Finest Servant

Chapter 327 I Want to Report You

Though Master Lin had dismissed it as a lie, Ashile grew even more suspicious. Could it be that the Great Hua had secretly prepared an elite force to wage a do-or-die battle with his Turkic Khanate? This matter was of grave importance, and he had to inform the Khan ahead of time. Yi Seung-Jae, on the other hand, had a different train of thought. Indeed, the military strength of Great Hua was robust, surpassing that of Goryeo by several times. He must report this truthfully to his father, the king.

"Boom, boom—" Two plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky, and the earth-shattering blast caused a buzzing in everyone's ears. Ashile and Yi Seung-Jae's faces changed, Palace Lady Seo was frightened into covering her ears, and Lin Wanrong shouted angrily, "Where did the cannon fire come from? Where did it come from?"

A common soldier hurried over to report, "My Lord, the new recruits from the Divine Machine Unit are practicing with the cannons. They are not accurate, disturbing my lord. Please forgive us."

Lin Wanrong hummed, "New recruits practicing with cannons is not an issue, but scaring our esteemed guests with such reckless firing is unforgivable. Do you know who this is? This is the special envoy from the Turkic Khanate. Do you know who the other person is? That is the prince of Goryeo, along with the beautiful Lady Jang Geum. If they were scared, Du Xiuyuan, could you bear the responsibility? Come on, drag him away—"

Du Xiuyuan paled with fear, his eyes wide with terror. Lin Wanrong smirked inwardly. It was a waste of talent for Brother Du not to go into film.

Seeing Master Lin's anger, Ashile hurriedly intervened, "Master Lin, your new recruits didn't know we were coming. This is an understandable situation, please don't blame them."

Jang Geum was very kind-hearted. Seeing Master Lin flexing his authority and his soldiers looking pitifully helpless, her compassion flared. She walked over to Lin Wanrong and softly said, "My Lord, they committed this error unintentionally. Please spare them. Jang Geum is very grateful for your benevolence."

"Is that so?" Lin Wanrong pondered for a moment, "Since Lord Ashile and Lady Jang Geum have pleaded on your behalf, I suppose I can let this pass this time."

"Well—" Lin Wanrong hesitated, "Brother Ashile, to be honest, this cannon is a secret of Great Hua. Ordinary people can't see it, let alone while our two nations are at odds—"

Ashile quietly moved closer to him, handing him a small bag, "Today I troubled Master Lin with our visit, please accept this small token of my appreciation. And there are also two precious 'blood-sweat' horses from my Turkic homeland, they will be delivered to your mansion today." His Mandarin was awkward. Master Lin glanced into the bag and saw two thumb-sized night pearls, their lustrous radiance blinding.

"Oh, I see!" General Lin quietly put the bag in his pocket, then with utmost seriousness, said, "Since the Emperor has instructed me to treat our two guests well, I will reluctantly take you to see them. Alas, I hope the Emperor won't blame me." Yi Seung-Jae had observed their actions, a spark of understanding in his eyes, and he was lost in thought.

The artillery drill field was still some distance away. A few people walked towards it, Lin Wanrong taking a few strides before feeling someone tug at his clothes from behind. Turning his head, he saw that it was Seo Jang Geum. Her expression was serious, eyebrows furrowed. Lin Wanrong found it strange, "Lady Jang Geum, do you need anything from me?"

Seo Jang Geum spoke in a low and serious voice, "Sir, I want to ask you something."

Lin Wanrong laughed, "Lady Jang Geum, don't be so serious. Smile a bit. What do you want to ask?"

Jang Geum shook her head, "Did you accept a bribe from Lord Ashile?"

Sweating, Lin Wanrong thought that this Korean lady was blunt. He could disregard what others said about him, but when someone pointed it out directly, he couldn't help but blush. "Where, where... it's just a small gift, it's not bribery, it's not bribery," he defended himself.

Seo Jang Geum remained stern, "Sir, the Turkic Khanate is currently at war with Great Hua. You accepted their bribe and exposed Great Hua's military secrets to the enemy. How could you do that? Do you know how many Great Hua soldiers and civilians you are hurting? They are ordinary people, all innocent. Even though I am Goryeo, Goryeo and Great Hua are closely connected, and the people of both countries are equally hardworking and kind. Jang Geum, as a minor palace lady, also knows right from wrong, and I will not allow anything that harms the people of both countries to exist. Sir, I urge you to immediately return the bribe you received and refuse to let the Turkic envoy observe your country's artillery. Otherwise, I will report your acceptance of bribes to the emperor of Great Hua. Please think it over!"

Lin Wanrong was stunned for a while, feeling that strange things had happened more frequently this year. This Seo Jang Geum was unusually upright, so upright that it was over the top. A minor Goryeo palace lady was threatening to report a Great Hua official's acceptance of bribes. Interesting, very interesting. Lin Wanrong laughed, "Lady Seo, I understand what you mean, but you don't understand mine. Even your prince would definitely not allow you to do this."

Jang Geum obstinately replied, "Even if the Prince is noble, he cannot protect evil. Even if he disapproves, I will still expose you. Please return the bribe you received, I beg you!"

