Si Xitong said, "I blamed her; she's afraid of me."
Actually, it had nothing to do with Anyi. Si Xitong was just reminding her not to go out with Xie Lanzhi during this period, so that neither of them would get into trouble.
Si Xitong picked up the memorial and glanced at it, learning the identities of the group of Mohist disciples.
"Lan Zhi discovered that they were all apprentice disciples, disciples who came specifically to explore geology."
They were a group of geological experts. Xie Lanzhi asked, "So, are they actually of any use to you?"
Si Xitong said, "Arrest them and send them to Tianjing. Lu Qing will then know their true worth."
"Moreover, he was sent by the leader of the Mohist school."
Even trainee disciples are much better than ordinary people.
Xie Lanzhi couldn't help but sigh again: "I suddenly realized that I'm not actually that unlucky."
As soon as she finished speaking, a mouse and its family of eight suddenly scurried past her feet and escaped through a mouse hole, startling her so much that she stood on tiptoe.
Seeing this, Si Xitong couldn't help but rub her forehead: "This is the good luck you were talking about."
"Yes, it is a bit troublesome," Xie Lanzhi said awkwardly.
At this time, the newly promoted army discovered through secret agents that this group of Mo family disciples led by Aza were indeed trainee disciples, and even majored in geology, but they did not say what else they were good at.
Li Fuyi then suggested leaving the people in Huayin Kingdom to find coal mines for them.
The newly promoted army suggested that the matter be relayed to Si Xitong, who then ordered the new army to send the people back to the new Tianjing the next day, to be kept under the care of the Western Guard.
Si Xitong attached great importance to these trainee children.
The next day, no sooner had Aza and the others been sent away than Si Xitong began to hand over the affairs of Jinghua Prefecture. She planned to take Lanzhi back to Tianjing and first find Zhaixinglou to cleanse Lanzhi's luck.
Three days later.
The Ministry of Works of the new Tianjing received a group of special prisoners, and Wei Zhao personally led Lu Qing to identify them.
Unexpectedly, when Lu Qing arrived at the Ministry of Works and met Azha, she was immediately shocked: "You are not from the motherland, so how did you get captured and brought here?"
Aza was overjoyed when he saw Lu Qing: "Master's wife, it was Master who sent us to Huayin Kingdom to find coal mines. I never expected that Lord Anshan would run away with the boat without even notifying us."
"We wanted to stay for a few days, take the opportunity to go to Lu and then to Yue to return to our motherland, but no one expected that the Xie clan's leader would get lost and expose our whereabouts."
Lu Qing listened and then said, "..."
"We've had such bad luck lately."
Lu Qing looked at her husband's disciples with pity, wanting to say, "It's not that you're unlucky, it's that you've been plagued by bad luck. That bad luck is the Xie family patriarch you've been talking about."
"Now that you're all here, feel free to stay in New Tianjing."
Lu Qing told them about the importance she had gained and hoped they wouldn't think about their motherland, but stay in Tianjing. Tianjing had abundant resources, advanced technology, and the Five Great Gates. As long as they passed the exams, they could become officials in the Ministry of Works.
Aza and the others were originally apprentices, and their skills were not as extensive as those of the formal disciples. They were sent here because they were not valued. If the Grand Master had not informed the King, the King might not have paid any attention to them at all.
"Madam, is it alright if we stay here...?"
Twenty years ago, the persecution of Mohist disciples by the retired emperor was still horrifying.
Lu Qing reassured them, "Don't worry, Her Highness is different from the Emperor Emeritus. Her Highness has inherited the late Emperor's will."
Aza and the others couldn't help but feel much relieved.
When Wei Zhao, the Minister of Works, came over, he impatiently asked everyone, "What are your skills? If you are, come and help me!"
He had just reached the target production of thirty shells a month, but the quality was still insufficient and required repeated testing. Now was the time to catch up on the schedule, and Wei Zhao, with a "nothing to lose" mentality, asked Azha and others for help.
Aza and the others could only nod and follow Wei Zhao. The various laboratories of the Ministry of Works were bustling with activity, even more so than usual.
Azar witnessed firsthand how the Ministry of Works experimented with explosive weapons and how ruthlessly they squandered money. He had only ever seen such scenes in his motherland before; he never imagined he would witness them in Tianjing.
Wei Zhao had heard that Azha and the others were all trainee children, so he didn't have high hopes to begin with. After all, there's a big difference between being a formal trainee and a trainee.
