Chapter 320 Weapons

In the courtyard, Wang Yunxiu is dancing with a sword.

Xue Bai once saw Gongsun Auntie and Li Twelve Niang dancing swords. They were strong and soft, calm and sharp, and quite capable of fighting. Wang Yunxiu's sword skills were stronger and more powerful.

"sieve--"

Amidst the sound of breaking wind, the long knife struck down and was deeply embedded in the wooden pile on the side.

Wang Yunxiu then sheathed the knife, turned around and saw Xue Bai standing in the corridor with his hands behind his back. He couldn't help but said in surprise: "Xue Lang is here? I didn't go to greet him, it would be too rude."

"I heard that General Wang was ill, so I came here to visit him."

"Ah?" Wang Yunxiu was slightly startled and said, "Yes, my grandfather has a gangrene attack on his back. I have been taking care of him recently."

She usually looked demure, but today she looked a little stronger in her military robe. She was sweating profusely, her face and neck had a healthy rosiness, and her body was still steaming. She was not afraid of the wind and cold, so she took the cloak.

Then he had to lead Xue Bai in personally.

After the screen retreated, she said: "I usually pay attention to it, but I didn't expect that I have to pretend in front of Xue Lang."

"Although people from Nanzhao will not sneak into the mansion to inquire, they still have to put on a show, including catching and cooking medicine for General Wang every day. The loss of appetite during the illness led to the reduction of food ingredients."

"Yes, Yuan Lang said the same thing." Wang Yunxiu said, "He said that I would not act on occasion and only let me stay in the inner courtyard. He was arranging these details."

"That's good." Xue Bai felt confident about Yuan Zai's work.

"By the way, I heard about it too." Wang Yunxiu said, "Eating made Yao Siyi frame you. I didn't expect that you have a reputation for being romantic, but in fact you are a gentleman."

"You can't be called a gentleman. He's just obsessed with fame and wealth and not good at socializing with women." Xue Bai responded casually.

"The same is true for Yuan Lang." Wang Yunxiu said, "He is really dedicated to making progress and is arrogant."

"Really?" Xue Bai touched his nose.

"It turns out that you, the princess, and the prime minister's wife are really good friends." Wang Yunxiu looked cheerful, but in fact he was very interested in these scandals and anecdotes, and asked: "Then those romantic affairs about you in Chang'an City are also fake?"

"..."

While they were talking, the two of them had already reached the end of the corridor, where they saw two tough-tempered servants standing guard, clasping their fists and saying, "Commander Xue has given the order, Mr. Xue can go in."

It looks like a simple guard, but in fact there are only a few people in the world who can enter this room.

In the main room, the smell of medicine filled the air. Wang Zhongsi was sitting on the couch covered with a thin blanket and looking at the map. When he heard some noise, he turned around and glanced with sharp eyes. He saw that Wang Yunxiu was leading Xue Bai, so he stopped his attention.

"General Wang, how are you sick?"

"Urgent." Wang Zhongsi said: "If you don't go to Jiannan and only talk about war on paper in Chang'an City, how can you be sure?"

"I don't think there is any need to rush." ​​Xue Bai said: "The scorching heat in the south is not something northerners can endure. This battle must avoid summer. No matter how urgent it is, we have to wait patiently until autumn, and it is only April now."

Wang Zhongsi understands these principles better than Xue Bai. It's just that they have different mentality.

"Have the arrangements been made? Let's go see the weapons you mentioned."

"Yes." Xue Bai said: "I brought a few doctors here today in the name of visiting patients. General Wang will dress up as a doctor and go out with me."

"Let's go now."

Wang Zhongsi took the clothes handed over by Xue Bai and started to put them on.

"My daughter will go too," Wang Yunxiu said, "I will wait for my daughter to change her clothes..."

"If you go, there is no need to change. You can leave the house in the name of seeing Xue Lang." Wang Zhongsi acted swiftly and resolutely. He was not used to the woman's temperament as a mother-in-law, but he felt that his daughter's marriage to Yuan Zai had become pretentious over the years.

Wang Yunxiu was not because of anything else, but because she had just practiced martial arts and her whole body smelled of sweat. Thinking of going to the military camp outside the city like this for a whole day, I was afraid that people would go sour.

Of course, the general's daughter won't care too much about these things, just go ahead and go.

On the contrary, Xue Bai could tell from the two sentences of dialogue between their father and daughter why Wang Yunxiu was able to run away with Yuan Zai back then. Yuan Zai was thoughtful and willing to coax, which was exactly what Wang Yunxiu lacked the most.

Thinking of this, he reminded himself that now he is a dull person who is not good at dealing with women, so it is better not to think about these things.

"I've also heard about you."

When Wang Zhongsi talked about recent events, he had a completely different attitude. He said in a calm tone: "Instead of scheming with the traitors, it is better to focus on doing practical things."

"yes."

"But it's not a bad thing." Wang Zhongsi patted Xue Bai and said with a smile: "As time goes by, people's hearts have changed, and now the saint also understands that you have a good character. This is a good thing."

It can be seen that Wang Zhongsi really doesn't like intrigues.

~~

Although Wang Zhongsi was ill, the appointment of civil and military officials and the mobilization of troops, money and food were all in progress, and everything was in order.

In the eyes of outsiders, the imperial court was waiting for Wang Zhongsi's condition to improve, or perhaps changing the leadership depending on the situation.

