The Great Song Dynasty: You were put in charge of teaching, and you produced a whole bunch of prime

As dawn broke, the thin mist over Bianjing City had not yet dissipated.

The backyard of Jingshi Academy was already a scene of solemn yet bustling activity.

The huge mahogany table was covered with densely packed drawings.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfur and graphite.

With dark circles under his eyes that could easily be considered national treasures in Sichuan, Shen Kuo gripped a charcoal pencil and frantically sketched on a huge structural diagram.

His eyes were bloodshot, yet frighteningly bright—a sign that the madman had entered a state of frenzy.

"Dean, the students recalculated the airtightness of this structure last night!"

Shen Kuo pointed to the menacing vent on the blueprint, his voice hoarse from staying up all night, but revealing an undisguised excitement.

"By replacing the valves with our newly refined brass ones, and pairing them with a two-way piston, the spray distance of this 'fierce oil tank' can be extended by another thirty steps!"

He clenched his fist fiercely, as if he could already see the flames on the battlefield.

"With that kind of highly viscous, flammable oil, once it gets on your skin, you'll either die or be severely injured. This isn't a cabinet; it's a mobile hell!"

Jiang Lin stood by the table, his expression cold and stern.

He was holding the list of supplies that Su Shi had just sent, his brow furrowed.

"make."

Jiang Lin uttered a single word, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable determination.

"Even if you have to melt down all the copper coins in the warehouse, you have to make this for me. This thing isn't made for its appearance; it's to teach the Liao people what 'reverence' means."

Su Shi, who was standing nearby, was counting the sulfur and saltpeter that had just arrived. Upon hearing this, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Although he was a scholar, he could still see how terrifying the thing on the drawing was.

This time, the headmaster was truly determined to kill.

The entire backyard was like a fully drawn bow, taut to its limit. Every gear was spinning wildly, preparing for the approaching storm.

Just then—

"Bang!"

The courtyard gate was violently slammed open by a tremendous force.

Two thick wooden doors slammed against the wall with a sickening thud, freezing the bustling activity in the backyard in an instant.

Shen Kuo's charcoal pencil broke in two. Su Shi nearly dropped his account book into the water vat.

Everyone's gaze instantly swept towards the doorway like sharp blades.

Qian Duoduo burst in, panting heavily. His fat body was trembling violently, and his hair was disheveled. Behind him followed a man in gray, whose Imperial City Guard badge was conspicuously visible in the morning light.

"Mountain... Mountain Chief!"

Qian Duoduo wiped the sweat from his forehead, and without bothering to bow, presented a secret letter with the sealing wax still warm.

"Imperial City Guard Urgent! Freshly released intelligence!"

"We risked our lives to deliver it through our covert agents on the border!"

Jiang Lin's expression hardened. He slammed the list of supplies in his hand onto the table and strode forward.

"Give it to me."

He grabbed the secret letter and flicked the sealing wax with his fingertips.

Respectfully submitted.

His gaze was sharp as lightning, quickly scanning the few lines of messy handwriting.

The air in the courtyard seemed to have been sucked out instantly.

Shen Kuo and Su Shi held their breath, staring intently at Jiang Lin's face, trying to read the fate of the Song Dynasty from the abbot's expression. Was it 50,000 iron cavalry pressing in? Or even more?

After a while.

Jiang Lin's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.

Then, a very strange smile appeared on his lips, as if he had heard a ridiculous joke, or as a kind of relieved contempt.

"Oh."

He casually tossed the secret letter that had everyone on edge onto the table, covering the menacing blueprint for the flaming oil tank.

"Twelve thousand?"

His tone was full of mockery.

"I thought Xiao Huizhen had brought all of Liao's wealth here, but after all this time, this is all she's accomplished?"

Su Shi and Shen Kuo exchanged a glance and quickly went over to grab the secret letter.

The letter may have few words, but it is packed with information.

The Liao army had an actual strength of 12,000 men: 8,000 cavalry and 4,000 infantry. Many of their horses appeared exhausted, indicating they were weary soldiers from a long march, and their supplies and provisions had not kept pace.

The so-called "50,000 iron cavalry" was nothing more than a smokescreen put out by Xiao Hui!

Su Shi let out a long breath, his body went limp, and he leaned against a pillar.

"The students were terrified..." he patted his chest. "Twelve thousand exhausted soldiers—it's all a bluff!"

