Chapter 150
Old Huang’s face was filled with guilt. “Wang Ye, I have failed to meet your expectations. The cement you spoke of still doesn’t meet the required standards.”
Ming Yu nodded, signaling him to explain further.
Old Huang’s wrinkled face creased even deeper as he furrowed his brows. He recounted the process of developing the cement and finally sighed helplessly, “We have adjusted the proportions numerous times, but the cement’s strength is still insufficient. It doesn’t meet Wang Ye’s requirements.”
Ming Yu frowned in thought. He knew that cement itself was relatively simple—achieving the right formula, firing it, and then grinding it into a fine powder should suffice. Since Old Huang claimed the proportions were correct, then where exactly was the problem?
He repeatedly questioned specific steps, and Old Huang, along with the others, answered one by one.
There was indeed no issue with the proportions. After a long moment of contemplation, Ming Yu raised his head and asked, “What temperature are you using for calcination?”
The group exchanged bewildered glances, uncertain of his meaning. Finally, Old Huang stood up and replied, “Wang Ye, we are using firewood for calcination. What do you mean by temperature?”
Ming Yu smacked his forehead in realization. “Isn’t there coal? Why aren’t you using coal for calcination?”
Someone responded, “Wang Ye, are you referring to those black stones? They’re rare, so we tried to conserve them and used firewood instead.”
Ming Yu was indeed referring to coal. Since the Crafting Workshop relied on various experiments, including metal forging, furnaces were essential. He had already modified the workshop’s kilns into blast furnaces for better efficiency. However, many materials required high temperatures for proper forging, and firewood simply couldn’t provide enough heat.
Therefore, he had previously ordered people to search for various mineral deposits, instructing them to pay special attention to these black stones—coal.
Fortunately, though Liangzhou’s land was barren, its mineral resources were abundant. During their survey of the region, they discovered several iron mines. Coal deposits, being buried deep underground, were harder to find. However, they eventually located a site where these black stones were exposed on the surface. Once they brought samples back for verification, it was confirmed as the coal that Wang Ye had mentioned.
Even so, the location was far away, and mining was not easy. Most of the coal was buried deep underground. The craftsmen at the workshop knew how difficult it was to extract, so they only used it when absolutely necessary.
Now that Wang Ye had brought it up, everyone finally had an epiphany. Could the failure in cement production be due to insufficient heat? It wasn’t impossible—temperature played a crucial role in forging. Whether it was metallurgy, iron smelting, or the so-called hundred-refined steel Wang Ye had mentioned, all required extremely high temperatures. It seemed their initial focus had been entirely wrong, which had led to their lack of progress.
Realizing this, excitement spread through the group. They were eager to test this new approach.
Unable to contain himself, Old Huang was the first to stand up. “Wang Ye, I will return immediately to restart the experiment.”
As soon as he spoke, the others also stood up to take their leave. Some were so eager that they ran out before even bidding farewell.
Watching as the once-crowded meeting room emptied in an instant, Ming Yu rubbed his forehead. This group truly embodied the spirit of workaholics, unwilling to waste even a second. If they hadn’t encountered this bottleneck, they probably wouldn’t have gathered in the meeting room at all and would still be buried in their experiments.
Yet, this dedication reassured Ming Yu. It was precisely because of these passionate innovators that he had the confidence to stand against barbarian invaders and to build Liangzhou into the prosperous land he envisioned.
Time flew by. After half a year of tireless, relentless work—spinning like a top without pause—Ming Yu finally felt some relief.
The defensive measures for the Western Qi Corridor progressed smoothly. With high-strength cement available, the fortress gates, city defenses, and roads were constructed swiftly and efficiently. Their durability was unparalleled.
All of Liangzhou’s manpower and resources were focused on the Western Qi Corridor, leading to a dramatic acceleration in its construction. Once the defensive structures were completed, Ming Yu would have no more worries.
