Hu Lian received the silver from Tianjin Wei and immediately took a boat north to catch up with Chenxi in Tongzhou.

Next, Hu Lian will stay in the Tongzhou camp with Wang Lingzhi and others to train troops. Since the new firearms need to be kept secret, everything must be carried out in secret, so it is necessary to keep a distance from the capital.

After the New Year, Chen Xi had sent train guns and ammunition to be transported out of Beijing in batches, and the basic equipment was in place on February 15th.

On February 17, Chen Xi summoned Hu Lian to see him at Tongzhou Inn.

He has arranged the military training matters. Twenty-four guards who mastered the flintlock shooting skills in advance will be sent to the army as "instructors" and will be trained in three hundred households.

Chen Xi introduced to Hu Lian: "Now firearms are becoming more and more advanced. In addition to the increase in range and lethality, they also consider the convenience and practicality of weapons. The biggest advantage of this batch of hot weapons is that they are fast firing speed and significantly improve the shooting accuracy at medium and long distances."

Hu Lian said worriedly: "The Tatar cavalry is very terrible and can approach you in a short period of time. If the firepower suppression cannot be achieved during the charge, it will be in big trouble if it is allowed to get close to you!"

When Chen Xi heard Hu Lian's words, he knew that this person had a good vision, but he still had certain limitations.

Chen Xi smiled and said, "So you are worried that if you encounter an enemy head-on in the grassland, it will be difficult for new firearms to effectively kill?"

Hu Lian nodded: "Secret officials have studied that although the new firearm has significantly improved in filling and firing speed, it can only fire one projectile per unit time, and its accuracy is sufficient. However, for the large number of cavalrymen who are rushing towards him, it is not as useful as the previous Folang gun. At least if the gun is shot out, it will definitely cause a Tatar heavy armored cavalry or mount to be killed or injured at close range. Now this gun may not work."

Chenxidao: "The Folang machine gun is a shotgun with obvious advantages and great disadvantages, that is, the range is too short. Although the improved flintlock gun cannot suppress the cavalry when fighting in a single match, if it adopts three-combo or even four-combo, the shooting distance is longer and the accuracy is higher, and the effect is better than the Folang machine gun that can only fire two or three rounds. However, this requires soldiers to have a good team spirit and superb shooting skills, which cannot be done without training."

The smile on Chen Xi's face made people feel like they were bathed in spring breeze, and Hu Lian felt that the pressure dropped sharply.

For Hu Lian, he prefers the Folang machine gun with a large caliber, amazing killing area, but poor range. This thing is much longer than the attack distance of the spear. The enemy rushed to the nearest front and back and shot it out, and there were shrapnel flying within a few meters. The enemy could not escape even if they wanted to.

However, Chen Xi insisted on developing flintlock rifles with long-range fixed-point aiming. This is the trend of weapon development. Shotguns can be used under certain conditions and are significantly limited. Flintlock rifles with long-range attacks are effective in all terrain.

Chen Xidao: "Soldiers first practice the queue with the instructor, hold guns, etc. When I come back, I will train shooting, gun maintenance, long-distance cross-country training, etc. This training is very important. The troops must attach great importance to it from top to bottom and strive to train a strong soldier."

Hu Lian nodded: "With Secretary Chen here, there should be no problem in training troops. Oh, by the way, Secretary Chen, can Your Majesty arrange a new job for the senior official?"

Hu Lian cared about Zhu Houzhao's views very much, which stems from his extreme lack of confidence in himself.

After all, Hu Lian had a full plan. With less than three years of entering the official career, most of his classmates are still in various departments and some are even observing politics. He followed Chen Xi to do things, and now he is in charge of the governor. The speed of promotion is amazing, and the pressure naturally doubles.

Hu Lian knew that his identity would not have been favored by Zhu Houzhao at all. It was only with Chen Xi's recommendation that he had his current status and began to look forward to the emperor looking at him differently.

