Steel & Sovereignty

"Mr. Tang Mo, the Baron is still taking a nap." The waiter touched the cloth bag in his pocket, feeling the few coins inside, and smiled as he lowered his voice, bowing slightly to Tang Mo, who had been sitting there waiting for thirty minutes. Since he had accepted the bribe, he should think more about the man's feelings. So, with a smile, he said to the man who looked embarrassed, "He was very busy this morning, so he needs to rest for a long time." "It's alright." Tang Mo smiled awkwardly, because as a businessman, getting an audience with the Baron was no easy feat. He had already made appointments twice before, and it was only today that he finally received permission and was qualified to sit here and wait. He had just seen the "Romantic Rose" carriage in the courtyard, so he certainly knew what Lord Stella had been busy with that morning. Having spent the night with that slut who costs two gold coins, it was already dawn. No one would be willing to put on their pants and deal with a merchant who had come from afar. Merchants, ha! Lowly merchants. Tang Mo cursed himself inwardly, stood up and saw off the waiter who had taken money to solve problems for others. After the latter left, he slumped back into the chair in the guest room. He had spent 25 silver coins and 75 copper coins to earn the right to sit here and drink cold water, and of course he was unwilling to leave easily; he didn't want to waste the money. So after he sat down, he stared blankly at the old leather boots he was wearing, the edges of which were worn down to the point of cracking. Although he had adapted to the world before him and accepted the fact that he had suddenly transmigrated here, he was still not quite used to it, not quite used to this dreamlike life. There was no Wi-Fi, no internet, no electricity, and no telephones. There were no taxis or airplanes; the whole world suddenly became devoid of any convenience. I remember someone saying that if you could make a living in the 21st century, you wouldn't trade it for being an emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Turns out it was true... because Tang Dynasty emperors never even ate French fries. The world before him didn't even have trousers with crotches... Tang Mo looked at his trousers and once again fell into endless** (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for complaining/criticizing). The world today is in the early stages of industrial civilization. Few people have even heard of the steam engine! Gas lamps are just beginning to become common on the streets of big cities, and horse-drawn carriages are still the most important means of transportation. The war relied on flintlock muskets and muzzle-loading cannons. Soldiers, relying on their courage, marched in neat formations and launched fierce charges against the enemy to the beat of drums... The nobles, also ranked according to the order of dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons, oppressed knights, free men, and slaves. The world was filled with kingdoms, fragmented like a jigsaw puzzle—everything here was out of place with the era Tang Mo was familiar with. Tang Mo, who transmigrated here, became the owner of a weapons manufacturing workshop. He's sitting here now to promote his new weapons. After an unknown amount of time, the waiter came in again. This time, he didn't enter the room but stood at the door and said something that excited Tang Mo: "The Baron has woken up and wants to see you." "Thank you, thank you!" Tang Mo, who was almost asleep, quickly stood up, straightened his clothes, and followed the waiter out. After passing through a long corridor and two sets of armor that looked quite old, Tang Mo followed the servant into the courtyard. The stone-paved path was flanked by manicured lawns. The baron, dressed in hunting attire, was talking with two guards. They laughed intermittently until Tang Mo approached, at which point they stopped. When Tang Mo bowed his head to greet the "Baron," his attention was drawn to the hunting dog the Baron was leading. This was a slender hunting dog. It bared its teeth when it saw Tang Mo, showing extreme aggression and looking like it had been starving for a day. The baron yawned casually as he spoke, nonchalantly reminding his guests, "My time is precious, ah... extremely precious! So I hope you won't waste my time. What exactly is your purpose in seeking an audience with me this time... tell me." This is inherently very impolite, but when a baron takes the time to meet a commoner, it itself represents respect for the worthy. "I've already requested an audience with you twice, and I even paid for it! And you didn't even glance at my petition? Bastard!" Tang Mo cursed inwardly, but his smile remained unchanged as he bowed slightly and said, "It's like this, Your Excellency Baron. I've invented a new gun..." "Ha ha!" The two guards standing behind Baron Stella grinned and laughed disdainfully. They were the baron's guards, each carrying a finely crafted flintlock pistol at their waist. The grips were engraved with patterns, and the flintlock mechanism was exposed. Baron Stella's face was full of amusement as he glanced at his two laughing subordinates and said to Tang Mo, "I thought it was something serious... The whole world is using the Shirek flintlock musket now, and it has almost no drawbacks!" "Sir! My new gun uses new ammunition! It's almost unaffected by the weather, and it shoots farther and more accurately!" Tang Mo decided to explain to this arrogant fool in front of him what progress in the times meant. Although flintlock muskets have been the mainstay weapon of armies around the world for over a century, Tang Mo knew