Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 246 Weapons
In the 8th year of the Tongzheng calendar, on the training ground of the military base in Donghua County, Xuan Chong brought out the new armed forces that he had developed over many years.

The wooden phoenix combat machine is currently being tested. This wooden kite has been equipped with an energy storage power pack composed of heavy spirit wood, silk, and jade. It is no longer a flapping-wing machine that is temporarily charged by human feet and feng shui formations. Instead, it is a mecha that directly uses jade power and a propeller, almost a monkey-sized version of a combat mecha.

In the sky, eight wooden phoenixes are in motion. These latest heavy weapons are of the same military level as the ghost chariots, belonging to the category of aerial artillery units.

Hidden within the skin of the wooden phoenix are six iron divine fire flying crows, filled with refined "thunder and fire essence," the core raw material for "thunder and fire bombs."

The formula for "Thunderfire Essence" comes from "Ligong".

After securing the western borders in the Battle of Zhen, the country was stable, and the "Dui Palace" was established in Lelang City.

The "Li Palace" was secured by Fenxing City. — That old bastard Emperor Xu had a whole bunch of good stuff hidden away back then.

As for how the Liangtian Pavilion of the Zhen Kingdom refined the essence of thunder and fire, that requires asking about the "alchemy" of this world. Alchemists use divination to continuously stack the energy-absorbing and binding structures in the materials, and finally combine them into various finished products in the furnace.

Within the territory of Zhen Kingdom, Liangtian Pavilion is now systematically organizing the theory of alchemy. Super alchemy cauldrons with volumes ranging from twenty to one hundred shi (a unit of volume) have been specifically designed for military gunpowder, agricultural fertilizers and pesticides, and industrial medicinal oils.

As for Xuan Chong, he continued to deduce the chemical formula of the thunder and fire essence based on his original worldview. He discovered that the nitrogen-carbon polymer molecules within it had extremely high molecular weights!
What exactly did the chemical structure look like in his previous life? Xuan Chong's rudimentary chemical knowledge didn't tell him. But he knew one principle! Traditional TNT is a planar explosive structure, and its energy has reached its limit, while the more advanced fourth-generation explosives are complex and three-dimensional.

Xuan Chong's heterodox system has developed a theory of superposition and learned a series of computational experiences. According to Xuan Chong's speculation, certain "calculation data that needs attention in alchemy" should be related to molecular bond angles. —In short, ask the system yourself; the system is about adhering to principles.

...The bell for the end of get out of class hasn't rung yet...

With a deafening roar, as the Divine Fire Crow drifted two kilometers away, a small mushroom cloud rose into the air above the mountain. The shockwave spread, forming a scorching, ring-shaped blast crater with a diameter of three zhang (approximately 10 meters), and the center of it was in a molten state the size of a bowl.

Xuan Chong activated his Chi You soldier combat mech to observe the destruction. The mech's hum echoed across the training ground; the blue Mach rings deftly swung at the thrusters.

After Xuan Chong landed and emerged from the mech's cockpit, Wu Lu said, "Father, the Chi You soldiers are far more imposing than the Ming soldiers you ride! (The Ming are a nickname for the peacock.)"

Xuan Chong gave a soft "hmm," and then began typing code in front of the "crystal projection" screen to adjust the programming effect of the "fluid transistors" arrangement in the Divine Fire Flying Crow, making its trajectory better.

Xuan Chong, who is currently working as a programmer, doesn't have time to deal with the unruly child.

Wu Lu asked, "If you had used Chi You's troops, wouldn't the battle from a few months ago have been won in a single victory?"

Xuan Chong stopped programming, typed a comment, and looked up at him, saying, "War is not just about force, but also about people's hearts. This weapon is indeed powerful, but it is not recognized by the various sects of Yaotu. By taking it out, I have already violated the taboos of many sects. If I were to show off my power in the Battle of Zhenzhou, I would inevitably suffer all kinds of calamities, and you, as one of my close associates, would also be harmed."

Xuan Chong patted him on the shoulder and said solemnly, "After this, I will seal this item away so that you can't find it. Of course, I'm not sure how far your abilities will go, and perhaps one day you will break through the barriers I've set up. So I advise you, never use this item to kill against the will of the people, otherwise—you and those around you will suffer."

Wu Lu had no choice but to repeat: "I use Chi You's weapons only to fight against the enemies of the Xi Ren tribe."

Xuan Chong looked at him, knowing he was still unwilling to give up, and shook his head.

