In the army, intelligence was of utmost importance, and the most basic requirement for intelligence was accuracy. As the elite army of the Tang dynasty, the Big Dipper Army had used tens of thousands of soldiers to stop Ouzan's army of several hundred thousand, preventing them from advancing eastward. As such, the requirements for intelligence were even more stringent.
For the scouts at the frontlines to send back such ridiculous information, they could already be severely punished according to military law. This was also why the generals were so furious.
"Milord, who was that scout near Wushang? According to the rules of the army, he can be transferred back, dismissed, and investigated! "
A furious general of the Big Dipper Army said in the study.
"The ones who need to be dismissed aren't him, but all of you."
Suddenly, a gentle, calm, and dignified voice resounded in the study. In an instant, the study fell deathly silent. All the generals had their mouths tightly shut as they stared in the same direction.
"… The second, third, and fourth waves of scouts have already sent back their reports, and they are identical to what all of you have seen. In addition, Lord Fomonlința of the Qixi Protectorate has also sent me a letter. I'm afraid that everything they said is true. "
Geshu Han held his hands behind his back, his face impassive.
Geshu Han's words caused the entire room to fall silent, a look of disbelief on everyone's faces.
"But, how could this be? Just how big of a city was that? Is it really possible to build it in a single night? "
Someone muttered to himself.
These words echoed the thoughts in everyone's hearts. Even though no one doubted the Great General's words out of respect, Wang Chong's ability to erect a six-meter-tall steel wall in a single night still seemed like a fantasy to them.
But no one knew that although Geshu Han appeared calm on the surface, he was actually just as shocked as the Big Dipper Army generals.
"A single night … more than two zhang … Just how did he do it?"
Geshu Han's mind was in turmoil.
Back in the southwest, Geshu Han had already learned that that youth in Wushang possessed astonishing charisma and talent. But seeing it once more, Geshu Han still felt a little moved.
Geshu Han had originally estimated that Wang Chong's City of Steel would take at least seven or eight months, but it now appeared that it would take far less than that.
Many rules and regulations seemed to immediately become inapplicable when it came to the youngest son of the Wang Family. Geshu Han had experienced hundreds of battles in his life and had a tenacious temperament. There were very few things that could move his heart, but right now, Geshu Han truly found it difficult to understand this youth called Wushang.
"Plans can't keep up with changes. It seems like the plan I prepared for a few months later is useless. I have to find another way!"
Geshu Han's eyes turned, countless thoughts flitting through his mind.
It had been a long time since he had encountered such a powerful opponent. Although he had yet to meet the youngest son of the Wang family, they had already exchanged blows before anyone realized it.
There was no doubt that Geshu Han had underestimated his opponent.
If he was able to build a six-meter-tall city wall overnight, then there was no doubt that he had deliberately concealed his abilities from the very beginning, causing them to be careless. Only when everything was ready, when the time was right and everything was ready did he reveal his true prowess.
"Interesting!"
A cold light flashed through Geshu Han's eyes.
Anyone familiar with the Big Dipper Great General would know that this was a sign that his fighting spirit had truly been roused and that he was taking the challenge seriously.
It won't be easy to take root in Wushang. Young Marquis, this is only the beginning …
As this thought flitted through Geshu Han's mind, everything quickly calmed down.
Anxi, Longxi, Beiting, Qixi — everyone was stunned by the city that Wang Chong had built in a single night. Meanwhile, in the distant northwest of the Tang Dynasty in Wushang, the scouts of all the factions had personally witnessed an inconceivable sight.
On the sparsely populated and barren Silk Road to the west, Wang Chong had for the first time revealed the concepts of modern science and architecture to this world.
Under the leadership of Wang Chong and Zhang Shouzhi, more than one hundred thousand craftsmen worked at unprecedented speed to construct this never-before-seen City of Steel.
When the scouts had arrived in the vicinity of Wushang in the morning, they had only seen a six-meter-tall City of Steel, but by nightfall, it had grown to fifteen meters tall.
Never in the history of the Tang Dynasty, or even in the history of the Central Plains, had such a rate of construction occurred, nor had there ever been a precedent for such modular construction.
More and more people gathered around the City of Steel, and all the factions moved upon hearing the news, sending out several times the number of scouts they had sent before. Each faction wanted to confirm this news again and again.
Even many Hu from the distant Western Regions had hurried over.
Everyone stared in shock as this massive, vast, and majestic City of Steel slowly unfurled itself from nothingness into existence.
This sight was like a dream, like a miracle!
In front of this massive and never-before-seen City of Steel, everyone felt a deep sense of insignificance and insignificance, like ants before an elephant.
Shock!
Inconceivable!
Deep reverence!
