"Will Xuanzan still attack the city?"

Zhou Tong looked at Wu Haogu and was a little skeptical.

It is not easy to attack the city! Even if the Western thief's city was not very solid, it could only be filled with corpses and blood. In the fourth year of Yuanfeng, didn't the army commanded by Gao Zunyu and Liu Changzuo not capture Lingzhou City for 18 days?

"Yes!" Wu Haogu smiled, "Surprising and building cities are all good at some people, but they are not sure about field battles."

Zhou Tong was still shaking his head, "There is no shortcut to attacking the city. Xuanzan must not underestimate the enemy."

Wu Haogu said: "I have a clever plan... By the way, Master Zhou, do you know that anyone among the imperial guards makes good use of gunpowder?"

"Gunpowder?" Zhou Tong was stunned when he heard this, and then shook his head, "That object is of no use. It is just a scare of cavalry and arson. It is a useless rib in the siege formation battle, so there is no special gunpowder soldier in the army, so naturally no one is good at using it."

Gunpowder was used in military affairs as early as the Tang Dynasty, and in the Song Dynasty, it received more attention from the court. Under the military weapon supervision, there were two workshops specially used to produce gunpowder weapons.

However, unlike the court-level situation where firearms are valued, the soldiers of the Northern Song Dynasty have never known how to effectively use gunpowder weapons. At most, they use gunpowder arrows, terrestrial cannons (actually a bomb), and leather cannons (also a bomb) to scare the horses of enemy cavalry or set fire. The actual lethality is not very high. Because the shells of terrestrial cannons and leather cannons are not very strong, before the gunpowder inside fully explodes, the shell will shatter, so the lethality will be greatly reduced.

At the same time, since gunpowder granulation is not achieved, the separation of nitrate powder, carbon powder and sulfur will occur during the transportation of gunpowder weapons, and the purity of nitrate powder and sulfur powder will be insufficient, which further reduces the power of detonation.

However, Wu Haogu knew a very effective way to use gunpowder to siege the city!

Later Taiping Heavenly Kingdom used this method of digging tunnels to bury explosives to attack many big cities stationed by the Qing army, including Wuchang and Nanjing! It was a brick city from the Ming and Qing dynasties, but for example, the mainstream rammed earth city today was much stronger, and it still caused the mining workers of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to collapse with gunpowder.

"So can coach Zhou recognize the master of gunpowder?" Wu Haogu, who made up his mind, asked about the master of gunpowder making again.

It is actually not difficult to prepare gunpowder. Wu Haogu himself knew the ratio of nitr, charcoal and sulfur. However, the purification of saltpeter and sulfur is a problem for Wu Haogu, and gunpowder does not have much market and is more sensitive, so Wu Haogu did not establish a gunpowder factory in Jiehe Market.

"Know a few," Zhou Tong said, "Would you like to run for Xuanzan?"

"Then I'll be working," Wu Haogu said with a smile. "Old coach Zhou would be better off finding a few younger gunpowder craftsmen for this official. As long as they are willing to come, I will ask for an order to transfer people. They will give me three times the amount of gunpowder they get."

"Okay," Zhou Tong said, "I will go find them tomorrow."

"Okay!" Wu Haogu nodded, "Standard He, can you help me take me to Xuzhou?"

He Tianran was stunned, "What are Xuanzan going to do in Xuzhou?"

"Go and invite someone!" Wu Haogudao, "You went with Zhou Tiechui. He was originally a mine tyrant and recognized many smelters, miners and miners. However, he had committed a crime in Xuzhou, so he asked you to follow him."

"I know what to do."

There is no need to say that Wu Haoguduo, He Tianran has already understood the big gold medal. "Please also give it a name for utility."

The utility is not necessarily a samurai who charges in battle. The scribes who follow the army sometimes also use the name of utility.

"Okay!" Wu Hao Gu's ancient saying, "I will give you a two-direct utility man first. I will protect you as a little envoy when you come back from Xuzhou. I will go to the northwest to make a copywriter with me. Are you willing?"

Wu Haogu had a copywriter first, namely Wu Chenglan. Although she was reliable and had a decent writing style, she could not cope with officials from all aspects. He Tianran was the ace lawyer in Kaifeng Prefecture and was the best at coping with officials.

Moreover, his mind was meticulous, familiar with the law, and brought him by his side, Wu Haogu was not afraid of suing the group of soldiers and civil officials of the Western Army.

When he heard that he could become an official, how could He Tianran say no? He immediately stood up and bowed to Wu Haogu: "I am willing to follow Xuanzan!"

"Okay!" Wu Haogu nodded in praise, and said to Pan Xiao'an, "Eleventh Brother, are we still here in the martial arts training ground in Moutuogang?"

"Here," Pan Xiao'an said, "Who dares to occupy the territory of our Xicheng District?

The martial arts performance venue in Moutuogang is the place where the imperial predecessor performs martial arts, and it is only used once a year.

"Then please send someone to build a wall of earth," Wuhao Ancient Road, "Building according to the size of the outer wall of the ordinary city does not have to be too long, it's enough to just take a few dozen steps."

“What’s the use of this?”

Wu Haogu said: "Of course, it's a drill to attack the city!"

Build a wall to practice siege?

Wu Haogu's words sound strange. Where is there a city wall? Is it necessary to repair a block now? And the two emperors in front of the emperor are not in Kaifeng Mansion? How to practice?

