Chapter 1067: Mockery

Yancheng.

When Chen Hu was leading the Gun Cavalry to conquer the Northern Di.

Zhao Xu, accompanied by Chang Wei, arrived at the Heavenly Prison.

It was dark and cramped here, with sewage flowing everywhere and a pungent, sour stench assaulting the nose.

The two walked straight inside, stopped at the end of the path, and looked at the two people imprisoned in the cell.

At this moment, the two in the cell were disheveled and unkempt, huddled in the messy straw sleeping.

Seeing this, Zhao Xu gripped the iron lock on the prison gate and knocked on it heavily.

Only then did the two turn their heads mechanically.

Upon seeing Zhao Xu, the two scrambled up from the straw pile at the same time and lunged fiercely toward Zhao Xu.

As they tried to grab him through the gaps in the prison bars, Zhao Xu immediately stepped back a few paces.

"Yan Wang, you will die a horrible death! My son Wulanba and my brother Ashuer will definitely come to save me, and when that time comes, I will use the blood of your entire Song People to appease my anger!" one of the two shouted; he was none other than Mule Hongzhen.

As for the other person, who kept speaking in the Dongying language, he was naturally Watanabe, who had been detained in Yancheng.

"Snap, snap..." As the two bared their fangs and brandished their claws, Chang Wei drew his whip and lashed it hard across their arms several times.

Feeling the pain, the two immediately retracted their arms.

Zhao Xu laughed softly, "I forgot to tell you, I am no longer the Yan Wang, but the Emperor of the Great Song."

"What!" Mule Hongzhen's body stiffened, "Did that piece of trash Zhao Heng die?"

"No, the former Emperor just wanted to enjoy his twilight years; I'm sorry to disappoint you." Zhao Xu sneered repeatedly.

Although the Great Song currently had many enemies, he still could not forget how the Northern Di had pressed him step by step when he was still weak, nor the heavy blood debt the Northern Di had caused the northern frontier of the Great Song.

Even now, the Northern Di remained like a maggot on the bone, never abandoning their ambition to destroy the Great Song.

Not only did they collude with the Ross nation and pledge allegiance to them, but in order to win over the Tusman Empire to oppose the Great Song, they even went so far as to cede the entire Tianshan region.

Such actions,

simply brought total shame to the Easterners.

Regarding this, he naturally could no longer tolerate it and vowed to destroy them to satisfy his heart.

"As expected, he is a piece of trash. If I were him, I would have killed you; how could I let you seize the empire? Only an incompetent Emperor would abdicate." Mule Hongzhen mocked him relentlessly.

Hearing this, Zhao Xu's smile grew even colder, "It is just a pity that I fear you are not even his equal in the end, and can only die in regret within this filthy, cold prison."

Immediately, he turned and walked out, saying as he went, "I came here this time only to tell you one thing personally: I have ordered sixty thousand Gun Cavalry to sweep across the Grassland; your Northern Di is on the verge of annihilation!"

Mule Hongzhen was struck as if by lightning and remained dazed for a long time before he finally came to his senses, but Zhao Xu's figure had already disappeared from the Heavenly Prison, and he could only slap the bars and roar in impotence.

"Hahaha, I'm afraid Mule Hongzhen is furious this time."

Zhao Xu and Chang Wei had already reached the entrance of the Heavenly Prison.

Listening to the faint, indistinct shouts of Mule Hongzhen, Chang Wei laughed loudly.

"Compared to the blood debt he owes, what is this bit of anger to him? Once Chen Hu completely annihilates the Northern Di, I will definitely make Mule Hongzhen sit in a prison cart and take a trip across the Grassland." Zhao Xu snorted.

"That's a good idea. Otherwise, he would definitely keep holding onto the hope that the Northern Di could strike back. Taking away his hope is the greatest punishment for him." Chang Wei clenched his fists.

As they spoke, the two mounted their horses and left the Heavenly Prison, arriving on the street outside.

At this time, Chang Wei said again, "Your Majesty, this humble general has spent half a lifetime in the saddle and is a person who cannot stay idle. Having suddenly dismounted to become half a civil official during this period, I truly feel uncomfortable all over. Why not let me lead troops to fight?"

"Nonsense, does the Empire need a Great General like you to charge into battle? Your most important task now is to coordinate the entire army, formulate military strategies, ensure logistical supplies, and at the same time maintain military discipline and morale. This is more important than you winning a single battle." Zhao Xu glared at him.

However, seeing Chang Wei looking so uncomfortable, he said, "Besides, I didn't ask you to stay in Yancheng every day; you can still go and inspect the combat situation of various armies, but before you go, you must report to me."

Pausing for a moment, he added, "As for matters of warfare, there will be times when you are needed; you don't need to be impatient. There will be an opportunity before long."

"Many thanks, Your Majesty." Hearing Zhao Xu say this, Chang Wei immediately beamed with joy.

Zhao Xu nodded and stopped paying attention to him, instead casting his gaze toward the side of the street.

Seven or eight busy workers attracted his attention.

These workers were digging a pit, and beside the pit was a concrete pillar about ten meters long.

There were also some gourd-shaped ceramic insulators and electric wires as thick as a thumb.

Without a doubt, these were workers under the Electric Power Department laying electric wires.

At present, such utility poles could be seen everywhere in Yancheng.

Originally, to cut costs, the Electric Power Department wanted to use wood, but he vetoed it.

He knew very well that wood would weather away in a few years, but this kind of reinforced concrete could last for decades.

With a forward-looking vision, he considered the long term for many of the Great Song's current plans, rather than taking the same detours again.

Perhaps the current cost was higher, but it was much better than paying a higher cost to rebuild later.

Furthermore, the war in the south allowed them to acquire the property of many Westerners.

It could be said that this war was a profitable one.

The wealth confiscated could be invested in the continuous infrastructure construction of the Great Song.

"Soon, this Yancheng will be able to light up." Zhao Xu felt a sense of longing.

In addition to the utility poles, street lamps were also being installed at the same time.

The frames of these street lamps were made of iron, with a crossbeam extending from the top, and a large glass lampshade hanging from the crossbeam, inside of which was an incandescent lamp.

Once the thermal power plant was delivered, these street lamps would be able to light up one by one.

Of course, these lighting decorations were only secondary.

The most important thing was if Yancheng could obtain a sufficient supply of electricity.

The Workshop District centered on Yancheng would be able to completely leap from the level of Steam Industry to the level of Electricity.

For this reason, the Workshop District was also making preparations.

While the electric wires were being laid, every workshop was also undergoing renovations to prepare for the coming electricity.

This is to ensure that production can begin immediately after the Electricity is connected.

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly saw Dong An approaching him from not far away.

Upon reaching him, Dong An said, "Your Majesty, the kings of the various nations are preparing to return home today and are currently waiting outside Wuji Palace to bid you farewell."

Zhao Xu nodded upon hearing this.

After the Abdication Ceremony, the kings of the various nations did not leave immediately.

Instead, they lived in Yancheng for a period of time with their respective delegations.

Their purpose was simple: to further understand Great Song.

After all, coming to Yancheng from their own lands felt like arriving in an entirely new world, and the shock to them was immense.

Naturally, they wanted to spend more time understanding these changes, while hoping that even if they could only catch a glimmer of the afterglow when Great Song shone with boundless brilliance, it would be enough.

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