The weather is getting hotter and hotter, and the sun performs its duties very well every day, appearing early to shine on everything.
Ying Zheng was not lazy, he finished washing up early and plunged into the secret room.
The secret book of Jiuding and the drawings of the royal tomb must be compiled as soon as possible and handed over to the Jing family class, and no one else can do this.
At about Chen hour, Zhao Gao said outside the secret room: "Your Majesty, please see Lu Xiangbang."
Previously, Ying Zheng told Lu Buwei that he would take the Jing family class to explore King Wu's Tomb, with the purpose of imitating it and building his own King's Tomb in Lishan Mountain.
Ying Zheng took people to King Wu's Tomb for several days in a row, but he didn't go today. It will definitely make people think that he has finished exploring King Wu's Tomb.
Sure enough, what Lu Buwei asked was really this matter.
"Father Zhong, the architectural drawings of King Wu's Mausoleum have been found." Ying Zheng said with a cheerful expression, "It's just that the drawings are recorded in Chinese script. I have ordered the Jing family class to learn this script as soon as possible."
"That's good." Lu Buwei said with a smile, "It seems that as long as we interpret those drawings, we can go to Lishan to start work."
"Then please trouble Father Zhong and prepare more tools for digging mountains and digging holes." Ying Zheng said arrogantly.
"Haha, to be honest with the king, I have already prepared a batch. If it is not enough, just make another batch." Lu Buwei said.
"Father Zhong is still thoughtful." Ying Zheng praised.
"Your Majesty, there are letters from Changping Lord and Li Xin." Lu Buwei changed the subject.
"Oh? But what about the bandits in Yingcheng?" Ying Zheng asked with concern.
Having spent a lot of effort to invite Xiang Yan and send Lord Changping, how could Ying Zheng not care about this matter.
Lu Buwei nodded and said: "This is exactly what happened. Both letters said that using Xiang Yan's prestige was indeed very effective. In just a few days, various mountain villages followed suit and joined the Western Chu Army. At present, It’s been sorted out.”
"It's really fast." Ying Zheng frowned, "It seems that this Xiang Yan is indeed difficult to deal with."
Lu Buwei also narrowed his eyes and said: "With such a handsome man in Chu, I am afraid that he will cause some trouble to Great Qin in the future."
"How many people did the Western Chu Army recruit in total?" Ying Zheng asked.
"The letter from Lord Changping said that there are about 200,000 men, women, old and children in total," Lu Buwei said.
"There are so many?" Ying Zheng was surprised.
"Actually, there are less than 30,000 households in total." Lu Buwei said, "It was only the 30,000 to 40,000 defeated troops who became bandits when Ying City changed hands and later married wives and had children that expanded the population to such a large population. .”
"How many people are joining the army?" Ying Zheng asked again.
"About 47,000 people." Lu Buwei said with a gloomy expression.
"Not a lot." Ying Zheng sighed softly.
So many bandits have now been gathered together. If they are not controlled well, it will be a real trouble.
"Your Majesty," Lu Buwei continued, "Mr. Changping also asked when the supply of ordnance and food and grass would be in place."
No wonder the letters came in such a hurry. There were so many people and it was impossible not to have food to eat.
Ying Zheng looked at Lu Buwei and asked, "In Father Zhong's opinion, how should we solve it?"
Lu Buwei stroked the black beard on his chin and said: "In my opinion, it is better to allocate less ordnance and food to Xiang Yan, and then let them be self-sufficient and resign themselves to fate."
Ying Zheng thought for a while and said: "I feel that it is not appropriate to do this. If there is any trouble, then all our efforts will be wasted. What's more, if he is ordered to be self-sufficient, I am afraid that Lord Changping will definitely ask for help. I want some fiefdom, Father Zhong, tell me, should we give it to you or not?"
Anyone who knows how to read knows which is more important: a fiefdom or some grain and grass.
"What does the king mean?" Lu Buwei asked.
"Give as much as you should, no more, no less," Ying Zheng said.