Xuan Chong looked up at the crimson moon hanging over the Heluo River and murmured, "It's coming soon. In a few months, the Gate of the Crimson Moon will open in the mortal realm. I'm going there. Take care."

Wu Lu paused for a moment and then suggested, "Father, let's fight together like father and son."

Xuan Chong looked at him and said, "This is none of your business. Stay in Zhen and handle your official duties. By the way, don't be like Emperor Ling, who became indulgent as soon as I left."

Wu Lu: "Don't you always say this is bad luck? Emperor Ling was a traitor. How could your son be like that?"

Xuan Chong smiled, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Alright, I'll leave everything to you."

…a natural disaster is imminent…

East of the Jia River, in various villages, a kind of epilepsy is prevalent. The villagers can go without food, as long as they look up at the moonlight on the eighth of each month. However, the price is that every time they are under the moonlight, they will turn blood red and become a crazed creature, which must kill people to quell the disease.

One village after another went berserk, and there was no longer any farmland to cultivate between the villages.

The villages with farmland were also slaughtered by these rampant monsters and transformed into their likeness.

The once fertile land of Heluo has survived the famine, but without farmland and society, it can be said that the "state" is gone.

Madness spread like a virus from village to village.

Qianjiazhai, the largest village here, robbed the grain of eighteen surrounding villages during the "chicken-eating" incident two years ago. Relying on the sturdiness of its fortified village, it withstood the riots of farmers from other villages who only had wooden sticks and iron pitchforks last year.

Today, however, the people of Qianjia Village trembled at the sight of those bloodthirsty creatures; for these beings were no longer human, their limbs capable of changing length. When their forelimbs became as long as their hind limbs, they could climb up like animals. Ignoring the arrows, these monsters scaled the walls of the fortified village and bit the guards on the walls with their sharp teeth.

Soon after, blood splattered, the head was forcibly broken off, and screams echoed throughout the Qian family's courtyards.

The crimson moonlight fell from the sky, like a bloody tentacle descending from the heavens and firmly entering Qianjia Village.

Zhao Cheng discovered this in July, but when he led his troops into the area, the former inhabitants of the fertile land had all turned into monsters. After his troops killed these mutated monsters with spears and crossbows, they also became infected after eight days of fighting. Zhao Cheng had to execute the infected soldiers, which severely demoralized him.

After some deliberation, Zhao Cheng decided to seek help from the State of Zhen.

…belated New Year's money…

Meanwhile, on the other side, in the newly built secondary capital of Dongyao.

In the Kingdom of Zhen, locomotives transported supplies onto ships on the waterways. Then, through the Heluo River, Zhen's vehicles and ships transported these wooden containers of supplies, ultimately delivering the equipment to His Majesty's command.

This was a wave of tribute paid by the State of Zhen to the State of Dongyao.

So what's the point of this move? For Xuan Chong, it's simply investing in a stock. After the legal principles of the hexagram have hit rock bottom, he's investing in it; who knows, it might come in handy later?

Moreover, Yao is currently not on its own territory. If Yao rallies, it will cause even more headaches for the other surrounding states.

The act of paying tribute allows the Zhen Kingdom's transport vehicles to openly and legitimately traverse the territories of other states. — Anyone who refuses my tribute can be beaten up! And I'll beat up traitors and rebels.

This is a brilliant counterattack devised by Xuan Chong after the various lords in the east collectively demonized the state of Zhen in the current context.

Emperor Tongzheng was deeply moved as he looked at the tribute from the Kingdom of Zhen. He also watched with great curiosity the ships on the river that were propelled by water turbines that channeled the power of thunder.

The gray-haired Gong Qian and his entourage arrived at Dongyao City after traveling five hundred kilometers. Gong Qian looked at the "royal army" arrayed in the palace gates and couldn't help but sigh.

Once upon a time, during the reign of Emperor Xu, feudal lords and merchants from all over the land came to Yaodu. Seeing the phalanx of armored guards, their bodies gleaming with precious light, they all bowed in reverence. The majesty of the imperial guards commanded the submission of all.

And now, in Dongyao, these "imperial guards" dressed in plain clothes were obviously just called over from the fields to make up the numbers.

