What should come must come!

After three days of comfort at home, Wang Hou was once again taken to the Prime Minister's Mansion, which was still the three-story large conference hall, but now only Wang Hou and his father-in-law Cao Cao are the only ones.

It seems that Mr. Cao’s headaches in history cannot be faked. On the one hand, on the one hand, the military pressure from the north, and on the other hand, there is also the problem that Wang Hou has found for him. He leaned on the couch with his left hand on his head. Cao Cao also had a white silk scarf soaked in cold water on his forehead. He was flowing with a beautiful bearded old face full of fatigue.

However, before his case, Wang Hou's old gun barrel was placed there upright, and there were a few holes on Wang Hou's head, and a few rays of sunlight shone scattered in the lobby.

Looking at this scene, Wang Hou roughly knew what the main topic of today was.

However, there are mistakes, and you must have a good attitude to admit your mistakes. Before Cao Cao could get the old debt, Wang Hou had already had a rice cake party first, and he was thumping his father-in-law's New Year greetings style.

"The ministers are incapable of being punished, and they are abusing the night prison. They also intend to kidnap the royal family's bride team. They deserve to die. Please ask the Prime Minister to remove the official position of the minister and be imprisoned and exiled to atone for their sins!"

He ignored Wang Hou's nonsense and rubbed his temples twice tiredly. Then Cao Cao sat upright and gently tapped the table with his fingers.

"If you want to apologize, go to the palace and Hongxian to talk! Honghua is young, and it was supposed to be the responsibility that Hongjie should have taken with her. Now she is the only one to carry it. Yesterday, when I entered the palace, she even cried to me. In my heart..., alas!"

Wang Hou couldn't help but tremble slightly, but he was speechless. He was not a saint. If he had made another choice, he would still rob Cao Hongjie without hesitation, even if Cao Cao didn't give him a break! Although he felt guilty about this sister-in-law, Wang Hou could only say sorry.

However, Cao Cao was Cao Cao, a unique hero in two thousand years of history. After only a moment of sadness, he walked out again, stretched out his hand and raised Wang Hou's old cannon barrel.

"How much does it cost to build a piece of food? How long does it take?"

After all, he was an old military strategist. He could see at a glance that the advantage of this firearm was compared to the traditional long-range cold weapon bow and arrow crossbow. Indeed, if the bow and arrow are shot, it can be fired at a distance of 150 meters, and even the British longbow can be shot at 220 meters. However, there is also an old saying in China that at the end of a strong crossbow, it cannot penetrate the Lu silk! The crossbow that shoots more than 100 meters cannot penetrate the light Lu silk silk, let alone bows and arrows. The actual effective range of the bow and arrow is only 20 to 30 meters.

Tens of thousands of people fought and hundreds of thousands of arrows were shot out. It is normal for only a hundred people who were shot to death in one battle.

And don’t think that archery is easy to shoot. A qualified archer must have at least several years of training. In order to maintain the longbow troops, the British in the Western Islands even had to call for archery practices since childhood to be practiced and excavated British tombs from the 15th and 6th century. Archery shot to the spine deformed, and there are many cases of arthropathy.

As for crossbows, it is indeed much easier than bows and arrows, but a good crossbow is several times more valuable than a bow and arrow. Otherwise, Ju Yi's first climb to the camp, and Gao Shun's trapped camp would have only a few hundred people?

Moreover, the carrying of the bow and arrow is also a problem. In the Battle of Cresey where the British longbow soldiers in the West beat the heavy cavalry of the French army, the archers carried thirty-six bows and arrows on average, and at this time, the number of arrows of the Cao army's archers was generally around twenty, which was a battle, and the archers could only shoot twenty arrows.

But muskets are different. Wang Hou gave Cao Cao the gourd gunpowder about three pounds, forty-eight pounds. One pound can be used to shoot forty-eight times at a time, and a sharp cone bullet that is much smaller than a normal arrow is only a little more than a pound. If the archer bears a weight of twenty pounds, in a war, they can fire more than one hundred guns.

