novelhk Page 239
Page 239
He considered fixing the inner shaft and steel ball first, and then closing the outer steel ring, but the force on the outside would crush the 'welded joint'. Not only would it not last long, but the pressure it could withstand would also be greatly reduced, making it not even a defective product.
"What do you think, Master Gongshu?"
"Disaster!
I originally thought the Mo family's mechanical arts were quite sophisticated, but now I realize that the Zhang family is even more extraordinary.
Such a simple little thing, yet it possesses such profound meaning. Even if it could be made, the cost would be frighteningly high. It's better to just buy it from the Zhang family.
"This piece of fine steel is only about eight taels in total. Do you know how much the Zhang family is asking for?"
"How many?"
"One gold!"
Hiss...
Is this slaughtering a fat sheep?
One gold coin can directly purchase a 20-30 jin (approximately 10-15 kg) ingot of refined steel. It's important to know the importance of refined steel, as it's a strategic resource.
Even though the technology involved is extremely advanced, the profit margin for such a simple and straightforward little thing is at least ten times the cost. The Zhang family is going to make a fortune.
You have to understand that a 300% profit is enough to make someone willing to take the risk.
Moreover, the Zhang family is certainly not only facing an open force.
"How about diamond wire?"
"If the structure of this bearing is clear, then the 19 diamond wires must be a completely special structure. Putting aside everything else, just the fact that diamonds are crushed into tiny particles like fine sand, may I ask if you, sir, can do that?"
"This...it seems His Majesty will be furious this time!"
"There's nothing we can do about it!"
Gongshu Chou did not want to admit defeat, but even with the assistance of the empire's top blacksmiths, he had no way to win. What was the use?
Moreover, Qin Shi Huang was not an unreasonable emperor; he was well aware of the capabilities of the Gongshu family.
If even the Gongshu family couldn't make it, then no one else in the world could.
In this way...
The thought of the mysterious Zhang family filled even Gongshu Chou with curiosity.
"Then let's buy it!"
Upon hearing Zhao Gao's report, Qin Shi Huang frowned. He knew that the Zhang family could not possibly be so arrogant.
The Zhang family allocated them a share of 100,000 bearings, 30 feet of diamond wire, and 1,000 kilograms of machine oil per year...
The Zhang family could earn at least four million gold from the four great empires.
After all, the Zhang family couldn't possibly only provide for the Later Zhou Empire; which other empire would be willing to lag behind?
Using specialty products to drive business expansion, the Zhang family is about to embark on another round of expansion.
····
"Young Master Zhang, Young Master Zhang, help me..."
While Zhang Xiaoshan was anticipating orders from the Later Zhou Empire, the Twelve Treasure Tree Kings and the Two Envoys of Wind and Moon entered the Zhang family compound with several seriously injured people.
Seeing the people lying there, Zhang Xiaoshan knew without a doubt that the Persian sect had suffered heavy losses because of his scheme.
Two of the Twelve Treasure Tree Kings were unharmed, but of the three envoys who had never been separated, only two remained, and the three elders were on the verge of death.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Xiaoshan couldn't help but sigh inwardly:
They're incredibly lucky; so many people survived.
In his calculations, if three people were to return, they would be considered incredibly lucky.
"Piaoxu, brew a cup of antidote wine in a rhinoceros horn cup."
At the same time, Zhang Xiaoshan hurriedly checked on the old man and the others. The poison had entered their heart meridians, and if it weren't for the fact that they all possessed internal energy of over sixty years to suppress it, they would have died from the poison long ago.
"You went to Ping Mountain?"
"Young Master Zhang, is it still possible to save the three former Treasure Tree Kings?"
Seeing that the Twelve Treasure Tree Kings were giving irrelevant answers, Zhang Xiaoshan had lost interest in their situation at Ping Mountain.
With so many people returning, it's likely they didn't even make it past the outer perimeter; otherwise, it would be impossible for so many to return intact.
He was even more useless than he imagined.
"Luckily you delivered it in time. If you had arrived three days later, they wouldn't have made it here."
However, the Zhang family possesses a miraculous antidote; they can save him!
"Son!"
At this moment, Liu Sheng Piaoxu walked over with a rhinoceros horn cup in his hand, the rich aroma of the wine being absolutely exquisite.
It's not just fine wine; it's even more mellow and fragrant after being brewed in the Wangyue Rhinoceros Horn Cup.
"One sip per person, and this wine contains the essence of the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros, which can cure all poisons."
Seeing Zhang Xiaoshan offer each of the three elders a sip of fine wine, and then check on their condition again, he nodded and said:
"It's alright now. At most, the poison in my body will be completely eliminated by tomorrow morning!"
call!
Upon hearing Zhang Xiaoshan's words, the Twelve Treasure Tree King was filled with surprise and delight.
"What happened? Didn't I warn you that you shouldn't enter Ping Mountain? You still went in!"
"To be honest, Young Master Zhang, we didn't even cross the outer perimeter of Ping Mountain."
There were so many poisonous insects there. We had just entered when we encountered a giant centipede, three zhang long (approximately 10 meters), and we almost all perished there.
"You didn't find the Angry Sun Chicken? It's the nemesis of all poisonous creatures?"
"We've found it, and just as you said, the Angry Rooster's movements are a counter to our Persian martial arts, so..."
"killed?"
Seeing the changes in their expressions, Zhang Xiaoshan was speechless.
A perfectly healthy Xenomorph Angry Chicken died at your hands, but that's in line with their bandit-like ways.
"No, that's not true. The owner of the Angry Rooster was also a master. Although he didn't manage to observe the Angry Rooster's movements like you did, he was covered in poison, and we suffered quite a loss. In the end, he ran away with the rooster!"
