Chapter 242: Firearms Drill, Dayu’s Army God Arrives
On that day, long after Zhao Duan left Tianshi Mansion, the old craftsman from the Firearms Bureau returned to the Yamen in a hurry.
In the next few days, the production of new muskets began in the Firearms Bureau.
Taking into account the principle of confidentiality, relevant information is limited to a limited number of people.
Although the military attachés of the Shenji Battalion knew that Zhao Duan had done something in the Firearms Bureau.
However, due to the "avoidance of suspicion" and fear of being involved in the previous case, they suppressed their thoughts of investigating and did not even dare to make any inquiries.
He was afraid that he would be targeted by "King Zhao of Hell" and be labeled as "having liaison with Prince Jing's Mansion" - the Young Master learned from the past.
Therefore, a strange scene happened:
Firearms development was in full swing.
However, the Beijing camp and even the Privy Council, who should have known this well, all tacitly pretended to be blind.
Anyway, I don’t want to see whether he is alive or dead, just let Zhao Duan do whatever he wants.
No one would have thought that new types of firearms are constantly being brewed.
As for the "Xiaoge Lao" and other civil servants, they only had a rough idea and thought that Zhao Duan was investigating the case.
Even if he learned that Tianshi Mansion was suspected of being involved, he only thought that it was Zhao Thief who used his connections to assist in the investigation - similar things had happened more than once.
As the focus of countless eyes, Zhao Duan's next actions can be described as confusing in the world.
He pretended to be good at first, worked for a few days, and then completely failed.
He drank and had fun with a group of military attaches all day long, often not going to the military camp and resting at home.
Later, it is said that King Zhao Yan was bored one day and invited more than 20 people to play Cuju in the camp.
Well, Zhao Duan also came up with an original idea and drastically changed the rules of Cuju.
The people from the Firearms Bureau customized a weird "goal" and redefined the rules.
So, what goes up and what goes down works, and within a few days, the new way of playing Cuju spread throughout the business and entered the entire Forbidden Army.
Zhao Duan, a dignified fourth-grade military attache, indulges in fun all day long, and the commander Shi Meng cannot stop him.
We can only helplessly allow this unhealthy trend to spread.
This made countless observing officials look at each other, both openly and secretly.
I can't help but start to doubt myself.
I wonder if they are overthinking it.
Zhao Duan's entry into the Shenji Camp this time had no other purpose than simply to get a promotion?
For more middle- and low-level military attachés, the criticism of this "officer" who only knows how to have fun all day long is getting louder and louder.
The resistance caused by the dismissal of the young master continued to ferment.
…
In the Privy Council.
Xue Shence received more and more complaints from the military attachés below.
"Haha, Mr. Xue, I heard that the young master came to see you again today?"
At noon, a slim, second-rank Privy Councilor in his fifties walked into the hall with a smile on his face and a joking look on his face.
Xue Shence was taking a rest and glanced at his "colleague":
"Why are you teasing me, Mr. Wang?"
With that said, he invited him to sit down and drink tea.
The middle-aged governor, who had more civil servants than military officers, sighed:
"These days, the young master comes to visit once a day, almost becoming a sight.
Every time I came here, there were only two things. One was to ask for an explanation, to ask them which rule a group of people had violated and to ask the official to reinstate him; the other was to file a lawsuit against Zhao Duan. "
The Privy Council official shook his head: "Tang Ping has a clear mind, but he must ask questions knowingly.
A visit to the door is a slap in the face of our group... This is a demonstration of pressure. I am afraid that the recent criticism in the Beijing camp is also due to them...
If Your Majesty doesn't speak, you and I will suffer from this splint. "
When Xue Shence heard this, he sighed softly and felt a headache.
If it was someone else, he could just dismiss it casually.
But when Tang Ping came to make trouble, he could only endure it.
Although the Duke of Zhen is not in the capital, there are still a group of military nobles in the capital to support the "little prince".
Although Xue Shence is the number one military official, he still has to take care of the mood of these military officials.
"Just hold on a little longer. When the temporary post of Zhao is over, you can calm down a bit."
Xue Shence shook his head, paused, and then said:
"Besides, Your Majesty will not allow this person to continue to act recklessly."
Governor Wang glanced at him and said:
"Tell me, have we made a mistake? Zhao Duan's behavior after entering the Shenji Camp showed he had no intention of investigating the case at all. Apart from going to the Firearms Bureau to show off, he only had fun."
Xue Shence hesitated and said:
"Don't underestimate this person. His past methods and current performance may not be true."
Governor Wang raised his eyebrows: "Oh? You think..."
Xue Shence shook his head:
“I can’t guess, but... do you think this person is deliberately irritating us?
Kicking Tang Ping and others away is the first step. Now he is eating, drinking, having fun, corrupting Military discipline is the second one... If someone can't help it and takes action against him, can His Majesty take action to punish Dayu's military attache? "
Governor Wang also frowned, feeling that it was difficult:
"If this is the case, it will be really difficult to handle."
The two big men, who stomped their feet and made the whole court tremble, were actually unable to do anything with one person directing them at this moment.
In times of distress.
Suddenly, an orderly soldier came running from outside the hospital, stepping on the autumn wind, stopping and clasping his fists: "Two adults, Zhao Duan, the minister of Shenji Camp, has sent an official letter!"
What?
The two of them were stunned for a moment, with doubts in their eyes:
What can happen to this bastard who is temporarily employed?
And sent it to the Privy Council?