… …
This was what everyone who had seen the construction process of the City of Steel felt. Everyone felt a heartfelt reverence toward Wang Chong, the owner of this City of Steel and its construction. It was like they were looking up to an unfathomable god.
"Marquis, building this City of Steel is more than enough for this old man to spend the rest of his life!"
Atop the fifteen-meter-tall City of Steel, fierce winds ruffling his hair and beard, Zhang Shouzhi stood on the high walls, his face brimming with pride and vigor.
He had built countless buildings and cities in his life, and he had even participated in the construction of the Imperial Palace of the Tang dynasty. But the greatest pride of his life was Lion City by the Erhai. That city had changed the fate of the 180,000 Annam Protectorate and saved the southwest.
And the other was the City of Steel beneath his feet.
In the history of the Tang dynasty, as well as everyone's understanding, all cities should have been constructed from earth and stone, but the city beneath his feet had broken all these traditions.
This was the first City of Steel that had ever been built!
The amount of steel and manpower required to build this city was unimaginable to any great clan, faction, or master architect.
To put it simply, this city had mobilized the entire world — all the great clans, all the sword smiths, and all the experienced craftsmen of the provinces and counties. All of them had been used to help him build this city.
Other than the Imperial Palace, nothing like this had ever happened before.
This glory was enough to make any civil engineering master feel proud and proud.
This was enough to move the heart of any civil engineering master and make them fascinated.
"Sir Zhang, this is only the beginning. You can't possibly be satisfied already, right? In the future, we will leave even more footprints, not just in the Tang dynasty, but also in other places, and it won't just be this City of Steel. "
Wang Chong and Zhang Shouzhi stood side by side on the wall and smiled.
"Haha, that's right! This old man is too easily satisfied. With Marquis here, do you think we won't be able to leave our mark in the annals of history? We'll be able to build an even more majestic and magnificent building for everyone to look up to. "
Zhang Shouzhi was taken aback, and then he couldn't help but laugh.
He was close to sixty and should have been at the age where he should have retired, but as he and Wang Chong fought together and built cities, even he had slowly forgotten his age. He had become young, hot-blooded, and passionate.
Now, even he wanted to know where his limits were.
"Right, how are the preparations for the beehives in the City of Steel coming along?"
Wang Chong suddenly asked.
"This … In truth, they've already been prepared. According to Marquis's orders, all the beehives have been sealed with wooden strips. Not even the guards escorting them or the craftsmen involved in the construction know about it. "
Zhang Shouzhi quickly responded.
"Mm!"
Wang Chong nodded and looked outside the city, where more and more scouts were gathering ten-some li away. A sharp light flashed through his eyes.
"The storm is about to rise, and we'll soon need those things. Moreover, with a height of fifteen meters, we can begin installing them on the wall."
Wang Chong said.
Zhang Shouzhi nodded. In order to construct this city, Wang Chong had invented many ingenious things, such as pulleys, cranes, and a brand new measure of measurement, the 'meter'.
Not many people knew of this measure, and it had only been passed down among Zhang Shouzhi, his disciples, and a few top-class craftsmen.
Zhang Shouzhi had experimented and discovered that this new measure of measurement was much more accurate than the ordinary ruler or zhang, and it was also much more convenient for construction. Thus, he had begun to vigorously promote it to the people around him.
By now, this measure of measurement had already been accepted by many master craftsmen, and it was still spreading, becoming more and more widespread.
… …
Wang Chong quickly left the City of Steel.
By the time the city was fifteen meters tall, everything was on the right track. With Zhang Shouzhi presiding over it, the completion of the City of Steel was only a matter of time. With Bai Siling, Zhao Yatong, and the other clan experts protecting it, the City of Steel was impregnable and would not encounter any problems in the short term.
It's about time to take care of that matter!
Standing on the towering steel walls, Wang Chong's eyes flashed as countless thoughts flitted through his mind.
Wushang was close to Qixi, and their fates were intertwined. Although Fomonlința was currently brimming with hostility and making things difficult for him, Qixi did not belong to him. It belonged to the entire empire. But in the future Battle of Talas, the clash between the Tang Dynasty and Arabia, the Qixi Protectorate, as the closest source of soldiers, had not sent a single soldier. This was inconceivable!
If Gao Xianzhi had asked for help, the Qixi Protectorate would have sent a large number of soldiers. Perhaps that battle would not have been so utterly defeated, and the Tang Dynasty would not have completely lost that battle, never to rise again.
But even though he was extremely dissatisfied with Fomonlința, Wang Chong had to admit that this matter had little to do with Fomonlința. It wasn't that he didn't want to reinforce Gao Xianzhi and the Anxi Protectorate army, but that the Qixi Protectorate had no soldiers to send!
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