Chen Zhennan looked at the 'cracked' grave and couldn't help but take two steps back. Although he was an atheist, this sudden scene was indeed chilling.
He swallowed hard, forcing himself to remain calm, and silently repeated to himself, "Science is the primary productive force."
The grave mound slowly opened, revealing a hidden tunnel entrance, from which a faint firelight flickered.
Chen Zhennan's eyes widened. He never expected that Feng Zirou would hide the item here. It was truly unexpected.
"Zirou, the place where you hide things is truly unexpected." Chen Zhennan smirked, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery.
Feng Zirou smiled slightly, a hint of smugness in her eyes: "General, this is called 'hiding the trees in the forest,' only a lunatic would come to a place like this."
Chen Zhennan narrowed his eyes slightly, "You're saying I'm mentally ill?"
"No, no, Commander, it's no fun to nitpick over words. I wasn't talking about you."
Chen Zhennan nodded, somewhat amused and exasperated. "Indeed, people who come to such hiding places are either looking for ghosts or worshipping them."
The two carefully entered the tunnel. The tunnel was not very wide, but it was wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
The firelight reflected off the walls, casting their shadows, making the atmosphere inside the tunnel even more mysterious and unpredictable.
"How deep is this tunnel?" Chen Zhennan asked as he walked, his voice echoing inside the tunnel.
"It has three floors in total. I built it to resemble an ant's nest, but due to time constraints, it's actually not very big."
As she spoke, Feng Zirou led Chen Zhennan to the innermost room, opened the door, but did not light the torch.
In the darkness, Chen Zhennan could only vaguely make out that the room was filled with bags of things by the faint light behind him.
"General, this contains all the gunpowder you need, a full thousand catties."
Chen Zhennan nodded slightly, "The quality of black powder is still not high enough. It's a pity that there's no time, otherwise I would definitely research smokeless powder."
"Smokeless gunpowder? What is that?"
"Nothing much, what else?"
Feng Zirou then took Chen Zhennan to another room, which contained boxes of varying sizes, and a number of iron pipes of uniform length in the corner.
Chen Zhennan walked to the lathe. He had it made three years ago, but unfortunately he had never used it.
Looking at the various tools and parts in the room, Chen Zhennan was ready to show off his skills.
"Zirou, leave me ten people and prepare enough water and food. I may have to stay here for the next three months."
Feng Zirou nodded emphatically. Although she didn't know what Chen Zhennan was planning, she could guess that it was related to that kind of firearm.
At midnight, Feng Zirou led dozens of people to the mass grave on the back mountain and carried all the water and food into the tunnel, making the tunnel crowded.
After leaving ten people behind, Feng Zirou led them away.
It goes without saying what Chen Zhennan was going to do; the purpose of the gunpowder and iron pipes was already clear. He then led ten of his men to begin manufacturing them in full swing.
...
In the capital of Dawu, at the imperial court, Li Yan had raised enough funds for the army, which was undoubtedly good news to Wu Yunyin.
She was very satisfied with Li Yan's performance, and she didn't care about the public's discontent, which was boiling over.
"Minister Li, you have done a great job. Did you all see that? Officials of my Great Wu should be like Li Yan, serving the Emperor wholeheartedly. Issue an imperial decree immediately to reward Li Yan with double salary and to bestow upon him the title of First-Class Duke!"
Upon hearing this, Li Yan hurriedly knelt down to express his gratitude, but there was no happy expression on his face.
In the imperial court, the other ministers were puzzled and disappointed by Li Yan's behavior.
No one expected that Li Yan, who was originally known for his integrity, would turn into a corrupt official who aided and abetted evildoers in just one month.
Others may not know, but Wang Chong is very clear that Li Yan has no other choice.
"Your Majesty, of the new recruits who were originally to join the army, there are now less than 80,000 left."
Wu Yunyin, who was originally in a good mood, frowned instantly upon hearing Wang Chong's words.
"What did you say? Didn't you already conscript over 200,000 soldiers? Now that the military pay has been collected, how come there are only 80,000 left?"
Wang Chong stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, the taxation has caused widespread resentment among the people. Many of the new recruits are from impoverished backgrounds, and after learning that their families were being forcibly taxed, they fled in large numbers."
Wu Yunyin flew into a rage, her face as dark as the clouds before a storm.
"Wang Chong, I order you to arrest all these unruly people. Anyone who dares to disobey will be executed without mercy."
Wang Chong was stunned upon hearing this. Forcibly conscripting soldiers was a major taboo; it could very well lead to a nationwide rebellion.
"Your Majesty, this...this, please reconsider. Re-conscription is acceptable, but killing is absolutely forbidden, as it could easily incite a popular uprising!" Wang Chong's voice trembled, his face filled with disbelief.
Wu Yunyin looked at him coldly, her tone carrying a clear threat: "Wang Chong, are you questioning my orders? My words are imperial edicts, do you dare disobey?"
"Your Majesty, forcibly conscripting soldiers may cause even greater unrest. I urge you..."
A hint of impatience flashed in Wu Yunyin's eyes. She waved her hand, interrupting Wang Chong.
"Wang Chong, if you dare to say another word, don't blame me for not showing any mercy. Your father has served the Great Wu for many years, and I do not want your Wang family to be ruined in my reign."
Wang Chong's face turned pale. Yes, his family had been loyal ministers for three generations, and he could not let his family's fortunes be ruined by Wu Yunyin!
Wang Chong received Wu Yunyin's decree, his heart filled with helplessness, but if he did not comply, he would only face death.
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