The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 364 Chonghua Fireworks Banquet

Chonghua Town is located in the northern part of Jiangyou County, about 60 miles from the county seat.

The Lingxi River, flowing from the depths of Laojun Mountain, resembles a crescent moon, meandering for dozens of miles, passing through the town from north to south.

When Jiang Han and his group arrived in Chonghua Town, it was already evening.

The sunset melted into gold, dyeing the sky a vibrant orange-red.

The afterglow of the setting sun spills onto the Lingxi River, resembling a flowing jade ribbon, shimmering with countless golden scales.

The riverbanks are lined with houses built along the water, featuring blue tiles and white walls, arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern.

The streets were lined with shops with tall signs, most of which were related to gunpowder, such as firecracker shops and fireworks shops.

A faint smell of sulfur lingered in the air.

Walking along the empty riverbank, Jiangyou County Magistrate Jiao Yu pointed to the shops on both sides and introduced them:

"Your Majesty, Chonghua Town has always been known as the 'hometown of gunpowder'."

"Almost every household in this area knows some techniques for making gunpowder and fireworks."

"Their products are exquisite and their reputation spread far and wide in the southwest. Even the fireworks used by the Shu King's Palace for New Year celebrations were purchased from here."

He changed the subject, his tone tinged with emotion.

"It's called procurement, but in reality it's not much different from forced requisition, and the price is often less than 30% of the market price."

“Under the rule of the Ming Dynasty, the people here not only had to supply the army with saltpeter, but the surrounding prefectures and counties would also come to take advantage of them from time to time.”

"The people were so distressed that they even preferred to abandon their homes and businesses and hide in the deep mountains in the salt caves, becoming wild people who had fled their homes."

“It wasn’t until two years ago, when Master Li came by the king’s order and promulgated a new policy to abolish the artisan register and promote fair trade, that the people in the mountains gradually came out of the deep mountains.”

Jiang Han looked at the peaceful town before him with satisfaction and nodded.

“A harsh government is as fierce as a tiger; only when the government is efficient can people live in harmony.”

"Very good, very good."

Jiao Yu looked up at the sky, and seeing that it was getting late, he asked for instructions:

"Your Majesty, it is already dark."

“The town is 30 li away from Laojun Mountain, and it may not be convenient to travel at night.”

"Why don't we rest in town for the night and go inspect the area early tomorrow morning?"

"I have ordered the town's express delivery station to be cleared out. Although it is not as good as the Prince's Palace, it is clean and tidy enough for Your Majesty to stay temporarily."

Jiang Han had no objection to this, so he gestured for Jiao Yu to lead the way.

Just as the group reached the gate at the entrance of the town, a commotion suddenly broke out ahead.

There were about a dozen local people standing outside the cordon set up by the archers of the patrol office, craning their necks to look inside.

The archers on guard were on high alert, wielding fire and water clubs, and tried to disperse the crowd.

Jiang Han frowned, gave Feng Chengxuan beside him a look, and gave the order:
"Go and see what's causing this commotion."

Upon receiving the order, Feng Chengxuan immediately led several of his personal guards forward and whispered to the villagers and archers to inquire about the situation.

A moment later, he returned with his men, his tense expression having eased considerably.

"Your Majesty, it is several elders from the town who are leading the people to block the road."

"Having heard of Your Majesty's arrival in Chonghua, they have specially prepared a fireworks banquet, hoping to invite you to grace them with your presence and express their sincere gratitude."

"Fireworks feast?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han immediately became interested.

In the renowned hometown of gunpowder, enjoying an authentic fireworks display sounds quite interesting.

However, Feng Chengxuan, standing to the side, looked troubled and quickly tried to persuade him:
"Your Majesty, just to be on the safe side, perhaps... we should just forget about it?"

"After all, gunpowder is incredibly powerful; a slight mishap could lead to serious consequences."

Feng Chengxuan's concerns were not unfounded. Gunpowder was not like ordinary swords, spears, or clubs; if something went wrong, there wouldn't even be time to run away.

He was a seasoned warrior and knew the power of gunpowder.

To put it bluntly, if it came down to fighting, with his seventy armored and sword-wielding imperial guards, even hundreds of ordinary villagers wouldn't be able to get close to Jiang Han.

