Chapter 949: Good Heavens!
The young man listened to Zhu Piaoling's words, a look of utter bewilderment on his face.
Clearly, he knew the Westerners posed a great threat, but he hadn't imagined them to be more formidable than the Manchus. His head spun with confusion, and he looked at Zhu Piaoling with an odd gaze: "Surely you're not just spouting nonsense?"
Zhu Piaoling retorted, "Nonsense? How could I be spouting nonsense? I have solid reasons and evidence."
"And where are these reasons and evidence?"
"Well..."
Zhu Piaoling was momentarily stumped.
Once the silence settled, the Heavenly Lord's voice faintly echoed in his ears.
Zhu Piaoling's spirits lifted, and he recited as instructed by the Heavenly Lord: "The threat of the Westerners lies in their technology! They now possess the ability to cross vast oceans, a capability we sorely lack. Science and technology, you see, form an enormous system; a lead in one area often translates to a lead in all. Eventually, technological advancement will bridge the gap in numbers, and the Westerners could very well trample us underfoot."
The young man was baffled; he didn't understand, but he felt Zhu Piaoling sounded incredibly learned.
Zhu Piaoling swelled with pride: "Naturally."
"Then tell me, how can we win a naval battle against the Westerners?"
Zhu Piaoling declared, "Build ships, big ships, enormous ships, even bigger than the Westerners'. Equip them with more cannons, and won't we win? Then, we, too, will cross the oceans, go to the Westerners' territory, blast them to kingdom come with our cannons, and force them to open their ports for trade. Then we'll shove our silks and porcelain in their faces and make them shell out all their money to buy them."
The young man stammered, "That... that seems impossible, doesn't it?"
Zhu Piaoling laughed heartily: "Achievable, completely achievable."
The young man's eyes showed doubt.
Zhu Piaoling pressed on, "If you don't believe me, you can go to Anqing Port and see for yourself. There's a colossal ship there, even larger than those of the Westerners."
The young man exclaimed, "Really?"
"What kind of person do you take me for? Would I lie to a child like you?" Zhu Piaoling scoffed, "Do you think I'm like those profligate friends of yours who only know how to eat, drink, and carouse? I tell you, I'm different. I'm on an entirely different level than them."
The young man beamed, "Indeed, listening to you speak, you are clearly not in the same league as them."
Zhu Piaoling preened with self-satisfaction: "I'm ten times more profligate than them."
The young man: "..."
That was awkward! Your dashing facade crumbled quickly, didn't it?
Fortunately, the young man was quick to adapt and had a high tolerance for jokes. He sensed Zhu Piaoling's last remark was playful, so he didn't dwell on it.
Cupping his hands, he bowed and said, "Uncle, my name is Shi Lang. I will take your advice and go to Anqing Port to see this great ship."
Shi Lang? Bloody hell! Li Daoxuan almost blurted out a modern expletive.
Isn't this the villainous naval admiral from *The Deer and the Cauldron*? He was the one who eliminated Zheng Chenggong's descendants and extinguished the last hope for restoring the Ming and overthrowing the Qing.
Li Daoxuan couldn't help but want Zhu Piaoling's bodyguards to strike down the young man in the street.
However, after a moment's thought, he dismissed the idea. He couldn't judge a man for deeds yet to be done. Besides, with his intervention in this world, a single flap of a butterfly's wings would change the destinies of many.
This Shi Lang, as long as he wasn't given the opportunity to defect to the Qing, the story from *The Deer and the Cauldron* wouldn't happen, and he might even become a good man.
In the future, Gao Family Village was destined to develop a navy!
Bai Yuan was nearing fifty and slowly aging; he wouldn't be in frontline command for many more years, eventually retiring to the rear to command grand strategies. As for Jiang Cheng, his capabilities were insufficient for such a major responsibility.
This young Shi Lang, however, was in the prime of his fourteen or fifteen years, with decades of active service ahead of him, making him a worthy candidate for a grand general.
While he was mulling over these thoughts, Zhu Piaoling chuckled: "Shi Lang, your surname is quite uncommon. We seem to have a connection, young man. I might as well write you a letter of introduction."
Shi Lang was greatly surprised: "A letter of introduction? What for?"
Zhu Piaoling explained, "Foolish boy! The great ship you wish to see belongs to the military, meant for war. Would they allow an unknown youth to simply board it? But if you hold a letter of introduction from me, stating your wish to observe the ship..."
Shi Lang immediately understood, his face alight with joy. He bowed deeply in gratitude: "Thank you, Uncle. May I ask your name?"
Zhu Piaoling replied, "I am Zhu Piaoling, the Wanderer of the Four Seas."
Shi Lang acknowledged, "I shall remember that, sir."
Zhu Piaoling grinned, "I see a promising future in you, young man. Didn't you just say you wanted to join the army? Take my letter of introduction; it will make it much easier to enlist. Perhaps the general on that colossal ship will take a liking to you and bring you into his ranks."
Shi Lang was even more thrilled: "Thank you, Uncle!"
Zhu Piaoling called for the four treasures of the study, and his brush flew across the page, writing swiftly.
Though he was a profligate, he wasn't without skill. His handwriting was neat and upright. Shi Lang, possessing only rudimentary literacy, couldn't help but secretly admire Zhu Piaoling's calligraphy: *This man truly is learned.*
Zhu Piaoling finished the letter in a flurry, preparing to sign his name. His hand moved smoothly, "Zhu... Cun..."
His mind intended to write "Zhu Piaoling," but his hand instinctively began writing "Zhu Cunji."
There was no help for it; when a person signs their name, their hand relies on muscle memory, acting without conscious thought. Seeing the character "ji" about to appear, the bodyguard nearby panicked, quickly striking Zhu Cunji's elbow with force.
Zhu Cunji's elbow jolted, and the brush flew from his hand.
It soared across a corridor, where a cute, twelve or thirteen-year-old girl was carrying a tray, delivering tea to customers. The brush flew toward her, and with a soft *thwack*, it left a mark on her face.
The little girl turned her head in astonishment...
She had been facing away from the table, but now her full face was turned toward them. Everyone stared intently, and a collective gasp rippled through them.
Beautiful!
So beautiful!
She was only twelve or thirteen, still retaining a hint of childishness, but her face was already of peerless beauty, a loveliness that words could not describe. A black line from the brush marked her cheek, which would typically make anyone look unsightly, but even with that line, she was so beautiful it was hard to look directly at her.
If she were to grow up, to eighteen or nineteen, reaching the peak of a woman's beauty, wouldn't she captivate all who saw her?
Zhu Cunji froze completely: "Good heavens!"
Li Daoxuan also paused slightly: *So beautiful? This is bad; I have a feeling this woman must be someone very famous?*
The little girl pouted her cheeks, clearly wanting to get angry but not daring to.
People in the service industry often had it tough; even with a brush mark on her face, she couldn't show anger towards a customer and could only endure it.
Just then, the madam's voice rang out from a distance: "Chen Yuanyuan, what are you standing around for? Mr. Zhang's tea, aren't you going to bring it over quickly?"
The little girl exclaimed "Ah!" and hurried off into the distance.
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