Chapter 116: Naval Guns

Two thousand miles away, Li Xian held a letter stained with some blood, gazing towards the east. “Today is the day of the trial voyage! If the textile industry symbolizes the beginning of industry and a means of accumulating wealth, then the giant ships and cannons represent the first pinnacle of industrial advancement! 

The textile industry ultimately aims to improve lives; it reflects people’s hope to enrich the world. In contrast, the giant ships and cannons embody the force of destruction, releasing humanity’s capacity for annihilation. 

I wonder if, in this immortal realm, in this ocean where the dragon race exists, there will be a place for giant ships and cannons?”

Then, Li Xian lowered his head to look at the bloodstained letter and the wounded Song Xing. “Song Xing, from now on, let’s use jade slips for delivering messages.”

“Yes.”

The production of jade slips is quite complicated; a jade slip is essentially a low-level magical tool that ordinary people cannot afford. Additionally, recording information on a jade slip requires a substantial consumption of spiritual awareness.

Anyang appeared calm on the surface, but beneath, turbulent waves were surging. The ten thousand peacekeeping troops trained by Yan Zean had begun to show initial success. Among the recruits, most were soldiers who had surrendered from the state of Cai, while others were captives of the Great Xia Imperial Guard who had been exchanged—these individuals were not returned to their homeland!

Furthermore, a portion of veterans had been reassigned to serve as officers, supporting this unit.

That day, early in the morning, Wu Peng brought his team back to assess the ground situation and began to plant flags. While busy, Wu Peng and his team discussed:

“Captain, are there really spirit stones here?”

Wu Peng replied, “I’m not sure, but the army did find some low-quality spirit stones here previously, still covered in dirt. For now, let’s just conduct reconnaissance; there’s no need for excavation. We’ll wait until the young master returns to discuss further.”

“Okay!”

Wu Peng was inwardly amused; as they spoke, he noticed slight fluctuations of spiritual energy around them—someone was so excited that they couldn’t maintain their concealment.

Once Wu Peng and his team left the alert zone, a large army suddenly approached from behind; Yan Zhengqing led the newly formed ten-thousand-strong unit to completely seal off the area, ensuring that no one would escape if they had malicious intent!

At noon, Yan Zhengqing received the order—preparations were about to commence, and they were to execute the plan.

Yan Zhengqing immediately commanded that all soldiers maintain strict defense; anyone coming out from inside should be captured if possible, and if not, they should be killed! Moreover, their own people must not cross the alert line under any circumstances!

At the same time, on the first ironclad ship at noon, it was filled with people. Once it was confirmed that there would be no issues, everyone was to personally experience the power of the giant ship’s cannon. Only through firsthand experience could they learn how to operate it!

Chang Lin was spirited, as soldiers and some experienced local sailors, along with engineers from the factories, worked together to maneuver the unprecedented steel vessel forward.

The switch was flipped, the engine roared to life, and the sound of water was violently disturbed behind the ship; as the ship began to operate, a subtle wave of spiritual energy emanated, indicative of extensive use of spiritual energy.

The Third Sea Prince suddenly looked up, “How many spirit stones did you use?”

Xu Ren smiled slightly, “Not many, just a thousand spirit stones. A thousand spirit stones will only last for one day!”

“Wow!” Ao Han shouted, “You’re wasting money! This prince only has a quota of one spirit stone per month! You… you… you actually treat spirit stones like firewood! This is way too much! No way, give me half!”

Xu Ren had been prepared and took out a box from the side. “Do you want spirit stones like these?”

Ao Han had not yet transformed and was still just a dragon; Wei Zhe took the box, opened it, and found two spirit stones inside. However, compared to normal spirit stones, these two were not only mixed in color but also gave off a wild aura.

Wei Zhe frowned. “These spirit stones are completely useless! Where did you get such spirit stones?”

Xu Ren smiled slightly, shaking his head and remaining silent—how could he tell you that? 

Seeing that Xu Ren wouldn’t speak, Wei Zhe glanced at the extremely poor-quality spirit stones in his hand and finally stopped asking. These spirit stones were entirely unusable for cultivation, but the attentive Wei Zhe still accepted them.

