Cultivation Begins with Caring for Sister-in-law

Chen Mo was not yet aware that Prince Huai had plans to campaign against him. Although he knew that sooner or later, there would come a day when he would face swords against Prince Huai, he didn't expect it to be so soon.

At this moment, he, along with the Xia Sisters, Nangong Xian, and Geng Songfu, had just arrived in Longmen County.

Because he had the idea of annexing Jiangdong, he had Nangong Xian's five thousand navy transferred to Linzhou to be incorporated into the Fish Scale Guard to make preparations for heading to Jiangdong.

At the same time, his twentieth birthday was only a few days away. With the help of Geng Songfu, he began to prepare for his "coming-of-age ceremony," also known as the crown ceremony.

This holds deep significance for a man.

Once he had some time to spare, Chen Mo personally went to the secret workshop outside the city where an explosion had occurred, accompanied by County Magistrate Huang Xiu.

Upon arrival in the valley, the area was even more heavily guarded than before the explosion, with no unauthorized personnel allowed entry or exit.

As the County Magistrate of Longmen County, Huang Xiu reported to Chen Mo about the scene during the explosion: "When this official arrived here, I only saw dust and flames flying, giving a sensation of the heavens collapsing and the earth sinking, with all the buildings within this valley leveled. I do not know what happened?"

Huang Xiu had never seen gunpowder, nor had he witnessed a pottery bomb explode, and he didn't even know when there were buildings in this valley, so his understanding of the situation was limited.

However, since hearing the noise that night, when he brought governmental officials to investigate and saw the army, he realized that something significant was secretly happening here.

But he never would have suspected that it was the development of a weapon of great destruction.

Or rather, he simply would not have made that connection.

Chen Mo did not explain to Huang Xiu and simply asked, "What about the casualties?"

"This..." Huang Xiu felt a bit awkward, then said, "Marquis, the Divine Brave Guard stationed here did not allow this official to inquire about the specifics, saying they would report to you, so this official does not know the casualty situation either."

Hearing this, Chen Mo recalled that he had instructed the garrison here that no matter what happened, they were to report directly to him, and no one else had the authority to question them.

"Understood, you may leave now," Chen Mo said.

Huang Xiu knew better than to ask about certain matters, so he bowed and took his leave.

Chen Mo asked Sun Meng to summon the leader of the garrison here.

The heavy troops stationed in the valley were drawn by Sun Meng from Chen Mo's personal guard battalion, specifically to ensure secrecy.

Soon, Sun Meng brought the man over.

This man was a Centurion from the personal guard battalion, a Ninth-Grade Martial Artist named Xu Mu. Formerly a defector from the Yu State Army, he was recruited by Chen Mo and had distinguished himself in the Wei Yang Slope battle, after which he was promoted to Centurion and then transferred to the personal guard battalion by Chen Mo.

Chen Mo inquired about the casualties from him.

"Twenty-three craftsmen died, six were injured, and only three survived," Xu Mu reported.

"What was the cause of the explosion?"

"The craftsmen mishandled operations and, against rules, used fire, resulting in an accident. The craftsman who lit the fire was blown to bits," Xu Mu replied.

Chen Mo frowned. If he remembered correctly, he had repeatedly emphasized in the workshop not to touch fire. Even the oil lamps were placed in the middle of water tanks to prevent sparks from flying. Still, someone had used fire,

This was a major violation.

"Is the chief craftsman still alive?" Chen Mo asked.

"Severely injured, although the doctor says he might not live until spring," Xu Mu responded.

Chen Mo turned to Sun Meng and said, "Make sure proper compensations are made."

"Understood."

...

The secret workshop was almost completely leveled, and the research achievements from this period were naturally destroyed in one fell swoop. However, it was fortunate that from the accounts of the surviving chief craftsman, it was revealed that every failed experiment had been documented, detailing the procedures...

Strictly speaking, these failed gunpowder experiments would not explode even if ignited.

The reason why there was an explosion that night was most likely due to a coincidence wherein the person igniting it accidentally succeeded in the experiment.

Thus, through the documented records, after a phase of analysis, perhaps it could be recreated.

If it could indeed be recreated, subsequent conquest and plundering would be effortless.

Chen Mo planned to secretly build another gunpowder workshop in the valley, learn from past lessons, and continue the research, enforcing stricter internal management in light of the explosion experience.

...

After Chen Mo completed his crown ceremony, Geng Songfu set off to leave.

Chen Mo personally saw him off to Linzhou. By then, spring had already arrived, as Chen Mo watched Geng Songfu, disguised as a merchant, board a ship with cargo headed to Huai State.

Afterward, Chen Mo took the opportunity to check on the Fish Scale Guard's shipbuilding yard where they were training.

Meanwhile, Prince Huai's secret letter also reached Chongzhou.

However, at this time, the situation in Longyou was tense, and King Chong couldn't spare any troops to threaten Yu State.

In truth, if King Chong was adamant about extracting a troop, he could still muster one.

But merely for the sake of Prince Huai, King Chong was unwilling to go to that extent.

Even amongst brothers, accounts have to be settled clearly.

Prince Huai and King Chong were brothers but not by the same consort.

Previously, King Chong responded to Prince Huai's call to support the king and acknowledged Huai as the leader because their interests were aligned, but after the Loyalist Army's failure, due to the different territories they governed, their interests also diverged and could even be seen as "competitors."

Moreover, since Longyou was close to Chongzhou, if Longyou fell, passing the Qin Pass would lead to the Western River Land, where Chongzhou was located.

If the lips perish, the teeth feel the cold. If Longyou fell, the Seven Kingdoms might not continue south to Yu State but move west past Qin Pass, meaning a battle on his own soil...

King Chong could not afford to help Prince Huai to the detriment of his own interests.

However, if the Seven Kingdoms were repulsed and Prince Huai sought his assistance for the sake of avenging his abducted daughter-in-law, King Chong would be willing to lend a hand.

But not now; provoking Chen Mo might lead him to send troops to Longyou, complicating the situation.

Therefore, King Chong refused.

By the time the message of refusal reached, it was already mid-April.

The sun shone brightly, and the weather was warm.

After reading the letter's contents, Prince Huai couldn't help but frown. In terms of age, he was a few years older than King Chong and therefore had always expected King Chong, as the younger brother, to follow him as the elder brother.

And after taking Fengzhou, Prince Huai's arrogance had become more pronounced.

But the letter's refusal made it clear to Prince Huai that King Chong was equally ambitious, unwilling to remain beneath others, and left Prince Huai feeling quite chagrined.

When he adopted Liu Ji's suggestion, he did so with the belief that once he spoke, King Chong would surely help.

Prince Huai turned to Liu Ji, feeling hesitant about whether to proceed with campaigning against Chen Mo.

Liu Ji bowed and suggested again, "Subordinate has received news that Chen Thief is training a navy, clearly eyeing Jiangdong for some time. Would the Wu Family be unaware? Perhaps allying with the Wu Family..."