Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 816 Baideng Night Journey
If the advent of muskets and cannons was a revolution on the battlefield, then rocket launchers and machine guns redefined warfare.

The military industry in Fuliang can produce machine guns, but the barrels are not as durable as expected. Before the smelting technology is improved, machine guns can only be used for some special missions. After all, most of the time, war is about money. If you can do the most with the least amount of money, there is no need to fight a war. If every side loses money when a war starts, the world would be at peace long ago.

However, rocket artillery perfectly compensated for the shortcomings in machine gun production capacity. It has strong firepower, long range, low price, is cheap and durable, and most importantly, it can be carried by a single soldier.

While its firepower is slightly less than that of cannons, its high mobility makes up for it. Its defensive capabilities are inferior to machine guns, but its low cost makes it a formidable force. A single salvo in a dense formation can cause far more destruction than imagined. Moreover, it is more suitable for the current situation than cannons, because after several rounds of artillery fire, countries are not fools; they have long been practicing how to evade artillery fire.

They have even figured out dispersed tactics and the three-three system. The update of tactics and methods will inevitably lead to the iteration of equipment, so the current lightweight rocket artillery is the best solution.

“I told you long ago, by the time you figured out how to deal with cannons, I already had something you couldn’t.” Xia Lin leaned against the wall of the firing range, looking at the still-smoking mountain in the distance, and said with a half-smile, “There’s probably no one in the world who loves peace more than me.”

"You?" Emperor Jingtai sneered, his eyes full of disdain: "A master of killing, and you love peace?"

“Yes, I love peace.” Xia Lin turned around and spread his hands towards Emperor Jingtai: “I don’t agree with the so-called universal love and non-aggression. I always believe that stopping war with force is the guarantee of peace. It’s true that I have a lot of killing skills, but in this world, having a lot of killing skills is better than having nothing at all. Having a sword and not using it is a different thing from not having a sword to use.”

"Your logic is so twisted, I'm not going to talk to you anymore."

Emperor Jingtai turned and left, but stopped halfway there: "Submit a copy of the method for making this rocket to the Ministry of Works."

“Not now.” Xia Lin shook his head and said, “This is still top secret. The fewer people who come into contact with it, the better. After all, there are countless talented people in the world. This thing isn’t difficult. What I’m worried about is that someone will break through and cause serious harm to the surrounding countries. You know, we are a responsible major power. We have the power to make judgments, but we can act in accordance with etiquette and law. Try it with those tiny countries. If they wanted this, they could wipe out all their neighbors overnight.”

"That makes sense..."

Emperor Jingtai stroked his chin: "If I were the ruler of a small country, I would also want to take a gamble when faced with something like this."

"Alright, that's enough. I got paid today, so I'll treat you to dinner."

"Come on," Emperor Jingtai waved his hand. "Your meager treats aren't even enough to fill my teeth. I should be the one treating you."

"Hey, are you really that extravagant?" Xia Lin's eyes widened. "I offered you five taels of silver for a meal, and you think I'm stingy?"

"At my level, what's wrong with eating a hundred taels of silver?" Emperor Jingtai patted his chest. "And it's not like I eat it every meal or every day."

"Alright, alright, then I won't stand on ceremony."

The two quickly arrived at the best restaurant in Fuliang and ordered four dishes and a soup. They were just being extravagant and lavish, even ordering two chicken legs each.

Just as they were eating, the waiter approached them, bowed, and said, "Master Xia, the master said that this meal is on us, but when you leave later, would you please condescend to use the back door?"

Xia Lin looked up at him in surprise: "Why?"

The waiter pursed his lips and pointed outside. Then he saw a group of young people standing at the main entrance downstairs. Some of them were holding banners that read "Oppose the separation of scholars and farmers, oppose the clarification of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce." They must be the opponents of Xia Lin's policy before.

"They're just a bunch of pedantic intellectuals, what are you worried about?"

The waiter looked worried: "The boss said... said..."

Emperor Jingtai looked up and said, "What did your master say? Speak up. And what is your master's status? Knowing that Lord Xia is here, he still dared to send you to deliver a message? He's got some nerve."

The waiter suddenly became flustered. He stammered for a long time without saying a word. Xia Lin spoke up to help him out, saying, "You don't want to see the big boss of his family here."

