Chapter Thirty: Gunpowder, Steel Refining, and Gun Manufacturing

  In the 6th year of Daye, that is, in AD 610, five years had passed since Li Jiancheng and Li Yuan's conversation in the study. Things were just as Li Jiancheng said, those who were close to the former crown prince were either killed or transferred, and now only those who were close to Yang Guang and neutral factions like Li Yuan and the Dugu family remained. Of course, the days of the neutral faction were not easy either. Only the Yuwen family was close to Yang Guang, so their family power grew stronger and stronger. As for the Song family in Lingnan, it was a case of "heaven is high and the emperor is far away", no one could control them. Li Yuan had been taking a low-key approach under Li Jiancheng's suggestion, and now Li Jiancheng was 14 years old. According to the customs of this era, he would be eligible for marriage at the age of 15, which means that next year he could marry Dugu Feng. As Dugu Feng grew older, she became more and more elegant, but her dependence on him remained unchanged.

  "Big brother, what are you thinking?" Li Jiancheng, who was sitting in the hall deep in thought, was suddenly interrupted by a voice. He looked up to see Li Yuanji, who was very close to him, just like in the books. However, as Li Shimin grew older, although their relationship didn't change, he felt that it lacked some closeness. Li Xiuning also stuck to Li Shimin every day, which made him feel helpless. Only Li Yuanbao, who was now 7 years old, rarely did anything except practice martial arts, so he treated both Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin the same.

  "It's nothing, just thinking about how fast time has passed, you're all so big now. In the past, you all followed me and wanted to run out and play with me, haha." Li Jiancheng said with a smile.

  "It's still more interesting to follow the eldest brother. The second brother and Xiuning don't know what they're doing reading books every day, now they have a bookworm air about them all day, humph!" Li Yuanji said discontentedly of Li Shimin and Li Xiuning.

  "Big brother." Li Xiu Ning, who was walking towards the hall, called out to Li Jian Cheng, then turned around and said to Li Yuan Ji: "Third brother, you like to practice martial arts and have fun, while I and second brother like to read books. Everyone has different pursuits, so why do you always have opinions about us?"

  "Hmph!" Li Yuangui couldn't outtalk Li Xiuning every time, so he just grunted and turned his head away.

  "Alright, you two stop arguing. I have something to do and will be going out for a bit, probably won't be back for lunch. Tell mom about it." Li Jiancheng interrupted them saying.

  "Big brother, why don't you take me with you?" Li Yuangui pleaded.

  "I'll go and do something, next time I go out to play, I'll bring you along." Li Jiancheng said as he walked out directly.

  "Third brother, where did the eldest brother go? Every month there is one or two mysterious times. Why don't we follow him again?" Li Xiuning suggested as soon as she saw the eldest brother leave.

  "You go yourself, big brother doesn't mind scolding you, but it's not the same for me." Li Yuanni said with a pout. To know that the first time following big brother, wanting to know what big brother was going to do, because he wasn't very careful, he was immediately discovered by big brother and scolded severely. Li Xiuning, being the only daughter among many children in the family, was only reprimanded a couple of times. Therefore, every time she saw big brother secretly doing something, she would instigate Li Yuanni to follow him. Li Yuanni knew that he would be treated differently, so he wouldn't dare to follow and get scolded. Every time, Li Xiuning would call Li Yuanni a "coward", Li Yuanni could only swallow his anger and not argue with her. Every time, Li Xiuning would stomp her feet in frustration and then go back to her room to read books and practice sword fighting.

