An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

"Father, what do you think of the mountains?" Dalang leaned his hands on the railing and looked at the mountains in the distance.

Jing Changjiang frowned slightly, his eyes scanning the shooting range in the distance to his left rear: "The terrain is difficult to defend and difficult to attack. But..." He paused, "If the enemy outflanks us from the small road in the east..."

"Dad, you're worrying too much," Dalang said, a faint smile playing on his lips, his right index finger unconsciously tapping the hilt of the sword at his waist. "I've set up an ambush on this path. I'll make sure they never return." Then, with a sly glance at his father, he said, "We have more than just these two routes to evacuate now."

As he was speaking, Sanlang came running over from his room carrying a firearm. The firearm on his shoulder was only about two feet long, about the thickness of an adult man's wrist, but because it was made of cast iron, it looked quite heavy as he carried it.

"Sanlang! Slow down!" Dalang shouted hurriedly, "Don't knock the firearm!"

Sanlang grinned: "Don't worry, big brother, I'm just anxious to show our new thing to father and the prince!" He took every step very steadily, the muscles in his arms were tense, and his knuckles turned slightly white due to the force.

The firearm was pitch black, with a few rough casting lines faintly visible, and a few circles of anti-slip linen wrapped around the tail.

Following him were two young men carrying something. The firearm they were carrying was a huge thing. They tied it with a rope and carried it with a big wooden stick. You could tell how heavy it was by the dull sound of their footsteps landing. It must have weighed about two hundred pounds.

The large wooden piece, as thick as a bowl, was slightly bent by the pressure. Veins popped out of the two men's necks, and beads of sweat oozed from their foreheads. The firearm was five feet long, with a barrel as thick as a bowl and several iron rings around it. At the breech was a square chamber, clearly the key part for loading the gunpowder.

Seeing this, Dalang quickly stepped forward to help: "Be careful! This is our treasure!"

"Brother, just watch!" Sanlang wiped his sweat, his eyes flashing with excitement.

Dalang said, "Just fire it here, fire two shots in front of them!" His voice was deep and powerful, causing a slight echo in the valley.

Looking at the movements of Sanlang and the other two men in moving the firearms, adjusting their positions and postures, you can tell that this is not their first time operating them. They must have practiced dozens of times after buying them.

"The old rules," Sanlang said to the two boys, "Ahu is responsible for loading the gunpowder, and Abao is responsible for loading the bullets."

"Understood!" the two men responded in unison.

Sanlang knelt on one knee, holding the front of the firearm steadily with his left hand, and skillfully turning the mechanism at the breech of the gun with his right hand. The two strong men set up the heavy artillery on the left and right. One of them took out an oilcloth bag from the leather bag at his waist and carefully poured out the black gunpowder.

"Slow down!" Sanlang stared at Ah Hu's hand nervously, "This gunpowder is very expensive!"

"Don't worry, Third Brother," Ah Hu grinned, "I have a steady hand!"

Another person used a long pole to compact the gunpowder and then inserted a solid iron bullet.

"Look here," Dalang said to Jing Changjiang, pointing to the target in the distance, "that straw target is about three hundred steps away from here."

Jing Changjiang narrowed his eyes: "Can you hit it from such a long distance?"

"Just wait and see!" Dalang said confidently.

Sanlang narrowed one eye and aimed the simple rear sight on his firearm at the straw target standing a few hundred steps away. He took a deep breath and opened the fire door with his right thumb. "Torch!"

Another person immediately handed over a red-hot iron rod. With a soft "hiss," the fuse was ignited, and sparks quickly shot along the medicine trough into the medicine chamber.

"boom!"

A red tongue of fire erupted from the firearm on Saburo's shoulder, and the recoil shook his shoulder violently. In the distance, the straw target exploded, sending broken grass raining down like a torrential downpour. A bowl-sized dent suddenly appeared on the slope behind the target, and a few wisps of unburned gunpowder drifted in the rising dust.