that this weapon was far from the end of weaponry. This weapon was destined to be replaced by more advanced and powerful weapons and become history, but Tang Mo firmly believed that the weapon in his hand represented the future. “I know what you merchants are thinking… I know! You always come up with some flashy but impractical things, and then fantasize about getting nobles to pay for your greed. Humph!” Baron Stella said with a face full of disdain. The hunting dog at his feet began to bark irritably and lunged at Tang Mo. Baron Stella, whose body had been weakened by wine and women, struggled to hold onto the leash. Tang Mo really wanted to remind this damn bastard to control his dog. That vicious hunting dog was just centimeters away from biting his pants. "My lord! I assure you..." Tang Mo finally managed to stop the dog and began to explain. "Hmm...someone come here!" Baron Stella called out, and a waiter not far away bowed and walked over. When the waiter got close, Stella pointed at Tang Mo: "Bring over what this guy brought. If I'm not satisfied, fine him one gold coin!" "Yes, sir." The waiter glanced at Tang Mo, feeling a pang of sympathy for the poor wretch. It seemed his master was about to swindle someone again, and this gold coin was definitely not going to escape him. Tang Mo was very confident in his sample, because it was a fine product that he and his family's old workers had worked on for seven days and nights to create! Something truly valuable that could influence the outcome of a war... When the servant returned, he was carrying a wooden box that looked to be over a meter long. Although it wasn't decorated much, it possessed an indescribable simple beauty. Tang Mo came prepared, knowing the importance of packaging, so he personally supervised the making of this box. All eight corners were polished, and all six sides were waxed and polished. At least, this box showed some thought, so when Baron Stella saw it, he was slightly taken aback. Then, he came to his senses, handed the hound leash in his hand to one of the guards, and then casually beckoned to another guard. The guard, as if it were commonplace, drew his musket from his waist, skillfully loaded the gunpowder, inserted the bullet, then c****d the flintlock mechanism and handed it to the Baron. “I’m giving you a chance to perform. If you mess around, I’ll kill you. If you don’t satisfy me, pay up and get out!” The baron took the pistol, pointed it at Tang Mo, and his gleeful mood proved that he often played this game. "This is my latest design and finalized Tang's K1 quick-draw pistol!" Tang Mo hurriedly opened the box held by the servant and took out the long gun that he had carefully assembled. This weapon had a famous name in the era before Tang Mo's time travel: the Dreiser needle gun! It was a deadly weapon that directly replaced the flintlock rifle and determined the basic design of rifles for the next hundred years! Therefore, Tang Mo had great confidence in this weapon; he simply lacked confidence in the incompetent baron in front of him. But he didn't have any good solutions. These days, the more important the person, the more difficult it is to meet them. Putting aside the wasted travel time, Tang Mo really didn't have much money to bribe the gatekeeper and prepare a gift for the meeting. He calmly picked up the rifle, inserted the paper-wrapped cartridge into the chamber, rotated and pushed forward to close the bolt, his movements fluid and extremely fast. Then he raised his rifle, aimed at the distant woods, and pulled the trigger. A sharp gunshot echoed through the sky above the estate. A flock of birds in the distance took flight, flapping their wings and flying away into the distance. To the astonishment of the four men, Tang Mo pulled back the bolt, poured out the partially burned cardboard fragments, and blew into the barrel. Unfortunately, smokeless gunpowder hadn't been developed yet, so cleaning the barrel after each firing was a hassle. However, compared to flintlock muskets, the needle-fire musket in Tang Mo's hand has made a very significant improvement. In almost half the time it would take to prepare the flintlock musket for firing, Tang Mo had once again loaded the paper-cased cartridges, pushed the bolt back up, and was ready to fire. "Bang!" Another gunshot echoed in the empty sky. Tang Mo waved his hand to help the Baron disperse the gunpowder smoke that filled the surrounding air, and quietly waited for Baron Stella to speak. "Not bad." The Baron moved the musket that was pointing at Tang Mo away, pulled the trigger towards the sky, and fired the third shot. As the gunshot faded into the distance, amidst the barking of dogs, the Baron handed his musket to his guard and casually pointed to the servant holding the wooden box, saying, "When you leave, just give him the gold coins." "My lord!" Tang Mo wanted to speak again, but Baron Stella stopped him with a gesture. The baron walked over to the box containing the needle-shot gun, examined it carefully, and then said, "I won't charge you extra for the bullets I just used. This box is nice; I'll use it to store my fishing gear." "It's getting late, I have to attend Viscount Hel's banquet." He turned around and dismissed Tang Mo: "You can leave now." This meant it was time for the meeting. The servant handed the box to another guard, then walked to Tang Mo's side and gestured for him to leave. Tang Mo forced a smile, bowed slightly, and, still holding his new-style quick-draw gun, took two steps back and followed the servant toward the manor gate. He knew he had failed this time. Who would have thought... that he would actually run into a fool who would buy the box and return the pearl?