Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 173 Miracles on the Western Hills
It was late at night.

A group of people suddenly appeared on the once silent West Mountain.

There were about forty or fifty people, including officers dressed in the uniforms of the Imperial Guard and workers in short jackets.

Zhang Yunxiu, dressed in a black military uniform, stood out from the crowd.

The person struggling beside him, with a white cloth stuffed in his mouth, was none other than Zhang Siwei, the former Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion.

Under the cover of night, the group slowly climbed up to a coal mine in Xishan Workshop.

"Zhang Sishu".

Zhang Yunxiu beckoned and called out the elderly man who was the leader of the workers.

Upon hearing this, the latter immediately stepped forward, bowed, and greeted him.

"This humble subject, Zhang Sishu, pays his respects to the Assistant Magistrate."

Upon seeing Zhang Yunxiu, Zhang Sishu, who was originally highly respected among the workers, couldn't help but appear a little timid. His voice trembled as he spoke, and he was about to kneel down.

But Zhang Yunxiu stopped him abruptly, a smile on his face.

Do you know why I called you here?

Zhang Sishu respectfully replied, "This humble subject does not know, but this humble subject knows that the Assistant Magistrate trusts us, which is why he asked me to gather my trusted confidants to participate in this matter."

"The adults gave us a way to survive. We are just country folk who haven't read many books, but we know how to repay kindness and are willing to give our lives for them!"

Zhang Sishu spoke with some emotion, asking, "What does it mean to raise an army for a thousand days and use it for only one?"
For so many years, he has diligently studied the Four Books and Five Classics, worked hard to correct his accent, and cultivated his virtue. Isn't he waiting for this day when a noble person will appreciate and help him?
Zhang Sishu, who was well-versed in history, knew all too well what this meant!

This is their best chance to rise to prominence and turn their lives around!
"Not bad!"

Zhang Yunxiu nodded in satisfaction.

He learned about the other party's clan from Zhang Lanying at the clinic.

He then sent someone to observe the situation and discovered that the workers, led by Zhang Sishu, were quite cohesive and loyal to the Xishan Workshop.

That's where they came in handy today.

"Do your jobs well, and I will certainly not treat you unfairly in the future."

Zhang Yunxiu offered a brief word of encouragement, and then gave instructions to the two Imperial Guards.

"Bring Zhang Ziwei up here."

From the crowd, two officers of the Imperial Guards escorted Zhang Siwei, whose head was covered with a black cloth, to Zhang Yunxiu's front and made him kneel upright at the entrance of the cave.

Feeling a gust of cold wind hit his face, Zhang Siwei suddenly felt a sense of crisis. He struggled desperately, making whimpering sounds.

I could see that his crotch was even a little damp.

Zhang Yunxiu found it somewhat amusing, so he ripped off the black cloth.

Under the black cloth, an old man with a haggard face and tears streaming down his face appeared.

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head and said with a smile.

"What's wrong, Mr. Ziwei? Are you afraid of dying too? Afraid that I'll drown you in this coal mine?"

"Waaaaaah waaaaah~"

Zhang Siwei had a white cloth stuffed in his mouth, but his eyes were full of pitiful looks, making him look somewhat like an old ox about to be slaughtered.

Curiosity arose in his heart, Zhang Yunxiu ripped the white cloth out of the other person's mouth.

The four-dimensional object was no longer restrained in its mouth, but its tongue still cramped a bit.

However, before his tongue could fully recover, Zhang Siwei began to stammer and cry as he spoke.

"My lord, please spare my life!"

"I will never dare to do it again."

"Prefect Zhang, I still have a past relationship with Chief Minister Zhang. For that reason, please spare my life!"

"If your father were here, he would surely..."

"Woooooo~"

Tired of hearing it, Zhang Yunxiu took out a white cloth again and gagged the other person.

For some reason, hearing Zhang Siwei's pleading appearance didn't make him feel proud; instead, he felt bored and sad.

"As panicked as a stray dog!"

Zhang Yunxiu spat.

This can be considered a definitive conclusion regarding this once-powerful Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion.

He ignored the man and looked at Zhao Shizhen in the crowd.

"Disciple, are you all ready?"

Zhao Shizhen's eyes were somewhat vacant. He had been confined to the research institute for more than ten days, and tonight was the first time he had gone out.

He quickly came out and said.

"Master, everything is ready."

Zhang Yunxiu nodded and said.

"This is the fifth version of 'Dragon Absorbing Water,' and it has achieved the best results in the research institute."

"Give us a live demonstration today, and while you're at it, teach these people how to use this 'Dragon Playing in the Water'."

Soon after, two other captains moved a strangely shaped machine to the side of the coal mine.

Since Zhang Yunxiu joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard, many of the captains who were originally under the command of his fourth brother Zhang Jianxiu have all become his "henchmen".

They're all brothers, so the fourth brother naturally wouldn't mind.

Zhao Shizhen had already made preparations and, after the machine was installed, began explaining it to the dozens of men beside him.

"This is the faucet. When you use it, add a ladle of water and then press it hard to draw out the water in the cave."

"This is a leather water pipe, but leather alone isn't sturdy enough, so a layer of cotton and linen was added on the outside."

"However, this item is not easy to make, so please be careful when using it. If you break or damage it, it will be troublesome."

