sovbooks Chapter 51 He came because of its reputation and immediately bowed in reverence.
Chapter 51 He came because of its reputation and immediately bowed in reverence.
The coastline of Dagukou.
A group of well-dressed men approached. Xu Wenjue pointed to one of them, "This is the talented man I want to introduce to my brother—Song Yingxing, courtesy name Changgeng. The creation of the 'Tiangong Kaiwu' (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature) is attributed to him. Brother, you must not underestimate him."
The leader, dressed in a blue robe, had clear and upright eyes and a restrained divine light, clearly a virtuous cultivator. "Greetings, Great Master."
Si Chen raised his hand in a gesture of respect, "So it's Mr. Chang Geng. I'm truly sorry for not greeting you sooner."
"I am unworthy of the title 'sir'."
"It's alright. The Exploitation of the Works of Nature is a book that benefits the country and its people. How can it not be worthy of such praise?"
Song Yingxing stepped forward, bowed, and said, "If you do not despise me, I am willing to enter the Taiping Jingguo Hall to await your command."
Si Chen was delighted. "Great! This is exactly what I wanted. I couldn't have come!"
"May I first pay homage to the path of the sage?"
"Someone, take Mr. Song to the Taiping Jingguo Hall. Don't delay." Si Chen waved to the craftsmen behind him, and those old guys came running over eagerly.
Behind Song Yingxing was a group of people, all of whom were his students and followers, some even older than Song Yingxing himself. After all, those who are accomplished are teachers; in Tiangong's world, what works is what works, and what doesn't work is what doesn't work.
The two groups were initially quite unfamiliar with each other, but once they started talking about the wooden ox and flowing horse, they immediately became warm and familiar with each other.
Si Chen sighed with gratitude, "Brother, you've solved my immediate problem."
Xu Wenjue coughed lightly, "It's just a coincidence. I have a few people on this ship. I wonder if you would be willing to take them in. If not, I'll send them away and sink them at sea."
Si Chen narrowed his eyes and said, "It's alright, I have my own way of dealing with this unwelcome guest."
Three men carrying bundles of thorns entered. Upon seeing Si Chen, they bowed and said, "This sinner pays respects to the Great and Virtuous Teacher."
Is this a case of someone carrying thorns to apologize?
But this is far too perfunctory; even the thorns on the brambles have been completely removed.
Si Chen stood with his hands behind his back. "Who goes there?"
Yang Ruohan cupped his hands and said, "My father is Yang Tingyun."
Xu Ji bowed his head and said, "My father is Xu Guangqi."
Li Changqiao turned his head and said, "My father is Li Zhizao."
Very well, they are all the children of our enemies.
Si Chen turned to look at Xu Wenjue, "Is this a case of recognizing a thief as one's father? They dare to do so, but I dare not use them."
How much wisdom does one need to keep an enemy by their side?
Xu Ji reluctantly stood up, knowing things wouldn't go so smoothly. "Great teacher, may I have a word to say?"
As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Xu Wenjue.
Xu Wenjue coughed lightly, "Brother, there are other hidden details about the explosion back then, involving the truth. If you want to investigate further, this is also an opportunity."
Xu Wenjue leaned down and whispered, "Back then, after Wang Yangming arrested Prince Ning, he burned the list of those who had accepted bribes. His family has benefited from it to this day, and countless gentry are still grateful to him. Brother, why don't you follow his old wisdom and make good use of it? Whether it's killing or arresting, you can make arrangements with ease."
Having said that, Xu Wenjue took a step back and said no more.
Si Chen pondered for a moment, suppressing his murderous intent, and readily accepted the advice. He wanted to see what tricks these missionaries were up to. "Detain them for now, and I will interrogate them personally."
They swarmed from both sides and dragged the three away without any dignity, and the three did not resist.
Another person arrived, with a bronze complexion. Wherever he went, his body was filled with abundant water energy, and the air became humid.
Xu Wenjue said, "This is Zheng Lian, the nephew of Zheng Zhilong, the Fujian General."
Zheng Lian stepped forward, followed by two werewolves carrying a large red box. "I, Zheng Lian, on behalf of the Five Merchants Guild, pay my respects to the Great Master."
The werewolf, standing two meters tall, had pure white fur and wore chains around its neck, and looked extremely imposing.
With a muffled thud, the box hit the ground.
This box looks quite heavy.
Zheng Lian angrily rebuked them, took a whip to drive away the two wolves, and personally took action.
Upon opening it, one finds neatly arranged items wrapped in oil paper, emitting a reassuring scent.
Zheng Lian tore open the oil paper, revealing a seven-foot-long, silver-white musket. "Gentlemen, do you recognize this?"
Cao Youyi bent down for a look and said, "It's slightly different in shape from a musket."
Si Chen searched his memory, "Could this be the legendary martial arts strategy, Yinghuo Shenji?"
You guys actually managed to build something that only existed on paper for the time being.
