A Blood-Moving Realm has arrived in the world of The Return of the Condor Heroes.

"Rong'er, how can I blame you?" Guo Jing quickly stepped forward and gently comforted her. He knew in his heart that the Xiangyang warehouse was in dire need of supplies, and Huang Rong's decision was something he would have made in the same way.

After Guo Jing had calmed Huang Rong down, Zhang Huaicai slowly spoke, "Now is not the time to dwell on who is right and who is wrong. Although I brought this blueprint out of the Mongol palace, the Mongols certainly have more than one blueprint. I don't expect to manufacture the cannon before them, but we can't be too far behind."

Guo Jing and Huang Rong naturally understood this principle perfectly.

"That's right. Whoever can build artillery first will have a huge advantage on the battlefield."

Huang Rong said in a deep voice, then turned to look at Guo Jing, "Brother Jing, you must make the final decision on this matter."

After listening to Zhang Huai's explanation of the advantages and disadvantages, and confirming that the cannons were indeed feasible, Guo Jing did not hesitate at all.

"I will immediately report to the court and request that the court allocate funds and transfer all the skilled craftsmen from the Ministry of Works. It will not be long before the cannons are built."

"However, there is one thing we must remember," Zhang Huai solemnly reminded them, "Non-core personnel involved in the manufacturing must never know what they are creating. This is to prevent internal treachery, and only in this way can we catch the Mongols off guard."

"Of course, not a word of this matter will leak out," Huang Rong replied confidently.

Zhang Huai was also convinced that with Huang Rong's intelligence and resourcefulness, and with Guo Jing handling external affairs and Huang Rong handling internal affairs, this matter would certainly not go too wrong.

After finalizing all the details, Guo Jing and Huang Rong solemnly thanked Zhang Huai: "Nephew, we owe you a great debt of gratitude this time. If you hadn't arrived in time, who knows how many soldiers and civilians would have died under the Mongol cannons. On behalf of all the people of Xiangyang and the Song Dynasty, my wife and I express our deepest gratitude to you."

After saying this, the two men bowed respectfully to Zhang Huai.

Zhang Huai was immediately flattered and quickly stepped forward to help the two up, bowing in return and saying, "I dare not accept such a favor. You two elders are too kind to me. Uncle and Aunt have been stationed in Xiangyang for decades, day after day without complaint. This is true patriotism. I merely happened to be there and brought back a blueprint. It was just a small favor for me. I do not deserve such a generous gift."

Although Zhang Huai spoke so casually, Guo Jing and his wife knew in their hearts that this blueprint must be a top secret in Mongolia and could not be obtained easily. Zhang Huai must have paid a great price and faced great danger for it.

Guo Jing looked at Zhang Huai with admiration and praise in his eyes, and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Nephew, you are so young, yet you have such courage and vision, and you are so concerned about the safety of the Song Dynasty. It is truly admirable. It is also a blessing for Guo'er to become sworn brothers with you."

"I wonder what your plans are next, my dear nephew? Why don't you stay in Xiangyang City and help supervise the entire cannon manufacturing process?" Huang Rong said, taking the opportunity to persuade him to stay.

Zhang Huai declined without hesitation, saying, "No need for you to trouble yourself, Aunt. I have important matters to attend to and need to return immediately. I will come back to visit you both in a few days."

Upon hearing this, Huang Rong couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed. Zhang Huai was highly skilled in martial arts and had a meticulous and thorough mind, far surpassing Da Wu and Xiao Wu. If she could keep him by her side, he would definitely be a capable and indispensable right-hand man.

Seeing this, Guo Jing quickly tried to persuade him to stay: "Nephew, why are you in such a hurry? You must stay for the night so that we can show you hospitality. If you have helped us so much but haven't even offered us a meal, the whole world will laugh at me for not knowing how to treat guests."

