Chapter 159: So Many Sides
Military Council Tent.
More than a dozen generals surrounded a delicate cannon. This cannon was about the size of a palm, with a wooden stand underneath. The muzzle pointed towards a wooden board, in the center of which a red dot was painted as a bullseye.
As the setup was laid out, all the generals were curious: “What is this…” “What is this weapon?” “Never seen it before.”
Wei Wanlan sat in the military council tent. The animal skin cushion was soft, but his butt hurt. He sat a bit improperly, also very curious.
At this time, Su Jingzhi ordered the soldier:
“Bring up the firecracker.”
The firecracker was requisitioned from the Turkic Lord Boluo.
The firecracker was stuffed into the cannon barrel. A fuse was inserted from the top through the small hole in the barrel. After the fuel was loaded, a pellet was placed in, completing the entire launch setup.
Wei Wanlan took a gentle breath.
Su Jingzhi lit a fire stick. When the orange flame touched the cannon fuse, making a sizzling burning sound, everyone in the tent leaned forward involuntarily, their eyes focused on the reaction of the model cannon.
The fuse sizzled to the end.
Sparks burned into the barrel.
The military council tent became even quieter, as if a blink would miss something.
Silence lingered in the barrel for about two breaths. Suddenly, the barrel hummed, white mist and heat sprayed out along the tube, and white smoke exploded!
The target hanging in the military tent shook violently, the sound reverberating through the entire tent.
When the smoke cleared, a charred iron pellet was seen deeply embedded in the wooden target. The wood grain of the target was broken, still swaying in mid-air. After the cannonball was fired, everyone gathered around, marveling at the model cannon that had recoiled a few inches:
“T-This thing can really shoot pellets?”
“The sound is truly terrifying. Smaller than a trebuchet, but the sound is more intimidating.”
“I wonder what principle the Prince used to fire the cannon just now?”
“…”
The generals discussed animatedly.
The successful birth of the firearm meant it could become a military weapon to reduce countless casualties. The entire military council tent developed an extremely strong interest in firearms, surrounding the Regent King with many expectant eyes.
Su Jingzhi said, “The method of processing gunpowder is different. The gunpowder in firecrackers is more powerful. Using its combustion power to propel the pellet achieves the effect of firing a cannonball.”
Wei Wanlan lowered his head, remembering how the Regent King had protected his belly this morning, blocking the stone that was about to hit him. Touched by this incident, he connected it to the idea that gunpowder density affects the kinetic energy of the projectile.
Wei Wanlan followed this train of thought and hurriedly reminded, “Zhen will issue a decree to Chang’an to mobilize the entire realm to make gunpowder!”
“That’s a bit far,” Su Jingzhi said. “If we can make it in the Turkic lands, we can see the Red Coat Cannon right now.”
Dawuti’s firecrackers were bought from Lord Boluo’s tent…
Wei Wanlan said, “Then let’s go find Boluo. Boluo definitely has stock. He has ready-made gunpowder; let’s try that first.”
Firearms had not yet been applied to Great Wei’s military equipment. There were no gunpowder artisans in the military camp. Making and processing gunpowder had to rely on the populace.
Lord Boluo was soon brought into the military council tent. His chubby and glittering body prostrated on the ground, thinking he had committed a crime:
“Your Majesty the Emperor, Your Highness the Regent King, and all brave generals, I, Boluo, am now a conscientious lord. I have handed over all firecrackers and have not exiled any slaves.”
Boluo confessed everything he should.
In front of Boluo was a pile of firecrackers as high as half a table.
Breaking open firecrackers to extract gunpowder, then reassembling the gunpowder to fill the cannon, was a troublesome process. It consumed a lot of time and manpower, and any carelessness in a step could affect the cannon test fire.
Wei Wanlan had to follow the vine to get the melon:
“Where did you buy the firecrackers?”
If a gunpowder workshop could be found in the Turkic lands, no matter where it was, the court could hire gunpowder artisans to mass-produce raw materials, saving the process of dismantling and reassembling.
Boluo answered tremblingly, “The gunpowder wasn’t bought.”
Wei Wanlan’s heart sank. If these firecrackers were brought back by Boluo from the Central Plains, it would be a wasted question. To solve the problem eventually, they would still have to wait for the army to return to Chang’an.
But as an epoch-making weapon of mass destruction, the sooner it appeared, the better.
Wei Wanlan frowned slightly, a bit anxious.
The result scared Boluo so much that he almost embedded himself into the carpet of the military council tent, crying and wailing:
“Your Majesty, quell your anger!”
“The gunpowder comes from the Royal Court locally. To celebrate, the nobles imitated the Central Plains in setting off firecrackers and fireworks. The makers are our slaves.”
—The very slaves Boluo had almost exiled into the wild.
Noble slaves held the secret of Turkic productivity.
