Chapter Seventy-One: Stirring Up Trouble

Zhang Zian, having accepted an enormous bribe from Wang Pu, indeed proved diligent in his work. That very afternoon, he had already spoken with the chief eunuchs in charge of the three weapons workshops. Wang Pu, inevitably, once again had to prepare lavish gifts for each of these chief eunuchs—there was simply no avoiding such necessary expenses.

Later that afternoon, Wang Pu arrived at one of the workshops with his entourage. He had the chief eunuch summon the master craftsmen, then took out the flintlock pistol the foreigner had given him. "Master, have a look at this firearm," he said.

The old master received the gun and examined it repeatedly for half an hour before handing it back. Wang Pu asked, "Master, if we were to lengthen the barrel to three feet, turning this short gun into a long one, could you make it?"

"Of course," the master replied without hesitation. "But with a barrel that long and thin, regular refined iron would never suffice—it would burst for sure. It must be crafted from steel of much greater strength, which would make the process far more difficult and time-consuming. And it would require a great quantity of steel."

"How long would it take to make one such long gun?"

"At least a month!" the master answered. "But we could produce fifty such firearms at the same time."

Fifty guns a month—even if all three workshops operated at full capacity, that would be only one hundred and fifty per month, barely eighteen hundred in a year. This pace clearly could not satisfy Wang Pu.

"Can it be done any faster?" he pressed.

"Even if we worked faster, Datong doesn’t have enough steel," the master explained. "The ironworks here can't produce steel; only the foundries in the southern provinces and Liangguang can. And their annual quotas are fixed. All the steel for Datong comes from the imperial warehouses in the capital, and our yearly allotment is only enough for two hundred of these firearms."

Wang Pu frowned. "What if we use refined iron and make the barrels thicker?"

"That would be much easier," said the master. "With refined iron, production could be at least twice as fast."

"Very well, use refined iron," Wang Pu agreed, then pulled a sheet of paper from his robe and handed it to the master. "Have a look at this as well."

The master studied the drawing for a while before whispering, "This looks like a Dragon King Cannon with a handle added?"

"Exactly," Wang Pu replied. "It's a Dragon King Cannon with a wooden handle—but the handle is hollow, containing a fuse inside."

"This is simple," the master said. "With enough pig iron and gunpowder, we can make at least a thousand of these a month."

Wang Pu turned to the chief eunuch. "Sir, as for these two items, make as many as you can—I will take them all."

The eunuch instructed the master, "You heard him? The Imperial Son-in-law is working on the Emperor’s behalf. When you serve him, you serve the court. From this day forward, drop everything else and focus on these two weapons! If you fail to deliver on time, don’t blame me for what happens."

The master bowed in assent. "Yes, understood."

"And another thing," the eunuch added with a chilling tone. "If you let slip a single word of this, you’ll be beaten to death."

The master shivered and bent even lower. "Yes, sir."

"Go on, then," the eunuch waved him off. "Get busy!"

The old master hurried away as though fleeing for his life. Only then did the eunuch turn back to Wang Pu, smiling obsequiously. "Your Highness, there’s so much dust in the workshop, and your health is precious. Please, return to rest and simply send someone to retrieve the goods when they're ready."

Wang Pu cupped his fists and smiled. "Thank you for your trouble, Sir."

Just then, Xiao Qi burst in, panting. "General, there’s a fight!"

Wang Pu frowned. "A fight? What nonsense?"

Xiao Qi explained, "Scarface is fighting with Commander Zhao at the Red Orchid House."

"Scarface?" Wang Pu bristled. "Why?"

"They’re fighting over a courtesan."

"And who is this Commander Zhao?"

"Who else? Zhao Santai, Deputy General of Datong."

"That wretch," Wang Pu spat, then turned to the chief eunuch, bowing with a wry smile. "Sir, my men are always getting into trouble. Now I have to go clean up their mess again."

"By all means, Your Highness," the eunuch replied.

"Farewell."

Wang Pu gathered Xiao Qi and headed straight for the Red Orchid House.

The Red Orchid House was the largest brothel in Datong. The women of Datong were famed throughout the northern provinces for their beauty, and the Red Orchid House gathered the fairest of them all. The place was always bustling, full of patrons from all walks of life—even refined gentlemen from the capital and Jiangnan came in search of pleasure.

But at this moment, chaos reigned within: shouting, fighting, and the tension of drawn blades filled the air.

In the main hall, Deputy General Zhao Santai of Datong stood, face livid, glaring up at a private room on the second floor. Behind him stood more than a dozen officers of various ranks—vice generals, adjutants, captains—each with their own personal guards, all gripping their swords, murderous intent thick in the air.

Upstairs, Scarface lounged indifferently, drinking and making merry. Seated beside him were the Red Orchid House’s two most beautiful courtesans, Jiao Niang and Red Apricot. At his feet lay Zhao Santai’s trusted retainer, Zhao Liu Jin, bloodied and battered, groaning on the floor.

The door to the private room stood wide open.

Scarface’s two companions, both with swords at their belts and fierce expressions, guarded the entrance. Though outnumbered, they were just as nonchalant as their leader. The standoff was on the verge of erupting into violence.

Here’s how it happened:

After Wang Pu’s appointment as Inspector General of the Capital Garrison, the position of Datong’s chief commander became vacant. Below the chief commander were two deputy generals. One, Zhao Wuzhu, who had accompanied Wang Pu to battle in Liaodong, had already been stripped of rank and sentenced to death, leaving only Zhao Santai.

Zhao Santai was the brother-in-law of Minister of War Chen Xinjia. All the officers assumed Zhao would inherit Wang Pu’s post—and Zhao himself thought so as well. The imperial edict had not yet arrived, but Zhao Santai had already brought his officers to the Red Orchid House to celebrate. Red Apricot, one of the house’s most popular courtesans, was Zhao Santai’s longtime lover. But when he arrived, he discovered she had already been reserved—by none other than Scarface.

Zhao Santai, who rarely even gave Wang Pu his due, certainly had no respect for the likes of Scarface, a mere captain. He immediately sent Zhao Liu Jin to seize Red Apricot by force. But Scarface would not yield, beating Zhao Liu Jin black and blue and declaring, for all to hear, his intention to buy out Red Apricot’s contract.

Everyone knew Red Apricot was Zhao Santai’s sweetheart; for Scarface to buy her freedom was a public humiliation to Zhao. Zhao Santai could not swallow this insult—but he also feared Wang Pu, who stood behind Scarface. So the two sides remained locked in a tense standoff.

Scarface, once a notorious bandit, cared nothing for the tension. Suddenly, he set down his cup and called out, "Apricot, come sit on my lap!"

Red Apricot rose gracefully, sashayed over, and settled onto his knee. Scarface wrapped an arm around her slender waist, then looked down at the hall below, laughing loudly. "Zhao Santai, you see? She’s with me of her own will. She says you’re no good in bed—that’s hardly my fault!"

Zhao Santai’s face twitched violently, a shadow of rage settling across his brow.

One of the vice generals leaned in to whisper, "General, I’ve heard Wang Pu let a gang of bandits go at Futu Valley. Wang Pu, being both Imperial Inspector and royal kin, is untouchable. But if you seize Scarface and charge him with harboring outlaws, Wang Pu will have no excuse to defend him."

Instantly, a murderous glint flashed in Zhao Santai’s eyes. He barked, "Men! Arrest Scarface!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Who dares!?"

The assembled officers and guards responded as one and surged forward to storm the upstairs chamber. But just then, a thunderous voice boomed from outside the Red Orchid House.