Famed Blades All Ruined

The night filled with the sounds of gunfire and explosions left the people of Luoyang with an incredibly novel experience.

It wasn't just because it was the first time they'd ever heard cannon fire.

More importantly, they discovered for the first time that after fighting for half a night, no city residents had been killed.

Back in the day, Liu Xueya stormed into Luoyang... never mind, let's not talk about that beast.

Even during the Former Qing Dynasty, when there were a few dozen bandits who sneaked into the city, with only a dozen or so guns, the government couldn't suppress them in time.

Several times, fires broke out everywhere, and people died everywhere.

Neither the yamen runners nor the bandits suffered many casualties; the majority of the dead and injured were ordinary people.

Last night, the cannons were fired, so how come no one died?

Actually, it wasn't just because Chu Tianshu and his group reacted quickly.

Furthermore, those ninjas and gunmen all valued efficiency.

They must use the most efficient and precise methods to pose any threat to someone like Chu Tianshu.

They simply didn't have time for arson, murder, or looting.

In Xu Laohu's mind, he might do this in the middle of the night to reward his brothers.

But he didn't live to see the second half of the night.

The common people didn't know the inside story, but they saw the people embedded in the city wall.

In that place, neither above nor below the sky, a person so large would be too conspicuous.

Many people lived near that small bridge and happened to witness the scene of the skeleton fighting Sun Feng'an.

Tiny flashes of Purple Lightning illuminated the floating skulls as they danced wildly.

This provides everyone with countless topics to talk about.

The source of the tiny Purple Lightning was somehow discovered by someone asking the husband of the third aunt's cousin: it was the eldest son of the Sun Family.

But the eldest son of the Sun Family wasn't a key player last night.

This news has given everyone even more room for imagination.

Around 2 PM, when the sun is at its strongest.

Chu Tianshu sat quietly by the martial arts training ground of the Marshal's Mansion. His hearing was so good that he could hear the chatter and discussions of people resting and chatting in the rough tea stalls outside the mansion.

What happened that night has now escalated into a ghostly army borrowing a passage and a hundred ghosts attacking the city.

The Divine Doctor Chu displayed his extraordinary prowess, mobilizing troops and generals. Young Master Sun was appointed to lead the charge in this critical moment, engaging the enemy generals in battle.

They described it in such detail that they even mentioned which tea planter Divine Doctor Chu.

Wait a minute, isn't Divine Doctor Chu a physician? Why is there a tiger lurking at his feet?

Ah, that's just an old tradition.

Look, isn't there always a fierce tiger following beside the portrait of Sun Simiao, the Medicine King?

Legend has it that the Medicine King encountered a suffering tiger on his journey. After saving the tiger, the tiger, grateful for his kindness, became the Medicine King's mount.

What even a tiger couldn't defeat, the Medicine King could—that's divine power!

The legend that the Medicine King's gourd contains gunpowder that can produce divine fire to burn away ghosts and exorcise evil spirits is an ancient one.

Chu Tianshu hadn't paid any attention to these noises at first, but when he heard this, he suddenly found it a little funny.

Sun Simiao's "Sulfur Subjugation Method in the Elixir Classic" is indeed the earliest extant document concerning gunpowder formulas.

These folk tales are neither entirely true nor entirely false.

Think of Sun Simiao hiding gunpowder in his gourd, and Li Shizhen from my hometown, who was also a ruthless man who chased after cult leaders with a Three-Seven Sword.

There are indeed quite a few medical students who don't pursue their studies properly.

Oh, Sun Feng'an's father, that Old Master Sun, was also a medical student when he was young.

As soon as you mention Xiao Sun, he arrives.

Sun Feng'an walked in and looked at the patients who were practicing diligently in the martial arts training ground.

"From the capital, a nationwide telegram has been sent out, informing the entire country of a proposed meeting between the Han Prefecture and Jiangdong."

Sun Feng'an said, "These things are being reported everywhere, and Jiangdong is also in an uproar."

"The Cao Family has a lot of writers at their disposal. The telegrams themselves are grand and eloquent, and they're quoted and interpreted in all sorts of ways."

"It seems that now, if the Han Prefecture and Jiangdong don't go to negotiate peace, they are already sinners for all time, the culprits behind the decline of the nation and the suffering of the people."