So the only problem now is the cost!

Now that he became Cao Cao's son-in-law, Wang Hou hoped that Cao's army could be equipped with muskets and unify the country as soon as possible. By then, he would be a founding hero of the royal family. However, at the end of the Han Dynasty, at least now, it would be extremely difficult to achieve!

"Prime Minister, the cost of muskets is not high. The construction of this fine steel is just the same as the manpower and material resources required for 50 swords. It is a bit rougher. It is made directly from cast iron, and then a water truck is used to open a hole. A musket can be made in more than ten days, but the difficulty lies in the ammunition supplied here!"

"Sulphur, volcanic land, is the only place I know about now. Huaqing Pond in Huashan is produced, and another drug is even more difficult. The recipe for producing salt brecia is produced. The only place I know about now is Bingzhou Pond!"

"There is another source of nitrate, which is to accumulate nitrate. When everyone in the collar is mobilized, they will urinate together. Over time, they will become nitrate soil. Boil it with fire and get the nitrate. However, the output is average! After refining for a year, it will be enough for ten thousand soldiers to fight for a long time..."

Before traveling, the great masters of traveling through the world could always blow up millions of tons of gunpowder. Wang Hou didn't know how they got the silt, at least he was stuck at the silt level.

In order to steal Cao Hongjie, he spent hundreds of pieces of silk, and he only got about 200 kilograms of black gunpowder through various connections. He consumed more than 50 kilograms of fried Xun's corridor and now he stuffed about 80 kilograms into the corner of the escape route. The remaining father-in-law, who was filial to Cao Cao, was sent to the mansion to go there one after another, and Wang Hou himself had only a ten kilograms of stock left.

It is even said that before obtaining the saltpeter mine in Morocco, the Queen of England sent people to scrape toilets in London every day. Among the resources plundered by Britain in India, saltpeter accounts for a large part, which shows the preciousness of saltpeter in ancient times.

Cao Cao couldn't help but feel sick when he heard this answer. What a good guy, it's Ye Xiang Cang Cao, all the solutions he came up with were delicious! But he also understood Wang Hou's meaning, that is, this thing cannot be equipped with troops on a large scale.

Looking at Cao Cao's disappointed look, in order to show his value, don't let the old guy take Cao Hongjie back, Wang Hou hurriedly bowed again.

"Prime Minister, although it is not possible to do large scale, it can still be done on a small scale. The Wang family in Jinyang has some tricks in Bingzhou. If the Prime Minister is willing to allocate money and buy medicine from Xudu from the salt pond in the name of buying medicine, and walk a few times a year, thousands of kilograms of gunpowder can still be made. At the time of the war, they will be wrapped in a large pottery jar, filled with gunpowder and caltrops, and hit the opponent's military town with Huihua cannons. It will be very lethal!"

Seeing Wang Hou slapping, Cao Cao's originally dim eyes lit up. Thinking back on the power of the Xun Family Gate Tower that day, he was so excited that he nodded the tabletop, and then nodded heavily.

"I will ask the tribute envoy from the palace to go to Huashan and Yanchi to ask for it in the name of using medicine in the palace. In addition, the Prime Minister's Office has also increased the purchase volume, and you will recommend someone to lead the way and buy it in Bingzhou! Then I will hand it over to you!"

"Sir, obey the order!"

Wang Hou was relieved here. Since he helped Cao Cao, the previous robbery of the imperial concubine should have passed, so he no longer has to be beaten by the old guy.

However, before Wang Hou could relax much, Cao Cao's next words made him nervous again.

"After you return home today, you will clean up. In more than ten days, I will send you the important matters!"

"Prime Minister, the ice and snow melt in March, and the spring plowing is about to come!"

