After a moment of bewilderment, Liang Xiao crouched down and looked at Yu Ning, whispering, "Does Uncle help spank his bottom?"
"No, thank you. My father said, 'When will the vengeance end?'" Yu Ning said timidly, looking at Liang Cang Sheng in a childish voice.
The surrounding people chuckled.
Liang Xiao's eyes twinkled, and he said with a smile, "But Ning'er can't just let herself be bullied, can she? How about this, when you grow up, you marry him and make him henpecked for a lifetime!"
Yu Qing Chuan and his wife were stunned, then burst into laughter.
Yu Ning suddenly realized and clapped her hands, "Okay, okay~ I want to marry Cang Sheng Ge Ge and have lots and lots of children for him, dozens of them! If he dares to spank my bottom in the future, I'll spank our children's bottoms~"
Liang Xiao's wives were surprised and delighted, clapping their hands. Liang Cang Sheng's mother, Yue Lian, was overjoyed.
This child was intelligent and well-behaved, and with the guidance of a Tianshan侠客 (xia ke - knight-errant), she would surely be a good wife in the future if she married Liang Cang Sheng.
Liang Xiao smiled and agreed, then turned to hold back Liang Cang Sheng, who was trying to escape.
Liang Cang Sheng also said in a childish voice, "Okay~ Then I need to learn about postpartum care for mother pigs from Zhuo Ling Jun~"
As soon as he spoke, the whole audience was shocked, and Yu Ning immediately burst into tears.
"He truly has the shameless demeanor of his father," Zhuo Zi Fang praised.
Liang Xiao's face darkened, "You are the elder brother, you should protect Ning'er. What kind of skill is it to make a girl cry? You truly don't know what's good for you!"
Liang Cang Sheng then lowered his head in shame, admitted his mistake, and apologized to Yu Ning. Yu Ning immediately stopped crying and laughed, and then played with Liang Cang Sheng again.
Yue Wen Xin watched the scene of "fatherly love and filial piety" and pursed her lips slightly, ignoring Yue Hong Xiu pulling on her sleeve.
How she wished she had such an intelligent child…
The second generation of great talents and generals of Da Qian were growing up in the An Guo Marquis's manor.
Back at the Marquis's manor, Yue Wen Xin was preoccupied and had dinner with Liang Xiao and his wives.
During the meal, Zuo Jing frowned and clutched her lower abdomen, enduring the discomfort without letting it show.
"Lin'er, are you feeling unwell?" Liang Xiao asked.
"It's just my period, I'll be fine if I endure it," Zuo Jing replied.
Liang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good, you should rest more."
Yue Wen Xin couldn't help but complain, "Brother-in-law is such a blockhead. My sister says to endure it and you really let her endure it? You men have no idea how painful it is for women when their period comes…"
Liang Xiao pondered for a moment and said with a serious expression, "Actually, I have to endure pain every month that far surpasses yours, ladies."
Everyone was stunned. Yue Wen Xin lowered her head in shame, "My perspective was too narrow. Brother-in-law has seen all the suffering in the world and the deaths of soldiers, so indeed…"
"You misunderstood," Liang Xiao shook his head. "I mean that we men have to go through a 'molting period' every month, and we need a doctor to assist with surgery. The pain caused by the shedding and regrowth of our testicles is something you women cannot experience."
Yue Wen Xin exclaimed, "Really??"
"Really," Liang Xiao said earnestly.
Liang Xiao's wives all rolled their eyes at him.
He was fooling the young girl again.
"This is something difficult to speak of. Unless absolutely necessary, we men will not say it. So, from now on, you must never say that we don't understand the suffering of you women," Liang Xiao sighed.
"Yes, yes, Brother-in-law, you must also rest more at that time…" Yue Wen Xin looked at Liang Xiao with concern, tears welling up in her eyes.
"By the way, don't tell anyone else," Liang Xiao whispered.
Yue Wen Xin blushed and nodded solemnly, "I cannot betray Brother-in-law's trust and tell outsiders!"