Emperor Jingtai's imperial radar suddenly activated, and it seemed as if a sliding card-drawing mechanism had been triggered before his eyes. The final image froze on a person's face, and he instantly understood everything...

“The Golden Legend.” Xia Lin nodded and said, “But I’m curious what message she asked you to deliver. Go ahead, it’s alright.”

"The boss said..." the waiter sniffed, "You two idle people shouldn't get into conflicts with those people, so as not to delay our business. Also... also... if you two insist on being stabbed to death, then you can die anywhere, just don't die in front of our house."

"That son of a bitch!" Emperor Jingtai cursed angrily, "Watch me punish her for the grave crime of disrespect!"

Xia Lin smiled and said, "Go tell your boss that I can go wherever I want and tell her to leave it to me."

After the meal, Xia Lin and Emperor Jingtai did indeed walk out through the main gate. The Confucian scholars were still chanting slogans against Xia Lin's new policies and distributing leaflets to passersby to spread the word about the various drawbacks of this policy that blurred class lines.

As he went outside, he encountered several Confucian scholars who were demonstrating and shouting. While they were shouting against Xia Lin's new policies, they were stuffing brochures into Xia Lin's hands. But suddenly someone noticed that Xia Lin was right in front of them, and then everyone stood up at attention and bowed in unison: "Greetings, Headmaster Xia."

"Okay, okay." Xia Lin held up the brochure. "Have you all eaten yet?"

"not yet."

Xia Lin turned to the waiter at the door and said, "Go and prepare some food for the children, and put the bill under the yamen's hospitality expenses."

After he finished speaking, he nodded to the Confucian scholars: "You all get back to work."

After saying that, he continued to lead Emperor Jingtai forward, but after taking only a few steps, he heard the slogan "Oppose Xia Lin's New Policies" ringing out again from behind.

Emperor Jingtai frequently turned to look at the students, and said with a hint of curiosity in his voice, "You can tolerate this?"

"Why not?" Xia Lin retorted.

"Isn't this ridiculous? You made the policy, and now this is being openly opposed? How can you tolerate this?"

Xia Lin also glanced back at the Confucian scholars behind him: "Did they bow to me the moment they saw me?"

"That's true."

"If that's the case, then they're not being disrespectful to their elders, so what wrong could they be?" Xia Lin laughed heartily. "Actually, you have to understand that this policy is unprecedented, truly groundbreaking. They have their concerns, because they too are afraid of the unknown. And they stand here today, equally concerned about the future of the country. Look, they've clearly outlined the drawbacks." Emperor Jingtai took the brochure, which clearly listed the various drawbacks of the new policy; it was indeed quite detailed.

“You can’t just fry one side of a fish. They came to this conclusion after careful consideration and didn’t abandon their beliefs because of differences in status. So, I ask you, isn’t that a sharp blade piercing through class distinctions?” Xia Lin raised his head and laughed heartily: “Yes, everyone likes to hear nice things, and I like it too. But if I’m surrounded by only one voice, they will eventually band together to deceive me. Just like the eunuchs around you band together to deceive you.”

"Hey! That's a good point." Emperor Jingtai nodded and said, "So your implementation of this policy is what you mean by 'practice makes perfect,' right?"

"Yeah, I don't know if it's good or not. How will I know if I don't try?"

Emperor Jingtai bit his lip, looked up and said, "Since you've put it that way, why don't we go fishing right now? I haven't fished in quite some time."

"Fine, you're the emperor, you can do whatever you want."

After preparing their fishing gear and bait, the two went to the riverbank. Since the riverbanks were illuminated after the power was turned on, the once quiet place at night had become a popular spot for people to take a walk after dinner. Anglers gathered here in droves because fish are attracted to light at night, and fishing under the lights has a unique charm.

They found a secluded spot, and as the spring breeze blew, the sound of fish leaping and falling back down echoed across the river. The two began a silent competition.

Half an hour later, neither of them had caught a fish. Emperor Jingtai caught a worn-out shoe, and Xia Lin caught a pair of tattered underpants...

The two of them argued for a while about whose catch was more valuable, neither willing to admit defeat.

"I think you're wrong. Your underwear is filthy and disgusting. How can it compare to my shoe?"

"Hey, you're comparing cleanliness when it's all trash? You should be comparing weight."

The fishermen nearby couldn't help but chuckle when they heard their conversation. After all, that's how the air force operates; they absolutely can't go back empty-handed.

