Jiuxi

Chapter 783 [Lin Jie’s Principle]

North of Dingzhou, deep in the Baotai Mountain Range.

Dozens of miles east of the Seven Stars Gang’s headquarters, surrounded by mountains, is a spacious natural valley.

Compared to the scene that Lu Chen saw when he came here last winter, a lot has changed here now.

A large number of habitable houses were newly built on the west side, which can accommodate at least two thousand people.

Vegetable fields and livestock sheds were opened up in the north. Although the main daily necessities here were still transported by Ran Xuanzhi and his brothers from the Seven Stars Gang Lin Tang, in such a secret place that was like a paradise, people could grow vegetables and raise chickens and ducks to relieve their mood.

In addition to the original test sites and various workshops in the east, more than ten workshops were built, and further east, near the river, there were even two tall furnaces rising from the ground.

In addition to the nearly two hundred craftsmen that Lu Tong and Lin Jie had painstakingly found, there were also more than six hundred diligent helpers, and a large and complex guard team, which included core masters of the Seven Stars Gang, loyal guards of the Lu family, and elite confidants that Lu Chen had specially selected from the army.

With an extremely secret geographical location, a loyal and reliable guard team, and the presence of Lin Jie, the number one on the martial arts list, the defense here is so tight that it can be foolproof.

Not to mention that in the vast mountains and plains outside, the main force of the Seven Star Army is on full alert at all times.

It is now mid-November, the weather in the mountains is cold, and most people are working in the workshops.

The weather was a little gloomy, but the atmosphere was very lively.

Liao Jichang, who was appointed as the chief craftsman, walked ahead and introduced the places carefully to the young nobles behind him wherever they went.

There are more than ten skilled craftsmen next to them, all of whom are the best in this group.

"Sir, please look, this is the matchlock we made according to your request."

Liao Jichang could not hide his excitement and lit the fuse himself to demonstrate. The fuse burned relatively slowly, which made everyone around him very excited.

It is important to know that it is not easy to achieve this effect, because the tinderbox is essentially a piece of hemp rope, which originally burns very quickly and does not meet Lu Chen's requirements. Finally, a craftsman named Deng Chuanjia came up with a way to soak the tinderbox in salt water and then dry it, and the burning speed can finally be controlled within a reasonable range.

"Very good, thank you for your hard work."

Lu Chen felt quite emotional, and his thanks came from the bottom of his heart.

Although he was a soldier in his previous life, he used very advanced weapons, and they were all ready-made. At most, he could only make some simple killing weapons similar to Greek fire. He lacked the knowledge and ability to quickly develop a technological system from scratch.

Only when you actually embark on this journey will you know how difficult it is.

It has been more than two years since the 14th year of Jianwu in the reign of the previous emperor, and his idea has only barely taken shape.

Not only is it difficult to overcome the technical details, but the cost investment is also so huge that he can't even imagine it.

This valley, surrounded by mountains, is like a quietly dormant gold-eating beast.

In more than two years, Lu Chen has invested more than 400,000 taels of silver here, which is close to the cost of establishing his intelligence network in Nanjing City, Jiangnan.

Apart from everyone's salary, hush money and resettlement expenses, the biggest expense is the purchase and transportation of various raw materials. Lu Chen cannot ask the court or Xu Zuo for money. Fortunately, the Lu family's business is getting bigger and bigger, and the old man's business skills are good enough. The Lu family's foundation can support his investment regardless of cost.

Fortunately, there are finally some clues, and the first batch of research projects are about to reap rewards.

Of course, the achievements of Liao Jichang and others were not just a piece of tinder and a new type of landmine made with powerful gunpowder.

Lu Chen followed them to one workshop after another and gained a very clear understanding of the resources he now had.

After making more specific requirements, Lu Chen generously rewarded these hard-working subordinates, encouraged them to keep up the good work, and helped them solve their personal needs in a practical way. Everywhere he looked were smiling faces of gratitude.

After saying goodbye to everyone, Lu Chen came to a small courtyard upstream of the river in the east. Qin Zilong and his personal soldiers were standing guard outside loyally.

There were two chairs in the corridor, with a small table in the middle with tea set on it.

Lu Chen walked to the left and sat down, letting out a contented sigh.

Lin Jie looked up at the gray sky and said calmly, "I wanted to bring Jiusi here, but Xier refused to do so and almost quarreled with me."

Jiusi is the name of Lu Chen's eldest son, and his daughter is Lu Xinyi. Xinyi is another name for Mulan.

For Lu Chen, naming a child was indeed a very difficult task, even more difficult than planning a battle.

Finally, after racking their brains, they decided on the names Lu Jiusi and Lu Xinyi, but were still nagged by the three elders, Lu Tong, Wang Cheng and Lin Jie. Fortunately, Lin Xi and Wang Chulong did not object.

Hearing his father-in-law's seemingly calm tone, Lu Chen knew that he was expressing dissatisfaction with him. Lin Jie could obviously stay in Ruyin City and enjoy his grandchildren like Wang Cheng, but he had to come here to take charge of the situation. Even if he was the number one on the martial arts list, he would be unhappy.