Chen Xi smiled: "Your Majesty will definitely let Brother Chongqi go to war with you. At that time, you will naturally take on important positions. You will either accompany Your Majesty or lead the army alone. You will always be valued and have a lot of opportunities to make achievements."

Hu Lian thought for a while and said expectantly: "If you can accompany you, it will be better."

Hu Lian was very aware of the current affairs. He knew that leading the army alone would probably kill his life, especially as a vanguard, who would be a life-threatening person. Relatively speaking, he would rather be by the emperor and make suggestions, so that he would be seen by the emperor in his work, which was much better than working hard in the corners where no one saw it.

Chen Xi nodded: "Brother Chongqi's idea coincides with me. I will try my best to help you fight for it. Your Majesty is indeed lacking in someone who can take on great responsibilities."

Hu Lian was somewhat ashamed. After all, he did not volunteer to be the pioneer officer. He was ashamed of Chen Xi's promotion, so he immediately bowed deeply to Chen Xi and expressed his apology.

Chen Xi didn't care much. He respected Hu Lian's choice and would not force a civil servant who had little desire to make achievements and became a pioneer.

Based on the Chenxi conception, an important role of the pioneer officer is to lure the enemy, and there is a high possibility of accidents.

After a quarter of a nightmare, Hu Lian was tactful and retreated. Chen Xi also returned to Guanyi's backyard, preparing to return to Beijing the next day, and then went to bed early to rest.

The next morning, Chen Xi took the envoy of Folangji to the capital.

Because that day was the end of the imperial examination, Zhu Houzhao was very excited and was about to invite Su Tong and Zheng Qian to celebrate, and then discuss the trade with Chen Xi with Folang Jiren on a day.

Before Chen Xi returned to Beijing, Zhu Houzhao had made arrangements. This time he personally prepared the banquet venue and asked Concubine Li to help arrange the program, preparing to take Concubine Li to see Su Tong and Zheng Qian. The woman he had also attended the banquet with him included the woman Zhang Yuangang found, which was selected by Zhu Houzhao himself.

Neither Zhang Yuan nor Qian Ning were allowed to accompany him, only Xiao Guozi was qualified to attend the meeting.

Xiao Guozi is very clever and knows how to seize opportunities. He wants to use Zhu Houzhao's temporary trust to deal with political enemies. The current priority is to make friends with Su Tong and Zheng Qian, and let the two talk for him in front of Zhu Houzhao.

At noon, Chen Xi brought the Folang Ji people into the city. He should have gone to see Zhu Houzhao as soon as possible, but when he learned about Zhu Houzhao's arrangements at the gate, he came to inform him that he had received a report and came to greet him under the orders of Zhu Houzhao.

Chen Xi had no choice but to bring Folang Jiren to Huitong Hall.

After everything was settled, Xiao Tiaozi said, "Forgive me, Lord Shen. Your Majesty has been very busy these days and has not had a good rest. It is not convenient to receive foreign envoys."

Chen Xi thought to himself, what can this guy Zhu Houzhao do?

He was busy eating, drinking and having fun every day, trying to make it different every day. Only such a foolish monarch was supported by his ministers, and only the feudal dynasty like the Ming Dynasty supported by his loyalty was at present.

Chen Xidao: "When will your majesty leave the leopard room?"

Xiao Tiaozi thought about it and felt it was difficult to answer. Finally, he stammered: "Why do you have to be with me before you can? Your Majesty must prepare, but the venue has been arranged. Lord Shen can go there first... The villain will go to see Your Majesty later, so I won't disturb Lord Shen anymore..."

Chen Xi shook his head and smiled bitterly, helplessly let Xiao Twist take his own care, while he explained to the Folang Jiren, asking the Folang Jiren to have a good rest in the Huitong Hall and wait for tomorrow to meet the Saint.

...

...

Chen Xi went directly to the garden where Zhu Houzhao held a banquet.

This garden is a royal property, close to Dongzhimen and not far from the leopard house. When Chenxi arrived, the day was just setting in the west.

