The clatter of hooves echoed through the streets of Chang’an, sending the citizens scurrying to either side of the road. Seeing officials galloping by on horseback stirred up whispers among the people—such chaos hadn’t been seen since the last time the nomads threatened the city. Many began to worry—was something big about to happen?
Riding at full speed, Emperor Xiao Wenxuan looked more joyful than he had in years. In fact, the good news he’d received in the past year was more than in the past decade combined—and much of it was thanks to Prince Qi, Xiao Ming. Just thinking of him made the emperor feel even more grateful.
“Feiji, hurry up! You’re so slow—it’s driving me mad!” Luo Quan was rushing toward the Firearms Battalion, having just received news from the palace eunuchs that the Qingzhou cannons had arrived in Chang’an. He stopped by to drag Feiji along with him.
While Feiji appeared relaxed and slow-moving, he was just as eager. After all, the cannons had been delivered by his future son-in-law, and he certainly cared about them—but he wanted to save face and not look too excited in front of other officials.
The two made their way through the southern gate and arrived at the Firearms Battalion’s base, which was already crowded with layers of civil and military officials. Everyone was whispering, pointing toward the massive objects under cloth covers. Even the Crown Prince and several other princes were there, standing close to Emperor Xiao Wenxuan.
Inside the base, one hundred large, black cannons stood in neat rows. The black canvas that had covered them had already been pulled off. Luo Quan and Feiji pushed forward, their eyes wide as they got their first look at these legendary “cannons.”
Xiao Wenxuan had arrived early and had personally ordered the covers removed. Prince Qi had sent one hundred cannons in this shipment, with more to come later—provided the imperial court continued to pay.
The emperor paced around the cannons with excitement. He had tried pushing one earlier but couldn’t budge it—it was extremely heavy. Still, Xiao Ming hadn’t lied; the cannons really did resemble oversized fire lances.
Along with the cannons, three artillerymen from Qingzhou had been sent to stay in Chang’an and train the Firearms Battalion on how to operate them. Prince Qi had been careful to ensure these soldiers would follow the emperor’s every instruction. After all, good service meant better chances of getting paid on time.
Looking proudly at the row of cannons, Emperor Xiao Wenxuan spotted Luo Quan and Feiji arriving and waved them over. “Come, come! I was waiting for you. Let’s test the power of these cannons together.”
Luo Quan stepped up and examined the cannon closely, running his hands over its thick, heavy barrel with awe. He even leaned over and peeked into the muzzle.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prince looked unimpressed. “Father, this cannon doesn’t seem much different from a fire lance. What’s so special about it?” he said, giving it a dismissive kick.
The Crown Prince had grown more confident lately, knowing his position was secure thanks to support from Prince Zhao. He was especially close to Zhao Yuanliang, and hearing that Zhao had suffered embarrassment in Qingzhou made him furious. Now, he couldn’t resist mocking Prince Qi’s invention.
Xiao Wenxuan was a little annoyed by the remark, but he didn’t want to spoil his mood. Instead, he said calmly, “You can’t judge a weapon just by how it looks. You need to see what it can do.”
Luo Quan nodded. “Exactly, Your Majesty. Let’s see what these cannons are capable of.”
“I was thinking the same,” Xiao Wenxuan said with a smile. “Today, we’ll all witness the true power of these weapons.”
He then ordered the three Qingzhou artillerymen to demonstrate. They moved quickly and confidently, pulling tools from an ammo box next to the cannon and beginning the loading process.
Before lighting the fuse, one of the gunners turned to the emperor and said, “Your Majesty, please cover your ears. The sound is very loud and may startle you.”
“Cover my ears?” Xiao Wenxuan was puzzled but complied.
The other officials, seeing this, also covered their ears.
But the Crown Prince sneered and turned to the Second, Third, and Fourth Princes, saying, “Yuanliang told me these cannons aren’t that impressive. There’s no need to be nervous.”
He didn’t realize that Zhao Yuanliang had downplayed the cannons only to save face. Much of what he had said wasn’t true at all.
The other princes exchanged glances—they weren’t as foolish as the Crown Prince. They quickly covered their ears, leaving only the Crown Prince standing smugly, clearly expecting nothing more than a loud pop.
Near the field was a small grove of trees. The artillerymen aimed the cannon at the grove. Seeing that the emperor had covered his ears, they lit the fuse.
BOOM!
A massive flash burst from the muzzle. The ground trembled. The sound was like thunder crashing from the heavens.
The Crown Prince froze on the spot, stunned. His whole body trembled, his legs shook violently—and then, warm liquid began to soak his trousers. He had wet himself in fear.
The Second, Third, and Fourth Princes slowly uncovered their ears, shocked. The cannon’s thunder had rattled their bones. Even the horses around the base screamed and reared up in panic.
They had felt the ground itself shake under their feet.
But what shocked them the most was what happened in the grove: three tree trunks as thick as bowls were snapped clean in half, one after another—crack, crack, crack.
Xiao Wenxuan’s face had turned a bit pale, but his eyes sparkled with joy. The trees were two hundred meters away, yet still shattered—this showed just how powerful the cannon really was.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty! With such a mighty weapon, the Imperial Guards will be unstoppable!” Feng Deshui said quickly, eager to flatter him.
Xiao Wenxuan didn’t respond right away. Instead, he stepped forward and placed his hand on the cannon. There, carved into the barrel, were four simple characters: “Made in Qingzhou.”
His face remained calm, but inside, his heart was storming with emotion. The power of this cannon was beyond anything he had imagined. Now he understood how Xiao Ming had defended Cangzhou. If he was this shaken by the blast, how terrified must the nomads have been when they first saw such a weapon?
If a cannon like this were mounted on city walls—who would dare speak of siege?