The Mysterious Ming Dynasty: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

Chapter 60 Martial Arts Strategies to Overcome Enemies: The Divine Machine of Mars

A red sun rises over the sea.

The treasure ship Dinghai slowly awoke, and countless emerald green vines on its hull began skillfully cleaning the barnacles off the ship and stirring up the passing sand barges.

"eye--"

The Dinghai emitted a long, mournful roar. The pulleys on the mainmast turned on their own, winding the cables. The blue mainsail rose to the top of the mast, adorned with the Big Dipper and a lifelike sperm whale—the remnants of the whale's soul.

The local militia and fishmongers near the dock were already used to this, and they simply threw baskets of fish into the boat.

After feeding them for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and after they had eaten and drunk their fill, the treasure ship shook slightly, its sails billowing as if waving to them.

The Dinghai ship inhaled and exhaled water vapor, absorbing the essence of the sea and river and turning it into its own. The entire ship was shrouded in a hazy mist, with its sails billowing high.

On the other side of the harbor was the large Fujian ship, a massive vessel, captured by the righteous men.

The Taoist priest, dressed in a yellow robe, holding a purple-gold bell, and wearing a mask, burned incense to exorcise demons for him. The boat was covered with yellow talismans and words written in cinnabar.

The barefoot strongman, his body steaming with heat, carried the enormous object back and forth.

Samurai also patrolled the area near the port on freshly made wooden horses.

Looking further into the distance, wisps of smoke rise from chimneys, their warmth and comforting aroma filling the air.

Si Chen leaned against the railing, one hand behind his back and tucked into his sleeve, the other stroking his beard and smiling, taking in everything. He beckoned to Jiazi, "We've set up another room in the inner quarters of the Liesheng Palace. This is the residence of the Lin family from Suzhou, descendants of an old friend, who have come here seeking refuge."

They then introduced Lin Daiyu and two maids to them.

Looking around at the woman who came out of the same room as Si Chen, they were all a little confused, wondering what their relationship was.

Si Chen asked, "What about those strategies for defeating the enemy, like the Mars and Divine Machine?"

Jiazi said, "Song Tiangong has thoroughly inspected them and there are no problems. In addition to the three hundred divine machines, the Zheng family has also sent an eight-sided whirlwind mist-spitting thunder cannon, a nine-arrow heart-piercing divine poison fire thunder gun, an eight-sided divine wind fire cannon, a bombardment cannon, a fire dragon flame-spitting divine ball, and a flying fire divine crow, as samples. Would Your Excellency like to go and test them in person?"

"Alright, let's go take a look." Si Chen was overjoyed and left immediately. Before leaving, he turned back and instructed, "Settle them in properly, and give them gold, silk, and grain. Hmm, also put the temple of the Heavenly Consort of Universal Salvation under their care."

Si Chen then instructed the three men, "Now that you're here, you need to find a way to make a living. We don't support useless people here."

Lin Daiyu bowed slightly. "Thank you."

Si Chen rose from the treasure ship, his robes fluttering, and looked down from the air at the bustling crowds on both sides of the Haihe River.

The salt fields of Dagukou, the dikes along the Haihe River, and the streets paved with blue bricks all present a magnificent scene.

Tianjin is beginning to take shape as a major city, with demolition and reconstruction taking place everywhere.

The newly separated Tianjin Left Guard and Tianjin Right Guard comprised a total of 3,000 households, with each household having four or five members, mostly located in the eastern part of the city.

Si Chen descended from the clouds and landed inside a towering building in front of the Palace of Saints. This was the Cloud Platform, specially prepared for the warriors.

The passageways were blocked off, with each platform being three or four zhang high and twelve zhang wide. Each platform was about two hundred paces long and stood on the wall, with arrow slits on all four sides. The upper level had towers and crenellations, and the top had a skylight specifically for the Feathered Scale Guards to land.

On the left side of the platform, two Feathered Scale Guards were hidden in a blind spot, while on the right side, two holy warriors dressed in black and wearing silver masks bowed to him.

Si Chen nodded in acknowledgment and calmly walked into the Florence Garden.

The Lantern Festival had just ended, and merchants from the north were already making their moves. After all, times were tough, but people couldn't just give up on life.

