xymnovel Chapter 8 Hero's Order
Chapter 8 Hero's Order
Upon hearing "nitrate ore," He Tao's expression changed.
But Du Qian wasn't about to give him a chance to hesitate, and raised his knife again.
He Tao shrank back, but was tightly grabbed by two henchmen.
He quickly said, "There are two saltpeter mines in Jeju. One belongs to the imperial court and is located in a valley about ten miles northeast of the city. It is guarded by about three hundred people. I...I've been there once and can show you the way."
Wang Lun waved to stop Du Qian; it was too bloody, and he hadn't fully gotten used to it yet.
The martial arts world is more than just fighting and killing.
"What about the other one?"
"The other one belongs to Master Du of Jizhou, about twenty li northwest of the city." He Tao dared not conceal anything. "But Master Du is not to be trifled with. I heard he has a daughter who was given to Gao Yanei as a concubine. Do you know Gao Yanei? He is the beloved son of Grand Commandant Gao."
"Pah, adopted son!" Wang Lun was furious at the mention of "Gao Yanei". He hated Gao Yanei the most when he read "Water Margin" and wished he could travel into the book and tear him to pieces.
Wait, now I've been transported into the book.
Wang Lun pondered for a moment, thinking, "I must find an opportunity to capture Gao Yanei and have Lin Chong tear him to pieces."
He Tao hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, he is my adopted son."
"How many people are guarding Master Du's saltpeter mine?" Wang Lun tested the gunpowder used for frying fish in Liangshan's warehouse today, and although it had some effect, the results were not good.
One reason is that Ling Zhen, nicknamed "Thunderbolt," one of the 108 heroes of Liangshan, had not yet joined the mountain.
More importantly, the gunpowder of the Song Dynasty was really bad, and there were major problems with the ratio of raw materials. Although Wang Lun had not studied this aspect seriously in modern times, he had noticed it when reading those brainless time-travel novels. Most time-travel novels would write about the important matter of improving gunpowder.
If I could invite Ling Zhen up the mountain as soon as possible, and combine that knowledge with my own to improve gunpowder and make landmines and torpedoes, wouldn't I be able to roam freely in this world?
Saltpeter is crucial for improving gunpowder.
In this era, saltpeter and similar items were prohibited by the military and could only be obtained by looting.
"I don't know about that. Master Du is the richest man in Jizhou. He's very wealthy and has over a hundred people guarding his house."
Wang Lun nodded secretly, already having made up his mind.
Jeju Island is located south of Liangshan Mountain, separated from Liangshan Marsh. According to He Tao, the two saltpeter mines are not far apart.
Leaving the dungeon, Wang Lun stood on the mountain and looked down. It was pitch black, and the night without lights felt so unsettling.
Even now, having narrowly escaped death from Chao Gai and defeated He Tao with great prowess, he still hasn't fully accepted the fact that he has transmigrated.
However, he was an optimistic person to begin with, and by the time he returned to his room, he had already thought things through very thoroughly.
Life is like a dream, and a lifetime is but a few years.
They come, the security.
As expected, the courtesan from Cuiyue Tower was not inside. Zhao Si stood smiling at the door, waiting.
This Zhao Si seems very clever; with proper training, he will become my confidant in the future.
Wang Lun was overjoyed to see that Zhao Si had replaced the original owner's bedding with new ones. He encouraged Zhao Si to continue his efforts, study martial arts diligently, and become a leader in the future.
Leaders just love to make empty promises.
Zhao Si was overjoyed, and even hummed a song as he left.
This was Wang Lun's first real night in this world. He had barely slept a wink the night before and was exhausted. Plus, he had drunk a lot of alcohol, so he slept very comfortably this night.
With nothing to do the next day, Wang Lun ordered Zhao Si to place a reclining chair under the eaves, where he lay down and enjoyed the scenery of Liangshan.
It must be said, Liangshan is truly a wonderful place.
After admiring the view for half a day, he began to think about the days to come.
I want to do everything I wanted to do when I read "Water Margin" before.