"Brother Eleven, if you ask you to practice, please find someone to practice!" Pan Qiaolian saw that Pan Xiao'an did not say anything, so she urged her.

"Okay," Pan Xiao'an nodded repeatedly when the girl urged her, "I'll ask someone to go and repair it, and it will be kept in ten days."

"Madam Mo," Wu Haogu then pointed out Madam Mo's name again, "I'm sorry, please do a few lip-syncings to raise the land prices outside the west wall of Kaifeng Prefecture and the housing prices around the old Imperial College."

"Oh, I can save it." Madam Mo was a little impressed by Wu Haogu's request. She was about to go to the battlefield, but she still didn't forget to speculate on real estate and land...

In fact, Wu Dalang speculates on real estate and land for the country and the people! Only when the houses rise can the house slave soldiers have the motivation to fight!

Wu Haogu's arrangements were completed, and it was already dusk. At this time, the nightlife and various private political activities in Kaifeng Prefecture began.

Cai Jing's eldest son Cai You also graduated from the Jinshi in the middle of the year. Although he was also a Jinshi, he had already been in office, so he immediately arranged a lecturer in Chongzheng Hall, which was actually just to accompany the official family to have fun. This is actually a very hard job! He often had to be busy until the third update at night, and there was no overtime pay, and sometimes he had to sacrifice his appearance... It was so hard.

However, Cai You is still very dedicated. No matter how hard or tired you are, you will not complain. And you have to pretend to be happy on the surface.

It was already the third day when he returned home tonight.

Cai You originally thought that his father Cai Jing had already rested, but after going to the main courtyard, he learned that Grand Prince Cai was still waiting for the news he brought back in the study.

After reporting outside the door, Cai Youcai pushed the door into the room, and a strong smell of alcohol came to his face. It turned out that Cai Jing had just finished his overtime work and was hosting the banquet for the Secretary of the Shangshu Wen Yi and the Secretary of the Ministry of War Liu Kui at home, and discussed the situation in the northwest and the affairs of Wu Haogu's secretly Tongliao Kingdom.

The situation on the northwest battlefield is currently roughly calm, and the Xixia posture is very low. While asking the Liao Kingdom to mediate; while secretly mobilizing troops and preparing to fight back.

The Song Dynasty, on the other hand, was adjusting the focus of the attack. Although the interference of Zhong Fu made the Song army lose the opportunity to expand the results on the Western Front. However, the disastrous defeat of Haoyahe and the subsequent betrayal of Renduo Baozhong still put the Right-Chang army of Xixia under great pressure.

Therefore, Tao Jiefu and Zhong Fu on the front line both judged that the main force of the Western Xia army had been transferred to the area of ​​Zhuoluo City-Qin Wangchuan.

Under such circumstances, the Song army's attack on the Wudinghe area should be sure to win.

In addition, the evidence of Wu Haogu, a treacherous minister, has gradually surfaced! One is to raise private soldiers. When Liu Kui visited the Kingdom of Goryeo, he found that Wu Haogu was raising hundreds of private soldiers, all of whom were wearing strong and holding sharp edges, comparable to the dragon hero.

In addition to raising private soldiers in Yin, Wu Haogu also had a crime that was exposed not long ago. It was to secretly Tongliao and buy Liao grain! This was revealed by an insider of Jiehe Shangshi. According to the Cangzhou Tongzhi Lu Yihao, who secretly reported the incident, the man who exposed Wu Haogu Tongliao was the brother of Du Wenyu, the outer room of Wu Haogu. For some reason, he was chased by Wu Haogu and was shot on his shoulder. He fled to Lu Yihao before he saved his life.

In fact, Wu Haogu had a lot of exchanges with the nobles of the Liao Kingdom, and Cai Jing had known this for a long time. But that could not be a crime, but it would be different to purchase one to two million stones of Liao Kingdom every year... Well, this seems to be a crime. After all, the Liao and Song dynasties did not engage in military affairs, and there was no such thing as not being allowed to import food in the trade control project of the Song Dynasty!

There are a lot of big things around Wu Haogu. If you want to use this "crime" to defeat him, don't even think about it!

But Cai Jing still found an opportunity to overthrow Wu Haogu... Once the Song Dynasty occupied the Wuding River Basin, the Liao Kingdom would threaten and even interfere with the Song-Xia war by force. At that time, the various Tongliao behaviors of Jiehe Market and Wu Haogu must be stopped! But can Wu Haogu, a short-sighted businessman, be willing to make at least one million yuan in grain trade profits a year?

There is nothing better than this! If the Song Dynasty imported 2 million Shi Liao's wheat through Jiehe Maritime and then settled according to the cost of transporting wheat from the southeast six routes north and then transporting it south, the Jiehe Maritime and Vehicles in Wuhaogu would have a profit of at least 1.5 million yuan.

Will Wu Haogu give up? At that time, he will definitely use smuggling to continue to make huge profits... Moreover, Wu Haogu himself is not in Jiehe Shangshi because of the war, and cannot slander him in front of Zhao Ji. Can he still escape the charge of traitoring the country in Tongliao?

Of course, Cai Jing also knew that Wu Haogu and Zhao Ji had a close relationship. It was impossible to kill Wu Haogu because of this, but Wu Haogu would not think about it if he wanted to protect Jiehe Maritime Affairs!
Chapter completed!