Initially, he had feared that the Suixi Kingdom would cause trouble. If the barbarian invaders sent a large army to attack the Western Qi Corridor, the damage would be immeasurable, and construction of the defensive fortifications would be impossible.
Fortunately, Xie Yixiu’s guerrilla strategy had been highly successful. A cavalry force of over a thousand men roamed freely across the Suixi grasslands. They carried only a small amount of rations upon departure, but each soldier was well-equipped—with essential supplies, crossbows, Thousand-Mile Eye, steel armor, sabers, explosive projectiles, and an improved version of the explosives.
Their superior equipment became a major headache for the Suixi royal court. The enemy certainly wanted to eliminate this force and dispatched large troops to hunt them down.
Yet, for some unknown reason, this cavalry always seemed to anticipate their moves in advance, staying one step ahead. Every time the Suixi forces received intelligence and attempted an ambush, it was as if the cavalry could see through their deployment. None of their traps ever succeeded.
And whenever the cavalry encountered the enemy, they did not flee or evade but faced them head-on. Armed with exceptional weapons and advanced combat gear, they crushed every Suixi force they engaged, leaving no survivors.
This left them feeling powerless. Back then, when their small raiding parties invaded the borderlands of the Great Yan, they looted, burned, and killed as they pleased, flaunting their dominance. But now, the tables had turned— the Great Yan’s Red Robe Army was giving them a taste of their own medicine. A unit of troops infiltrated their lands, attacking gatherings of nomads, settling old scores, and exacting revenge. Any cattle, sheep, or horses that could be slaughtered were killed; those that could be taken were seized.
The nomads who received the news were helpless. They dared not take risks—if they encountered these harbingers of destruction and lost their livestock, they wouldn’t survive the winter. How could they afford to linger? One after another, they migrated deeper into the grasslands, seeking refuge in the royal court, their only hope for protection.
Helian Bo was furious, grinding his teeth in frustration. The officials of the royal court were at their wits’ end. Faced with such a raiding force, there was nothing they could do. Even when they dispatched large numbers of troops, they couldn’t even catch a glimpse of the enemy. Yet, this elusive force deliberately targeted the weak, launching sporadic raids that felt like a bone stuck in their throats—an unbearable irritation that they could neither swallow nor spit out.
How were they supposed to deal with this? Days of deliberation led nowhere. When had they ever been so humiliated? Ever since Helian Bo became the Left Division’s Grand General King, he had achieved nothing. He couldn’t even handle such a small force. When Hunle Wang led the Left Division, had anything like this ever happened?
Many began to reminisce about Tuoba Ren’s leadership. Though they dared not voice their grievances in front of Helian Bo, they couldn’t help but complain in private. When these whispers reached Helian Bo’s ears, his anger surged, and he wished he could personally execute these useless officials. What else were they good for besides gossiping? They were nothing but parasites indulging in luxury.
Tuoba Ren furrowed his brows. He had heard these rumors, but since he no longer held power, he had no reason to concern himself with them. He led a life of seclusion, appearing to be carefree, but it was all a ploy to lull Helian Bo into complacency.
Previously, Song Lian had approached the Right Division’s Grand General King, Rong Sang, several times. Although some progress had been made, Rong Sang had not gained his position without reason—he was no easy opponent. He neither outright rejected nor accepted the proposals, keeping them hanging in limbo.
This made Tuoba Ren anxious. He understood that the old fox was stalling for the best possible deal, but there was nothing he could do except play along. However, if this dragged on any longer, the Western Qi Corridor would be fully fortified, and they would lose the best opportunity to strike. If that happened, breaching the corridor in the future would be an arduous task, requiring a costly battle.
He had brought up this matter with his elder brother, Tuoba Hongze, but it was clear that the royal court did not take it seriously. Although it had been discussed at court, most officials dismissed the Western Qi Mountains as a barren, useless land. Even if the Great Yan occupied it, what benefit would it bring?
Instead of wasting effort on that, they believed it was more urgent to eradicate the rogue troops causing chaos in the territory of Suixi. The people of Suixi were voicing their grievances, and pacifying them should be the priority.
