"Gift?"
Bai Siling and Zhao Yatong glanced at each other, speechless. It was clear that neither of them had expected Wang Chong to make such a move. Very soon, the two of them turned around and looked at the soldier who was carrying the two cages. Their eyes were filled with curiosity.
Wang Chong had not given them a gift yet, so the two couldn't help but be filled with anticipation.
The soldier quickly rushed over and placed the cages on the ground.
"These are … Persian cats?"
The two pulled back the silk cloth and saw two furry and pure-white creatures inside. Their eyes brightened and their faces lit up. Wang Chong had actually given them two of the most popular Arabian Persian cats in the capital.
In the capital, from the princes and dukes of the imperial household to the nobility, all the women of the officials and the young ladies of the great clans loved the Arabian Persian cats the most. These Persian cats had docile and clingy personalities, making them extremely likable. As a result, they became the new favorites of the women of the officials and the young ladies of the wealthy clans.
However, Arabia was tens of thousands of li from the capital, and Persian cats were far too precious to be tossed about. Thus, the majority of them died on the journey.
As a result, there was no market for them in the capital, and a single cat was hard to find.
And of all the Persian cats, the pure-colored Persian cats raised especially for the imperial household were the most respected and were known as the Imperial Persian Cats.
The two Arabian Persian cats that Wang Chong had found for them were snow-white without a single blemish. Their pupils were also very special, one deep blue and the other amber. With a single glance, one could not help but want to pull them into one's embrace. They were the most precious royal Persian cats.
The two had only seen them once at Princess Ni Huang's place, and neither of them had expected Wang Chong to give them such a special gift.
"So cute!"
"So pretty! Look, it's still using its paws to wash its face and scratch its beard. "
"Yeah, look, it's actually licking my hand. Haha, it's so itchy!"
… …
Both of their attention fell on the Persian cats in the cage. They squatted on the ground and kept playing with them. As for Wang Chong, he was momentarily forgotten by them.
Although Bai Siling and Zhao Yatong appeared valiant and heroic, and were known as heroines, different from the delicate women of the boudoir, they were still girls in the end. They also liked those furry and cute little pets.
Wang Chong had done the right thing by catering to his needs.
"Fortunately, I made the right choice this time."
Wang Chong smiled inwardly when he saw this.
He had asked Yang Hongchang to bring these two Persian cats of the Arabian royal family from Talas. Yang Hongchang had operated on the Silk Road for many years and knew quite a few Arab merchants. Those Persian cats were very difficult for others to obtain, but they were no problem for Yang Hongchang. The Arabs were innately skilled merchants, and as long as the price was right, they could even obtain a royal Persian cat.
"That's right, Wang Chong, don't Persian cats die very easily? And they're not used to the climate of the Tang dynasty. Just how did you get them?"
A moment later, seemingly recalling something, Bai Siling stood up with the white Persian cat in her arms and gazed at Wang Chong curiously.
"Give me one hundred thousand taels and I'll tell you the answer."
Wang Chong teased.
"Bastard!"
Bai Siling's eyebrows rose as she prepared to strike.
"Haha, alright, don't hit me. I'll tell you. Persian cats love cleanliness, so their cages must be cleaned promptly, and they have to be very clean. If they're not clean, they won't eat. In addition, they need to be occasionally squeezed out some grass juice. "
Wang Chong chuckled.
Persian cats loved cleanliness even more than humans, and from a certain perspective, they were a sort of mysophobe. Not many people knew about this, and the people who sold Persian cats were mostly greasy merchants who didn't take enough care of them. This was why so many Persian cats were dying.
If they knew about this, it would be much easier to sell Persian cats.
After settling the two cats, the guards from the two clans that Bai Siling and Zhao Yatong had brought were also arranged to join the City of Steel's defense forces.
On this trip to Wushang, Bai Siling and Zhao Yatong had brought many experts from their clans. The combined forces of their two clans numbered more than five hundred. This was quite a powerful support.
The Zhao and Bai Clans' support for Wang Chong was self-evident.
"That's right, Wang Chong, you've prepared everything, so why didn't you put all your effort into building the city? Why did you build those buildings and inns instead?"
Bai Siling couldn't help but ask after circling the city once.
"That's right, this city is too big. Such a large place is bound to take a lot of time and effort to build. How come you don't seem the least bit worried? "
Zhao Yatong chimed in.
As the two strolled around with Wang Chong for so long, they gradually began to notice a strange phenomenon. Wang Chong's City of Steel had clearly slowed down after building the lowest foundation and the first floor. A large number of people had been sent into the city to build inns, restaurants, and tea houses for traveling merchants. This seemed very abnormal.
Moreover, Wang Chong, as the master of this city, did not seem to be in the slightest bit worried. This made the two feel very strange.
