[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-the-ming":3,"chapter-overthrowing-the-ming-overthrowing-the-ming-chapter-66":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Overthrowing the Ming",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2289293,4476,"Chapter 66: A Hongmen Banquet?","overthrowing-the-ming-chapter-66",66,"\u003Cp>Long before hearing any movement from Li You’s side, Song Baishun had already lain down and started snoring. He wasn't stupid; he knew that going over there would certainly mean getting a beating. As for the likes of Hei Liuzi and Yu Zhengchun, they followed suit and started snoring as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Song Baishun and the others feigning sleep, Li You couldn't be bothered to hold them accountable. He loudly comforted the little girl, \"Little girl, don't listen to his nonsense. I think you will definitely be a great beauty when you grow up, but what you need to do right now is... hurry up and sleep!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, Mr.!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little girl’s previous pain was instantly cast to the ends of the earth by Li You’s words of comfort. She turned over, hugged the soft and fleshy Little Tangerine, and fell asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Interrupted like this, Li You lost all desire to read. Looking out the window, his thoughts suddenly returned to the issue of penicillin skin testing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking out the window at the scene of just early October, the temperature was already extremely cold, with signs of snow at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What will be discussed at the North Zhai meeting tomorrow? Could it be a trap? Are they going to settle the score for me killing Peng Yun?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>North Zhai, Justice Gathering Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li You, accompanied by Wu Dading, Li Qinxiang, and Wa Qingyun, hurried inside. At a glance, the hall was packed with heads; there were clearly many more people than when Li You had come before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four large chairs were placed at the front on the north side, but Cao Er’s was empty, while the other three were already occupied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mountain bandits below were sitting in clusters led by their respective squad leaders. Zhang Cang’s table had only him sitting there, appearing somewhat abrupt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Li You entered the room, it was as if he had entered the Grand View Garden, stared at by over a hundred pairs of eyes. These gazes were obscure and hard to describe—resentment, scrutiny, fear... and so on, all of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li You knew in his heart that it must be because the news of him killing Peng Yun and the others had spread. However, he wasn't afraid; Wu Zhuge hadn't come to trouble him on the day of the killing, and besides, several days had passed, so it shouldn't be a big problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rubbed his hands and laughed dryly, \"Am I late?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Late? Not late at all. Haha... everyone has been staring their eyes out, waiting for you, the new leader.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Leader Zhang Zhuanggen pointed at Cao Er’s seat and said, \"Come, Master Li, sit up there!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li You swept a glance at Wu Zhuge in the center and found that Wu Zhuge’s expression was also unpleasant. Catching Li You’s peripheral vision, he glared at him fiercely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh my, Third Master, you are really putting me on the spot! What virtue or ability does this humble student have to dare to sit up there?\" Li You still replied with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, Wu Dading and Li Qinxiang seemed to feel the same distress as Li You at this moment. Their faces flushed with heat, a sense of frustration coiled in their chests, and facing the unfriendly gazes around them, they glared back viciously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In particular, Wu Dading glared fiercely at Zhang Zhuanggen; if given the chance, he really wanted to split this damned man in two with an axe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You killed our brothers as if you were slaughtering chickens and dogs. That Brother Peng had made great contributions to the Zhai, and he was also a comrade-in-arms of the Fourth Master. I heard you killed him just to show off and establish your authority! Who knows, one day you might just chop me down too, so you’d better hurry up and sit up there!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhuanggen was relentless and deliberately tried to shift the blame onto Shi Dayong, but Shi Dayong just kept his eyes closed, as if he were truly asleep, without even lifting his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since ancient times, training troops has prioritized obedience to orders. I endured Peng Yun time and time again, but he became increasingly arrogant. If I didn't kill him, how could I complete the mission assigned by the Great Leader?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If things go on like this, my Longmen Zhai will be destroyed by these parasites. Not to mention the great cause of carving out territory and becoming a king, how could we even have the power to protect ourselves against Mao'erba or Qigan Mountain?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li You’s voice was filled with tragic heroism as he said, \"If the various leaders are dissatisfied, they can simply take my head to pay for their lives!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words were grand, appearing as if he were wholeheartedly thinking of the public interest and the foundation of Longmen Zhai. Moreover, what he said was a fact; those present were all worldly-wise people, so who didn't know that what Li You said was indeed the truth?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, alright, let this matter end here. Training troops, where is there no death? Besides, since Mr. has been temporarily in charge of Nanshan, the mines there have produced nearly two thousand catties in just seven days. You must know that this is more than half a month's production in the past!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhuge came out to smooth things over, and by the end, he was also full of excitement!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heh, this is all part of my duty... Gentlemen, I have forged three hand-blades of my own making here to present to the leaders!\" As Li You said this, he picked up the three \"Nepali curved knives\" held by Dading and walked with long, swift strides to respectfully present them to the three.