Daqin Engineers

It is no problem for Mao Dundan to spend a lot of money to invite mining artisans from the Central Plains.

After all, the Great Wall between the Central Plains and the Xiongnu was not even connected at this time, and there was still a considerable gap... The Great Wall built by Meng Tian after he recovered the Hetao is from Lintao in the west of Longxi and to the east of Liaodong, bringing Yuan Yan, Zhao, and Qin to the east. The Great Wall is connected as a whole, with a total length of about 3,000 miles.

Without the border of the Great Wall for more than 3,000 miles, it would be impossible to seal it, and there are not so many troops to seal it.

So the Xiongnu can easily send people south to find miners.

On the miner's side, it's the issue of how much money is given.

Mouton also heard of some Qin laws from slaves, and knew that Qin State had the system of continuous sitting, so he preferred to find the kind of craftsmen who were alone and had no family.

This is not to say that Bodhisattva Maudun was worried about his family members after the craftsmen escaped into the Huns.

But Maudun knew that only this kind of craftsman could easily persuade and stay in the Xiongnu for a long time with peace of mind.

It is easier to persuade because there is no family member being even seated so there is no concern.

I can stay in the Xiongnu for a long time with peace of mind because I am helpless and have no nostalgia in the Central Plains. Mao Dun Shanyu can even arrange for him a family to help him start a family...

At the same time, there were not a few helpless craftsmen like this in the Qin era, so Mao Dun could easily find a few.

The problem is that prospecting in the grassland is not easy.

As mentioned before, in ancient times, prospecting was usually done in places where there were mountains. The grassland was flat, and it was almost impossible to dig three feet of land for prospecting.

After much deliberation, Mouton could only venture to explore the Yinshan and Yangshan places.

At this time, the Hetao area regained by Shen Bing was to the south of Yinshan and Yangshan, and the Xiongnu were to the north of Yinshan and Yangshan. It can be said that they are divided into half.

As a result, Mao Dun really found saltpeter and sulfur... Yinshan Mountain and Yangshan Mountain were about two thousand miles long, with an average elevation of two kilometers and mineral resources.

It is not surprising that saltpeter and sulfur can be found in such long mountains and mountains.

This made Mouton overjoyed and immediately organized slave mining and asked Qin artisans to build gunpowder workshops according to the formula.

However, he was happy, and Mouton still sighed and uneasy after returning to the tent.

Zuo Xian Wang Ji congee could not help but wonder:

"Shan Yu, we have got the formula for gunpowder."

"Now that you have found the mine needed for gunpowder, you can make the'Sky Shocking Thunder' right away. What are you not satisfied with?"

Mouton Shanyu shook his head and said:

"Do you know why Qin Jun didn't cross the wolf's mouth and attack us northward?"

(Note: Langkou refers to the gap between Yinshan Mountain and Yangshan Mountain. Because of its shape resembling the open upper and lower palate of a wolf, the gap in the middle is called wolf mouth by the Xiongnu)

Ji Congee answered without thinking:

"Because the wolf's mouth is dangerous, Qin Jun can't pass!"

The wolf mouth is indeed dangerous.

Especially Yinshan has a characteristic, that is, the north is gentle and the south is steep.

That is, the side of Yinshan Mountain close to the Xiongnu is relatively gentle, slowly leaning toward the Mongolian plateau.

The side near the Hetao, which is the Central Plains, is exactly steep. The altitude of more than one thousand meters descends directly to the Hetao Plain, forming countless cliffs like being cut by a knife.

In such a terrain, it is almost impossible to stand up to the north, and the Qin army cannot cross it.

But if the Qin army wants to enter the Mongolian Plateau from the "Langkou", it must pass through the valley formed by the Yin and Yang mountains.

The gentle hillsides on both sides provided an excellent geographical advantage for the Huns to encircle and pinch the Qin army.

But Mouton shook his head and said:

"Do you think that the Qin army with strong crossbows, three-bow bed crossbows, and'Sky Shaking Thunder' will not dare to go north because of the wolf's mouth?"

Mouton was right.

Although the Xiongnu can shoot farther with bows and arrows at high places, the Qin army is equipped with a large number of powerful crossbows, and the range of this powerful crossbow is almost twice that of the Xiongnu's bows and arrows.

In this way, even if the Xiongnu has a good place, it is still the Huns who can beat the Qin army, and the Qin army can also beat the Xiongnu.

In addition, Qin Jun also had a three-bow bed crossbow that could shoot "Thunderbolt Fireball"... This wolf mouth really couldn't stop Qin Jun.

Ji porridge can't help but wonder:

"Shan Yu, why did the Qin Army not go northward with the wolf's mouth?"

Mouton's thoughtful answer:

"Because of our speed."

"Because we can withdraw at any time."

"Because we can go to any place they can't find and can't chase."

"Then suddenly concentrate forces to attack their weak spots!"

It should be said that Mouton Shanyu's analysis is right.

Cavalry has this advantage in the grassland, here is destined to be the world of cavalry.

The cavalry here is "the sky is high and the birds fly, the sea is wide and the fish leap."

It is easy to escape to a place in such an empty grassland, as long as there is water and grass to feed the horses.

If the Huns are short of food, even drinking mare's milk can make up for a few days.

However, to find a force in such a large grassland is tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack.

So from the very beginning, the Xiongnu and the Qin army were seriously out of balance in tactical difficulty... the former fled, the latter sought.

You can run away at will, but you can't find it when you are exhausted.

But the Xiongnu, who had lived in the grassland for a long time, could send out rangers to scout to determine the supply line of the Qin army, and then circle to the rear to concentrate their forces on the attack.

On the prairie, this tactic is almost unsolvable.

The puzzled question:

"In that case, why is Shan Yu worried?"

Mao Dundan took a few steps and looked at the gunpowder workshop outside the tent and the mine in the distance, and said:

"If we want to preserve these mines to produce gunpowder, we won't have these tactical advantages anymore!"

Ji Congee suddenly realized with a "Oh".

Cavalry can go, tents can be demolished, but mines and gunpowder workshops cannot be taken away.

At most, the Xiongnu just took away some of the finished products "shaking thunder."

But after this?

The Qin army will soon occupy these mines and workshops.

With the personality of the Qin army, perhaps a walled city will be built here for a long time.

Or simply blow up the mine.

If the Xiongnu repaired the mine and resumed production, the Qin army would bomb it again.

unless……

The Huns keep here.

But doing so was exactly what Qin Jun wanted, and Qin Jun was worried that he could not find the main force of the Huns.

and so……

Mouton shook his head and said:

"This is not a long-term solution."

"We can't let Qin Jun know this."

"Otherwise, the mine will not be guaranteed."

Mouton was right. The Xiongnu really couldn't keep these mines. They were never good at defending.

But at the same time Mouton was wrong again.

Shen Bing had just discovered that the gunpowder formula had been stolen, so how could he not think of the mining problem.

But finding a mine is actually very simple, it must be on the front line of Yinshan Mountain.

So Shen Bing sent spies to the north of Yinshan Mountain to investigate...

The method of reconnaissance is to let herders who can speak the Huns language as spies. Anyway, the Huns do not have a household registration, and the herders can't tell if they can speak their language.