Chapter 18: Holding Thunder in the Palm

Wanyan Zhengyu was bewildered. At this moment, he had only one thought: to return to the Northern Barbarians and urge the Northern Barbarian King to launch an invasion against the Great Chu. He was determined to capture Xiao Zhi alive and make the wretch wish he were dead.

However, the scene that followed nearly made this Northern Barbarian warrior soil himself. On one side of the saline land, several worn-out horses appeared, each strapped with a straw dummy on its back. On the other side, several military officers stood around leisurely, chatting.

"Lord Wanyan, if this were a real battlefield, your Northern Barbarian cavalry would charge right up to these officers and use your blades to sever their heads, would you not?"

A real battlefield is never a hypothetical, yet it was close enough. Cavalry against infantry—especially the infantry of Great Chu—were like wolves among sheep.

Xiao Zhi said, "How about we make a wager? If these horses can reach the other side unscathed, the Great Chu will agree to the Northern Barbarians' demands—the annual tribute, the princess, even submission. Whatever you ask, we will grant. But if these horses cannot make it, the Great Chu will never pay tribute to the Northern Barbarians again. Do you dare to wager?"

National affairs are not meant to be treated as trifles, let alone decided by a single gamble. Although Wanyan Zhengyu was confident, he remained silent. There was surely a trap.

Xiao Zhi gave the thousand-man commander a look, and the commander blew a whistle. On the saline flats, the old horses were lashed with whips and broke into a gallop toward the other side. The officers across the way pulled out several black, spherical objects, lit them with a tinderbox, and tossed them toward the horses.

Boom... Boom, boom...

Several thunderous explosions filled the air, followed by billowing dust. The massive noise terrified the horses, causing them to bolt aimlessly. One black sphere rolled under the belly of a horse, and a deafening blast tore the animal open, scattering flesh and blood everywhere.

Wanyan Zhengyu had never seen such a thing. The sound alone was terrifying, let alone the fact that it could easily shred a horse to pieces. If the soldiers of Great Chu were equipped with this divine weapon, regardless of its lethality, the sheer noise alone would be enough to panic any cavalry and send them fleeing in disorder.

"What is this?" Wanyan Zhengyu stared blankly at the saline land. Besides the one blown to pieces, two other horses had collapsed, bleeding from various injuries.

"A Hand-Held Thunder. Is the name fitting?" Xiao Zhi replied with a smile.

Against the Northern Barbarians, Great Chu could hold the absolute upper hand with these Hand-Held Thunders alone. However, this war should be avoided if possible. When cannons roar, gold is spent by the thousands. Whether a nation rises or falls, the common people always suffer. Throughout history, the so-called "civil and martial achievements" of emperors were bought with the lives of ordinary people; those in power always stood atop mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Faced with the Northern Barbarians' demand for increased tribute, Xiao Zhi’s first step in his advice to Qin Yong was deterrence.

As for the second and third steps, that was where the true poison of the plan lay—it would surely leave the Northern Barbarians feeling utterly devastated. Having devoured the Great Chu's tribute for forty years, it was time for them to pay some interest. Judging by Wanyan Zhengyu’s reaction, the effect was surprisingly good.

"Such a divine object must be costly to produce, right?" Wanyan Zhengyu said coldly. He was unwilling to face reality. The Northern Barbarians had suppressed the Great Chu for forty years and were accustomed to their superiority. He assumed that Great Chu could not produce many such Hand-Held Thunders; while powerful, they surely could not influence the overall situation.

"It is not cheap, indeed. It took me three hours and three taels of silver to make a dozen."

Three taels of silver for a dozen? And made by Xiao Zhi alone? In truth, the materials for black powder were quite inexpensive. The reason it cost three taels was that Xiao Zhi’s lack of craftsmanship led to much waste. If the production of Hand-Held Thunders could be streamlined, a single month’s output would suffice for a major campaign.