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The belly of these knives was relatively wide, and the blade curved forward, resembling a dog's leg. Most importantly, the material was as smooth as a mirror, capable of reflecting human shadows, and the edge was broad, long, and sharp, flashing with a cold light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Dayong, not knowing when he had woken up, was the first to take the curved knife. He weighed it in his hand, then drew it from the scabbard and swung it lightly twice, exclaiming, \"This is a steel knife... it looks a bit like a dog-leg knife from the Western Regions, but the center of gravity of this knife is well-made, making it even handier and sharper... Good knife, good knife!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Niu Jinku watched the curved knife from the side. Looking closely, he saw patterns on it and couldn't help but say, \"This knife has water-like patterns; was it made by folding and forging Wootz steel?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wootz steel?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhuanggen and Wu Zhuge immediately became interested, because due to the popularity of *Water Margin*, many people knew that the weapon finally used by the Pilgrim Wu Song was a pair of \"Snowflake Wootz Steel Ring Blades\" that would whistle on their own in the middle of the night—truly a spiritual treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was also the Flowery Monk Lu Zhishen’s sixty-two-catty water-polished Zen staff, Little Li Guang Hua Rong’s and Heaven-Soaring Eagle Li Ying’s steel-pointed spears, all of which were forged from Wootz steel, as well as items on some important figures like green-frost Wootz steel helmets and chain-link Wootz steel armor. [Note]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li You smiled and said, \"This is a formula I recently researched with the blacksmiths. Without using the stir-frying steel method or repeated forging, we put some pig iron and inferior steel into the furnace and smelt it for about three hours to refine this Wootz steel! It is much better than the material of Su steel!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li You didn't even blink when he told this lie, maintaining a sincere appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhuanggen stood up with a \"swoosh\" and said, \"No hammering? Three hours?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was no surprise that Zhang Zhuanggen’s reaction was so intense, mainly because Wootz steel was basically a legendary treasure in the Ming Dynasty; even though the price of Su steel had multiplied so many times, it was still in short supply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah, this method hasn't been fully figured out yet. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. These are the only three knives I managed to produce after tossing and turning for several days!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li You looked at Zhang Zhuanggen with a guilty conscience as he spoke; in fact, he was just blowing smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhuanggen was furious for a moment, but seeing Li You’s expression, it didn't seem like a pretense, so he couldn't easily flare up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhuge, who was on the side, was also taken aback, fearing that Li You would blurt out the formula on the spot. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, \"Mr., go sit down first. We still have important matters to discuss today!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come, Master Li, sit here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Cang stood up and shouted to Li You. Li You cupped his hands at Wu Zhuge and the others, then went over to sit by Zhang Cang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He really didn't mind at all that Li You had taken away his men. He was extremely enthusiastic toward Li You, and before he had said two sentences, he asked Li You to appreciate the poetry he had recently written and wanted Li You to complete a fragmented poem...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This really left Li You stunned and speechless. Where in the hell was this a squad leader leading troops in a bandit den?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was exactly like an artist playing with brush and ink in a government office!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no help for it; who told Li You to be wearing the title of a scholar now? He picked up the brush and pretended to look at it...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ninety years of jade dew vanish into yellow dust___________, the hurried years, where are they now___________.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading it, Li You discovered that there were two characters he didn't quite recognize. How was he supposed to critique this piece of crap?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Li You was worrying, the hall quieted down, and Wu Zhuge began to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it, we've been back from Lueyang for almost a month, resting until we're practically shedding hair from boredom.\" Wu Zhuge’s voice sounded like a broken gong as he continued, \"Today, our Third Brother finally found some business, so let’s have Third Brother tell us about it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good! I’ve been wanting to do something big for a long time!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we don't work soon, the women in the Zhai will all die out. This time, we must snatch a few more women back no matter what!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haha... exactly, the brothers are all bursting with pent-up energy!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a burst of clamor in the hall, but Zhang Zhuanggen, sitting above, had a sullen face and didn't speak for a while. Soon, everyone noticed that something was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be a tough nut to crack?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Note]: The term \"Wootz steel\" appeared frequently in late Ming novels, mainly because it was expensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wootz steel\" is steel, but it was mostly an imported product.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The earliest time the Indian crucible smelting method might have been introduced was around the Northern Wei period in our country, entering through the Sassanid Empire of Persia at that time. The name of this steel in the Persian region at the time was pronounced \"Pulad,\" and it was transliterated into our country as \"Wootz steel\" (this theory is open to debate).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The complete introduction of this technology and its industrial production should be marked by the record in the *History of Yuan: Treatise on Selection*, \"The Wootz Steel Bureau, with one Ambassador of the eighth rank, in charge of Wootz steel works, was established in the twelfth year of Zhiyuan.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1946,"2026-06-20T03:32:06.992Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","f15de085311669bab0052574ee18f9efa65e3fe6132557ca4e60dee2654e2b1e","overthrowing-the-ming-chapter-67","overthrowing-the-ming-chapter-65",71,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-the-ming-cover.jpg"]