Li Kuangyou, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, pointed to the sky and continued, "My region of Jingzhao has suffered from a severe drought for more than two years!"
Not a single raindrop fell!
"Everyone, take a closer look!"
"The sky was clear and blue, the sun was shining brightly, and as far as the eye could see, it was a vast expanse of azure!"
"Not even a white cloud, let alone dark clouds!"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked up at the sky, their initial excitement quickly giving way to disappointment after a while.
People and ministers, if there are differences of understanding on other matters, everyone believes this.
But when it comes to talking about farming, planting, weather, and meteorology...
Then everyone's thoughts would probably be surprisingly consistent!
How could Li Kuangyou, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, be talking nonsense?
They couldn't find any fault in what Li Kuangyou, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, said!
If Heaven truly cherishes life and pities its people, how could the weather be like this?
"Lord Li is right. Both the Imperial Observatory and the Astronomical Bureau of our Great Gan have verified this countless times. Even the sand and water we collected from the inland river before the new year proved that this year will be a year of severe drought until the end of the year!"
"If it were to rain, I, Lin, would resign from my position as a principal officer in the Ministry of Justice and retire to the countryside, never to attend court again."
Lin Chengdu, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Justice, angrily flung his sleeves and also uttered harsh words.
Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in uproar, discussing the matter further, their despair growing even stronger than before.
Seeing their reaction, Sun Jian laughed instead of getting angry, "Resign and return to your hometown? Does Lord Lin really mean this?"
"Of course it's true!"
"But before I resign, I will definitely submit a memorial to the court, impeaching you for misleading the country and the people and causing chaos in the world!"
Lin Chengdu, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Justice, glared fiercely at Sun Jian, his words filled with conviction.
"Me too!"
"And us too!"
Li Kuangyou, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and Fang Wenyue, the Director of the Ministry of Rites, stepped forward together.
Sharing a common hatred for the enemy, they pointed at Sun Jian and launched into another tirade.
They used the same words and phrases as before, but the accusations they leveled against Sun Jian became increasingly severe.
Despite all the criticism, they never mentioned their intention to withdraw or to immediately petition the court to revoke Sun Jian's authority. Instead, they just chatted with everyone else about the time.
On the surface, it appears that he is speaking out for the country, denouncing treacherous officials, showing loyalty and courage, and being ready to die for his country. But in reality, he is taking the opportunity to attack Sun Jian and distort the truth.
The general public has largely begun to side with the statements of these three individuals.
Their skill in stirring up trouble was so impressive that even Sun Jian had to admire them.
Compared to myself, they are even better.
The three of them got tired of arguing and, seeing that Sun Jian was still smiling slyly and not saying a word, they slowly quieted down.
Sun Jian sneered, "My lords, what if it starts to rain after an incense stick has burned?"
Li Kuangyou flicked his sleeves. "Ha, absolutely impossible!"
"Don't even mention the time it takes for an incense stick to burn; even if you had an hour, not a single drop of rain would fall!"
Sun Jian frowned and pressed on, "Why doesn't Lord Li answer my question directly?"
"I……"
Li Kuangyou hesitated for a moment, "If it can rain in this kind of weather, then... then we'll twist our heads off and use them as chamber pots for you!"
"Me too!"
Lin Chengdu, the principal of the Ministry of Justice, and Fang Wenyue, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, once again chimed in.
"good!"
That's exactly what Sun Jian wanted to hear.
"Lord Yao, Lord Mi, and other officials are all present, along with hundreds of thousands of ordinary people as witnesses!"
"Then it's a deal: if I can't pray to Heaven for rain, I and all forty-six members of the Sun family will die for our country!"
"But if, after Mr. Sun prays to Heaven, Heaven immediately sends rain, then you, Li Kuangyou, Lin Chengdu, Fang Wenyue, and your families will all be caught!"
As Sun Jian spoke, the murderous intent hidden in his voice grew stronger.
After saying this, Sun Jian ignored the three men and said loudly, "You all heard what I just said about the agreement between me and Li, Lin, and Fang!"
"I will now perform a great prayer for rain! To verify the truth of all this!"
"Fellow citizens, there is no need for doubt or worry. Every word I have said is the will of Heaven!"
"It is precisely because of this weather that the rain came immediately, which seems like divine protection that I can work so hard!"
After speaking, Sun Jian sat cross-legged and began chanting a spell he had already prepared, too lazy to even perform this part.
He gave Yao Tianzheng a look and then immediately lit the internal fuse that had been left in the artificial rain cannon.
Sun Jian left the fuse long enough so that there was a full two minutes between ignition and launch.
Upon seeing Sun Jian's expression, Lord Yao immediately understood and hurriedly made arrangements.
Have the previously assigned personnel quickly take up their posts, and find replacements for the duties of Li, Lin, and Fang.
Then he ordered messengers to quickly report what had happened at the major city gates. After the rain, he instructed the people to be given money, food and locust-catching tools. After Sun Jian gave the order, he mobilized everyone to start catching locusts!
Sun Jian didn't even bother to pretend anymore. He first ordered everyone to move away from the vicinity of the "wooden platform," and then he quickly stepped down from the "wooden platform" and hid a dozen meters away.
"3!"
"2!"
Sun Jian raised three fingers and pointed to the sky.
Everyone was surprised by his unusual way of praying for rain. Before they could react, Sun Jian's last cry had already landed.
"1!"
Sizzle~
The fuse burned quickly to the end, followed by a loud "bang!" that, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, resounded through the heavens, making everyone tremble instantly.
The timid were so frightened that their legs went weak and they collapsed to the ground in terror.
It's fair to say that everyone present, except for Sun Jian, was startled by the sudden sound.
The artificial rain truck, disguised as a wooden platform, suddenly unleashed a powerful blast of air, kicking up clouds of dust.
Because Li Kuangyou, Lin Chengdu, and Fang Wenyue were not evacuated from their original locations, only the others were evacuated.
When the powerful shockwave swept in, the three of them were instantly engulfed in a large amount of dust and thrown away together.
"Bang!"
The shell soared into the sky, followed by another deafening roar that shook the heavens and the earth.
Not only the people outside the East Gate, but even those inside and outside the Imperial Palace deep within the capital city heard the deafening sound.
Many ordinary people, officials, and even members of the Sun family outside the East City were too frightened to move by the two loud bangs.
In this era, such a sound was something they had never heard before, far surpassing even the sound of grenades that Lao Jiang, Lao Cao, and others had previously witnessed in Sunjiazhuang.
People are afraid of the unknown, and everyone froze in place, staring intently at the sky.
Sun Jian's lips curled into a smile as he thought to himself, "After a regular artificial rainmaking bomb is launched, it needs to combine with the clouds and change their physical state before it starts to rain for half an hour."
But his artificial rain bomb was an enhanced version, and if he was not mistaken, it would definitely start to rain in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Sure enough, as everyone's eyes were fixed on the sky, dark clouds began to gradually form.
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