Chapter 77

The appearance of this flintlock added much fun to my journey. Every time I stopped, the sound of the gun firing became a daily scene, and the crowd that gathered around was just a few stray cats.

Although the accuracy was still as disappointing as ever, due to gradually becoming more familiar with it and the mechanism's wear, the speed of loading and firing improved significantly. After getting used to the inertia of the recoil, at least within ten steps, the shots wouldn't scatter too far.

During this process, I made some modifications myself. For example, I removed the fancy decorations from the metal parts to reduce weight; I used thin strips cut from iron sheets to create a simple sight and sight slot, and engraved fine scales on them; I shaved the stock thinner and carved it to fit the hand better; I added a detachable front grip to provide stability for two-handed holding; I reduced the travel of the flint and spring to achieve a faster firing speed.

If the materials and craftsmanship could be improved, it would mean a stronger and lighter barrel, and the corresponding improvement in gunpowder composition. These are things I currently can't achieve with my available resources.

There are short guns, and naturally, there are long guns. I am even more looking forward to the Southern Dynasty's artillery units, which are said to be one of the few large-scale formations in this chaotic world.

At the same time, Han Liangchen also put aside some of his concerns and, at my request, began to instruct Bo Fu and Feng Juan Qi in some battle array strategies and share his experience, and had Feng Juan Qi's people and Cui Tuzi's group engage in small unit drills.

"Is it fun?"

Yuwen Luoluo, holding an umbrella, stood not far from me, lightly covering her nose.

"Of course. As a girl, you naturally don't understand the romantic sentiment men have for guns."

I laughed, continuously loading and firing, hitting the top of the target, causing it to shatter and fly.

"Headshot kill."

I blew the smoke from the muzzle.

"Don't kid yourself. When I go online, the most common thing I see is you guys showing off your guns."

She pouted and waved her umbrella to disperse the smoke.

"I've seen gun pictures from North America and Canada too."

"That guy who loves bronze cannons even posted a guide on how to fire them, and a bunch of Napoleon cannons followed suit."

Well, with her cute appearance, discussing such issues with me always makes it hard to take things seriously, and it's a bit strange, making me occasionally lose focus and indulge in some fantasies.

"Have you achieved any results?"

I suddenly remembered the设定 of a little girl with a cannon, which is quite appealing.

"What results could there be?"

Her mouth pouted, showing a cute and dazed look.

"I mean, haven't you tried to climb the tech tree in Yizhou?"

"How easy do you think that is?"

She jumped up like a cat whose tail was stepped on.

"I'm a girl, and although I love military websites, I just read news and historical anecdotes and post comments to criticize public intellectuals and American supporters."

"Things like military training, farming, and tech climbing are only seen in some YY novels. What do you expect me to achieve?"

"The most I can do is come up with some new ideas for perfumes, soaps, and cosmetics to make money."

She waved her umbrella at an imaginary enemy.

"And I have to strictly guard against others stealing and plundering, to protect my business."

"After all, with money, I can collect the resources I need and train my subordinates."

"With this foundation, my old man can take me seriously and entrust me with some of his business."

"Actually..."

"My expertise is more in personnel management and business administration."

"You're an MBA... I'm impressed."

I laughed.

"It's just a common thing."

She seemed to recall something and said with disgust.

"Those who delve into it are either nouveau riche or gold diggers and绿茶婊."

"How is your memoir coming along?"

"Only just started, with a lot of threads and aspects to consider."

"Coal, steel, cement, and chemical industries, none of them can be missing."

I watched her count on her fingers, seriously estimating various tech tree branches, as if playing a game.

"Based on the intelligence I've gathered, at least the three acids and two alkalis have a foundation in this era, and metallurgy and cement have taken shape. You just need to consider how to improve them."

"Hey..."

I felt a twitch in my eyelids, as if a noisy bird had flown over my head.

"What do you take me for, a Doraemon with an infinite space pocket?"

"Aren't you a librarian? Even though you're an assistant, you should at least live up to this magical title."

She held her umbrella and puffed out her chest, saying confidently,

"Your senior overturned the three mountains that oppressed the Chinese people and beat up the UN forces one by one."

"Surely you, as a junior, won't just be content with eating and waiting to die?"

"Of course not."

I touched my nose, unfortunately, she seemed to be right. I did have such thoughts at first.

"Even to enjoy a decent living standard in this chaotic world, you need power and wealth to ensure it."

