mesbooks Chapter 124 Unheard of
Chapter 124 Unheard of
That's right, the pile of cloth that Chen Er told them about was actually a hot air balloon!
Guo Jia walked over to Chen Er and said, "My lord, I have never heard of such a thing. So many people can actually fly into the sky."
"Hahaha, what's this? As long as you dare to dream, there are many things that we humans can do in this world!" Chen Er laughed and said, "How about it, Fengxiao, isn't my new toy pretty good?"
“Excellent!” Guo Jia affirmed. “This equipment, which our lord calls a hot air balloon, will directly change the way our commanders direct their troops and will be of great use on the battlefield.”
"Yes, that's why I created this toy," Chen Er said.
Hearing Chen Er say that this was his toy, Guo Jia and the others could only smile wryly. Their lord, even now that he had been made a king, was still like this, occasionally showing some childish tendencies. However, they loved their lord even more because of this, since no one wanted their lord to look at them with an unapproachable expression every day.
Just as everyone was boldly trying to ride in the hot air balloon, Ying Xiong, who had been deep in thought, woke up from his reverie and said to Chen Er, "My dear son-in-law, I have carefully considered your idea. This idea may be feasible, but it requires more experiments. However, once it is developed, it will directly change the entire firearms system. Hmm, very good, excellent."
As Ying Xiong spoke, he pulled Andeli over. The two whispered to each other for a while, then apologized to Chen Er and hurriedly left. Watching the two leave in such a hurry, Chen Er could only smile helplessly. After all, they were doing it for him. Chen Er could only turn around with a wry smile and look at the group of little old children who were having a great time. He then went over to join in the fun. He hadn't tried out the toy since he made it.
A grand bonfire party was held at the firing range by a group of high-ranking military officials from the autonomous region, some high-ranking government officials, their accompanying guards, and a group of management personnel from the arsenal.
"Those of you here have been following me for at least three years now," Chen Er said to the crowd. Xi Zhicai and the others nodded in agreement. Some of them, like Andeli, had been following Chen Er in his campaigns since the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Although they weren't Chen Er's subjects at that time, their friendship had lasted a long time.
"Yes, it's been quite a few years since we came to the North," Xun Yu sighed.
"These times have passed in the blink of an eye, but I am very fortunate to have you all following me. This is the luckiest thing in my life." Chen Er raised his glass to everyone and said, "I am very grateful for your help over the years. Otherwise, I would not have achieved what I have today."
"You flatter me, my lord," everyone quickly said modestly.
"You don't need to be modest. I know myself very well," Chen Er said to the modest crowd. "Alright, let's not talk about these things today. The main task today is to relax, nothing but relax! It's a rare good day like today, so we should all relax as much as possible."
Just as Chen Er was relaxing with his men at the arsenal, Man Chong, who had been sent south, returned to Yuyang City with a letter from Sun Jian. When Man Chong rushed to the general's mansion, he learned that Chen Er was at the arsenal. Man Chong hurriedly went to the arsenal as well; this matter was far too important for him to ignore.
More importantly, a Sun family envoy also returned with Man Chong. Fortunately, the Sun family envoy was not the arrogant type. Upon hearing that Chen Er had gone out of the city to inspect, he did not show any emotion, but simply said that he would wait at the post station.
"What did you say?" Chen Er didn't quite hear Chen Qun's words, so he asked Chen Qun to repeat himself.
Chen Qun had no choice but to lean closer and say to Chen Er, "Lord Man Chong has returned and is currently waiting for Chen Er in his office inside the arsenal."
"What! Man Chong is back?" Chen Er said in surprise. Judging from the time, it seemed like he should be back soon. Chen Er put down his wine glass and called Xi Zhicai and Xun Yu over. He then quietly left the scene with the two of them and followed Chen Qun to Man Chong's side.
“Boning!”
"Your subordinate greets Your Majesty." Upon hearing Chen Er's voice, Man Chong, who was resting in a chair, quickly stood up and bowed to Chen Er. Chen Er walked to Man Chong, helped him up, and asked, "How was Bo Ning's harvest this time?"
Since Man Chong traveled by sea both ways, Chen Er had no way of getting any specific news along the way and could only patiently wait for Man Chong's return. Now that Man Chong had finally returned, how could Chen Er not be excited?
"My lord, I have successfully fulfilled my mission." Man Chong said to Chen Er, "Sun Ce has agreed to your suggestion. At the same time, the envoy I sent to contact the Yue people has successfully conveyed your friendship to them. Some Yue tribes have also agreed that they are willing to use force against Yuan Shu's army in Yangzhou and Yuzhou, provided there are appropriate incentives. However, these Yue people say that because your requirements are somewhat complicated, they will not send troops too frequently, as they do not want to lose too many of their warriors."
Chen Er knew this would be the outcome, and he wasn't particularly concerned about the Yue people; what he truly cared about was Sun Ce.
Man Chong slowly recounted the scene of that day to Chen Er.
Upon arriving in Jiangdong, Man Chong's first act was to offer condolences to Sun Jian on behalf of Chen Er. After all, respect for the dead is paramount, and this was Man Chong's official mission; he was representing Chen Er and the Northern Autonomous Region in offering condolences to Sun Jian.
After becoming more familiar with Sun Ce, Man Chong expressed his desire to speak with Sun Ce privately, while Sun Ce had originally intended to seek Chen Er's help.
Thus, Man Chong and Sun Ce's formal meeting happened just like that, with one willing to hit and the other willing to be hit.
"Greetings, Prefect." Man Chong stepped forward and bowed to Sun Ce. After Sun Jian's death, Sun Ce naturally took over the position of Prefect of Jianye Commandery, becoming a prefect and having the potential to become a regional warlord.
"You're too kind, Lord Man," Sun Ce said politely. Not to mention that Sun Ce needed Man Chong's help, Man Chong was also nominally the governor of a prefecture (Man Chong also temporarily held the position of governor of the Anbei Protectorate). In terms of official rank, Man Chong was much higher than Sun Ce.
"Prefect, I have come here primarily on behalf of the King of Wei to offer my condolences to General Sun Jian. Secondly, I wish to share some intelligence with you, so that General Sun's spirit may rest in peace." Man Chong slowly pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve. Judging from Man Chong's actions and words, Sun Ce suspected that Youzhou had likely obtained some confidential information, which was related to Sun Jian.