Xue Shence waved, and the soldier delivered the official letter. He glanced at it quickly, and his expression changed subtly:
"Look."
Governor Wang took it with a strange expression.
The official letter stated that Zhao Qianshi will preside over a soldier drill tomorrow in Shenji Camp to demonstrate new military formation tactics.
Senior military attachés from the Privy Council were specially invited to observe.
"What new tactics? Has Shi Meng reported it?" Governor Wang couldn't remember.
Xue Shence hesitated and said: "He sent a letter before to say that Zhao Duan did take some soldiers out.
But...it's all in the name of training, going out to play Cuju for fun.
In addition, he was close to the Firearms Bureau, but when it came to the previous case, Shi Meng deliberately did not investigate to avoid getting into trouble, and what he knew was not detailed. "
Governor Wang clicked his tongue and said in surprise:
"It's interesting to say that. I'm curious about what kind of medicine Zhao Duan is selling in the gourd."
Xue Shence snorted coldly:
"Grandstanding."
He suspected that Zhao Duan had learned that the public opinion in the army was not good, so he planned to use the identities of the generals in the Privy Council to suppress public opinion.
He sighed in his heart, but still ordered the soldiers to send back the news:
Tomorrow morning, he will lead the Privy Council generals there.
Your Majesty's face must be given to you after all.
"By the way, if we go tomorrow morning, won't our young master be in vain when he comes to the Privy Council?" Governor Wang joked.
Xue Shence picked up the tea cup and said calmly: "Then let's go together, so what?"
Governor Wang was stunned for a moment and looked at him thoughtfully.
…
…
On that day, news spread in a small area that Zhao Qianshi was going to preside over the training and invite many important people to observe.
Once again, it has attracted criticism. In the name of training, it is a traditional military skill for generals to gain reputation and gilding their reputation.
People are not afraid to speculate with the greatest malicious intent that this is another show off by Zhao Duan.
Only in the firearms bureau, Chen Huoshen, who had been working hard for more than half a month, was so excited that he could not sleep all night. He was rubbing the finished new musket in his hand, excitedly looking forward to the arrival of tomorrow.
A night of silence.
The next morning.
The autumn wind rustles.
When Zhao Duan got up, he felt the autumn atmosphere in the air was getting stronger, and the green flowers and trees in his home also looked bleak and late.
"It's a cool autumn day..."
With a murmur, Zhao Duan squinted his eyes and looked at the flying clouds in the sky and the rustling autumn wind.
I thought: It’s a good weather to practice shooting.
A few days ago, he got the finished product of the musket, which surprised him greatly.
Gongshu Tianyuan is indeed a genius. On the basis of the matchlock gun, he innovatively improved it again.
Using the warlock's ideas, a batch of "semi-automatic" muskets were created.
The reloading efficiency was greatly improved, which greatly enhanced his originally somewhat unsatisfactory performance.
It also prompted him to make the decision to perform today.
Zhao Duan was dressed neatly.
After having dinner at home as usual, he left the house and rode out of the city alone.
Hou Renmeng and Qian Kerou stayed at Shenji Camp last night to prepare for today's training with Chen Huoshen.
When Zhao Duan arrived at the Shenji Camp without any hurry.
From afar, I could hear the drums on the school field and the flags on the wall shaking violently in the autumn wind.
"Sir, you are here."
Qian Kerou was waiting at the gate of the military camp, and when she saw him, she hurriedly stepped forward to lead the horse.
Zhao Duan smiled:
"Why, are the people from the Privy Council here?"
"That's not the case yet, but all the generals from the Beijing camp have arrived." The little secretary explained.
Today's drill, since the big shots from the Privy Council are coming.
Naturally, the generals of the "Three Thousand Battalions" and the "Fifth Military Battalion" arrived without hesitation.
When Zhao Duan walked into the school grounds, he saw that a large shed had been erected on the edge of the school grounds.
It's like a pergola, with tables and chairs underneath.
At this moment, the three commanders of the Beijing Camp and dozens of senior military attachés gathered here and talked with each other.
"Zhao Qianshi, you are here!"
Shi Meng's eyes lit up, he quickly stood up, called him over, and introduced him to the generals around him one by one.
Zhao Duan ignored the others and only looked at the other two third-level commanders.
The commander of the fifth military camp is a middle-aged man with quite a Confucian general temperament.
Wearing armor and carrying a sword at the waist is a more formal attire.
The commander of the Three Thousand Battalion was a tall, thin man with a straight face, looking at him with curiosity:
"Zhao Qianshi, I have admired your name for a long time."
Zhao Duan smiled, nodded and chatted with a few people for a while.
There was quite a bit of laughter in the conversation.
Not only does he not have the humility of a lower-level official, but he has the air of a master of this place.
"I heard that Secret Envoy Xue is coming today, so Zhao Qian is too proud to be in trouble."
The commander of the five armies dressed as a Confucian general sighed with emotion and asked curiously: "But I don't know what Zhao Qianshi prepared for today's drill, so that most of the military officials in the entire capital came to such a big battle? "
Zhao Duan smiled slightly, did not answer his temptation, and just said:
"Later, you will know at a glance."
At this time, at the gate of the barracks, someone shouted: "Envoy Privy Xue is here!"
In an instant, everyone in the huge campus stood up solemnly.
He looked respectfully toward the barracks door to welcome the arrival of the Dayu Army God.
Only Zhao Duan was still sitting in his original position, narrowing his eyes slightly and muttering softly: "What a grand occasion."
…
Typos will be corrected first and then
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(End of this chapter)