Yang Feng, a farmer from the Grand Secretary, went home to take care of his old age. Wang Hou was the Grand Secretary, equivalent to the Minister of Agriculture of the Han Empire. In order to prepare for spring plowing, he wrote a lot of plans. At this critical moment, Cao Cao wanted to transfer him outside, and Wang Hou almost vomited out a mouthful of old blood.

However, it is rare that Cao Cao did not scold him, but sighed helplessly.

"I beg you to have talent on the way. I know that if it is a peaceful year, you will be a great corps. Da Changqiu is not a problem. However, today's turbulence, the guy Yuan Shao from the north is ready to move! Gongsun Zan was defeated and the black mountain bandits were terrified. Now Yuan Benchu ​​is dispatching troops and putting the troops from the four prefectures of Hebei on the north bank of the Yellow River. Yanzhou has few soldiers. This battle may be a long-lasting battle!"

"I want to find a way to go, and I need a front line that can be supported!"

This was the first time. When Wang Hou saw Cao Cao showing such a tired look, and in his tone, he was no longer the boss treating his subordinates, but had a kind of intimate advice between relatives. Seeing this advice, Wang Hou's eyes couldn't help but jump a few times, but then he didn't say anything and bowed heavily.

…………

In March, when the ice and snow melt and all things are revived, Wang Hou was promoted again! This year, he went straight to a triple jump. He first took the position of 400 stones to manage the transfer envoy of 1,000 stones, and then promoted to a long-term envoy of 1,000 stones. Now he skipped the two levels of 1,000 stones and 1,000 stones, and directly promoted to the position of 2,000 stones. Even at the end of the Han Dynasty, he was enough to act as a small prince.

However, this time Wang Hou was promoted to his professional title, but there was no more noise in the court and the country. First of all, Prince Dong Cheng, who was raving, was dead. Secondly, although Wang Hou took Cao Hongjie back to the mansion and did not dare to hold any marriage ceremony, after all, this was a snatching woman with the emperor, and then beating drums and drums made it known to everyone all over the world. Where is the face of the emperor? Cao Cao personally handed Cao Hongjie to Wang Hou. This son-in-law of the Cao family was basically accepted by famous figures from various families of Xudu.

Although later generations have despised nepotism, in this era, nepotism is really the fastest promotion, which is natural! Just like the previous general He Jin, a butcher, who entered the palace with his sister, became a general of the court. Didn’t Dong Cheng rely on his daughter Dong to gain a force? Wang Hou is the son-in-law of the prime minister, and a prefect of two thousand stones is really not superb. Even according to what Cao Cao thought, it was a little low.

There is also a third point. Wang Hou went there really was nothing enviable. The prefect he took office was the prefect of Dongjun.

If Dongjun is a little unfamiliar, then let’s talk about the battle of Guandu in the three major battles at the end of the Han Dynasty! In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Guan Erye killed Yan Liang and Wen Chou in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in Baima City, located in the west of the central part of Dongjun. Now Guan Erye is still working for Liu Bei, and the north bank of the Yellow River opposite Baima City is actually facing Yan Liang's more than 30,000 elite soldiers from Hebei. This number is almost the same as Xu Du's elite soldiers!

Then in the main battlefield of the Battle of Guandu, Yanjin, the ferry where Cao Cao and Yuan Shao had more than 100,000 troops confronted each other, was still on the west side of Dongjun!

Even the county seat of Dongjun is located in Puyang City, because it was on the north bank of the Yellow River, and it was directly occupied by Yuan Shao at this time. Wang Hou had to take office and even go to Baima to take office.

Cao Cao is now under the pressure of military pressure in the north, so he can't sleep or eat. After Wang Hou took office, he had to sleep with several guns under his pillow every day. It's too late to shirk this gunpowder barrel! Wang Hou went to hit the gun hole, who dared to say no? What if he asked him to go!

