213: The imperial palace held discussions to strategize offense and defense; burning grain in the Black Pine Forest defeated the enemy; recruiting soldiers and improving preparations for the new dynasty.

The gilded bronze lamps in the Imperial Study were blindingly bright. The Kangxi Emperor squeezed Wu Sangui's confession until his knuckles turned white, his voice filled with fury: "What a Russia! What a Wu Sangui! To dare collude with outsiders to attack my empire—do they truly think my Imperial Guard is just for show!"

Wu Sangui sat on a low stool nearby, clutching half a Sesame Cake made by Shuanger. With his mouth full, he said indistinctly, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Haven't I already confessed? Although the Russian cavalry is formidable, they are afraid of fire. If you prepare more fireballs, I guarantee you can scare them off—oh, by the way, where is the roast chicken I asked for? You promised it if I confessed."

"Still thinking about roast chicken!" The Kangxi Emperor glared at him but wasn't truly angry—after all, Wu Sangui had provided critical intelligence. He turned to Xie Hui, his tone softening considerably: "Xie Hui, what do you suggest? The rotation at Zhangjiakou, burning the provisions at Black Pine Forest, and improving the cannons—these matters must be arranged quickly, without delay."

Just as Xie Hui was about to speak, Songgotu suddenly leaned forward, clutching a small notebook with the words 'Jade Dragon Snow Mountain golden buddha' written on it. "Your Majesty, I have a proposal! The provisions at Black Pine Forest must be burned, and the rotation at Zhangjiakou must happen, but we mustn't forget the golden buddha at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain! That's a treasure worth a hundred thousand taels of silver. Digging it up could serve as a significant amount of military funding. I am willing to go..."

"Solve the Russian problem first!" The Kangxi Emperor interrupted before he could finish. "If the Russians invade, never mind the golden buddha, even the silver in your manor won't be safe! Songgotu, if you dare covet these things again, I'll send you to the Black Pine Forest to be a cook!"

Songgotu quickly hid the notebook in his sleeve, smiling apologetically. "I wouldn't dare! I just feel we should be frugal with military funds. Digging up the golden buddha is also for the sake of the anti-Qing cause!"

Suppreessing a laugh, Xie Hui stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I suggest a four-step plan: First, have Xu Tianchuan take two hundred Imperial Guards to Zhangjiakou for the rotation, and move Wu Sangui's old subordinates to the capital for supervision to prevent them from letting the Russians in. Second, Big Brother Mao will take Wei Xiaobao and Lord Suo to the Black Pine Forest to burn the provisions, bringing plenty of improved gunpowder and watching out for poison smoke bombs. Third, Long'er will take the former members of the Divine Dragon Cult to the Ministry of Works to improve the cannons according to the Poison Smoke Cannon blueprints, aiming for a finished product within half a month. Fourth, Fang Yi will contact the brothers from the Green Wood Hall and Prince Mus Residence to recruit soldiers outside the capital, offering five taels of silver per recruit to ensure people come."

The Kangxi Emperor nodded. "Proceed as you've said! Xu Tianchuan, go to the Imperial Guard camp to mobilize troops now. Mao the Eighteenth, the matter of the Black Pine Forest is entrusted to you. If you fail to burn those provisions, I will hold you solely responsible!"

As everyone received their orders and prepared to leave, Wu Sangui suddenly shouted, "Wait! I want to go to the Black Pine Forest too! That lad Ma Biao is my old subordinate; if I go, I can persuade him to surrender and help find the provisions—and incidentally see if I can recover some of my private savings to give to the Emperor as military funds!"

Songgotu's eyes lit up, and he quickly chimed in, "Your Majesty, let Prince Wu go! He knows the way and can help find the silver. It kills two birds with one stone!"

The Kangxi Emperor thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. "Fine, let him go, but send people to watch him so he doesn't escape."

Leaving the palace, everyone went their separate ways. Xu Tianchuan hurried toward Zhangjiakou with the Imperial Guard, Long'er went to the Ministry of Works, and Xie Hui took Fang Yi, Mu Jianping, and Shuanger back to the Zhuang manor to prepare for recruitment and supplies. Wei Xiaobao and Songgotu crowded around Wu Sangui, one asking if there was private money in the Black Pine Forest, the other asking for the exact location of the golden buddha, until Wu Sangui's head throbbed from the noise.