The two were not trying to pressure Wang Chong, but there were times when they had to give an account to their clans. Moreover, the two had come this time to probe Wang Chong and also to see how the construction of the city was progressing.
After all, the Zhao and Bai Clans had invested a great deal of money into Wang Chong's City of Steel, paying a great price and blood.
"Haha, to do a good job, one must first sharpen his tools. Relax, the construction of this city will be completed much faster than you imagine."
Wang Chong grinned.
How could Bai Siling and Zhao Yatong's thoughts be hidden from him? When the two spoke, their expressions were clearly distressed. They had clearly been forced.
Everyone had their own difficulties, and it was already quite good that Bai Siling and Zhao Yatong had helped him this far. Wang Chong naturally would not make things difficult for them.
"And you can tell your clans that the benefits the Zhao and Bai Clans will obtain will be far greater than they imagined. In addition, this city will be completed in a month."
Wang Chong said.
"Ah?!"
Bai Siling and Zhao Yatong stared in shock at Wang Chong. It wasn't that they didn't believe in Wang Chong, but that this city of steel was still an embryo, far from completion.
Moreover, the construction of a city was time-consuming and laborious. It would already be quite impressive if it could be completed in a year. And Wang Chong's city was much larger than an ordinary city. Even though they were Wang Chong's closest friends, the two of them still felt that completing this city in a month was a fantasy.
Wang Chong looked at their questioning gazes, a strange smile on his lips, but he did not reply.
Facts spoke louder than words. In a month, the two of them would no longer think that he was exaggerating. Moreover …
… At that time, even Geshu Han and Fomonlința will be shocked!
Wang Chong inwardly chuckled to himself as he gazed at the sky.
The City of Steel had been making such a huge ruckus, but Fomonlința, Geshu Han, Gao Xianzhi, and An Sishun had still not made a move. They had only sent a few scouts to investigate, but they had done nothing else. This was rather abnormal.
Wang Chong was well aware of what these Great Generals were planning, but alas, they would not have the chance.
… …
Time slowly passed, and ten days later, the second batch of fifty thousand craftsmen and experts from the great clans arrived to reinforce the City of Steel. The second batch of components forged by the sword smiths and sword shops of the various provinces of the Tang Dynasty had all arrived.
On the same night, once all the rock eagles, gyrfalcons, eagles, and storks in the sky had dispersed, all the scouts lingering around the City of Steel and the Arab and Charax Spasinu spies disguised as merchants had left, Wang Chong finally began his plan.
"Boom!"
In the darkness, the earth quaked. With Wang Chong's order, a blazing furnace spat out from the northeast corner of the City of Steel, and then a second, a third, a fourth … tens of thousands of blazing furnace fires began to spread from the northeast corner of the City of Steel to every corner of the City of Steel.
In the end, the blazing furnace fires illuminated the City of Steel as if it were daytime.
"Begin!"
On the southern wall, Zhang Shouzhi stood shoulder to shoulder with Wang Chong, his expression grim. He swung down one arm, and boom! The heaven-shaking clattering of steel came from all around.
All the one hundred thousand craftsmen and all the soldiers stationed around the City of Steel stopped their work and joined in the construction of the walls. From the moment Zhang Shouzhi had first arrived in Wushang, a sea of steel modules had been gathered around the city.
After these modules had been used to construct the foundation of the city, they had not been touched. The majority of the craftsmen began to devote themselves to the construction of the restaurants, inns, and teahouses in the city. But at this moment, as if it had been premeditated, the craftsmen began to move the steel modules and began to collectively construct the city like ants.
Clang!
The first hammer fell, sending sparks flying and echoing far into the darkness. Tens of thousands of modules of the City of Steel began to rise in the darkness. In this period of time, all the craftsmen had become familiar with the blueprints and construction methods, and now, all of this was beginning to show its power.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The clattering of steel shook the heavens, converging into a tide. In the light of the furnace, the tens of thousands of modules of the City of Steel were neatly constructed like fish scales, following some sort of pattern.
The nearly one hundred thousand craftsmen worked together like a single person, all of them working together like a massive and intricate machine, constructing the city with astonishing speed.
On the walls, Bai Siling and Zhao Yatong were left slack-jawed by this majestic and spectacular construction, as well as the formidable ability to coordinate and command.
"Impossible!"
Bai Siling and Zhao Yatong both came from great clans, and extremely ancient clans with a long history. In terms of strength and resources, they far surpassed the 'great clans' of the capital.
With this background, one could easily imagine the breadth of knowledge and horizons that Bai Siling and Zhao Yatong possessed. But not even Bai Siling and Zhao Yatong had ever seen such a magnificent sight. More than one hundred thousand people working in perfect formation, even more orderly than an army. This was unimaginable in the great clans.
Moreover, the method Wang Chong had used to construct the city was completely different from what the world had imagined.
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