Chief Armaments Master of the Ming Dynasty

May 15th, Ziwu Ridge.

On the day the news reached him, Lin Fan was checking the quality of a new batch of steel billets in the artillery workshop.

He was nodding in satisfaction when Han Jinhu ran in from outside, his face covered in sweat.

"Brother Lin! Shen Yikui... Shen Yikui is dead."

Lin Fan paused, the steel billet in his hand feeling slightly heavier. "Is the information confirmed?"

"It's confirmed." Han Jinhu gasped for breath. "Cao Wenzhao personally led two thousand cavalry in a night raid on Liushujian. Shen Yikui and his hundreds of old brothers... all died. Liushujian was burned to the ground, and all the prisoners were taken to Yan'an Prefecture."

Lin Fan remained silent for a moment. He had never met Shen Yikui before, only knowing that this hero from the border army had settled down in Willow Tree Valley and had even sent people to form an alliance with Li Zicheng.

Li Zicheng sold three small cannons to Shen Yikui in exchange for a batch of grain and iron.

That transaction was handled by Lin Fan.

Those three cannons have probably been captured by Cao Wenzhao by now.

"Does the general know?"

"understood."

As the two were talking, a messenger came and said that Master Lin and the other leaders were to be summoned to the central command tent for a meeting.

Lin Fan put the steel billet back on the shelf, wiped his hands, and strode towards the central command tent.

The atmosphere inside the central command tent was heavy.

Li Zicheng sat in the main seat, his face calm and expressionless, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Gu Jun'en stood in front of the map, Liu Zongmin leaned against the tent wall with his arms crossed, and the other leaders were also there.

Everyone's face showed some degree of shock.

"Cao Wenzhao's cavalry traveled nearly 300 li from Yan'an Prefecture to Liushujian in less than five days."

Gu Jun'en's voice was not loud, but every word was clear: "This proves two things. First, Hong Chengchou's intelligence was extremely accurate, and he had long since figured out Shen Yikui's strengths and weaknesses; second, Cao Wenzhao's cavalry was indeed fierce and swift as the wind."

"Willow Stream is less than two hundred li away from our Ziwu Ridge as the crow flies," a leader said worriedly. "After Cao Wenzhao finished defeating Shen Yikui, what if...?"

"Yes," Li Zicheng said, "but not now. Hong Chengchou's next target will definitely be Wang Jiayin. Only after we've dealt with Wang Jiayin will it be our turn."

Liu Zongmin snorted: "Wang Jiayin occupied Fugu and claimed to have ten thousand men, but Cao Wenzhao's two thousand cavalry were enough to scare him into hiding in the city. Expecting him to take the fall for us is unreliable."

"Chief Liu, you can't say that," Gu Jun'en said. "Although Wang Jiayin is trapped in Fugu, his very existence can restrain Hong Chengchou's main force. If he falls, the biggest flagpole of the Shaanxi rebels will be broken. At that time, all the major and minor flagpoles will be leaderless, and Hong Chengchou can deal with them however he wants. If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold; we cannot leave him unattended."

"Save him? How?" Liu Zongmin retorted. "Cao Wenzhao's cavalry burned and killed all night at Liushujian. If we leave Ziwu Ridge to rescue Wang Jiayin, we might run into Hong Chengchou's main force. We can't win in open battle, and defending a city isn't our forte. How can we possibly save him?"

There was a moment of silence in the tent.

All eyes were on Li Zicheng.

Li Zicheng did not answer immediately. He looked at Lin Fan, who had remained silent.

"Master Lin, Cao Wenzhao came from a night watchman background. What are night watchmen best at?"

"A night raid," Lin Fan said. "A long-distance raid, a surprise attack, a swift and decisive strike."

"What are you most afraid of if you don't collect the money that night?"

Lin Fan thought for a moment. "I'm afraid of making too much noise. I'm afraid of being discovered beforehand. I'm afraid of gunpowder."

Li Zicheng nodded. "Your Majesty, how much gunpowder and thunderbolts do we have left in stock?"

Gu Jun'en pondered for a moment: "The gunpowder workshop is working day and night to produce it, and there are about 800 catties in stock. There are more than 200 thunderbolts and more than 1,200 rockets. We have also accumulated 20 cannons of various sizes and more than 600 shells."

"Is that enough to give the Night Scout a taste of his own medicine?"