Shen Kuo also put down the broken pen in his hand, his previously fanatical gaze quickly cooling down as he regained his rationality.

"With insufficient troops and exhausted warhorses, attacking Yanmen Pass would be tantamount to suicide."

Shen Kuo frowned and analyzed, "Since they can't take it down, why are they putting on such an aggressive stance? They can't be here on a paid vacation to the Song Dynasty's border."

Jiang Lin picked up the tea that had long since gone cold and took a sip.

The tense "preparedness" faded from him, replaced by a relaxed sense of strategic planning.

"For money."

Jiang Lin put down his teacup and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"Or rather, for something more valuable than money—technology."

"These guys got burned by us last time and have gotten a taste of success again. They know there are good things in the academy and want to get something for nothing."

"That old fox Xiao Hui is gambling. He's gambling that the Song Dynasty is weak, gambling that we won't dare to overturn the table, and trying to scare us into revealing our hand with these 10,000 people."

After listening, Su Shi's eyes darted around, and he immediately leaned closer, his eyes gleaming with a shrewd, calculating light.

"Master, since it's all a bluff, shouldn't we stop hoarding grain at high prices? Grain prices have already risen slightly in the past few days, and buying more now would be buying at the peak."

"Keep buying."

Jiang Lin didn't even lift his eyelids, his tone indifferent.

Su Shi was taken aback: "Huh? You're buying more?"

"Not only should we buy, but we should buy in a big way, and eat as much as we can."

Jiang Lin looked at Su Shi with a deep gaze.

"This is called 'expectation management,' understand?"

"Although the Liao people are extorting us, those 12,000 are real soldiers. As soon as a cannon fires on the border, the price of grain in Bianjing will definitely skyrocket. The people will panic, and no matter how the fighting is going at the front, the price of grain will rise first."

"If we don't buy now, are we going to wait until it hits its daily limit and then throw our lives away?"

At this point, Jiang Lin pointed to the blueprint for the raging oil tank on the table and said to Shen Kuo:

"Don't stop this either. Although we don't need to rush into battle, this will be a bargaining chip at the negotiating table later. However, there's no need to work overtime anymore; just ensure quality and quantity."

Just then, Qian Duoduo was about to recount the thrilling experience that had just occurred.

Outside the courtyard gate, another series of hurried and frantic footsteps could be heard.

A servant from the academy scrambled in, and in his haste, he tripped and fell flat on his face on the threshold.

"Headmaster...Headmaster! Something terrible has happened!"

"Something terrible has happened!"

Jiang Lin frowned slightly: "What's the panic? If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up."

The handyman was panting heavily, his face ashen, and his finger pointing at the door was trembling.

"The Liao... Liao envoys have arrived in Bianjing!"

"They're right outside the Vermilion Bird Gate, their carriages and entourage blocking the gate, specifically requesting to see you!"

"They also said...they also said that if you don't appear, the Liao cavalry...will immediately attack the city!"

The air suddenly cooled down.

Su Shi suddenly took a step forward, his fists clenched, veins bulging on his neck, a surge of scholarly chivalry rising within him:

"presumptuous!"

"This is a blatant threat! This is Bianjing, the capital of the Great Song Dynasty. How dare these barbarians bark and howl here!"

Shen Kuo's face also darkened. He grabbed a file from the table and looked at it with a cold gaze, as if he were looking at a piece of scrap iron waiting to be cut.

All eyes were on Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin looked at the weapon blueprints covered by the secret letter and suddenly smiled.

That smile carried three parts indifference and seven parts mockery.

If you didn't know their background, you might actually be fooled by these Liao people.

But now?

It's like watching a clown perform energetically on stage.

"Siege?"

Jiang Lin stood up, straightened his sleeves, and spoke casually, as if he were talking about what to have for dinner.

"Okay."

"Let him attack."

"I want to see whether those twelve thousand starving beggar soldiers are prepared to fly into Yanmen Pass or to smash their heads through the city wall."

Jiang Lin turned around and walked towards the bedroom, his back view exuding an aloof "don't touch me" attitude.

Tell that envoy.

I'm sick.

"He's very sick, can't get out of bed, and is dying."

"Let him stay in the inn for a few days to cool off. When I'm in a better mood, I might do him the honor of taking his pulse."

"see a visitor out!"