Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"Commander Shen, don't misunderstand. If I really wanted to harm His Highness Prince Jing, I wouldn't have come to you for advice."

Lin Yunxiu remained calm, gently stroking her hair that fell over her shoulder.

"Many forces are also targeting the inextinguishable fire within Prince Jing's body. Even if my Biyue Manor doesn't take it, does Commander Shen think Prince Jing is safe?"

If the enemy country obtains the Unextinguishable Fire, it will inevitably take the opportunity to start another war with the State of Chu. This is probably something that Commander Shen would not want to see.

"Why not hand over this inextinguishable fire to me? Then His Highness Prince Jing's life will be safe."

Shen Lang chuckled: "Then wouldn't your Song Kingdom target the Chu Kingdom if you obtained the Unextinguishable Fire?"

Poor persuasive tactics will only fool those who know nothing.

"Stop with your act. You've come to me simply because you can't get into the heavily guarded imperial city."

Lin Yunxiu was not in a hurry at all: "Commander Shen, I need to remind you that the State of Song and the State of Chu are close allies, like lips and teeth, whose fates are interdependent."

Now, Song is beset by internal and external troubles. If something unforeseen happens, your Chu Kingdom will not fare any better. I hope that for the sake of the greater good, you can introduce me to His Highness Prince Jing.

I promise I won't harm a single hair on his head.

Shen Lang retorted: "So, what is the root cause of Song's internal and external troubles?"

Have you even thought about this? Instead of relying on some mystical product that no one can predict,

Instead, we should think about how to use human effort to reverse this decadent political situation.

Also, if the fire-extinguishing device is really as magical as you say,

Why has the Great Chu been unable to reclaim even the old Chang'an after all these years?

"Master Yun, you should be more honest. Besides, you're a member of the martial arts world; matters at the national level are beyond your control."

Lin Yunxiu seemed to be deep in thought.

It seems that what Shen Lang said makes sense.

Isn't the current situation of internal and external troubles in the Song Dynasty entirely of its own making?

Does the fire that never goes out really have the power to change the fate of a nation?

But she still feigned composure: "So, you mean Commander Shen is unwilling to help?"

Shen Lang sheathed his dagger and said in a deep voice, "Master Yun should be glad that you were honest enough and that you didn't have any murderous aura. Otherwise, you would already be a cold corpse."

Lin Yunxiu pondered for a moment, then stood up: "Since that's the case, then I'll leave you with more news. Before I go, to show my sincerity, I'll tell you one more thing."

Xue Wuying, the master of Qingyi Tower, has already entered the capital to investigate the death of his disciple. Furthermore, the Xuantian Sect has also dispatched numerous experts to investigate the culprit behind Mu Changge's death.

Having said all that, I only hope that Commander Shen will carefully consider my proposal for the sake of friendship between our two countries. Now, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty…

The third prince, Zhao Ji, had ascended the throne. Young and promising, he was determined to restore order to the court.

If he were to receive the help of the Unquenchable Fire, I believe he would be able to sweep away the ills of the court and restore a peaceful and prosperous era to the Song Dynasty.

A powerful ally would also bring enormous benefits to the State of Chu.

After saying that, Lin Yunxiu disappeared into the courtyard in a flash.

Shen Lang found it utterly ridiculous. The Song Dynasty was rotten to the core from top to bottom, and this could not be changed by just one or two wise rulers.

Besides, was Zhao Ji truly a wise ruler?

Stop joking. This guy is a spendthrift. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dragged Ye Hui into it, embezzled the raw materials for the gold-threaded silk robe, and exchanged them for a bunch of rotten stones to put in the harem and make them "Stone Consorts".

Putting aside his chaotic thoughts, Shen Lang continued his disciplined sword practice.

Just then, Jiang Chaoyun suddenly knocked on the door.

"Brother Shen, His Majesty summons you to the palace for a court assembly."

"What nonsense are you talking about? His Majesty said yesterday that he would give me three days off upon my triumphant return."

"His Majesty said the situation is urgent, and if you don't go, the factory in the suburbs of Jinling will not be able to continue operating."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang was shocked.

My livelihood depends on this. If the factory can't continue operating like this, it's like cutting off my source of income!

The next moment, he pushed open the door and grabbed Jiang Chaoyun's hand: "Come on, take me to the palace quickly. I want to see which reckless person dares to shut down the factory."

At this moment, inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony in Weiyang Palace.

"Your Majesty, this humble general proposes that our entire army be equipped with the same firearms as the Imperial Guard. I humbly request Your Majesty's approval."

The person speaking inside the hall was Tang Zhao.

Ever since witnessing the power of firearms, Tang Zhao had long coveted such a marvel and was eager to equip his entire army with them upon returning to the capital.

Of course, this was also the intention of Lü Lin, the Minister of War.

