Catching Monsters

Chapter 504 Thunder
Xiao Min'er understood Wang Longzhi and knew his indecisive nature, so she said, "Longzhi, this is a critical moment of life and death."

"Although we are currently in a strong position and seem to have the advantage, you know very well that it is already extremely difficult to support the food supply for these 600,000 people. Once the end of the year is over, if the harvest in the south is not good, our army will not be able to sustain itself."

"Moreover, although corruption is rampant in the Zhou Kingdom, if this huge mechanism is to be put into operation, the grain and soldiers will be supplied continuously."

"We cannot fight a protracted war."

"If this drags on, Xiao Yuzheng will grit his teeth and send the border troops south. When they join the Zhenchi Army and the Tianqi Army, we'll be in serious trouble."

Upon hearing this, Wang Longzhi was persuaded and slowly nodded: "How could I not understand these principles?"

Wang Longzhi slowly sat down next to Xiao Min'er: "I was just thinking that with such a large-scale war, how many lives should be lost because of me?"

Seeing him say this, Xiao Min'er didn't know how to comfort him, so she could only smile and say, "Once we conquer the world, we will reduce taxes and let everyone live a good life."

"Report."

Just then, a soldier quickly appeared in the courtyard, holding an urgent military report in his hand. He said in a deep voice, "General Wang, according to a letter from the front, Zhang Yuhu is leading 50,000 Tianqi troops in a swift surprise attack on Shanglin County."

Wang Longzhi, with a stern face, reached out and accepted the secret letter: "Alright, I'm aware of this matter."

……

Boom.

Outside the capital city, outside the manor of the Duke of Zhenguo.

"It's done, it's done!"

Xu Xiaogang looked at the cannon muzzle emitting white smoke, his face showing excitement.

"Lord Duke, this is just because it didn't explode; it's far from a success. The shell only flew two hundred meters, which is quite different from what Lord Jiang said, that it could travel several miles." Although Qi Hede said this, the smile on his face did not diminish at all.

His eyes gleamed slightly; after so many days of trying, he had finally mastered a method that wouldn't cause the barrel to explode.

The main goal is to improve the iron smelting process and reduce impurities in the iron.

Next, we'll probably have to gradually increase the amount of gunpowder so that the cannons can unleash their full power.

"Alright, you all go ahead with your work. I'll go tell my brother-in-law this good news." After saying that, Xu Xiaogang had someone arrange a fast horse to head to the capital.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yun was inside the Sanqing Temple, where twelve boys aged fourteen or fifteen were present.

These teenagers were also selected by Jiang Yun and Wen Chen, although in terms of talent, they could not compare to Wen Chen and Qin Shujian.

But it's not bad either.

These were selected from more than two hundred teenagers.

Today is the apprenticeship ceremony. Wen Chen, with his slightly immature face, sits in the Sanqing Hall, receiving the kneeling worship of his twelve disciples.

With a smile on his face, Wen Chen gave each of his disciples a Daoist name.

He then introduced Jiang Yun, who was sitting next to him, to them: "This is the advisor."

The twelve boys bowed in unison.

It has to be said that the overall age of the Sanqing Temple is quite young.

Jiang Yun, however, looked serious as he gazed at the group of young people before him and said slowly, “I know that your coming to become disciples has nothing to do with your admiration for Taoism. Of course, that’s alright. In the days to come, you can focus on your cultivation and gradually come to understand the true essence of Taoism.”

"If one can cultivate to the eighth rank, one can join the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

It was this last sentence that made the eyes of many teenagers light up slightly.

Most of them are children from poor families, and they all hope to join the Embroidered Uniform Guard like Wen Chen through their own hard work and cultivation.

Jiang Yun didn't mind this, nor did he think their desire for enlightenment was impure.

People are always driven by self-interest. It's not just the Sanqing Temple; so many people want to join the Five Great Academies and Five Great Buddhist Temples because of their good benefits.

Afterwards, all the boys stepped forward and kowtowed to the statues of the Three Pure Ones.

Just then, Xu Xiaogang ran in excitedly and waved to Jiang Yun.

After Jiang Yun came to his side, he told him about the progress of the artillery. Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun nodded and said with a smile, "I heard that the battle at the front is going quite smoothly. This morning, it is said that Zhang Yuhu has already taken back the city of Shanglin County."