"Impossible. This is absolutely impossible." Wanyan Zhengyu refused to believe it. Even if the Hand-Held Thunders were equipped to the army, Great Chu lacked sufficient warhorses, lacked valiant cavalry, and lacked mobility; they could never reach the Northern Barbarian royal court. But for defending the border strongholds, they were more than enough. With the Hand-Held Thunders alone, Great Chu could stand invincible.

At that moment, the thousand-man commander approached, holding a box. Xiao Zhi opened it, revealing two Hand-Held Thunders. He picked one up and handed it to Wanyan Zhengyu, along with a tinderbox. Wanyan Zhengyu did not refuse; he imitated Xiao Zhi, lit the fuse, and hurled it with all his might into the distance. It landed in a large tree and detonated amidst the dense foliage. Branches and leaves flew everywhere, and two limbs as thick as an arm were snapped clean off. If that tree had been a person, it would have been reduced to fragments.

Xiao Zhi picked up the last one and handed it to Wanyan Zhengyu. "The last one is a gift for you. This object must not touch fire, or the consequences will be unpredictable. Be sure to keep it sealed in a box."

Wanyan Zhengyu remained dazed, staring at the Hand-Held Thunder. The scene he had just witnessed was too shocking. Warfare in this era relied only on bows, crossbows, and trebuchets; most combat was close-quarters. He could hardly imagine the effect of a Hand-Held Thunder detonating in a dense crowd of soldiers. If this were loaded into a catapult...

As a victorious general, he was already mentally simulating the use of these divine weapons, and the more he thought, the more horrified he became.

Xiao Zhi said, "Lord Wanyan, when you return to the Northern Barbarians, be sure to notify me. You shall bring a gift from me to the Northern Barbarian King: it is the same kind of Hand-Held Thunder you hold in your hand. I hope that when he sees this, he will reconsider his relationship with the Great Chu."

The one in Wanyan Zhengyu’s hand was, at best, a glorified firecracker. It had been made without metal shards or gravel, intended only to be intimidating. However, the one Xiao Zhi had prepared for the Northern Barbarian King was a "premium" version, heavily loaded—guaranteed to shock that King to his core.

Xiao Zhi had a horse brought over and no longer kept Wanyan Zhengyu bound. The two rode side by side. Wanyan Zhengyu’s attitude toward Xiao Zhi had undergone a 180-degree turn. People only respect those with strength, and those with great power will always attract followers or defectors.

"Lord Xiao, you are but a sixth-rank official in Great Chu. Why not come with me to the Northern Barbarians? I will recommend you to the King; you would be second only to one, and above ten thousand."

To Wanyan Zhengyu’s grand invitation, Xiao Zhi smiled. "This is my home. Besides..." He paused, and Wanyan Zhengyu leaned in, eager to hear the rest.

"Besides, I am not a good man. Before long, everyone in the Northern Barbarians, including you, will wish they could kill me."

"I shall return to the Northern Barbarians tomorrow morning," Wanyan Zhengyu said, lowering his gaze. Anyone with a brain could see why Xiao Zhi had staged such a grand show. From now on, the Great Chu would never pay another cent of tribute.

"I will see you off."

The next morning, Wanyan Zhengyu mounted his prized steed. Not far away, a carriage approached, bearing the state gifts and official documents of Great Chu. Xiao Zhi introduced the items one by one, finally placing his hand on a box sealed with oiled paper.

"This box contains the Hand-Held Thunders. Do not open it on the road; once moisture gets in, the effectiveness will be greatly diminished. Otherwise, the Northern Barbarian King will find it hard to believe your words."

Wanyan Zhengyu departed, his gaze toward Xiao Zhi complex. The Northern Barbarians admired those with ability, even if this particular man had insulted him. As he rode off, his silhouette appeared somewhat desolate.

"My Lord, that box..."

Xiao Zhi narrowed his eyes and placed a finger to his lips. "Shh..."

"That is my poisonous scheme," Xiao Zhi chuckled wickedly. "When the Northern Barbarian King sees what is inside, he will likely be so enraged that he will light Wanyan Zhengyu like a human lamp."