"Stop shouting!" Wu Sangui said crossly. "There are only provisions in the Black Pine Forest, no private money! The golden buddha is in a cave at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. There's a large bluestone at the entrance; to push it open, you need the copper key from my manor—but the key is in my old residence in Yunnan. We'll have to go get it!"

Songgotu quickly pulled out his notebook to record this, not forgetting to draw a crooked bluestone. "Got it! Once we've dealt with the Russians, we'll go get the copper key and dig up the golden buddha!"

Back at the Zhuang manor, Shuanger had already prepared the silver and dry rations for recruitment. Fifty wooden crates were piled in the courtyard, each labeled 'Recruitment Silver: 5 Taels'. "Brother Hui, I've also put many thin shirts and heatstroke-prevention herbs in the small universe. The newly recruited soldiers can wear them first to avoid heatstroke," Shuanger said, wiping her sweat as she handed over a ledger. "This is the register for the new recruits. The Green Wood Hall brothers Fang Yi contacted have already brought over a hundred people; they're all waiting in the clearing outside the manor."

Xie Hui took the ledger, flipped through a few pages, and nodded with satisfaction. "Thank you for your hard work. Jianping, go with Fang Yi to the outskirts of the manor to distribute the silver and thin shirts to the new recruits, and teach them how to use wet cloths to protect against poison gas—when we fight the Russians later, poison smoke will certainly be involved."

Mu Jianping and Fang Yi complied and went out; before long, the cheers of the new recruits could be heard. Jianning ran over clutching a cloth doll, grabbing Xie Hui's hand: "Xie Hui! I want to help with recruitment too! I can give them cloth dolls to give them more energy for the fight!"

Xie Hui smiled and patted her head. "Alright, but be careful with the dolls; don't let the soldiers' blades damage them."

As they were speaking, the walkie-talkie suddenly crackled. It was Mao the Eighteenth's voice, mixed with the sound of explosions: "Brother Hui! We're under attack in the Black Pine Forest! Ma Biao brought over fifty old subordinates and is using poison smoke bombs. Lord Suo almost fainted from the fumes!"

Xie Hui quickly pressed the talk button: "Hold on! I'll bring Long'er over immediately! Hide in the woods for now, don't try to force your way through!"

Just as he was about to head out, Long'er ran in from outside, holding an improved cannon. "Brother Hui! The improved cannon is a success! It's twice as powerful as the old Poison Smoke Cannon and can even fire fireballs. It's the perfect time to test it!"

"Excellent!" Xie Hui took the cannon. "Let's go! To the Black Pine Forest, let Ma Biao have a taste of our new cannon!"

The group rode swift horses toward the Black Pine Forest, and soon they saw pale green poison smoke drifting in the distance. Mao the Eighteenth and Wei Xiaobao were hiding in the woods, while Songgotu was covering his face with a wet cloth, muttering, "That lad Ma Biao is too dishonorable! To actually use poison smoke bombs—this official's robes have been blackened by the fumes!"

Wu Sangui squatted nearby, still clutching an unfinished Sesame Cake. "I told you he wouldn't listen to reason, but you didn't believe me! However, I gave him those poison smoke bombs, so I know how to counter them—scattering lime powder into the smoke will neutralize it!"

Xie Hui had Shuanger take lime powder out of the great universe to distribute to everyone, then he set up the improved cannon and aimed it at Ma Biao's troops. "Fire!"

With a loud 'boom', a fireball shot out, landing right next to Ma Biao's supply pile and instantly igniting a massive fire. Ma Biao's old subordinates panicked; some tried to put out the fire, while others tried to flee. Xie Hui charged in with Long'er, his black iron sword flashing as it severed Ma Biao's blade, followed by a kick that sent the man flying. "Still not surrendering? Do you want to be burned to death?"

Looking at the burning provisions, Ma Biao knew the game was up and had no choice but to kneel in surrender. "I surrender! I'm willing to lead my old subordinates to submit and will never oppose the Imperial Court again!"

Seeing the fire extinguished, Songgotu rushed over and began rummaging through the supply pile. "Is there any silver? Any treasures? this official will 'safekeep' them for you!" After searching for a long time, he only found a few copper coins and a bag of moldy grain. He curled his lip in disappointment. "This Ma Biao is far too poor! He's much worse off than Prince Wu!"

