lethal arsenal

Chapter 287 800 years!
Jingmen, Qingyun Tower.

The sky cleared and the sun was warm.

It was good luck to say that most of the buildings in the capital were affected, but Qingyun Tower was actually fine.

Only a few tables were turned over and a few doors were broken. The entire restaurant was not seriously damaged. It can only be said that this place is indeed a building with mortise and tenon structure.

There are many high-end restaurants in the capital, but this one has not been affected by the earth dragon's transformation and is generally loved by dignitaries.

The shopkeeper specially set aside one of the best private rooms to entertain the important people.

Generally speaking, officials of the sixth or seventh grade have to sit down in the lobby on the first floor when they come here.

This wing is reserved only for princes, military aircraft, and popular ministers.

In the room, the servants of the Wu family were lined up. The table was filled with delicacies from the mountains and seas, but there were only three chairs. Sitting on the main seat was Ma Xinyi, Sushun's agent.

Nowadays, Sushun is the leader of Bagu's order, and the person who can fully represent Sushun's power is naturally Lao Ma.

Lin Dong didn't know about Lao Ma's friendship with Bada Gu Ming and other secrets, and he didn't care at all.

To put it bluntly, there is no reason for you to risk your life while the other party comes directly to pick up the fruit. Ma Xinyi and Ba Gu Ming are doing business. No matter how business is not mentioned, they will not suffer losses anyway. The difference is nothing more than big profits and super big profits...

Xianfeng Lao'er's edict left Ba Gu Ming to assist him.

But this matter comes down to one code, and only two or three of the eight Gu Ming can really hold a little bit of power.

As for these two or three, it depends on how much profit Yuan Sanjia, Zuo Zongtang, and Ma Xinyi are willing to share.

Not satisfied?
If you are not satisfied, you will not see the sun the next day.

It can be seen from this that Ma Xinyi's words in the imperial court are now of high value, and it is natural for him to be treated with great dignity.

"Teacher, what do you think of today's events? Master Sushun's meaning is worth pondering, and Mr. Li Er, he has quite a big opinion against me now..."

Ma Xinyi was chatting with Zuo Jigao about matters in the court.

Lin Animation listened casually and didn't pay much attention. He was picking up vegetables and eating wine while thinking about his own affairs.

Among the three people, Lin Dong really came to eat at the restaurant.

After taking a sip of strong wine, Lin Dong touched a circle of indigo and near-green patterns on his neck. This was the position of the Tibetan Soldier Master affix. After drinking the wine, he felt a faint tingling sensation... It seemed that the arsenal had prompted him. That's right, the newly acquired affixes are still adapting to their bodies.

[The Soldier's Sacrifice to the Soul to Promote Power] can be regarded as the third affix related to Chi You after Chi You's great practice and the iron chewing method. In terms of the effect of the affix itself, Lin Dong is quite satisfied.

[Name: The Battle of the Souls of the Soldiers to Promote Power]

[Quality: Blue]

[Blessing degree: 80.00%! 】

[Special Note 81: The leader of the army is Chi You, the leader of the Jiuli tribe in the east. His ears and temples are like swords and halberds, and his head has horns. His surname is Jiang. He is a descendant of Emperor Yan. He lives in the Yellow River Basin with an ox as a totem and controls the soldiers of the world!God of war!The "Sacrifice to the Soul to Generate Power" chapter is Chi You's method of refining weapons, which can control [-] soldiers, with the body of an animal and the language of a human, with a bronze head and an iron forehead! 】

[Special Note [-]: In the chapter of Soldier Sacrifice Soul to Generate Power, the soul is sacrificed to the weapon. The soul and the weapon are closely related. The stronger the soul power, the greater the power of the weapon.This sutra belongs to the Jiuli tribe and has been passed down from generation to generation. It is a secret supreme heart secret. The higher the affix blessing progress, the deeper the cultivation of the secret. If the affix is ​​damaged, the secret will be forgotten, and the soul will also be damaged... …]