"And then you had the Miao people lead you into the mountains?"
"How did you know, young master?"
Zhang Xiaoshan shook his head upon hearing this. Was there even a need to guess what kind of banditry this was?
"You encountered highly poisonous insects as soon as you entered the mountains. Besides bad luck, it's also possible that you kidnapped them and they deliberately led you there."
Otherwise, how could your martial arts skills be in such a sorry state?
Under the rhinoceros horn cup gazing at the moon, the black aura on the faces of the three old men gradually faded away, the effect being astonishingly rapid.
However, Zhang Xiaoshan knew that after this battle, the three old men had suffered severe damage to their vital energy and probably wouldn't live more than three years.
After all, seventy is a rare age!
Moreover, he was over eighty years old and had just recovered from a serious illness, which had already sealed his fate.
"The poison gas is starting to dissipate; he should wake up in less than an hour."
"Thank you, sir!"
"Zhang also bears responsibility for this incident. If Zhang hadn't mentioned the Angry Rooster and Ping Mountain, none of you would have gone there."
"How can you blame the young master? If we hadn't seen it with our own eyes, who would have thought that there was such a magical rooster in the world, or such a magical treasure land?"
"A magical treasure land? You're going there again?"
Seeing Zhang Xiaoshan's surprised expression, the Twelve Treasure Tree Kings assumed he was worried about them and explained:
"Don't worry, young master. We were in a bit of a rush when we went there and weren't prepared."
Next time we come, we will definitely bring the most skilled poison master from Persia to conquer this treasure mountain hidden in the vast wilderness.
"Then I advise you to go from India, through the Great Snowy Mountains, and join forces to venture out together."
Now that you have witnessed the horrors of poisons, I think you should be able to guess that there must be something even more terrifying among them.
And most importantly, if you come from the Central Plains, how could the courts of the four great empires of the Central Plains, or even the major powers of Miao territory, possibly allow you to leave the land of Kyushu with your treasures?
"We thank you for the reminder, young master!"
The Twelve Treasure Tree King suddenly realized that Zhang Xiaoshan's words were correct.
If they were to manage to retrieve the treasure, would the major powers of the Central Plains allow them to leave the Central Plains with it?
The best way is to travel through Central Asia or India, passing through the snowy mountains and the Tea Horse Road, then traversing Dali to Ping Mountain, and going through places rarely visited by people.
In this way, the treasure can be taken out without anyone noticing and brought out of the Central Plains.
Meanwhile, on one side, Liu Sheng Piaoxu's large, charming eyes held a hint of sympathy.
Even Zhang Xiaoshan wasn't confident about this, so gathering more of these people would just be sending them to their deaths.
Moreover, Zhang Xiaoshan's words, which sounded extremely reasonable and meant that he was thinking of you, were actually a complete trap.
As for retrieving the treasure?
It was impossible for them to take it out of the Central Plains; Zhang Xiaoshan was the last mantis stalking the cicada.
Therefore, the bigger the Persian gamble, the more devastating the final defeat.
"Alright, take the three elders to rest. They will wake up tomorrow morning. Then feed them some rice porridge or other soft foods!"
Suddenly, Zhang Xiaoshan thought of something and looked at Liu Sheng Piaoxu to the side, saying:
"Piaoxu, bring me the ten taels of treasure I've been keeping in my study!"
In this world, ginseng is a treasure worth ten ounces. Even the Twelve Treasure Tree Kings know that ginseng is precious in the Central Plains, as it is a life-saving treasure.
Soon, Liu Sheng Piaoxu put the rhinoceros horn cup back in its original place and took out a ginseng root about a foot long.
"This is a nearly thousand-year-old ginseng (seven hundred years old). After returning home at night, I cut it into ginseng slices less than an inch thick. I started cooking rice porridge over a low flame from dawn. After about an hour, I fed it to the three elders who had just woken up."
The three elders were old after all, and this poisoning was equivalent to a serious illness. They would inevitably be depleted of energy when they woke up.
Ginseng from the Central Plains has the effect of replenishing vital energy, and if you want to completely eradicate the disease, it is best to use thousand-year-old ginseng to greatly replenish the depleted vital energy.
Unfortunately, even the Zhang family didn't have many thousand-year-old ginseng roots, and they were all with the father.
"Thank you for your guidance, young master. Leave the rest to us."
When the Twelve Treasure Tree King heard Zhang Xiaoshan's words, he did not doubt them. After all, thousand-year-old ginseng is extremely precious and hard to find.
But for the safety of the three elders, they had no choice but to search.
Moreover, Zhang Xiaoshan's donation of a 'thousand-year-old ginseng' was already more than enough.
Chapter 297 The Zhang Family's Capital Power: A Timely Assistance
"Young master, what if the Persian Grand Master really takes the treasures from Bottle Mountain and transports them away from the plateau?"
"Cold salad!"
Zhang Xiaoshan rolled his eyes. His request for Persia to find experts was a way of testing the potential dangers within Bottle Mountain.
As for retrieving the treasures inside, that's practically impossible.
The things inside aren't poisonous plants; they're just there motionless. The most terrifying thing is the incredibly venomous creatures that are there.
Like poisonous creatures of the ocean, they will not be polite to food that comes their way, even if you do not provoke them.
Moreover, the surrounding area is already so dangerous.
It's not just monsters inside, there are also man-made traps.
Zhang Xiaoshan didn't believe that Yuan Tiangang hadn't devised any special techniques or traps to defend against the enemy back then.
Compared to those poisons, Yuan Tiangang's methods were the most terrifying.
“Piaoxu, send another thousand-year-old ginseng over in three days.”