Chapter 862: The Way of the Sail Swordsman (9)

Prefectural Magistrate Jihyeon flinched.

A gun? A cannon? Borrow a cannon—what in the world was she planning to do with a cannon. No, well, if you borrow a cannon, you’re obviously going to fire it, but still.

Really, the problem wasn’t what she planned to do with a cannon. The problem was who she planned to fire it at.

The only thing a cannon could do was destroy. So if she was borrowing one, wasn’t it obvious she meant to shoot it?

But cannons weren’t some trivial matter.

The magistrate’s office operated cannons too.

However, their purpose was defensive cannons meant to hold out until soldiers arrived, in case of a foreign invasion.

The state strictly monitored the quantities of cannonballs and gunpowder, so even Prefectural Magistrate Jihyeon couldn’t just take them out and fire them whenever he pleased.

Of course, a Royal Censor’s “ask” was absolutely not trivial either.

So Jihyeon fell into deep deliberation.

But he didn’t have much time.

Hadn’t the exalted person opened her mouth first and “asked” him?

Showing that he was deliberating too long would itself damage the exalted person’s dignity.

“Th-the cannons assigned to our magistrate’s office are four General’s Cannons, thirty cannonballs, and about ten jin of gunpowder.”

“Huh? General’s Cannons? Not Long Cannons?”

A General’s Cannon, if you forced a classification by Qing’s hometown standards, was closer to a direct-fire gun.

A General’s Cannon fired primitive ancient canister shot forward.

Countless shards of metal sprayed out in a fan shape and ground people into literal meat scraps—an atrocious weapon.

That was why it was a weapon for defense rather than attack, meant for the possibility of foreign enemies.

Behind the city gate, behind the magistrate’s office front gate, between walls—installed in narrow passages to sweep down enemies pouring in.

The cannons Qing was thinking of were what the military used.

Cannons that fired various primitive ancient shells—primitive ancient bombs, primitive ancient chemical shells, primitive ancient incendiaries—launching them far away with the force of gunpowder, were more useful for offense than defense.

But then again, why would a magistrate’s office have any reason to operate offensive weapons like that?

Even so, Jihyeon felt relieved.

It seemed she wanted to borrow Long Cannons, not General’s Cannons—meaning she’d have to go to the nearby Military Command.

And the Military Command was a completely separate chain of command from Jihyeon—another way to say it was that it rode a completely different line.

Whether the Military Command lent her cannons or refused had nothing to do with him.

“Long Cannons are owned by the Military Command, so it would be difficult for this humble one to help. If you truly wish it, I can send word for you...”

“Mm, is there a nearby camp?”

“Heh heh, if you go just a little west, isn’t there the Western Army Forward Command Post? Fortunately, since those southern barbarians are right at our doorstep, it also serves as the Right Army Military Command’s supply depot, so they have plenty of Long Cannons as well.”

As he explained, a suspicion began to swirl in Jihyeon’s heart.

Wasn’t this... a little strange?

A Royal Censor came to the magistrate’s office looking for Long Cannons, as if she didn’t know the difference between General’s Cannons and Long Cannons.

And then she even asked where the camp was, as if she didn’t know troop placement at all?

On top of that, because the state strictly separated the civil and military administrations, the Royal Censor didn’t even have oversight authority over the Military Command.

That was because there was a separate post for inspecting the military: the Military Inspector.

With the hierarchy (factions) between civil and military so clearly split, even a Royal Censor who could “make even birds fall” would need quite a bit of connection (personal network) to win the cooperation of that rigid Military Command.

“Mm. I guess I’ll have to go to the Forward Command Post.”

Either way, Jihyeon relaxed.

How fortunate—he’d dumped this suspicious Royal Censor onto the Military Command.

And doubly fortunate—since she was suspicious, he could hide his sincerity and offer it later instead.

And then, out of nowhere, he grew curious.

“By the way... for what reason are you seeking Long Cannons...?”

“Oh. Blood Cult vermin set up a den in the city. They’re nasty, so I figured I’d pour artillery into the place, and just deal with whatever crawls out.”

Jihyeon cocked his head.