The main force of soldiers and horses who want to conquer Nanzhao is still under the command of Xianyu Zhongtong, the deputy envoy of Jiannan Festival. In the military camp outside Chang'an City, there are soldiers dispatched by Wang Zhongsi and are currently undergoing training.

On that day, Yuan Zai was arranging money and food in his capacity as a member of the inspection committee. When he got a message that someone was coming to see him, he hurriedly went out of the camp to greet him.

"Mr. Lang." Wang Yunxiu, wearing a warrior robe, rode his horse forward and said, "I will bring Xue Lang to see you."

Compared with his wife, Yuan Zai seemed much weaker. He rushed to Xue Bai's horse and saluted: "Xue Lang is here. I will show you the progress of military affairs."

Xue Bai dismounted and asked, "Have all the weapons and weapons sent by the generals I recommended arrived?"

"They're here, I'll place them here at Zhou Cao."

Yuan Zai raised his hand and glanced over the faces of the guards behind Xue Bai. He had already seen Wang Zhongsi in disguise, but he didn't care and just talked and laughed with Xue Bai.

"When we attacked Shibao City, it was Xue Lang who built the huge stone cannon. Now we are attacking Nanzhao. If we can see Xue Lang take action again, it must be a successful battle."

"They are just icing on the cake. Winning the war ultimately depends on the national power of the Tang Dynasty and the concerted efforts of the soldiers."

"Xue Lang is too modest." Yuan Zai smiled broadly, chatting and laughing with Xue Bai along the way, and seemed very humane and sophisticated.

But compared with more than two years ago, Yuan Zai is now more slick and utilitarian. No matter how well he hides it, Xue Bai can still feel it.

There were Cang Cao, Zhou Cao, Bing Cao, and Qi Cao in the military camp, who were in charge of food, equipment, soldiers, and horses. They soon arrived at Zhou Cao, and there were soldiers in front of them to stop them. Yuan Zai took out his order talisman, but he didn't enter immediately.

Instead, he waited for Gao Shi, secretary of the Military Code, to come and greet him.

Gao Shi recognized Wang Zhongsi at a glance, and quietly led everyone into the Cao Cao.

"The carriage arrived three days ago. We are still testing the weapon. If it is usable, we must start forging it as soon as possible..."

The Prefect was heavily guarded. After entering, Wang Zhongsi no longer had to hide his identity. He walked around with his hands behind his back and listened. Then he asked, "How is the newly appointed Prefect?"

"He is very neat in his work." Gao Shi said, "He is a great talent."

"The people recommended by Mr. Xue are all good." Wang Zhongsi said, "Just like you, who is thirty-five men taller."

Gao Shi responded hurriedly: "I am ashamed that my talent is far inferior to that of Yan Wu."

The new commander they said was Yan Wu.

Xue Bai always knew that Yan Wu had general talents, so he transferred him to Jingzhao Prefecture and quickly recommended him to the army, hoping that he could make contributions in the battle of Nanzhao. In fact, Wang Zhongsi was not used by everyone.

, personally tested Yan Wu and confirmed his talent before entrusting him with important tasks.

"I've seen you all, I've made arrangements, please."

Yan Wu looked serious. After meeting, he just cupped his fists and invited everyone into the camp. His attitude was completely different from that of Yuan Zai. He was not flattering and rude, but it was in line with his name, serious and heroic.

Several barracks have been set up here, and there is an observation tower next to the barracks.

Xue Bai and Wang Zhongsi climbed to the observation deck, and a man was standing there, holding a copper cylinder in his hand.

"This is Xue Lang's servant, Qiao Erwa." Yan Wu said, "It was he who found craftsmen to make a batch of weapons based on Xue Lang's drawings and escorted them here."

"Meet the Generalissimo."

Qiao Erwa quickly handed the object in her hand to Wang Zhongsi and gave him a silly gesture.

Wang Zhongsi took it and took a closer look. He saw that it was a hollow copper tube, with one side larger and the other smaller. He accidentally peeked through the tube and could see that the wooden board under his feet had been pulled closer.

It seems that the copper tube is inlaid with crystal, which looks like colored glaze, but is more transparent than ordinary colored glaze.

"We named this object 'Telescope'. General, you can try to see it like this."

Wang Zhongsi then put the telescope in front of his eyes and closed his other eye. His vision was slightly blurry, but the distant Qinling Mountains had been brought much closer.

Turning his sight again, he could clearly see some ant-like figures in the distance, and even their movements were clear.

"When fighting against Nanzhao, if you climb high and look far, you can use this object to explore the terrain more quickly and seize the opportunity." Xue Bai roughly explained.

Wang Zhongsi didn't speak, he just looked at the different scenery in all directions, his thick eyebrows always knitted.

"OK!"

After a long time, Wang Zhongsi praised him and said with a smile: "Xue Bai, how did you grow your brain?"

He put down the telescope, rubbed it in his hand, and responded to the word "can't put it down". Such a majestic general seemed like a child who just got a novel toy.

"With this thing, even if Nanzhao has steep terrain, high mountains and deep waters, I won't be afraid anymore."

"The general is overrated. When marching and fighting, the most important thing is command. These are just small items that add some help."

"Why don't you dedicate it to the saint? Make a great contribution to yourself?"

Xue Bai said: "Before Nanzhao is pacified, it is better to keep it secret. General, don't tell others, just use it in the army."
To be continued...