Chapter 1747: The Great Explosion in the Eastern Capital

While Han and Xiao were fretting over their unfulfilled desires, a violent series of explosions suddenly erupted from outside—thunderous, earth-shaking, one after another, so powerful that even the tables and chairs in the room seemed to tremble.

Both men were startled. Xiao Taling said, "What is this? Could it be an earthquake?"

"Doesn't seem like it!" Han Derang swept his gaze around, then pointed and said, "Let's go out and take a look!"

With that, the two hurried outside to observe. They were not the only ones alarmed—the entire guesthouse had erupted into a cacophony of voices, people craning their necks, looking around in confusion, exchanging bewildered glances, clearly unaware of what had happened.

Han Derang and Xiao Taling quickly climbed a viewing pavilion within the compound and looked down from above. The commotion came from the northeast, roughly two blocks away. The explosions continued unabated, one after another, each one like a thunderbolt hurled down from heaven.

Flames shot into the sky, nearly painting the entire night red. Thick smoke billowed upward as the fire spread. Though difficult to see clearly, the chaos was plainly visible, and faint wails drifting from afar made one's heart race with dread.

"This... what heavenly punishment has the Great Han incurred, for heaven to send such calamity?" Xiao Taling remarked with a sigh as he watched the distant commotion and spectacle.

Han Derang too stared in a daze, the dancing flames reflected in his eyes. "Their gunpowder arsenal must have exploded!" he said.

During the years of conflict with the Great Han, the Khitan had come to know something of the Han army's various weapons—the gunpowder arms among them. Xiao Taling had encountered these as well, and his remark carried more than a hint of schadenfreude.

Though the guesthouse was far away, given the force of the explosions and the spreading fire, it might not be entirely safe. Once the envoys and guests inside realized this, they grew restless.

Several officials of the guesthouse hurriedly appeared, leading their attendants to maintain order and reassure the envoys, while dispatching men to investigate the situation. Amid the panic and bustle, Han Derang shook his head and said quietly, "Come, let's return to our rooms. No need to add to their troubles."

As they descended the stairs, Han Derang paused mid-step and smiled bitterly once more. "Judging by the force of that explosion and fire, who knows how many houses have been destroyed, how many common folk have perished. Tonight will be a sleepless one. With matters so urgent, how can the Han court possibly spare us any attention?"

"Chancellor Han, in my view, we might as well return home!" Xiao Taling said with some indignation. "The Han court has no intention of accepting our submission. What point is there in our waiting here in vain? Besides, if you stay away from Mobei too long, changes are bound to occur!"

Han Derang's brows knit tightly. The opposition factions among the Khitan upper ranks in Mobei surfaced in his mind—those nobles who constantly sought to pull him down from his position. A faint shadow of unease crept into his thoughts.

Shaking his head slightly, Han Derang spoke with clear-headed sobriety: "This journey south to forge friendship is in truth an act of submission and peace-seeking—an initiative I strongly advocated. Even if most of the Mobei nobles agree, if we return empty-handed, we will inevitably hand them a handle against us.

In Mobei, Commissioner Yelu is holding things together. There should be no major problems—you and I can rest assured. Rather, it is precisely now that we absolutely cannot leave Kaifeng!"

"Why?" Xiao Taling asked.

Han Derang pointed toward the direction of the explosions and said gravely, "The cause of this incident is still unknown—whether it was an accident or deliberate sabotage remains to be investigated. If we rush off in haste, would that not invite suspicion?"

Xiao Taling was slightly startled, then quickly turned serious. "What Chancellor Han says is most true. If we get implicated, even with reason on our side we'd never be able to clear ourselves—we might even lose our lives!"

Han Derang nodded and instructed, "Have all our attendants remain in the guesthouse from now on. No one is to go out!"

"Yes!"

As Han Derang had guessed, the source of the trouble was indeed the city's gunpowder arsenal, located in Yanqing Ward in the southeastern part of the outer city. It had originally been a gunpowder workshop under the Weapons Directorate—also the largest gunpowder facility in the city.

In recent years, with gunpowder being employed on a large scale in military and engineering works, the court had invested heavily in expanding production. But as the scale grew, problems of management and storage followed in quick succession—especially safety concerns.

The gunpowder workshop was a highly classified military installation, and it had originally been built within the imperial city for the sake of secrecy. Later, however, this arrangement aroused worry and concern among many court officials. These were dangerous materials, and the outer city was home mostly to the powerful and privileged—how could the powerful be made to live alongside such hazards, especially the residents of Yanqing Ward?

Last year, someone suggested moving the gunpowder workshop out of the outer city, relocating it to the outer walls, or even beyond the Eastern Capital altogether. After detailed discussions, the proposal was submitted upward. At the suggestion of Crown Prince Liu Yang, Emperor Liu agreed—after all, keeping a workshop in the middle of the city really was unreasonable.

