Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 119 Declaring War on All Nations: The Imperial Heir Set

The scheduled "duel" was successfully completed three days ahead of schedule, and Wang Cheng and A Xiao beside him gave each other a high five.

"Heh, who said that shipborne artillery can't kill officers with keen senses? That's like saying you can't kill someone without a gun barrel, it's all nonsense!"
Why don't you just learn from me and add an automatic head-locking function to the artillery?
Previously, when officials of the third rank faced warships, they could only be killed if they fought to the death. If they didn't want to fight to the death, they could leave whenever they wanted, and the warships couldn't catch up with them at all.

Now that you've met me, if you still want to use your old fighting style, you're destined to end up with bruises all over your body.

As long as I have a sailing warship by my side, my destructive power will no longer be limited by the mere rank of a sixth-grade official.

This is because Bai Shuilang and Chao Fenglang's positions haven't fully merged yet. Once the merging is complete, the amplification will only be stronger!

Wang Cheng was envisioning the future, and he weighed a small pouch with talismans drawn on it in his hand.

Inside was another powerful weapon: red and purple gunpowder refined by Lu Yunchen, the [Shenxiao Daoist].

This is the backup plan that will only be activated if the "Lion's Head Blossom" fails to kill the opponent. My Grand Cannon can't kill you? That must be because I didn't use enough force!

Unfortunately, before Wang Cheng could fully exert his strength, Cai Rong had already collapsed.

The item I bought in this "no-cost deal" was decent: an external archery technique called "Shooting Arrows at the Gate."

Many of the deeds of the peerless ghost god Lü Bu were fabricated by later generations, but the most unbelievable one, "shooting the halberd at the gate", is actually true!
The bow is drawn as if the autumn moon were traversing the sky, and the arrow flies like a shooting star. Without relying on supernatural powers or special skills, one can shoot down a willow leaf from 1500 paces (about 2500 meters) away with only a master-level archery skill.

At present, no firearm in the world can match the range and accuracy of this arrow.

Crack!

The wind howled around them as two children, one dressed in blue and the other in purple, darted out quickly.

Before the huge fireworks faded, they retrieved a dusty, gray Qiankun bag for Wang Cheng and respectfully handed it to him.

This treasure was made of a special material, so it was not damaged in the explosion.

"The intelligence report said he was obsessed with officialdom, focused on scheming, and only had a mistress, no wife or children."

Aside from what was used to buy property and bribe superiors, most of his accumulated wealth should be here.

Wang Cheng casually flicked his wrist, dumping a large pile of miscellaneous items, wooden boxes, and silver coins onto the deck with a "clatter".

What first caught his eye was not the plaque of Xiangji Temple, but a large pile of gold and silver coins with shapes completely different from the Dazhao silver ingots!
Yuegang is now a world trade center, with a large number of merchants from various countries coming and going. Zhenhaiwei has been stationed here for many years to make a living, and naturally, it has collected a lot of money from various countries.

This pile contained almost all the materials Wang Cheng wanted, and most of them were of high quality; the inferior ones had already been melted down and recast.

He also unexpectedly discovered that these Western coins were not only excellent materials for refining magic, but also contained the superior Dao energy that was indispensable for the cultivation of water-rank officials.

The essence of cultivation in the middle three grades is "absorbing qi".

In the eyes of the thirty-six water officials, the highest quality Dao energy is naturally the [Heavenly Water Golden Toad Qi].

Unfortunately, officials in the Water Rank can only briefly come into contact with this supreme Dao energy when they take office or are promoted.

The same applies to the Heavenly Class's [Jade Void Divine Firmament True King Qi] and the Earthly Class's [Immortal Capital Fire Thunder Treasure Light Qi].

The Three Officials' Qi is essentially the Heaven, Earth, and Water Officials themselves, usually invisible and untraceable, high and far away.

The highest level of Dao Qi that can be reliably obtained in the human world is the [Kingly Divine Qi of the First Emperor of Han]. It would be difficult for a ruler who controls the distribution of this Dao Qi not to be powerful.

