Chapter 1 A River Crossing

At a river crossing, soldiers were busying themselves, while in the sky, wind and clouds gathered. Seeing this scene, the naval officers whispered amongst themselves, knowing that the person they were waiting for was arriving.

Among these officers, one stood up, holding a large, long object covered in white cloth. Beside him was a large box. Seeing Ji Xiang arrive, he was as happy as if he had seen an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.

When Ji Xiang descended and arrived at the ferry, he couldn't help but be surprised by the person before him.

"Brother Xiangji!"

The person waiting for Ji Xiang was none other than Zhao Shizhen, the ordnance expert with whom he had become well acquainted in the capital!

"Daoist Ji, I've been waiting for you! The treasure in my arms has been humming day and night; I can't wait any longer!"

Zhao Shizhen hadn't seen Ji Xiang in a long time, and his excitement was evident. At the same time, he indicated that the time had finally come to unveil the white cloth he held.

Ji Xiang hadn't forgotten about this matter either, but he was very surprised. Only half a year had passed. Could it be...?

"The new firearm you wanted is finished!"

"This is all thanks to His Majesty's support, and the help of Prince Zheng!"

Ji Xiang didn't recognize the Prince Zheng that Zhao Shizhen mentioned. Seeing that Ji Xiang was somewhat unmoved, Zhao Shizhen immediately began to boast about the prince. It was then that Ji Xiang suddenly realized who it was!

Saying Prince Zheng, of course, he wouldn't recognize him.

But if it was Zhu Zaiyu! Then he had certainly heard of him!

Zhu Zaiyu, the Saint of Music! During the Ming Dynasty, besides Wang Yangming, the Sage of the Heart, he was another figure worthy of being called a "Saint"! His name could stand alongside Xu Xiake, Xu Guangqi, and Song Yingxing in the annals of history!

Moreover, he was an encyclopedic scientific master, the only strange character within the decaying Ming Dynasty royalty who seemed to have had his wisdom unlocked. He not only didn't want to sit in the position of a prince, but also requested the revocation of his peerage seven times. His mathematical abilities were unparalleled in his time, and his mathematical level was "unrivaled in the world"!

Xu Guangqi, Xu Xiake, Song Yingxing, Zhao Shizhen, Zhu Zaiyu, Tang Xianzu, Feng Menglong, Zhang Yaofang, Shen Jing, Li Shizhen... and also Cheng Dawei, Li Zhizao, Sun Yunqiu, Yang Jizhou, Tu Benjun... as well as the foreign scholar Matteo Ricci....

Astronomy, geography, music, mathematics, technology, firearms, people's livelihood, literature, agriculture, medicine, all-encompassing... This era of Emperor Wanli's reign, the golden age, was concentrated between the tenth and fortieth years of Wanli. Drawing cards at this time, you'd get SSRs right from the start!

As for governing the country, Emperor Wanli hadn't attended court for decades, yet the country hadn't collapsed, and the economy had even taken off. The Grand Secretariat had arranged everything clearly for you. It wouldn't matter even if you put a dog on the throne.

Unfortunately, the Wanli court... Emperor Wanli, in the normal historical timeline, was an operator who played a great hand terribly. However, it was normal that he hadn't attended court for decades and didn't know these people... It could only be said that the deep palace and pettiness were harmful. His mind was full of persecuting Zhang Juzheng, and once he was done with that, his life goals were finished. The rest of his days were spent eating and waiting to die.

It wasn't that his teammates weren't strong; it was just that his own operation was too poor to carry them.

Ji Xiang accepted the object. Although Ming Dynasty firearms were diverse, the biggest problem was that "firing could not be sustained," meaning that after one round of firing, there was a very long reload and cooling time. However, last time, Ji Xiang had already discussed this issue with Zhao Shizhen in the capital. Now, the new weapon, forged with the help of Zhang Tianshi, was finally about to unleash its power.

Boom! A massive amount of wish power (yuan nian) lingered on this new firearm. As soon as he took it in hand, the weapon formed a close connection with Ji Xiang himself.

