Hearing him say that, Hou Feiqing and Pu Jiadi both gave him strange looks.
Hou Feiqing knew long ago that he had fallen for Zheng Quchi's trick, thinking that he had been blinded by his own idealized image and had elevated Zheng Quchi to a pedestal. In reality, she was just a woman with a few whimsical ideas.
He admitted that it was indeed unusual for a woman to be a craftswoman, and coupled with her courage and ability, he found it extremely interesting to meet such a woman for the first time.
People are always busy chasing after rare things, as if they were searching for treasure, but once they get them, they realize in the end that they are nothing special.
Pu Jiadi listened to Gongshu's tone, as if the two had met once before at the "Jichun Craftsmen's Guild," and that it was a tone that was used only to those who were familiar with each other.
But he didn't think much of it; the things weighing on his mind were far more important than prying into other people's private affairs.
"Master Gongshu, I may speak frankly. I invited you here solely to resolve the issue of the Ye army's artillery. I wonder if you have any countermeasures in mind regarding the artillery mentioned in your letter?"
Gongshu Jiruo was not a member of the military, but his family had some secret agreements with the Northern Yuan Kingdom and its military, which were intended to balance and restrain each other.
However, he wouldn't normally make this trip for something like this; he had his own plans.
“I have brought a new batch of shields, which are nearly half the weight of the previous ones, but much stronger. Most importantly, if they are connected together, they are as solid as a city wall.”
Upon hearing this, Pu Jiadi was overjoyed.
"Go ahead and use it to test the power of the enemy's artillery," Gongshu Jiruo said.
"Then I thank you very much for your generosity, Gongshu!" Gongshu products are bound to be of high quality. Pujia Di was thrilled to receive this good news and couldn't wait to find out more.
——
While Ju Zi took Pu Jia Di to see the new shield armor developed by the Gongshu family, Hou Feiqing chatted privately with Gongshu Ji Ruo.
He crossed his arms and said, "Don't you have a secret weapon, the Iron Horse? Why don't you take it out?"
Gongshu Jiru walked forward, his tone indifferent: "In a battle like this, there's no need to use iron horses."
Although Gongshu Jiruo's expression was indifferent, the arrogance in his eyes was undisguised.
"Have you seen the cannons made by Zheng Quchi? I find them extraordinary." Hou Feiqing caught up with him and walked alongside him.
"Over the years, the Mo family and I have also been involved in gunpowder. Fire bombs were just the initial failed attempts. Although we have not seen how their cannons are, Beiyuan may be able to make the same ones. Moreover, their cannons may not be as good as my newly developed weapons."
When asked about his area of expertise and where he has been at the top for many years, Gongshu Jiruo said that even though he doesn't usually have much of a competitive spirit, he doesn't believe that one can surpass the achievements of others over several years with just one effort.
Especially since the two are not on the same level or foundation, the amount of money and resources required for research and development, the accumulation of failures in experiments, and the human and material resources involved are not something that can be solved by mere wild ideas.
He was certain that Ye Kingdom's so-called "cannons" naturally had many drawbacks, and these were things they needed time and resources to solve, at least not now.
Although Gongshu Jiruo acknowledged Zheng Quchi's abilities, it did not equate to his acceptance of the State of Ye. Once Pujia Di fought another battle against the Ye army, they would see through the facade of their paper tiger.
Hou Feiqing naturally believed Gongshu Jiruo's words, which were not unfounded. So he changed the subject and asked about something else: "The shield you brought was made from that newly found rare iron ore?"
He had heard a little about this. The disciples of the Gongshu family were spread across the nine continents, and it was common for them to explore rare mineral resources and return to their homeland.
"The army was originally assigned to the Gongshu family, but since we've come all this way, we'll borrow the Pu family's army for now."
As expected of the wealthy and powerful Gongshu family, even a casual "gift" is a grand gesture.
Hou Feiqing shook his head: "The trouble is that the Ye army has now occupied Shuangfei Pass. Taking it back is not difficult, but we have completely lost face this time!"
Gongshu Jiruo paused, looking at Hou Feiqing: "What do you think the Ye army is thinking when they attack Beiyuan at this time?"
Gongshu Jiruo was puzzled by this issue and could not explain it from his perspective, so he wanted to consult Hou Feiqing, a "professional," for his opinion.
Logically speaking, Ye Kingdom is currently sailing alone, fearing that there might be hidden "storms" that could capsize it. It should be extremely cautious, not daring to offend either side.
But they chose the strongest of the seven kingdoms, the Northern Abyss Army. Whether this was a provocation or a foolish act, could they bear the consequences?
Is Ye Kingdom truly capable of withstanding the wrath of Beiyuan Kingdom?
To be honest, Hou Feiqing couldn't figure it out for a while either, but it was precisely because he couldn't figure it out that he felt this matter was not simple.
Just as they were wondering what had suddenly gotten into Ye Jun, Ye Jun stopped playing sneak attacks in silence and started speaking openly.
"The Ye army's surprise attack on Shuangfei Pass was solely to demand the return of the fleeing Kezhu tribe from the Beiyuan army. We had no intention of clashing with your country. However, the Kezhu tribe has caused significant damage to our Wubao on multiple occasions, and this matter must be thoroughly investigated. We hope that the Beiyuan army will expel the fugitive Kezhu tribe from the country and cease harboring them."
This statement, once made public, seemed to explain everything about his actions, yet it also seemed to explain nothing at all.
Some people were puzzled: what did the feud between the Kezhu tribe and Wubao have to do with Shuangfei? And what did it have to do with their Beiyuan Kingdom?
Pu Jiadi was also bewildered by Ye Jun's cryptic remarks. Gongshu Jiruo, however, seemed to have guessed something by connecting the dots. Hou Feiqing's expression changed drastically, and he became restless, as if he was troubled or deep in thought about something.
"What utter bullshit! What does the Kezhu tribe have to do with our Shuangfei tribe?" Pujiadi slammed his hand on the table in anger.
Seeing how things had developed, Hou Feiqing realized that some things could no longer be hidden.
He really didn't expect Ye Jun to expose this secret himself, but recalling the rumors circulating in the city not long ago, he wondered if Ye Jun and his men had spread them themselves. Their purpose was obvious: to find an opportunity to reveal that Yuwen Sheng was not dead in a logical way.
It was clearly their Ye Kingdom that committed a despicable and sinister act, deceiving the world. Others retaliated in kind, but they never expected that in the end they would be shooting themselves in the foot.
"Are you saying that you knew Yuwen Sheng was not dead all along, and that you conspired with the Kezhu clan to use them to frame and kill Yuwen Sheng?"
Hou Feiqing rubbed his forehead: "No, I didn't know Yuwen Sheng was not dead. It's just that the chief of the Kezhu tribe happened to be an old acquaintance of mine. He had met Yuwen Sheng a few months ago. He is skilled in planting Gu and also knows how to read faces. He suspected that the symptoms on the other party's body were similar to those of their tribe's Phoenix Tear."
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