Even if the army arrives, Feng Chengxuan is confident that he can protect Jiang Han and fight his way out of the encirclement.

Of course, within Sichuan, no one would dare to mobilize troops without Jiang Han's orders.

But gunpowder is different. It has a wide killing range and is difficult to defend against. Once an accident occurs, the consequences are unimaginable.

Fireworks parties involve a large and diverse crowd. If any unscrupulous individuals were to take advantage of the chaos to hide gunpowder among the people or tamper with the performance equipment, there could be a risk of assassination.

Jiang Han naturally understood the key point, so after pondering for a moment, he made a suggestion:

"Since it is the villagers' heartfelt wish, I cannot refuse."

"Alright then, I'll just stand back and watch."

"Take some people and go talk to Magistrate Jiao. Choose a spacious and safe place and make proper arrangements."

Seeing that he was determined, Feng Chengxuan had no choice but to clasp his hands in obeisance and take Jiao Yu with him to prepare for the guard duties.

After repeated surveys by Feng Chengxuan and Jiao Yu, the fireworks banquet was finally decided to be held at the threshing ground on the banks of the Zhenkou River.

The area around the threshing ground is flat and open, with excellent views and no buildings or trees to block the view.

More importantly, the threshing ground is right next to the Lingxi River, where the river is two or three zhang wide, forming a natural buffer zone.

After the location was decided, the archers of the patrol office quickly cleared the threshing ground and marked out a large open area in the center as a performance area, strictly prohibiting unauthorized personnel from approaching.

Villagers, regardless of age, had to undergo a strict search before they could enter.

Everyone must stay here to observe the ceremony; moving around is strictly prohibited, and crossing the river is strictly forbidden.

Feng Chengxuan personally led a team to open and carefully inspect all the pyrotechnic props, stands, fuses, gunpowder, etc. used in the performance.

Only after everything is confirmed to be correct can the props be brought into the venue and guarded by designated personnel.

All the fireworks makers responsible for lighting and operating the fireworks were also assigned guards to accompany them closely, both to assist and to monitor them.

Jiang Han's viewing spot was placed on a small hill on the opposite bank of the river, about fifty paces away from the performance area.

Along both banks of the river, archers and guards from the patrol office formed mixed formations, with sentries every three steps and patrols every five steps, maintaining a tight guard. Around the earthen mound where the ceremony was to be observed, guards holding rattan shields formed a semi-circular human wall to ensure absolute security.

Another squad was on standby with horses, ready to respond to any emergencies and cover Jiang Han's swift evacuation.

After a flurry of preparations, night had quietly fallen.

Dozens of torches and lanterns were lit around the threshing ground, illuminating the entire area as bright as day.

After a thorough search, the villagers, young and old, were divided into groups and placed in the spectator area on the opposite bank of the river, where patrol archers and local militia maintained order.

On the viewing platform on the earthen slope across the river, Jiang Han sat upright in a chair, surrounded by a fortress of guards and long shields.

Once everything was ready, Jiao Yu leisurely stood by the riverbank, faced the crowd, and loudly proclaimed:

"Turn off the engine, start it up!"

In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on the center of the threshing ground.

The opening act was called "Fireworks Stand," in which sixteen shirtless, strong men chanted in unison as they steadily carried a nearly two-zhang-tall nanmu wood stand into the threshing ground from the west side.

The wooden frame is divided into three layers: upper, middle, and lower. Each layer is wrapped with flower tubes of different shapes and thicknesses, and the tubes are painted with auspicious cloud patterns.

The bottom of the wooden frame was also covered with sandbags to increase weight and stabilize it.

With a wave of Jiao Yu's hand, two fireworks makers dressed in blue cotton-padded jackets immediately stepped forward and lit the main fuse at the bottom of the wooden frame with incense sticks.

"Chichichi..."

Sparks flew from the fuse, which spread rapidly upwards like a fiery serpent, igniting the first layer of the flower tube in the blink of an eye.

hiss--

With a whoosh, seven or eight dazzling golden sparks suddenly shot out from under the wooden frame. The sparks, like golden lotuses emerging from the ground, surged upwards, swirled, and bloomed.

The golden light instantly illuminated the entire threshing ground, reflecting a golden glow onto the river, drawing gasps of amazement from the people.