"Brother Xiangji, is your book on firearms, the *Arsenal Codex* (Shenqi Pu), finished?"

"Indeed, I just finished writing it not long ago! It has already been presented to the Emperor!"

Zhao Shizhen was very happy, and Ji Xiang was even happier!

Yin and Yang, Qian and Kun conjured divine objects. Firearms were instruments of supreme yang and fierceness. The Inner Vision Divine Tablet (Neijing Shenpai) had initially told Ji Xiang that when this *Arsenal Codex* was completed, the collective wish power of all those who had used firearms throughout the Ming Dynasty would be added to this book!

And in the end, it would grant the wielder of Ming Dynasty firearms three powers. Ji Xiang had previously used the Inner Vision Divine Tablet to devour a portion of the initial wish power, allowing him to unleash these three powers, namely Divine Might Qian Fire, Fear of the Five Weapons, and Thunderous Wind Surge. In simple terms, their effects were: 1. The power of firearms doubles and yin objects cannot resist them; 2. The power against cold weapons is tripled; 3. No conventional ammunition is needed, but incense, magic power, Five Thunder Talismans, etc., can be used as substitute ammunition.

And now, the *Arsenal Codex* had been completed, and the power of firearms had once again received a huge boost!

"See if it's suitable!"

Zhao Shizhen began to introduce it to Ji Xiang!

The new firearm still looked like a Xunlei Flintlock, but it had been increased to eight steel barrels, and the shield design in the front had been removed, making the barrel part resemble an 18th-century multi-barrel flintlock, more compact, looking like a large steel pipe cut with eight gun holes.

Behind it was a large turntable. If you didn't look at the front, the back of this large turntable had things like small iron bottles on it, one by one.

This was called a cylinder, and this weapon had been equipped in the late Qing Dynasty. In the West, it was called the "Puckle gun," and in the East, it was called a "revolving cannon"!

The revolving one is also the Ten Kings of Hell, initially turning the cycle of reincarnation...

Behind the revolving cannon, there was a crank.

On the eight steel barrels, the design of sticking talismans had been removed, and instead, the characters of the talismans were engraved on them, so that it would be more in line with the mages who infused magic power, and those cylinders....

"I considered that increasing the cylinder instead of increasing the sub-cannons could not only increase airtightness, but also be suitable for mages and ordinary soldiers. The cylinder is equipped with bullets and gunpowder, and continuous firing is possible by rotating it...."

A Gatling machine gun version of a flintlock! Zhao Shizhen improved the design of the Xunlei Flintlock, incorporated the concept of the Folangji sub-cannons, reduced the sub-cannons to cylinders, thus creating this extremely strange weapon!

Of course, there was an important problem, and that was that the cost of this thing was really expensive.

"This weapon was manufactured with the help of Zhang Tianshi. In many places of the design, there will be great errors if manpower and handwork are used for making it. It must be polished by old craftsmen who have been in the industry for more than twenty years, but unfortunately, if a large number of craftsmen are mobilized, it will inevitably affect the lives of the people, which will inevitably cause chaos for the people."

"The precision machining you proposed, those tools and equipment, are also being sought. Lord Xu Guangqi has already gone to the capital at the invitation of Matteo Ricci."

However, one thing was a pity, and that was Song Yingxing. At this time, Song Yingxing was only ten years old, and the writing of *Exploitation of the Works of Nature* (Tiangong Kaiwu) was still far away. This great mechanist would have to wait at least another five to ten years to become usable.

"Does this weapon have a name?"

Ji Xiang asked Zhao Shizhen. He might as well name this thing the Revolving Cannon, anyway, the Qing Dynasty used it in the later period in original history, which was also this name.

Zhao Shizhen happily agreed, saying that he initially named this thing the Thunderbolt Cannon, but now it sounded like the name Revolving Cannon was more in line with the way this thing was operated.

