After leaving the governor's office, Zuo Mengeng walked non-stop towards the outside of the city.
Huang Long and others who followed were all very anxious, wondering how this ambitious young general would deal with them.
Thinking that he would die sooner or later, Huang Long couldn't help it.
"General Zuo, Mr. Shen has informed us of your ambition. As for how our troops and people in Liaodong will be settled, please make it clear."
Zuo Mengeng stopped and looked over strangely.
"Didn't Mr. Shen tell you? Then I will make it clear. For you people, my attitude here is that you are free to come and go. If you want to come here, then accept the screening and assessment. Based on your talents, you will be treated Make appropriate arrangements. If you still want to serve the court, you can go on your own. As for your family members, you can also take them with you when you return."
Huanglong and the other three were astonished. They didn't expect that what Shen Shouyue said was actually true.
But this result did not satisfy them.
Especially Shang Kexi decided to go into more depth.
"General Zuo, we still have tens of thousands of elite soldiers in Liaodong. We have been fighting for a long time, and our hearts have settled. If the general can agree, we are willing to do your best."
This is ready to bargain.
Zuo Mengeng snorted and couldn't help laughing.
"Elite soldiers? Hahaha, forget it, you don't have the capital to negotiate."
These words were quite harsh, and even the most hesitant Huang Long looked shocked and angry.
Thinking that they had been fighting against Hou Jin in Liaodong for many years, trying to keep their territory intact, but in Zuo Menggeng's eyes, they were nothing like shit.
Seeing the three people wanting to argue, Zuo Mengeng waved his hand to stop them from talking.
"I brought you out today to let you see the strength of my new army. After you see it, it will not be too late for you to make a decision."
Is this a show of force?
Huang Long and the other three were all aroused in curiosity.
They were really curious about the new army that defeated the rebels.
The group left the city and walked for more than ten miles before entering a hidden valley.
Huang Long and others noticed that the passage in and out of the valley was heavily guarded, and not even a fly could fly in.
After entering the valley, it was very lively. There were many people playing with firearms and they were placed all over the floor.
Seeing Zuo Mengeng arriving, a young general came up to greet him.
"Take a seat and see what treasure I have brought you."
Zuo Mengeng laughed loudly.
"You, Zuo Dai, are very stable. Even you are like this. It seems that you are really a treasure."
Zuo Dai looked at Huang Long and others curiously. Zuo Mengeng made an introduction, which did not attract Zuo Dai's attention.
Zuo Menggeng actually didn't care much about the soldiers and civilians on the Liaodong Peninsula and the islands before this.
This is why he asked Shen Shouyue to take the lead and left Huang Long and others to fend for themselves.
As for whether Liaodong can hold on without Denglai's support, this is not important.
Zuo Mengeng knew very well that with the strength of the new army, it would not be difficult to take it back in the future.
What he didn't expect was that the soldiers and civilians of Liaodong actually wanted to come over.
This is a free bargain.
As for how to convince Huang Long and others?
Zuo Mengeng felt that physical persuasion might be more effective.
Following Zuo Mengeng, Huang Long and others felt that their eyes were not full when they looked at the firearms on the ground.
Although they could see that these firearms included both blunderbuss and artillery, they were very different from the firearms they used.
As for the difference, they couldn't tell.
Next, it was time for Zuo Mengeng to show off his skills.
He called a soldier, took the flash cap gun, and handed it to Huang Long.
"Mr. Huang, this is the musket used by our new army. How about taking a look?"
Huang Long felt excited as soon as he got the musket.
He has been in the army for decades and has never seen such an exquisite firecracker.
Just looking at the surface level of craftsmanship, it far surpasses the craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty.
Others also gathered around the musket and marveled at it, and Shen Shikui even discovered a blind spot.
"General Zuo, why does this gun not have a medicine pool and a match rope?"
Zuo Mengeng asked for ammunition and loaded it in front of them.
The steps of pouring gunpowder and projectiles, and then compacting them with a rod did not surprise Huang Long and others, because the matchlock guns used by the Ming army were loaded in this way.
But when Zuo Mengeng opened the hammer and placed the flash cap on the detonator hole, Huang Long and others were all dumbfounded.
Because they don't understand at all, what is this?
What's the use?
How to light a fire?