Before the light had faded, the second layer of flower tubes was ignited.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

With a series of rapid whooshing sounds, fireballs trailing pale green streaks shot into the night sky one after another, as if chasing stars and the moon.

The fireballs climbed to their highest point and then suddenly exploded, instantly turning into countless tiny specks of light that fell like a shower of stars into the night.

As the starlight dissipated, nine crimson pillars of fire shot up in succession from the bamboo poles atop the third tier of the shelf, while blazing white fireballs spewed from the dragon's mouth from time to time, creating a magnificent spectacle.

Jiang Han, watching from the opposite bank of the river, was completely absorbed and nodded in approval.

Just when he thought the fireworks display was nearing its end, Jiao Yu's voice rang out again from the other side of the river, loud and clear:
"Please summon the fiery tree and jade branches!"

Jiang Han was about to come down the earthen slope when he heard that there was still a major event to come, so he quickly darted back up.

The extinguished fireworks display was quickly removed, and then eight strong men carefully carried an object covered with a red cloth slowly into the arena.

After the craftsman removed the red cloth, a grapevine tree, carefully made of bamboo strips and colored paper, suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes.

The vine is about the thickness of a bowl, winding and twisting upwards, while the branches at the top spread out naturally in all directions, adorned with bunches of grapes, making it incredibly lifelike.

The master craftsman, with a solemn expression, slowly lit the fuse hidden at the bottom of the vine root.

The sparks instantly disappeared into the vine, following the fine grooves inside, gradually moving upwards around the vine trunk, and rapidly spreading outwards.

laugh……

After a few barely audible sounds, a miracle occurred.

The once still and dim grapevines seemed to have been injected with life, and suddenly they lit up!

First, there was the brown vine trunk, which, like ancient wood, emitted a soft brown glow from within.

As it stood guard, the leaves between all the branches began to glow in turn, the green flames clear and bright, full of vitality.

The most breathtaking sight is the bunches of grapes hanging down from the vines.

They first glowed with a pale purple halo, then instantly turned a vibrant crimson, each one plump and gleaming like glaze in the night.

This grapevine, entirely composed of firelight, quietly "grows" in the night, its light steady and gentle, showing none of the violence of ordinary fireworks.

Whether it was the villagers watching, the guards on high alert, or even the well-informed Jiang Han, everyone was amazed by this exquisite craftsmanship.

The onlookers were mesmerized, and some children were so captivated that they couldn't help but reach out to grab the glowing "grapes."

An elder nearby quickly intervened, laughing and coaxing:

"Hey, this is made of fire, it'll burn your hands!"

Feng Chengxuan, who was not far away, couldn't help but gasp and exclaim in a low voice:

"Such skill!"

He was also a veteran of the army, having dealt with firearms for many years. He knew that gunpowder was as fierce as a tiger, and that the slightest carelessness could result in being smashed to pieces.

He could never have imagined that the explosive gunpowder would become so docile in the hands of these villagers.

Jiang Han couldn't help but sit up straight and clapped his hands repeatedly in praise:
"Shaping with fire, coloring with medicine."

"Chonghua's reputation as the 'hometown of gunpowder' is indeed well-deserved."

"Jiangyou has great potential!"

Upon hearing this, Jiao Yu, who was not far away, smiled slightly and secretly rejoiced.

This spectacular fireworks display was his meticulously planned event.

Upon learning that the king was coming to inspect Chonghua, he had already instructed the artisans of Chonghua Town to make thorough preparations in advance, hoping to show Jiang Han the potential and value of Chonghua Town.

Otherwise, in such a rush, no one could have created such a dazzling and intricate fireworks display, let alone the grapevines.

While it is the duty of an official to benefit the people in his jurisdiction, he cannot simply bury himself in his work; he must also look up occasionally to let others see his efforts.

This is the proper way to be an official.

As time went by, the grapevines gradually darkened, and the firelight began to extinguish one by one among the vines and branches.

As the red glow of the last bunch of "grapes" faded, a soft "pop" suddenly sounded from the top of the vine, and a burst of white tinder exploded.

As the tinder fell, it brought with it countless tiny silver stars, which landed on the ridges of the fields, much like the starlight at dawn.

(End of this chapter)