Zheng Lian handed over the divine device, exclaiming, "Excellent eye! Exactly!"
Si Chen reached out and took it; the body of the machine was warm to the touch, like the finest silk.
Fill the fuselage with psionic energy.
The divine machine devoured spiritual energy until its entire body emitted a faint blue light, at which point it could no longer consume it.
Si Chen raised his hand and fired a shot towards the sea.
Within 150 paces, it is as easy as using one's own arm or fingers; one's mind is in tune with one's will.
Its power is similar to that of a musket, its craftsmanship is exquisite, and its psionic energy loss is negligible, making it a superior item.
It is also the most suitable firearm for aspiring warriors to enter the path of martial arts.
"These divine machines have broken free from the traditional and outdated gunpowder, using more efficient spiritual energy as ammunition. This is also a significant breakthrough for the Gewu School in the transformation of spiritual matter." Zheng Lian waved his hand, and brought over ten more large boxes. "These, and these, are all given to you, Lord Ming. They are just a small token of my respect."
Everyone listened in stunned silence.
Is it really that scary?
Si Chen smiled and said, "Then I shall accept your offer."
Zheng Lian jumped off the dock, cupped his hands in farewell, and said, "Great Master, Third Master, farewell."
The entire fleet, consisting of over a hundred ships and bearing the banners of the Five Merchants, slowly turned its bows and headed north.
The group took these divine machines and test-fired them.
If you have a gun, you'll always want to shoot something.
A thunderous roar could be heard, and a burst of water erupted on the sea surface.
Xu Wenjue, however, saw that Si Chen showed no joy. "Brother, why are you not happy to have obtained this divine object?"
Si Chen lowered his head and pondered for a moment, "What a pity. This thing is beautiful, but it's not very useful."
A crowd gathered around, asking, "Why is this?"
Si Chen shook his head. "Do ordinary warriors have such powerful magic as you?"
Once its magical power is exhausted and its spiritual energy depleted, it's nothing more than a fire poker.
Everyone immediately lost interest and their enthusiasm waned.
In short, it's all show and no substance.
"Brother, do you know where they got these firearms from? And where they're headed north?" Si Chen asked again.
Several thoughts raced through Xu Wenjue's mind in an instant. "I know a little bit about this."
They also traveled with the five merchant fleets once, and their foundry was located on Shuangyu Island.
This place boasts the advantages of both land and sea, and its natural wonders are numerous.
There were also Han Chinese who changed their names and surnames to join this cause.
The island is dominated by the three pillars of Christianity.
Zheng Lian's fleet is heading to Juehua Island, but I do not know what kind of transaction it will be conducting.
These so-called religious orders and Catholicism are nothing but a facade, a channel for a group of people to cooperate, just like the Fuxing Society.
It's just a simple export-to-domestic sales operation; this is all too familiar.
Xu Wenjue pointed to his head and said, "Brother, don't underestimate him."
These believers have some problems here.
In their world, there are only two classes: shepherds and sheep.
Even if you kill them, you'll say it's God's will.
Anyway, there has to be something tied around your neck, whether it's someone else's neck or your own.
The more brutal you are to them, the more they will submit to you.
They must never be treated like human beings, and should never be entrusted with important matters.
These are all based on experience.
Because of their short lifespans, the barbarians beyond the borders of civilization are unable to pass on knowledge, let alone form a systematic understanding.
The uprising took place in the morning, and by the afternoon, heads had rolled. All they could do was shout that their knight lord was incredibly powerful and invincible.
In contrast, in this dynasty, are kings and nobles born with special privileges? Whose ancestors weren't kings and nobles?
Once a peasant uprising begins, it is an unending series.
Among the displaced people who have fallen from grace, there are many talented individuals.
Si Chen was speechless upon hearing this. "These fools are so self-deprecating, how can we kill them all?"
Xu Wenjue laughed and said, "Hahaha, they are already considering creating a divine position for you, brother, something like the Scourge of God, saying that you were sent by God to specifically whip these sinners."
The scene was completely silent.
Those who are not familiar with the underlying logic of these religious orders would never believe that their world operates in this way.
There is already a thick barrier between normal people and them.
"Since ancient times, the righteous have been rewarded, and the unrighteous have been punished. These heretics justify themselves by faith and disregard human ethics; they are truly unrighteous." Si Chen felt a bit disgusted. "Throw those three bastards into the dungeon. I want to see if I can reform them."
All illnesses stem from unearned gains.
These scholar-officials lived too comfortably.
They have not received any training in iron fist techniques.
Si Chen waved his sleeve, "Bring everyone else up as well."
Xu Wenjue's mind raced. He originally intended to recommend three other men, but he changed his words, saying, "There are also the River Conservancy Governor Huang Xixian, the Tianjin Governor Feng Yuanyang, and the Military Commissioner Yuan Yuzong. These three fled to my side in a panic, and I specially captured them to present to you, brother."