Liu Xiu sat cross-legged. On the table in front of him, there was a row of crossbows, large and small, made of wood and iron.
Lai She, Yao Qi, Ji Zun, Long Yuan and others stood in front of the table, each of them playing with a crossbow machine. As Lai She looked at it, he couldn't help but admired: "Du Ling is really worthy of his name.
A master of mechanism skills, this crossbow machine is so exquisite and ingenious!"
He was not a martial arts practitioner, but even so, he couldn't put it down with the crossbow machine in his hand. Liu Xiu raised his eyes to look at Lai She and asked, "Doctor, can the workshop in Luoyang imitate these crossbow machines?"
"This..." Lai She looked at it carefully, shook his head slowly, and said: "Your Majesty, these crossbows look very delicate. The mechanical parts inside must be even smaller and more exquisite. The craftsmen in the workshop are probably... difficult to
Imitation.”
Liu Xiu said meaningfully: "If our soldiers can equip these crossbows on a large scale, the Long Army and Shu Army will not take it seriously!"
Yao Qi nodded repeatedly and said: "Even...even if I only get a thousand sets, Wei Chen will probably wake up laughing while sleeping!"
He is a guard, responsible for protecting the safety of the emperor. If the palace guards can be equipped with these crossbows, he will have peace of mind.
When Liu Xiu heard this, his eyes flashed and he said: "It may not be impossible to get a thousand sets!"
Ji Zun said solemnly: "Today, our army has collected more than 600 crossbows, of which more than 300 are repeating crossbows. There are 200 fan-shaped crossbows placed on the back, long and
There are more than a hundred leg crossbows and only a few dozen bowl crossbows. I'm afraid we can't even assemble fifty sets."
The one they seized the least was the bowl-shaped crossbow. The bowl-shaped crossbow was the smallest in size, had the most delicate internal components, and required the highest manufacturing technology. Among these crossbows, it was indeed the most difficult to manufacture.
Liu Xiu picked up a bowl crossbow from the table and played with it in his hand.
The iron bowl crossbow has a small rope on it, one side is connected to the crossbow machine, and the other side has a ring. The ring can be put on the finger. As long as the finger is hooked, the mechanism in the crossbow machine can be triggered, allowing the crossbow arrows to eject.
go out.
Liu Xiu fiddled with the bowl of crossbow and said meaningfully: "Jinu Camp was founded by Du Ling. This time it was put into the siege of Lueyang. It was the first battle of Jinu Camp. As a result, the first battle was defeated."
Defeat, tell me, can Du Ling swallow this sigh of relief?"
Lai She said sternly: "No! Du Ling, like Jin Dan, is both arrogant and arrogant. He often thinks of himself as an outsider, saying that he does not want fame and is unwilling to work for Wei Xiao, but their food, clothing, housing and transportation are
, what kind of thing is not funded by Wei Xiao? To put it nicely, they are claiming to be noble, and to put it worse, they are just fishing for fame!" After a pause, he added: "This time Du Ling's Jinu Camp suffered a loss, Du Ling
It will definitely make you angry!"
Liu Xiu smiled and said: "If he loses face, Du Ling will definitely try his best to get it back. If he can't gain any advantage, then he will only choose..."
"Secretly!" Lai She answered subconsciously.
Yao Qi and Ji Zun looked at each other and asked in surprise: "Your Majesty, do you mean that Du Ling will let Ji Nu Camp steal the city at night?"
Liu Xiu nodded and said: "If I were Du Ling, I would definitely do this, and I would definitely attack Dongcheng at night!"
As the saying goes, you should stand up wherever you fall. If you suffer a loss in Dongcheng, then you must open a gap in Dongcheng.
Looking at Lai She, Yao Qi, Ji Zun and others who looked surprised, Liu Xiu said with a smile: "Tonight, let's remove all the guards in Dongcheng. Of course, we must leave some people to show off. A few days ago,
Didn't we capture some thieves who were leading the robberies in the city? Let them put on military uniforms and armor to replace the guards."
Yao Qi asked: "Your Majesty, Ji Nu Camp will come to steal the city tonight?"
