Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 131: Tusi Arrives
The Zhaoyong Army entered the Wutunso, enforced military discipline, and did not harm anyone. They also opened porridge factories and warehouses to help the people, and the people in the city gradually became calm.

Danchu stayed in Wutunso and sent Yan Wei, a staff officer of the Central Army Camp Affairs Office, to Xunzhou to persuade Chen Bangfu to hand over the seal of the general of the expedition to the barbarians. Yan Wei brought not only the head of Nguyen Phu Quang, but also a batch of gold, silver and jewelry to bribe Chen Bangfu's subordinates.

Soon, the chieftains of Binh Phuoc and Dong Rong were shocked to hear that Nguyen Phu Cuong had been killed. Chen Bangfu sent troops to attack Wutunso twice, but both times he suffered heavy casualties and returned without success. Cen Danchu was a rising star. With only a thousand men, he was able to break into the city in just two days. He should not be underestimated.

The two chieftains, without prior arrangement, hurriedly prepared gifts and went to Wutunso to meet Cen Danchu.

"Please stand up, both of you." The two chieftains performed a great ceremony, which made Danchu quite satisfied: "Were your ancestors also garrison officials who moved to Guangxi during the Tang and Song dynasties?"

"That's right." Dongrong Tusi was a thousand households, the oldest one, and said, "My ancestors were ordered to guard Pingnan during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty. After that, our descendants multiplied and spread out to live in the Xunzhou area."

"It is the same for me." Pingfu Tusi was a centurion, and he said, "My ancestors guarded Teng County during the Xining period of the Northern Song Dynasty, and most of my descendants are scattered around Teng County and Wutunso."

In fact, many chieftains in western Guangdong were descended from local natives who were appointed as local officials by the government. They competed to intermarry with Han people and attach themselves to Han officials, so that their descendants could not figure out the true genealogy of their ancestors.

Danchu had heard about their background and said, "You are all Han people. You have guarded Pingfu and Dongrong for generations, so naturally you are loyal to the Ming Dynasty. I have no other intention in summoning you, but because I am the general who conquers the barbarians and has the power to control the chieftains, I specially want to see you.

"From now on, our army will be stationed in Wutunso for a long time. Your territory is close to Wutunso, so you must always abide by your duties and obey the command of the commander of Wutunso. If something happens in Wutunso, you can no longer stand idly by like you did in the past few days."

The chieftains of Dongrong and Pingfu looked at each other and explained quickly, "Your Excellency may not know that after I received your order, I wanted to rush to Wutunso immediately, but I was delayed a little because I had to prepare gifts."

Chieftain Pingfu also echoed, "Don't worry, Marshal. We have received the grace of the country for generations, so we should be loyal to the king. You are the general who conquers the barbarians. In the future, as long as you give an order, we will obey it and rush to serve you as soon as possible."

"Haha," Danchu didn't expose them and asked, "What gifts did you bring this time?"

The chieftain of Dongrong said, "Dongrong is close to Dateng Gorge, where good rattan is produced, which can be used to make bows. I have brought fifty good bows to present to the commander-in-chief as a token of my respect."

Danchu took out a bow and arrow, looked around, and saw that the length of the bow was between the large-tip bow and the small-tip bow. The material was tough, and it was obviously different from the common lacquer bows in Guangxi.

"I heard that the Jiaozhi bow is very durable, and the body is made of a special old vine. Compared with the Jiaozhi bow, which one is better?"

"Reporting to the Marshal, the Jiaozhi bow was passed down from Guangxi. The old vines in Jiaozhi are better than those in Guangxi. That's why the Jiaozhi bow later surpassed the Guangxi bow." Dongrong chieftain said with regret on his face.

"Give me the bowstring, and let me try it."

Danchu took the bowstring and felt it briefly before he could tell what it was made of. It was made of silk. He strung the bowstring skillfully, took an arrow, and walked out of the hall. He saw a crow making a noise on the elm tree in the mansion.

"Swoosh!" Dan Chu drew his bow and arrow, took aim, and shot at the crow.

"Hit!" The crow fell to the ground, still flapping its wings in pain.