As Seo Jang Geum said this, she deeply bowed. Lin Wanrong hurriedly helped her up, lightly pinching her hand in the process, "Lady Seo is overthinking, I am a Great Hua man, how could I harm my own country? Ha-ha, let's leave it here for now. I'll find you to do acupuncture when I have time."

Having said that, Lin Wanrong turned and left, fearing that this stubborn little palace maid would cling on and not let go. Seo Jang Geum stood there for a while, before saying in a serious tone, "Master Lin, for the sake of Great Hua and my Goryeo people, I will definitely expose you."

Seeing Lin Wanrong catch up, Yi Seung-Jae mysteriously smiled, "Master Lin, are you satisfied with Lady Seo?"

Lin Wanrong paused for a moment, then said, "Satisfied, very satisfied." Yi Seung-Jae nodded and said nothing more.

—---

The artillery platform was built on a small hill. When Lin Wanrong and the others arrived, the "new recruits" were in the middle of a live ammunition drill. A new recruit lit the fuse, and with a loud bang, a distant target shattered on cue, its power and precision top-notch.

During the battles between the Turks and the Great Hua, a few cannons had been captured, but those cannons were bulky and not particularly accurate. Looking at the cannons now in use by Great Hua, they seemed to have been well improved; they were much lighter, but their power had increased several times. Should they come to battle, the casualties of his Turkic cavalry would undoubtedly be substantial. As he watched, Ashile was secretly alarmed, while the new recruits of the Divine Machine Unit simply shook their heads.

Ashile said softly, "Master Lin, these cannons are quite accurate and powerful, but why do your soldiers seem unsatisfied?"

Lin Wanrong replied, "Accurate? We demand that cannon fire has an error of no more than two steps. That shot just now had an error exceeding four steps. I have no idea how these new recruits have been practicing, but it is extremely disappointing. My apologies for the embarrassment."

The two envoys were left speechless. Lin Wanrong's high expectations of his soldiers were indeed shocking. If all the soldiers of Great Hua were trained like him, who in the world could be their match?

"Since we're here, let's test the cannon formations. Li Sheng, Li Sheng—," Lin Wanrong called out loudly.

"I'm here—," Li Sheng quickly ran over.

Pointing at Li Sheng, Lin Wanrong, smiling, said to the two special envoys, "This is a new recruit team leader in my Divine Machine Unit. Let's have him demonstrate the cannon formations today. Li Sheng, lead your new recruits, fire a few shots, and let our esteemed envoys give some advice."

Li Sheng acknowledged the order and set up ten cannons in a line. The "new recruits" loaded the powder, filled the shell, pushed the cannon, and aimed. Their movements were neat and efficient, all in one go.

Li Sheng raised a small flag and shouted, "Fire!" Dozens of cannons instantly spewed out fire, the deafening noise of cannon fire shaking the earth. Amidst the thick smoke, the dense hills in the distance were instantly leveled, rocks flying about, a magnificent sight.

Lin Wanrong said loudly, "Esteemed envoys, take a look, this is called concentrated fire, a new battle method we have recently researched. It is specifically designed to target enemy charging troops, particularly effective against cavalry formations. Great Hua currently has over a hundred thousand cannons. Gentlemen, imagine, if they all fired in a concentrated manner, what would be the power?"

The two envoys said nothing as the cannon fire gradually became sparse. The ten cannons were firing alternately in different directions, chasing each other, one shot following another. Lin Wanrong laughed, "Gentlemen, please take a look again. This is called chase fire, unlike concentrated fire. Chase fire is a point shot, giving the enemy nowhere to escape. It is specially designed to eliminate important enemy figures, such as the Khan of the Turks—oh, I didn't mean that, just an analogy. Brother Ashile, please do not misunderstand."

Ashile turned pale, unable to utter a word. Yi Seung-Jae pulled Lin Wanrong aside and whispered, "Master Lin, I came here in a hurry this time and didn't prepare adequately. I only have two pieces of thousand-year-old Goryeo ginseng to offer you. I hope that you will remember the long-standing friendship between our two countries and say a few good words for my Goryeo in front of the Emperor."

‘You try to appease me with a few radishes while you gifted dozens to the Emperor and plan to send thousands more to win the princess's hand. Do you think thousand-year-old ginseng grows like vegetables in your home's greenhouse, available for picking whenever you wish?’ Master Lin responded with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "As for ginseng, I have plenty at home. Thousand-year-old specimens from Changbai Mountain, they've even grown into humanoid shapes. My wife applies it to her face daily for skin tightening. Perhaps the little prince shouldn't trouble himself. Hehe—"

Yi Seung-Jae had seen shameless people before, but never one so brazen in asking for bribes. Indeed, Great Hua did produce some remarkable individuals. Gritting his teeth, Yi Seung-Jae pulled a small bag from his bosom and said, "His Majesty has specially prepared ten agate stones for you. I hope you will accept them."

"King Goryeo is too kind. It's touching that His Majesty remembered me." Master Lin took the small bag and slipped it into his bosom, his face all smiles as he shamelessly responded.

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