The relocation of the gunpowder workshop was thus settled. Not only that, various other workshops originally built in the inner city were also gradually moved out. Before the explosion occurred, the gunpowder workshop in Yanqing Ward had been almost entirely relocated, leaving only a few gunpowder storehouses that had not yet been cleared.

Yet it was precisely at this final stage that disaster struck. The cause of the explosion remained to be investigated, but the immediate priority was to rescue victims, extinguish the fire, and restore order as quickly as possible.

Yanqing Ward had become a sea of flames. The disaster came so suddenly that no one had time to react. Though isolation barriers had been set up outside the gunpowder storehouses, they ultimately could not hold back the bursting dragons of fire.

The officials and common folk dwelling there fled in panic. Those too slow to react were largely consumed by the flames and smoke. Those who managed to escape, even as they counted themselves lucky and caught their breath, could only watch helplessly as their homes and property were devoured.

Yanqing Ward had become a blazing hell, with the fire even threatening to spread northward into Yankang Ward. Fortunately, Patrol Inspector soldiers who rushed to the scene along with common folk who joined the firefighting efforts managed to hold the line. The officials and soldiers of the Eastern Capital were often slow to react in many matters, but in the face of a catastrophe like this, they proved remarkably efficient.

There was no helping it—when something this big happened, setting aside questions of accountability, actively distinguishing oneself through meritorious service was the most practical and necessary course. Large numbers of Patrol Inspector soldiers were battling the blaze, though under such a conflagration, the firefighting water vats kept on hand in the ward were utterly useless.

Soon, military-grade water skins were brought in, and bucket after bucket of river water was carried to the fire line. Fortunately, the Bian River was not far away, allowing water to be drawn on short notice—this saved considerable effort.

Patrol Inspector Zhang Yongde personally came to the front line of the firefighting efforts, overseeing the firefighting and rescue operations. Thanks to the swift and forceful response of the Patrol Inspector soldiers, the fire's spread outward from Yanqing Ward was finally brought under control.

They even pushed inward along the streets and residences, steadily compressing the fire's reach. Zhang Yongde walked deeper in, noting that the residences had been burned to varying degrees—but it was clear that if the fire were not promptly extinguished, the complete destruction of Yanqing Ward was inevitable.

Within the ward, smoke and flames licked the sky. Large numbers of Patrol Inspector soldiers set up ladders and used water skins to douse the burning houses. Seeing this scene, Zhang Yongde's expression was exceptionally grave. He spoke little, but when he did open his mouth, it was to issue firefighting directives.

Liu Jichang, Governor of Kaifeng, sprang into action the moment he received word, dispatching attendants to help fight the fire while also ordering men to prepare water, sand, and tools for firefighting.

By the time Liu Jichang arrived at Yanqing Ward, he was already somewhat late. His gaze swept across and spotted Zhang Yongde standing at the "front line." He hurried over. "Patrol Inspector Zhang, what's the situation?"

Zhang Yongde glanced at him, then pointed and replied, "The fire on the perimeter is basically under control. We're steadily clearing inward!"

Hearing this, Liu Jichang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Do you know what caused it? How many residents have been killed or injured?"

Zhang Yongde spread his hands and smiled bitterly. "Not yet known. But it must have something to do with the gunpowder storehouse!"

At these words, Liu Jichang's expression immediately soured. The poisonous heat in the air baked him, sweat pouring down his face. Inwardly, Liu Jichang was wailing, feeling that he was cursed with bad luck.

The grain price crisis in the Eastern Capital had just passed, and public sentiment had barely settled. Earlier, when the Crown Prince went on inspection and discovered the market disorders, Liu Jichang had exhausted himself rectifying the situation, even carving off a portion of the small merchant taxes for the Finance Commission just to barely get through.

Before things had fully settled down, now this massive explosion and fire had occurred. If it had been common folk in the outer city, that would have been one thing—but while the residents of Yanqing Ward were not high-ranking noble families, they still counted among the powerful and privileged. This would have some impact.

If the losses were great and the casualties heavy, how could he, as Governor of Kaifeng, escape blame? In fact, there was no need for hypotheticals—the scene of the fire was plainly visible before his eyes. Liu Jichang could be all but certain that this hurdle would not be easy to clear.

"I've brought some men and tools—all at Patrol Inspector Zhang's disposal. Please extinguish the fire as quickly as possible and save lives!" Liu Jichang steadied himself and called out to Zhang Yongde.

Zhang Yongde did not stand on ceremony. He nodded and immediately set about making arrangements. The sound of wailing was unceasing. Liu Jichang glanced at the residents of Yanqing Ward who had escaped—each one weeping and wailing to heaven, utterly disheveled and pitiful.

Liu Jichang could not help but lament inwardly once more: How am I to explain this to Your Majesty?