Emperor Tongzheng looked at the tribute goods with a sense of trepidation. He had prepared a batch of silk as a reward for this audience, and he wasn't sure if the Zhen Kingdom would treat him with respect. However, the Zhen Kingdom then presented batch after batch of items; for example, a golden conch shell shaped like a large teacup. This thing was imported from the Feathered Clan, and the conch shell was covered with beautiful spiritual patterns. In the Great Divination, any material that could be used for complex divination could store spiritual energy, and the more complex the spiritual patterns, the higher the quality.

Therefore, the Chief Astrologer of Xin Yaodu rarely saw this kind of southern goods, but knew that such spiritual materials were highly valuable throughout the entire Xiren Realm. At the same time, many spiritual trees were also sent to Xin Yaodu to build palaces for the new emperor.

Regarding the silk and jewels bestowed upon him by Emperor Tongzheng, the envoy from the Kingdom of Zhen declared: "I dare not accept them! For I have not paid tribute for many years, which is a grave offense. I only beg Your Majesty to pardon the Duke of Zhen."

Upon hearing these words, Emperor Tongzheng's eyes welled up with tears; in recent years, the feudal lords of the realm had outwardly complied but inwardly defied him. Forget about tribute; even requests for daily necessities had only been met with cold indifference.

However, Emperor Tongzheng suppressed his emotions. He had heard of the reputation of the King of Zhen, a shrewd businessman, and knew that his visit was not out of loyalty. Therefore, he tentatively asked Gong Qian, "What exactly does the King of Zhen need?"

Gong Qian then said sincerely, "The journey to the Kingdom of Zhen is too long, and we cannot make offerings to them often. We need to build a patronage (embassy) in Dongyao Capital to manage the goods coming from the east in a long-term manner, so as to better prepare tribute for Your Majesty."

Emperor Tongzheng suddenly realized that Xuan Chong wanted to use his name to trade goods throughout the central regions of Da Yao. He couldn't help but find it amusing that what he thought was loyalty was actually just him thinking he was valuable.

Emperor Tongzheng said, "Lord Zhen is very kind, but..."

He walked up to the offerings and said slowly, "Lord Chen was the General Who Guards the North appointed by the late Emperor. He was a renowned military strategist. But why are there no military weapons among the offerings today?"

Gong Qian: "Your Majesty, weapons are instruments of violence." However, he was interrupted before he could finish speaking.

Jia Ying said, "The emperor is responsible for all matters of rites, music, and military campaigns. If he is truly loyal, he should not try to fool me with these trivial matters." Then, Jia Ying arrogantly ordered the Ministry of Rites to repay the tribute from the Kingdom of Zhen according to the agreed price. Of course, the Ministry of Rites hesitated and stood aside to delay, because it was too embarrassing to admit that the treasury was empty.

Gong Qian naturally wouldn't let the Emperor Tongzheng's pretense end in embarrassment halfway through.

Xuan Chong (the Lord of Chen) had already said this when he arrived. We must show sufficient respect to the Emperor Tongzheng, but in practice, we should use the theory of establishing overseas colonial outposts to strategically position ourselves around the new divination.

For example, in Dingling City of the Feathered Clan, Xuan Chong classified power based on three elements: merchant groups, city troops, and local settlers, and created a "legitimate legal" ceremony. Then, he dragged all these power entities under the control of this ceremony.

The current emperor has a legitimate legal system, but he lacks an army, an economy, and the loyalty of the people on his land. If the State of Zhen intervenes more, it can influence the emperor.

In other words, once it was determined that the Emperor Tongzheng wanted to achieve something, he would invest in the economy and military, and then share in the "political" profits. The Emperor Tongzheng was also aware of his "political" status, and his previous "cooperation" with the Yan family had been very unpleasant; the Yan family had essentially taken advantage of him, seizing his title while remaining wary of him in military and personnel matters.

So Emperor Tongzheng wasn't just throwing a tantrum; it was a son demanding things from his father with a clear conscience.

Gong Qian hurriedly said, "Your Majesty lacks the weapons for conquest; it is our oversight. May I convey Your Majesty's words to Duke Zhen?"

Emperor Tongzheng nodded. He knew, of course, that such a complicated matter could not be agreed to all at once.

An hour later, Gong Qian said, "Lord Chen asked me to apologize to His Majesty. Lord Chen is willing to contribute the equipment of an entire army to His Majesty."

Emperor Tongzheng was stunned. He didn't know what this was or how much it was. Then, after opening the list, he was shocked. It contained two thousand muskets, five hundred sets of armor, eight ox-drawn cannons, twenty crossbows, and eight light wooden phoenixes (old version).