Sending people to reincarnation on the battlefield was just like the Wheel Turning King among the Ten Kings of Hell, just turn it!

The surrounding soldiers also looked over. Seeing this new weapon, they were all whispering to each other. After listening to Zhao Shizhen's description, it was difficult to imagine how fierce the firepower of this thing was, but the cost was always a big problem.

"In fact, if we can launch an expedition to Japan and conquer them, the cost can be recovered."

"Oh, Daoist, what do you mean by that?"

Ji Xiang said that Japan was now unified and wanted to destroy Korea and then enter China. At this time, they would not give you money. If you could cross the sea to attack Japan this time, that would be great.

There were a large number of gold and silver mines there.

Zhao Shizhen was a little confused: "Does our great Celestial Dynasty still need the gold and silver mines of small countries?"

Ji Xiang couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Literati were like this. When talking about fields they were not good at, they often relied on imagination to be logically self-consistent.

And Zhao Shizhen, a literati with abilities, had devoted his entire life to making firearms and reading books. Of course, it was normal for him not to understand things other than that. After all, the circulation of gold and silver mines was a commercial trade behavior. According to the Ming Dynasty's hierarchy, only the officials of the Six Ministries and the old men of the Grand Secretariat could see this clearly.

"Do you know that Japan has a gold mountain whose output is enough to be mined non-stop for 400 years, and now, Toyotomi Hideyoshi is about to mine these rare gold and silver mines. There are many such places in Japan."

In the past, Japan was a small country with few people and backward technology. They cried miserably and were poor while guarding gold and silver mountains. Until the Warring States period in Japan, the daimyo vigorously mined the mines in various places in order to recruit powerful troops, and did not hesitate to fill them with human lives. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified Japan, the mining scale of major mines had also reached a very high level.

The Ming Dynasty's silver, at its peak, was only 2.9 million taels a year, but its annual fiscal expenditure was more than twice this number. Moreover, at this time, it did not yet have the cupellation smelting method that would only be available in the seventeenth century, and the efficiency of mining was low, so the part exceeding 2.9 million taels basically relied on overseas trade, and a large part of it came from Japan.

However, a large amount of silver did not change the Ming Dynasty's doom, but accelerated its demise, because the Ming Dynasty government was unable to control the flow of silver. The source of silver in the Ming Dynasty was foreign trade, which was controlled by wealthy merchants, not the state.

"If we can use Tsushima Island as a springboard to attack the Japanese mainland and occupy their gold and silver mines, then the country's fiscal expenditure can be alleviated to a certain extent, and we can also develop ships at the same time, create more overseas trade in the name of the imperial court, and increase income."

In the early years, the Ming Dynasty sailed to the West and spread money everywhere. It was really a celestial money dispenser, really a rich man in the world. Now that the finances were tight, it could be said that it was retribution.

At this time, a general on the side said: "I heard that during the former Yuan Dynasty, there was an expedition to Japan, but when the ships crossed the sea to the vicinity of Tsushima Island, they would encounter a 'divine wind'."

"This wind is coming strangely..."

The Kamikaze incident, in Ji Xiang's view now, was nothing more than a defensive tower counterattack.

If you entered the attack range of Xu Fu's defensive tower, of course he would attack you.

"It is indeed difficult to attack in. Without the combat power of four or five immortal-level people, it would be difficult to enter..."

When Ji Xiang said this, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart. If it was Li Shanhe, what were a few immortals? They were everywhere.

So far, the upper limit of the pseudo-immortals' combat power was still unknown, but without breaking through the Heavenly Heart, and after practicing for two thousand years, the realm of pseudo-immortals could not be improved. However, with national power and wish power as a great blessing, it was estimated that it was at most equivalent to the peak of ascension. In short, it must be below the Heavenly Heart.

.......

The water waves surged, and soon, this batch of navy went east along the water of the big river, converged with a batch of navy near Zhejiang, and traveled along the east coast.