"That's enough," Lin Fan continued, "but Cao Wenzhao won't come to Ziwu Ridge, so this gunpowder won't hit him. General, you mean..."

"If he doesn't come, we'll go." Li Zicheng stood up and walked to the map. "Of course, we won't attack Yan'an Prefecture. That would be suicide. But we can do it elsewhere, and let Hong Chengchou know that the Ziwu Ridge is not a soft persimmon he can just squeeze."

His finger pointed to a point on the map—Jiazhou.

"Jiazhou." Gu Jun'en's gaze sharpened. "Hong Chengchou's grain transport hub. Cao Wenzhao's cavalry is currently stationed there."

"I won't attack Cao Wenzhao," Li Zicheng said in a deep voice. "I'll attack his supply lines. There's a vital route between Jiazhou and Fugu called Heishuigou. It's deep and densely forested, a perfect place for an ambush. I'll take five hundred new soldiers, armed with gunpowder and cannons, and set off some 'firecrackers' on his supply line. If Hong Chengchou wants to attack Wang Jiayin, he'll have to stockpile enough grain first. If I cut off his supply lines once, he'll have to wait at least ten days longer. That extra time will be Wang Jiayin's chance to catch his breath."

Liu Zongmin frowned: "Five hundred men? That's too few. If we run into Cao Wenzhao's main force returning to reinforce, five hundred men won't be enough."

"So we won't fight any tough battles," Li Zicheng said. "We'll fight and run, and not linger in battle. We'll play hide-and-seek with him in the mountains, making it impossible for him to find or catch us. This is the old trick of night scouts, and we'll use it against Cao Wenzhao."

Gu Jun'en stroked his beard and nodded slowly: "To intimidate the enemy and relieve the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao. General, this plan is feasible."

Liu Zongmin opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.

Li Zicheng looked at Lin Fan: "Master Lin, within three days, I need you to prepare the necessary gunpowder and mobilize all the artillery units to accompany us. Since this trip is meant to intimidate Hong Chengchou, we must make sure he hears clearly and understands perfectly that the gunpowder from Ziwu Ridge can do more than just blast rocks."

Lin Fan clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."

---

The 18th day of the fifth month of the third year of the Chongzhen reign.

In the valley of Ziwu Ridge, five hundred new soldiers were already fully equipped and ready to depart before dawn.

Lin Fan stood at the front of the line, watching Zhang Nai direct the brothers of the artillery team to disassemble and load the twenty steel cannons.

Each cannon was disassembled into three parts: the barrel, the carriage, and the wheels. These parts were wrapped in thick linen and loaded onto mule carts.

The shells were packed in specially made wooden boxes, twelve shells per box, lined with dry straw and tied tightly with leather straps.

Gunpowder was wrapped in layers of oiled paper, placed in sealed earthenware jars, and personally escorted by the most experienced gunners.

These rules were all set by Lin Fan.

From Ziwu Ridge to Heishui Gully, it's a distance of 140 li. If the mules and horses are even slightly careless, a single can of gunpowder could blow the entire caravan into the air.

"Master Lin, everything's packed." Zhang Nai ran over to report, his face covered in sweat, but his eyes shone brightly. This was his first time going on a military expedition, and his nervousness and excitement were written all over his face.

Lin Fan nodded, walked to the front of the line, and scanned the faces of the people in the queue.

After more than half a year of training, the faces of these five hundred new soldiers were roughened by the mountain winds, and their hands were covered with layers of calluses, but everyone's eyes had changed - no longer the emptiness and fear of starving people, but the calmness and determination of soldiers.

"Do you know where you're going?" Lin Fan asked.

"Blackwater Ditch," everyone answered in unison.

"Where are you going?"

"Cut off the supply lines and bomb the government troops!"

Are you scared?

"Don't be afraid!"

Lin Fan looked at them and suddenly smiled. The smile was faint, but it was exceptionally clear in the morning light.

"It's alright if you're afraid. My legs were shaking the first time I went to the battlefield. But remember, you have the best cannons in the world and wear the best armor in the world. No matter how fierce the government troops are, they are still made of flesh and blood. If a shell hits, they will die just the same."

He turned around and glanced in the direction where Li Zicheng was.

Li Zicheng, riding a black horse, was speaking quietly with Gu Jun'en. Noticing Lin Fan's gaze, he looked up and nodded slightly.

Lin Fan took a deep breath and mounted his horse.

"Set off."