When Wang Hou went to Dongjun, it was also thought through Cao Cao's careful consideration. In Cao Cao's opinion, Wang Hou's greatest talent is that this kid can farm, manage the land, and garrison the fields and grain. The upcoming battle with Yuan Shao will surely be a protracted battle. It is not only the blood and courage of the soldiers, but also the food and a solid economic foundation. Thirty thousand people cannot defeat you Yuan Benchu's more than 100,000 people, so I will bully you from afar and grind you to death by eating. When you have enough food to withdraw, you will follow and explode your chrysanthemums.

In this way, it is crucial to have a battlefield with abundant grain storage and excellent strategic resources behind it!

Putting Wang Hou as the chief agricultural minister of the Grand Secretary with his talent can indeed coordinate the agricultural production of the entire Cao Cao's territory, but it took effect too slowly. Prime Minister Cao was a utilitarian, so he decided to "model" Wang Hou's talents and let him directly use manure to produce food in Dongjun, and at least before the war, he would stock him up with hundreds of thousands of stones of food!

However, under Yan Liang's military pressure, whether Wang Hou can create another miracle and get tons of food for him is not what Cao Cao considered.

After Prime Minister Cao issued an order, Wang Hou, who had just stayed at home for three months, had to pack up his luggage again, and this time, it was almost moving!

Early in the morning, at the foot of Funiu Mountain outside Xudu City, a long convoy became busy. First of all, he and Zhao Yun were following Wang Hou, and more than 400 plots were followed by Wang Yuan. Then Wang Yuan had to cry and bid farewell to him. The blacksmith shop he loved for more than a year and a half. These big and thick men were directing their blacksmith apprentices under their hands and the tenants who were transferred by Wang Hou. They carried the blacksmith stoves and various hammers chopping boards and hair dryers.

Following the messy blacksmith shop, the ones who carried the car onto the car were also equipped with seven or eight hundred pairs of curved steel plows produced by the Wang Family Blacksmith shop this winter. The messy farm tools were loaded with a truckload of cars.

This time he went to Dongjun to open up the land. Wang Houke wanted to go there and stare at him. He had no tools. Even if he had one million people under him, he could not open a few acres of land. The only thing that made him depressed was that Cao Cao did not approve the purchase of this batch of tools. He was embarrassed and did not dare to go to the Prime Minister's Mansion to ask for it. He could only grit his teeth and treat it as a bride gift to Cao Cao.

Now, Wang Hou has truly realized what the aristocratic family feels. He is just a fake head of the family, but with a call, there are still dozens of relatives of the Wang family who followed him north without hesitation. Don’t underestimate these few dozen people, they are all scholars. If you go to Dongjun, you can stand on your own!

Moreover, Wang Hou's children's school finally had a decent teacher. In the shed, a young man from the side house of the Wang family in Taiyuan was sweating and looked at the traditional and simple comparison table left by Wang Hou, while writing simplified Chinese teaching texts on the blackboard. More than 200 elementary school students below were shaking their heads and reading. Wang Hou didn't know why, but he always felt very at ease.

"I respectfully send you to the head of the family! I wish the head of the family prosperity and the prosperity of the martial arts!"

Just when Wang Hou was in a daze, an old voice suddenly sounded beside him. He turned around and looked at the old Wang Fu, who seemed to be a little older, with a sense of complexity and reluctance in respect, and he clasped his fists to say goodbye to himself. Wang Hou was also filled with mixed feelings and held his fists heavily.

"Uncle Fu, I'll ask you here at home!"

Without an answer, Wang Fu just bowed heavily again.

On the other end, Zhao Yun was already carrying the reins of the Dayuan horse and was in circles. Finally, he looked back at the place he called home for more than a year. He suddenly turned around and Wang Hou got into the carriage with difficulty.

However, as soon as she sat down, a pair of soft little hands slapped his arm again. She turned her head and looked at Cao Hongjie, who was supposed to be the last Empress of Xiaojie in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Her little face was full of excitement as she was about to start a trip. Wang Hou couldn't help but nodded with relief.
Chapter completed!