Chapter 16

Departing very early in the morning, they set off almost before dawn, traveling from Baotou to Taiyuan. The business route was relatively good, and the carriage moved quite fast. From Baotou, they headed east along the Yellow River, which took an entire day. By around seven in the evening, they arrived in Suiyuan. Yang Yuanzhao had heard that this place would later become the capital of Inner Mongolia. Compared to Baotou, Suiyuan was a major town in the northwest and much more prosperous. However, in Yang Yuanzhao's eyes, it still appeared somewhat dilapidated. Gray was the dominant color in northern China, and even with careful attention, the pervasive sandstorms would cover everything in mud and sand.

Long journeys in old China always seemed exhausting, even if one didn't have to walk and had a carriage to ride in. The swaying carriage and poor roads were typical of the life of a traveling merchant. Both Yang Yuanzhao and Yang Yue felt extremely tired. Yang Yue casually greeted everyone and went to sleep without having dinner. Yang Yuanzhao, however, mustered his energy, had dinner, and then asked the helpers to fetch a piece of jujube wood.

Yang Yuanzhao's request was quite strange. Even on a business trip, he wanted a piece of jujube wood. Could it be for carving? Despite their curiosity, the helpers followed his instructions. About half an hour later, a piece of jujube wood, weighing several hundred pounds, was carried into Yang Yuanzhao's room by three people, who were panting from the effort.

The price of jujube wood was not expensive, just a little over one silver dollar. Yang Yuanzhao casually threw down two silver dollars, which surprised the helpers. They had thought they wouldn't get paid or would have to wait for the merchant association, but this young master directly gave them two silver dollars. They left with gratitude.

After the helpers left, Yang Yuanzhao quickly swept the piece of jujube wood into the all-in-one machine. Inside the manufacturing workshop, lights flickered as the production process, which had been dormant due to a lack of necessary materials, began. Ten Model 1888 Committee rifles, weighing only a few dozen kilograms, were produced in just a few seconds.

In times of chaos, more guns always seemed better. According to the all-in-one machine, a piece of jujube wood could produce thousands of rifles. A thousand rifles weighed only a little over two tons. For the all-in-one machine, which could produce a large number at once, this was no problem. With a command, red lights flashed, and one rifle after another appeared inside the machine. Yang Yuanzhao watched as the rifles, which smelled of gun oil and a faint scent of jujube wood, were produced.

"Retrieve?"

With a soft command, a brand new rifle appeared in Yang Yuanzhao's hands. In the dim candlelight, he could see the neatly lined barrel. The rifling not only increased the range but also the accuracy of the rifle, which was crucial for an army focused on combat. He made a gesture to aim, but realized he didn't know how to use a gun. Although he understood everything about the Model 1888 Committee, he needed someone to teach him. Perhaps he would ask the bodyguards tomorrow.

"Store!" The rifle returned to the all-in-one machine. Yang Yuanzhao looked at the quiet night sky, and a ripple of thought crossed his mind.

In China, starting from 1840, weapons became a hard currency. Especially after 1905, with Yuan Shikai's autumn maneuvers, the Beiyang Army shocked the world. The construction of the new army became the mainstream in China. Although China was still backward and vulnerable to attacks, the long-term accumulation of its vast population and resources created a significant amount of wealth each year. The Qing government lacked funds due to poor management. After the southeastern alliance, local governors began to hold real power. For example, Zhang Zhidong, who invested millions of taels in the Hanyang Iron Works, retained local taxes amounting to tens of millions of taels. This was the reality of the late Qing dynasty, where the funds for the new armies came from the hands of local governors.

Neither Yang Yuanzhao nor the four major families had such high-level connections. The four major families had only recently established themselves, and having a foothold in Shanxi was already quite an achievement. It was even more difficult to penetrate the upper echelons. The arms trade was always controlled by foreign powers, and entering it rashly could easily provoke a backlash. His strength was still too weak.

Letting go of this opportunity, no, he needed to find another way. Perhaps going to Shanghai would provide a solution. Lying in bed, Yang Yuanzhao slowly drifted into sleep.

The journey on the second day was similar to the first, but even more desolate. From Baotou to Suiyuan, they followed the official road, but from Suiyuan to Datong, they took the legendary route through the western pass, which was covered in layers of loess.

The Loess Plateau, which had troubled China for centuries, was closely linked to the Yellow River's breaches. Now, it was still an overlooked corner. Since he had landed here, transforming this place would be a necessity.

The vast wilderness was enlivened by the occasional calls of the knife fighters and the songs of the folk singers. During the midday rest, Yang Yuanzhao found the leader of the knife fighters, a rugged-looking northwestern man in his thirties, who grinned widely.

The knife fighter leader was also surnamed Yang, named Yang Shunfa. He wasn't part of the Yang family, but after joining the Yang family's merchant association over a decade ago, he had relied on the Yang family for a living. Over the years, he had traveled throughout the west and was the most experienced.

"Master Yang, your physique might find this quite challenging?"

"No problem, I just want to learn the basics of firing a gun!"

Hearing this, Yang Shunfa didn't say much more and readily agreed. After all, all the expenses would be covered by the Yang family, and it was just a matter of firing a few bullets.

They agreed to teach him after lunch. The caravan continued on its way and stopped in a mountain hollow in the afternoon to rest and eat dry rations in the shade.

As agreed, Yang Yuanzhao found Yang Shunfa, who was holding two guns. One was his, and the other seemed to be a random find, a Russian Mosin-Nagant.

"Take it!" Yang Shunfa tossed the gun, and Yang Yuanzhao hurriedly caught it and carefully inspected it. It had no rifling, which was typical of Chinese guns. Following Yang Shunfa, they walked outside, where they met Yang Yue, who had come to find him.

"Yuanzhao, you want to play with a gun?" Yang Yue walked over and saw Yang Yuanzhao handling the gun. He took it over, and it was clear from his upbringing that he was very familiar with rifles, unlike Yang Yuanzhao.

"Alright, Master Yang, don't delay me!" Yang Yuanzhao snatched the Mosin-Nagant from Yang Yue and pulled the bolt.

Under Yang Shunfa's guidance, Yang Yuanzhao fired a few rounds. His strong, transplanted body allowed him to adapt faster than others, but marksmanship required practice. A mere dozen or so bullets wouldn't teach him much. In the vast Loess Plateau, the gunshots only startled a few birds. This was already an inland area, where wolves occasionally appeared, but large groups of animals were rare. The knife fighters had agreed to teach Yang Yuanzhao mainly for entertainment.

A few bullets from a rifle with worn rifling wouldn't be very accurate, but extraordinary skills often emerged from the grassroots. Yang Yuanzhao didn't expect that Yang Shunfa, who was teaching him, was an excellent marksman. Not only did he hit a fixed target, but he also shot down three geese that were startled by Yang Yuanzhao's shots. Using a rifle with worn rifling, he hit three geese in succession, a feat that could only be described as miraculous.

The young knife fighters laughed and rode off to collect the game. The three geese would be a welcome addition to their lunch. On this journey of hundreds of kilometers, they could only eat dry rations and some cured meat. Fresh game was a rare treat for the knife fighters.

"Be on guard!" Yang Shunfa seemed to have noticed something and raised his hand, shouting loudly. His deep voice echoed across the vast wilderness. In an instant, the entire caravan was on alert.