Frontier Army Warrior

Chapter 1193 You Can Kill Me

Inside the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, Emperor Taisho, Zhao Zheng, sat in the Seitoku Hall, frowning as he looked at the battle report before him.

When Zhao Zheng received news that Lin Feng's Zhenxi No. 2 was going to pass through the Jinjiang waterway in front of Xuncheng, he immediately issued an order to mobilize his most advanced warships to intercept them in Jinjiang.

We must stop Zhenxi No. 2, and preferably sink it, and eliminate Lin Feng before Xuncheng.

Lin Feng is the number one enemy of the Taisho Dynasty, and we must do everything we can to eliminate him.

Without Lin Feng, the Zhenxi Army lost its former sharpness.

This was already proven when the Taisho Imperial Guard attacked the eight prefectures of Zhenxi. Although they failed to capture a single prefecture city, they forced the Zhenxi Army to defend the city and were unable to launch a counterattack.

Zhao Zheng was very angry and remained motionless for a long time, sitting stiffly on the dragon throne.

Several close advisors stood on one side of the hall, bowing and not daring to make a sound, even their breathing was as soft as possible.

"Summon Atsumi Harumi to the palace to see me."

Zhao Zheng finally came to his senses. He needed to find the designer and manufacturer of the warship to find out why their most prized technological achievement had been destroyed.

The young eunuch ran out quickly.

Relying on his seniority, Miao Changfeng boldly stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, are you certain that Lin Feng is on the ship?"

Zhao Zheng looked up, gave him a sinister look, and said nothing.

Miao Changfeng could only smile awkwardly, bow and retreat, not daring to utter another word.

When Atsumi Harumi entered the palace to meet the emperor, he only arrived at Zhao Zheng's study at three quarters past noon.

After exchanging greetings, Zhao Zheng asked in a cold voice.

"Why are the warships you oversaw built so easily defeated in battle?"

Atsumi Harumi smiled charmingly: "Your Majesty, if the Taisho Imperial Guard and the Zhenxi Army were to switch warships, it is estimated that there would still be no chance of a battle."

Zhao Zheng's eyebrows shot up.

"Nonsense! My Imperial Guards are battle-hardened veterans who helped me conquer the Great Zheng Dynasty. Why do you speak of them as so worthless?"

Atsumi Harumi looked aggrieved: "Your Majesty, it is a fact that our warships were sunk. What can even the most elite army do?"

"It was your design that resulted in the cannons having too short a range, which led to my warships being passively attacked. Yet you try to shirk responsibility in front of me. Hmph, do you think I dare not punish you?"

Zhao Zheng glared at her angrily and said in a hateful voice.

Atsumi Harumi remained unfazed and sneered in return.

"The cannons' range is insufficient, which is a fatal flaw. Everyone on board knows this. As the commander of a warship, one should play to one's strengths and avoid one's weaknesses. One should not accelerate and charge straight ahead. If one is even slightly more agile and prevents the enemy's cannons from hitting the target accurately, that is the essence of naval warfare. I have mentioned this many times, yet I still act so recklessly. How can you blame me?"

Zhao Zheng waved his hand: "Don't talk to me about technical issues. I just want to know why artillery has a short range?"

"Your Majesty, this involves a matter of expertise. How am I supposed to explain it?"

Zhao Zheng stared at her, but his breathing gradually calmed down.

After a while.

"Can you make up for this shortcoming for me?"

"This will take time; it can't be done in a short period of time."

"If you want men, I'll give them; if you want money, I'll give you money; whatever you want, I'll give you. Within a month, I want to see artillery with a range exceeding that of the Zhenxi Army."

Atsumi Harumi's mouth gaped open as she stared at Zhao Zheng in surprise.

"A month?"

"One month."

"One year."

"No."

"Then kill me."

"I can't bear to part with it."

Atsumi Harumi shut up and didn't say anything, giving off an "I don't care what you do" attitude.

Zhao Zheng was finally pleased to see her look embarrassed.

"If you cannot, why not enter the palace as a concubine? I will immediately bestow upon you the title of Imperial Noble Consort."

Atsumi Haruyu gave Zhao Zheng a charming smile, then turned around.

