Starting with choosing a wife, creating the most powerful Xia

The village chief never found out what Chu Xuan was thinking.

After seeing him off, Chu Xuan lay back in his chair, feeling exhausted and a little dizzy.

This body is still a bit weak.

Although born into a prestigious family, he was not well-regarded in the Chu family in the past, and naturally did not enjoy any good things. He was always serving tea and water to the direct descendants and had never been trained.

I didn't notice anything when I was just wandering around the village a while ago.

Now, I'm already feeling overwhelmed just from being a little busy and tired.

"Looks like I'll have to find some time to exercise properly in the future."

It's a rare opportunity to be reborn. If you can't even fully utilize your skills and collapse because of your poor health, it would be a disgrace to transmigrators.

Just then, a pair of slender, cool hands pressed against his temples, gently massaging them.

Chu Xuan turned around and saw Chen Xuening.

At this time, A Leng went down the mountain, Chu Ling'er was in charge of the storeroom and familiar with the accounting, and only Chen Xuening was at home.

She said with a smile, "My husband has been working very hard these past few days. Xue Ning can't help much for the time being, so she can only try to help him relax a little."

Looking at that once aloof and beautiful face, now tinged with a touch of allure, Chu Xuan smiled silently.

I closed my eyes, intending to rest for a while, when suddenly something came to mind.

He immediately opened his eyes, stood up, and pulled Chen Xuening towards the backyard.

Chen Xuening was stunned and before she could react, she had already arrived in the backyard.

Looking around at the black powder contained in earthenware jars and the excrement beside him, he was completely bewildered.

Somewhat puzzled, she asked, "Husband, what are you doing?"

Chu Xuan took out a small box from the woodshed, and when he opened it, it was full of strange objects that Chen Xuening had never seen before.

She picked one up, examined it closely, and asked in confusion, "What is this?"

Chu Xuan glanced at it and laughed, "Pliers?"

"pliers?"

Hearing this unfamiliar name, Chen Xuening only knew that it was probably another novel gadget her husband had come up with, but she didn't know what it was used for.

In order to develop the pistol, Chu Xuan created a lot of tools.

Screwdriver, hammer, pliers, scissors, and even screwdrivers and screws.

Although they were all made of bamboo and the effect was rather ordinary, they were still novelties that the people of Daxia had never seen before.

Watching Chu Xuan start fiddling with the tools, Chen Xuening frowned, brought over a tea tray, stood to the side, and said softly.

"My lord, your body can't take it now. Why don't you go and rest for a while? We can do these things later. What will we do if you break down?"

Chu Xuan shook his head and smiled wryly.

"Things don't always go as planned. Now, One-Eyed Dragon and the Hanyang Gang have both fallen into my hands. In the future, the other bandit gangs in Wuming Mountain will all know about this, but the private army has not yet been fully formed."

He sighed: "We are still too weak. Even when dealing with some bandits, we have to be timid and hesitant."

Therefore, strengthening our capabilities is an urgent matter at present.

Otherwise, if the matter of the hematite mine or the salt fields were exposed, the consequences would be unbearable for Wuming Village and Chu Xuan.

"Xue Ning, what advantages do you think our private army has over others?"

Chu Xuan suddenly turned around and looked at Chen Xuening.

Upon hearing this, the latter fell silent for a moment, then frowned.

"If we're talking about advantages, there's only one: the gunpowder my husband makes."

The power of that gunpowder, no matter how much time has passed, still instinctively fills Chen Xuening with fear whenever she thinks about it.

But apart from that, this so-called private army actually has no advantages whatsoever compared to others.

Comparing numbers? The population of Wuming Village is already small, and the number of people who can be recruited to join the army is even smaller. If there are twenty or thirty people, that would be considered good.

Whether the Hanyang Gang can be trusted is another matter; they are a fallen group, numbering only about thirty people.

In other words, Chu Xuan's private army currently only numbers fifty or sixty people.

Half of them were honest villagers in the past, but when it came to fighting, they were dragged several streets away.

Compared to a regular army, in terms of physical differences, training levels, and so on, it can almost be said that they are completely defeated.

"good."

Chu Xuan gave her an approving look. As expected of a former scholar, she saw through the truth at a glance.

The term "private army" sounds impressive now, but when it comes to actually using it, it's really not presentable.

"Black powder is our biggest, and almost our only, advantage at present, so we can only play to our strengths and avoid our weaknesses."

“Those differences in training and physique cannot be changed in a day or two. The only way to make them combat-ready as quickly as possible is to start with their equipment.”

“I have already sent A Leng down the mountain to forge armor and swords, but others already have those things, so I plan to expand the uses of gunpowder a little more.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuening's eyes lit up.

"So, my lord, are you going to invent something again?"

She found herself increasingly admiring the man in front of her.

His genius is almost visible to the naked eye.

In the past, which great master didn't spend decades or even a lifetime to create an invention that would be remembered in history?

But with her husband, these inventions seemed to be endless. He could make them as long as he wanted to, and each one was groundbreaking, even surpassing the times.

Chu Xuan smiled wryly and said, "It's not that exaggerated. I just want to modify the black powder vehicle."

"Pistols cannot be distributed to them for the time being, and earthenware pots are difficult to carry. Each person can only carry a very limited number. Besides, earthenware pots are too heavy. To throw them far into enemy territory, one would need superhuman strength..."

"We need to come up with something that is both lightweight and portable, but also powerful enough."

That being said, being lightweight and portable meant that the amount of gunpowder had to be reduced, which naturally led to a decrease in power.

This seems like a paradox: you can't have your cake and eat it too.

Chu Xuan frowned, lost in thought.

Seeing this, Chen Xuening simply watched quietly from the side, not daring to make a sound to disturb them.

After a long while, a strange light suddenly flashed in his eyes. He looked at the pebbles beside him, and a smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

"Since the amount of gunpowder is reduced, can't we just replace it with something else?!"

Suddenly, he stood up, picked up a pile of pebbles from a distance, mixed them with gunpowder, and poured them into a mold he had previously made by grinding bamboo tubes to create a pistol.

Then use hemp rope dipped in oil as a fuse, seal it well, leaving only a section of the fuse sticking out.

Looking at the few bargains he had found, Chu Xuan smiled.

"The grenade is a success!"