, all the property was robbed, and even the clothes on their bodies were stripped clean, and their wives They were all stripped of their outer shirts, leaving only their middle clothes. They were also burdened with thorns just like their husbands. However, they were lenient and did not offend them, Miss He Fu."