Chapter 3: The Expectations of Emperor Song Zong

  The Song Dynasty's technology was highly developed, leading the trend of the times. The Military Equipment Bureau was similar to a modern engineering academy, and its skilled craftsmen were equivalent to modern academicians, each with their own strengths.

  It was such a good craftsman, but he was actually blown to death. This news made Emperor Song Zong somewhat hard to believe. He suddenly stood up and loudly asked: "What did you say? Say it again! The good craftsman was blown to death? Impossible!"

  "It's true, absolutely true! That one explosion was too much, the corpse was blown to pieces, just like it had been ravaged by a demon!" The eunuch replied with great care, suppressing his shock.

  "Really? Lead the way!" The Thunderbolt General's words were of great importance, and Emperor Song Shen-zong wanted to see it for himself before saying anything.

  Eunuch Ying responded with a sound, and hastily led the way in front. Emperor Song Shenzong followed the eunuch as they went along. The two of them arrived at an open area, where from far away they could smell the bloody stench that filled the air. Emperor Song Shenzong couldn't help but wrinkle his nose.

  A crowd of people gathered there, including eunuchs, servants, skilled craftsmen and soldiers, all pointing and talking incessantly.

  When Emperor Song Zong arrived, they made way for him. Emperor Song Zong took a closer look and was shocked to see a mutilated corpse lying on the ground, with limbs severed and scattered everywhere. Both arms were gone, there was a huge hole in the chest, internal organs were shattered, half of the head was missing, and brain matter was splattered all over the place.

  This scene, Song Shenong had never seen or heard of before. His eyes were wide open, even bigger than a cow's eyes, staring at the dead body for half a day before he came back to his senses: "Was it really blown up by thunderbolt?"

  "Your Honor, it's absolutely true! After receiving the imperial edict, he originally wanted to dismantle it in the house, but changed his mind at the last minute and came to this open area to dismantle it. Not long after, he was blown to death." The eunuch hastily replied, pointing to the ground: "Your Honor, you didn't see that when the explosion occurred, a huge fireball appeared, burning the ground black. If he had dismantled it in the house, who knows, maybe..."

  He didn't dare say another word, and just looked around at the palace buildings with a terrified expression. The implication was that if they were to dismantle it inside, it could easily cause a great fire and burn down the imperial palace. But this was something he wouldn't dare say even if you killed him.

  He didn't say it, but Song Shen Zong could also think of it, and couldn't help but feel a chill on his back. Fortunately, this good fellow was quick-witted, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable. If the imperial palace caught fire, what then?

  "This Wu Xiucai!" Song Shenong's face turned white and green, venting a mouthful of resentment on Wu Ji's head.

  "Haha! The more powerful the better!" Suddenly, Song Godong burst out laughing again, with a joyful expression on his face. He examined the corpse for a while: "I know what it's like to be blown up! Hmm, not bad at all! Being blown up on the Liao dog is also like this! Come on, give him a grand burial! And find a few more good workers!"

  Song Shenzong was not one to give up easily, he had made up his mind to crack the secret of the thunderbolt bomb. Unfortunately, several top-notch craftsmen racked their brains and tried every possible method, but none succeeded in cracking it. In the end, Song Shenzong reluctantly gave up on the idea, despite being extremely unwilling to do so.

  "This Wu Xiucai!" Song Shen Zong shook his head in exasperation.

  Wu Jie and Song Shen Zong ended this round of verbal sparring with Wu Jie emerging completely victorious.

  Song God Emperor stared blankly at the thunderbolt shell, and suddenly his eyes shone brightly, saying with great expectation: "This thing will eventually spread out, Yelü Hongji got it, and will definitely disassemble it. Will he blow that thing up? Yelü Hongji, you stole that thing from the military equipment supervisor, if you blew it up, what would you look like? Haha!"

  Song Emperor Shenzong was in a great mood, returned to the Jiying Hall, sat back on the precious throne, picked up his pen and annotated Zheng Taizhen's memorial, handed it over to the eunuch and said: "Hand over Zheng Taizhen's memorial to Wang Shao, use his deputy chief of the Secretariat's name to issue an order, promote Wu Ji as the commander-in-chief of the military camp in Guishen."