He miscalculated.
Aza and the others claimed to be apprentices, yet one of them concocted gunpowder with a power greater than Wei Zhao's own. Others, who claimed ignorance of cannons, created cannon barrels with even greater precision than theirs.
Furthermore, they temporarily assembled a cannon that could be pushed by wheels. Wei Zhao personally went to test it at the firing range, and it exploded with a bang, proving extremely accurate within 150 meters.
Wei Zhao was so surprised that his mouth remained open, and his jaw could hardly close.
Aza continued, "I... I'm not very good at it. The boss never lets me touch firearms."
Then he made a double-barreled cannon. Although the power was insufficient and scattered when it was fired, it still blasted a crater when it landed.
"What a talent!" Wei Zhao exclaimed excitedly, pointing at him before fainting.
Chapter 152 Finally Back in Tianjing
When news of the trainee disciples' performance reached Xie Lanzhi's ears, she couldn't help but pinch her earlobe to make sure she hadn't misheard. She asked the spy again, "Can they really assemble the cannon?"
The spy said, "Reporting to the Marshal, it is said that they modified it based on your drawings. The man named Aza said that in the Hu-Xiong Mo Sect, they specialize in making artifacts based on blueprints. Because they are apprentice disciples, they have no right to conduct independent research and development."
She was just picking up a group of apprentices, not true elites. However, being able to modify suitable firearms based on her blueprints meant she could be considered a skilled craftswoman.
This perfectly complements her shortcomings; she can only draw but not build, so having this group of apprentice disciples who perfectly replicate her work is like adding wings to a tiger.
Afterwards, the secret agent asked Si Xitong whether he should return to New Tianjing.
This was also Zhang Changle's request. Since Si Xitong delegated authority to him, he had devoted himself to recruiting talents from all over the country, then intensified their training and dispatched them to various regions. The latest list of Xiwei personnel has surged to five thousand, spread across various countries, with the furthest being the coastal country of Yue.
Si Xitong obtains a list of secret figures, their portraits, and their backgrounds. She appoints officials based on their abilities, with the highest level of power reaching the seventh-rank county magistrate.
The seventh-rank spies were assigned according to the governor's duties. Their special task was to investigate and promote officials.
The fact that many members of the Si clan had submitted to the Jin dynasty made Si Xitong more complacent, but there were still some with treacherous ambitions, so she remained extremely cautious. She would nip any potential trouble in the bud.
Si Xitong conveyed to his secret agent the message that he would return to the capital in ten days. The agent disappeared overnight.
The current delicate balance in Huayin Kingdom, coupled with her presence in Jinghua Prefecture, inevitably sparks speculation among various nations.
The fame of the new Tianjing and the Nine Jin states spread far and wide. The new Tianjing originally gained its power because of the Xie family. Although the Xie family was not clean, they were at least clear-headed in important matters and knew that stability was the most important thing. Therefore, the people of Tianjing and the various Jin states were generally stable, at least unlike the past two years when they were like bandits, fighting and killing each other at the drop of a hat, and many innocent people lost their lives.
The Nine Provinces are now more prominent than the new Tianjing, and the Xie family is also gaining attention, but their reputation as a family of misfortune is too great. As a result, many places are avoiding the Xie family like the plague.
There's even a folk saying that people with weak birth charts shouldn't hang around Xie family members, or they'll surely have bad luck, while those with strong birth charts can even ward off a gust of wind.
Many members of the Xie family believed this and specifically sought out people with strong birth charts to ward off misfortune. They spent huge sums of money to reduce coal disposal, thus supporting numerous funeral organizations. There were also various other folk sects.
Because the Xie family had relaxed their border controls, allowing 300,000 people to enter the Nine Jin region, they unexpectedly benefited from this misfortune, recruiting military families who had fled from various countries. Even from small countries, these families of military leaders were considered elite troops and capable generals.
In particular, these 50,000 newly recruited troops also possess the ability to engage in warfare, which greatly enhances Si Xitong's strength.
"Lanzhi, the forces supported by Huayin Kingdom are still new and their loyalty is not firm. We can only rely on Jinghua Prefecture to tug at the cost of Huayin Kingdom." Si Xitong said about his plan: "Going north will lead to Hu Xiongnu Kingdom."
"We need to create a united front against a powerful enemy abroad."
Xie Lanzhi agreed with her approach: "Hu Xiong is a big target, so why not use him?"
