Chapter 90: Have You Read Journey to the West?

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In a remote corner of the massive agricultural research base Zhao Yu had prepared for Yuan Qingcheng, farthest from civilian residential areas.

Zhao Yu, accompanied by Li Lin, Ma Xiao Jiao, Huang Jingchen, Liang Shicheng, Tong Guan, Li Yan, and a group of R&D personnel and personal guards, was testing the tiger squat cannon and thunder bomb here.

The tiger squat cannon was a distinctive type of artillery from the Ming dynasty. When Qi Jiguang fought Japanese pirates along the southeast coast, he found that arquebuses were accurate but lacked power to repel large enemy formations, while the Folangji cannon was too heavy and cumbersome to carry or maneuver easily. He therefore planned to create a firearm that was more powerful than the arquebus yet lighter and more portable than the Folangji cannon—thus the tiger squat cannon was born.

Building this cannon was not difficult, especially for Ma Xiao Jiao, who thoroughly understood casting and forging techniques.

Moreover, Ma Xiao Jiao had at her disposal a large number of highly skilled artisans of all kinds.

Crucially, Li Lin, who was familiar with weapons from ancient and modern times, both domestic and foreign, helped fill in the gaps.

One could even say that the tiger squat cannons built by Ma Xiao Jiao and Li Lin were superior to the historical versions.

Overall, the tiger squat cannon had a barrel two feet long from front to back, reinforced with seven iron hoops, supported at the muzzle by two iron claws, and equipped with an iron latch; its total weight was thirty-six catties (approximately 21.5 kilograms in modern units), resembling a crouching tiger, imposing and fierce.

Made of wrought iron, each shot could load one hundred small lead or stone balls weighing five qian each, topped by a single large lead or stone projectile weighing thirty taels. Its range was not great—only about three to four hundred steps—but still far exceeded that of bows and crossbows. When fired, the small and large projectiles flew together with a thunderous roar, delivering wide-area damage and effectively suppressing dense enemy assaults.

Historically, during Qi Jiguang’s campaigns against Japanese pirates in the south, the Ming army equipped three tiger squat cannons per five hundred troops to effectively counter pirate mass charges. In the north against Mongol nobles, Qi Jiguang’s cavalry units—each numbering 2,700 men—typically carried sixty tiger squat cannons. When Mongol cavalry approached, they first fired arquebuses and other firearms, then unleashed the tiger squat cannons; during close combat, Ming troops formed the “mandarin duck formation” to meet the enemy, and when the enemy retreated, they pursued and bombarded them.

Some superior tiger squat cannons could also breach fortifications. During the Ming’s campaign to aid Korea against Japanese invaders, tiger squat cannons fired stone or iron balls that inflicted noticeable damage on enemy walls and defensive structures.

Of course, the tiger squat cannon’s greatest advantage was its lightness and flexibility. Due to its thin barrel, it could be fired at high angles and easily maneuvered across complex terrain such as mountains, forests, and rice paddies. It could be widely issued to frontline units, effectively serving the role of a mortar.

As for the thunder bomb, it was essentially a hand grenade.

By this era, prototypes of the thunder bomb already existed, called “fireballs” (also known as “fire cannons”). These were made by wrapping gunpowder in multiple layers of paper, cloth, and other materials, then igniting and hurling them by hand to kill enemies with explosive flames.

The official Song military compendium, the Wujing Zongyao, detailed eight methods of manufacturing fireballs, including “ignition fireballs” and “poisonous smoke balls,” used for burning, smoke, or toxic gas attacks.

Although these fireballs primarily relied on combustion, they already possessed the characteristics of hand-thrown munitions.

By the late Southern Song, Song troops had begun using explosive weapons encased in iron shells.

For example: the Zhentianlei, with a cast-iron casing filled with gunpowder and ignited via a fuse, shattered into fragments upon explosion, significantly increasing lethality and becoming a potent tool for siege warfare and defense, commonly used to blast open city walls or to be thrown into enemy formations during field battles to inflict mass casualties.

Li Lin and Ma Xiao Jiao’s thunder bombs directly replaced paper and cloth with cast iron, added wooden handles, and used lever principles to extend throwing distance, evolving them directly into hand grenades.

Notably, to amplify the power of both the thunder bomb and tiger squat cannon, Li Lin developed the optimal granular black powder formula and the chestnut-colored propellant for firing.

In other words, these tiger squat cannons and thunder bombs were now genuine weapons of mass destruction.