The highest level of Qi that Bai Shuilang could possibly enjoy was the [Penglai Capital Water Profound Origin Qi], which required him to search for water dragon veins and sea eyes deep in the ocean to obtain.

The highest grade of Qi that a court official can use is the "Universal Market Exchange Treasure Qi," which is of higher quality than the ordinary "Market Exchange Treasure Qi." It can only be generated in international trade and is attached to the currencies of various countries.

"The Qi condensed on these coins is the Qi of the Universal Market Exchange Treasure."

It is perfect for boiling lamp oil and stimulating the heart lamp to burn the remaining four internal organs.

After absorbing the Qi, it can be used to forge the [Five Emperors' Golden Coin Sword], making the most of its resources!

Wang Cheng rubbed a gold coin between his fingers, thinking about how to make the most of these treasures by cooking them in three ways.

"The Five Emperors' Golden Coin Sword requires a sword blank to be forged using divine gold first."

Black gold, meteorite iron, turbid river gold, black iron, etc. are all possible. If you're lucky, you might be able to find a piece from the Three Thousand Abyss Treasures sometime during the day.

I have the 'fortune' bestowed by the Four Seas Coin and the rare commodity that I can hold onto. Finding one within a year should be no problem.

But with Zhang Wen, the silversmith who's most skilled at working with all kinds of metals, things are different. Why not use a strong laborer?

Wang Cheng had long ago selected a unique technique called "Thousand Machines Refined" from the "Guide to Sending Off Passengers with Favorable Winds" and given it to him.

He specializes in cultivating the five metal elements within his chest, and with the help of the spiritual power of "gilding," he excels at crafting various weapons, machinery, and jewelry.

Extracting the essence of the five metals—gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin—to forge a sword blank is a simple matter of lifting a finger.

Recently, apart from consecrating the gilded cannons of the Qingyi ship, Zhang Wen has been spending all his time on this, making him even more of a workaholic than his brother, the "life-obsessed" Zhang Wu.

Zhang Wen also enjoyed it. The more gold and silver "flow" through his hands, the higher his skill level became, and the more motivated he was to work.

Only now does he truly understand what his brother Zhang Wu meant when he said, "Only those who don't contribute to society need rest; work makes me happy!"

That was genuine, heartfelt joy.

Once the sword blank is forged, you can collect the Five Emperors' Coins from five powerful dynasties and absorb the gold, dragon, and wealth energy from them to forge the sword.

The more powerful a dynasty is in issuing currency, the sharper its monetary magic sword becomes.

Originally, the "Five Emperors' Coins," considered the biggest challenge in cultivation, had been replaced by a perfect substitute by Wang Cheng. He squatted down and picked out five coins from the pile of coins of different sizes, shapes, and patterns.

The first one is a copper coin, a Yongle Tongbao coin worth ten coins. One of these coins is equivalent to ten ordinary copper coins. As a copper coin from this dynasty, there are still quite a few in existence. Using it for sword practice is just a drop in the ocean.

Moreover, the Yongle era was a time of great national strength, far surpassing that of the Han and Tang dynasties, and the copper coins were even more valuable than those from the Taizu era.

The second coin is from the Habsburg dynasty of the East Francois Kingdom, and features the portrait of the current king, Philip II.

East Frankish power is now the world's leading maritime power and the first empire on which the sun never sets; one can almost feel the scorching heat of the sun's eternal heat emanating from its gold coins.

The third one is from the Aviš dynasty of the West Franzian Kingdom. The portrait is of the previous king, João III. The new king is his grandson, who has only been on the throne for three years and has not yet consolidated his power.

"I consulted with Franco merchants to confirm Western history."

In 1494 AD, the two countries signed a treaty under papal arbitration, dividing the world's colonies along the papal meridian (46°30' west longitude).

If things proceed as normal, the Avish dynasty would have died out twenty years later, and these two colonial empires would have entered the era of the Iberian Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth can integrate all its forces to jointly develop the Spice Islands, leaving me with very little window of opportunity for development.