"In this case, if these bandits are not controlled, wouldn't it be worth the loss?" Lu Buwei said with some worry.
Ying Zheng smiled and said, "If
If they dare to rebel, wouldn't it be better to kill them directly? "
Lu Buwei rolled his eyes half a circle, then smiled and nodded.
This newly formed Western Chu Army is under the control of Lord Changping. If anything goes wrong, Lord Changping will also be the culprit.
It would also be a good thing for Lu Buwei if the temple competitor Chang Pingjun was missing.
"The old minister will start to transport the weapons, food and grass to Yingcheng." Lu Buwei said.
"Well, there is Lao Zhongfu." Ying Zheng said, "By the way, did Li Xin mention anything else."
Lu Buwei took out two letters from his arms and handed them to Ying Zheng: "Your Majesty, please read them."
Ying Zheng took the two letters, read them respectively, and said, "I will reply to them personally. Father Zhong just arranges the weapons and food as usual."
"Old minister, I obey the king's order." Lu Buwei said with cupped hands.
Ying Zheng sat at the desk, quickly wrote two letters on brocade silk, and then put them in a brocade bag and handed them to Lu Buwei.
Lu Buwei collected the letter and moved on to the next topic: "Your Majesty, I heard that there was still a shortage of several minerals to make that 'my weapon', so I sent someone to inquire about it and found several similar minerals."
"Really?" Ying Zheng said happily, "Father Zhong took the trouble."
"This is my duty." Lu Buwei said, "If the king agrees, I will order people to mine it."
"Then let's start mining." Ying Zheng paused and said, "I happen to have the idea of going on a trip. Why don't I take a few ladies out for some fun in a while and check out the location of these minerals. "
"It's better this way. Let me leave this matter to the old minister." Lu Buwei said with a smile.
Previously, Ying Zheng had promised several ladies to take them on a trip, but was delayed due to various things.
After chatting for a few more words, Lu Buwei stood up and left.
After sending Lu Buwei away, Ying Zheng called Li Si, and then they went to the secret room where the stone tripod was placed.
"Sir, how should I use this stone tripod?" Ying Zheng asked.
When Li Si came back last night, Ying Zheng was already drunk, so he placed the stone tripod and went to rest without asking any more questions.
Li Si looked at the stone tripod and said softly: "I have only heard Master talk about this alchemy a few times and have never tried it myself, but it sounds like it is not difficult."
Ying Zheng put his hand on the ear of the cauldron and said: "Since it is refining elixir, it must be that the stone cauldron is heated and then the raw materials are refined."
"The principle is correct, but you must follow the steps and make no mistakes." Li Si said.
"Why not, let's give it a try now." Ying Zheng said eagerly.
Li Si looked around the secret room and said, "It's not possible yet."
"Why?" Ying Zheng asked confused.
"The king also said that we need to heat the stone cauldron, and the secret room is not well ventilated, making it difficult to start a fire." Li Si pointed to the only wooden door in the secret room and said.
"It seems that if you want to make elixirs, you can't place this stone tripod here." Ying Zheng said.
"Exactly," Li Si said, "The open-air courtyard is the most ideal place for alchemy."
"Then I ordered people to carry this stone cauldron out." After saying that, Ying Zheng walked towards the door.
"No need, Your Majesty." Li Si waved his hand and said, "You just need to open the door in front."
After saying that, Li Si rolled up his sleeves, then grabbed a tripod ear with one hand and a tripod foot with the other hand. He leaned sideways with his hips tilted, his arms struggled, and he straightened his back to resist the stone tripod.
Ying Zheng was shocked, but he didn't forget to open the door.
After Li Si carried the stone tripod out of the secret room, Ying Zheng locked the wood in the secret room and walked quickly to Li Si to lead the way.
Ying Zheng went directly to the backyard of the study. Li Si found a suitable place, squatted down, and placed the stone tripod on the ground.
Until it landed, the stone tripod didn't make any sound.
Li Si stood up, took two deep breaths, and returned to normal.
This strength and endurance are really strong.
"Sir, could it be that you fought all the way back to get this stone tripod?"