Sun Feng'an is quite resourceful, but he has always had a rather stubborn temper.

He had just received a telegram from Jiangdong and knew that these rumors were rampant back home. Faced with such a distorted truth, his tone revealed an uncontrollable anger.

"I've heard about this from Huo Ming."

Chu Tianshu gently scratched his right earlobe with his fingernail and said, "But there are very few people in Luoyang who talk about this."

"It's not easy to hear what ordinary people think about this."

Sun Feng'an frowned and said, "Liu Xueya made a mess of this place, and you guys have made it so nice. It's like going from hell to heaven."

"Besides, there's the legendary story of Xu Laohu's attack on the city; the people of Luoyang certainly don't care about such things."

Chu Tianshu turned her head to look at him, smiling without saying a word.

Sun Feng'an stared at each other for a few seconds, then Sun Feng'an's furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and a thoughtful smile appeared on his face.

"That's right, everyone knows who truly benefited."

Sun Feng'an said, "If we truly improve the lives of the people under our jurisdiction, then no matter how loud the public opinion is, it will only be a temporary phenomenon."

"But abroad..."

Chu Tianshu said indifferently, "So what if it's abroad?"

From the Former Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China, the biggest problem in many public opinion issues was whether or not foreign opinions were involved.

Many countries are eager to interfere in the situation in Divine Land, and once public opinion takes hold, it gives them a convenient excuse.

Even President Yuan had to pay attention to outside rumors on many matters.

Sun Feng'an thought about it carefully, but found that the world situation was changing rapidly, and the current situation was actually different.

The Han Prefecture intimidated the plateau, awed Jiaozhi, built highways and airports, and its military forces were deployed in all directions, growing increasingly powerful.

All forces attempting to use Jiaozhi and India as stepping stones to infiltrate Divine Land were driven away.

After the Cao Family conquered Liaodong and Cao Bokun was nearly killed in an explosion, they also drove the Dongying out of Liaodong.

Although Cao Rui used tyrannical methods to supply military funds in the Qilu region, he also maintained a strong military force and drove away the Dongying troops stationed between the peninsulas.

Jiangdong...

Well, it seems that from this perspective, Jiangdong has actually made the fewest contributions.

There's nothing we can do about it; no one's planning to land in Jiangdong territory these past few years.

However, after being badly beaten by the Cao Family, the Dongying frequently sent messengers, wanting to form an alliance with Jiangdong.

Sun Feng'an originally wanted to refuse outright, but his younger brother gave him some ideas.

Let's not talk about cooperation for now. Instead, let's ask about Dongying investment here, cooperation on shipping routes, and doing business at sea.

Anyway, as a result, Jiangdong has made a lot of money in the past two years.

Sun Feng'an coughed twice, deciding that he would still need to consult the Han Prefecture's opinion on this matter later.

It's best to break off relations with Dongying as soon as possible, so as not to leave any leverage for the Cao Family to exploit.

Thinking about it this way, it's no wonder that the public opinion created by the Cao Family has caused some unrest in Jiangdong.

Seeing that Sun Feng'an was deep in thought, Chu Tianshu didn't rush to say anything more about the previous topic, but instead picked up the mask in front of him.

"Brother Sun, when will the famous swords and sabers you promised arrive?"

Sun Feng'an, regaining his composure, said, "It should be in the next day or two. My brother loves famous swords and knives, so I'll send over his batch first, and then we'll get the others. But to be honest, those things are basically worn down by time, and the quality isn't very good."

Chu Tianshu nodded.

He wasn't in a hurry at all.

Since entering this world, Cai Shanjun has been saying he wants to come and meet us, but we still haven't met.

Sun Feng'an seems to be a decisive person; he should be able to do what he promises quite quickly.

"Doctor Chu!"

Huo Ming Mingren hadn't even arrived yet when his voice came through, full of surprise, "The people from headquarters have finally all arrived, and not just the ones I mentioned before."

Chu Tianshu had expected this, and smiled, "General Cai has arrived?"

No, not only that.

Huo Ming said, "Besides the Governor, Marshal Liu has also arrived. I don't know how they managed to persuade the people in the Hall of Political Affairs Luoyang."

(End of this chapter)