Blood Cult? That Blood Cult? The ones committing treason? Why would the Blood Cult suddenly—

“Do you mean the Blood Cult? Are you saying those traitors are hiding in the city...?”

“Ah. The Five Poison Sect joined hands with the Blood Cult. It feels too dangerous to storm in.”

In that instant, Jihyeon’s heart dropped straight through the floor.

Because the Five Poison Sect was practically the greatest local power in Jinping County—how could the “sincerity” they’d sent be a mere pittance?

I... I accepted a traitor’s sincerity. A traitor’s.

The Blood Cult was an utterly monstrous rebel band.

They were genuine, real-deal traitors—openly spouting that they’d assassinate the Son of Heaven and topple the nation, words too horrific to even put in your mouth.

And he accepted sincerity from them?

It was more than enough to get him branded a traitor.

“Are you... are you certain? Blood Cult—those bastards—why would they... the Five Poison Sect lives fat and well, what could they possibly lack that they’d—”

“The Five Poison Sect master already confessed, and we also caught Blood Cult vermin and a monster.”

Then Jihyeon sprang to his feet and shouted urgently.

“Blood Cult, you say! As Prefectural Magistrate Jihyeon, I cannot possibly leave this be! Please proceed to the Military Command! This humble one will escort you at once!”

*****

Even as Prefectural Magistrate Jihyeon urged the driver on, he couldn’t shake a bit of worry.

Because he and the commandant weren’t exactly on good terms.

For the Forward Command Post to set up a camp, two conditions had to be met.

First: it had to be a location where they could deploy quickly when trouble struck the nation.

Second: it needed wide land suitable for farming.

And if you insisted on choosing which of the two mattered more, it was the second—land that farmed well.

In that respect, the magistrate’s office and the military were doomed to never get along.

Officials had to skim side income from the land’s yield, but when a camp moved in, it took all the surrounding land—meaning the yield was effectively stolen.

And that wasn’t all.

Under the pretext of “defending the nation,” the military kept tearing away supplies.

So from the magistrate’s office perspective, the friendlier you were, the worse off you became.

Because if you were friendly, they’d tear away even more.

Naturally, the military had no reason to feel warmly toward the magistrate’s office either.

Once the military moved in, the local bandit gangs vanished completely—weren’t they heroes contributing enormously to regional security?

And yet the magistrate’s office treated them like beggars, stingily trying to weasel out of giving supplies no matter what.

Of course, the fundamental reason was higher than all of it—starting from the high ministers in the imperial palace of Beijing, the civil officials and the Military Command personnel fought each other for more power.

So even if she was a Royal Censor—no, because she was a Royal Censor—it was highly likely the Military Command would be even more obstinate and refuse.

It was like he could already hear that stiff commandant’s voice, even before they arrived.

A Royal Censor of the Twelve Circuits, you say? But the inspection of the military is the duty of the Military Inspector, and military affairs fall under the Ministry of War. Especially with the operation of artillery, there is even less reason to accept interference. Military affairs are strict chain-of-command, and we cannot mobilize artillery that defends the nation for private use. It is not for this office to permit, but for the Regional Commander to command. Bring that order and return.

And, sure enough—

“A Royal Censor of the Twelve Circuits, you say?”

Perhaps he’d been in the middle of training his body—the commandant stood there with his upper body bare, sullenly scanning Qing up and down.

He was already starting off with a slant.

A Royal Censor had come, and he still didn’t even bother to compose himself and receive her respectfully.

And in front of a female Royal Censor at that—what was this shameless display?

“Listen here, Commandant. Even if our chains of command differ, the lady has received His Majesty’s command and carries out state affairs—”

“Hmph. Military affairs also follow only what His Majesty commands. Precisely because of that, we must be even more severe. I’ll say it now: without orders, we cannot move the military privately. So. What business brings you here?”

“Mm, I was hoping you could support me with artillery.”

“Hah. Artillery. Do you take artillery for some New Year’s celebratory firework? Gunpowder and shells are goods the state manages specially. Without orders, they are military supplies that cannot be issued. Even if you are a Royal Censor, it is the same.”

