The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 320 Fake Death
The peace talks were successful.

Back at the meeting place, Bazel Ackerman, Iris Roberts, and the other Russians were in very bad spirits.

It's a shame there's no going back in this world.

How much more have they given now?

It also benefited the Jia family and, incidentally, helped Da Zhao win over the hearts of the various Mongol tribes.

This is something I can't even bear to think about; just thinking about it makes me want to vomit blood.

"Did you get that six-shot gun?"

General Iris asked his entourage again.

No one dared to speak.

Because we can't get it.

We tried everything but couldn't get it.

They look different from the people of Dazhao, and they attract attention wherever they go.

It was simply impossible to get to the heavily guarded Machinery Manufacturing Bureau.

They went to find the missionary who had helped them get the grenade, but he had already returned to his country. Needless to say, the grenade will soon be available in the West as well.

"Didn't Jia Lian accept your gift?"

Iris then asked Vice Minister Bazel, "He just accepted it for nothing? You made so many trips afterward, and you didn't see him even once?"

He originally disagreed with giving away those two guns.

Trigger-activated firearms haven't been widely adopted in their Rakshasa Kingdom, but it's clear that their future potential is limitless, and all future firearms will be trigger-activated.

But Bazeir disagreed, and there was nothing he could do.

“We did accept them,” Barzel said, quite frustrated. “But too many people are sending gifts to their house. Last time we met, we had just talked about the six-shot gun when he had something to do and hurriedly said we’d talk about it another day.”

After that change, there was no further news.

He said helplessly, "Later, I sent people to ask him every day, but he was never home."

There's nothing he can do if the other person isn't home.

They thought of going to the Ministry of War to block them, but that's not a place they can enter.

In order to get the guards to pass on a message, he gave away his newly acquired pocket watch.

It's infuriating that the gifts were delivered, but the guards at the gate were replaced.

After a commotion, the other side brought a bunch of soldiers, all wearing the same uniforms, but he couldn't find the person who had taken his pocket watch anywhere.

Bazeir considered himself to have a good memory; he could always recognize the high-ranking officials of the Great Zhao who they needed to pay special attention to at a glance. However, the soldier who took his pocket watch, whom he had some recollection of before, had become vague after seeing so many people.

After that, he never went to the Ministry of War again, and of course, he never mentioned it to anyone.

It's so embarrassing.

"Let's go again tomorrow."

Iris Roberts gritted her teeth, “Never again… the muskets are coming back.”

He didn't want to benefit the Jia family any further.

In reality, at this time, Bazel's flintlock pistol had already been disassembled into individual parts in the weapons manufacturing bureau.

This flint-fired device, which uses the friction between flint and steel to generate sparks for ignition, is clearly more convenient and faster than a match, and is not affected by the weather.

Jia Lian sent it to the Bureau of Manufacturing as soon as he received it, so that the masters could study it.

This device was used on landmines by Qi Jiguang, a famous general who fought against Japanese pirates in the previous dynasty. It was also called a steel wheel igniter.

It consists of a transmission mechanism installed in the casing. When the enemy steps on the trigger, the falling stone in the casing drives the steel wheel to rotate, which ignites the flint through rapid friction and detonates the landmine.

Today, the Great Zhao also has a large number of deployments in the border cities, mainly for the purpose of defending the cities.

I never imagined it could be made so small for use in a musket.

However, it is clear that the Russian Empire has only recently developed this technology and has not yet distributed it to the entire army. Otherwise, the outcome on the battlefield in the northeast would not have been the same.

The next morning, as expected, Bazel and Iris led a large group of people to the Rongguo Mansion.

Last night, they were all angered by the people from Mongolia.

Those bastards, once they've had a few drinks, they lose all sense of direction. In the middle of the night, they even lit a bonfire in the yard, singing and dancing.

hum~
Shameless!
It's not even their own talent, yet they have the nerve to sing and dance?
They were angry all night and went to the Jia family early in the morning. Jia Lian was still not home, but this time Lin Zhixiao was particularly good at handling people and immediately arranged two banquets for them.

The Russians also love alcohol, supposedly because the climate there is bitterly cold, and they prefer extremely strong alcohol.

The Jia family has this!

Even with all their anger, Bazel and Iris couldn't resist indulging for a moment when faced with jugs of strong liquor and delicacies that even the people of Dazhao couldn't afford.

However, Wang'er rushed to the weapons manufacturing bureau and told Jia Lian about the guns they wanted.

Jia Lian had no choice but to go to Liu Zhi.

