Longzang

Chapter 169 Business
Among the high-ranking cultivators of Taichu Palace, there is no shortage of experts in military strategy, such as Bao Yun. With her around, there's no need for anyone to demonstrate Wei Yuan's military skills for the time being.

The primary question is how to define the role of an army composed of ordinary people.

Since the activation of the Azure Netherworld Mystic Momentary Beings, Bao Yun has been pondering this problem and now has an idea: "Let's assume that the Momentary Beings can last for thirty minutes. Then the task of ordinary mortals is to deal with those ordinary witch soldiers. They are numerous but mediocre in combat. If the empowered mortals can trade one for one with them, that would be a great victory."

Although the Witch Clan warriors are cannon fodder, cannon fodder are still warriors, not civilians. Only about one in ten Witch Clan civilians will become a warrior. The majority of humans in the realm are truly mortals; if it weren't for the existence of countless sentient beings, one Witch Clan warrior could easily take on a dozen or so mortals. If one could exchange a mortal for a Witch Clan warrior, every famous human general would be laughing in their sleep.

The physical strength of ordinary Wu Clan warriors is only equivalent to that of humans who have just entered the Blood Fusion stage, and is inferior to that of Bei Liao. Therefore, Bao Yun had a countermeasure: firearms.

But Xiaoyu said, "I think bows and arrows are better. These mortals have already been blessed with blood, so it's easy for them to draw their bows. Besides, the battle is only for thirty minutes, so even if there's a burst of fire, it won't be a problem. Moreover, bows and arrows are more powerful than firearms."

Bao Yun shook her head: "Bows are too expensive, and it takes time to make them yourself. Besides, drawing a bow and shooting an arrow requires training, while a musket doesn't; you just need to hold it steady and shoot."

Xiao Yu gently nudged Cui Yu and whispered, "How long will it take to make the bow?"

Cui Yu had been leading troops for several years and was well-versed in military affairs, so he said, "A top-quality bow takes more than ten years to make, while an ordinary one takes three to five years. I'm talking about ordinary bows, not magical artifacts."

Xiaoyu remained silent.

Ji Liuli asked, "Then what kind of muskets should we equip?"

Wei Yuan considered the possible timing of the next attack by the Wu Clan and recalled his experiences in battle during this period. He then said, "Time is of the essence now. Tens of thousands of mortals will be arriving soon, and the Wu Clan may also launch a counterattack at any time. Therefore, we cannot focus on anything too elaborate. The simpler and faster the construction, the better. I have a general idea, and that's how it works."

Wei Yuan drew two diagrams, showing two iron pipes, one large and one small. The large one was one and a half feet long and about the thickness of a fist. The small one was one foot long and about the thickness of an apricot. The small iron pipe had a small hole at the back, from which a wire extended.

The large iron pipe is for cultivators who have undergone a transformation equivalent to the completion of body forging, allowing them to directly ignite gunpowder with their Dao power. The small iron pipe, on the other hand, is for ordinary mortals, who, even if they have undergone a transformation, lack Dao power and therefore need to ignite gunpowder with ordinary fire.

The two types of muskets also differed in power; the former held half a liter of gunpowder, while the latter could only hold two teacups.

The bullets, on the other hand, have evolved; Wei Yuan designed them to be iron sand wrapped in oiled paper.

The idea of ​​using iron shot instead of refined iron bullets came from the shotgun that Xu Wenwu mentioned. This kind of gun doesn't require much aiming; you can just aim roughly in the direction and fire. It's perfect for ordinary people who can't even read.

Furthermore, iron sand preparation is quite easy; it's the first step in Ji Youli's demonstration of refining steel last night. Simply crush the ore, extract the iron powder, agglomerate it into numerous small clumps, and then melt them together with fire. There's no need for subsequent melting, impurity removal, or property balancing steps.

Because the amount of iron sand required is enormous, skipping one or two steps will significantly increase production, and the energy consumed will be less than one-tenth of that required for refining iron pellets.

As for the musket itself, Wei Yuan felt that two plain iron pipes were sufficient; there was no need for anything fancy. At most, mortals could wrap some cloth around their hands to prevent slipping. As a realm lord, Wei Yuan himself used two steel pipes with a spearhead, so there was even less need for mortals to be particular.

Wei Yuan's plan was to equip each mortal with two iron pipes, which would be fired once the two sides closed in on the start of the battle. Injuring even one member of the Wu tribe would be a win, while killing one would be a huge win. After firing two shots, the two sides should have already started fighting amongst themselves, at which point it would be time to use swords.