However, until now, since the tiger squat cannon and thunder bomb had been developed separately from gunpowder, they had never been combined, and no one knew what their true power would be.

Yet, Zhao Yu could see that Li Lin was confident. She calmly directed the artisans to load gunpowder into the tiger squat cannon and thunder bombs according to her instructions.

After loading the gunpowder and placing one hundred small lead balls, then topping them with a large lead projectile, Li Lin expertly adjusted the cannon’s elevation with a single thumb motion.

Afterward, Li Lin explained the safety procedures for test-firing to Tong Guan, including the evacuation route, ensuring that if anything went wrong, Tong Guan could swiftly and orderly retreat to a safe zone.

Tong Guan listened to Li Lin’s explanation, his eyes gleaming with excitement and anticipation.

Tong Guan had already heard Li Lin describe the tiger squat cannon’s power to Zhao Yu.

He doubted what Li Lin claimed: “Could this tiger squat cannon really have such power?”

After Li Lin finished speaking, Tong Guan took a deep breath, steadied his racing heart, and walked steadily toward the cannon. He gripped the torch tightly, his gaze revealing a trace of nervousness—but mostly, the eagerness to witness the new weapon’s power.

Everyone around held their breath, eyes locked on Tong Guan and the cannon. Zhao Yu even pulled Ma Xiao Jiao into his arms, covering her ears to shield her from the noise.

As Tong Guan’s torch touched the fuse, a hissing sound broke the silence, and sparks raced rapidly along the fuse.

Many instinctively stepped back several paces; Zhao Yu also pulled Ma Xiao Jiao backward, and even Tong Guan, who lit the fuse, hurried away—but Li Lin stood perfectly still, unmoved.

“Boom!” A thunderous explosion shattered the open test field. The tiger squat cannon recoiled violently, its powerful recoil causing the ground to tremble slightly. Immediately, a thick cloud of smoke and flame erupted from the muzzle, and the projectiles rained down like a meteor shower toward the distant target.

At the moment the projectiles struck, a cloud of dust and shattered stones rose in the distance; the immense force obliterated the pre-built mock enemy formation.

Everyone stared in stunned silence, then erupted into a chorus of exclamations.

Even Tong Guan, who had previously doubted the cannon’s power, now widened his eyes in utter disbelief.

Only Li Lin frowned slightly, seemingly dissatisfied with the tiger squat cannon’s power.

Li Lin thought, “The mixture is correct, the seal is intact, no moisture… hmm… perhaps the saltpeter they used is impure?”

At this moment, Zhao Yu approached Li Lin and praised her without restraint: “My beloved, this divine weapon is truly extraordinary.”

Li Lin silently scoffed inside: “So now he calls me ‘beloved’ when it’s useful, but just ‘Little Lin’ when it’s not.”

But Li Lin had no time to dwell on Zhao Yu’s attitude. She hurriedly asked: “May I ask, Your Majesty, with such divine weapons, can the ten thousand daring warriors be formed into a new army?”

Zhao Yu replied without hesitation: “As you request, my beloved. I believe that with the tiger squat cannon and the divine arm bow, this army will be invincible. … These two new armies shall be the Divine Mechanism Left Army and the Divine Mechanism Right Army. If proven effective, they may become my personal guard. The rest we’ll discuss later.”

Li Lin was overjoyed and bowed deeply: “Your Majesty is wise!”

Next, Tong Guan personally tested the thunder bomb’s power.

The thunder bomb also left Tong Guan deeply shaken.

After testing and summarizing, Tong Guan found that the thunder bomb produced a powerful blast capable of injuring enemies within a certain radius and damaging nearby defenses. Crucially, it was simple to operate, easy to master, compact, easily carried by soldiers, silent when thrown, and, if properly deployed, might prove even more effective than the tiger squat cannon.

Tong Guan was a discerning man. He realized that combining these two weapons with the divine arm bow and others could indeed forge an invincible army.

Tong Guan glanced subtly at Li Lin: “Where on earth did Your Majesty find this woman, capable of crafting such divine weapons?”

After the tests, Zhao Yu ordered that the pregnant Ma Xiao Jiao be sent back to rest, then took Li Lin and Tong Guan to Fugong Palace.

Fugong Palace was Zhao Yu’s private residence, located behind the Chuigong Palace. Sometimes, after handling state affairs in the front palace, Zhao Yu would return to Fugong Palace to continue dealing with less urgent or more confidential matters, such as meeting close ministers or processing internal court documents.