She seemed to guess something and said seriously,

"Otherwise, why would I go to such lengths to find you? Wouldn't it be better to stay on the island and deal with my relatives?"

"Let alone the things you've been doing in the north, don't think you can easily stay out of it."

I suddenly felt ashamed, as a man, my awareness in certain matters was actually not as good as a girl's.

"I'll speed up the process, list out the key points first, but you need to help me."

"Just relying on me won't be enough."

My peripheral vision suddenly caught a person peeking from behind a tree, and I called out loudly,

"Come out..."

It was the person holding the crossbow and the quiver of short arrows. After the short arrows were used up in the Nestorian church and the string became loose, it was temporarily useless. Clearly, through Mrs. Chen's connections, it was repaired and some arrows were added.

"Since you're here, show me what you can do."

I smiled at her.

"Sure..."

She stood next to me, raised her hand, and aimed at the target, pulling the string and firing several arrows with a whistling sound, showing better accuracy than my flintlock.

Then, like a cat that had caught a mouse, she looked up at me expectantly. I, of course, didn't hesitate to pat her head and encourage her as a reward. Well, after all these encounters, my little girl has gained some fighting ability, though still in the single digits, it can't be underestimated.

"This thing is pretty good."

Yuwen Luoluo's eyes lit up, and she came over to stare at the crossbow, trying to hide it behind her back.

"Looks like being a DIY enthusiast isn't all bad."

"If you could soak it in coal tar or horse urine, it might be even better."

She continued.

"But those are secondary effects that take time to work."

I shook my head.

"We need a more potent and fast-acting poison."

"Like snake venom? There's plenty of that in Lingnan."

"Biotoxins are hard to maintain their activity for long."

"Then use the arrow poison from the upas tree, which has both clotting and paralyzing effects and can be fatal."

"The upas tree might not be strong enough to penetrate armor."

"What's the problem? Do you think the enemy will always be in iron cans?"

"As long as their hands, feet, neck, or face are exposed, a small cut will do."

"True..."

I shook my head. How did we get off topic again?

"By the way, you must have gained a lot from Mrs. Chen."

"Not bad. Although she is surnamed Chen, she manages the Ning family's business."

"Ning family?"

"The Ning family of Huzhou, which governs the Gui Dao, is not an ordinary powerful clan."

"Although not on the same level as the Eight Leaves of the South China Sea."

"They are one of the oldest and most influential local clans, with a wide range of business interests."

"Initially, because a distant relative married Liang Gong, they were connected to the Liang family and included in the South China Sea Governorate's expansion project during the Qianyuan era. They have significant influence in the Annam Protectorate to this day."

"Moreover, her husband is highly trusted in the Lingnan court and serves as the Southeastern Pacification Commissioner, naturally expanding their business to the southeastern regions. Otherwise, why would those people specifically target her? There's no such thing as baseless love or hate."

"So?"

"So I used my family's business to trade for several sales agency rights and cooperation projects from her, and recognized me as a niece. It's a win-win situation."

"Don't gloss over the important part. The last item is the key, right?"

I couldn't help but comment.

"Using the Ning family's influence in the Guangzhou Clan Institute can save a lot of trouble."

"There are some benefits, yes."

At this point, she clenched her small fist, clearly unable to resist showing off.

Although the convoy's speed was not fast, by the second day, the undulating mountains finally disappeared. As we entered the red soil basin of Zhenchang County, also known as Nanxiong City, we officially entered the territory of Shaoguan, which is under the Southern Dynasty's rule today.

Just across a mountain range, it seemed like a different world. The peaceful and serene pastoral scenery, with tea gardens and rice fields covering the hills, and fruit orchards and banana groves filling the gaps, and villages and houses surrounded by bamboo and trees, set against the red soil landscape, exuded a southern charm.

However,

On the other side of Nanxiong City, the refugee camp, like a large stain, was the only disharmonious element. Every year, a large number of people trying to enter Lingnan are held up here, and many more attempt to bypass the city's defenses by climbing mountains and crossing passes, only to get lost and become the remains of wild animals.

Compared to the slow, long line of people holding credentials and being searched, with the governor's escort, we naturally had the privilege of passing through the city quickly and smoothly.

However, at the checkpoint, the refugees outside the city, who rushed forward and tried various ways to sell themselves and beg, brought back some unpleasant memories. Seeing the disappointed and numb faces, this disturbance would likely result in dozens of people being trampled or injured.

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