Chapter 434: Explosive

"Sss! Lighten up, it hurts!"

Chen Yan lay on the bed, grimacing in pain.

Just a moment ago there was no feeling; lying on the ground was fine, but now that Li Lizhi applied the medicine, the pain surged instantly.

After the initial shock, Li Lizhi's mood had calmed considerably, and seeing that he still dared to complain about the pain, she said irritably, "You know it hurts, yet you still fool around with Prince Wei?"

"All day you act all mysterious; I thought you could produce something good, but the good thing never came, and instead we got you all injured."

"Well, that's really something!"

"Who said it wasn't made?" Chen Yan snorted, "If it hadn't been made, could I have been injured?"

"If you ask me, it's all because of your imperial brother—completely unreliable. None of the things he made are usable; had he been reliable, I wouldn't have been hurt."

"Is that so?" Gao Yang suddenly interjected, "But when he just came back, he was also complaining to the imperial sister‑in‑law that you were unreliable, saying it was all your fault!"

Chen Yan: "......"

"Half a catty versus eight taels, I didn't expect that thing to be so fierce!"

Chen Yan felt depressed.

Everyone knows that one nitrate, two sulfur, three charcoal, plus a bit of white sugar makes a big blast; he had naturally heard of it.

But he hadn't paid much attention, after all the story was widely circulated online and clearly exaggerated.

Moreover, this is the Tang Dynasty; in every respect it can't compare to later ages.

Now, with the Wujing Cavalry about to set out, he thought of providing them with something to keep them alive, so explosive naturally became the first choice.

However, what Chen Yan didn't expect was that adding a bit of white sugar made the effect unbelievably fierce!

He almost couldn't get it in.

Gao Yang snorted coldly, "Just keep playing. When you eventually kill yourself, I'll immediately take my maiden and remarry; I won't even guard your spirit."

Chen Yan:?

"No, I'm a wounded soldier now, and I didn't do it on purpose. Can't you speak more nicely?"

"When you're in pain, I've never spoken harshly to you."

Gao Yang opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing unpleasant.

She just never took her eyes off Chen Yan's back, clearly still worried.

Seeing the atmosphere grow tense, Li Lizhi hurriedly changed the subject, "Husband, what exactly did you make with your imperial brother?"

"The power was unexpectedly huge; at first I thought a bolt of heaven had struck."

"Heh heh, what I made is called explosive!" Chen Yan said proudly, "I have to thank your Father Emperor; if he hadn't sought immortality and summoned a group of alchemists to refine immortal pills, I wouldn't have been able to create something with such power."

"You don't know how fierce that thing is. It's tiny, just the size of a box. If you toss it onto a battlefield… hehe, even if it doesn't kill anyone, it can scare people to death."

Li Lizhi blinked, "What does this have to do with the Father Emperor's refining of immortal pills?"

"The explosive you speak of should be considered a weapon, right?"

"It's a stretch, but okay." Chen Yan didn't even raise his head, saying that using those alchemists as a cover was his decision from the beginning; no one would doubt anything.

"As for the connection with those alchemists… hmm, because the core of their explosive is gunpowder; they use this stuff to refine immortal pills. I specifically looked into it and found they often blow up their furnaces, and the power is great."

"Just in the process of refining immortal pills, they've killed many people with explosions."

"I thought, since it can kill people, perhaps we could improve it for the Wujing Cavalry that's about to set out, to use against the enemy."

"I didn't expect it to actually…"

Gao Yang suddenly understood, "I do recall a period when you kept holding that elixir formula, and I vaguely remember you once said that the formula contained a surprise."

"Now that you mention it, I remember," Li Lizhi said gravely, "You once lamented that the Father Emperor killed those alchemists, saying they were talents."

"Right!" Chen Yan sneered, "Those alchemists are truly foolish; they possess such powerful stuff yet are unaware. If they stopped making immortal pills and turned to researching explosives, once they succeeded and presented the explosives to your Father Emperor, promoting them would be child's play."

"That would be a true great killing weapon; I have a feeling the emergence of explosives could change future tactics!"

Li Lizhi and Gao Yang had no doubt about Chen Yan's words.

Because anyone who heard the blast of the explosive or saw its power would never doubt Chen Yan's claim!

"Husband, should we report this to the Father Emperor?" Li Lizhi asked, "You said earlier that war is coming; why not produce more explosives for the Father Emperor to use against foreign enemies?"

"With such a divine artifact, the soldiers could suffer fewer casualties, bring back swift victories, and end the war sooner."

Chen Yan hesitated briefly, then said, "I created this precisely for the Wujing Cavalry and the Tang Dynasty's soldiers; handing it to your Father Emperor to use on the battlefield would be ideal."

"However, for now it's probably not feasible; the thing is too unstable, and the fuse your imperial brother made is likewise faulty. If we're careless, it won't kill the enemy but will wound us."

"Let's wait. Li Tai and I will keep researching, and when we produce a good one, we'll surprise your Father Emperor when the Wujing Cavalry sets out."

"Then the Father Emperor will have to think carefully about what reward to give you," Li Lizhi said with a smile.

"Save it for the children; I don't need it," Chen Yan said indifferently.

He even wondered whether to return to Chang'an to cause some trouble, lowering his own title.

Gao Yang noticed that after Li Lizhi finished speaking, Chen Yan's complexion changed slightly; recalling what he had once told her, she immediately shifted the topic:

"By the way, you said the Tang Dynasty is about to go to war— is it this year?"

"It definitely won't be this year!" Chen Yan shook his head, "This year is a year of rest for the Tang Dynasty; the border situation isn't especially severe, so your Father Emperor won't mobilize troops."

"I anticipate it will be in the seventh year of Zhen Guan, at the latest the eighth year, when war will break out."

That wasn't entirely speculation, because historical records show that at the end of the eighth year of Zhen Guan, Li Shimin sent the over‑sixty‑year‑old Li Jing to attack Tuyu Hun.

And because of his appearance, Li Shimin now has money, grain, brand‑new armor and weapons, and Li Jing can still fight, so Chen Yan guessed that Li Shimin might mobilize earlier.

If he brings out explosives again, next year isn't impossible.

After all, given Li Shimin's temperament, if he feels confident, how could he tolerate the border being constantly harassed by Tuyu Hun?

"......"