Chapter 81: The Changes

The court of the Kingdom of Cai fell into complete silence.

Defeated! They were actually defeated! And not just once, but twice! Furthermore, not a single one of the 52 war artifacts returned! The loss was beyond devastating.

The emperor of Cai was seething with rage, glaring at Prime Minister Yan Ze’an with a dark expression. “My dear Prime Minister, you were the one who strongly advocated for attacking the Kingdom of Xia. Now, do you have anything to say?”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Prime Minister Yan Ze’an remained calm and steady. “Your Majesty, after this attack, I have gathered the following information:

First, the Kingdom of Xia has developed new weapons.”

“Obvious!” The emperor shouted in fury. Did you really need to say that? Those different warheads were right in front of him.

Unfazed, the prime minister continued, “Second, I have witnessed the power of industrial strength. We must also develop our own industry. At the same time, research into gunpowder must be accelerated.

Third, I have seen that the Kingdom of Xia is plagued with internal strife, and its emperor is a weak and indecisive ruler.

Fourth, nearly all the powerful families—the Kong, Wang, Li, and Yuan families—are showing signs of wanting to divide the Kingdom of Xia. From this perspective, our defeat is actually a good thing, as it will allow the power factions within Xia to fight amongst themselves without worry. Once Xia collapses, we will at least be able to easily take the three northern provinces.”

“Defeat is a good thing? Ha… the wisdom of my prime minister never ceases to surprise me.”

“Your Majesty flatters me.”

“Pfft…” Some officials nearby couldn’t help but laugh. The emperor was being sarcastic, and yet the prime minister responded so earnestly. Naturally, the emperor’s face turned red—how dare you answer like that!

The pale-faced general Wang Qisheng quickly stepped in, “Your Majesty, it is my fault. The prime minister’s plan was not wrong. I was the first to fail, which ultimately led to the complete loss.”

After venting his anger, the emperor calmed down for the moment. He no longer looked at Wang Qisheng but turned his attention to the warheads on a wooden tray held by some guards. “Xiang Bowen, tell me, how long will it take to develop this kind of weapon?”

Xiang Bowen stepped forward, “Your Majesty, this weapon is not particularly difficult to make. I can assemble one right now. However, to reach the strength needed to kill someone at the Foundation Establishment stage is still challenging.”

“Then make one now for me to see.”

Xiang Bowen immediately began making the items. “Seven taels of saltpeter, two taels of sulfur, and one tael of charcoal should do. An iron pipe, a bit of gunpowder, and an iron ball.

Uh… drill a small hole on the side near the rear of the iron pipe, and a single incense stick should be enough.”

“Bang!” A loud explosion rang out, and a pungent smell filled the air as an iron ball pierced through a wooden board an inch thick.

“That’s it?” Wang Qisheng looked at Xiang Bowen. “It looks similar, but the power is nowhere near the same. Just like the ones we played with as kids.”

However, Prime Minister Yan Ze’an had a different view. “Xiang Bowen, make a larger one. Try using an iron pipe as thick as an arm.”

Xiang Bowen activated his true essence, melting and shaping a block of iron. Soon, a three-foot-long iron pipe, as thick as an arm, was formed. He poured about a bowlful of gunpowder into the pipe and sealed it with a massive iron ball.

Everyone craned their necks to watch.

Xiang Bowen lit the gunpowder without any protective measures.

“Boom!” The bomb exploded… and the barrel burst instantly! Xiang Bowen was blown away, his face and chest covered in blood, scorched purple-black by the gunpowder.

Dozens of officials nearby also suffered. Even Yan Ze’an had a piece of iron lodged in his face.

The scene was dead silent!

But the prime minister remained composed. Yan Ze’an ordered Xiang Bowen to be carried away and then began crafting the weapon himself.

“Prime Minister…” The surrounding officials were terrified.

Yan Ze’an ignored them. He thickened the iron pipe, reinforcing it several times over. What emerged was an iron pipe as thick as a thigh. This was no longer a gun, but a small cannon.

Under the tense gaze of the crowd, the prime minister lit the gunpowder.

Bang! A thunderous sound echoed, and a fist-sized iron ball shot through the wall, leaving a hole in the palace wall the size of a human head.

Yan Ze’an set down the iron pipe, glanced around, and then looked at the emperor. “Your Majesty, this power is already quite impressive.”

Seeing that it was safe, the emperor of Cai even tried it himself, eager to feel the weapon’s power. “This power is enough to kill someone at the Qi Refining stage. If we increase the size of the pipe, could it threaten those at the Nascent Soul stage?

If the pipe were big enough, could it even kill an immortal?”

The emperor had already become lost in boundless fantasies.

“Ahem…,” the prime minister carefully reminded.

“Oh, oh… Someone, reward Xiang Bowen with ten thousand taels of gold and a hundred-year-old spiritual ginseng. Prime Minister, you are now in charge of the production of this weapon.

By the way, what is this weapon called?”

“Firearm. I heard Xiang Bowen mention it; it’s called a firearm,” Yan Zhengqing stepped forward and answered.

Just as the ruler and ministers were celebrating, a disheveled soldier was brought in by the imperial guards.

“Your Majesty, the Anyang forces of Great Xia have initiated an attack on our southeastern border, causing over two thousand deaths already. Our soldiers can’t hold on.

They are using those strange weapons, which can kill Qi Refining stage experts from two miles away!”

To everyone’s surprise, the emperor was overjoyed. “Good! Perfect timing to test our firearms. Prime Minister, quickly begin producing gunpowder. Since Anyang has attacked first, strike back and avenge our humiliation!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Little did Li Xian know that his plan to provoke war as a negotiation tactic had resulted in such a response. Instead of instilling fear in Cai, they were now eager for revenge.

Meanwhile, things were lively on the front lines. Liu Leigang was leading 35 vehicles—yes, five more had been added in recent days—roaming around the southeastern border of Cai.

Engaging in ambushes, skirmishes, sniper attacks, and guerrilla warfare, Liu and his crew were toying with the enemy. They would fire one shot here, then immediately flee three miles away to fire another volley, leaving Cai soldiers too terrified to even stand on the city walls. Whenever the enemy didn’t dare approach the wall, Liu would take his team closer to carefully observe the city’s defensive formations, mapping out their structure.

In just two days, they had managed to investigate most of the city wall’s formations.

Seeing that the task was nearly complete, Liu tossed a “letter of negotiation intent” over the enemy’s wall and swiftly led his team away.

The southern general of Cai, Lu Chengang, was furious, trembling with rage, but dared not leave the city to confront the enemy—sending a small force would be suicide, and deploying a large one would only lead to the enemy fleeing. And what if they ran into an ambush?

After some thought, he decided to send the letter to the capital.

Back in Anyang, Liu Leigang returned triumphantly. “Master, we’ve killed around 3,000 of them and turned tens of thousands of Cai soldiers into cowards. In the end, we even scouted their wall formations without anyone stopping us.

Here are the details of Cai’s city defense formations.”

“Excellent. Go and rest. You can collect your reward from Mr. Beichen Yuqing.”

After Liu left, Li Xian smiled with satisfaction. “Next, Cai should take the initiative and send negotiators. This way, the advantage in negotiations will be in our hands.”

“Indeed, it’s a good strategy,” Xu Ren agreed. An offensive strike felt satisfying—they couldn’t always let the enemy take the initiative.

At that moment, someone arrived with a report—Ling Zhifeng, who had gone out to collect cultivation manuals, had returned.

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