Liu Xiu shook his head and said, "I don't know, but according to my guess, they are very likely to come, tonight!"
Because today's battle was too fierce, both the Long Army, Shu Army, and our own soldiers tried their best and were exhausted.
Du Ling didn't know if after today's battle, the Long Army and the Shu Army would fight as hard as they did today, so he should seize today's opportunity.
Yao Qi said with bright eyes: "Your Majesty, I will go to the east city to ambush my troops now!"
Liu Xiu nodded and said: "Di Sun and Ci Kuang go together!"
"Here!" Yao Qi and Ji Zun agreed, then walked out.
Lai She couldn't hide the joy on his face and said: "Your Majesty, if we can completely wipe out the Ji Nu Battalion tonight, we will not only get rid of a close enemy of our army, but also allow our army to disarm a large number of crossbow machines! Regardless of Du Ling's
What a man he is, his mechanism skills are really great!"
Liu Xiu said: "Kai Xiao's men do have many capable people, but it's a pity that Wei Xiao's ambitions are too great and his selfishness is too serious."
While they were talking, a guard came in, bowed his hand to Liu Xiu, and said, "Your Majesty, brother and sister Li Chi asked to see you and said they were bringing food and broth to your Majesty."
Liu Xiu smiled when he heard this, touched his stomach and said, "I'm really hungry."
Lai She was also happy and sighed: "This Li Chi is actually a man who knows how to get things done!"
After hugging His Majesty's thick leg, he never let go. It seems that what Li Chi wants is not just to get His Majesty's protection so that he can open a business with his sister and start a family. What he wants is,
Official career should also be included.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with Li Chi's approach. No matter who it is, if he gets such a good opportunity, he will seize it. Lai She doesn't dislike Li Chi.
Liu Xiu said to the guards: "Please invite his brother and sister in!"
"Yes! Your Majesty!" the guard agreed and walked out quickly.
Not long after, brother and sister Li Chi and Li Chunyue walked in from outside, followed by two servants carrying two wooden barrels each.
Liu Xiu asked Luo You to put away all the crossbows on the table. Then he stood up, walked happily to the barrel, and asked, "What did Mr. Li cook tonight?"
Li Chi quickly opened the lids of all four wooden barrels. One barrel contained broth, another barrel contained white rice, and the other two barrels contained braised pork in one barrel and vegetable balls in the other.
Li Chi rubbed his hands and said, "Your Majesty, these are just a common occurrence..."
"Home-cooked food is great! I haven't had it for a long time." As he spoke, Liu Xiu picked up a vegetable ball from the barrel and took a bite.
The vegetable balls are mixed with noodles. The vegetables are mainly radish, with a little kohlrabi (kohlrabi) and watercress. It tastes crunchy, salty and sweet, and sweet and fragrant.
Endless aftertaste.
Liu Xiu put the remaining half of the vegetable balls into his mouth. After swallowing, he looked at Li Chi and asked, "Did you make these vegetable balls too?"
Li Chi bowed and said, "I hope it will be to your Majesty's liking!"
"It's really well done!" Liu Xiu nodded and praised. Li Chi's cooking skills are really good. No one else can make this taste with the same ingredients.
Liu Xiu picked up another vegetable ball and called to everyone present, saying: "Come, come, come, let's eat together!"
Li Chi, brother and sister Li Chunyue, have also had several contacts with Liu Xiu. They feel that Liu Xiu, the emperor, is easy-going and approachable. Not to mention that he does not have the airs of an emperor at all. I am afraid that ordinary county officials have more airs than him.
This emperor is so big!
Seeing Liu Xiu taking one vegetable meatball at a time and eating it non-stop, Li Chi was also very excited and said: "If Your Majesty thinks that the cooking skills of the common people are acceptable, then all your meals will be cooked by the common people!"
Liu Xiu looked up and smiled. He was here to fight, not to enjoy the mountains and rivers, so naturally he would not bring the imperial cook with him.
I thought it would be difficult to eat during my stay in Lueyang. Unexpectedly, Li Chi appeared and solved this problem perfectly.
He smiled and said: "If this is the case, it will be too much trouble for Mr. Li."