"Good!" Jing Changjiang couldn't help but cheer, "What a good shot!"

In the following operation, the two strong men's heavy artillery immediately made a deafening roar.

"Cover your ears!" Dalang reminded loudly. Xu Zize quickly covered Jing Chunxi's ears with his hands and leaned tightly against her back.

The blast from the cannon's muzzle toppled nearby rubble, and the bullet, a blurry gray shadow in the air, unexpectedly shattered a steep rock face three hundred paces away, two men tall, in half. The flying debris clattered against the surrounding tree trunks, startling a flock of mountain birds. The thick smell of gunpowder filled the valley, and wisps of white steam rose from the scorching iron of the cannon.

Dalang clapped his hands and laughed: "Great! The power of this 'Sky Thunder' is enough to give those pirates a hard time!"

Xu Zize and Jing Changjiang's expressions changed. They stared at the collapsed rocky hill in the distance, their pupils shrinking slightly. After the fire bomb penetrated the cliff, the residual force had not dissipated, and it had deeply shattered the trunks of an entire row of old pines in front of them, leaving branches, trunks, and bark falling in a mass.

"This...this power..." Jing Chunxi's voice trembled.

Xu Zize also said: "It's bigger than I thought..."

Jing Changjiang's expression was solemn: "If it is used on the battlefield..."

"General," Xu Zize suddenly turned around and said solemnly, "Xi'er, Xiaokang won't be leaving with you guys for now."

"What?" Jing Changjiang was stunned. "You are..."

Xu Zize's eyes were determined. "I have to stay and cooperate with Dalang and Sanlang. Xiaokang, I have to deploy people as soon as possible. The research and utilization of tree sap and firearms are too important for us."

He turned to Dalang and Sanlang and said, "Gentlemen, could you please..."

"I couldn't ask for more!" Dalang agreed readily, "With the prince's help, we will be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort!" Last night, while drinking, he finally got to know Xu Zize's true identity, but they also took advantage of the alcohol to become brothers. Now that he can stay, it is not an exaggeration to say that they are brothers.

Xu Zize then said to Jing Changjiang and Xi'er, "Please ask the General and Xi'er to tell me that when the research is completed, Xiaokang will go to Yamen Village to visit the old general and the old lady."

Jing Changjiang breathed a sigh of relief at Xu Zize's words: "Alright. If it weren't for the things that need to be sorted out in Cangwu County, I would have wanted to stay here myself."

"Don't worry, Daddy," Dalang also patted his chest and assured, "With us here, we will make sure this matter is handled properly! Maybe the anger we create will be even more powerful than this."

Jing Changjiang looked at the destroyed stone wall in the distance, lost in thought. "The discovery of the rubber tree has already surprised and excited me enough. Although its use in warfare may not be obvious, it is something that benefits both the country and the people."

"General, that's a good idea, but I think the sap can also be used," Xu Zize nodded. "This sap can not only be used for firearms, but also for shipbuilding and civil engineering."

"Now we have two more firearms," ​​Jing Changjiang continued, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "If we can develop, produce and utilize them in large quantities, we will be able to defend our country and build roads and bridges."

Dalang interrupted, "Dad, if our navy is equipped with this 'Sky-shaking Bomb', we'll make sure those Japanese pirates never return!"

"Exactly!" Jing Changjiang nodded heavily, then lowered his voice. "If there were another good emperor who understood justice and worked for the country and the people, Daqing would surely stand tall in the East and have a bright future."

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but look towards the capital, their eyes full of anticipation.

Xu Zize looked at Jing Chunxi, who had been silent beside him. Jing Chunxi nodded in understanding, but still said, "Don't be in a hurry to say goodbye. Maybe we can meet again in Shibaao Village when I come back from Cangwu."

As if comforted, Xu Zize heaved a long sigh and smiled: "I will definitely wait for Xi'er to return at Shibaao."