  "Ah!" The eunuch exclaimed in surprise, his mouth agape. He hastily added, "Your Honor, I shouldn't have spoken out of turn. But, for a small battalion commander, is it necessary to use the vice director of the Imperial Secretariat's letter? Isn't that too high up?"

  "What do you know?" Song Shen Zong disagreed: "This Wu Xiū Cái is not simple! Do you know what abilities Wu Xiū Cái has? He's bold and resourceful, using just over twenty people to annihilate the Liú Fēng thieves. His mind is quick-witted. Moreover, he's skilled in craftsmanship and can make thunderbolt projectiles. Zheng Tai repeatedly said that this Wu Xiū Cái is well-versed in military strategy. What do you think is the essence of using troops?"

  "This... how could a little one like you know?" The eunuch was stunned and didn't understand.

  "Four words: take advantage of the situation! Song God Emperor nodded in approval: "The use of troops is no more than these four words! However, a true general is one who emerges from battle, not from reading military books. As for this Wu Xiucai, whether he has the talent to be a general or not, I will put him in charge of defending the border. It won't take long before I find out. The Liao State often invades our borders, if he truly has the talent, he should give me a pleasant surprise!"

  "Eunuch, you're really putting your heart into it!" The eunuchs were all somewhat moved.

  "Shao Jiu, you have followed me for many years, and I know that you understand my mind. I want to destroy Liao and Xia, one Wang Shao is not enough, I need many more like him! If this Wu Xiucan truly has the talent of a general, I will naturally reuse him. You send someone to keep an eye on Wu Xiucan, every move he makes, I want to know about it." Song Shen Zong's eyebrows rose, and his eyes shone brightly: "Only that which can withstand the fire of refinement is true gold!"

  XXXXXX

  Gui Xing, Wu Ji's mansion.

  Wu Ji had not yet officially taken office, but he was making preparations. In the past few days, he studied the military laws and current situation of the Song army. The more he studied, the more frightened he became. Being a general or officer in the Song Dynasty was the most lucrative position, with countless benefits.

  Wu Jie simply summarized that there are several benefits: First, you don't have to die in battle, just need to retreat and flatter well, still high-ranking officials with thick rewards, no worries about life.

  Two, can deduct military pay, fill private pockets, accumulate millions of family wealth, without any problem.

  Three, can oppress the soldiers and let them serve as free slaves for themselves, eating and drinking at the expense of the Song Dynasty, but doing hard work for the general without spending a single penny, with countless benefits, more cost-effective than raising slaves.

  Four, under the guise of the military, can openly do business, no one dares to ask, no one dares to say, this is called Hui Yi, a characteristic of the Song Dynasty.

  Modern military officers, compared to those in the Song Dynasty, are like being roasted in hell, with military law constraining them at every turn. Once they violate military discipline, they will be sent to a military tribunal.

  In the Song Dynasty, there was no such thing. Even if you made a big mistake, as long as you flattered well and found a backer, your life would still be carefree and easy, with high-ranking positions and generous salaries not being a problem.

  "My goodness! Is this an army? This is a nursing home!" Wu Jiaming suddenly understood the situation of the Song army and couldn't help but feel dizzy. With such officers, it's no wonder that even small feudal lords can do as they please.

  "I may not be a hero, nor do I have a fearless heart, but when it comes to fighting, I just can't bring myself to flee. This kind of advantage is better left untouched. Embezzling military pay and lining one's own pockets is also something I won't do. Silver is a good thing, but as the saying goes, 'a gentleman loves wealth, but takes it in a righteous way.' Although I'm not a gentleman, I still can't bring myself to do such things."

  Wu Jie began to sort out the benefits one by one, and snorted at them: "Oppressing soldiers, making them work as slaves for me, has great benefits for the development of Wu's military industry. But this is not my character, so forget it. Hmm, this time the easy way is a good thing, I can use it. With this easy method, Wu's military industry will be legitimate, and we will make a big deal out of selling military equipment! Not only do we need to make thunderbolt shells, but also bows, crossbows, knives, and guns. In this era, we still can't get rid of these cold weapons for the time being. Although the profit is not as good as the thunderbolt shell, it wins in quantity, and the more you sell, the more you earn."

  When these two are combined, Wu's military industry will be unparalleled!

  A new week has begun, seeking collection, recommendation, and clicks, thank you!