Chapter 114: The Empire and the Western Kingdom

So, the interpretation by the ancestors that "when the descendants of Yan and Huang fall into crisis, heavenly soldiers will descend to assist them" has actually turned out to be the correct answer?

Long Xueyao claimed that Cheng Lu was a criminal, meaning the Cheng family had fled without authorization, violating the ancestral precepts of the recluses of the Snow Mountains.

This certainly added up.

However...

"I have indeed captured Cheng Lu, along with Cheng Tang and Cheng Wu. But we have fought such a long war, and now that we have finally captured them, how can I simply let them go?"

"What if you refuse to put them on trial? What if you invade Great Xia again?"

Long Xueyao replied, "The facts have already proven that the Great Xia military can win with ease, so why should Your Highness the Crown Prince be concerned?"

Chen Mu smiled. "That may be so, but you cannot expect to make a request empty-handed, can you?"

Long Xueyao breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Chen Mu was prepared to agree, merely setting additional conditions. Her purpose in coming this time was to bring the Cheng family back to prevent the secrets of the Snow Mountains from falling into the hands of Great Xia.

As for the conditions, she had long been prepared.

Long Xueyao nodded to the guard beside her. The guard unbuckled the leather holster from his waist and presented it along with a pistol.

Chen Mu’s guard stepped forward to take it, inspected it, and handed it to Chen Mu.

Chen Mu held the gun, studied it for a moment, and found it no different from his own breech-loading flintlock, only smaller in model.

Chen Mu smiled slightly. "Show our gun to Ms. Long."

The guard nearby presented a firelock. Long Xueyao took it, examined it, and immediately understood. Chen Mu had already mastered this technology; her primary bargaining chip had already lost its value.

Moreover, the bullets for the Great Xia army's firelocks had a soft, slick coating. Although Long Xueyao did not understand its purpose, her intuition told her it must be an advanced technology.

Long Xueyao thought for a moment and decided to present her highest offer immediately.

She took a paper parcel from her bosom and had the guard present it.

"These are the blueprints for a steamship. We researched them incidentally while studying steam engines. We have no use for them in the Snow Mountains, so we present them to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"A small token of my respect, please do not decline."

Chen Mu took them and looked them over. The blueprints were very detailed, including which materials to use for which parts of the ship, the required heat treatment, and the manual craftsmanship for the propellers.

If he had let the Engineering Academy research this on their own, they might have eventually succeeded, but it would have consumed a vast amount of time, energy, and materials.

With this set of blueprints from Long Xueyao, Great Xia could begin producing steamships immediately, allowing the Engineering Academy to focus on other research.

After looking through them, Chen Mu smiled and said, "Your technical research is quite impressive; these blueprints are of great value."

Long Xueyao bowed with a smile. "I am glad Your Highness is pleased."

Chen Mu then said to his guard, "Go and bring those three over."

"Yes!"

The guard went to deliver the order, and before long, three prisoner wagons were brought forward.

When Long Xueyao came out to see them, she noticed the wagons were equipped with hitches, allowing them to be towed behind steam locomotives. Cheng Lu and the other two were tied tightly, kneeling in the wagons with socks stuffed in their mouths.

They appeared very agitated upon seeing Long Xueyao, but she ignored them.

"Many thanks, Your Highness."

Chen Mu replied, "Ms. Long is too polite. To the west lies Western Qiang and Persia; why don't we travel together?"

When Long Xueyao arrived, she had first reached Tongtian County and then traveled under the escort of the Great Xia army; now that Chen Mu proposed traveling together, it was only natural.

Long Xueyao bowed. "Then I shall respectfully accept your offer."

The three prisoners were handed over to Long Xueyao, and after the Great Xia army reorganized, they set out on their return journey.

The journey was uneventful until they reached the outskirts of Tongtian County, where the two parties were to part ways. Chen Mu would continue east, while Long Xueyao would turn west to enter the Snow Mountains.

Four small white steam locomotives sat on the road, three of them towing the prisoner wagons.

Long Xueyao stood in front of her vehicle and said to Chen Mu, "Brother Chen, thank you very much for your assistance. I believe that with your intelligence and talent, Great Xia will surely flourish."

Chen Mu smiled and said, "The same to you. I trust the technology of the Snow Mountains will become even more advanced."

Along the way, the two had found each other to be kindred spirits. Long Xueyao had not leaked any further secrets, but they had discussed steam engines and mechanical transmissions.

Chen Mu had learned much systematic knowledge, and Long Xueyao had been astonished by Chen Mu's comprehension and unique insights.

At this moment of parting, there was a lingering sense of reluctance.

Long Xueyao turned, boarded her vehicle, and waved gently at Chen Mu.

Just then, billows of dust appeared in the west, as if something was rushing toward them.

Chen Mu shouted, "Alert!"

The soldiers reacted immediately. The steam-powered tracked vehicles slowly turned, aiming their cannons westward, while the musketeers raised their weapons.

Long Xueyao and her party were also tense, unaware of what was happening.

As the dust cloud drew closer, Long Xueyao’s guards were the first to identify the newcomers.

"It is our vehicle."

Hearing this, Chen Mu waved his hand, and the musketeers lowered their weapons.

The vehicle drew closer, and everyone could see that it was indeed the same type of vehicle as Long Xueyao's. There were three men on board, their expressions filled with panic.

Upon arriving, one of the men stepped down, approached Long Xueyao, and whispered:

"Your Highness, a war report from the western border: over a thousand soldiers from the Western Kingdom have invaded with cannons. Huaxi Pass has been breached. Please return to the country to preside over the situation."

Long Xueyao's face changed drastically. Someone must have leaked the secret; the Western Kingdom had mobilized their massive army in pursuit of the treasure.

Now, they could neither hand over the treasure nor fight back effectively. Given their level of technology, if they fought with all their might...

Otherwise, the lineage of the Snow Mountains would face total annihilation.

Long Xueyao was silent for a long time before making a decision that went against her ancestors.

She turned, stepped off the vehicle, and walked before Chen Mu, bowing deeply.

"Brother Chen, the Kingdom of Hua is in crisis. I beg you to send troops to assist us."

Chen Mu was very surprised. Where did this "Kingdom of Hua" come from?

The people behind Long Xueyao were even more shocked. Was Her Highness actually going to let the people of Great Xia enter the Snow Mountains?

However, they were of low status and dared not speak out. Moreover, since Her Highness had already spoken, she could not take it back.

Chen Mu asked, "There is a Kingdom of Hua within the Snow Mountains? What is the current situation? How many troops are needed for aid?"

Long Xueyao glanced around. "Let us find a place to speak."

Chen Mu nodded, ordered a tent to be erected, and then had it heavily guarded. As both parties entered the tent, Long Xueyao said:

"Brother Chen, there are two kingdoms within the Snow Mountains. There is my Kingdom of Hua, which shares the same roots as Great Xia, and there is the Western Kingdom, which split off from the Kingdom of Hua and is considered a foreign race."

"Currently, both kingdoms have a population of about five thousand each."