“Father sending you to my side indeed makes some sense.”
Empress Zhao revealed a smile, looking at herself in the glass mirror. She was no longer as beautiful as she once was, crow’s feet had appeared at the corners of her eyes, and even a white hair had appeared on her head.
Wang Xi then picked up a golden hairpin to tidy Empress Zhao’s hair. He said, “Your Majesty overpraises me. I only have a few petty tricks; how can I compare to Your Majesty’s wisdom? However, Your Majesty, Prince Qi is now guarding Shanhai Pass, and his army is capable in both conquest and combat. This is indeed a hidden danger. Perhaps Prince Qi will not dare to risk rebellion because of his pledge of allegiance, but there is no guarantee that his descendants will not rebel.”
“I am also thinking about this. The reason Prince Qi defeated the barbarians twice is because of firearms. I believe the imperial court should now focus on developing firearms. If Prince Zhao’s army and the Imperial Guards are all equipped with firearms, what capital does Xiao Ming have to fight the imperial court? And what is there to fear from the barbarians?” Empress Zhao pondered.
Wang Xi chuckled twice upon hearing this. He walked in front of Empress Zhao and said as if claiming credit, “Your Majesty, I am here today to bring Your Majesty the method for forging firearms.”
“What!” Empress Zhao exclaimed, looking at Wang Xi. “This is not the time for nonsense.”
Wang Xi said sternly, “Your Majesty, I am not speaking nonsense. As the saying goes, ‘under a heavy reward, there are always brave men.’ During this time, I have been having blacksmiths research the forging method for matchlock guns, and indeed, one craftsman has found a way to manufacture matchlock guns.”
“Really?” Empress Zhao looked shocked.
Now Xiao Ming monopolized all firearm trade in the Great Yu Empire, and this huge profit made everyone’s eyes red. Therefore, imitation never stopped after firearms appeared.
In fact, the intentions of many vassal princes in purchasing weapons from Xiao Ming were not simple: firstly to equip their armies, and secondly for imitation.
“Your Majesty, I would not dare to speak nonsense. This craftsman has indeed forged a matchlock gun. Although its power is not as great as Qingzhou’s matchlock gun, its appearance is basically the same, and it can still kill people after being loaded with gunpowder,” Wang Xi said.
Empress Zhao was excited. She said, “Does anyone else know about this?”
“No, only I know.”
“Very good. Now, immediately hand over this method of forging matchlock guns to my father so he can imitate them. Now, various forces within Chang’an city are intricately intertwined. In the end, I fear only my father leading troops into Chang’an can stabilize the Crown Prince’s throne,” Empress Zhao said.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Wang Xi nodded. He had personally witnessed the imitation matchlock gun. According to the craftsman, he used two layers of rolled iron to forge the barrel, with one layer of rolled iron inside and another layer outside.
The rolled iron openings were staggered to prevent gunpowder leakage, but the production of this matchlock gun was very slow. A single barrel required repeated forging and took a month to manufacture one matchlock gun.
It had been more than half a year since Xiao Ming sent matchlock guns to Chang’an. Now that the imitation was successful, Empress Zhao felt a great sense of relief.
Although he didn’t say it, Xiao Ming was now her greatest concern. As long as Xiao Ming was not eliminated, the Crown Prince’s throne would not be stable.
“Matchlock guns are no problem. If cannons can also be imitated, we will no longer fear Xiao Ming,” Empress Zhao suddenly sighed slightly after her excitement.
Regarding cannons, Wang Xi also had a considerable headache. Emperor Xiaowenxuan had also sent people to imitate matchlock guns last time, but the final result ended in failure.
Prince Zhao also had craftsmen imitate cannons, but the cost of these cannons was even higher than the cost of purchased cannons, and the imitated cannons were not as powerful as Qingzhou’s cannons.
Therefore, after deliberation, all the vassal princes decided to purchase Qingzhou cannons, as it saved both money and effort.
“Your Majesty, I also have no way with cannons, but if we bring the firearms camp under our command, wouldn’t we have enough cannons?” Wang Xi said.
Empress Zhao agreed deeply, but she said, “However, the current chief general of the firearms camp is Luo Hong. If we move Luo Hong, wouldn’t that offend Luo Quan and his son Luo Xin, and Luo Quan has always been on good terms with Prince Qi, which would also offend Prince Qi.”
“Your Majesty, once we control the firearms camp, plus our matchlock guns, what is there to fear from Prince Qi? Before the Crown Prince ascends the throne, we must eliminate Prince Qi’s influence in Chang’an and leave no hidden dangers,” Wang Xi’s eyes flashed with a hint of viciousness. “Not just Prince Qi, but the influence of the Second Prince, Third Prince, and Fourth Prince must all be uprooted one by one. For the Crown Prince to ascend the throne smoothly, Your Majesty must not have too many concerns.”
Empress Zhao was somewhat swayed by Wang Xi’s words, but after a brief contemplation, she immediately became alert and said, “Other princes are fine, but if Prince Qi allows the barbarians to enter the pass, wouldn’t the world fall into the hands of the barbarians?”
Speaking of this, Wang Xi smiled triumphantly. He said, “Your Majesty is overthinking. Prince Zhao has sent word that he has dispatched envoys to the barbarians. The Khan of Heaven has promised Prince Zhao that as long as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne and restores the annual tribute, they will assist His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in conquering the world.”
“Barbarians! Has father gone mad? This is inviting a wolf into the house, it’s simply outrageous!” Empress Zhao’s face suddenly turned extremely ugly.
Wang Xi said unhurriedly, “Your Majesty, you are mistaken. How did the Emperor ascend the throne back then, and how did he use the barbarians to get rid of Prince Kang? Since the Emperor did it, why can’t the Crown Prince do it? It’s just that Prince Kang of yesteryear has become Prince Qi of today. Though the people are different, the situation is always the same.”
“No, ever since the Emperor ascended the throne, he has always felt guilty about this. If it weren’t for his momentary lapse of judgment back then, the barbarians wouldn’t have seized Youzhou, and he would have lived in constant fear ever since. I don’t want the Crown Prince to also humble himself before the barbarians like the Emperor did.”
“Your Majesty, which is more important, the world or temporary pride? What the barbarians want is nothing more than some land in the north. What does it matter if we give it to them? The Great Yu Empire is vast and rich in resources; this small amount of land is nothing. Moreover, once the Crown Prince’s position is stable, we can reclaim it with our firearms,” Wang Xi advised. Back then, Prince Zhao sent him into the palace to stay by Empress Zhao’s side to transmit messages and advise Empress Zhao.
For him, his master was Prince Zhao, not Empress Zhao. Now, everything he did was for the Zhao family to rule the Central Plains, which was what the Zhao family had been planning for generations.
Now that Prince Zhao finally saw hope, how could he change his plans because of Empress Zhao’s thoughts?
So he continued, “His Royal Highness Prince Zhao said, please cooperate with his plan, Your Majesty. Only then can the Crown Prince’s position be stable. Otherwise, you and the Crown Prince should just pray for yourselves.”
As Wang Xi’s words fell, Empress Zhao’s face suddenly turned pale. She said angrily, “Are you threatening me?”