Chapter 151: Ink Feather

"The Northern Di army has arrived at the foot of Yanguan City?"

It was already noon.

Zhao Xu ordered the kitchen to prepare a few dishes and drank with Mo Yu in the pavilion of the prince's residence.

After hearing Mo Yu speak of this matter, he exclaimed in surprise.

"The Northern Di people are demanding that the Emperor hand over Kutu, otherwise they will attack the city." Mo Yu sighed.

Zhao Xu frowned, "I never expected that a single Kutu would cause the Northern Di people to mobilize such a large force."

"Mule Hongzhen, that vicious wolf, has always been one to repay every grievance. This is only the beginning, Your Highness; you must be careful." Mo Yu's voice was low.

Zhao Xu drained the Wine in his cup in one gulp, "As long as Yanguan does not fall, this Prince will be safe for the time being."

Mentioning Yanguan, Mo Yu sighed, "As long as my father is there, Yanguan is secure, but now there is no telling how many people in Jingshi are eyeing this position. They treat Yanguan as a tool for power struggles, not knowing that if Yanguan were to be lost, the Great Song would be in peril."

He then added, "But let us not speak of it. Since I have followed Your Highness, from now on I shall look to Your Highness for guidance."

Zhao Xu nodded.

He found it difficult to intervene in court affairs; after all, he had little say in the capital.

"Since that is the case, Captain Mo, just feel at ease working under my command. If Yanguan is ever lost in the future, this Prince will certainly not sit idly by."

"Yes, Your Highness," said Mo Yu.

His decision to come and seek refuge with Yan Wang this time was partly his father's intention.

Another reason was that he had been extremely shocked after seeing Yan Wang's army with his own eyes during the last war.

During this period, every night he would recall that silver torrent of steel.

If he could lead such an army to resist the Northern Di, he would have no regrets even if he died.

The two were drinking Wine.

At this moment, someone came to report that Chang Wei had returned.

Zhao Xu said, "He comes at the right time; let him in."

Before long, Chang Wei walked in and saw them.

Upon seeing Mo Yu, he exclaimed, "Captain Mo, why are you here?"

Zhao Xu then explained the situation regarding Mo Yu.

"How absurd! After dealing a crushing defeat to the Northern Di, Captain Mo also performed meritorious service; on what grounds did they strip him of his Captain rank?" Chang Wei's face flushed red.

"This is the treachery and deceit of the imperial court. Let us not speak of this matter again. From now on, you and Captain Mo shall jointly command the Prince's Personal Army," said Zhao Xu.

"General Mo's reputation is illustrious; a tiger father has no dog for a son. It would be a slight for Captain Mo to be under my command. I would rather step down and assist Captain Mo," said Chang Wei.

Mo Yu was startled and waved his hands repeatedly, "General Chang, you are putting me on the spot. My father once said that although I have been at Yanguan, my practical experience is not as good as yours. Today, having come to seek refuge with Your Highness, how could I overstep my bounds? I only wish to serve under your command."

Zhao Xu smiled and nodded.

If Mo Yu had not been humble at all, he would have had to consider whether to keep him.

After all, Chang Wei was someone he had tested and trusted; no one could replace his position.

Looking at it now, he was still a man who knew his place.

He was not arrogant because he was the son of Mo Di.

Chang Wei tried to insist a few more times, but Mo Yu shook his head repeatedly and finally said, "General, if you continue like this, Mo Yu will return to Jingshi."

Seeing that Mo Yu was determined to refuse, Chang Wei had no choice but to stop.

When they were in the Imperial Guard,

Mo Yu's rank was higher than his.

That was why he had made such an offer. He said, "Since that is the case, let us work together with one heart to serve Your Highness."

"Good," Mo Yu raised his Wine cup.

Chang Wei also raised his Wine cup at this time, and the two drained them in one gulp.

Zhao Xu looked at the two and said to Chang Wei, "Since that is the case, I will leave Captain Mo to you; let him serve as your Vice General for the time being."