Various large armed firearms were placed on the ships, including volley guns, Folangji cannons, crutch guns, crouching tiger cannons, meteor cannons, and "red-haired cannons" bought from the south!

In the Haojing Ao area, which was where Matteo Ricci and the others landed, there was a "Bujialao Cannon Foundry" opened by the Portuguese in the thirty-sixth year of Jiajing. Under the guise of casting large bells for the church, they opened a "Wannu Company". Don't think that this guild was like smuggling slaves, it was just because this Wannu was someone's name.

In fact, this guild was even more engaged in arms business.

This cannon foundry located in southern Ming Dynasty was the best cannon foundry in the world at that time!

When Zhao Shizhen was improving firearms, Emperor Wanli ordered a search of this "Bujialao Wannu Company", because Matteo Ricci, in order to buy the fierce land of the Dongyue Temple, relied on his relationship with Ji Xiang to get into the high levels of the court, and immediately stripped this cannon foundry of its pants.

Emperor Wanli was overjoyed at the time and sent people to immediately arrest Wannu Bujialao, the director of the cannon foundry, but the Jinyiwei's arrest was just a scare. Mr. Director was indeed afraid that the business would be ruined, and he was also afraid of going to jail, so he provided the Ming Dynasty with a batch of the latest cast cannons for free!

In this way, the red-haired cannons, which were originally salvaged from an English shipwreck in the sixth year of Tianqi, entered the Korean War decades in advance!

The Jinyiwei also gave him face. Anyway, he came with an imperial decree, and this free ride was just a basic operation. If the East Factory came, even your industrial registrant would probably be replaced.

In order to commend Mr. Bujialao, the imperial court gave him the title of firearms consultant, which made Bujialao extremely happy! Of course, he knew how great a good thing it was to turn disaster into fortune this time. This meant that in the future, Luzon, Japan, India, and even the Portuguese and Dutch, and the Spanish, who were trading on this sea, would come to him to buy firearms.

This was the best in the world, and there was also a formally conferred cannon foundry! This was the power of fame. Compared with small black workshops, the title given by the imperial court was undoubtedly more powerful, whether it was making money or any other aspect. Even if the Ming Dynasty court suddenly turned its face and wanted to seize his industry in the future, he could also use this fame to open a better cannon foundry in another place.

The big water surged, and Ji Xiang also saw the sincerity given by those "god generals"!

The Divine Investiture Decree was very effective. Not only did the god generals who originally had their own thoughts in various places return to their allegiance, but also a large number of monsters who wanted to get mixed into the system were doing their best to compete for jobs.

Jiaolongs pulled the boats, wind monsters arranged the clouds, and water monsters stirred up the waves.

The drums of the clouds and sky shook, a scene of majestic atmosphere!

Bypassing the Shandong Peninsula, the fleet sailed to the vicinity of Tianjin Port for final supplies, and Ji Xiang escorted two scholars, drove the cloud head from here to Shuntian Prefecture, spent about a day, and when approaching, used the Golden Escape Technique to come to... the Forbidden City.

As soon as he looked up, he was stunned.

The imperial palace suspended in the sky, like a heavenly palace, stood against the sky under the sea of clouds. There was no trace of the previous Forbidden City!

At this time, Feng Menglong and Zhang Yaofang were completely dumbfounded.

The examination for recommended scholars (juren) could be held in the capital or in the provincial capital. Feng Menglong had been to the capital before, but he was shocked at how this place had become like this!

And Zhang Yaofang, as a five-bar-zero player in the provincial capital, knelt on the ground with a plop and shouted:

"The Emperor's heavenly might!"

Ji Xiang was complaining.

Such an exaggerated shape was a bit too outrageous!

"Well, Senior Brother, you're back."

Zhang Tianshi's voice appeared not far away. Old Zhang's complexion was very bad. Ji Xiang could feel that his aura had decreased by a large half compared to before. Although his realm was still at the immortal level, his strength seemed to be sealed.

"Senior Brother is going to Korea, and I, Junior Brother, have some words I want to exhort...."