"Perhaps we won't even need this cannon."

Xu Xiaogang nodded slightly: "It would be best if we didn't have to use it. If we used that thing to deal with the Northern Hu cavalry, it would be a great weapon. The roar of that cannon should be very effective against warhorses."

"We need to keep Qi Hede and Hu Leqi under control. If they learn about and master artillery, they'll only be able to work for us," Jiang Yun said in a deep voice.

"Don't worry, brother-in-law." Xu Xiaogang nodded repeatedly.

Everything went smoothly at the front, and soon Zhang Yuhu sent a letter requesting that 100,000 troops from Zhenchi be transferred to him to expand his victories.

The Zhenchi Army was, after all, Xu Xiaogang's men. Although they were nominally the Emperor's troops, they could not fight without Xu Xiaogang's approval.

Since Zhenchi Jun has been transferred to Zhang Yuhu's command, he probably won't take Zhang Yuhu's orders very seriously.

Soon, Xu Xiaogang was also summoned to the Imperial Study. At this point, with Zhang Yuhu making great contributions on the front lines, Xu Xiaogang was somewhat unable to stop him.

Especially when questioned by Xiao Yuzheng, he could only nod and allocate 100,000 troops to Zhang Yuhu, and even wrote a letter by hand to the Zhenchi Army generals at the front.

Furthermore, Zhang Yuhu also sent spies to investigate secretly, and finally learned that Wang Longzhi and Xiao Min'er were leading 50,000 troops in Guangli County.

Zhang Yuhu was immediately intrigued. Shanglin County was only fifty li away from Guangli County, and the terrain was flat. If they marched quickly, they could arrive in two days.

If we can take down Wang Longzhi and Xiao Min'er in one fell swoop, the rebel army will surely collapse.

And Zhang Yuhu will likely become the number one general of the Zhou Kingdom because of this achievement.

……

The Eighth Prince's Residence.

During this period, Xiao Jingqing was showered with love and favor in the capital. Every two days, he would be summoned to the palace to have dinner with Xiao Yuzheng and take a walk with him.

In addition, military officers and nobles also gravitated towards Xiao Jingqing.

He was even appointed as the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards.

The implications of appointing a prince as the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards are self-evident.

However, Xiao Jingqing was very restrained. If military officers or nobles came to visit, they would only discuss construction projects and try not to have any private interactions with each other.

In the evening, Xiao Jingqing was personally leading his men to patrol in front of the palace gates when a subordinate quickly approached and respectfully said, "Your Highness, something strange has been happening in the north of the city lately."

"Strange?" Xiao Jingqing looked at the other person with a puzzled expression.

"Yes, there is a dense forest twenty miles north of the city where thunderous noises often come from. I wanted to take people to investigate, but the Imperial Guards are guarding the area and won't let our Imperial Guards get close." "They say that Lord Jiang from the Eastern Garrison is studying something inside, and no one is allowed to approach easily."

"Jiang Yun?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingqing pondered for a moment before slowly asking, "Since it's a matter for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, then our Imperial Guard shouldn't interfere lightly."

"What did that thunderous roar you described sound like?"

The subordinate whispered, "It was just some passersby who heard that the land belonged to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."

"According to my subordinates' inquiries, a large amount of pig iron and gunpowder have been transported into the area during this period, but we do not know the specifics."

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Jingqing said with his hands behind his back, "Let's go take a look."

Soon, Xiao Jingqing led a dozen or so Imperial Guard soldiers to the place mentioned.

The group rode swiftly and arrived at a forest in no time. There was a narrow path in the forest that was just wide enough for a carriage to pass through.

Four Imperial Guards dressed in flying fish robes stood guard at the path.

Seeing that Xiao Jingqing and the others were dressed in the uniforms of the Imperial Guard, he stepped forward to stop them: "Gentlemen, this is the territory of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Lord Jiang has also given an order that no one is allowed to approach easily."

With a smile on his face, Xiao Jingqing said, "Does 'anyone' include me?"

Soon, one of the Imperial Guards behind him spoke up, "This is His Highness the Eighth Prince, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards!"

"Gunpowder is a strictly controlled substance and is also subject to strict control by our Imperial Guards." Xiao Jingqing said calmly, his smile unwavering. "I heard that a lot of gunpowder has been transported into this place recently."