"The Marshal is such a great archer!" Dongrong chieftain couldn't help but praise him and was even more in awe of Danchu.

For these chieftains in Guangxi, it is better to use martial arts and martial arts to intimidate them rather than suppress them with official positions. "What's the big deal?" said He Guozuo, the chief of the personal guards, "The first time the Marshal went to the battlefield, he captured the flag and killed the general. His martial arts are unrivaled in the world."

The two chieftains were astonished, their eyes filled with awe.

Back in the hall, Danchu said, "The bows and arrows that Dongrong Tusi presented as tribute are very good, and I will give you 100 taels of silver as a reward."

The chieftain of Pingfu presented eight loads of gunpowder as a gift. The gunpowder was stored in the armory outside the palace. The chieftain brought a pack of samples and said, "General, Pingfu has a saltpeter mine, and the gunpowder it produces is famous far and wide. Look, this gunpowder is black and shiny, with full grains."

The gunpowder technology of the Ming Dynasty was already very advanced and in a leading position in the world today. Military works such as "Wubian", "Shenqipu", "Binglu", and "Wubeizhi" all have detailed descriptions of the production and proportion of gunpowder. Different firearms use different gunpowders, and different gunpowders have different proportions, which are extremely close to the standard proportion of black gunpowder. During the Wanli period, the Ming people also invented poisonous gunpowder and had corresponding antidotes.

Dan Chu picked up a handful of gunpowder and found that its particles were evenly distributed and smooth, about the size of millet. He put it to his nose and smelled it. There was no smell of moisture, so he knew that this was top-quality gunpowder.

"If you don't mind, Marshal, I would like to test the gunpowder for you on the spot."

"Okay, sure." Danchu said with a smile and agreed to Chief Pingfu's request.

Chief Pingfu took out a pinch of gunpowder, placed it in the palm of his left hand, and said, "This is two cents of gunpowder." He then used his right hand to open the tinder and ignited the gunpowder in his left hand.

Danchu remembered that it was recorded in Wubeizhi that when making gunpowder, water needs to be added to grind it, and the process is complicated. After it is made, the gunpowder needs to be tested. You can take out two coins and put them in the palm of your hand, and light it with fire. If the palm does not feel hot, the gunpowder is qualified. If the palm feels hot, or black stars and white spots are left after the gunpowder is lit, it is not good gunpowder, and it needs to be pounded or ground with water again until it is qualified.

After a burst of gunpowder smoke passed, everyone looked at the palm of Pingfu Tusi's hand and saw that most of the gunpowder had burned, leaving only a little ashes. This is the nature of black gunpowder. When it burns, it produces a lot of gunpowder smoke and leaves residue.

"Good, the gunpowder is of high quality." Danchu praised: "I heard that Pingfu has a saltpeter mine that produces gunpowder. In the future, the Zhaoyong Army will have to rely on you, brother."

Chief Pingfu looked very proud and said, "As long as the commander-in-chief gives an order, I will obey it."

"Very good, I will give Chief Pingfu one hundred taels of silver."

Danchu had already determined that the weapon that would be able to restrain the Manchurian Eight Banners in the future would be the flintlock rifle equipped with a bayonet. The flintlock rifle relied on steel to provide a more reliable spring component and saltpeter to make the flintlock rifle more reliable, even allowing it to fire in wet or drizzling weather.

The chieftain of Pingfu can provide saltpeter.

"I heard that before Longwu, the chieftains of Guangxi were very cautious in following the orders of the General of Conquering the Barbarians. When Yang Guowei was the General of Conquering the Barbarians, he held the Prince of Jingjiang Zhu Hengjia hostage and claimed to be the regent, and the prestige of the General of Conquering the Barbarians began to decline.

"Even when Chen Bangfu was appointed General of the Barbarian Expedition, he was looked down upon by the chieftains, and you all never obeyed his orders. Now the emperor is wise, Jiangxi and Guangdong are gradually returning to the right path, and the emperor has appointed me as General of the Barbarian Expedition. You all must not look down upon me any more."

The two chieftains said in unison: "Don't worry, Marshal. We respect you and will never have second thoughts."

(End of this chapter)