Zhang Huai pondered for a moment. He had only been gone for two days, and there was still plenty of time before his appointment with the others. Therefore, staying overnight was not inappropriate. He immediately nodded and said, "Since Uncle Guo is so kind to invite me, it would be impolite of me to refuse. So I will stay overnight and set off for my return journey at noon tomorrow."

"Haha! Good!" Guo Jing laughed heartily upon hearing this. "I'll have the servants prepare wine and dishes right away. There's a shortage of supplies in Xiangyang right now, so I hope Huai'er won't find it too much."

"It's alright, I've never been too picky about food."

Zhang Huai was speaking from the heart. Since transmigrating to this world, apart from preparing wine and dishes for Master Lü that day, he had been eating simple meals with Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu on ordinary days.

At first, he complained that the food was coarse and hard to swallow, and often ate very little because it didn't suit his taste. However, his body had strength far exceeding that of ordinary people, and his energy needs were also different from ordinary people, so he often woke up hungry in the middle of the night. Over time, he could only slowly accept it and gradually get used to the food here.

Huang Rong led Zhang Huai to a clean guest room to rest. After settling in, she hurriedly went to prepare for the cannons.

Before long it was dinnertime, and Zhang Huai was led by a servant to the main hall.

Even before getting close, the aroma of the food filled the air, instantly whetting my appetite.

An octagonal table was set up in the hall. Guo Jing was already seated in the main seat. Seeing him enter, he quickly smiled and waved, "Huai'er is here, please take a seat."

Zhang Huai looked around. There weren't many people present, only Guo Jing and his wife, plus Guo Fu and Da Wu and Xiao Wu.

Da Wu and Xiao Wu sat in their chairs, their faces full of confusion, their eyes fixed on Zhang Huai. They couldn't understand why their master and mistress would be so polite and friendly to a strange young man.

Guo Fu also looked the young man up and down with great curiosity.

Just then, Huang Rong led her servants in carrying two dishes. Upon seeing Zhang Huai, she immediately instructed Da Wu, Xiao Wu, and Guo Fu, "Da Wu, Xiao Wu, and Fu'er, hurry up and apologize to your Brother Zhang."

Upon hearing Huang Rong's words, the three of them instantly sprang to attention. Although Da Wu and Xiao Wu were somewhat reluctant, they still quickly stood up and bowed to Zhang Huai, saying, "Brother Zhang, we have offended you greatly this morning. We hope you will be magnanimous and not hold it against us."

"It's alright, as the saying goes, you don't know someone until you fight them."

Zhang Huai responded casually.

Zhang Huai could tell that the two were still somewhat unconvinced, but they bowed their heads out of respect for Guo Jing, so he took the opportunity to give them a way out.

Guo Fu's reaction surprised Zhang Huai. Her words held no resentment, only sincerity, as she earnestly apologized, "Brother Zhang, I'm so sorry. I didn't expect you to actually know my father; I almost ruined your important plans. It's all Da Wu and Xiao Wu's fault; if it weren't for them..."

"Fu-mei?"

Da Wu and Xiao Wu were taken aback, and called out in unison. Seeing Guo Fu's kind attitude towards Zhang Huai, both of them felt a pang of grievance and bitterness.

"Hmph, you two shut up! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have had this misunderstanding with Brother Zhang!" Guo Fu said coquettishly.

"Fu'er, don't be rude," Guo Jing said softly from the side, though his tone didn't carry much real reprimand.

He knew in his heart that his two disciples had been protected too much in their daily lives. Relying on his status, although they did not act arrogantly, everyone in Xiangyang City respected and praised them. It would not be a bad thing if Zhang Huai tempered their sharpness.

Huang Rong quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying with a smile, "Alright, alright, stop talking and eat quickly. Huai'er, come and try your aunt's cooking."

Zhang Huai quickly replied politely, "These trivial matters can be left to the servants. Aunt is so busy with her affairs, yet she still cooks herself. I feel really bad about it."

……