While they were confused, Zuo Mengeng had already raised his gun and aimed at the target a hundred meters away.
Huang Long and others looked and looked, but did not see anyone going up to light the fire. But as Zuo Menggeng pulled the trigger, there was a loud "bang" sound, and the musket was actually fired.
Looking at the shattering effect on the target in the distance, Huang Long and the other three were covered in cold sweat, and their souls were out of their bodies.
People are naturally afraid of the unknown.
There was so much about Zuo Mengeng's shot that was beyond their understanding.
Zuo Mengeng was not satisfied with this, but threw the musket to Huang Long.
"Mr. Huang, try it?"
Huang Long swallowed hard, and at the same time he was excited, like a child who got his beloved toy.
Weapons are just men's toys.
Under Zuo Mengeng's personal guidance, Huang Long successfully completed the loading.
Through personal operation, he suddenly discovered that the rate of fire of this novel fire gun was more than three times faster than the fire gun used by the Ming army.
"boom……"
Seeing the target a hundred meters away shattered again, Huang Long was at a loss.
It's gratifying that he is like this, and the same is true for Shen Shikui.
Including Shen Shouyue, everyone couldn't help but have a thought.
How to fight against such artifacts?
Because they had seen that the surrounding soldiers, including the soldiers on guard before entering the valley, all used this kind of muskets.
In other words, even the most conservative estimate is that this kind of artifact has been assembled on a large scale in the new army.
Now, they finally have a certain understanding of the New Army's defeat of the rebels.
Under such divine weapons, who in the world can resist?
After Huang Long, Shang Kexi, Shen Shikui, and Shen Shouyue tried it one by one, and they all became prisoners of the flash cap gun.
Shen Shouyue picked up the torch and asked impatiently: "General Zuo, why can this thing ignite without igniting it?"
Zuo Mengeng was very generous and showed them the powder inside the flash cap.
"This kind of thing is called mercury fulminate. It will explode when hit with a certain force. When sparks are generated, the gunpowder can be ignited."
So what if I tell you?
Can you make it?
Sure enough, Huang Long and others looked at each other as if they were listening to a book from heaven.
They are all old soldiers, and Huang Long and others have tried it themselves. They know very well that only a thousand of these magical guns are enough to defeat all the soldiers and horses in the world.
The defeat of the rebels is reasonable.
But what they don't know is that what Zuo Menggeng wants to do today is to completely shatter their illusions.
In this way, even if they do not defect to the army, but continue to be loyal to the court, they only need to report what they saw and heard here today, and the Ming court will have to weigh whether they dare to cause trouble for the new army.
He looked at Zuo Dai and asked with a smile: "Where is your baby?"
Zuo Dai personally opened a long wooden box next to it and took out a musket from it.
The difference between this musket and the flash cap gun is that there is no detonation hole. Instead, it has a slightly curved iron handle.
Seeing this, Zuo Mengeng was inexplicably surprised.
"Is it done?"
Zuo Dai smiled and said: "It's been done, but it's not easy to mass-produce it."
Zuo Mengeng didn't care. After taking it, he skillfully dug his hand near the butt of the musket and pulled out a thumb-shaped iron block. Then he held the iron handle with his hand, rotated it upwards, and then pulled it back.
With a very smooth sound, the barrel of the gun opened.
He looked carefully and saw that inside the gun chamber, the front end was the entrance to the barrel, and at the back where it joined the bolt, a small piece of steel needle that was not very sharp was exposed.
Striker gun.
The concept he proposed when he was manufacturing flash cap guns in the second year of Chongzhen's reign finally came into being after two years of hard work.
Moreover, the one in Zuo Mengeng's hand is the most outstanding representative of the striker gun era, the Xia Sepo rifle.
He provided a complete set of drawings, and Bi Maokang and others formed a team, which took more than two years to put the actual object in front of him.
Holding the firing needle gun in his hand, Zuo Mengeng's heart was racing, and he didn't care about anything except the bullets Zuo Dai was about to come over.
Skillfully load the gun, fire it, and shatter the target in the distance. The whole process is done in one go.
The smooth operation made him full of confidence, and he felt that there was no more difficulty in the world.
However, he did not notice that the four Huanglong people who had also watched the whole process were all showing a faint tendency to crawl on their knees.
Can Zuo Mengeng and the new army really be able to fight against them?
