PSLMD Chapter 288

Chapter 288 – Masterful in War and Supreme in Calligraphy

“What do you mean?”

Long Yu turned his gaze to Yan Xiaosi, secretly excited.

Murong Qinjian continued, “Little Yan just told me that this powerful Rongdi secret is called gunpowder, and Little Yan knows the proportions for this gunpowder.”

“Is it true?”

In an instant, Long Yu became even more excited than Murong Qinjian.

His tone when asking Yan Xiaosi even carried a slight tremor of excitement.

Before this, he had been constantly worried that the Rongdi King Chunyu Hanfeng would obtain enough talc and manufacture another batch of these powerful weapons. By that time, if Murong Qinjian still hadn’t figured out the proportions of this substance, the Great Chu dynasty would be in grave danger. Now there was good news—Chunyu Hanfeng definitely wouldn’t find enough talc that quickly. If the little troublemaker truly knew the proportions of this substance, then they would be one step ahead of the Rongdi in making these powerful weapons, turning the situation from dangerous to safe.

Yan Xiaosi had known him for so long, yet had never seen him so excited about anything.

Seeing him looking at her with such expectation.

“Yes.”

She nodded decisively and explained in detail, “This thing is called gunpowder. I saw it in a book left by my father. Gunpowder can be made into fireworks and firecrackers, and it can also be used to make weapons with powerful destructive force. I know its proportions, and I’ll write them down for you right away.”

“Excellent!”

Long Yu excitedly took her hand and led her to his desk, having her sit in that imposing chancellor’s chair.

Yan Xiaosi sat down, feeling completely uncomfortable.

Just writing down a gunpowder formula—she could do it with her eyes closed. Was all this really necessary?

What made her feel even more honored was that Long Yu personally handed her an expensive wolf-hair brush, ground the ink himself, and thoughtfully laid out a sheet of rice paper in front of her, using a ruler to flatten it.

“Write.”

Yan Xiaosi’s mouth twitched before she finally picked up the brush and began to write.

Black powder formula: five parts saltpeter powder, three parts sulfur powder, two parts charcoal powder.

The method of making this black powder was truly simple.

Yan Xiaosi wrote down the formula for black powder with flourish, then casually sketched the prototype of a “red-coat” cannon before handing it to the man beside her.

Long Yu glanced at the black powder formula, then looked at the strange-looking thing she had drawn, and curiously asked, “What is this thing you’ve drawn?”

After asking, he passed the paper to Murong Qinjian for review.

After looking at it, Murong Qinjian also gazed at Yan Xiaosi with curiosity.

Yan Xiaosi had to patiently explain to the two men.

“This is called a ‘red-coat’ cannon. This is the barrel, made of copper or iron. You place cannonballs and black powder inside, insert a fuse, and during battle, you just need to light the fuse. The burning black powder will propel the iron or copper cannonballs to attack the enemy. The destructive power of this thing is much greater than ordinary swords and spears.”

Long Yu and Murong Qinjian listened with great interest.

After Yan Xiaosi had explained the details, Long Yu called Long Yi and Long Er in.

The two of them asked in unison, “Master, what are your orders?”

“Long Yi, go immediately and find a group of skilled blacksmiths, the more the better, and invite them to the military camp. This king has important tasks to arrange.”

“Long Er, take men to purchase copper and iron, also as much as possible.”

“Yes, Master.”

The two acknowledged the orders in unison and swiftly left.

The talc powder, sulfur powder, and charcoal powder needed to make black powder had already been prepared.

Long Yu directly assigned the task of manufacturing black powder to Murong Qinjian.

Murong Qinjian looked miserable.

“Long Yu, are you mistaken? I’m a military doctor, not one of your Dragon Guards.”

Long Yu said, “All five Dragon Guards currently have tasks. I’m not comfortable entrusting the supervision of this matter to others. Trouble yourself a bit, and after this is done, this king will gift you several jars of good wine.”

It had been a long time since His Highness the War King had spoken to him so politely. Murong Qinjian was visibly stunned for a moment, and then didn’t know how to refuse.

“…Yes.”

After Murong Qinjian had received his task and left to work, Yan Xiaosi remembered another inconsequential matter.

Although it was trivial, she couldn’t break her word, so she took advantage of Long Yu’s good mood to bring it up, “Your Highness, there’s a matter this commoner needs to request from you.”

Long Yu’s mood was indeed very good, and he looked at her with exceptional gentleness.

“What is it?”

“The shopkeeper of the Wan Family Grain Merchants sold you 150,000 catties of grain, didn’t he? This commoner promised him that afterward, you would personally write a plaque, have it framed, and send it to the Wan Family Grain Merchants.”

“Very well.”

His Highness the War King agreed readily, and Yan Xiaosi quickly stood up, yielding the expensive chancellor’s chair.

“Does Your Highness need this commoner to grind ink for you?”

Long Yu looked at the inkstone; there was still quite a bit of ink.

“No need. If you have nothing else to do, you can go back to Shaoyao Village for a while, just return by evening. As for the plaque, this king will write it and have someone frame it in Daxing Town and deliver it to the Wan Family Grain Merchants. You need not worry about it.”

Yan Xiaosi watched as he wielded a brush thick as a broom, writing on an expansive piece of silk paper with vigorous strokes: “The World’s Foremost Grain Merchant.”

At the signature position, he pressed his personal seal.

Yan Xiaosi stared at those characters, genuinely admiring them, and applauded.

Originally thinking Long Yu’s regular script was good enough, after seeing this bold style, she found it incredibly impressive.

This man was truly masterful in war and supreme in calligraphy, radiating brilliance all over without a single flaw.

Long Yu put down his brush and glanced at her, seeing her staring at his calligraphy with a face full of worship, and the corners of his mouth curled in satisfaction.

“Are you now full of admiration for this king?”

Yan Xiaosi rolled her eyes, finally finding this person’s flaw.

“Narcissistic man.”

Long Yu pondered those two words, roughly understanding their meaning, and laughed heartily.

Yan Xiaosi gave him a white eye roll and waved, “Your Highness can continue being narcissistic. This commoner is leaving.”

Long Yu called out to stop her.

“Wait.”

“What else does Your Highness command of this commoner?”

“Those pan-fried small potatoes from last time were quite delicious. Have your mother make some more and bring them back.”

Pan-fried small potatoes were just simple food, nothing precious. Yan Xiaosi, thinking of how easily he had agreed to bestow a plaque to the Wan Family Grain Merchants, complied with his wish.

“Alright, I’ll have my mother make them.”

“Then this king won’t eat dinner, saving stomach space for your return.”

“Mm.”

Yan Xiaosi left the military tent and went to the stable to fetch her chestnut-red horse, Red Cherry.

Red Cherry—such a flamboyant name. She really wanted to change it but didn’t know if His Highness the War King and Lightning would mind.

On second thought, she decided against it. Changing names would mean Red Cherry would have to adapt again, which would be quite troublesome.

She hung saddlebags on the horse’s back, stepped into the stirrup, and gently patted the horse’s rump, saying, “Red Cherry, let’s go for a ride.”