Back in Fugong Palace, Zhao Yu immediately began reviewing memorials, neither mentioning the tiger squat cannon nor the thunder bomb, nor explaining why he had brought Li Lin and Tong Guan here—he seemed to be ignoring them.

Li Lin was confused and anxious.

She had eagerly returned with Zhao Yu hoping to discuss forming the Divine Mechanism Left and Right Armies, yet Zhao Yu had spent the entire time reviewing memorials, showing no intention to speak with her at all.

Li Lin watched Zhao Yu, growing desperate. She wanted to ask, but feared provoking his displeasure, risking her favor—and even being cast into the cold palace—losing all progress and any chance to realize her value and dreams, doomed to a meaningless, sorrowful life in the harem.

So Li Lin could only wait patiently, hoping Zhao Yu would remember her and initiate the discussion about forming the Divine Mechanism Left and Right Armies.

But she waited—and waited—until night fell completely.

At last, Zhao Yu finished reviewing the memorials. Not only did he fail to mention forming the Divine Mechanism Left and Right Armies—he didn’t even look at Li Lin, as if he had forgotten she was there, and turned to retire.

Li Lin was truly baffled. She felt Zhao Yu must have some deeper meaning, but she couldn’t grasp it.

Tong Guan glanced at Li Lin, then left.

Zhao Yu was gone. Tong Guan was gone. Li Lin could not remain alone there. She had no choice but to walk back alone.

“What is Zhao Yu’s true intention?”

“What did Tong Guan’s glance mean?”

Li Lin did not return to her own quarters. Instead, she went to Zhang Chun’s residence, hoping Zhang Chun could help her decipher Zhao Yu’s motives.

To Li Lin’s surprise, Ye Shi Yun, Ma Xiao Jiao, and Yuan Qingcheng were all at Zhang Chun’s place.

Seeing Li Lin return, the four women were slightly startled. Ma Xiao Jiao bluntly asked: “Lin-jie, you didn’t spend the night with him?”

“She probably hasn’t decided yet and refuses to serve him, and Zhao Yu won’t force her, so he let her come back,” Ye Shi Yun said.

“Zhao Yu is genuinely decent—he never pressures us. Since I took over the agricultural base, as long as I don’t seek him out, he never comes to me. If I have a request, I just tell Liang Shicheng, and it’s handled quickly,” Yuan Qingcheng also held a favorable view of Zhao Yu.

“Men like Zhao Yu have countless beautiful women at their disposal—many prettier than us, all desperate to cling to him. Why would he force us?” Ma Xiao Jiao said.

“Zhao Yu treats us well because he knows we’re useful. He respects our abilities. Whether or not we serve him is entirely our choice. So, Qingcheng, you don’t need to avoid him—if you don’t want to, he won’t touch you. Look at Lin-jie—she’s always by his side, and nothing’s happened, right, Lin-jie?” Ma Xiao Jiao asked Li Lin.

All four women turned to Li Lin, who had entered without uttering a word.

To their surprise, Li Lin didn’t mention serving him at all. Instead, she blurted out: “Help me analyze—what does Zhao Yu really mean?”

“???”

All four women were baffled.

“Tell us,” Zhang Chun said.

Li Lin recounted everything that had happened in detail.

Zhang Chun listened, then looked at Li Lin: “Are you stupid?”

Li Lin was confused: “What do you mean?”

Zhang Chun rolled her eyes: “Have you ever read Journey to the West? When Patriarch Bodhi was about to teach Sun Wukong the 72 Transformations, he struck his head three times with his staff—then closed the front door and left. Sun Wukong came to him through the back door at midnight and learned the true method. Some things must be understood.”

Li Lin frowned: “Understood?”

Seeing Li Lin still didn’t get it, Zhang Chun refused to waste another word on this utterly dense woman: “Whoever has patience, explain it to her properly.”

Yuan Qingcheng, who was closest to Li Lin, said: “Lin-jie, have you never wondered why Zhao Yu took only you and Tong Guan back?”

Hearing Yuan Qingcheng’s words, and recalling Tong Guan’s glance before leaving, Li Lin suddenly understood: “You mean Zhao Yu wants me to discuss forming the new army with Tong Guan? No—he wants me to teach Tong Guan the combat tactics for the tiger squat cannon and thunder bomb?”

…

(End of Chapter)