[Effect 800: Vibranium, controls hundreds of soldiers. As the master of the army, all soldiers should obey orders. He can not only control his own weapons, but also the enemy's weapons. The current effective range is 100 meters, and the blessing progress increases by [-]%. Tenth, the control range is expanded to [-] meters. 】

[Effect [-]: Gold plating, imparting characteristics to ordinary weapons. The current blessing progress can grant characteristics to up to eight weapons. The more dispersed the characteristics are, the weaker the strengthening effect. Only one weapon will be given the special effect of gold plating, and at least the green affix effect will be added.Currently optional features: Rigid body (improving quality and hardness), Sharpness (improving sharpness value) Lightness (reducing the weight of weapons) Distortion (granting spell-like effect blessings, related to one's own spell abilities.) The higher the affix blessing progress, the derived characteristics more! 】

[Effect 800: Exploding gold can destroy not only your own weapons, but also the weapons in your opponent's hands.For self-destructing weapons, the blue quality affix is ​​limited to the mortal level, and the range is up to [-] meters. Improving the affix quality can strengthen the ability to explode gold, increase the affix blessing, and increase the affix's influence range...]

[Special situation: The current affix is ​​in the cooling-off period and is still running in with the body. The validity period is 99 days. 】

……

"Ahem, let me just say that Mr. Li is so determined that he can say such nonsense? He is really harming the country and should be killed!"

Zuo Jigao slammed the table and said sternly.

"If the Western Region is no longer restored, the vitality of the limbs will not be harmed? If the sea frontier is no longer restored, the serious troubles for those close to you will become more difficult!"

"Such remarks are harmful to the country and the people. Recently, they have become more widely circulated in the new "Shen Shen" in Beijing. It was Mr. Li Er who made them, and today he openly slandered my petition in front of the court. This person is true. With ulterior motives..."

When Ma Xinyi said this, like Zuo Zongtang, they both looked towards Lin Dong.

Lin Dong's hand holding the vegetables paused, "What, you want me to do it? But Li Hongzhang?" he asked again.

Lin Dong didn't even remember what he called Mr. Li Er.

He is still not used to the habit of this era of always calling people by their names, nicknames, and official positions.

But in the imperial court, who could arouse the wrath of both Ma Xinyi and Zuo Zongtang with the surname Li, besides Li Hongzhang, the thin prime minister in the world?
"It's this man!"

Ma Xinyi nodded, and then the conversation changed again.

"However, it is not appropriate now. Fuso, a small country in Japan, is eyeing Ryukyu. Mr. Li Er is well versed in Western affairs, good at economics, and is also proficient in Japanese slave culture. He will let his Huai soldiers manage Songjiang Prefecture and other places first, and wait for the situation to stabilize. , it’s not too late to settle accounts in the future!”

"Besides, now that Zeng Guofan has been removed, the situation in the court is in turmoil, and everyone is in danger... What happened before can still be blamed on Dilong Fanshen... Now we are resorting to all kinds of tricks to use unknown means, which is a great harm and harms ourselves, Yuan Jue Just trust me."

Ma Xinyi picked up a yellow peppercorn for Lin Dong and spoke eloquently.

To get Huang Lading in the middle of winter requires a lot of manpower, material resources, and mental effort, and only places like Qingyun Tower have the means.

The taste is delicious and tempts the tongue.

"Okay, if it's not convenient for you to do it, just give me a shout."

Lin Dong put down the wine glass and couldn't help but twitching his lips. He had an aura of calmness and authority on his body.

He boasts that his martial arts value is now through the sky. Although the third affix is ​​locked in his body, it will only be a matter of time before it displays its power.

Once the third affix breaks the seal, Lu Shang will probably give in when he sees it.