Wei Wanlan’s eyes lit up. In the military council tent, the officer responsible for overseeing slave rescue hurriedly reported:
“Reporting to Your Majesty, Regent King, all slaves have been registered.”
Wei Wanlan asked, “Quickly ask them, how many of them can make gunpowder?”
The answer came back quickly.
Turkic nobles competed in extravagance. Boluo’s family could make fireworks and firecrackers, and others could too. There were fourteen or fifteen people.
All fourteen or fifteen artisans were brought into the grand military tent. A spontaneous gratitude and awe made the Turkic slaves’ cheeks flush. Their lips trembled as they stammered to Wei Wanlan:
“Your Majesty… Your Majesty the Emperor.”
“Not to mention making gunpowder, even if we were to grind our bodies into powder to become the dust inside the gunpowder, we would swear loyalty to Your Majesty to the death, to repay your life-saving grace.”
“Long live Your Majesty!”
With a Turk leading the way, the mountain-calling chant resounded in the grand tent again. The scene was grand, the sound deafening:
“Your Majesty is wise!!!”
And so, Wei Wanlan became wise once again.
Under the silent call of the wise Emperor, the Turkic artisans used local materials without any slack in the project. Gathered only at noon, the Turkic artisans had already produced the gunpowder by the afternoon.
The artisans intentionally increased the purity of the gunpowder. This gunpowder wasn’t yellow or silver-grey, but pure black.
To pack the gunpowder tight in the cannon barrel, the Directorate for Armaments rushed to customize two chisels that could reach into the barrel—load gunpowder first, then the projectile.
During the model test, someone noticed the cannon carriage recoiled after attacking. The Directorate for Armaments timely proposed improvements, changing the fixed carriage to a wooden wheeled carriage to facilitate the cannon’s movement and recoil.
The appearance of the finished cannon matched Wei Wanlan’s vision perfectly once the red coat was tied on; it was ninety-nine percent similar to modern TV props.
The two cannons each had names.
Wei Wanlan called them “Little Wan No. 1” and “Little Wan No. 2” in his heart, but felt that adding the word “Little” to the two Brother Cannons lacked dominance. So he secretly renamed them “Regent King Super Fierce Version” and “Regent King Destruction Version”… He wouldn’t rest until he felt they were majestic enough.
Today, the “Regent King Super Fierce Version” was being test-fired.
The generals exited the military council tent.
The gloomy Red Coat Cannon was pushed over. The black barrel and red coat actually matched Su Jingzhi’s heavy-colored, gold-traced red embroidery outfit quite well. Wei Wanlan snickered to himself, lucky that no one saw him.
Soldiers set up the Red Coat Cannon. The generals watching the test stood at a distance.
After adjusting the angle, all living things within a range of about twenty zhang in front of the muzzle were cleared. The soldiers set up a formation of scarecrows in the open space, all clad in armor.
“Gunpowder loaded!”
“Iron shot loaded!”
“Red Coat Cannon ready, awaiting Your Majesty’s decree.”
As the introducer and witness of this new military weapon, seeing the cannon go from the half-dead state he brought it in to having such imposing power just sitting there, Wei Wanlan’s throat tightened slightly.
The Emperor decreed: “Fire.”
The soldier relayed the order: “Ignite and fire—”
The torch lit the half-foot-long fuse. Sparks crackled into the barrel. After a few breaths of silence as the gunpowder built up energy, the barrel sprayed out intense thick smoke accompanied by a loud bang! The sound made everyone cover their ears involuntarily!
Thunderclap, mountains and rivers shattered.
The heavy cannon smashed into the test formation. The evening reflected a brilliant light like red clouds. The military armor was instantly blasted into fragments, and the earth beneath their feet shook…
Wei Wanlan was dazed for a moment. The heavy cannon shock made him want to vomit. He squatted on the ground, covering his head. The smell of gunpowder aggravated the nausea, and he retched a few times without bringing anything up. But fortunately, others looked quite disheveled too, so Wei Wanlan didn’t appear strange.
Su Jingzhi quickly pulled him up: “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Shook until I wanted to vomit.”
Wei Wanlan stood up holding the Regent King’s arm. The lingering palpitations in his stomach hadn’t subsided. Afraid of making a fool of himself in front of the generals, he forced himself to steer the topic back to the Red Coat Cannon.
“This… this cannon is so powerful.”
He didn’t even need to praise it further.
Its immense power became a consensus. The generals present were immersed in astonishment for a long time.
Only when the smoke settled did a soldier dare to approach to inspect and report: “Your Majesty, the cannon destroyed a total of thirty-one scarecrows, shattered the armor, and smashed a deep circular pit in the ground.” The soldier spread his arms to demonstrate: “This big.”
Wei Wanlan wanted to vomit even more.
The nausea directly affected the paper-thin shaomai he ate in the morning and the mutton soup cake from lunch. Wei Wanlan waved his hand, looking very calm as he said to the soldiers: “Zhen knows. Research the accuracy of the cannon’s strike, and step up the manufacture of gunpowder and cannonballs.”