According to the current timeline, the Jin Dynasty will soon destroy the Song Dynasty, and the Jingkang Incident will soon occur.
This is intolerable. No matter how bad the Song Dynasty was, I am still a Song person.
We must develop as quickly as possible. Even if we cannot confront the Jin cavalry head-on, the Liangshan army should still be able to harass the enemy's rear when the Song Dynasty fights against the Jin.
Now that we've arrived in the Song Dynasty, destroying the Jin Dynasty is our mission.
What else is there that you were indignant about when you were in school?
Wang Lun thought for a moment and suddenly remembered someone: Song Jiang, who dreamed of being granted amnesty and had caused the deaths of countless heroes.
Song Jiang must be killed.
But the most urgent task now is to gather all 108 heroes, except for Song Jiang.
Wang Lun took out a stack of papers and began to recall the story of each hero's ascent to the mountain. Some were tricked into joining the mountain by Wu Yong and others, which is unacceptable.
After writing and drawing for about half a day, he had filled a thick stack of paper.
But now another problem arises: Wang Lun knows that Chao Gai, Wu Yong, and the others are not yet fully convinced of his abilities. If he hands over this stack of papers to them, these people will most likely become their confidants, which would be detrimental to him.
The situation is very serious.
After thinking for a moment, he took out a few sheets of paper and chose to give them to Zhu Gui to handle, while keeping the rest safe and dealing with them later when the opportunity arose.
When Zhu Gui came to see Wang Lun, he saw a thick stack of papers in Wang Lun's hand, covered with writing. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Brother, what are these?"
Wang Lun thought for a moment and said, "This is called the Hero's Decree. Once this decree is issued, all the heroes in the world will come to my Liangshan."
He handed a few cards to Zhu Gui, who looked at them. The first card read "Golden Leopard" Tang Long, who was a gambler who had squandered his family fortune and ended up wandering the world, making a living as a blacksmith in Wugang Town.
The text then describes how Tang Long was to be given a large sum of money to pay off his gambling debts, and how he was lured to the mountain with promises of profit.
Zhu Gui exclaimed in delight, "I've heard of Tang Long's unparalleled skill in blacksmithing and armor making, but I never imagined you knew so much about it, brother. You are truly a genius!"
Wang Lun waved his hand, still feeling somewhat overwhelmed by Zhu Gui's unabashed praise.
Before long, Lin Chong arrived at Wang Lun's house, only to see Wang Lun take out two pieces of paper and hand them to Lin Chong, saying, "Instructor Lin, do you still remember the Flower Monk Lu Zhishen?"
Lin Chong nodded and said, "I am as close as brothers with Zhishen, so of course I remember him. I just don't know where he is now."
He took the paper and saw that it said Lu Zhishen was now an outlaw on Erlong Mountain and needed Lin Chong to write a letter inviting Lu Zhishen to come to Liangshan to meet him.
Lin Chong asked happily, "Is it true that Zhishen is at Erlong Mountain?"
Wang Lun laughed and said, "Why would I lie to you? Send someone to deliver the message tomorrow, and tell the messenger to go slowly. Yang Zhi might already be at Erlong Mountain."
He then gestured for Lin Chong to look at the second sheet of paper, saying, "I know you miss your sister-in-law day and night, so you wrote a letter. Take a look and see if there are any revisions. Why don't you send someone down the mountain to the capital overnight to bring your family up the mountain to reunite with you?"
Lin Chong was immediately moved to tears. He had originally intended to bring his family up the mountain, but he felt that Wang Lun was untrustworthy and had never mentioned it before. Now that Wang Lun had brought it up, how could he not be touched?
"Brother, I, Lin Chong, wish to become sworn brothers with you. I hope you will not reject me." Lin Chong was very sincere.
Sworn brotherhood? That's another common trope in time-travel novels.
Wang Lun cursed inwardly, then grabbed Lin Chong and knelt down on the ground:
"I am Wang Lun."
"I am Lin Chong."
"Today we become sworn brothers, not seeking to be born on the same day, month, and year, but seeking to die on the same day, month, and year."