Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 900 Not a Saint
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The royal palace and the archery field.

boom!
With a loud bang, a puff of white smoke spurted out from the muzzle of the gun. Suda felt his shoulder being hit hard and subconsciously exclaimed.

"How is it?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "You should have pressed the butt of the gun against your shoulder just now, so that the muzzle would not jump up!"

"Really? This is my first time using this thing, and I didn't expect it to be so powerful!" Suta laughed. He followed the archer's instructions to load the bullets, and complained, "But this thing is too slow to load. I've already shot four or five arrows in this time!"

"Don't jump to conclusions yet!" Wang Wenzuo smiled and said, "Fire a few more shots before you jump to conclusions!"

After testing five shots, Wang Wenzuo brought his son to the straw man forty meters away. In order to simulate the real battlefield as realistically as possible, the straw man was covered with a lock curtain, and a layer of chain mail was covered outside the lock curtain. This was the usual configuration of the mid-level warrior officers under Wang Wenzuo, and it was basically immune to the damage of bows and swords (of course, spears, blunt weapons, strong bows and crossbows could not block the face-to-face shooting). Sudatta originally thought that the distance of forty meters was a bit far, and it should be closer, but when he got closer, he found that he had only shot one of the five shots just now, hitting the left side of the straw man's lower abdomen. There were obvious holes in the chain mail and the lock curtain. He stretched out his fingers and probed through the hole. He moved it twice and felt an obvious hard object. He dug it out twice, and the hard object slipped out and fell to the ground. He bent down and picked it up. It was a lead bullet that had been obviously deformed.

"It's penetrated! Both layers of armor are penetrated!" Xu Tuo said excitedly to Wang Wenzuo.

"Well, if it was on the battlefield, the person who was shot would have been unable to move!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile.

"Well, it went in so deep!" Suta stretched out his middle finger and gestured: "It must have damaged his internal organs. It's basically impossible to save him!" He said excitedly: "This thing is really powerful! Two layers of armor can kill him in one shot, much better than a bow and arrow!"

"Didn't you just say that the musket is too slow to load? After loading one round, the bow can shoot five or six arrows!" Wang Wenzuo laughed.

"That's because I didn't know that the musket can penetrate armor!" Suta replied with a smile: "What's the use of five or six arrows? Unless you can hit the face or a place that the armor can't cover, it's a waste of effort. There are many people wearing two layers of good armor like this who are shot like hedgehogs on the battlefield but are not injured! And the musket can kill them in one shot!" At this point, he made a gesture of aiming and shooting: "And the musket does not require much effort, unlike the crossbow. Most people can't pull the strong bows that can be used on the battlefield, and even if they can pull them, they can't shoot accurately!"

“You are a connoisseur!” Wang Wenzuo smiled and said, “Practice more later. You only hit one of the five shots at a distance of 40 meters. It will be embarrassing if you tell others about it!”

"Hey, this is my first time!" Suta laughed. "You let me practice more and I'll learn it quickly. In my opinion, this musket is much easier to practice than a bow and arrow!"

Wang Wenzuo nodded without comment. He liked Xu Tuo's optimistic character and his love for new things. He looked around and saw his sons and the children of meritorious officials learning to use the new flintlock rifle under the guidance of the spear master. However, he did not see Yuan Bao, so he asked, "Where is Yuan Bao? Why didn't he come?"

Sudara's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied, "Yuanbao is sick and can't get out of bed. Let me ask for leave for you!"

"Are you sick? Are you mentally ill?"

"I don't know about that!" Suta laughed awkwardly. "But he did stay in bed this morning. You know, he usually gets up before dawn to do morning exercises!"

"Forget it, I understand his little tricks!" Wang Wenzuo snorted coldly: "He is reluctant to give up the post of governor of Cangzhou and is unwilling to be sent to the smoky and humid land in the south, so he is being petty, right?"

"This..." Xu Tuo laughed dryly twice: "I think it's no wonder that Yuanbao is like this. He has put a lot of effort in Cangzhou and finally achieved some results. But he has to go to Jiaozhou all of a sudden. His mind is not able to turn around at once. I hope you can understand him!"