Originally, Chen Xi should have gone home to check it out, but this time he did not tell anyone when he came back, nor did he bring his family, and did not want to cause trouble. He would go out of the city to train troops, so he temporarily did not enter and went to see Zhu Houzhao first.

Not long after Chen Xi arrived, Su Tong and Zheng Qian also arrived. They only left the examination room in the morning. After returning home, they were about to call their wives and concubines to relax. They received the invitation of "Young Master Chi", and did not dare to come here without negligence. They had heard that Chen Xi went out of the city to seek medical treatment and ask for medicine, but they did not expect to meet old friends here.

"...Mr. Shen, I passed the exam and heard that you were leaving Beijing when I got home. I thought you wouldn't come."

Su Tong and Zheng Qian were very enthusiastic, mainly because the two did not perform well in the exam, and now they have the desire to Chen Xi and Zhu Houzhao. In their opinion, when they make friends with Chen Xi and Zhu Houzhao, they have to receive rewards. Once they fail the exam, they will ask Chen Xi and "Young Master Chi" to be the ones they are appointed.

Although the achievements have not been made, with the help of Chen Xi, the Minister of War and the nobles like "Chin Gongzi", they think it should not be difficult for them to become officials.

Chen Xidao: "Young Master Chi invites you, can I not come?"

"Um!?"

Su Tong and Zheng Qian looked at each other, and their hearts were moved.

After experiencing the nine-day examination, the two of them were closed, and their mood was much more peaceful, and they considered things more carefully. When they were in the shed, they realized a problem. "Young Master Chi" had an extraordinary background. How many times could Chen Xi come forward to help introduce him? How could his identity be simple? They just didn't associate "Young Master Chi" with the emperor for a while.

Now Shen Xi is very cautious about Mr. Chi’s invitation, so the two of them are not allowed to doubt it.

Chen Xi did not explain much and said, "Mr. Chi will come later. I will let him explain the situation clearly. You two don't have to worry about it today. Let go of your body and mind, eat and drink."

"That's right, that's right, we were here to make friends by drinking to relieve the physical and mental fatigue caused by the nine-day exam. In a big competition, more than 5,000 students participated. Who knows which one will pass the exam? This time the exam is not simple..."

Before he knew it, Zheng Qian began to talk about the exam and wanted to hear Chen Xi's opinion.

In fact, from leaving the city to returning to the city, Chen Xi devoted himself to trade and training with Folang Jiren, and did not pay attention to the examination. As for the examination questions, he had no way to care about it. After all, he was not the chief examiner this time, and he did not intend to train his disciples, so he was not interested in inquiring.

Chen Xi bluntly said: "I went out of the city to recuperate before, but I didn't ask about the imperial examination."

Zheng Qian was about to give Chen Xi a detailed introduction, but Su Tong interrupted him and said, "Mr. Shen is in poor health. Brother Zheng should not disturb the trivial matters of the imperial examination. Just drink and have fun today... Oh, Mr. Shen is sick and incompatible, so he should not drink. You can use tea instead of wine. By the way, why haven't you seen Mr. Chi yet?"

As he spoke, Su Tong looked at the sky outside the window and seemed to be asking, "It was obviously Mr. Chi who invited me today, but why is it still not seen that Mr. Chi still there?

Chen Xidao: "Young Master Chi hasn't come, let's wait with peace of mind. I don't know what the situation is there. I was invited to come just after I returned to the city today."

In his words, Chen Xi felt a little impatient and did not want to comment rashly.

Zheng Qian and Su Tong are both good at observing words and expressions. Chen Xi didn't want to say it, so they naturally wouldn't make Chen Xi unhappy. Then they began to talk about some old news about it when they were in western Fujian, and the atmosphere suddenly became much more harmonious.

...

...

It was dark for a long time, and Zhu Houzhao came late.

Zhu Houzhao did not explain why he was late. He did not bring Concubine Li as planned on this trip. Only Xiao Tiaozi followed him. Chen Xi noticed from Xiao Tiaozi's reaction that Zhengde had just gotten angry, so everyone around him needed to be careful.