He tried his best to explain the operation of "dragon sucking water" to the workers and the imperial guards in simple and easy-to-understand language.

As they spoke, Zhao Shizhen had already arrived at the entrance of the cave. He looked down with his kerosene lamp. "Which brave man is a good swimmer? Someone needs to be down there to help put the leather water pipe in place."

"I'm coming!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Hangzi stepped out from the crowd.

He didn't know why that Magistrate Zhang was being so mysterious today, but he knew that what could excite the "village elders" so much must be something that required a lot of effort.

Zhao Shizhen cupped his hands in greeting: "Then I'll trouble you, brave warrior!"

Without a word, Zhang Hangzi turned around, took off his clothes, leaving only his underwear, and went down into the coal mine to hold the leather water pipe in place.

Once everything was ready, Zhang Gouzi pressed the faucet.

This whole operation seemed quite bizarre.

The officers and workers around them all stared wide-eyed.

Could it be that pressing the handle on this faucet would pump out the water from the coal mine?

Isn't that just wishful thinking?

After finally understanding what Zhang Yunxiu wanted to do, "Village Elder" Zhang Sishu stared intently inside, a glimmer of hope rising in his heart.

If this thing can really solve the predicament of Xishan, then these poor refugees will no longer have to be displaced!
No one wanted Xishan Workshop to continue operating more than they did!
Zhang Sishu stared intently at the water outlet of the faucet, and whispered something to Zhang Gouzi.

"Keep it up! Keep it up!"

Zhang Gouzi used all his strength, but fortunately, the "dragon's head" was made of cast iron and was very sturdy, so his strength was no match for it.

The creaking sound continued.

Everyone in the arena held their breath, even Zhang Siwei, the "stray dog," raised his head to watch the dragon head that had been extended.

"crop--"

A loud rushing sound of water came, followed by a powerful jet of water shooting out from the dragon head, wetting the hillside in front of it and flowing down into a stream.

Inside the cave dwelling, Zhang Hangzi heard the noise and couldn't help but feel uneasy. He shouted out.

"How is it?"

Suddenly, a cheer erupted from above the cave dwelling.

"It's spraying water! Water's coming out! It's a success!"

"Done?"

Hearing the cheers, Zhang Hangzi's excitement was palpable, but he didn't dare to go up and see what was going on.

He held the leather hose and guided it toward the deeper water.

Through the loud sound of rushing water coming from the pipe, Zhang Hangzi could also feel the vibration in his hands.

The water inside the coal mine was more than a meter deep, but Zhang Hangzi could still clearly feel the water being pumped out!
At the top of the cave dwelling, Zhang Sishu lay prone at the entrance and excitedly shouted down.

"Hey! Hold the hose tight~ Water's coming out~ Water's coming out~ Hahahaha~"

In the darkness, only Zhang Hangzi's eyes shone brightly, and he shouted at Zhang Sishu.

"The water is flowing! Elders, the water is flowing! We're saved!"

Without even looking at the changes in these two people, the people at the cave entrance had already discerned the clues from the constantly flowing water from the faucet.

Many people couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"It really can drain water!"

"Absolutely divine!"

Seeing that it was actually working, Zhang Gouzi increased the force in his hands.

"Let's go~"

This action made Zhao Shizhen nervous, and he quickly stepped forward to stop him.

"Brave warrior~ Brave warrior~ There's no need to exert so much force. Just follow the rhythm, you understand rhythm, right? Go with the flow."

After his instruction, the dog finally got the hang of it.

"Squeak~squeak~"

The sound of the axle being pressed down and turning was incessant.

Later on, Zhang Gouzi found it quite amusing, and even when other people were replaced, he still seemed to want more.

However, after only the time it takes for three incense sticks to burn, the sounds inside the cave became increasingly hollow, and finally Zhang Hangzi's voice came from below.

"It's empty! It's empty! No need to smoke anymore, dog!"

The voice emanated a sense of excitement.

"It's done!"

Zhao Shizhen stared wide-eyed at his surroundings. He staggered toward the cave entrance and shone his kerosene lamp down into the cave.

Sure enough, the water that had been almost half a person high had disappeared, and in the dark cave, only a man wearing shorts stood there.

Zhang Hangzi strode out, his face still beaming with excitement, and gave a thumbs-up.

"Mr. Zhao! This dragon pumping water is incredible! I've never seen prices like this before, even a god descending to earth couldn't be more amazing!"

"It's done! I'm done!"

Although he was prepared, Zhao Shizhen still couldn't believe his eyes. He took two steps back, but when he turned around, he saw Zhang Yunxiu's smiling face.

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and looked at the other person, saying, "Well, my disciple, I didn't lie to you, did I?"

"Master! Is this the investigation of things to acquire knowledge? Is this science?"

Zhao Shizhen suddenly stepped forward, prostrated himself in front of Zhang Yunxiu, and said excitedly.

"Disciple must learn! Disciple will dedicate his entire life to pursuing the science that Master spoke of!"

To be honest, the experiments conducted in the laboratory in the past had a bit of an isolated case feel to them.

But today, with the workers personally conducting the drainage test in this coal mine, all doubts have been dispelled!

This path is absolutely the right one!
(End of this chapter)