"If I didn't sympathize with him, why would I still be here asking you? I would have punished him long ago!" Wang Wenzuo sneered, "As his father, can't I see his little tricks?" At this point, Wang Wenzuo sighed, "Young people should have a broader vision, don't just focus on the little things in front of you, look outward, look far away. Just like you, when you were a few people, Huliang went to Chang'an, Yanliang had the Japanese Kingdom, Yuanbao was also a governor of a state, but you could only sail against the wind and snow, looking for that invisible new world. If you couldn't get over it, would there be Sutada Province today?"

"Father's teaching is right!" Suta laughed bitterly. "In fact, I was resentful at first, but after making more trips and seeing more of the world, the resentment gradually faded away!"

"That's right!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile, "If you don't feel resentful when encountering injustice, you are either a living saint or a dead man. I, Wang Wenzuo, probably won't be able to give birth to a saintly son, so it's normal to feel resentful. But you can't just lie down and do nothing when you feel resentful. You still have to do things. As long as you do things well, you can still be my good son, Wang Wenzuo. Otherwise, you will be the only one who suffers. Take this sentence of mine back and let Yuanbao hear it!"

"Yes, I remember it!"

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Xu Tuo washed his face in the yard, opened the door and walked in. Hearing the noise, Yuan Bao jumped off the bed and asked carefully: "Xudao, how was your day? Did the old man ask me why I didn't come?"

Suta snorted, sat down at the table, and poured himself a cup of tea: "Ask!"

"So what did you answer?"

"Just as you requested: you are sick and can't come in bed!"

"What did the old man say?"

Suta took a sip of tea and glanced at Yuanbao: "Father said you have a mental illness!"

"Ah!" Yuan Bao was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he sat down on the stool: "It's over, it's over, then, you didn't defend me, and just said that I was really sick and couldn't get up?"

"What if father really sends a doctor to treat you? Wouldn't that mean I am guilty of deceiving the emperor? Brothers should be a pair, right?" Sutuo stretched out his right hand and flicked Yuanbao's forehead hard: "You are such a pig-head!"

"Be gentle!" Yuan Bao took a breath and asked carefully: "What did he say? How will he punish me?" "Father didn't say he would punish you!" Xu Tuo said: "He asked me to tell you a message: If you encounter injustice and don't feel resentment, you are either a living saint or a dead person. I, Wang Wenzuo, probably won't be able to give birth to a saintly son. It is normal to feel resentful, but you can't just lie down and do nothing. You still have to do things. As long as you do things well, you can still be my good son, Wang Wenzuo. Otherwise, he will be the only one who suffers!"

Hearing that Wang Wenzuo did not say that he would punish him, Yuanbao breathed a sigh of relief and said with a wry smile: "Our father! He is really - forget it, it seems that this trip to Jiaozhou is a must! Alas, I just can't resign myself to it!"

"Then hold it in!" Xu Tuo said to Yuan Bao, "I'll tell you one thing, you'll lose a lot if you don't go today. Today, father opened everyone's eyes in the archery field!"

"Oh? What new stuff did father come up with?" Yuanbao approached Xutuo and asked, then patted Xutuo's clothes: "Where did you go today? The smell on your body is very irritating!"

"Hehe! That's where the smell on my body comes from!" Suta laughed and described the flintlock rifle he tested today, and finally said, "With this thing, bows and crossbows may be useless!"

"Is that thing really as powerful as you said?" Yuanbao asked doubtfully.

"Of course! A layer of chain mail, a layer of chain mail, and a piercing blow from forty meters away. How many archers like this are there in an army?" Suta laughed, "No wonder father wants to enfeoff the sons of the princes. With this stuff, any barbarian can be defeated in one fell swoop!"

Yuanbao was not as excited as Xutuo. He frowned and looked unhappy. "I am confused. If the flintlock rifle is so powerful, why didn't our father just attack Chang'an City and take it over? Why did he abandon the splendid Tang Dynasty and go after those wild places?"

"I didn't understand it like you before, but I gradually understood it in the past two years!" Suta sighed.

"What do you mean?" Yuanbao asked.

"Think about it. If he were to enter Chang'an and become the emperor as you said, then among all his sons, only one could inherit the throne. The rest would have to be commoners. No, it would be difficult for them to even be commoners."

"Why do you say that?"