As long as there is demand, there is value in the existence of merchants.

"Why are you frowning?" Si Chen pushed open the door and entered. He saw Song Yingxing and the Six Ding Gods gathered together, discussing something. Jia Chen, Xu Wenjue, and several Taoist priests of Taiping were frowning.

九层

"Take your seats." Everyone bowed in unison. After Si Chen took his seat in the main seat, they divided into two groups, left and right, and sat down at the table. Each person had a small table in front of them with documents on it.

Si Chen glanced at the numerous files beside him, then looked at everyone. "There are priorities in everything. Who wants to go first?"

Xu Wenjue and Jia Chen were in charge of purchasing. Of all things, food is the most important. If they couldn't even solve their basic needs, how could they talk about anything else?

Everyone turned their attention to the two of them.

Jia Chen gave this opportunity to Xu Wenjue, who was frustrated because several of the transactions he had been involved in recently had gone wrong.

Xu Wenjue immediately stood up. "Sir, the canal transport has been completely cut off. Even merchant ships can only reach Shandong before stopping. We have money but can't spend it. And porcelain, tea, ironware, and cloth—our supplies are almost exhausted this month."

It was not only an aftermath of the Sichen flooding of Sichuan and Chongqing.

Furthermore, Si Chen has taken everything into the Sacred Treasury, and apart from trading with the Water Mansion, they can't earn a single penny here, which is tantamount to denying their value.

Si Chen took the bill. Only ten days had passed, and the price had increased tenfold. Let's leave that aside for now.

"Hoarding and speculating on grain supplies won't work, so we're turning to these kinds of things. But I believe there will always be people willing to trade; it's just that the price isn't right."

These difficulties are unavoidable before one can become self-reliant.

"And you, you must get rid of those bad habits from the south as soon as possible. It's too extravagant. With external demons around, how can you cultivate diligently, how can you achieve immortality?" Si Chen said to Xu Wenjue.

The country is easy to change, but the nature is hard to change.

Xu Wenjue was a man who only wore fine clothes and brocade robes. He also had a group of painters under his command, who were responsible for his daily flattery or performing magic tricks for entertainment. A theatrical troupe was also arriving one after another on the following ships.

He had a dream that night, and the next day, an artist hand-painted tens of thousands of exquisite scrolls. The scrolls were so numerous that they couldn't fit in a single room.

Every day, meals were prepared in a separate kitchen set up in the garden.

It's truly heartbreaking.

The main problem is that this guy doesn't know how to behave himself here, causing unrest among his colleagues. People are more worried about inequality than scarcity, and Si Chen feels that he wouldn't be surprised if someone secretly stabbed him in the back one day.

"Anyone with complaints, come and discuss it with me. If you can't even overcome this little difficulty, then you might as well become a rich man as soon as possible." Si Chen looked around, and although he didn't say it explicitly, everyone understood and was even happy to see it happen.

He sighed inwardly.

This small group is still in its early stages, and there are no other messy or troublesome issues yet.

Xu Wenjue took a deep breath, still feeling a little reluctant. He wondered how long it would be before these beloved items could see the light of day again.

Song Yingxing took out an official document and said, "Your Excellency, the Taiping Jingguo Hall is crowded with people and eyes. Shouldn't we move the stele forest of the wooden ox and flowing horse technique out of the Taiping Jingguo Hall and set up a separate Tiangong Academy instead?"

Si Chen took it and immediately stamped the document with his seal. "Approved."

Time passed slowly, and all the things that had been piling up for several days were finally resolved.

The crowd dispersed, each going about their own business.

The main problem is that without Si Chen present, there are some things they cannot decide.

Take the Heavenly Crafts Institute for example. Construction requires a large amount of resources and the use of the Sacred Treasury. The use of the Sacred Treasury must be recorded and reported. The key to the Sacred Treasury is held by the Six Ding, and it is guarded by the Feather Scale Guard.

After all that effort, nothing beats the Si Chen Yi Dao Seal.

The complex paperwork and archives also increased the workload.

But it's at least much better than some cases of public resources being misused for private purposes.

Jia Chen quickly stood up. "Your Excellency, all three hundred units of the 'Martial Arts Strategy' and 'Divine Machine' are ready."