Rifles can kill silently from a hundred paces away, and Gatling guns are capable of holding off an entire enemy force.

If the entire Chu army could be re-equipped, then the Great Chu Empire would be the sole hegemon in the entire Eastern Region!

The Empress was also tempted by the proposal.

She was naturally aware of the Imperial Guard's performance on the border.

Five hundred men defeated tens of thousands of Luchuan soldiers, with their own casualties being only in the single digits. This is enough to show that Shen Lang's plan for himself was completely correct and that his performance far exceeded expectations.

If the current Chu army were to be fully equipped with new weapons within a few years, it would not be impossible to recapture Chang'an or even annihilate the Yan state and expand its territory in the future.

Just as she was about to agree, Shen Lang's voice rang out from outside the main hall.

"We can replace the entire army's equipment, but the cost of the weaponry must be paid in real money!"

Shen Lang strode into the Hall of Supreme Harmony, ignoring the suspicious looks of the officials, and went directly to the center of the hall, bowing to Jiang Mengxuan.

"Your Majesty, I am late, please forgive me."

Jiang Mengxuan smiled slightly: "Commissar Shen should have been resting at home today. It was I who summoned you and ruined your holiday. What crime have you committed?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After returning the greeting, Shen Lang asked directly, "Just now, before I entered the hall, I heard the lords say that they wanted to replace the weapons of my Imperial Guards for the Chu army. May I ask if Your Majesty is correct?"

"Yes, General Tang and the soldiers who went on this expedition to Nanzhao have witnessed the firepower configuration of the Imperial Guards firsthand."

If our entire Chu army were to be re-equipped, our combat strength would be vastly different from what it was before. Therefore, I believe this is a feasible course of action.”

Shen Lang replied, "If my Great Chu army can be equipped with the most advanced weaponry, I will naturally give my full support. However, if you want to take firearms and gunpowder from the arsenal for free..."

"I absolutely refuse. If you want to change equipment, you must pay with real gold and silver. Otherwise, don't even think about taking a single bullet from the factory."

Upon hearing this, Lü Lin immediately objected: "What does Shen Xuanwei mean by that?"

Does the Great Chu army really expect to pay for its own re-equipment? That's utterly absurd!

Shen Lang turned to look at Lü Lin: "So, according to Minister Lü, you're determined to get hundreds of thousands of weapons for free, and don't want to give a single penny, is that right?"

Lu Lin became anxious: "All the armor and weapons of my Chu army are supplied by the imperial court. There has never been any question of spending money on them. Is Shen Xuanwei trying to differentiate between the Imperial Guard and the Imperial Army?"

Shen Lang: "Minister Lü, don't be so quick to label me. You just said it yourself..."

The army's armor and weapons were all provided by the imperial court.

So here's the question: were the arsenals run by the imperial court?

Lu Lin was speechless for a moment, then realized that the imperial court had not invested a single penny in the arsenal, so he really didn't have the right to say such a thing.

Only after hearing Shen Lang's words did the Empress, who was sitting on the dragon throne, realize that the arsenal outside Jinling was her personal property.

She couldn't help but shake her head, extremely glad that calling Shen Lang over was such a wise decision.

To be honest, the great victory in the conquest of Luchuan made Jiang Mengxuan a little arrogant, and she felt that she could control the entire court.

Looking back now, I realize that the victory in this war only temporarily secured my throne; I was still far from having complete control over the court.

If the Chu army were to be equipped with new weapons at this time, it would be most disadvantageous for the Chu army itself.

But Tang Zhao disregarded all that: "Shen Xuanwei's words are biased. His Majesty is the ruler of a nation."

Even if the arsenal is His Majesty's personal property, it should still be selflessly donated.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang squinted and walked up to Tang Zhao, reaching out to straighten his slightly disheveled clothes, and said slowly and deliberately.

"How about this, as long as General Tang can donate all the properties under his name to the national treasury..."

"I will replace the weapons and equipment of your army free of charge on behalf of His Majesty. Do you agree?"

"I……"

Tang Zhao was speechless. How could he possibly donate all of his family's assets?

"Since you can't do it yourself, what right do you have to demand anything of His Majesty? Humph."

Shen Lang snorted coldly, then stood back in the center of the hall and said in a cold voice.

"It's absolutely impossible to simply replace the army with new equipment. Any objections don't need to be directed to His Majesty."

Just come and talk to me, because I'm the head of the Jinling Arsenal!

That powerful and resounding sentence immediately stunned everyone in the hall.

They might not care about others, but they had to care about Shen Lang's words.

because……

This guy is truly ruthless when it comes to killing powerful clans.

Jiang Mengxuan was very satisfied with Shen Lang's performance, and her eyes remained on him the whole time.

"What a good husband I have! If he had arrived any later, I would have almost been tricked by them."