"Have you forgotten how our father conquered Japan? Wasn't it Princess Saitama, Prince Nakano Oe, and Prince Oama fighting for the throne? Our father had forty or fifty sons. No matter who became the crown prince, could he trust his brothers? The best outcome would be to spend the rest of his life in Chang'an City with wine and women, and be a rich prisoner. But now, everyone is fighting outside and being granted fiefdoms in wild places. The Tang Dynasty is still named Li. Even if Brother Huliang becomes the emperor of the Tang Dynasty in the future, the foundations of our brothers will be far apart, and we won't kill each other or lose each other!"

"So, our father still cares about us a lot?" Yuanbao sighed.

"Of course, they are his own flesh and blood, how can he not cherish them? It's just that he doesn't love any one of them, but everyone. You are nostalgic for the prosperity of Cangzhou, but have you ever thought that Cangzhou is too close to Fanyang? Even if such an important commercial port is given to you, you may not be able to take it. It is better to take over Jiaozhou while your father is still in his prime. It may not be much worse than Cangzhou, but it can be passed down to future generations!"

"I understand what you mean!" Yuan Bao nodded: "Don't worry, I will go and apologize to my father later!"

"That's right!" Suta said with a smile, "It doesn't matter if I can't become a saint, being Wang Wenzuo's son is not bad either!"

"Bah, I'll give you something to use to tease me!" Yuan Bao raised his fist as if to hit me, then put it down again: "Forget it, you are much stronger than me now, I can't beat you anymore!"

The news of Wang Wenzuo practicing firearms in front of everyone soon spread. From Hebei to the vast land of Outer Northeast, a new wave began to rise, as if a huge heart was beating, expanding eastward, southward, northward, and far away! This voice rang in the hearts of every aspiring man.

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Chang'an, posthouse.

"Your Highness, we're here!" An officer in brocade robes bowed to the carriage and said, "Your business will take a few days, please get off the carriage and rest here for a while!"

"Thank you!" Li Shouwen got off the carriage. His face was slightly long and narrow, which highlighted his strong nose. His green robe made him look a little cold. He nodded to the escort and walked towards the posthouse.

"You guys keep a careful watch. If anything happens, report to me immediately!" The escorting officer breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Li Shouwen walk into the posthouse. He then told his subordinates, "You all know this man's identity. Don't make any mistakes! Do you understand?"

"Captain Wang!" A leader said with a wry smile, "It's not that we don't want to try our best, but this posthouse has so many people coming and going that it's really hard to manage! Besides, why don't you put this person in the imperial prison or send him to the palace? Wouldn't that be much more convenient?"

"You all know that his status is different now. How to deal with him is not up to me." The escorting officer smiled bitterly and said, "Forget it. Just be careful and don't make any mistakes! It shouldn't take long. Everyone should be patient!" Everyone had no choice but to respond and go back to their duties. Captain Wang entered the North Yamen and said to an eunuch on duty, "I am Wang Xiaojie. I was ordered to go to Raozhou to do business. I am back today. Please inform the young supervisor Wang!"

"What is Wang Shaojian? Can you speak?" The eunuch raised his eyebrows and gave off a chill: "You are already the Grand Chamberlain! You are still a Shaojian? Don't you have eyes or ears? Come out and do your job!"

Wang Xiaojie was stunned for a moment before he realized that the person he was asking had been promoted (Changqiu Palace was the residence of the empress of Han Dynasty, and the Da Changqiu was the person in charge of all the empress's officials. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, he was the highest official in charge of harem affairs. Later generations used it as a respectful title for the head of the eunuchs). He hurriedly said, "I didn't know about this when I left Chang'an. Please forgive me for my inappropriate words!" After that, he bowed, took out something from his waist, and presented it with both hands.

The eunuch took it and found it was a piece of gold jewelry. His expression became much better. "Then you wait here. I will pass the message on!"

After a while, a eunuch in his early fifties came out from the inner room. He was the former confidant of the queen and the highest official in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Wang Anlu. Wang Xiaojie hurried forward and bowed, saying, "My nephew greets my uncle and congratulates him on his promotion!"

"Get up!" Wang Anlu motioned for Wang Xiaojie to stand up. "How's the mission going?"

"The people are safe now, in the posthouse outside the city!" Wang Xiaojie whispered, "But there are too many people over there, so it's not a long-term solution!"