The Ordnance Bureau produced the breech-loading gun, but, like the six-shot gun, it was modified for easier loading.

Liu Zhi had said before that if the other party never mentioned the gun again, then so be it; but if they did, they should contact him and he would talk to them.

"Okay, I understand."

Liu Zhi smiled kindly, "Don't worry, from now on, I will still be in charge of dealing with the Russians."

If the peace talks succeed, we can all be friends.

Between nations, there are no permanent friends, nor permanent enemies.

"Before they leave, hide in the Weaponry Bureau and ask the masters there to fix their guns."

Jia Lian: "..."

He realized that this guy was going to prepare for both possibilities.

Jia Lian couldn't afford to offend someone as ruthless as his aunt.

In view of his cousin Jia Zhen's pitiful state, Jia Lian bowed particularly respectfully before him, saying, "Yes!"

Liu Zhi was pleased with his respectful manner. After waving him away, he went to find the emperor himself.

"Sir, you've come at the right time. Let's see what Prefect Yu has to say."

The emperor handed the memorial to Liu An, who presented it to Liu Zhi with both hands.

Good heavens, you never know until you see it...

Liu Zhi's eyebrows shot up. "Prefect Yu is a genius. It's a real waste of his talents to only be a minor prefect in Tianjin."

"Hahaha!" the emperor laughed. "Then I will send him to the capital ahead of schedule."

He had originally planned that once the Russian delegation was expelled, he would expel the Japanese delegation and then go to the capital to receive his title. But now, since he was going to hold Japan accountable, the members of the delegation in prison were no longer so important, and he didn't need to watch over them anymore.

The emperor drafted an edict on the spot.

"Your Majesty, Jia Lian reports that Bazeir went to him to ask for a gun."

Ok?
The emperor stamped the prepared imperial edict with his seal, then looked up and said, "Then go ahead and have a good talk."

He knew this guy had recently been learning the Rakshasa language.

It is said that they have learned it quite well, and "when necessary, we will also send an envoy to accompany them into the Rakshasa Kingdom."

Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win every battle.

The emperor also wanted to know what these people, separated by mountains and seas, were trying to do by attacking time and time again.

If necessary, could the Great Zhao also launch a campaign across mountains and seas to subdue them?

"Yes!"

……

At Ningguo Mansion, Shen Ning couldn't help but laugh when she heard that a group of Russians who wanted guns had drunk too much and were being taken back to the Huitong Hall by Lin Zhixiao in several large carts.

"Those people will probably come back when they sober up."

Wang Xifeng had no choice but to force a smile and say, "Your liquor is so strong, please give me a few more jars!"

"Move it yourself."

Shen Ninghao didn't mind. "It's not easy to make friends with them in the East Prefecture, but it's still okay in the West Prefecture. Next time they come, treat them like you did today." After thinking for a moment, she added, "Find some people with good drinking capacity to keep them company."

"Eh!"

Wang Xifeng had no objections. Jia Lian was undertaking a major undertaking, and as his wife, she would certainly do her utmost to help if she could.

So, when Bazeir woke up at night, he saw that the manager and staff of the Huitong Hall, who had previously looked down on them, were all smiling obsequiously, saying that the Jia family had sent them ten jars of fine wine. Not only that, but Lord Liu Zhi had also come to see them personally, and left only after hearing that they were drunk.

The wine from Bazel and Iris seemed to sober up almost instantly after the translation was done.

"Were they this nice to you the last few times you visited the Jia family?"

Iris sensed something was wrong and immediately asked Bazel.

"without!"

They were only served a cup of tea by the manager, and before they even got a second cup, they were seen off.

Bazel still doesn't understand the difference between serving tea and serving tea.

"Then today..."

Iris directly instructed the translator to ask the curator why the Jia family had suddenly become so enthusiastic towards them.

The curator was completely baffled by the question.

How could he know?

But to date, the number of people who have received gifts from the Jia family is still very limited.

He could only use the excuse of peace talks, saying that the peace talks had not ended and that the Jia family needed to avoid suspicion, etc.

There are many things to avoid in officialdom, so there shouldn't be any problem with what he said.

"When Lord Liu came over, did he say what it was about?"

The reason we're contacting them now is because the peace talks have ended, and we can talk about normal things now.
"I don't know, the master didn't say anything!"

He's a favorite of the emperor.

The museum owner never thought of getting close to Liu Zhi.

She was a ruthless person just like Madam Shen, who dared to strip many officials of their faces in the imperial court.

"to make!"

Bazel waved him and his men away before saying, "Perhaps it's not to avoid suspicion, but rather for my two guns."