Li Chi quickly bowed and saluted, saying: "Your Majesty, you will destroy the common people!"
"Have you brothers and sisters eaten?"
"Uh...this..."
"Since you haven't eaten yet, let's sit down and eat together!"
If you eat well and satisfy your appetite, your happiness will improve and your mood will naturally improve. Liu Xiu is in this state now. He took the food from Luo Yousheng, picked up his chopsticks, and ate it
stand up.
The braised pork cooked by Li Chi was also delicious. The lean meat was not burnt, and the fatty meat was not greasy. It melted in the mouth and was full of fragrance. Luo You served Liu Xiu a large bowl of braised pork, and he actually ate it all.
On weekdays, Liu Xiu doesn't eat much, but tonight he had a big appetite and ate two bowls of rice and a large bowl of braised pork.
Luo You looked on and was speechless. He couldn't help but remind him in a low voice: "Your Majesty, you shouldn't eat too much at night."
Hearing this, Liu Xiu gave up the urge to serve the third bowl of rice. He put down the bowl and chopsticks, took the handkerchief, wiped the corners of his mouth, and smiled at Li Chi: "After this battle is over, I really want to take Mr. Li back to Luoyang.
!”
He just sighed casually, but Li Chi hit the snake on the stick, immediately knelt down, kowtowed forward, and said loudly: "The common people thank your majesty for your kindness!"
Liu Xiu was stunned for a moment, then laughed loudly. This Li Chi was really a clever guy. He said this casually, but he was not polite and immediately followed him. After all, Liu Xiu was not an ordinary person, but the emperor.
As far as the emperor is concerned, there is no such thing as "such a saying". The emperor is a man of golden words, and anything he says is an oral edict.
"Okay! Since you are willing to go to Luoyang with me, after this battle is over, you can come with me!" Liu Xiu didn't hate Li Chi, but rather admired him, especially his cooking skills.
Li Chi was extremely excited and kowtowed forward again to express his thanks. Then, he said cautiously: "Your Majesty, the common people... the common people also want to bring my little sister with me!"
Hearing this, Liu Xiu's eyes looked at Li Chi a little softer.
Liu Xiu had no father or mother since he was a child (his mother returned to her parents' home), and was adopted by his uncle. Later, he followed his eldest brother in rebellion. The eldest brother, second brother, and second sister suffered disasters one after another. There were six brothers and sisters, and finally only he and his wife were left.
There are three people, the eldest sister and the youngest sister.
Because of this, Liu Xiu valued family affection more and more, and he also liked people who valued family affection. Li Chi happened to like Liu Xiu on this point.
He nodded and said, "When we get to Luoyang, I will buy a big house for your brother and sister."
His words made Li Chunyue excited. Like Li Chi, she knelt down to thank Liu Xiu.
Liu Xiu drank two more bowls of broth before he was satisfied. The Li brothers and sisters took their servants and happily bid farewell to Liu Xiu and returned to Li Mansion.
There were a lot of precious ingredients in the Li Mansion, but the two of them didn't dare to touch them at first. They were worried that they would eat them all and their father would punish them when he came back.
Now that they had the emperor as their backer, they no longer had any worries. They counted the ingredients at home and planned to use up all of them in the next time.
After eating too much in the evening, Liu Xiu felt uncomfortable sitting in the commander's tent. He took Heimao out for a walk and stopped by Dongcheng to see how Yao Qi and Ji Zun were setting up ambush.
When Liu Xiu and Heimao arrived at Dongcheng, they looked up at the top of the city and saw rows of torches and scattered sentries.
These sentries were all prisoners brought out from the prison by Yao Qi. Yao Qi made a promise to them that as long as they kept watch on the city top these few days, all their charges would be wiped off.
After hearing this, the prisoners were naturally overjoyed. Isn't it just a sentry for a few days? What's so difficult about this?
In this way, you can offset your own crimes, and there is no such good thing in the world. The prisoners in the prison almost did not hesitate, and rushed to accept the conditions offered by Yao Qi.
What they didn't know was that this condition, which seemed to give them a huge advantage, actually opened the door to the underworld for them.