Kays Translations

Chapter 207: Exercises

Being overly attentive without reason—either a scoundrel or a thief. This is a truth known across the world. Anyang suddenly made its internal combustion engine technology public, which seems… a bit unreasonable! Moreover, Fang Shijing even swore to the heavens that these blueprints were absolutely real, without the slightest bit of falsehood. (No falsehood, but they were somewhat incomplete—lacking data, explanations, and other details.)

Regardless, since Anyang had already disclosed its core technology, no one could refuse it. Even Xiao Liming sent his covert followers forward—there was no need to hide anymore. Hurry up and copy! If not now, then when?

While others were busy copying, Xiao Liming carefully examined the blueprints. As he looked, he involuntarily sucked in a breath of cold air. As the saying goes, an outsider sees the excitement, but an insider sees the craftsmanship. Xiao Liming, after all, was a Nascent Soul stage expert—he had encountered many formations and intricate designs before.

By comparing them, the first thing Xiao Liming perceived was not the precision of the blueprints but the level of technology and knowledge required to create them. Without sufficient accumulation and a mature system, such blueprints could never have been drawn!

“Compared to these blueprints, I am more interested in the technology behind making them!” Xiao Liming said to his wife, Ji Yunya.

Ji Yunya’s eyes gleamed. “Did you notice that while these blueprints are exquisite and perfect, there isn’t a single word of explanation? Not even a single number. Not even Anyang’s unique simplified numerical system.”

Xiao Liming shook his head slightly. “That only further proves that this technology is real. It’s normal for Anyang to hold something back. And even with just these blueprints, Anyang’s entire industrial technology is bound to undergo an earth-shaking transformation.

The nature of warfare in the future… is certain to change!”

An entire night passed. The scene was still packed with people, yet it was so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard. Faced with more than 300 intricate and complex blueprints, even for cultivators, copying them was no easy task. Without an industrial foundation, replicating these blueprints was actually quite difficult. Many cultivators, while copying, would suddenly get frustrated and angrily tear up the blueprint—once a step was wrong, they could no longer continue drawing the rest.

Seeing this, Xiao Liming sighed slightly. “Would you consider this a form of silent demonstration? Industry is not just about replacing manpower with a few machines. These blueprints have given us an overwhelming sense of surprise, astonishment, guidance, and even deterrence.

But the more I see, the more worried I become. Li Xian, and that Xu Ren, neither of them are fools. What are they scheming?”

This time, no one could answer Xiao Liming’s question. But the sound of copying around him never ceased. With more than 300 blueprints, Xiao Liming had sent out all his covert subordinates to copy them, yet it still wasn’t enough.

By dawn, Anyang’s arms trade had begun. Xiao Liming ordered his trusted men to stay and continue copying the blueprints while he and Ji Yunya boarded a train, heading toward the arms trading center ten kilometers away.

Sitting on the train, watching the endless iron tracks stretching ahead and behind, observing the scenery retreating outside the window, and feeling the powerful and low rumble beneath his feet, Xiao Liming found himself unable to remain calm.

The train was crowded, but it was clearly divided into two groups—one was made up of Anyang’s people, and the other was not. The people from Anyang carried themselves with pride, while the outsiders were noticeably more reserved.

There were two doors at both the front and rear of the train, with an attendant in a blue uniform stationed at one of them.

Xiao Liming sat behind the attendant. As soon as the train started, he inquired about the cost, speed, and other details of the train. However, the attendant merely smiled slightly and did not say a single word.

Ten kilometers passed quickly. With a faint screeching sound, the train slowly came to a halt. Xiao Liming stepped off the train somewhat frustrated, exited the spacious yet slightly crude station, and looked up to find directional signs. Following the signs for about 300 meters, he arrived at a simple-looking site.

However, despite its simplicity, the site had more than 200 locomotives lined up neatly, each one towing a cannon behind it. The 200-plus locomotives were clearly divided into four categories: 47mm caliber, 57mm caliber, 105mm caliber, and 150mm caliber. Among them, only five of the cannons were 150mm caliber.

Beside each locomotive stood three to five soldiers, all standing at attention.

Xiao Liming had arrived relatively late, and thousands of people were already there inspecting the site. Although it was an arms trade, Anyang had not restricted anyone from making purchases. As long as one could provide gold or silver, Anyang was open for business.

Suddenly, Xiao Liming’s eyes flickered as he noticed several familiar figures among these “merchants.” Even if their appearances were unfamiliar, he could still sense their unique auras—many of these individuals held high positions, even ruling entire regions. He could even hear accents from the Qi and Jin kingdoms!

Ji Yunya whispered in Xiao Liming’s ear, “It’s quite lively! Among these mere thousands of people, I’ve already spotted three provincial governors and seven grand generals.”

Xiao Liming nodded, and the two of them moved forward to observe.

