"What is this? Why is its power so terrifying?"
"Heaven's punishment, could this be heaven's punishment?"
"Terrifying, that scene just now was too terrifying. I thought the sky was falling and the earth was splitting, that the world was being created anew!"
These ministers, every single one of them, were terrified by the power of the bomb.
They had never imagined that a bomb could possess such horrifying might.
Had they not witnessed the explosion with their own eyes, they would not have believed it was a bomb; they would have thought it was divine retribution.
Only the legendary heaven's punishment could unleash such fearsome power.
Thus, even at this moment, these ministers remained utterly stunned.
Many of them widened their eyes, murmuring amongst themselves.
"Is this something the Prince created? Did the Prince truly create this?"
"Unbelievable, truly unbelievable. That city wall… it seems to have vanished!"
"This… does the Prince truly possess strange divine power? Things that others cannot accomplish seem possible for the Prince!"
Many ministers saw a miracle in Lin Tian.
Such a miracle made them doubt their own eyes countless times.
Because all of this was far beyond their imagination.
Especially when Lin Tian addressed them, asking a question.
"My esteemed ministers, what do you think of the bomb's power?"
As soon as he spoke, a multitude of ministers vied to answer.
These were people who had personally experienced the bomb's devastation.
"Astonishing, truly astonishing!"
"Indeed! Your Highness, the bomb's power is so terrifying. Had I not seen it myself, I would have sworn it was a lightning strike from heaven itself, possessing such immense power!"
"An entire city wall has simply disappeared. If these bombs were used for sieges, what enemy could possibly withstand them? Your Highness, this is simply a divine artifact for protecting the nation and pacifying the populace!"
In the eyes of many ministers, if they had known their enemies possessed such a terrifying weapon, they would never have dared to invade.
Similarly, if enemies attacked their city with such a fearsome weapon, they would have lost all desire to defend.
A single bomb could obliterate their wall. If ten, or dozens, of bombs were placed before them, their entire city would be blown to smithereens.
Just the thought of it sent shivers down their spines.
This instilled a profound sense of dread in their hearts regarding the existence of explosives.
They had never conceived that Lin Tian possessed such a formidable weapon.
However, after they proclaimed it a divine artifact for national defense, Lin Tian shook his head.
"No, the bomb is merely the initial application of gunpowder, and its power can only be considered passable!"
"But it has many shortcomings!"
"It requires someone to place it in a designated spot, and then to ignite it. It cannot even get wet during ignition. If these conditions are not met, it will not explode."
"Therefore, we should create even more terrifying weapons, such as cannons!"
"A single cannon can attack at distances of a hundred, or even a thousand feet!"
"If we research more deeply, we can strike our enemies from dozens of miles away. That would be a true divine artifact for protecting the nation and pacifying the populace!"
Although the cannons Lin Tian spoke of would not be considered powerful in later eras,
and many defenses could intercept their projectiles,
the situation here was entirely different.
At this time, gunpowder did not even exist, let alone cannons.
Therefore, cannonballs were a unique phenomenon, with no means of interception.
Once they hit their enemies, those enemies were doomed to defeat.
Upon hearing this, the ministers' minds reeled.
They had already witnessed the power of the bomb, but they had never imagined that cannons could be so terrifying.
Dozens of miles away, they could accurately strike their enemies.
Such a vast distance, such monstrous power.
The enemy would likely perish before even understanding what was happening, falling victim to the cannons.
Many ministers involuntarily shivered.
They thought of these cannons being used against them. If someone were to bombard them with cannons, they might die without even knowing how.
With this realization, their fear escalated to its peak.
"Your… Your Highness, is the power of these cannons truly that terrifying?"
"Yes, and it will not take Great Qin much time to develop them!"
"This… I see! Then the method for making these cannons must never be leaked, never allowed to fall into anyone else's hands!"
They did not fear Lin Tian possessing these cannons.
After all, Lin Tian was a reasonable person. Unless they made a mistake, he would not bombard them.
However, if these weapons fell into the hands of others, into the hands of their enemies.
Those individuals would not be so considerate. They would strike directly when they intended to act.
With the descent of such terrifying power, everything would be lost.
Therefore, even they could not help but caution Lin Tian.
Lin Tian nodded imperceptibly at their reminder.
Initially, he hadn't grasped why these ministers were behaving this way.
But now, Lin Tian understood their fear.
While the manufacturing method of these cannons would naturally not be leaked,
it did not prevent Lin Tian from using the power of cannons to awe these ministers.
Someone once said that the most terrifying aspect of a bomb is not when it explodes, but before it does.
Before it explodes, everyone is anxious and lives in fear.
Once it explodes, its deterrent effect diminishes.
Therefore, bombs and gunpowder could be considered a powerful deterrent weapon in Lin Tian's hands.
With such a deterrent, both Lin Tian's enemies and the courtiers would be much more subdued.
This realization only intensified Lin Tian's desire to research bombs.
In fact, Lin Tian wished to quickly develop cannons to truly awe everyone.
The first step towards cannons would likely be the Shenji Cannons of the Ming Dynasty.
By then, cannons possessed considerable power and were excellent against cavalry.
With the Shenji Cannons, Great Qin's deterrent power would be even greater.
Of course, the Shenji Cannons were merely a beginning. The cannons of later eras were truly terrifying killing machines.
However, one must eat one's rice bite by bite, and accomplish tasks step by step.
Even though Lin Tian knew of these later inventions, without the preceding theoretical foundation, he could not expect the craftsmen to create them now.
Therefore, Lin Tian was not unduly anxious.
...