This made Li Shimin anxious, and he wanted to trade one for one with me.

After saying that, he quickly loaded the cardboard bullets, and with a gunshot, new marks appeared on the wooden stake again.

Cheng Chumo waved his hand to disperse the smoke, then leaned closer to examine the wooden stake carefully. He turned to Cheng Jun and said:

"Third brother, I've discovered that if this thing were used to hit someone, it could probably turn them into a sieve."

Whether it can riddle a person with bullets is unclear, but it can definitely turn a person into a bloody mess... Cheng Jun thought to himself.

Cheng Chuliang said, "It's quite powerful, but it's a bit slow to reload, and we don't know how long it can last."

Cheng Jun nodded and said, "I did this to test it out."

After saying that, he loaded the paper bullets while telling Cheng Chumo to move away from the wooden stake. Then, he stood ten meters away and pulled the trigger.

boom!

Its power remains undiminished.

Cheng Jun stepped back and stood twenty meters away, but the power remained the same.

At 30 meters, accuracy is greatly reduced.

Beyond fifty meters, there is absolutely no accuracy.

Cheng Chumo and Cheng Chuliang watched from the side and commented, "The aim was a bit off."

"The range isn't great either."

"My assessment is that it's not as good as a bow and arrow."

Hearing this, Cheng Jun looked at his elder brother and asked, "Then let me ask you, how long does it take to train an archer?"

Cheng Chumo stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "If it's just a volley on the battlefield, you only need to draw the bow twenty times in half an hour. It won't take long; all you need is some strength."

"If it's the kind of mounted archer who can shoot arrows while riding a horse, then it would take many years, after all, they are elites."

Cheng Jun patted the flintlock pistol in his hand and said, "Anyone can use this flintlock pistol."

Cheng Chumo asked curiously, "Even someone without hands will do?"

Cheng Jun rolled his eyes and said, "Aren't you just arguing with me?"

"This thing of mine, let alone a human, could kill even a monkey at close range an adult of the size of the three of us."

Cheng Chuliang suggested, "A crossbow would also work."

Cheng Jun looked at him and asked, "If the archers don't have the strength, can they even load the arrows?"

Cheng Chuliang thought for a moment, then shook his head to indicate that he could not.

Cheng Jun continued, "That's it. As long as you understand the loading principle, even a child can make this flintlock pistol."

Cheng Chumo grinned and said, "I told you, it really is a good thing!"

"Come on, let's try again."

Seeing that he was starting to load paper bullets, Cheng Jun stopped him, saying, "Wait a minute, take a break first."

Cheng Chumo said, "I'm not tired."

Cheng Jun pointed to the flintlock pistol in his hand and said, "I'm afraid it will get tired."

Cheng Chumo asked in astonishment, "What? It can hurt me?"

Cheng Jun pondered for a moment and said, "I call this a 'burst of fire'."

"..."

Cheng Chumo paused for two seconds, gave up loading the bullet, and solemnly said:

"I'm not afraid it will explode; I just want it to rest for a while."

............

Inside the Ganlu Hall of the Imperial Palace.

Li Shimin sat on the dragon throne, looking down as he flipped through the memorials handed to him by Wen Yanbo.

The memorial described the situation of the censors from the Censorate inspecting the military preparations of the various military prefectures in different regions.

After carefully reading it, Li Shimin smiled with satisfaction, looked up at Wen Yanbo sitting not far away, and said with a smile:

"Very good. With Minister Wen leading the Censorate, I am very reassured."

"The army has already set off. Whether our Great Tang Dynasty will be peaceful and prosperous depends on whether this battle can be successful."

"Whether this battle can be successful depends on the supplies and equipment. That is why I ordered the Censorate to inspect the area. Seeing that there are no problems everywhere, I can finally rest assured."

Wen Yanbo sat upright and bowed, saying, "His Majesty attaches great importance to the situation of Zhechong Prefecture. The soldiers are grateful for His Majesty's grace and will surely do their best on the battlefield. Our army will be invincible."

Li Shimin smiled and said, "I hope so."

After saying this, he lowered his head and began to peruse the memorials again, saying:

"In this memorial, Cheng Jun's name is not among the censors who are in charge of inspecting the military preparations of the various military prefectures. Cheng Jun is a Palace Attendant Censor, a member of the Censorate. Why didn't you send him? Is it because you don't want to use him, or because you are reluctant to use him?"

Wen Yanbo explained, "It's not that I don't want to use him, nor that I'm reluctant to use him. It's just that Cheng Jun has been busy with his own affairs these past few days and hasn't had the time."

Li Shimin asked curiously, "What does he want?"

Wen Yanbo asked, "Does Your Majesty remember that some time ago, Cheng Jun said he wanted to forge something?"

Li Shimin blurted out, "Are you talking about the thing he spent 100,000 strings of cash to make?"

He remembered this matter so clearly because Cheng Jun asked him to contribute money, euphemistically calling it "robbing the rich to help the poor."

With just those four words, it would be hard for him not to remember them.

Wen Yanbo nodded and said, "Yes, that's it."

Li Shimin asked with great interest, "Is the item finished?"

Wen Yanbo nodded, "Yes, I have seen him."

Li Shimin became even more interested: "What is it?"

Wen Yanbo thought for a moment and said, "In the words Cheng Jun once told His Majesty, it is a steel pipe."

"In the words he told me, it's called a flintlock gun."

Li Shimin frowned and asked, "A spear? A long spear for thrusting?"

Wen Yanbo shook his head. "I feel it's like a crossbow."

Li Shimin asked curiously, "It looks like a crossbow? Then why isn't it called a crossbow?"

Wen Yanbo explained, "Because the right to name it does not belong to me, if he says 'gun,' I can only reply to Your Majesty that it is 'gun.'"

Li Shimin responded with an "oh" and fell silent.

A few seconds later, he put down the memorial and asked, "Where is Cheng Jun now?"

Wen Yanbo said, "He should be at his house."

Li Shimin immediately stood up, looked at Zhang Anan standing at the door, and said:

"Ananda, prepare the horses!"

"I want to go to the Cheng residence in person."

After saying that, Li Shimin turned to Wen Yanbo and said, "Minister Wen, you will come with me. When we get there, point it out to me and see if it is this thing. Otherwise, he might actually give me a spear to stab people with!"

"What kind of talk is that..." Wen Yanbo was taken aback upon hearing this, and asked in confusion, "Surely such a thing won't happen?"

Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "How could it not be? You know how good this kid is at provoking people. He might just say something that gets me caught up in something, and then I won't be able to punish him!"

"This kid is the only one I've ever met who speaks the truth in every word, yet is never entirely honest!"

After saying this, without waiting for Wen Yanbo's response, Li Shimin directly said to Zhang Anan, "Anan, prepare a horse for Minister Wen as well!"

Zhang Anan replied, "This servant obeys the decree!"

Wen Yanbo also stood up to receive the order.

Soon, Li Shimin, accompanied by Wen Yanbo, Zhang Anan, and two palace guards, rode away from the palace and headed straight for the Cheng residence.

Upon arriving at the gate of the Cheng residence, before the group could even dismount, a deafening sound rang out from inside the mansion.

boom!

The horses beneath the group immediately began to neigh restlessly.

While calming the horses, Li Shimin looked into the mansion gate with surprise and suspicion. "What's going on?"