But just then, a magnificent boat slowly drifted across the calm river. It was clearly a tourist boat from Jinling. Inside the boat's windows sat a group of old men, who were all sticking their heads out of the windows to look at the lighting project on both sides of the riverbank, pointing and gesturing.

Suddenly, Emperor Jingtai froze on the spot. He subconsciously shrank his neck, and his face turned pale.

"What's wrong? Did you see something unclean?"

“More frightening than that.” Emperor Jingtai raised a trembling finger and pointed to the departing pleasure boat: “That boat…”

"What?" Xia Lin was still curious. "What did you see? Stop keeping me in suspense."

"My teacher... a whole ship full of teachers..."

"Oh ho! I've got you here~~~"

Hearing Xia Lin's exaggerated tone and seeing his lewd expression, Emperor Jingtai was immediately enraged: "Go ahead and laugh all you want, hmph."

Xia Lin gazed into the distance and saw that the cruise ship had already docked at the pier. After turning his gaze back, he asked, "How come you have so many teachers? Almost a hundred of them."

"You're a strange person. If you say you're ignorant, you know everything from astronomy to geography. If you say you're learned, you don't even know this? I was taught by the example of the Crown Prince. There may only be one person who holds the title of Grand Tutor, but there are countless people who have taught me. Both my fathers taught me to listen to and believe in all sides, and not to listen to only one side."

Hearing this, Xia Lin roughly understood why there were so many old men. It seemed that the Grand Tutor of the court had used all his connections to pull out these old men one by one to form a Hundred-Deng Night March.

Thinking of this, he turned around and asked, "You're the emperor now, why are you afraid of them?"

"Do you think you can do whatever you want just because you're the emperor?" Emperor Jingtai pointed at himself and said, "I am the moral standard of the world. If I am immoral, the world will be immoral. Who do you think I am doing this for? I only elevated teachers to high positions and earned them the respect of the world because of your decree on promoting education. And now you're asking me this?" Emperor Jingtai was so angry that he wanted to cry: "I really misjudged you."

"Alright, alright, I'll remember this favor." Xia Lin got up and put down his fishing rod: "Don't worry about this, I've taken care of it for you."

"Don't let those old men kill me, I really won't be able to explain myself!"

Xia Lin didn't answer, but clapped his hands three times. Then the confidential secretary who was waiting nearby quickly stepped forward, bowed his head and said, "Sir."

"Go, spread the word." Xia Lin looked up at the sky: "The Middle-Aged and Elderly Cultural Festival project will start tomorrow."

"Understood, I will take care of it immediately."

At this moment, Emperor Jingtai curiously leaned closer and asked, "What is... a cultural festival project for middle-aged and elderly people?"

"It's about giving the old guard a second spring."

"You! You mustn't be so vulgar! Those are all my mentors."

"Hey, why do you think of spring as something vulgar?" Xia Lin coughed. "The elderly should have something to do, something to enjoy, and something to be cared for."

Hearing him say that, Emperor Jingtai was indeed quite curious about this "Old Man's Happy Festival"...

It's true that having power makes things easier. With just a word from Xia Lin, the largest city in the central region changed direction overnight. Theaters began staging traditional programs such as "The Legend of the White Snake," "Guiying Takes Command," and "The Romance of the Western Chamber." Shops and businesses along the street started offering discounts for those over sixty. Even clubs in Fuliang launched health and wellness tours for middle-aged and elderly people.

In any case, all the planning was done to please the old man. The requirements were simple: to treat the elderly as one would one’s own parents. Even the academy started organizing students to carry out activities to respect and care for the elderly.

Most of these old men had never been to Fuliang before. Even if they had, it was with Emperor Hongbao back then. As the saying goes, "a new emperor brings a new court," and after Emperor Hongbao left, they were all basically dismissed. Moreover, as they got older, they rarely left Jinling anymore.

"Grand Tutor Fu, the things in this place are much more novel than before. No wonder His Majesty is so fond of it, and seems to have forgotten about the country."

Sitting in the guesthouse room, Grand Tutor Fu coughed violently a few times, then raised his hand and slammed it heavily on the armrest: "I have come here to remonstrate with His Majesty to the death. If I die here, do not take my body back to Jinling. Bury it here. I want to see how His Majesty can bear to continue living in this decadent place!"

(End of this chapter)