The First Lackey Under The Empress

#239 - Ask for help from Gongshu Tianyuan

"Barely satisfactory…" implies a general sense of satisfaction. For an ordinary person, receiving such a comment from a superior officer in the military would actually be quite acceptable.

However, if the one receiving this evaluation is proud of their "fire lances" and holds the honorary title of the Great Yu's foremost firearms craftsman,

it becomes a belittlement.

A blatant belittlement.

At that moment, the smug smile on Chen Gui's lips instantly froze.

He turned his head to look at the tall and handsome Zhao Du'an beside him, his face visibly turning ugly, and his goatee began to tremble.

"Lord… do you think it's just barely satisfactory?"

Chen the Fire God stared at Zhao Du'an, the slight goodwill he had previously developed for this new superior vanishing in an instant.

He possessed immense pride, at least in the field of firearms, where he considered himself to be ahead of the entire world.

Yet now, his most prized creation was being perfunctorily evaluated by a young man decades his junior.

How could Chen the Fire God not be furious?

It was only natural for him to assume that he was being deliberately suppressed… Just as the clerk had said, was he being reprimanded for not welcoming him?

But thinking of the other party's power…

Chen the Fire God suppressed his anger, and said with some indignation:

"Lord, your martial arts cultivation is unmatched by ordinary people, so naturally you find these firearms unappealing. However, those with high martial skills are ultimately a minority. In large-scale battles, the majority are still ordinary soldiers…"

Zhao Du'an stood with his hands behind his back, glanced at the angry old craftsman, and smiled, saying:

"What I mean is, for the army, this thing is also just barely satisfactory."

Then, before Chen Gui could get angry, his next words poured down like a bucket of cold water:

"In battles between armies, the focus is on the effectiveness of killing the enemy. Just as the iron-core bow is many times more powerful than a wooden bow, the army isn't lacking soldiers with amazing strength.

But when actually going into battle, even the son of the Duke Zhenguo wouldn't use the powerful iron-core bow, but would only use the inferior yellow pear wood bow.

This is because the former is too strenuous, heavy to carry, and the time it takes to shoot one arrow is enough for an ordinary, light wooden bow to shoot two arrows…"

He reached out his hand with emotion, patted the "gun barrel" beside him that was still warm and surrounded by lingering smoke, and made a thumping sound:

"This thing, from my observation just now, takes far more effort to load gunpowder than ordinary bows and arrows. This alone determines that this thing is flashy and impractical."

These words were understated, but they were like a heavy punch, slamming hard into Chen the Fire God's heart.

Rendering the chief officer of the Firearms Bureau temporarily unable to refute.

Yes!

This was indeed the biggest flaw of the fire lance: reloading was too troublesome!

"… What Inspector Zhao said is indeed a drawback, but the replacement of any weapon isn't a one-step process; it needs to be gradually improved…

This fire lance was only recently created, so it's still a bit cumbersome. Give me some time, and it will definitely…"

Chen Gui explained with a straight face.

Zhao Du'an interrupted him: "Six hundred years."

Chen Gui was stunned.

Zhao Du'an stroked the muzzle, turned his head to look at him calmly, his eyes complex:

"When I came, I looked through the records. Firearms were first used in the army during the reign of Emperor Taizu six hundred years ago. However, the usage at that time was extremely crude and unusable.

At that time, many people must have thought that as long as they were given time, they would definitely be of great use… But six hundred years have passed, and the main force in battle is still the spearmen and shieldmen, and the cavalry with their sabers and horses…

Master Chen, how many centuries do you think it will take for your fire lance to be useful?"

Chen the Fire God was choked speechless.

Zhao Du'an didn't mean to argue with him, but held the warm copper tube in both hands, caressing it, and suddenly said:

"Firearms… such a thick tube, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a cannon. Master Chen, you must have subsequent ideas for it, right? Can you talk about them?"

Chen the Fire God was silent for a moment, gritted his teeth, and decided to go all out, saying:

"I do have some ideas. In my opinion, this fire lance is just a prototype. In the future, firearms should develop in two directions.

One is extremely large, much larger than this, capable of shooting iron bullets or large spears farther, and able to blast open city gates.

The other is extremely small, so small that it's like a scholar's gentleman's sword at the waist, with each soldier having one, shooting smaller iron bullets, capable of killing enemies a hundred meters away…"

As he spoke of his vision, the eyes of this old craftsman, who was no longer young, were shining.

As if he had forgotten the identity of the listener beside him.

Hou Renmeng and Qian Kerou couldn't help but be drawn in as well.

Thinking that if it could be achieved, the battlefield might truly be rewritten.

Zhao Du'an was slightly surprised.

The direction the other party judged was indeed correct.

Sure enough, true industry leaders are accurate in their judgments of the future.

"Then why have you only created this prototype? What are the difficulties hindering your vision?" Zhao Du'an asked seemingly casually.

Chen the Fire God immediately fell back to reality from his vision.

This master craftsman in his fifties shook his head, revealing a look of dejection:

"There are too many. Not to mention that there are still some problems with the smelting process, but just on these two visions, although I'm certain that's the direction, I have no clue how to do many of the details…"

Saying that, he suddenly mocked himself:

"What the Lord said may be right. I can't say for sure when it will be improved to be stronger than bows and arrows in battle. Perhaps I'll have a sudden realization one day and it can be done in a few years, or perhaps… I may not be able to see that day even until I die."

Zhao Du'an pondered for a moment and asked:

"Then, in your opinion, how can we accelerate its evolution?"

Unknowingly, the atmosphere became strange.

It was as if they were not observing, but discussing.