"I'm going to study artillery now. See you in a month."

Zhao Zheng's face darkened as he stared at Atsumi Harumi's swaying hips, grinding his back teeth.

This woman is so presumptuous in front of me because she knows I won't hurt her.

"Remember, if you can't produce it within a month, you'll enter the palace and become my concubine."

Atsumi Shunsui, who had already stepped out of the Imperial Study, did not respond, but simply raised one hand and waved it behind him.

Zhao Zheng rolled his eyes: "What does she mean?"

From the shadows in the imperial study, someone responded: "Why don't I go and capture her, so Your Majesty won't have to worry about it?"

Zhao Zheng shook his head: "No, I want to conquer her with my charm; that would be much more interesting."

There was no sound from any direction.

Zhenxi No. 2 drove past Kancheng and entered the territory of Jingxi Prefecture.

In another day, we will arrive at Jingxi Prefecture.

Meanwhile, Wu Ruolin, the prefect of Jingxi Prefecture, was sitting in the accounting room in a corner of the prefectural government office, looking at an account book with a troubled expression.

Although the tax revenue of Jingxi Prefecture was substantial, a large portion of it was taken by the Emperor, and the current accounts could not be concealed at all.

If the accounts cannot be balanced, how will I explain myself when Lord Wencheng comes to investigate?

He sighed, knowing that the emperor was desperately short of money.

Not to mention the food, clothing, and daily necessities in the entire palace, the court officials have not received their salaries for a long time.

However, you can't just take advantage of yourself.

Although Wu Ruolin was worried, he thought again that he was now a fourth-rank prefect, but the emperor had already issued a secret decree to appoint him as the Minister of Personnel, a second-rank official.

According to Chancellor Han Qi's private conversation, he also wanted to elevate his own rank.

His heart was filled with excitement. He never expected that a Jinshi who had passed the imperial examination in the third year of the Dazong Dynasty could rise to the position of Minister of Personnel, a second-rank official in the Dazong Dynasty, in less than ten years. What a dazzling official position!

To be promoted to a noble rank is something that not only his ancestors never achieved, but also very few people throughout the entire Great Dynasty could be promoted to a noble rank.

Before the ancestral tablets, he should be the main figure, surpassing all the ancestors of the past generations, becoming the most dazzling jewel of the Wu family.

The old folks in the family would surely tremble as they presented the family tree, writing their names at the beginning and boldly identifying themselves.

The portraits enshrined in the Wu Clan Ancestral Hall are all painted by less than skilled artists, resulting in some rather unflattering depictions of the people.

The person who paints Lao Tzu's portrait must be a first-rate painter, if not a master painter.

Who knows, if the emperor is pleased, he might just order a master painter to create a portrait of him.

Wu Ruolin became increasingly pleased with herself, and the ledger in front of her no longer seemed so heavy.

Suddenly, a servant rushed in.

"Master, the Zhenxi Army's warships have arrived at the Fucheng dock."

Wu Ruolin trembled and asked in a panic.

Who is on the ship?

"Sir, we haven't reached the shore yet, so we don't know yet."

"Did you see the ship's number?"

"Reporting to your master, it is the Zhenxi No. 2 warship."

Wu Ruolin breathed a slight sigh of relief. He knew that the two huge warships, Zhenxi and Zhenxi No. 2, often passed by Jingxi Prefecture.

Generally, the boats were used to transport military equipment and supplies, or to transport soldiers of the Zhenxi Army. It was rare for high-ranking officers of the Zhenxi Army to travel by boat.

Since Lin Feng's disappearance, Wu Ruolin has been able to remain calm with the presence of generals and officials, except when Bai Jing or Wang Qian come in person. Even Wen Cheng often tries to dodge the question, and Wen Cheng can't really do anything to him.

"Go keep an eye on things and see if there are any important figures on board. Report back immediately."

"Yes, sir."

The family turned and ran out.

Although Wu Ruolin was a scholar, he was tactful, intelligent, and resourceful, which led to his rapid promotion.

This time, he secretly pledged allegiance to Emperor Zhao Cun, firstly because Lin Feng's fate was unknown, and according to his analysis, he was unlikely to return.