An Shouzhong, the general of the Yan Army who was in the weapons prison, looked at the cylindrical iron lump on the ground, frowned and asked: "Is this the Thunder of the Tang Army?"
The weapons craftsman in the Yan army said to An Shouzhong: "Commander, this is the rumored thunder."
An Shouzhong made some gestures with his hands and asked: "Why is this object so short that the iron bullet it fires is actually 700 steps away?"
Carpenter: "According to the oral description of the captured Tang army, this thing is called the Crouching Tiger Cannon. Its maximum range is only forty steps. It is mainly used for close combat. The Tang army camp outside the city can fire iron bullets from seven hundred steps away.
The weapon is called the General Cannon, also known as the Large Long Cannon, and its length is almost eight times that of the Crouching Tiger Cannon."
An Shouzhong suddenly said: "That's it."
After saying that, An Shouzhong first walked around the Crouching Tiger Cannon, and then tapped the shell of the Crouching Tiger Cannon with his scabbard.
Listening to the dull echo from the cannon wall, An Shouzhong turned to Wu Wei and said, "Get a barrier knife."
Not long after, An Shouzhong took the shield knife from the hand of the military guard. With luck in his arm, he spotted the squatting tiger cannon on the ground, used all his strength, and slashed the cannon body with his sword.
Only a loud dinging sound was heard.
The barrier knife was broken into two pieces, but the Crouching Tiger Cannon was intact, leaving only an invisible white mark on the surface.
An Shouzhong smacked his tongue and said, "What a hard material!"
Yan Jun's craftsman raised his hand and said: "General, we have tried many methods, but we have not been able to make the iron material exactly like this weapon. It is either too brittle or has pits."
Hearing this, An Shouzhong sighed: "How did the Tang army create this iron lump?"
The craftsman shook his head and said he didn't know.
An Shouzhong: "How to fire this squatting tiger cannon?"
The craftsman waved to the back and carried two boxes.
After one of the boxes was opened, there were packages of black granular powder sealed with oil paper; the other box contained iron sand packed in small wooden barrels.
The head craftsman took out a bag of black powder and said to An Shouzhong: "This thing is called gunpowder. Take a bag, carefully pour it into the muzzle, and dispose of it properly. Then, take a certain amount of iron sand and fill it in, and finally put it in the muzzle.
At this point, use a 30-pound boulder as a pressure seal. When firing the artillery, there is a fuse at the rear of the gun and it can be ignited."
An Shouzhong exclaimed while listening. He looked around, and finally landed on the gunpowder and asked: "This thing is called gunpowder? What is gunpowder? Is there any record in the book?"
Carpenter: "Not yet."
An Shouzhong: "How to prepare gunpowder?"
Carpenter: "I don't know. I only know that the medicine has strong properties and will burn when exposed to fire."
After An Shouzhong heard this, he said angrily: "I don't know how to make the Tiger Crouching Cannon, and I don't know how to make the gunpowder. You are all great craftsmen in the army. Why can't you even ask three questions about the weapons that the Tang Army can make?!"
Hearing this, the head craftsman and other craftsmen quickly knelt down and said: "General, calm down. I can use the head on my neck as a guarantee. This tiger squatting cannon also has gunpowder. There is no record in any craftsman's book that the Tang army can make it."
This weapon must have received guidance from an expert, and there is really nothing we can do about it."
An Shouzhong was still angry and was about to scold him again when the military guard at the door came to report that General Xie was back.
The General Xie mentioned by Wu Wei was none other than An Shouzhong's nephew Xie Guiwen.
This man accidentally hit the battlefield in the Southern Tang Dynasty, led the troops to defeat Nan Jiyun, and made great contributions to An Shouzhong's capture of Xuzhou.
Because of this great achievement, Xie Guiwen was promoted several levels and became a general under An Shouzhong.
When An Shouzhong heard Xie Guiwen's arrival, he was still angry and shouted loudly: "Get in!"
Xie Guiwen walked into the hall and saluted An Shouzhong with a playful smile.
An Shouzhong frowned and shouted: "This is the critical moment of the war. Someone in the army came to complain. You actually dared to take your subordinates to Pingkangfang for a private banquet the day before yesterday. You fool, aren't you afraid of our military law...
…”
Xie Guiwen didn't wait for An Shouzhong to finish and said quickly: "Commander, Guiwen is wronged. I was there to find out the news."
An Shouzhong was startled: "Prying for information?"
Xie Guiwen: "There are high-ranking families in Chang'an City who have some connections in the Tang Army. They told me the news that the head coach of the Tang Army, Guo Ziyi, fell ill."
An Shouzhong was stunned: "Fell ill? When did it happen?"
Xie Guiwen: "It was just a few days ago. Now Guo Ziyi is lying on the hospital bed and can no longer handle military affairs."
An Shouzhong pondered for a moment and said, "What you hear is not true."
Xie Guiwen: "Uncle... Commander, Guiwen dare not lie, this matter is absolutely true."
An Shouzhong hesitated for a moment and asked, "Why did Guo Ziyi fall ill?"
Xie Guiwen: "Did the commander forget? During the Battle of Tongguan, there was a general of the Tang Army named Guo Yao. He was unwilling to surrender and was killed by random arrows."
An Shouzhong: "Is that the general who gave up his war horse to the general and kept the rear?"
Xie Guiwen nodded and said: "That's him...I heard that Guo Yao is Guo Ziyi's eldest son."
An Shouzhong was shocked: "He is Guo Ziyi's eldest son?!"
Xie Guiwen: "Yes, I heard that Guo Ziyi always valued Guo Yao and took his eldest son with him every time he fought..."
An Shouzhong recalled the battle that day and said: "I have been busy with military affairs recently and have been busy dealing with city defense. I have no time to pay attention to the results of the battle and the prisoners. I only knew that the Tang general was the marching deputy general, so I took his and other Tang generals' heads.
, and were sent together to the Tang Army camp outside the city... However, it is no wonder that Guo Zi's equipment was heavy. The Tang general named Guo Yao was willing to give up his horses in order to save Shangguan, and even died in order to uphold justice.
If you don't surrender, this boy is really a bloody man."
Xie Guiwen: "Commander, it is natural for Guo Ziyi to fall ill in bed after losing her beloved son."
An Shouzhong was silent for a while, nodded slightly and said, "What you said makes sense."
Xie Guiwen: "Guo Ziyi is ill now, and Li Siye does not know whether he is alive or dead. The two generals of the Tang army are unable to command the army at the moment. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our army. It is better to sneak attack the Tang camp at night..."
An Shouzhong put his hands behind his back, paced in place for a long time, and finally shook his head and said, "That's inappropriate."
Xie Guiwen was stunned: "Commander, why is it inappropriate?"
An Shouzhong: "I have observed that Guo Ziyi has led troops several times since the army and has always been calm and steady. Although he is grieving for losing a son now, the fact that he fell ill is still a bit strange."
Xie Guiwen: "Commander, the Tang army has just suffered a defeat and its morale is low. In addition, the two generals of the Tang army..."
An Shouzhong interrupted Xie Guiwen: "The Tang army had weapons such as the Crouching Tiger Cannon and General Cannon, which gave it an advantage in field battles. However, the only thing our army could rely on was the solid defense of Chang'an City. Leaving the city hastily would be tantamount to destroying one's own strength.
If there is a shortcoming, attack the enemy's strong point. This is not the way of a military strategist. The current plan should be to hold on to the city and consume the enemy's food, grass and supplies. This is the best strategy... In short, let's take a look."
Seeing that he could not persuade An Shouzhong, Xie Guiwen cursed a few times in his heart and had no choice but to give up.