The second is about the progress of the two affixes [Bull Demon Coming to the World] and [Prison King Demon Suppressing Palace]. They are also increasing now. They are different from the previous series of enhancements. The enhancements given by the arsenal now are no longer It is a beam of light that changes people completely, but it is a slow process, and the body becomes stronger day by day.

Lin Dong thought that the endurance of this body was almost reaching its limit, and he had to increase the affix blessing progress to increase the strength of the body.

This will make it easier to accommodate the third blue affix.

As the degree of blessing increased, Lin Dong felt his forehead become more and more itchy in the past two days, as if a pair of horns were about to break through the flesh and come out.

In addition, when he gets a little excited now, his skin will become hot involuntarily, as if there is magma flowing in his blood vessels.

To a certain extent, it is really beginning to break away from the definition of "human".

He didn't think there was anything wrong, but he was worried that if he was too strong, the Lu sisters wouldn't be able to bear it. If the time comes, if he recruits another group of sisters to them...well, Lu Shang might not let him go... ...So, Lin Dong was also very melancholy.

"The grasslands, the Western Regions, Tubo, and Qinghai are large, cold and barren. They are not conducive to the country. Instead, they spend millions of gold to defend them. In addition, the sun never sets on the grasslands. The Rakshasa Kingdom has been coveted for a long time. Once it comes Fighting, considering the strength of our country, we will not be able to defend it after all. Why not, if we sell our share to two countries, we can still make them happy and reap long-term profits!"

boom!
Zuo Jigao slammed the table. It was an Eight Immortals square table made entirely of large red sandalwood slabs. With this slap, the table cracked.

Zuo Zongtang wiped the soup stains from the corner of his mouth and stood up slowly. With a livid face, he looked downstairs to see who was crazy enough to say such absurd things.

Right now.

boom!
Another roar came from downstairs.

"hey-hey."

Lin Dong didn't mind seeing the excitement and immediately stuck his head out.

"You're such a crazy person and you don't know anything. I think you got sores on your head from studying. Whose disciple are you?"

A cup of hot tea fell hard at the feet of the provocative scholar.

The current situation in the court is roughly divided into three major factions. One is the civil servants, led by Weng Tonghe, who are taking the lead in the war, but have no money to support the Western Expedition.

The military attache was headed by Li Hongzhang, and some of the Hunan Army, especially the Huai Army Navy, were the main ones.

After all, the situation in the Qing court, just looking at the surface, is indeed very dangerous.

Most people don't know the inside story.

What they saw was that the First Taiping Army was approaching.

The second Fusang, the sun never sets, the empire is eyeing it.

On the side of the Third Western Region, the Rakshasa ghosts have evil intentions. The Lord of the Seven Cities from the Ottomans and the demon army Aqubai built the Kingdom of Hongfu like a dagger to the belly...

In this case, do you want to fight?
How to fight.Who will fight?

Can you win if you fight?
Everything is a problem.

It is precisely for this reason that the people, mainly the gentry, are the ones who shout the loudest and advocate for peace.

The worst case scenario is to cede some land.

Anyway, managing the Western Region is really a big trouble for this era.

The third largest faction is naturally Lin Dong, Zuo Zongtang, Ma Xinyi, and Sushun, the group of people who really control the situation.

Zuo Zongtang planned the Western Region, not in a day or two, or in a year or two, but after the Yuanbu demon disaster, he started preparing before meeting Lin Zexu.

Mr. Lin's help gave him greater confidence.

"Who are you? You're just a seventh-grade person, and you can't even be counted as one of them. How do you know the justice of the court? I am a student of Li Butang..."

Halfway through the young man's words, the young official who poured hot tea jumped up and slapped him in the face.

There is no mediocre person who can enter Qingyun Tower to eat.

Even on the first floor, there were still some officials from the capital sitting there, all of them silently looking at the two people who were making a fuss.

Lin Dong's eyes rolled and fell on the young official.

This man looked young, not tall, and had a thick beard, making it hard to tell how old he was, but he was definitely not over thirty.