"Coming to inspect is also part of my duty."

“Of course, I understand that the four of you are also acting under orders. So, without making things difficult for you, I will go in alone.” Xiao Jingqing said with a smile, “This whole world belongs to my royal family. Surely I can’t be prevented from entering?”

After saying that, Xiao Jingqing dismounted and walked inside. Upon seeing this, the four Imperial Guards were momentarily at a loss.

Even if high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital wanted to enter, they dared to stop them, and if all else failed, they could even resort to violence and kidnapping.

But the person before them was none other than the Eighth Prince.

Even if they had the guts of bears and leopards, they wouldn't dare to stop it.

Seeing this, only one of them could rush to the capital to inform Xu Xiaogang and Jiang Yun.

One person accompanied Xiao Jingqing as they walked inside.

The remaining two looked at the dozen or so Imperial Guards waiting outside.

"This place is quite nice, with birds singing and flowers blooming. It's a good place to escape the summer heat." Xiao Jingqing walked ahead, while the Imperial Guards beside him could only force a smile.

Suddenly, a loud booming sound came from ahead.

Startled, Xiao Jingqing stumbled and almost fell to the ground, and the birds in the forest were also startled and took flight.

Of course, the Imperial Guards beside him were already used to such loud noises.

He quickly helped Xiao Jingqing, who almost fell, and said, "Your Highness, Eighth Prince, be careful."

"What is this?" Xiao Jingqing's expression turned slightly grave as he looked up ahead. "How could there be a thunderclap out of nowhere?"

With that, he continued walking forward.

Soon, following the sound of thunder, they arrived at a relatively flat area behind the manor.

On the left side here, a small factory has been built specifically for smelting ironware.

Xiao Jingqing's gaze also fell on the cannon on the ground.

This cannon, four feet long, with a wooden support underneath, was glaring at the ground.

In front of the cannon was a small hill.

The hill has been blasted into a pitted mess, with many craters, the largest of which is two meters in diameter.

"What is this?" Xiao Jingqing was puzzled, having never seen such a thing before.

"Who is this person? Who let them in?"

A gruff voice rang out, and Qi Hede walked out with some dissatisfaction. He looked Xiao Jingqing up and down and frowned.

"This is His Highness the Eighth Prince," the Imperial Guard guard who brought Xiao Jingqing in quickly explained.

Upon hearing the words "Eighth Prince," Qi Hede's displeasure vanished instantly, and he quickly knelt down, saying, "Qi Hede greets Your Highness the Eighth Prince."

"Did you make this?" Xiao Jingqing asked.

"Yes." Qi Hede nodded.

“Very good.” Xiao Jingqing said, “Use it and let this prince see how this thing can produce such thunder.”

"Old Hu, come here quickly!" Qi Hede hurriedly shouted.

Hu Leqi, who was holding a bag of gunpowder, hurriedly came out after hearing that the Eighth Prince wanted to see the cannons.

Hu Leqi didn't think much of it, and the two of them quickly got to work.

Gunpowder was loaded into the cannon barrel, a fuse was inserted, and an iron cannonball was placed inside.

Hu Leqi then lit the fuse.

The two quickly pushed each other away and covered their ears.

boom!
A deafening roar erupted as the shell was launched, exploding with a bang on a distant hillside.

Seeing this, Xiao Jingqing's eyes lit up slightly. He looked at Hu Leqi and then came to his side, reaching out to examine him: "You have no magic power?"

"How is such a powerful magical artifact activated?"

Hu Leqi waved his hand and then said, "Your Highness, this is not some kind of magical artifact; it's just gunpowder stuffed into the barrel of a cannon..."

Hu Leqi quickly gave a brief explanation of the basic principles behind the device.

"You mean, ordinary people can use it too?" Xiao Jingqing was somewhat shocked and gasped. How could he not see how powerful this thing would be if used on the battlefield?

He took a deep breath, quickly grabbed their hands, and said, "Quickly, take this back to the palace. If Father Emperor sees this, he will be overjoyed!"

"This……"

The two men immediately looked troubled: "Your Highness, without Lord Jiang's approval, this item cannot be taken away, including the two of us."

(End of this chapter)