Chapter 143 Believe in Science! 55
"Mr. Weisheng deserves great credit for defending the city this time. Once the situation stabilizes, he will surely be promoted step by step. I would like to congratulate him in advance."
Once one person tries to get close to you and offer congratulations, another will naturally follow.
There aren't many high-ranking positions available for craftsmen, but Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu is different. He's not just a craftsman; his farming skills are undeniable, and he has also earned the praise of that person. Putting everything else aside, he is absolutely qualified to be the Grand Minister of Agriculture.
The person who offered congratulations first thought that, not counting now, Wei Sheng's official position would definitely be higher than his in the future, so referring to himself as "this humble official" now would be considered obsequious... But it doesn't matter, didn't you see that several people around him said the same thing?
Even Liu Bang's own brother referred to himself as "little brother" and offered his congratulations, so their actions were nothing special.
Amidst the continuous congratulations, Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu, caught between maintaining his aloof persona and exchanging a few pleasantries, chose to maintain his aloofness while offering a few brief responses.
"You're too kind. It's just a strange and ingenious skill, and I don't deserve such praise from you all."
In everyone's eyes, this was already a rare long sentence that they could understand, and no one cared about Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu's slightly indifferent attitude.
It's normal for talented people to have some temper.
So Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu's aloofness didn't stop him from being surrounded by a group of people. Besides various polite exchanges, there was also curiosity about how the cannon was made. Although he had witnessed gunpowder explosions before, there was still some difference between that and the way cannons fire projectiles.
I don't understand, I really don't understand.
Forget it, it's obviously not something they could understand anyway.
Fortunately, some people got the hang of it and the conversation eventually turned to that person. They wanted to see what kind of image that person had in the eyes of a genius.
"So, Mr. Weisheng, do you think the Crimson Dragon and Vermilion Bird that day were real or fake?"
It's no wonder they questioned it repeatedly; the holographic projection used by Zhu Qing'ai was just too realistic. The effect was on a completely different level from naked-eye 3D. Even modern people would be confused by it, let alone these people from the pre-Qin era.
Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu paused. Of course he knew it was fake. He knew more about Zhu Qing Ai than anyone else. But would a good host undermine the system? Obviously not.
His statement was completely consistent with Zhu Qing'ai's: "Since He said it, it must be a false image, not real."
"Moreover, that person also said that there are no gods, immortals, or divine beasts in the world."
Some people still wouldn't give up: "That...that person, isn't he...a deity?"
Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu looked at this 'stubborn' person with a serious expression and said earnestly:
“There is no God,” he paused, then added, “Believe in science!”
After saying that, Wei Shengjiujiu turned and left. He had to run while the others were still thinking about what he had said. Socializing was much harder than doing scientific research.
Micro Life Ninety-Nine: Host sighs (jpg)
"Hey! What is science?"
Those who have come back want to ask what MicroLife 99 Science is, but after looking around, they find that MicroLife 99 is nowhere to be seen.
Someone else tentatively suggested, "This science must be the so-called knowledge of gunpowder."
"That science is really good, but unfortunately I'm stupid. I didn't understand the so-called principle that Mr. Weisheng mentioned before."
The remaining people didn't speak; in fact, they didn't understand either.
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After entering Guanzhong, Liu Bang was busy figuring out how to deal with Xiang Yu, but he also sent a message to the King of Chu, as he could not forget the throne he longed for.
After the battle was over and he had some free time, Liu Bang calculated the days and realized that the timing was wrong; the decree from the King of Chu to confer the title of king had not yet arrived.
That's understandable, though. With Xiang Yu blocking the way before, the messenger would probably have died unexpectedly on the way.
So Liu Bang sent someone to find the King of Chu again. No matter what the situation was, he had to make the King of Chu remember the promise. If the King of Chu really intended to go back on his word, he wouldn't need to pretend anymore. He could just declare himself king and that would be the one in the right.
The one sent out was Li Shiqi. After his last risky mission, he was given a good official position. This time, he was quite familiar with the process. He bid farewell to Liu Bang and embarked on his journey back east.
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Xiang Yu and Liu Bang sent their messengers one after the other, so the order in which the messengers arrived was also one after the other.