Before thirty, if you could get a rank seven in the court, you would actually be considered young and promising.

His braids are meticulously groomed, his nose is high, and his eye sockets are deep. At a glance, he looks very energetic, like a young tiger just emerging from the forest, exuding vitality and majesty that cannot be underestimated.

"Good looking."

Ma Xinyi exaggerated in his heart, and as soon as he looked at it, he had a good feeling in his heart.

"I, Zhang Zhidong, was a scholar in the [-]th Middle School, passed the [-]th National Examination, and ranked third in the first class last year. I am Tanhua Lang and a seventh-grade editor. Don't you recognize me?"

"When did Li Zhongtang's students become so blind?"

Zhang Zhidong was so high-spirited that he opened the folding fan in his hand and frowned. The scholar was so frightened that he took two steps back.

The scholar swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Although he was overwhelmed by Zhang Zhidong's power, he still insisted: "It turns out to be Zhang Tanhua. I've seen you before. Tanhua's literary talent is unparalleled, and I am ashamed of myself. However, what I said below is an extraction and inference from "Discussing Coastal Defense", I wonder where it is that has hindered Tan Hwa Lang's eyes?"

"Discussing Coastal Defense" Isn't this the excerpt of Li Hongzhang's letter?
Lin Dong raised his eyebrows.

While eating just now, Ma Xinyi and Zuo Jigao were discussing this trick.

Li Hongzhang wrote a letter and first analyzed the situation of the times from a high level.

Anyway, the current situation is undergoing major changes that have not happened in thousands of years. The local people along the coast have strong ships and cannons. When one country causes trouble, other countries incite it.

Then the topic changed and he told everyone how to "break the situation with force and seek practicality."

And took advantage of the situation to plan the deployment of defense.

First of all, the most important thing is the area around Dagu, Beilun, and Shanhaiguan in Jinfu. This is the gateway to the capital and the foundation of the country.

Then there is the Wusong area in Jiangsu Province, which is the gateway to the Yangtze River and half of the Qing Dynasty's financial power.

Where the country’s wealth lies.

In the middle, Balabala talked about a lot of financial issues, and finally came to a conclusion.

"With this financial resources, we can only prepare for the sea frontier thousands of miles southeast. If we go to the west, it will be difficult to provide all the troops and food..."

Later, two more documents were submitted, one was "Revisiting the Situation of Chenhai Defense and the Suppression of Food Transport Outside the Pass"

There is also an explanation of "Follow the decree and coordinate the overall situation"...

Anyway, the key point is one, don’t let go of the damn Western Region, keep the Southeast.

This was also the source of why Zuo Jigao was so angry today that he was blowing his beard and staring.

Back to the point.

The scholar dragged out Li Hongzhang's excerpts while talking, undoubtedly digging a hole for Zhang Zhidong.

However, Zhang Zhidong was not afraid of the famous Li Zhongtang in the court.

Zhang Zhidong boldly said: "Coastal defense in the east and fort defense in the west, both should be given equal emphasis!"

The voice paused, and Zhang Zhidong raised his tone again: "As the saying goes, those who value the Western Region must protect the grassland and defend the capital! The northwest arms are connected and the situation is complete, so there will be no gap for foreign enemies to take advantage of. If the Western Region is not solid, the grassland will be difficult to protect. If it is lost, many areas in Gansu, Shaanxi, and Shanxi will be invaded and cannot be defended. Foreign enemies can knock at the gate at any time, and we will never have a peaceful day."

"As soon as the Western Region was lost, the grasslands, Gansu and Shaanxi fell one after another. The destruction of a region was not the destruction of the country, but the destruction of the world!"

"Lost an inch of land, not just an inch, but lost thousands of miles of territory of the Qing Dynasty!"