Of course, it's normal for the timeline to change; we can't rely on empiricism.

The fourth one is a silver coin, the Dutch shield.

"About ten years ago, in 1550 AD, the East Franzians issued a 'bloody edict' to the Netherlands, which provided them with half of the tax revenue, and began to kill infidels and shut down the economy."

The Netherlands, led by the Prince of Orange-Nassau, has formed a seven-province alliance, and the two sides are currently locked in fierce fighting.

If it weren't for this, the East Bharata Company, composed of Dutch merchants, wouldn't have been able to sell sailing warships in bulk to the Five Peaks Flag, the overlord of the East Sea, allowing us to contribute manpower and resources to stop the ever-expanding Franzians.

This was my chance to take advantage of the chaos after I went to Southeast Asia.

After all, Britannia is an island nation, and so is East Asia. Why can't I be the one stirring up trouble by using an "offshore balancing hand"?

The last and fifth coin is the gold coin "The Queen's Power" minted by Queen Elizabeth I of the British Tudor dynasty.

The energy above shone brightly, radiating vitality.

"According to Britannian merchants, this female king is working diligently to strengthen the country, issuing privateering licenses and making every effort to enhance its power. She is already showing signs of surpassing others."

These four are the four major maritime powers of the Western Regions, taking turns to dominate the seas, just like our "Five Emperors' Coins" which have a sequential relationship.

When Emperor Taizong sent his treasure ships to sail to the Western Ocean, the Age of Exploration had not yet begun, so he can be considered a pioneer of the sea.

If Zheng He had been more capable, the natives of the New World might not have been called Indians, but rather Indians.

By now, they've probably all returned to their 'homeland'.

Wang Cheng stuffed all the coins into the coin hole and casually tossed the empty Qiankun bag to the overjoyed Zhang Wen.

"Whether it's promoting my official rank or forging swords, I need to keep making money, a lot of money."

Let's unleash the power of money to the fullest!

Finally, he picked up the plaque of Xiangji Temple, a treasure of the prefecture.

The rare commodity has been read and all its information has been obtained.

This was not the private property of Qianhu Cai Rong, but one of the benefits that Commander Xing Baichuan's family had obtained from years of smuggling trade.

He assigned the task to whichever of his subordinates went out to work.

Now that his trusted confidant has been killed and this treasure of the entire province has been lost, it's enough to make Xing Baichuan heartbroken.

After Wang Cheng took it in his hands, he discovered that the plaque could be used in a very flexible way.

The affiliation of the orthodox and the traitorous factions can be set freely, from a country to a small faction, as long as both sides can be assigned to the same faction.

If we find the traitor within Wufeng Banner, no matter how well he disguises himself, as long as we fight him openly and win, he will automatically "expose" himself.

[Note: Both are relics from the Tang Dynasty, and they are connected by fate with another plaque, "Xuanwu Gate." Possessing "Xiangji Temple" increases the chance of encountering "Xuanwu Gate."]

Wang Cheng's expression was strange:

"If I could get the Xuanwu Gate plaque that reads 'Whoever wins is the Crown Prince,' I could truly complete the 'Imperial Rightful Heir Set,' and from then on, I would seize power and be invincible."

However, the one that could exert its greatest power was not the Great Zhao, which changed its crown prince only once every few decades, but the numerous Western kingdoms.

No need for any strong claims; as long as one possesses a minimum right to make claims and is considered one of their own, one can issue a "Declaration of War Against All Nations" to declare war on the great powers.

Go straight to the Gaga and wreak havoc; if you win, just take their crown.

I've heard that almost all the royal families in that land are related by blood. If they use this tactic, they should be able to forcibly build up a large empire in just a few years.

Of course, this is just theory.

That treasure, imbued with the aura of Emperor Taizong of Tang, is at least a national treasure; how easy is it to find it?

After tallying up his bountiful haul, Wang Cheng was very satisfied and waved his hand dismissively:
"Put down the pirate flag, raise the Great Zhao Army flag, and we're heading back."

(End of this chapter)