After Yue Wen Xin finished eating and left, Jian Qin Wan snorted, "You need to be more careful when you make up stories in the future, since she believes everything you say."
Liang Xiao remained silent for a moment, then his old face flushed red.
"Little Aunt, do men really have a molting period?"
In her room, Yue Hong Xiu faced Yue Wen Xin's question with a blank expression, stammering, "I, I wouldn't know!!"
"It seems this is truly a secret only men know."
Under Yue Hong Xiu's bewildered gaze, Yue Wen Xin murmured to herself and left dejectedly.
The next morning, Ding Wu Yi led Liang Xiao to the outskirts of the city.
A large number of shadow guards were already stationed there, strictly prohibiting any unauthorized personnel from approaching.
In the center of the site, there were several contraptions resembling steel barrels with wheels. On the ground lay hundreds of solid iron balls the size of human heads, as well as several gunpowder barrels…
Ding Wu Yi looked puzzled, "Marquis's consort, the shadow guards have cast several according to your diagrams, but is this thing really as effective as a trebuchet with gunpowder barrels?"
"Naturally, but it requires constant testing. This is a very dangerous item," Liang Xiao replied, while repeatedly inspecting the barrel to ensure the internal structure was unlikely to cause a burst. Only then did he put his mind at ease and added, "This is just the initial version. It relies on the propulsion of gunpowder to launch iron balls, heavily damaging the enemy, thereby intimidating them, boosting our army's morale, and reducing our casualties."
Ding Wu Yi and the surrounding shadow guard captains seemed to understand, yet not fully.
"No wonder young master Liang is so cautious, even Minister Zhuo keeps his distance!"
As Liang Xiao's father-in-law, Zhuo Wu Lue would not dare to inquire about these matters unless Liang Xiao voluntarily disclosed them.
Because Xiao Qing had specifically recruited the most loyal craftsmen, treated their relatives well, and offered them better treatment than the White Robe soldiers, as well as promising official positions.
The requirements were strict: without Liang Xiao's permission, they would be under long-term surveillance by the shadow guards, effectively losing their freedom.
However, mere personal freedom was insignificant to these craftsmen. They worked hard for the sake of their families having a better life and their children having the opportunity to achieve success through education or military service, so they harbored no dissatisfaction. Instead, they were deeply grateful.
The court was giving them too much…
Liang Xiao simply smiled, "This is technology that absolutely cannot fall into the hands of the enemy. If it were to leak, widespread devastation would be the least of it."
After saying that, Liang Xiao sighed.
He did not want gunpowder to bring about devastating warfare, but the threat of the Tian Ri clan had exceeded his estimations. To ensure Da Qian's stability, he had to attempt the manufacturing of cannons. In the future, he would even have to strive to research firearms, such as flintlocks and percussion cap guns.
But for now, the focus remained on cannon research, as Da Qian could not mass-produce firearms, and the short-term military boost from firearms would not be as significant as that from cannons.
After all, he had to guard against the Tian Ri clan potentially mastering the technology of the Hui Hui Cannon. Even with divine arm crossbows and Hui Hui Cannons at Yumenguan, it might not be impregnable.
Da Qian could not afford to stand still. Standing still meant paying with more soldiers' lives to compensate for technological shortcomings, and even leading to the needless deaths of soldiers.
However, Liang Xiao's knowledge of early firearms and cannons was extremely limited, so he could only rely on his own understanding and wisdom to imitate them.
Da Qian did not possess complete high-explosive shell technology. The current cannons still used solid shot, unable to cause widespread destruction with a single blast. Therefore, these cannons were an enhanced version of the Hui Hui Cannon, superior in range and power. They also did not require as many soldiers to operate as the Hui Hui Cannon and the Three-Bow Bed crossbows.
At this moment, Liang Xiao was fully equipped, looking like the true manifestation of the Heavenly General.
He approached a cannon and gestured for everyone to move back, then began loading gunpowder and solid iron balls into the barrel one by one.