The vast majority of ordinary people are untrained farmers, so even with the blessing, they would be lucky to fire both shots.

Wei Yuan truly placed his hopes on those cultivators who had completed Blood Fusion and, after further enhancement, could reach the Great Perfection of Body Forging. Those who had reached the Blood Fusion stage of Body Forging had generally undergone combat training, so Wei Yuan equipped them with larger iron-barreled guns, hoping to deal with mid-tier troops such as Poison Lizard Knights and Armored Warriors.

Battles at the Dao Foundation level and above are still fought according to each person's own habits.

The biggest problem with gunpowder weapons is their insufficient power. Wei Yuan's two steel spears were filled with gunpowder, but even so, their power could only cause minor injuries to a Dharma Aspect. The effect on a Foundation Establishment cultivator was relatively noticeable, but Wei Yuan still needed to use the spears to pierce through the armor for defense before the gunpowder could have any effect on the physical body.

Therefore, the many fancy weapons Xu Wenwu proposed, such as machine guns, were completely ignored by the high-level cultivators. No matter how high the rate of fire, it would be like a massage to Wei Yuan's flesh.

However, gunpowder did solve the key problem of arming ordinary people, but the amount needed was relatively large.

Ji Liuli was originally the only expert in gunpowder preparation, but now Sun Yu has joined the ranks. While Sun Yu isn't as skilled in pharmaceuticals as those at the Creation Temple, he's far superior to those from the Heavenly Mystery Hall who are only half-baked in the field.

Sun Yu had finished reading Xu Wenwu's writings over the past two days. After listening to the discussion about gunpowder, he said, "I think the principle of gunpowder is simply that it expands rapidly after being ignited, propelling the projectile to generate killing power. The larger a liter of gunpowder expands, the faster it ignites, and the greater its power. If ignited by a fuse, the gunpowder has to burn from the fuse to the entire point, slowing down the expansion. But igniting with Dao power can simultaneously ignite all parts of the gunpowder, resulting in faster expansion and greater power."

Apart from Ji Liuli, who invented gunpowder, the others hadn't thought about it in such detail. Their only focus on improvement was how to proportion the ingredients, how to achieve uniform particle size, and how to balance the physical properties.

Sun Yu continued, "So, to increase its power, it boils down to two things: expanding it further and burning it faster. I came up with a formula and made some slight modifications."

Sun Yu took some gunpowder, added a spoonful of white powder, and then ignited it with his Dao power. With a loud boom, flames shot straight up to the roof, at least twice as powerful as before!
Wei Yuan's eyes lit up, but dimmed again after asking about the formula. Sun Yu's spoonful of powder contained two rather precious medicinal ingredients; this spoonful of powder alone was more expensive than several bushels of gunpowder. To equip tens of thousands of ordinary people with weapons, the gunpowder consumed would be in the tens of thousands of catties; even a slight increase in cost would result in a massive outflow of silver.

However, Sun Yu wasn't researching this formula for mortals; he was purely doing it to increase its power, so that gunpowder could also be effective at the Foundation Establishment stage. He readjusted the ratio, this time using a 1:1 ratio of powder to gunpowder, resulting in a doubling of its power.

This immediately piqued everyone's interest. If Xiao Yu's hollow magic sword were filled with gunpowder, the gunpowder alone could pierce through low-grade magic armor. If it were Wei Yuan's spear, it could even pierce through mid-grade armor.

Sun Yu continued, "In essence, the principle of gunpowder is simply how to make it burn faster and expand larger. If that's the case, why use gunpowder at all? Can't Dao power expand? Can't magic weapons expand? There are countless things that can expand instantly, and they can all be considered gunpowder. As the saying goes, the great Dao is simple."

Wei Yuan felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his mind instantly clearing, and he immediately began to simulate it within his Dao foundation. A moment later, he produced a golden cauldron, with a spire emerging from its mouth. This cauldron was thin and long, and its shape was somewhat strange.

Wei Yuan pointed the cauldron diagonally at the roof, and with a loud bang, a four-tiered small tower shot out from the cauldron, blasting a large hole in the roof.

Upon seeing this, everyone was filled with ingenious ideas, so they dispersed and went off to study it on their own.