Wu Sangui leaned in and said, "Of course! Even the maidservants in my manor are richer than him! However, among his subordinates is a man named Li Er who has the key to my old residence in Yunnan. He can get the copper key to dig up the golden buddha!"

Songgotu's eyes brightened, and he grabbed Ma Biao's arm. "Where is Li Er? Quickly, have him hand over the key! this official guarantees he will be well-treated!"

Ma Biao nodded quickly. "Li Er is in the cave behind us. I'll take you to him right now!"

The group followed Ma Biao to the cave, and indeed they found Li Er and obtained the copper key. Songgotu tucked the copper key into his robe, grinning ear to ear. "There's hope for the golden buddha! Once it's dug up, this official will give you half... no, one-third!"

Wei Xiaobao snatched the copper key away. "On what basis do you get to distribute it? This is military funding for the anti-Qing cause; it must be given to Brother Hui for safekeeping!"

As the two bickered, Xie Hui interrupted them. "Stop it! Return to the Zhuang manor first to settle Ma Biao's subordinates, then we'll discuss digging up the golden buddha—the most important thing now is dealing with Russia; the golden buddha can wait."

By the time they returned to the Zhuang manor, it was already dark. Shuanger had cooked chicken soup and prepared roast chicken for Wu Sangui. Wu Sangui held the roast chicken, eating until his face was greasy, not forgetting to tell Songgotu the details of the golden buddha: "That golden buddha is two meters tall, solid gold, with many banknotes hidden in its belly, along with my collection of calligraphy and paintings—all valuable treasures!"

Songgotu salivated as he listened, even forgetting to drink his chicken soup. "Really? Then we must go dig it up quickly! If the Russians snatch it, it'll be a huge loss!"

Xie Hui ignored them and discussed the improved cannons with Long'er and Fang Yi. "The new cannon needs more refinement; the range must be extended by another ten paces, otherwise we won't reach the Russian cavalry. Fang Yi, have the Green Wood Hall brothers find more iron and send it to the Ministry of Works. Don't let the progress be delayed."

Fang Yi nodded. "Don't worry! I'll handle it first thing tomorrow morning. By the way, many of the new recruits were formerly Wu Sangui's subordinates. They know how to use sabers and spears, so they can teach the other soldiers basic skills."

Mu Jianping squatted nearby, helping to organize medicine for wounds. "Jianning and I will teach them how to stop bleeding and prevent poison gas. That way, they'll suffer fewer injuries in future battles."

Late at night, the lights in the courtyard gradually went out, leaving only the brothers on watch patrolling with torches. Xie Hui sat on a stone stool, pulling out the improved cannon blueprints and the recruitment register from his inner universe. He felt a sense of stability—the rotation at Zhangjiakou was successful, the provisions at Black Pine Forest were burned, progress was being made on the improved cannons, and over two hundred soldiers had been recruited. The preparations for dealing with Russia were becoming more and more thorough.

Inside the house, Songgotu was still haggling with Wu Sangui over how much of the golden buddha he would get, while Wei Xiaobao quipped from the side. Jianning clutched her cloth doll, learning about herbs from Mu Jianping. Xie Hui couldn't help but smile at the scene—despite the Russian threat, with these people by his side, with Songgotu's antics, Wu Sangui's absurdity, and the care of The female protagonists, it seemed like even the most difficult tasks could be managed.

He looked up at the night sky, thinking silently: Russia, come if you dare. We are now strong, our cannons are superior, and I have so many reliable brothers and beauties. We're waiting for you to come to your deaths! Once you are dealt with, it will be time to overthrow the Qing and establish a New Dynasty. At that time, this world shall bear the name 'Hui'!

The next morning, the Zhuang manor courtyard became lively again. Long'er took the new cannon to the Ministry of Works for improvements, Fang Yi went to contact the Green Wood Hall brothers to deliver iron, Mu Jianping and Jianning taught the new recruits about herbs, Shuanger organized the recruitment silver, while Songgotu pestered Wu Sangui to draw a map of the cave at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, with Wei Xiaobao joining in the commotion.

Xie Hui stood in the center of the courtyard, watching the busy crowd, filled with motivation. He knew the coming days would be even busier, but there was also more to look forward to—dealing with Russia, overthrowing the Qing, and establishing a New Dynasty. Every step was bringing him closer to his goal, and the people around him were his strongest support.