  "Built, today came again!" Entering the residence next to the wine house, He Qing arrived in a short while. Nowadays, He Qing is already in her thirties, but perhaps due to good maintenance, she still looks like she's in her early twenties. Similarly, Xie Wen, Li Bing, and Ye Ying are all about the same, but Li Jiancheng always feels that they need to find a man to rely on for life to be harmonious and meaningful. He has suggested this privately before, but they all say it's not urgent! In today's era, we haven't entered the Southern Song Dynasty of Zhu Xi yet, otherwise, one ceremony might require women to follow the virtuous path for their entire lives. However, he is puzzled by what Zhu Xi said: "Restrict human desires and maintain heavenly principles!" But how did he do it? For his own desires, he even had a nun; this kind of person can be called a typical hypocrite! Perhaps Li Bing and Ye Ying are easier to talk about, without children they're easy to find, but He Qing and Xie Wen have children, so it's different. Who knows if after finding a man, he will treat the child well? Moreover, with their current situation, aren't they afraid of not being able to find a man? Since the wages of the small staff at this wine house were made public, many people came to our wine house to sign up. Of course, Li Jiancheng won't randomly accept them; what if an undercover agent appears? Therefore, after some time, some people gave up, while those with ulterior motives continued to try. Some even used bribery, but the lower-level staff didn't know about the backstage boss and specific operations, while the higher-level staff were all women without much desire. Li Jiancheng's relationship with the few women was so harmonious that there was no need to betray them for money; besides, how much could those people offer? The wages and benefits of working at the wine house for a year can make one worry-free for life. Even if not thinking about oneself, one should think about future generations, because Li Jiancheng established a rule: priority is given to hiring employees who are children or grandchildren of current hotel staff. Nowadays, those who pass the imperial examination will also be sponsored by our store to study and take the exam. These conditions have come out, who wouldn't be moved? Which person doesn't want to bring glory to their ancestors? Therefore, his wine house has never had a betrayal incident; this can't help but be called a miracle.

  "Just drop by and take a look, you've already done enough, there's nothing I need to say." Li Jiancheng praised.

  "Haha, you always know how to make things sound good!" He Qing said with a smile, as she pulled out a letter and continued: "My father sent this. The letter says that the orphans' array techniques are now almost fully practiced." Over the past few years, his internal energy technique from the "Long Life Secret Book" had reached the fifth level, after which progress slowed down. His martial arts skills were now considered second-rate in the Jianghu world. However, with the coordination of his internal energy technique, the power of his three sword techniques - Guan Chao, Wang Yue, and Yang Ri - was quite formidable. Additionally, he had learned the Tian Di Ren San Cai array and the Di Feng Shui Huo Si Xiang array, which were much more powerful than his previous Yi Zi Chang She array and Er Long Chu Shui array. So, two years ago, he had taken out the Yi Zi Chang She array and Er Long Chu Shui array to train the orphans under the leadership of the generals. Although these orphans could not reach the standards of special forces from their past lives due to a lack of equipment and medicinal materials, they were still quite skilled. After all, they could still use martial arts techniques, which made up for some of their shortcomings.

  Li Jiancheng took the letter and roughly read it, which recorded two things. One was about the orphans practicing formations; the other was about the alchemists, blacksmiths, and craftsmen that had been found before. By now, some of those with poor character had already been eliminated, leaving only those who were good in nature. He had written down the proportions for gunpowder two years ago, letting the alchemists study it; then he wrote down the method for refining steel, letting the blacksmiths figure it out. According to his memories from past lives, Taiyuan had coal mines such as Dongshan, Duerping, Guandi, Ximing, Xixia, and Nanyu, but whether they were still called that now he didn't know. Anyway, he pointed out their approximate locations, letting them use these coal mines to refine iron and extract better quality steel; as for the carpenters, he drew diagrams of fire guns and had them manufacture them. He wasn't worried about these people leaking this information out - first, they still didn't understand the uses of these things; second, he bought a large piece of land in Taiyuan and settled them there, with the orphans on the outside and them on the inside, serving as protection and surveillance. As for the orphans, there was no need to worry about them - they had been bullied before, but now not only were they fed and clothed, they could also read literature and martial arts; it could be said that their current lives were like heaven compared to hell. For these young ones, the boss who brought them such a life was like a reborn father and mother, so there was no reason for betrayal.

  Li Jiancheng burned the letter after reading it and said to He Qing: "I trust Auntie He to handle things, and remember to keep it confidential, absolutely cannot leak it out." He emphasized again.

  He Jing was always puzzled as to why Li Jiancheng had to keep these things secret, but since the boss said so, she would go and do it.

  After chatting casually for a while, Li Jiancheng returned home. When he arrived at the hall, Li Yu had also arrived home. However, when Li Jiancheng saw Li Yu's furrowed brow, it seemed like something else had happened?