Wei Yuan estimated that the small lake at the foot of the peak should have grown to a considerable size by now, so he went down the peak to inspect it. The spot where he had placed the jade bowl had now become a body of water several meters wide and about two feet deep, with hundreds of colorful stones on the bottom. The water rippled, faintly shimmering with light, and from a distance it resembled a luminous lake, truly a fairyland on earth.

Wei Yuan used his Taoist magic to sculpt the soil and build a water channel to the herb garden. Once the small lake was full, the water would flow to the herb garden on its own.

There are also two Heavenly Star Dragon Sunflowers in the herb garden, which are considered top-grade spiritual plants for Dao Foundation Establishment. Wei Yuan planted both of them, one to grow naturally, and the other to be secretly imbued with his own fortune, and then had Xu Wenwu take care of it.

Wei Yuan could clearly sense that the naturally growing plant was thriving and its sprouting should have happened within the next few days. However, the plant that Xu Wenwu was tending to had a dull and deep aura, and its vitality was less than half that of the naturally growing one, indicating that it had undergone some unknown changes.

Wei Yuan doesn't know whether this change is good or bad, but even if it's for the better, he's almost out of luck from beyond the heavens.

Just as he was worrying, Wei Yuan suddenly remembered something: what about the gift of heaven and earth that killed Blood Eye? How come so much time has passed and there's still no sign of it?

Although Qingming intercepted all the gifts from heaven and earth, now Qingming is Wei Yuan, and Wei Yuan is Qingming; it doesn't matter who gets them. Furthermore, with Qingming nurturing and advancing, and his domain expanding, Wei Yuan's range of activities will also increase significantly.

Currently, within the Azure Netherworld Domain, which spans 115 miles, Wei Yuan can travel up to 11,000 miles, and his strength only begins to decline at 5,000 miles. In other words, Wei Yuan's combat power has increased throughout the entire Shattered Domain; aside from not being able to travel far, he can now roam freely right in his own backyard.

The gifts of heaven and earth are mysterious and unpredictable. Wei Yuan knew that there was no point in rushing them; he could only wait.

Several days passed quickly, and the human sacrifices resold from the Xu family were transported to the border region.

The offerings were transported by specially made carriages, more than fifty in total, with the carriages completely covered up, and even the ventilation holes were located at the bottom of the carriages.

When Wei Yuan arrived, Cui Yu and his men had already gathered the carriages and parked them in a clearing at the edge of the forest. This area was far from towns inhabited by mortals and had no cultivators coming and going, making it very quiet.

Three of the carriages had a blue painted mark on their sides, which was a symbol for offering sacrifices.

Wei Yuan arrived at the carriage and swung his sword to open the door. Inside, there were individual cubicles, each about two feet square, filling one side of the carriage. Each cubicle contained a person, head outwards and feet inwards. In total, the carriage held forty people.

Everyone lay quietly in their cubicles, their breathing barely audible. Wei Yuan scanned them with his divine sense and found that their seas of consciousness were almost undefended, allowing free entry and exit. However, each person's sea of ​​consciousness emitted light, and one could vaguely see various Dao foundations rising and falling, though the light was dim, barely maintaining their cultivation.

This cart is full of Dao Foundation cultivators, but they are all at the Human Rank Dao Foundation.

Wei Yuan ordered his men to split open the carriage and carry the people out one by one, placing them on the grass beside it. All of them had their hair and beards shaved off, and were only wearing a linen short shirt with no clothes underneath, but their bodies were clean.

According to Xu Jingfeng, these people were drugged before being transported and would remain unconscious for ten days before waking up. This way, they wouldn't cause trouble on the road, and there would be no need to take care of their food and drink. Each cart would also carry two spare horses, so that the people could rest, the horses could stop, and the carts could continue to transport them thousands of miles away in one go.

Aside from the three carts used for the sacrifice, the other offerings didn't have such good conditions. The compartments were much smaller, and some burly men were practically crammed in. More than sixty people had to be squeezed into each cart. These men, too, had their beards and hair shaved and were cleaned. Their bodies were also anointed with spices, and there was no unpleasant smell inside the carts.

From the very first day he arrived in the Western Regions, Wei Yuan had heard countless stories about the human head trade. But only now, seeing these people so cleanly processed and neatly arranged, and witnessing the efficiency of transporting thousands of people thousands of miles away at once, did Wei Yuan truly understand the meaning of "business."

How many people did it take to develop such a concise and efficient set of procedures?

(End of this chapter)