"Mr. Chen is here? Haha, I wanted to welcome him, but I didn't expect that the trivial matters at home were bothering me. Fortunately, I met a few hours later, so I didn't delay anything." Zhu Houzhao seemed to have no idea that Chen Xi was coming back, and she was very polite when she greeted her, looking a little disgusted and disgusted.

Chen Xi did not salute Zhu Houzhao, while Su Tong and Zheng Qian came over to say hello to Zhu Houzhao.

After sitting down, Zhu Houzhao smiled and said, "I invited you here this time, as a reply. I just bought this yard. Although it is not big, it is very comfortable to live in. It is just a place to have a banquet. Haha."

Zhu Houzhao looked in a good mood, but Xiao Tiaozi's restraint was obvious. In addition, many things were different from the previous arrangements, Chen Xi couldn't help but secretly guess what had happened.

Chen Xi thought to himself: "This kid usually only cares about eating, drinking, having fun and women's affairs. It seems that the national affairs have nothing to do with him. Now Xiao Tiaozi is so scared. It is likely that Concubine Li did something disobedient, or that Qian Ning, Zhang Yuan and others caused him to be unhappy."

Zhu Houzhao started to complain, and said, "I was happy to go out today. Who would have thought that the servants at home were ignorant and contradicted them, and all the good moods were ruined. I came later. Please forgive me."

Su Tong smiled and said, "Since you are a close friend, how can you be strange? If you have something to do, it's okay to come later. By the way, Mr. Chi, I have never asked, which prince are you from? If you have time, I want to visit you, but... I don't know the family, nor what gifts should be given to you..."

Following the topic, Su Tong began to consciously test Zhu Houzhao's identity. After all, he was no longer good at exams. He had to consider his career and measure whether he could stay in the capital. Whether he could stay in the capital or become an official in the capital depends on his connections and relationships. They didn't know many people in the capital, so they could only stay close to Chen Xi and "Young Master Chi".

Zhu Houbao looked at Chen Xi and then said, "Let Mr. Chen tell you, "Let me tell you this, today I won't talk about this, I will only talk about the romantic and romantic... I just came out of the examination hall, so I guess I'm bored? Will you be happy when you get home?"

When Zhu Houzhao wanted to reveal a topic, he would bring up a new topic. What he said was exactly what Su Tong and Zheng Qian talked about and were proud of. They had many common languages ​​on both sides of women, and soon they started to talk about them with gamblers.

After a cup of tea, Zheng Qian suddenly found that Chen Xi was drinking tea alone and did not add to the topic. He secretly shouted terrible and cleared his throat, reminding Su Tong, Chen Xi to beside him and pay attention to his image.

Su Tong woke up and smiled and said, "With Mr. Chi, I was unconsciously unrestrained, which made Lord Shen laugh. This time I came in a hurry and had not prepared a gift, so I could only look back and find an opportunity to send it to Lord Shen and Mr. Chi's mansion... Brother Zheng and I were going to stay in the capital, and first be a small official in the Six Ministry or the Ministry of Temples and Departments to see if there is room for progress in the future."

Su Tong and Zheng Qian became "pragmatic" again, reminding us intentionally or unintentionally that you two must not forget to arrange errands for us.

Zhu Houzhao finally found what he was best at, that is, he gave private lessons as an emperor, bulged his eyes and patted his chest and said:

"No matter whether you two have passed the Jinshi or not, I have a way to make you an official, and the position will definitely satisfy you. I have already told Mr. Chen before that I will inform you of the result when I look back."

Su Tong asked in surprise: "Is that so? Who would have thought that when I went out to meet a noble person? As soon as I left the house, I met a noble person like Lord Shen and Mr. Chi... Come on, I will treat you to you with a cup. By the way, I immediately sent someone back to the house to call a few actors. I came in a hurry and didn't prepare. This time, I had to make up the atmosphere and prepare the gifts together, so that Lord Shen and Mr. Chi would choose their own choices."
Chapter completed!