The commandant’s words were firm.

Because the commandant had nothing to fear.

Since Her Majesty the Empress was the daughter of the Minister of War, the military’s influence was currently reaching the sky.

A mere Royal Censor wasn’t someone who could nitpick at the military.

Qing’s shoulders sagged.

He looked absolutely determined not to lend anything.

Mm. Even if it was the Diancang Sect, charging a Blood Cult den head-on would mean casualties wouldn’t be small......

“Listen, now is not the time to say such—”

Jihyeon was just about to step in and persuade him.

But then—suddenly, the commandant’s eyes wavered.

A thought struck him out of nowhere.

“Th-then... perhaps... are you not Lord Seomun Cheonhwa?”

“Oh, I didn’t introduce myself.”

In truth, she’d deliberately not introduced herself.

Because she knew very well that deciding to live as a martial artist, then pulling out the Empress’s seal and the Royal Censor’s seal only when it suited her, was cowardly and shameless.

She had too much to feel guilty about, so she hadn’t said her name.

Still... what could she do.

One person’s guilt was far better than Diancang Sect martial artists shedding blood for nothing.

It was selfish, but—she’d just be selfish.

But... how did he know when she hadn’t even said it?

Mm, “how,” my ass.

Her Majesty the Empress must have told him.......

“Yes. I’m Seomun Cheonhwa. I had to leave the seal entrusted elsewhere for a time, but. I can retrieve it later.”

“Ghk. S-salute! I-I beg your pardon!”

The commandant snapped into a blade-sharp military salute.

Then he stood at a blade-sharp angle, as if nothing had happened.

It was perfect discipline you rarely even saw in new recruits.

Because of the intent that had come down from above.

If Royal Censor Seomun Cheonhwa seeks cooperation, obey as the top priority order.

The Minister of War has issued special instructions: treat cooperation with Seomun Cheonhwa as equivalent to the Minister of War’s command.

The current Empress was the daughter of the Minister of War.

It was a secret order the Minister of War had conveyed after hearing the truth about his granddaughter from the Empress.

Of course, words from a princess were effectively the same as the empire’s command, so it wasn’t even “wrong,” exactly.

“I will prepare at once! Portable Mortars, total fifty—currently forty-nine, one damaged during training and awaiting repair! Heavy Towed Cannons, fifty, no issues! Grand General Cannons, thirty, no issues! Iron-Rain Shells, two thousand five hundred rounds; Fire-Rain Shells, one thousand two hundred rounds; Poison Fire-Rain Shells, three hundred rounds—these are the quantities currently available! If you need more, I will immediately request support from the Military Command!”

The Central Plains’ cannon and shell types.

If you insisted on classifying them by Qing’s hometown standards?

Portable Mortars were mortars—small artillery pieces soldiers could carry.

Heavy Towed Cannons were large cannons that required beasts to pull the artillery cart.

Iron-Rain Shells were shrapnel shells—when they hit, they exploded and swept nearby with a storm of steel.

Fire-Rain Shells were incendiary shells—sticky oil and fire that wouldn’t go out easily.

Poison Fire-Rain Shells were chemical shells—the trump-card weapon that spewed poisonous smoke.

“Uh... you just said they were specially managed......”

“Upon reflection, is it not that this humble officer was foolish, and his thinking far too short! The lady upholds heaven’s will and conducts state affairs—cooperating with you is loyalty to the nation itself! I will cooperate without limit! Simply issue your command!”

Beside him, Prefectural Magistrate Jihyeon’s eyes went wide.

No—if even that stiff commandant was snapping into rigid discipline like this, then surely—

The lady was an unbelievably enormous figure!

As expected! I believed in you!

The moment I saw you, I could tell you were a precious person—I even remember thinking your radiance flashed so brightly I couldn’t open my eyes.

Even without an identity badge, I, this humble official, never once dared to suspect you!

When I return, I must offer sincerity at once!

A core required competency of a high Central Plains official: memory manipulation.

If you were a high official of the Central Plains, you naturally acquired the ability to manipulate the memories of yourself and your subordinates.

Anyway.

Qing has obtained artillery!