DLWAV CH102

But Emperor Zhangwu and his people definitely didn’t think this was a good thing.

—They had gone through untold hardships and finally, on the fifth day of the first lunar month, fled to the Hebei Circuit.

But before they could even catch their breath, they received news that the Jiangnan Circuit and the Lianghu region had all fallen into the hands of the Yang army.

Moreover, he had issued edicts summoning the vassal kings to rally to his aid, but they actually all made excuses and delayed.

They clearly had also developed disloyal intentions.

Most importantly, wherever they went, the news that Zhou Ruize had Heaven’s assistance and was the true Son of Heaven always arrived a step ahead of them.

The result was that by the time they arrived at the Hebei Circuit, the troops under their command had less than half remaining.

The rest had all secretly deserted.

Crash!

Hearing this news, Emperor Zhangwu violently smashed the teacup in his hand onto the ground. The flying shards shot directly toward the nearby imperial guards, cutting their cheeks.

“Issue wanted posters for them, immediately order their arrest! No matter what their identities are, once discovered, execute them on the spot!”

The Duke of Zhenguo, his face equally ashen, replied, “Yes.”

“Right.”

Then, as if remembering something, Emperor Zhangwu asked again, “What exactly are the weapons used by the rebels? Have you investigated it clearly?”

“We have investigated it clearly.”

The Duke of Zhenguo immediately ordered someone to present the two muskets.

“These were retrieved from the rebels by my second son, who led men to fight to the death for them.”

For these two muskets, they paid the price of over three hundred soldiers’ lives.

“But even though we got them, we cannot replicate them.”

“What?”

The wild joy on the face of Emperor Zhangwu, who had grabbed the two muskets and started studying them, instantly froze.

He originally thought that with these two muskets, they could replicate them immediately, and then they would have the strength to contend with Zhou Ruize.

When that time came, how could he not deal with a mere Zhou Ruize?

The Duke of Zhenguo said, “Its principle is similar to a bow and arrow.”

“And these two guns are equivalent to the bow. What pairs with them should be a thing called gunpowder.”

“No matter how good a bow is, without arrows, it has absolutely no power.”

“Muskets naturally follow the same logic. So right now, we only have the muskets but no gunpowder, which is completely useless.”

Emperor Zhangwu: “Then have people make it!”

The Duke of Zhenguo: “Your Majesty, the gunpowder they use is completely different from the gunpowder we use to make firecrackers. It is even less like bows and arrows, which craftsmen can just casually study for a few days and then copy the model to create.”

“At the very least, among the craftsmen I have summoned, not a single one can clearly explain exactly how their gunpowder is made.”

“Unless we send people to Yangzhou to steal the gunpowder formula back.”

“But for such an important thing, how could the rebels not dispatch heavy troops to guard it?”

So in a short time, it would be absolutely impossible for them to steal the formula.

Perhaps by the time their people stole the gunpowder formula back, the rebels would have already fought their way to the city gates. By then, even with the gunpowder formula, what use would it be?

Hearing this, Emperor Zhangwu only felt his vision go dark.

Could his only end be losing to Zhou Ruize?

Was God playing with him?

Otherwise, why would He give him hope, only to plunge him back into the abyss?

The civil and military officials present also turned pale.

They didn’t want to die—

Who would have thought that right at this moment, a female voice would suddenly ring out: “I know how to make gunpowder.”

What?

Everyone unanimously looked toward the source of the voice.

They saw Song Qingying break through the guards’ obstruction and rush in.

Emperor Zhangwu reacted immediately, extremely agitated: “You say you know how to make gunpowder?”

Hearing this, the guards who were originally still trying to stop Song Qingying paused, released her, and retreated.

Song Qingying’s voice was resolute and resounding: “Yes, I know how to make gunpowder.”

Although she didn’t know how to make muskets, she did know how to make gunpowder.

After all, who didn’t have a time-travel dream when they were young?

Therefore, as for the skills that transmigrators absolutely must master as much as possible, she had read over them who knows how many times in the past.

The design of a musket was too complicated, and she had indeed mostly forgotten it, but she still vaguely remembered some methods for making gunpowder.

For example, the optimal ratio for ammunition: 10% sulfur, 15% charcoal, and 75% saltpeter.

For example, the method to make saltpeter: collect nitrate-bearing soil, put it into a nitrate leaching pool, then boil it vigorously in an iron pot. The white crystals that precipitate out are saltpeter…

Song Qingying directly presented the formula to Emperor Zhangwu.

She originally planned to save the gunpowder technology to use when she usurped the throne later, but now, she couldn’t care about that much anymore.

Because if she didn’t bring it out now, Great Qian would be finished. When that time came, let alone becoming Emperor, she probably wouldn’t even be able to keep her life.

After all, she was currently the Third Prince’s consort. If Great Qian perished, would Zhou Ruize let her off?

The Minister of Works immediately reacted: “Princess Xian, if I remember correctly, you have been staying in your carriage every day these past few days. You simply hadn’t the time to research a gunpowder formula, right?”

“Then how do you know the method for making gunpowder?”

“Or is it that you knew the method for making gunpowder all along, but kept it hidden and hoarded it?”

He was short of pointing at Song Qingying and calling her out for harboring unfathomable motives.

And hearing this, Emperor Zhangwu’s expression indeed changed.

Song Qingying’s expression also changed.

But it merely gained a bit of mockery and ruthlessness.

She remembered that the Minister of Works was a die-hard loyalist of the First Prince, Zhou Hongyi.