The first thing Xiao Liming examined was the 47mm artillery. The barrel was about the thickness of a wrist, appearing somewhat petite compared to the surrounding cannons. A rather proud-looking soldier was explaining to a nearby “merchant”:

“It can fire five shells per minute, with a maximum range of 1.5 kilometers. Its explosive power is equivalent to a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator’s full-force attack.”

Ji Yunya stepped forward and asked, “What’s the price? How many can you supply?”

The soldier responded sternly, “We will conduct a test firing in half an hour. Any discussions should take place after the test. Without witnessing the power of the artillery firsthand, any discussion is meaningless.”

Xiao Liming glanced at the soldiers and then continued walking forward with Ji Yunya, inspecting all the artillery pieces. Finally, he looked at the 150mm caliber cannon, which looked somewhat ferocious. The cannon’s muzzle, as thick as a thigh, pointed straight into the sky. One glance made it clear—this was definitely no ordinary weapon.

Half an hour quickly passed, and more people arrived. Fang Shijing and Beichen Yuqing walked up side by side.

Fang Shijing looked around and said, “Welcome, everyone, to the demonstration. Shortly, we will be conducting a test firing in this valley. Please prepare yourselves. This test firing will be led by General Beichen Yuqing.”

Beichen Yuqing stood tall and walked to the front of the field. “Everyone, listen up, prepare for battle.”

The soldiers immediately boarded their vehicles, and over 200 motorcycles began moving. Four different calibers of motorcycles lined up and advanced. The convoy moved forward for about a hundred meters, resembling a military march, then stopped and lined up again. Apart from the drivers, the rest of the artillerymen jumped to the rear of the cannons and began working.

Beichen Yuqing shouted, “To the north, 300 meters, fire five rounds of 47mm.”

The artillerymen quickly loaded the shells, opened the breech, inserted the shell, closed the breech, and pulled the safety latch.

Boom!

Over seventy 47mm caliber cannons fired simultaneously, creating a tremendous impact; the sound of thunder on flat ground was no exaggeration. But the louder rumble came from behind. More than seventy shells flew across a distance of over 300 meters, striking the hillside.

In an instant, it was as if the earth had cracked open. Dust flew, and chaos ensued ahead. The small forest was instantly cleared away.

Everyone was startled. Even Xiao Liming, after witnessing the orderly explosions, narrowed his eyes, feeling a slight chill growing in his heart.

But before anyone could react, the soldiers swiftly opened the breech, pulled out the spent casings, and quickly loaded new shells. The entire process flowed smoothly, done with extreme skill. The cannon muzzles were raised slightly to make the shells fly further.

After firing continuously five times, the artillery fire stretched further ahead. Eventually, a clearing of about a hundred meters in radius was made. The area was a complete mess, with fallen trees, broken branches, shattered rocks, and blasted yellow mud—this was the only scenery left.

“Report, firing complete!” The squad leader came to report.

Beichen Yuqing’s tone was firm: “47mm preparatory fire, awaiting orders. Prepare 57mm, 400 meters, three-round burst.”

The 57mm was almost twice as powerful as the 47mm.

Next came the 105mm cannons. These had nearly three to four times the power of the 57mm. The ground trembled, and some small rocks even jumped into the air. Explosive fragments and smoke soared to a height of over a hundred meters, and stones several meters in size were tossed around wildly.

When the 150mm cannons were brought into action, even Xiao Liming gasped. Five cannons fired simultaneously, and half the mountain slope slid down as if the earth itself had turned over!

“This is the attack of a practitioner at the initial stage of the Yuan Ying realm, exerting full power. Although it’s just a single attack!”

Once all the artillery had fired in turn, Beichen Yuqing issued a new order: “All cannons, fire together, carpet bombing.”

The artillery repositioned, and small officers adjusted the angles. Over 200 cannons fired at once. With a deafening roar, the earth shook, and the combination of large and small cannons attacked a mountaintop 800 meters away, clearing it instantly. Smoke and dirt covered half the sky in front of them. The echoing boom resonated through the valley, and the white clouds in the sky seemed to scatter.

The smoke and dust rolled and spread like yellow fog, and the explosions reverberated across the land. Countless birds and beasts were in panic, and the white clouds in the sky were torn apart.

Fang Shijing and Beichen Yuqing, with confidence and smiles, quietly watched the devastating scene, even considering it their “creation.”

Xiao Liming, Ji Yunya, and the others, who had come to purchase military equipment, were all dumbfounded. Whether they were governors, generals, or even ordinary merchants, they all realized the immense potential of these weapons—both in terms of warfare and commerce.

Xiao Liming narrowed his eyes, looking at the bare hillside ahead, and constantly calculated in his mind: The appearance of these weapons, combined with Anyang’s publicly available internal combustion engine technology, would undoubtedly have an irreversible impact on the current state of warfare. What should Anyang do now? Control the weapons and indirectly participate in or even control the war?

It wasn’t just Xiao Liming who was thinking this way; others were whispering too, and many smart people already sensed something different in the air.

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