All Chapters of The Ridiculed Student Bum Is A Billionaire : Chapter 151
- Chapter 160
200 chapters
Chapter 151
The first cannon was successfully cast, and the atmosphere in the Machinery Department was as fiery as the coal burning in the furnace.Every craftsman’s face was beaming with joy.Over the past month, they had worked day and night, each losing over ten pounds, all to complete the task assigned by Prince Qi.Now, all that remained was the test firing of the cannon. If successful, it would mean the Machinery Department had truly mastered the production technology of cannons.“Your Highness, please let us test it. The craftsmen are eagerly waiting,” Chen Qi said, worried that Xiao Ming might not allow them to witness the test firing. To him, this was as unbearable as being shown a newborn baby without knowing whether it was ugly or beautiful.“Yes, Your Highness, let us see it for ourselves!” The craftsmen in the Machinery Department pleaded, their eyes filled with anticipation for the cannon’s power.Sweat and iron dust covered the craftsmen’s bodies, and a metallic scent mixed with sw
Chapter 152
“Prince of Shu?”Xiao Ming murmured the name softly.Memories of this prince from his predecessor’s life surfaced—among all the imperial brothers, the Fifth Prince, the Prince of Shu, had the worst relationship with him.Both unruly and headstrong, the two had clashed repeatedly in Chang’an.Xiao Ming and the Prince of Shu had fought more than once over petty rivalries, earning them frequent reprimands from Emperor Wenxuan.Now that the Fifth Prince had taken his fief in Shu, Xiao Ming hadn’t thought much about him in a long time.In Xiao Ming’s memories, Shu was a remote, mountainous region—though historically known as the “Land of Abundance”, never lacking in grain.The only downside was the frequent raids from the Nanman tribes in the south and the Tibetans in the west.Still, overall, the Prince of Shu’s situation was slightly better than his own—though not by much.And given Shu’s rugged terrain, isolated deep inland, the Fifth Prince likely found his circumstances even more frus
Chapter 153
“What! The cement was stolen?”“Exactly, Your Highness. I just received the report.” Pang Yukun said.Xian Xingchang was responsible for repairing Cangzhou City’s defenses, but logistics and transportation fell under Pang Yukun’s jurisdiction. Naturally, he was the first to know when something went wrong.Xiao Ming’s anger over the saltpeter crisis had barely subsided when this new outrage ignited his fury again. “You’re coming with me to the Qingzhou military camp immediately. Those remnants of the noble clans—I won’t rest until they’re torn limb from limb!”Pang Yukun paled. He had never seen such violent rage from Xiao Ming before.But it wasn’t unwarranted. The local aristocratic clans had been either exterminated or absorbed by Xiao Ming’s reforms. However, after centuries of entrenchment, eradicating them completely was no easy task.In Qingzhou, the presence of the Qingzhou Army had allowed for swift and thorough suppression. But other prefectures, with weaker militaries, gave
Chapter 154
“Wait,” said Xiao Ming, eyes fixed on the fortress ahead, issuing the command calmly.Atop the walls of Wubao Fortress, a figure who appeared to be the leader stepped into view, observing the incoming reinforcements from the Qingzhou army.Pointing toward the wall, Chen Fu said, “Your Highness, that’s Liu Chuang, the ringleader of this band. His father was involved in the Lotus Pond conspiracy against you. After their plan failed, I led the Cangzhou troops in a surprise attack on the Liu family’s fortress. We wiped out most of their retainers, but Liu Chuang managed to escape.”The harsh sunlight made Xiao Ming squint. After the Lotus Pond barbarians were wiped out, he had ordered the news to be sealed and immediately launched an operation to capture the aristocrats involved in the rebellion. Many were caught before they even had time to react. Had the Liu family been more alert at the time, they might have held onto Wubao.Lu Fei had reported that Chen Fu had used a trick to take the
Chapter 155
“What exactly is it, Your Highness?” Lu Fei asked impatiently. It wasn’t a ballista or a trebuchet, and the suspense had been eating at him for days.Luo Xin also came over, his eyes still crusted with sleep—three days of standoff had been more than boring.By now, Xiao Ming couldn’t keep it a secret any longer. He signaled to Chen Qi and the others to remove the burlap covering.In an instant, a large, jet-black, cold metal object was revealed—its imposing presence undeniable.“Eh? Isn’t that just a fire lance?” Luo Xin said with a puzzled expression. “Well, it does look sturdier than most fire lances.”Niu Ben didn’t jump to conclusions. Instead, he circled the object carefully, inspecting it thoroughly. Then he turned to Xiao Ming and asked, “What do you call this, Your Highness?”“I call it a cannon,” Xiao Ming replied. Luo Xin wasn’t wrong, technically—after all, the fire lance was a predecessor to the cannon.Niu Ben nodded, then tapped the side of the cannon and even peered dow
