Qin Minglang was completely bewildered. He quickly ran to the chariot that Wang Hao had pointed to and, after checking it, found that many of the details he had mentioned matched up perfectly.
How...how is this possible?
Did that guy sell one blueprint to two people?
They actually dared to ask him for ten thousand taels of silver!
Damn ghost face!
Wang Hao joked from the side.
"Lord Qin, please continue! Why are you mute? You stole someone else's things and you still speak so confidently. Your skin is thicker than a shield."
Qin Minglang's handsome face turned pale and then red, and he couldn't hold back a rebuttal for a long time.
He Nian slowly stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, this chariot was just delivered by the Ninth Prince yesterday, intended for a demonstration to Your Majesty and the ministers today. This is the only one of its kind in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and its construction has not yet been reported to the Ministry of War. Only this humble servant and Vice General Wang know about it. However, Lord Qin has described the modifications in great detail. This humble servant believes it is no coincidence and should be thoroughly investigated to prevent any possibility of spies infiltrating!"
Qin Minglang was truly panicked at this moment.
He knelt down with a thud.
"Your Majesty, I am not a spy."
Mo Yunhan's eyes were indifferent.
"It seems that Lord Qin is truly a genius. The chariot blueprints I obtained, combined with the ingenious mechanisms, were not created overnight. Lord Qin was able to come up with such inspiration just by looking at ordinary chariots. Why don't you give us another demonstration?"
"Bring the mechanical armor and crossbows."
Wang Hao personally carried the items up and placed them in front of Qin Minglang.
"Lord Qin, please."
In what year did he echo this?
"If Lord Qin can easily point out such complex chariot modifications on the spot, then modifications to armor and crossbows will be a piece of cake."
Qin Minglang felt as if he were being roasted over a fire, with nowhere to retreat. He could only grit his teeth and stand up to check.
He knew nothing about mechanical arts.
However, over the years he had seen crossbows at the border and even used them a few times, hoping only to get away with it.
But when he tried to grab the crossbow, Wang Hao stopped him.
"Lord Qin, you didn't handle the chariots when you looked at them, you only glanced at them. Do you really need to touch this little crossbow?"
Qin Minglang glared at him angrily, his heart pounding with fear and cold sweat beading on his forehead.
But he knew he couldn't show weakness at this moment, so he could only desperately recall the crossbow mechanisms he had used in the army before, and speak in a calm and clear voice.
At first glance, his speech was fluent and his words were quite logical.
It might be possible to fool the civil officials, but in today's situation, even the soldiers around them could tell there was something wrong.
"What is he talking about? Isn't that the equipment we received last time? We've been using it for half a year, do we need him to explain it?"
"That's right, and they even got two things wrong."
"I don't think he knows anything. Didn't you notice that he only talks about bows and crossbows and not armor? I heard that the armor is the latest version and there isn't any other version."
The discussion grew louder and louder, with many of Wang Hao's supporters starting to jeer and jeer.
Qin Minglang blushed deeply with embarrassment, and beads of sweat poured down his forehead, rolling over his eyebrows and getting into his eyes, which he dared not wipe away.
His voice grew softer and softer until he finally fell silent amidst the jeers, so flustered he wished he could disappear into the ground.
Wang Hao laughed loudly, showing no mercy whatsoever, and slapped him in the face on the spot.
"Our Lord Qin has run out of inspiration!"
The soldiers watching laughed even more unrestrainedly.
Mo Yunzhao gently shook his head.
The Imperial Concubine also intended to recommend him.
But this person really doesn't have any skills.
I don't know how they earned those military achievements.
He Nian stepped forward again.
"Your Majesty, Lord Qin's performance is truly unconvincing. The new war chariots are related to the military configuration of the Great Zhou. Your Majesty, I implore you to conduct a thorough investigation and give all soldiers and officers peace of mind."
He knelt down as he spoke.
As the Vice Minister of War, Zhang Yishui dared not take on this responsibility, and immediately knelt down as well.
"Your Majesty, I second your opinion and earnestly request that you temporarily dismiss Qin Minglang from his post before the matter is fully investigated, so as to prevent the leakage of more secrets of the Ministry of War."
Wang Hao lifted his armor, and all the soldiers around him knelt down in a dense mass.
The sound was powerful and majestic.
"I beg Your Majesty to conduct a thorough investigation."
Qin Minglang's face turned ashen, and he crawled on his knees a few steps, explaining repeatedly.
"Your Majesty, I truly acted on impulse. I absolutely did not steal the chariot blueprints, much less leak any Ministry of War secrets! It's just that my inspiration has run dry. This... this cannot be considered my fault."
A look of disdain flashed in Mo Yunzhao's eyes, then he looked up at Mo Yunhan.
"Ninth Prince, the blueprints for the latest war chariot were provided by you. I would like to hear your opinion on how to handle this matter."
Before Mo Yunhan could speak, Qin Minglang kowtowed again.
"Your Majesty, there is some misunderstanding between me and His Highness the Ninth Prince. I have been away on campaign for five years and have not returned home. Only a few days after my return, my wife was taken to the back courtyard of the Prince's residence by His Highness the Ninth Prince. Everyone in the capital knows about this. I..."
"presumptuous!"
He was interrupted sharply by Mo Yunzhao before he could finish speaking.
"Are you telling me that my ninth brother stole your wife? Slandering a member of the royal family, without concrete evidence, I will not let you off lightly today."
The emperor was furious, and no one else dared to utter a sound.
Mo Yunhan spoke calmly.
“Your Majesty, you’ve gone off on a tangent. My personal matters are none of your concern. The new war chariots are related to the military strength of the entire Great Zhou, and the concerns of the ministers and the soldiers of the patrol battalion are not without reason.”
"Before Your Majesty makes a decision, let's observe the actual results first."
"Wang Hao, conduct drills on chariots, armor, and crossbows."
Wang Hao responded loudly.
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