Lu Chen immediately offered to refill tea for his father-in-law, and said with an apologetic smile, "Sister is mainly worried that it's too cold in the mountains. The boy is only a few months old and is afraid of catching a cold. It's not that she doesn't trust Taishan. When the spring comes next year and Jiusi is a little older, he will definitely be able to come here to accompany Taishan."

Lin Jie snorted in annoyance, but did not continue to cause trouble for Lu Chen.

As an eyewitness who witnessed the construction of this place from scratch, Lin Jie knows the importance of this foundation better than anyone else.

Although those people have spent more than 400,000 taels of silver so far, and the results have not yet generated substantial returns, Lin Jie can naturally see the picture of the future with his vision. So even though he was very unhappy, he still returned here immediately after attending the hundred-day banquet of his two grandchildren and kept an eye on it.

Lin Jie picked up the teacup and took a sip, then changed the subject and asked, "Are you really going to the capital?"

Lu Chen seemed to have expected this, and said calmly: "In fact, if I insist on not going back, those people in the south will have no choice but to make some sarcastic remarks. As long as Jingguo is not destroyed, those people will need someone to stand in front of them to resist the strong enemy, and they must rely on me and the border soldiers, no matter how unwilling they are."

Lin Jie narrowed his eyes slightly and said slowly: "But you still decided to go."

Lin Jie has long been one of Lu Chen's most trusted people, so there is no need to beat around the bush in front of him. He said bluntly, "I have discussed this issue with my father. Because of some issues left over from the past, I cannot take the initiative. Returning to Beijing next year will be my last chance for those people. If everything is peaceful and calm, and no one is secretly plotting, I will not cause any trouble. If someone wants to fish in troubled waters, I will definitely not be soft-hearted."

Lin Jie smiled and said leisurely: "Do you know what I think?"

Lu Chen shook his head and looked curiously at this father-in-law whose martial arts skills were unfathomable.

Lin Jie leaned back in his chair, not revealing any murderous intent, but his words were sharp: "Since the emperor is determined to make things difficult for you, for the sake of my precious grandson, why not let me sneak into Yongjia City and cut off his head with one stroke."

Lu Chen was speechless.

His father set a fire and burned Li Zongben's grandfather and uncle to death, and now his father-in-law wants to assassinate the emperor single-handedly.

Lu Chen couldn't help but sigh: "Compared to you, I do seem very weak."

Lin Jie did not ask who "you" referred to, and smiled and said, "Don't belittle yourself. I know you need to consider many issues in your position. You can't just seek revenge like a gangster. When we faced the Yanjing coalition forces in the headquarters, I told you that I am better than you in martial arts talent, but when it comes to strategizing and planning, I am far inferior to you."

Lu Chen exhaled and said slowly: "If Taishan gives up everything, there is hope that he can accomplish this, but you will definitely not be able to leave the palace alive. Moreover, killing a person can often solve the problem, but sometimes simply killing cannot solve the problem. The conflict between Li Zongben and I is not a personal grudge. It is ultimately a struggle for power, and it extends to the dispute between the new nobles in Jiangbei and the aristocratic families in Jiangnan. Unless all those who oppose me in Jiangnan are killed, I still have to return to the path of seeking a reasonable solution to the problem."

"Because you don't want Jiangnan to become a mess with smoke of war everywhere, but to be able to continue to support the stable rear of the border troops, so you can only be patient and deal with those people."

Lin Jie is not a reckless man with great martial arts skills. He was able to inherit and expand the foundation of the Seven Stars Gang and become the leader of the Northern Green Forest in one fell swoop. Obviously, he is not as foolish and ignorant as he self-deprecatingly says. This sentence accurately describes Lu Chen's situation and response.

Lu Chen nodded and said, "It's that simple."

"I won't stop you from going to the capital. I believe you will definitely make thorough preparations, but I still want to remind you."

Lin Jie paused for a moment, then turned to him and said, "If something happens to you in the capital, and Xi'er becomes a widow at a young age, and Jiusi and Xinyi become fatherless, I will not care about the overall situation of the country and will lead my men to the south to kill all the way, specifically targeting officials from all over the country, and then go find trouble with the emperor. Even if the government collapses, the world is in chaos, and people suffer, and even the Jinglian people take advantage of the situation, I will not care."

He still showed no sign of killing intent, but Lu Chen suddenly remembered that moonlit night of that year.

Six top masters led by Dian Kuang joined forces to besiege his father-in-law, but were ultimately defeated.

So he smiled and said, "Don't worry, Taishan. I can't bear to leave this world, and I won't joke with my life."

"That's good."

Lin Jie stopped talking and asked with interest, "The craftsmen are almost done with the musket you mentioned before. It is indeed a deadly weapon. Will you take it to the south this time? Since you are here to enter the capital, you cannot bring too many soldiers. With this magical weapon, I think it can produce unexpected results."

Lu Chen laughed, looked up at the dark sky in the north, and said calmly: "They don't deserve it."

(End of this chapter)