Chapter 156
A faint haze of smoke drifted through the air, heavy with the pungent smell of gunpowder.Luo Xin, who had been standing right in front of the cannon, flinched the moment it fired. Though he managed not to fall flat on his backside, everyone could see his legs trembling.Niu Ben and Lu Fei both looked pale—they hadn’t covered their ears. As commanding officers, they had to maintain their dignity in front of the troops, so they stood their ground during the shot, feigning calm.Now, Niu Ben cast a grateful look at Xiao Ming. Good thing I wasn’t still on my horse, he thought. Or I’d be on the ground by now.Looking over at the soldiers scrambling after the panicked horses, Niu Ben turned back to the cannon—his eyes now filled with new respect.If this cannon were used in the field, the barbarian cavalry’s horses would scatter in fear.“Your Highness… why is this thing so loud?” Luo Xin asked as he turned around, trying to act nonchalant despite still recovering from the blast.“If it we
Chapter 157
The sound of battle on the field drowned out everything else.Golden sunlight glinted off polished armor, casting shimmering reflections like ripples across a lake.Standing on high ground, Xiao Ming watched as five thousand regular troops charged forward in formation. The scale of it stirred his blood—he almost wanted to charge in himself.But he knew that would only make things harder for Niu Ben, who’d then have to split his attention to protect him.As the Qingzhou soldiers advanced on Wubao Fortress, the formation shifted under Lu Fei’s booming voice. Months of training had made them well-practiced in maneuvering—even their charge was orderly and disciplined.At the gate, the sword-and-shield troops formed a tight defensive wall to block the arrows raining down from the ramparts, while crossbowmen moved in behind them, retaliating with volley fire.This three-stage firing system was inspired by musket formations—because crossbows, once fired, needed time to reload. The soldiers h
Chapter 158
“You’ve got quite the backbone, but I, Lu Fei, love breaking hard bones like yours.”Liu Chuang’s defiant attitude infuriated Lu Fei.Lu Fei knew Liu Chuang’s reputation all too well. Though the Liu family wasn’t as powerful as the Wang clan among Qingzhou’s nobility, their notoriety surpassed the other four great families.Rumors said the Lius’ ancestors were bandits who turned to farming after amassing enough wealth, eventually becoming the so-called “nobility” of today.Yet even now, the Liu family retained their bandit ways, bullying the weak and drawing endless complaints from nearby villagers.What’s more, because of this bastard, Lu Fei had lost his prized tiger pelt to Xiao Ming. His hatred for Liu Chuang burned even hotter.After Xiao Ming’s sudden purge of the nobility, Liu Chuang had led many escaped clansmen into banditry, committing countless murders and robberies. Now that he was caught, he knew there was no way out.So he hardened his heart, putting on a fearless front—
Chapter 159
“Squire Liu, how do you find the power of this cannon?”Xiao Ming’s voice pierced through the gunpowder smoke, reaching Liu Chuang’s ears and filling him with despair.Could the Prince of Qi, armed with such a deadly weapon, ever be defeated? The thought flashed through his mind but was quickly shattered.At the city gate, Liu Wei’s desperate pleas for mercy could be heard—his brush with death had driven him nearly mad.“I suspect Liu Wei will be much more willing to reveal the source of the gunpowder now. But if you still wish for a dignified death, I can grant you that opportunity.”Xiao Ming’s tone was calm, as if victory was already assured.Liu Chuang let out a low, bitter laugh. He had lost. The moment the cannon fired, terror had consumed him.“The gunpowder recipe was passed down by my ancestors,” Liu Chuang admitted weakly. “I only ask that Your Highness grant me an intact corpse.”Superstition ran deep in the Great Yu Empire. The people believed in reincarnation, and many we
Chapter 160
Warm spring winds stirred the air, rippling through the golden waves of wheat in the fields.In Zhu Family Village, nestled beside those fields, the scene was lively and chaotic. Every household was digging through their latrines—all looking for one thing: niter.Zhu Wuliu was the fastest. He already held a handful of white powder in his palm. He had searched every inch of his family’s outhouse and now carefully wrapped up the powder before rushing off to Qingzhou City.“Zhu Wuliu, go check it out first! If it’s true they’ll pay for it, we’ll follow!”“Yeah, you run fast—we’ll wait for your word.”“…”Many villagers were digging. Some were still skeptical. After all the suffering they’d endured over the years, they still didn’t fully trust the local government.Even though the land reform policies and production teams had brought them benefits, the long-standing distrust of officials wasn’t easy to erase.Some feared they were just being tricked into handing over what little they had.