Gong Qian explained that it was not impossible to give away the Guiche and Zhan Kui; however, the maintenance costs for these two items were too high, and he hoped that the Tongzheng Emperor would first restore the livelihood of the people in the countryside.

Jia Ying suddenly stood up. He had only intended to extort money from Xuan Chong to set up his own hundred-man guard, and had no idea that Xuan Chong would directly send over a proper legion's worth of equipment. He suppressed his excitement and remained reserved, saying, "Can Lord Chen send someone to instruct us on how to use this equipment?"

Gong Qian: "If Your Majesty needs it, we will send someone; however, Your Majesty, you need to bide your time in your current situation."

Jia Ying nodded hastily, but quickly realized she shouldn't appear obedient, so she coughed and said, "What you say is absolutely right, my dear minister." She seemed not to have said anything inappropriate, but her eyes revealed a hint of elation and pride.

…The perspective shifts to the other side…

Thus, eight years later, in May, the new "East Market Army" was formed in Jiaying. On the other hand, one hundred soldiers selected from within the organization also received new weaponry; they were all at the fifth level of Acquired True Qi.

The Imperial Guards were clad in scale armor covered in "spiritual runes." They carried 12mm caliber firearms with copper-cased bullets. The firearms weighed 12 kilograms and were a full two meters long; as a standard anti-tank weapon of later times, they would have been very difficult for an ordinary person to carry, and they were also equipped with halberds.

Emperor Jiaying (Tongzheng Emperor) wanted his army to be formed quickly, just like the Dongshi Army at the end of Emperor Xu's reign, and then eliminate external threats.

However, this made the real Dongshi Army feel threatened.

…Three days later, in the north…

Prefect Hong Qiang of Dai County examined the secret letter, using his glasses to carefully read the contents of the intelligence report.

Upon seeing the changes in the new hexagram, including those concerning military affairs, he immediately stood up.

If it were said that sending a batch of equipment from other feudal lords would help Emperor Tongzheng regain his ability to wage war, he would scoff. But—if that person was Wu Yuanchang, he felt suffocated.

When he first joined the Dongshi Army, he didn't think Wu Fei was very capable. It wasn't until they conquered Bohai that he realized Wu Fei's military system was first-rate.

Then, after Wu Fei left, he felt more and more that he still didn't understand Wu Fei back then.

Although Wu Hengyu was able to lead everyone to victory against various warlords after taking over, his military tactics were too forceful and aggressive, and he couldn't reconcile conflicting elements.

As he grew older, he increasingly felt that Wu Yuanchang was far more terrifying than Wu Hengyu; Wu Hengyu's strength was temporary, while Wu Yuanchang's strength, as long as he was alive, was like a volcano ready to erupt.

When Bodi wanted to organize the next generation of Dongshi Army, he found that the general who could command respect from powerful families and connect with boatmen could never be found again.

Hong Qiang had been keeping a close eye on Xuan Chong. After Xuan Chong defeated Zhao Cheng on the main battlefield, he learned that Xuan Chong's generals were actually those same children who had played house with beans and rice grains back in the Bozhou prefecture. He felt a sense of suffocation!

He knew how difficult it was to cultivate generals, but Xuan Chong was mass-produced like turning stone into gold.

Now that Xuan Chong has placed the "Zi" in the middle of the Yao, he can't sit still.

Under the lamplight, his clothes were wrinkled from his hunched posture.

As a former member of the Dongshi Army, he was afraid of the younger generation!
The next day, he immediately recounted the matter to Wu Hengyu, demanding that the emperor of Yaodu be absolutely not allowed to regain his armed forces; Wu Hengyu appeared distracted, believing that Wu Yuanchang would not allow the new Yaodu army to deal with him.

That's right, Xuan Chong wrote a letter to Wu Hengyu, warning him to be wary of Xie Yue's influence.

Strange things have appeared on Zhao Cheng's territory. Wu Hengyu is observing from the sidelines. Therefore, Wu Hengyu interprets Yao Du's military training as Xuan Chong's attempt to remedy the situation.

…The time is not right, and my steed will not go…

Hong Qiang's persuasion yielded no results. He looked at the middle-aged Wu Hengyu and shook his head, saying, "He is not worth discussing things with."

However, just as Hong Qiang was feeling depressed, Xian Daoren appeared and offered to make a trip to see if the situation in Yaodu would pose a crisis to the Bo Kingdom.

(End of this chapter)