Ying Zheng asked.
Li Si smiled and said, "It was just a matter of resistance from King Wu's Mausoleum. When he got to the ground, Wei Chen put him on the backs of two horses, and then led the horses back."
"No wonder I came back late." Ying Zheng said, "I don't know when I will be like my husband."
Li Si smiled bitterly and shook his head, knowing that Ying Zheng had been thinking about this matter: "When the king refines the high-grade Linggu Pill and takes it in a certain way, he will be much stronger than Wei Chen."
"Really?" Ying Zheng's eyes widened.
"Otherwise, how could the king have the strength to go to Jiuyou?" Li Si sighed.
"Is Jiuyou... really dangerous?" Ying Zheng's expression suddenly changed.
"It is indeed dangerous. The poisonous insects and beasts there all have their own strengths." Li Si said.
"Just like Xi and Zhu Jiuyou?" Ying Zheng asked.
Li Si nodded and said: "There are many more powerful than them, and many have their own very special abilities, just like Tai Sui who attacked the king."
Of course Ying Zheng knew the power of Tai Sui, it could be said to kill people invisible.
Thinking of the danger in Jiuyou, Ying Zheng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and asked: "Aside from the ones we encountered, what other strange beasts are there in Jiuyou?"
"The Sword Comes"
Li Si was silent for a moment and did not answer Ying Zheng's question. Instead, he said: "Your Majesty, you should remember that there is another mission in the Tomb of King Wu on the third floor, but it doesn't need to be completed immediately."
"I remember." Ying Zheng nodded and said.
"Before the master arrives, the king needs to memorize the Classic of Mountains and Seas by heart." Li Si solemnly said, "When the time comes, he will need to memorize it to the master."
Ying Zheng: "..."
"As for what the king just asked about, what other strange beasts are there in Jiuyou? There are many records in the "Book of Mountains and Seas"," Li Si said.
During this period of time, Ying Zheng needed to read too many books, and he really didn't pay much attention to the "Book of Mountains and Seas".
"I understand that going to Jiuyou is the true mission of the Heavenly Successor, and the "Book of Mountains and Seas" is the key." Ying Zheng said.
"That's right." Li Si said.
"When I finish compiling the Classic of Mountains and Seas, I will always carry it with me." Ying Zheng looked at Li Si and said.
"This is best." Li Si looked at Shiding again and said, "Your Majesty, let's study alchemy first."
Ying Zheng nodded.
Li Si turned around and left. After a while, he picked up two buckets of water and brought some dry firewood and charcoal.
Li Si placed the ignited dry firewood under the stone cauldron, and then poured water into the stone cauldron. Soon, water vapor appeared on the surface of the water, and the water seemed to boil faster than usual.
Li Si grabbed the two tripod ears and turned them hard. He saw that the legs of the tripod had not moved, but the body of the tripod had been rotated a small amount.
This stone tripod can actually move.
Li Si squatted down again and twisted the protrusion of a tripod foot half a turn. He saw a gap opened at the bottom of the belly of the tripod, and there was something like a pull ring next to the gap.
Li Si put his middle finger through the ring and pulled hard, and a square box was pulled out.
Li Si went around to another tripod foot and found a protrusion in a similar position. He twisted it again and saw a stream of clear water spurting out from the side of the tripod belly, and then the water inside the tripod gradually decreased.
Li Si placed the red-hot charcoal in the square box, pushed the box back, and then twisted the protrusion again.
Li Si took out the fire under the tripod.
There was still an inch of water in the cauldron and it stopped flowing.
"Your Majesty, you can put some powder in," Li Si said.
Ying Zheng nodded, took out the prepared cloth bag from his arms, and poured the powder inside into the stone tripod.
About an hour later, a crisp sound was heard from the cauldron, and then a wisp of green smoke came out.
Li Si squatted next to the last tripod leg and twisted the same protrusion in the same position. A hidden compartment opened on one side of the tripod belly.
A row of red pills appeared in front of him, but they were smaller.
It seems that making alchemy is not too difficult.