Chen the Fire God was drawn into the rhythm, thought for a while, and said:

"The most likely and quickest way I can think of is to seek the help of术士."

"术士?"

"That's right. I've heard that among the gods, there's one called 'Craftsman God'. The 术士 who cultivate the Craftsman God can master all kinds of creation abilities, understand the principles of heaven and earth, and create wonderful things that far exceed common sense."

Chen Huoshen said with some longing:

"Unfortunately, I don't know much about those profound figures in the mystic sects. I've also tried various ways to inquire, and learned that the most powerful Craftsman God 术士 in the capital seems to be named Gongshu Tianyuan, who is a disciple of Zhang Tianshi..."

Zhao Du'an's expression became strange:

"Do you think that Gongshu Tianyuan can help you? If so, why not ask the imperial court to help you connect with him?"

Chen Huoshen sighed and said bitterly:

"I've tried, how could I not have tried? But when the message was sent to the Tianshi Mansion, there was no response. Later, the general above brought back a reply, saying that the Tianshi's disciple was studying magical artifacts, which were different from mundane gunpowder, and he was powerless..."

"I think it's not necessarily that he's powerless, but more that he's unwilling to waste his energy on this matter..."

"After all, that's Zhang Tianshi's disciple, what kind of immortal figure is he? Not to mention me, even if Xue Shumi went to ask, he still wouldn't give him any face."

The Tianshi Mansion has an extraordinary status.

The so-called court officials are really useless.

If they don't want to give you face, they won't, and there's nothing you can do about it.

No... that little fatty Gongshu Tianyuan might really be "powerless", because the things he makes are too strange...

He doesn't understand design at all... the guns and cannons he makes would probably be weird things from the "mysterious side"...

Unless... someone gives him drawings and explains the general ideas, this Craftsman God's successor can use his extraordinary talent to implement them.

Thinking of this, Zhao Du'an's heart stirred, and he had an idea.

"Bang."

He casually threw the heavy bronze pipe on the ground, causing Chen Gui to feel a pang of heartache.

--Although it's just a lump of iron, I don't know what he's feeling sorry for.

"Not bad, I've seen enough. Master Chen, how about going out with me?"

Zhao Du'an clapped his hands and said.

Chen Huoshen suddenly came back to his senses, his eyes wary: "What do you mean, sir?"

Zhao Du'an smiled and patted his thin shoulder, and said:

"You'll know when we get there."

...

Chen Gui, a sixth-rank official, could not resist the command of the 指挥佥事 after all.

Feeling uneasy, he and Zhao Du'an's group of four left the Firearm Bureau on horseback and went straight into the South City Gate.

Following the streets in the city, they made seven turns and eight turns, and finally stopped outside the towering Tianshi Mansion.

"Sir, you are..."

Chen Huoshen, riding on his horse, was shocked.

Zhao Du'an said with a smile:

"Didn't you say that Gongshu Tianyuan might be able to help? Since I've joined the Divine Mechanism Camp, I naturally want to seek blessings for the Divine Mechanism Camp, so I'll help you make a connection."

Chen Huoshen was startled, but not happy, and waved his hand:

"Your kindness, sir, is appreciated. But the Tianshi's disciple is not easy to meet... Even when Xue Shumi came before, he didn't succeed..."

He naturally felt that Zhao Du'an was too arrogant.

He thought he had power and influence, but the Tianshi Mansion didn't recognize any of the court's "high officials".

"Master Chen, since we're here, let's take it easy. Our master said he would help you, so he will definitely help you."

Qian Kerou said with a smile as she dismounted.

Hou Renmeng also dismounted and said coolly:

"Our master is acquainted with the Golden Jian Divine Official, who is also a Tianshi disciple."

They both thought that Zhao Du'an wanted to borrow Jin Jian's connections.

Chen Huoshen still didn't believe it.

He dismounted with trepidation, just sighed, and planned how to save face for Zhao Du'an later.

At this time, Zhao Du'an had already stepped forward.

He whispered a few words to the gatekeeper 神官, and the latter hurried in.

Before long, a short and fat figure ran out of the Tianshi Mansion.

This person was wearing a dirty 神官 robe embroidered with gold thread, and carried a bamboo tube on his back.

His round, fat face had small eyes as big as soybeans, and he ran out laughing, saying:

"Envoy! Why didn't you tell someone to inform me earlier when you came, so I could tidy up and come to meet you! Sorry for the wait, sorry for the wait..."

As he spoke, his greasy, fat hand habitually extended a "handshake greeting".

Zhao Du'an smiled reservedly.

After a brief greeting, he beckoned the three people waiting behind him to come over and explained:

"Divine Official Gongshu..."

"Hey, Envoy, just call me Tianyuan, or call me brother. Don't be so polite." Gongshu Tianyuan said unhappily.

"...Heh, that's good. Brother Gongshu, this is Chen Gui from the Divine Mechanism Camp's Firearm Bureau. I brought him here this time because I have something to ask of you."

"Easy to say, easy to say!"

Gongshu Tianyuan patted his chest loudly:

"I'm just worried about how to repay the Envoy, come in and tell me, let's go sit down at my place."

Next to him.

Chen Huoshen was completely stunned.

He swallowed slowly and whispered to the two people beside him to confirm:

"Is this really..."

Although the two generals of Pear Blossom Hall were also surprised, they were already used to it, so it was okay, and they nodded immediately:

"Naturally, it is that Gongshu Tianyuan."

Chen Huoshen felt dizzy for a while, and pinched his thigh hard with his right hand.

It hurts!

It's not a dream!