The bow of the ironclad slowly split the waves, and the ship’s speed gradually increased. Although the ship was a bit bumpy, many sailors were shouting excitedly—so thrilled! These sailors and fishermen usually only dared to cast nets in rivers and lakes, never venturing into the sea. Now, not only had they gone to sea, but they were also personally maneuvering such a vessel; no wonder they were so excited!

The Third Sea Prince had already forgotten his earlier displeasure and was now leaning over the side of the ship, looking down in wonder.

Gradually, the speed of the ironclad picked up, its steel bow crashing through the waves like a giant made of iron cleaving through one wave after another.

Xu Ren gripped the railing, savoring the power of this technology. He allowed the waves to splash against him without any defense, seemingly experiencing this unique strength firsthand.

Xia Qingqing also tightly gripped the railing, a faint shield of true essence forming around her body, but as she looked at the rolling waves around her, her emotions surged.

Yan Zean similarly held onto the railing tightly, his knuckles turning pale. If Xu Ren, Xia Qingqing, and others felt excitement seeing the brilliant star group approaching step by step, then Yan Zean felt shock—Li Xian, is this the change you brought?

This was not the traditional war machinery of the cultivation world; rather, from the design and thought process, it clearly represented a “craftsman’s” mindset. In the past, Yan Zean would have said—becoming obsessed with playthings would lead to losing one’s ambition; cultivation is the foundation. In fact, even when the cannons were produced, Yan Zean did not pay much attention—cannons were certainly powerful, but a Nascent Soul stage cultivator could wipe out an entire Anyang!

However, standing on this steel beast, Yan Zean suddenly felt a sense of confusion.

Only Prince Ao Han was excited, sometimes diving into the sea, sometimes flying onto the deck, occasionally splashing waves everywhere; but now, no one paid attention to this mischievous blue dragon. Chang Lin even thought—let’s treat this as a kind of unconventional drill, simulating an encounter with a monster. If The Third Sea Prince knew Chang Lin’s thoughts, he would certainly curse—“You are the monster; your whole family is a monster!”

Gradually, the ship drifted further from the land, and the surroundings became a vast ocean; those who had just left the shore were very excited, especially the crew, who were eagerly operating this massive object, all shouting and laughing, completely unconcerned about the waves soaking their clothes.

Xu Ren was among them, standing at the bow, completely drenched, his favorite feather fan looking pitiful, yet still smiling as he watched the waves being split apart.

The soldiers around were shouting unfamiliar terms that Xu Ren didn’t quite understand; many of the terms were derived from folk sources and were not very standard.

The ironclad ship raced through the ocean, tilting and turning, occasionally spinning around. After obtaining permission from The Third Sea Prince, the main cannon at the bow and the four secondary cannons were finally loaded with ammunition.

The Third Sea Prince and Wei Zhe curiously leaned behind the artillery, eager to know the power of this weapon. But in the next moment, The Third Sea Prince regretted it.

Boom…

The five cannons erupted simultaneously, the tremendous recoil causing the cannon base and deck to creak, even making the bow of the ship suddenly lift upward, causing many people on the deck to lose their balance.

Even Chang Lin, who had always been smiling and confident, stumbled.

In the sky, a piercing scream followed, and in the next instant, five shells consecutively fell into the sea, resulting in a thunderous explosion; especially the main cannon, which created waves over ten meters high, with the seawater violently plunging down, and waves of foam spreading wildly.

As the explosion subsided, some white bellies rolled up in the churning waves—these were the fish killed in the blast.

“Cough, cough… You scared this prince to death!” Ao Han lay limply on the deck, startled because this curious little one had gotten too close.

But Wei Zhe’s eyes narrowed!

Xu Ren cautiously observed Wei Zhe and The Third Sea Prince’s expressions, realizing that both were more focused on the might of the ship’s cannons rather than the death of the marine creatures.

“Perhaps they view these ordinary marine creatures as we view wild beasts!” Xu Ren silently noted this information; firing cannons at the sea was not merely to test the artillery but also to gauge the attitude of the sea tribes!

With the cannon testing in the ocean complete, it was time to test the cannons on land! The ironclad ship turned its direction, racing north toward Anyang; there were over a thousand “volunteers” waiting at the testing site in the north. How could their enthusiasm be wasted!

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