"Yes, Your Highness," said Chang Wei.

He felt this position was just right, as Mo Yu had been a Captain at Yanguan.

Moreover, having followed Mo Di for a long time, he was quite familiar with military affairs.

Now that the Prince's Personal Army had expanded to sixty thousand, he was indeed a bit too busy to handle it alone.

With Mo Yu there, he would be able to relax a little.

Mo Yu wanted to say something else, but was stopped by a look from Zhao Xu.

Feeling a wave of gratitude, he said, "Thank you for your trust, Your Highness."

"Use a person without suspicion, and do not use a person you suspect; this Prince still has that much magnanimity," said Zhao Xu.

During the last purge in the army, the dishonest generals were all subdued by the soldiers.

This was enough to prove one point: his prestige in the army was enough to erase the influence the generals had over the soldiers.

The soldiers would not follow the generals to rebel against him.

This was the manifestation of the advantages of his mass-line approach.

His influence was deep in the heart of every soldier; they were fighting for Yan Wang.

This was the slogan they shouted.

The traditional ancient concept of soldiers belonging to their generals did not work here.

This was also the reason why he dared to use Mo Yu.

In the current army, apart from Chang Wei, there was truly no one with better military expertise than Mo Yu.

After all, Mo Yu came from a military family and had been well-versed in military strategy since childhood.

According to Chang Wei, the people in the army also thought very highly of Mo Yu.

Therefore, he also intended to trade the position of a Vice General for his loyalty.

They settled this matter.

Zhao Xu had Chang Wei lead Mo Yu back to familiarize himself with the military camp and, incidentally, begin recruiting new soldiers.

Just then, a sudden loud bang rang out, and he was startled.

Chang Wei and Mo Yu were shocked.

Zhao Xu thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "It's nothing, there have been such noises these past few days."

Armament Bureau.

Wang Ying, who was working on mud cannons with the potters, was so startled he nearly crushed the mud core in his hands, his ears ringing and trembling.

"This wretched brat." Wang Ying gritted his teeth, staring in the direction the loud noise came from.

This was the good work of Wang Chong.

After Yan Wang left that day, Wang Chong had become obsessed with Black Gunpowder.

Every day, he would grind charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter, then mix them and ignite them.

He even kept claiming it was a secret mission given to him by Yan Wang.

He was just thinking about whether to take a stick and teach Wang Chong a lesson.

Suddenly, he saw Wang Chong run out of a small courtyard.

This was the courtyard he had specifically requested.

"It's done, it's done," Wang Chong shouted while running.

His face was pitch black, looking like a madman.

Wang Ying was furious when he saw this, even though he was someone who didn't care about his own image.

But Wang Chong was simply losing too much face for him.

Most importantly, he had also startled him and the potters.

It nearly ruined the mud cannon that was about to be finished.

"Have you lost your mind?" Wang Ying said in a rage, pointing at Wang Chong, "Are you trying to blow up the Armament Bureau? This noise gets louder every day."

Wang Chong laughed heartily, "The louder the noise, the more it proves I've done it right."

The mission Yan Wang taught him was nothing else but the production of Black Gunpowder.

According to Yan Wang, the power of the current Black Gunpowder of Great Song had not yet reached its maximum.

So Yan Wang gave him an approximate ratio and told him to experiment.

For the past two days, he had been exploring this.

Today, with the same amount of Gunpowder, it finally produced the loudest sound.

"I won't talk to you anymore. The task His Highness gave me is finished. Father, your work is still far behind; it's too slow," Wang Chong said with a grin.

Then, under Wang Ying's angry gaze, he ran out of the Armament Bureau and headed toward the Prince's Mansion.

He wanted to tell Yan Wang this news.

After being announced, he entered the Prince's Mansion and saw Yan Wang in the pavilion.

"Your Highness, the Gunpowder has been successfully tested," Wang Chong said excitedly.

Zhao Xu nodded, "Not bad, but this is only half the work done."

"Half?" Wang Chong was instantly filled with confusion.