Contrary to Liu Bang's expectations, the envoy sent by the King of Chu to confer the title of king was not intercepted by Xiang Yu, because the King of Chu had not sent an envoy at all. He was still struggling with his decision, just like someone with decision-making difficulties.
However, the real reason was actually to observe. He could see that Xiang Yu and Liu Bang were not on good terms, and he also heard that even though Liu Bang had entered Guanzhong first, Xiang Yu did not give up, but instead accelerated his army to Guanzhong.
The King of Chu was not stupid; he knew that there would be more wrangling between the two, and even if they didn't fight, things probably wouldn't be much better.
Rather than directly granting him the title of king and offending Xiang Yu, it would be better to let them determine who is superior first.
Even so, he still leaned slightly towards Liu Bang, since someone like Xiang Yu was difficult to control.
Compared to Liu Bang, who appeared kind and benevolent but was at most a bit lecherous, the King of Chu would rather not have a troublemaker like Xiang Yu under his command, and of course, he would be even less willing to have such a troublemaker as a fellow feudal lord.
The news that King Chu received first came from Xiang Yu. After hearing the report, he was quite shocked. The story of the Black Bird of Heaven descending to give birth to the Shang Dynasty could only be considered a legend.
However, the appearance of the Red Dragon and the Vermilion Bird in Xianyang City a few days ago was witnessed by many people. King Chu did not say whether he believed it or not, but even if such a thing was false or a rumor, it was still something that Liu Bang created for his own ambition.
The King of Chu understood what Xiang Yu meant: to make him realize Liu Bang's ambition, which was now blatantly obvious.
Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to believe it directly. He also had people in both Xiang Yu's and Liu Bang's armies. Although they weren't in important positions and didn't have access to important information, he could still find out the rumors deliberately spread by such people.
The King of Chu decided to wait a little longer until his men sent back the message.
Two days later, the first to arrive were not his men, but an envoy sent by Liu Bang. The envoy's words were full of inquiries about the promises made by the King of Chu.
The King of Chu tried to delay for a while, using the excuse that he hadn't decided what title to bestow upon Liu Bang, and barely managed to get away with it. However, this wouldn't last more than a few days.
Inside his palace, the King of Chu paced back and forth restlessly, finding each person too troublesome.
Two more days passed, and King Chu received confirmation that Xiang Yu said it was indeed true. Rumors circulated that a red dragon and a vermilion bird had appeared above Xianyang City, and even the King Chu's own men said it was true.
However, the King of Chu refused to believe it. If what happened that day was true, if the divine beast was really proclaiming that Liu Bang's destiny had appeared behind him, then what was he?
What are the feudal lords of the world anyway? Isn't it just that the emperor unifies the world again, leaving no place for the feudal states to exist?
Just then, Fan Zeng arrived in person. His arrival was at a different time than the messenger who had come a few days earlier, because he had discussed things with Xiang Yu for several more days. Now that he had arrived, he represented Xiang Yu's wishes.
Although Fan Zeng was honored by Xiang Yu as his "Uncle," he never showed any arrogance. He bowed respectfully to the King of Chu, saying, "Your subject Fan Zeng greets Your Majesty."
"No need for formalities." The King of Chu simply said two words and then fell silent. There were no other people in the room at the moment. He stared at Fan Zeng without speaking, waiting for Fan Zeng to lose his composure and speak first.
Fan Zeng did speak first, saying, "Although you have been defeated, you still have 300,000 troops under your command. Even if you have not achieved anything, you have worked hard along the way. None of the soldiers have any complaints. I think Your Majesty will not blame you for this."
The King of Chu found these words strange, as if Liu Bang was the target of attack and Xiang Yu was working for him, so he remained silent.
Fan Zeng then said, "General, I propose that you become emperor and then enfeoff Liu Bang as the King of Hanzhong, whose territory includes forty-one counties in Ba, Shu, and Hanzhong. Guanzhong can be enfeoffed to other meritorious individuals."
The King of Chu understood; he was still thinking about Guanzhong.
However, the King of Chu was reluctant to agree. Although it seemed like a promotion for him to become emperor, what was the difference between Xiang Yu supporting him as emperor and Xiang Liang supporting him as king back then?
Back then, he only held the title of royal descendant, while the real power was in Xiang Liang's hands. Now that he is King Huai of Chu, does he expect the real power to still be in Xiang Yu's hands?
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