"Did you know that from the time of An Lushan's rebellion to the Qianlong period, the Western Regions were lost for a full 800 years. If we no longer run the Western Regions, we will be notorious after our death and will be infamy for thousands of years. This place will never return to the Han Dynasty. Home mountains and rivers.”

Zhang Zhidong's voice became more confident as he spoke. Officials from above and below looked at him, their eyes undecidable and filled with all kinds of inexplicable meanings.

Zuo Zongtang stared at the green-robed official below, his eyes filled with joy that was hard to express, and he felt as if he had met a close friend.

"If one place is destroyed, the whole world will be destroyed?"

Lin Dong carefully thought about Zhang Zhidong's words, and it was really possible that if the Western Region was lost and the future division was unknown, even if it was left to future dynasties, it would definitely be a small court like the Southern Song Dynasty, or even... Lin Dong I didn't think about it anymore. There is no giant in this world that cannot fall... Once the Ottoman Empire collapses, what will be left in the end?
"You, you are alarmist, then why, why doesn't the Ming Dynasty manage the Western Regions?"

The scholar thought for a long time and asked.

This person was able to enter Li Hongzhang's mansion to read books, which can be regarded as having both insight and quick wit.

Anyway, if Lin Dong was asked to refute what others said, he wouldn't be able to find anything to refute.

"Humph."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Zhidong smiled coldly at this time.

"Since the Han Dynasty, only true heroes can manage the Western Regions. The Han Dynasty's plan for the Western Regions was based on the Silk Road in Asia, and the same was true for the Tang Dynasty's plan for the Western Regions!"

"Why don't you ask why the Song Dynasty didn't invade the Western Regions? Did you not want to?"

"As for the Ming Dynasty not exploring the Western Regions, it was not due to national strength or financial resources, but to the special circumstances of the Song Dynasty, which caused the economic center of gravity to shift southward and began to plan maritime undertakings. As for the subsequent closure of coastal trade, it was due to changes in the current situation and was a last resort And everyone has their own reasons for doing so.”

"Now, our plan for the Western Region is not like the dangerous situation in the late Ming Dynasty. You open your eyes and look at the world. The Rakshasa Kingdom annexed the Zhonghao Khanate. In order to prevent its power from affecting the body poison controlled by Sun Bu Luo, this is what happened The Demon God Corps took the initiative to attack, and Aqubai invaded the Western Regions and established the Hongfu Khanate as a barrier."

"The interests of the Rakshasa and the Sun Never Sets Empire are competing for each other, and tigers and wolves are fighting each other. This is an important opportunity for us to gather the Western Region. If we miss it, it will be difficult to find... That's all, after saying this, you won't understand, just a mere A rotten scholar!"

Zhang Zhidong talked enthusiastically, and finally swept his sleeves and robes away, and was unwilling to talk to the scholar anymore.

The man with the beautiful beard turned around and was about to leave.

"Hey, officer, stop here. Are you interested in coming up for a drink?"

Lin Dong shouted in the corridor, his voice rising eight degrees.

Zhang Zhidong turned around suddenly and saw the tall and tall figures of three people on the corridor. He immediately bowed his hands and said generously: "I can't get it!"

On this day, Zhang Zhidong, Ma Xinyi, and Zuo Zongtang drank eighteen jars of wine together.

As for Lin Dong, after eating and drinking, he went about his own business.

Lin Dong didn't feel jealous that Zhang Zhidong was able to win the appreciation of two big shots with his heroic words in a restaurant and rise to great heights.

Everyone has their own destiny. Some people are suitable for conquering the country, while others are suitable for governing the country. In this case, it can only be said that this is the fate, and there is nothing to worry about.

Anyway, what Lin Dong really wanted was always tightly held in his hands.

Is there a dynasty that lasts for thousands of years in this world?

But there will definitely be immortal immortals in the future!

What Lin Dong wants is the latter, and what he plans is to be free and happy for eternity.

As his power gradually increases, his growing ambition cannot be satisfied by just one throne in one generation.

(End of this chapter)