However, even if they don't take out the guns, they'll probably figure them out quickly once they see them on the battlefield.

As far as he knew, many border cities of the Great Zhao used landmines with detonation devices to guard key passes.

"Then...shall we go again?"

Iris was getting anxious.

Jia Lian had had that musket for quite some time now.

If we don't get it back soon, they might figure it out by now.

"Let's go tomorrow."

No more drinking tomorrow.

It's a mistake to drink!
Barzel reminded himself of this.

But the next day, Jia Lian was not at home, so Jia She personally entertained him.

I heard that he is the heir to the title, a first-rank general, and the true head of this Duke's mansion. Ever since Bazeir and Iris entered Dazhao, they have never received a kind word from Dazhao officials after being humiliated by Prefect Yu, a mere fourth-rank official.

Although both sides needed to listen to the interpreter, they couldn't refuse Jia She's smiling invitation to drink.

So that day, they got drunk again.

But this time, when they sobered up, they were no longer angry.

Jia She apologized to them, saying that they were implicated by the Japanese.

In the Ningguo Prefecture to the east, his elder brother was killed by the Japanese, and his sister-in-law and nephew were assassinated by the Japanese several times. Only after the Ningguo Prefecture took action against the Japanese did they turn their anger on them.

His nephew Jia Zhen was beaten entirely because his sister-in-law couldn't forget her deceased brother.

The Rakshasa people are more forgiving towards women who are deeply in love.

At the same time, it deepened some of my resentment towards the Japanese!

……

Xuzhou Prefecture Prison.

Shoji Kaneda and Nami Kuroiwa's leg injuries have mostly healed.

But his former partner, Hirota Hashimoto, did not survive.

His injuries worsened after a trial, and he died in agony after several days of high fever.

Now they are all alone, relying on each other for survival.

"Nami, are you really going to do that?"

"...What else?"

Yesterday, two thieves were locked up, and they used stones to tap out a secret message that only she could understand.

All the Zhao clansmen were doomed. Even the delegation members are still imprisoned in Tianjin prison, just like them.

"Our mission failed, and it dragged everyone down with us."

In the dark cell, a faint light gleamed in Kuroiwa Nami's eyes. "The culprit is the Shen family of Ningguo Mansion. So many of us have been lost here. We must take her life."

"But if we take action again... what if Ishii and Lord Nakamura are held responsible..."

Shoji Kaneda did not want to agree.

"...It's already like this, can it get any worse? Even if it does get worse... it might not be because of us, but because Da Zhao is targeting us."

Nami Kuroiwa felt helpless and sad.

Was there a problem with their original plan?
There's absolutely no problem.

It is a strategy that allows for both offense and defense.

However, the Jia family and certain officials of the Great Zhao Dynasty distorted the truth, to the point that even the delegation was accused of being accomplices.

Every single member of the clan in Jiangnan, every single one of them, as long as they were in the public eye, did not escape.

They... had long been on the edge of a cliff, with nowhere else to go.

"Moreover, when I go out, I can disguise myself as an ordinary woman from Dazhao."

Her disguise skills are so good that not everyone can recognize her.

Besides, Shen had never even met her.

Regardless of success or failure, Kuroiwa Nami did not believe she would implicate the mission again.

"Sir, please cooperate!"

"..."

Shoji Kaneda nodded silently.

Judging from the message from the two thieves, he... is already a sinner of Great Japan.

No matter what you say, there's practically no binding force with Nami.

As evening fell, before the crimson sunset had faded, his shouting echoed from the prison cell.

When the jailer came to check, he saw Kuroiwa Nami lying on the ground covered in blood, lifeless.

He examined the spot on the wall where he had been hit, shook his head, dragged over a tattered straw mat, and, together with his men, carried it out.

They didn't seem to care much about the death of this Japanese woman.

Women are all like this; when they feel there's no hope in life, they bang their heads against the wall, hang themselves, or take poison...

So what if he's dead? As long as Shoji Kaneda is still alive, that's all that matters. He's the leader of the assassination squad.

The newly arrived prefect of Xuzhou didn't pay much attention. These Japanese were going to die eventually, so it didn't matter whether they died sooner or later. It was too late at night, and keeping them in jail would be bad luck. He waved his hand and ordered them to be thrown into a mass grave.

The prison guards are very experienced in this kind of thing.

They rushed to dump Kuroiwa Nami in a depression in the mass grave before it got completely dark.

They didn't even dig the ground.

After all, the croaking of frogs and the chirping of birds here are more eerie than in other places.

I'm begging for your guaranteed monthly votes!!