Tuoba Ren despised such short-sighted fools who only focused on immediate concerns. They failed to see that the real future threat was the Great Yan securing the Western Qi Corridor.
Unfortunately, he was alone in his thoughts, and as a powerless, idle prince, his advice was ignored. His only hope was that the Great Yan’s border construction would proceed slowly—at least a year or two would be needed before it could take shape.
“Rong Sang still refuses to give in?” Tuoba Ren turned to Song Lian and asked.
He had entrusted this task to Song Lian. Since Song Lian had come to report today, Tuoba Ren wasted no time in asking.
Song Lian cupped his hands and replied, “The conditions have been laid out, but he has a demand of his own…”
“What demand?” Tuoba Ren asked.
Song Lian hesitated for a moment before cautiously stating, “First, he wants you to personally train and mentor Chacha Qi and the young warriors of his clan. Second, you must follow his orders and accept a position as a mere commander of a thousand troops. Otherwise, negotiations are off the table.”
“Outrageous!” Tuoba Ren clenched his fists tightly, his anger boiling over into a fit of coughing.
He, a former Hunle Wang of Suixi, once the Left Division’s Grand General King, had commanded entire armies—when had he ever been subjected to such humiliation? A mere commander of a thousand? That rank allowed him to lead only a thousand troops—what use was that to him? Training Rong Sang’s clan members was not unreasonable; after all, the Right Division had suffered a decline in talent, leaving their military weakened.
But offering him a lowly commander’s post—was that not a slap in the face? Even beggars were given better treatment!
“Wang Ye, the conditions are indeed harsh. No matter how much we negotiate, he will never relinquish full control. He must safeguard his clan’s interests and retain military authority to maintain leverage over you,” Song Lian explained pragmatically.
There was no way around it—Tuoba Ren was the one asking for help. Without military power, he was nothing. The fact that Rong Sang was making demands at all meant that he still valued Tuoba Ren’s abilities.
Tuoba Ren understood this as well. After a long silence, he exhaled and closed his eyes. “Fine. Tell him that the lowest I will accept is five thousand troops. If he agrees, all future military achievements will be credited entirely to the Right Division.”
“Wang Ye, that would be far too unfair to you,” Song Lian said with regret. Would this not mean that all the glory and efforts would be handed to someone else?
“There is no such thing as fairness in this world.” Tuoba Ren sneered. “If he agrees, even with just those five thousand men, I can stand against Helian Bo. He is incapable of driving the Great Yan’s troops out, but I can.”
Song Lian’s expression grew serious. “Wang Ye, are you planning to take control of that rogue unit?” Seeing Tuoba Ren nod, he added, “It is said that this group has many peculiarities—not only can they predict our army’s movements, but they also possess weapons similar to the explosive thunder we encountered before.”
“Precisely. That is why I want to face them. There is an old saying on the grasslands: ‘You must reclaim what was taken from you in the same place you lost it.’ Last time, they caught us off guard, and we fell into their trap. But nothing in this world is flawless—I refuse to believe they have no weaknesses.”
Song Lian nodded, feeling relieved. It seemed Wang Ye already had a plan.
Helian Bo had been completely helpless against this rogue force. If Tuoba Ren succeeded in taking them down, his prestige and influence would soar once more. By then, neither Helian Bo nor Rong Sang would be able to suppress him. Tuoba Ren would regain his power, and when the time came to march on the Western Qi Mountains, Duan Wang of the Great Yan would see all his efforts crumble into nothing.
At this thought, Song Lian’s lips curled into a breathtaking smile. Very well. When the time came, he would relish watching the expressions of those fools—he just hoped they wouldn’t look too miserable!
If you love what Ciacia is doing, then consider showing your support by supporting a cup of coffee for her at Kofi. If you can’t wait for the next release chapter, subscribe to advanced chapters membership on her Kofi to get access to up to 10 chapters!
Thank You for the new chapter (๑˙❥˙๑)