The tea on the table exuded a faint fragrance, and the room was silent.Luo Quan stared at Fei Ji for a long time before speaking. “With His Majesty’s wisdom, how could he not see the current state of the empire? If so, why not send the imperial guards to Qingzhou?”“General Luo, if it were that simple, His Majesty wouldn’t be so furious. The King of Zhao wants nothing more than to divert disaster eastward. If the imperial guards mobilize, the barbarians will surely attack the fiefdoms of the Kings of Yong, Zhao, and Liang to contain them. Do you think they would agree? If His Majesty insists and provokes the barbarians, those kings need only deliberately let the barbarians through to threaten Chang’an directly. Thus, the imperial guards cannot move. The best outcome now is for the King of Wei to assist the Prince of Qi in holding Qingzhou. After all, the King of Wei is powerful among the vassal kings. If he commits fully, defending Cangzhou shouldn’t be a problem.”“But the King of W

“Your Highness, are we just going to let this matter go?”Zhan Xingchang was unwilling to accept it.“Remember, anger without strength is meaningless. Schemes and tricks are nothing but paper tigers in the face of absolute power. Just wait—this prince will make them beg to send us money and provisions. But before that, you should focus your efforts on repairing Cangzhou City’s walls.”Xiao Ming spoke firmly to Zhan Xingchang.“Yes, Your Highness.”Zhan Xingchang nodded. These vassal kings were shameless, and there was truly nothing he could do about it.When the topic shifted to repairing the city walls, Xiao Ming said, “By the way, come with me to the industrial district. This time, we won’t be using the old methods for wall repairs—they’re too slow.”With that, the two arrived at the industrial district, and Xiao Ming led Zhan Xingchang directly to the cement workshop.“Your Highness, what is this powder?”Even Zhan Xingchang couldn’t freely enter the industrial district, so he natu

“Your Highness!”As Xiao Ming approached, Luo Xin saluted with clasped fists.Dismounting, Xiao Ming motioned for Luo Xin to stand at ease while studying the elderly man beside him. “If I’m not mistaken, this must be General Niu Ben.”Niu Ben sized up the Prince of Qi, noting traces of Xiao Wenxuan in his features. Bowing, he said, “This disgraced official, Niu Ben, pays his respects to Your Highness.”“General Niu, there’s no need for such formality. This prince cannot accept such solemnity from a veteran like yourself.” Xiao Ming smiled. “General, let us continue our discussion inside the palace.”The three entered the residence, where Xiao Ming had Lu luo prepare tea.In the main hall, Xiao Ming invited Luo Xin and Niu Ben to sit before bowing deeply to the latter. “General, you’ve suffered greatly. My father has long regretted failing to repel the barbarians at Shanhai Pass and asked me to convey his apologies.”The years had tempered Niu Ben’s once-unyielding pride. Rising, he sa

“Three bowls and I’ll be under the table?”Niu Ben glanced sideways at Lu Fei, thinking to himself that this kid had witnessed his drinking capacity back in the day. How could he spout such nonsense now?Lu Fei, oblivious to Niu Ben’s expression, said, “General, I’m not exaggerating. Try it if you don’t believe me!”As the clear liquor filled the bowl, Niu Ben immediately sensed something different—a strong aroma rushed straight to his nose.Having sampled fine wines across the Great Yu Empire, he now felt he was truly seeing something new.“The secret recipe for this wine comes from His Highness,” Luo Xin chimed in. Having tasted Drunken Qingzhou himself, he could no longer stomach any other liquor.But Drunken Qingzhou wasn’t cheap, and Luo Quan was notoriously stingy—preferring to mooch drinks at others’ homes rather than spend his own silver.This was precisely why Luo Xin often visited Xiao Ming—mostly to freeload food and drinks.Niu Ben gave Xiao Ming another look. This Prince

Unlike the usual quiet, the atmosphere around the machinery department in Qingzhou City had grown tense in recent days.Residents noticed a sharp increase in guards. The number of soldiers had multiplied, and each one wore full silver armor, exuding an air of cold authority. Anyone who even slightly approached the machinery department was immediately driven away.Every person entering the department had to show a special pass and undergo inspection. Someone once tried to sneak in without a pass—and was severely beaten and thrown into jail on the spot.All these strange changes made people wonder: What on earth is going on inside the machinery department?Only Xiao Ming knew the full truth. That morning, he arrived at the gates of the department, handed his horse to the guard, and entered at just the right moment.Inside, Chen Qi and his craftsmen were preparing to pour molten iron into a cannon mold.While Qingzhou could now produce high-quality steel, not all steel was suitable for c