Just wait. Once they manufactured the muskets and gunpowder, the first person she would deal with would be Zhou Hongyi.

As for the mockery, it was naturally because she had already guessed this would happen, so she had thought of a countermeasure long before coming.

She said: “I didn’t know the method for making gunpowder before, otherwise I would have long since offered it to His Majesty.”

Then, without waiting for the Minister of Works to speak again, she directly stated: “Therefore, this formula was told to me by my master in a dream last night.”

“Your master?”

“Told you in a dream?”

Emperor Zhangwu and the others were startled.

After all, ordinary people couldn’t do this.

This was exactly the effect Song Qingying wanted: “That’s right.”

“Presumably, Your Majesty has heard about how I unfortunately slipped and fell into the water a few months ago.”

“In fact, I was already drowned at that time.”

At this, not only did Emperor Zhangwu and the others’ expressions change, but the expression of the newly arrived Third Prince also changed.

If Song Qingying had drowned back then, then was she a human or a ghost now?

Song Qingying then said: “It was my master who saved me.”

She raised her voice, afraid that the people present wouldn’t hear clearly: “My master is the Taishang Laojun from above the Nine Heavens.”

“And I am the Goddess Qiongyue from above the Nine Heavens.”

“What?”

Emperor Zhangwu couldn’t help but stand up.

Song Qingying: “Otherwise, how could I have possibly brought out so many new formulas out of thin air before?”

“Because those formulas are all creations from above the Nine Heavens.”

However, Emperor Zhangwu was half-believing and half-doubting.

The Third Prince believed it even less, not buying a single word.

In his view, if a venomous woman like Song Qingying was a goddess, then he was the Jade Emperor.

Song Qingying, however, continued: “Most importantly, Zhou Ruize is absolutely not the Human Emperor recognized by the Heavenly Dao; Your Majesty is the Human Emperor recognized by the Heavenly Dao.”

“I only just found out that not long ago, a batch of evil ghosts who commit all kinds of atrocities escaped from the Underworld.”

“Human fear can enhance their strength, so they chose to help Zhou Ruize launch a war and create panic.”

“This is also the root reason why, previously, whenever I brought out a new formula, it would be leaked by someone, yet I could never find out how those formulas were leaked—those formulas were all stolen by those evil ghosts using magic arts.”

“But they are merely a few evil ghosts, they absolutely don’t require my master to act personally; moreover, he is currently busy refining immortal elixirs for the Jade Emperor.”

“So he merely came to me in a dream to tell me the preparation method for gunpowder.”

“Not only that, but he also additionally told me a formula for making cannons. Its power is dozens, even hundreds of times greater than a musket—”

Sure enough, hearing this, the expressions of Emperor Zhangwu and the others completely changed.

Emperor Zhangwu’s expression went from shock and suspicion to wild joy.

Because if the gunpowder and cannon formulas in Song Qingying’s hands were real, then defeating Zhou Ruize would be just around the corner.

As for Song Qingying claiming she was a goddess from above the Nine Heavens and a disciple of Taishang Laojun… this matter could only be true.

Because this way, even if his late Imperial Father came back to life, it couldn’t shake his orthodox status.

The Third Prince’s expression went from disdain to wild joy.

Because if Song Qingying was a goddess, then he was the husband of a goddess! With this layer of identity, why would he fear the court officials not siding with him, or the hearts of the people not leaning toward him?

The Second Prince’s face, however, instantly darkened.

Because if even the Third Prince could think of it, how could he not think of it?

But before he could speak, Emperor Zhangwu impatiently voiced his question: “Are you really a goddess from above the Nine Heavens?”

Song Qingying knew that Emperor Zhangwu had taken the bait.

That’s right, she had said so much exactly to put the halo of a goddess upon herself.

She had even learned this from Zhou Ruize and his group.

This way, although she lost the gunpowder and cannon formulas, Emperor Zhangwu would inevitably have to respect her in the future, because she was the proof of his orthodox status.

When the people of the world all believed she was a goddess from above the Nine Heavens, it would be much easier for her to rebel.

So she said without hesitation: “That’s right.”

Emperor Zhangwu: “Good! As long as the gunpowder formula in your hands, and that cannon formula that is a hundred times more powerful than a musket, are real, We will believe your words.”

Hearing this, Song Qingying directly smiled.

In her view, the transmigrators on Zhou Ruize’s side probably didn’t know the method for making cannons at all, otherwise, how could they have possibly escaped the capital?

So in this battle, Great Qian was bound to win, and she was bound to win too.

Almost at the exact same time.

In Yangzhou, Ao Ruize was currently accompanying Third Master Liu in reviewing his flute-playing skills when the middle-aged man’s voice suddenly rang out from outside the courtyard.

“Wangye, good news! Professor Liu and the others have manufactured mortars!”

“Next time we fight the Qian army, we won’t have to let them get close before striking anymore.”

Because doing it that way, it was inevitable that a portion of the Qian army would still fight their way to their frontlines.

Their over three hundred casualties from before mostly came about like this.

Most importantly, muskets couldn’t deal with the Great Qian defenders on the city walls. With mortars, it would be much easier for them to attack cities under the Imperial Court’s control in the future.

After saying this, he directly left.

He had absolutely no intention of knocking and coming in.

Obviously, he had learned his lesson from before.

Ao Ruize: “…”

Third Master Liu: “…”

It seemed the middle-aged man and the others already knew just how… ‘idle’ the two of them were.

Then what else was there to say?

Ao Ruize pressed Third Master Liu’s shoulders: “Then let’s continue.”

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