Si Xitong had this intention, and his subordinates naturally knew what to do. Because of their master's leniency towards the people, the subordinates also knew that the small fry left by the Hun people in Huayin Kingdom were useless. If they were used, they might disrupt the order of the lower classes and be severely punished by their master.
So, the subordinates created a real hypothetical enemy, telling everyone that the Hu and Xiongnu would invade Huayin at any time, crush Huayin, and that would mean the true destruction of the country and the extinction of the race.
The Huns had already mined enough coal and no longer needed the Huayin Kingdom.
The newly formed army and the ancestors of the Huayin Kingdom share the same lineage; they are both from the Central Plains. It is crucial to clarify who the real external enemy is.
Perhaps it was because the people of Huayin deeply resented the Hu and Xiongnu that these words, whether true or false, immediately became a powerful force of public condemnation, with everyone vehemently criticizing the crimes committed by the Hu and Xiongnu in Huayin.
The newly recruited army left behind in Huayin Kingdom never expected that overnight, their spears would be turned against the Hu and Xiongnu.
The departure date for returning to Tianjing was set for ten days later, and Xie Lanzhi seemed quite relaxed. Her little phoenix, on the other hand, was extremely busy, and at the same time, the little phoenix's experience in politics was also rapidly increasing.
She already thought Little Phoenix had mastered her craft, and now she was even more adept at using political tactics than before.
Her imagined enemy was very effective, and she also won over the local gentry.
At the same time, news came that Wei Zhao had successfully achieved a monthly production of thirty shells, and Si Xitong specially sent a batch over by secret agents for testing.
The test firing will take place at the main palace in Huayin, where the new emperor, Anqing, will personally light the cannon.
Anqing obeyed the order and fired the cannon, which directly destroyed the artificial hill in Huayin National Flower Garden. The artificial hill was three meters high in total, but after it was destroyed, it was only one meter high.
The news of this experiment spread throughout the entire Huayin Kingdom, deterring the restless Huayin people.
While everyone in Huayin was gripped by panic over the cannonball, Xie Lanzhi and Si Xitong, along with the women of Anyi, had already set off. They would travel by gallery-themed treasure ship to the State of Lu, and then by special carriage. The carriage traveled very fast on the newly paved cement road in Lu, though the horses struggled to run, not quite used to the cement road.
Xie Lanzhi felt that the carriage was moving very smoothly and without any bumps. She thought that next time she should draw the bicycle and tricycle, so that it would be more convenient for one person to ride them.
She was already quite eager to experience the feeling of modern off-road cycling.
Xie Lanzhi couldn't help but hum, and although she was off-key, all three people in the carriage could tell that she was happy.
An Yi couldn't help but look at him with admiration. His brother-in-law was so unlucky, yet he could still laugh.
Azi couldn't help but scrutinize her brother-in-law, then looked at her sister, who held a chess manual in her hand, her brows furrowed with affection, her gaze fixed on her brother-in-law.
But the people in the carriage behind them, including Ma Hong, didn't think that way.
Ma Hong kept his distance with a heart full of fear, but he was also afraid that if he got too far away, the masters inside the carriage would also be in danger if something happened to them.
He traveled for three days straight without sleeping a wink, and now his eyelids are drooping.
The captain beside Ma Hong couldn't help but remind him, "General, your body won't be able to take this."
"Why don't you let your brother come over, and you can go downstairs and catch up on your sleep?"
Ma Hong immediately rebuked him angrily: "Nonsense! You have no idea how many people are affected by the Marshal's bad luck! What if, what if something happens to His Highness..."
As he spoke, his lips were practically fighting: "My Great Jin... is truly doomed!"
The captain and the Jin army:............
Inside the carriage, all was peaceful, but outside, the escorting army was trembling with fear.
On the fifth day, after switching between water and land routes, they finally arrived at the Tianjing district. After passing through Fengxi Town, Ma Hong was finally able to relax and get some sleep.
We can reach Tianjing City in another afternoon.
After Xie Lanzhi alighted from the carriage, she intended to go directly into the inn and have someone prepare some hot water. However, she was blocked in the street by someone covered in vegetable leaves and whose black armor, Xie Junxuan, was vaguely recognizable.
Xie Lanzhi was immediately stunned; it was the uniform of her personal guards.
Why does he look like a beggar? No, it's more like he's being paraded through the streets.