The generals: “Yes—”
With the advent of the Red Coat Cannon, the army’s morale was greatly boosted.
Without even needing the court’s decree to urge them, which general wouldn’t want to use heavy cannons to achieve great merit? They all cupped their hands and dispersed.
Wei Wanlan hurriedly found a shaded spot behind the sun. Wah—arching his back, he vomited out all the food in his stomach.
His doe eyes turned completely red:
“Wuu…”
He didn’t want Su Jingzhi to see him in such a wretched state, vomiting all over the place. At this moment, he felt his back being patted very gently by Su Jingzhi.
The Regent King waited patiently for Wei Wanlan to empty his stomach. Only then did he scoop Wei Wanlan up and wipe his mouth with a soft towel:
“Let’s find a military doctor to take a look.”
Wei Wanlan had vomited like a leaky bag, losing the last bit of his image. So he stopped setting up a tough and unyielding persona and just hung on the Regent King’s front like a rascal, burying his face in Su Jingzhi’s neck and rubbing lightly, like a little fox seeking comfort:
“Zhen won’t walk a step further. Carry Zhen back.”
“Okay.”
The field military doctor arrived shortly.
Wei Wanlan closed his eyes as the doctor took his pulse, feeling Su Jingzhi reach into the quilt and hold his palm. Wei Wanlan opened his eyes a slit weakly.
His voice was a bit listless: “Doctor, can you tell what’s wrong with Zhen?”
The old military doctor’s hand felt Wei Wanlan’s pulse again and again. His brows trembled, finding it strange, shocked to the core but absolutely daring not to say it clearly.
It was… a slippery pulse.
Why would the Emperor have signs of a slippery pulse?
Isn’t a slippery pulse a sign of pregnancy in women?
The Little Emperor looked beautiful and lovely, but he was definitely not a girl. If he misdiagnosed the Emperor as pregnant, wouldn’t that damage national dignity and incur the Emperor’s wrath?
Besides, even if the Little Emperor was pregnant, who did it? Who dared to put a baby in the Little Emperor’s belly…
The old military doctor at the border didn’t know about the semi-public relationship between the Regent King and the Little Emperor in Chang’an.
So he absolutely dared not congratulate the Regent King on potentially becoming a father. Instead, he chose a more suitable reason to explain the slippery pulse appearing on the Little Emperor.
“Your Majesty has a deficiency of Qi and blood, and an imbalance of spleen and stomach. The pulse is unstable due to weakness and shock. This humble subject will prescribe some warming and nourishing medicine for Your Majesty. Your Majesty should recuperate for a few days to stabilize the condition.”
Back then, Imperial Physician Fang had diagnosed Little Wan with similar symptoms, meaning he was very delicate and needed to be taken care of.
Su Jingzhi was relieved that Little Wan didn’t have a serious illness, but he felt even more helpless about Wei Wanlan. It was practically certain that this ancestor would call the shots from now on.
Su Jingzhi waved his hand: “This King understands. Write the prescription and withdraw.”
The doctor withdrew.
Ancestor Wei lay on the bed, clutching the edge of the quilt and revealing two eyes:
“Did you hear that? You can’t bully Zhen from now on… You have to listen to Zhen when we return to Chang’an. And regarding ‘that’ matter between us, you also have to refer to Zhen‘s suggestions.”
The last point sounded too blunt and a bit strange.
Su Jingzhi asked, “Refer how?”
“Let Zhen decide whether it’s the front side or the back side!” Front is too deep, back is too stimulating. “Zhen has to decide based on the physical condition of the day,” Wei Wanlan said.
“Then the top, left, and right sides are all unnecessary?” Su Jingzhi’s face was expressionless.
Wei Wanlan was greatly shocked. The tips of his ears trembled as if about to fly away, and he lost his voice:
“—There are actually so many sides!?”
Images that made blood vessels burst rushed into his head. Wei Wanlan covered his small face tightly. He couldn’t say he hated this intimacy; in fact, with Su Jingzhi’s guidance, he liked it more and more.
A whole Wei Wanlan burned and burrowed back into the blanket.
Actually, besides the many sides just mentioned, there were also dreams. In all kinds of dreams, as long as there was the Nine Dragon Mirror, they would meet in different places in the dreams.
Wei Wanlan hummed muffledly inside the blanket, refusing to admit to death that he was actually looking forward to it a little:
“Regent King, when are we going back to Chang’an?”
Can Zhen’s Mission Three be completed or not?
Su Jingzhi answered, “Very soon.”
Just as his voice fell, a person entered the Golden Tent of the Royal Court. It was a man with a tall stature but a slightly pale face. His clear voice made Wei Wanlan feel his spirit lift:
“Your Majesty, Boss, we found Ashina Shali. Do you know what he did?”
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