Chapter 59: The Base Outside the City

Watching his father leave, Su Chen turned his horse around.

They had just ridden out of Chang'an City.

Here was a plot of land previously given by Cheng咬金 (Cheng咬金). However, Su Chen had never found the time to inspect it, so he had instructed Old Song III to gather some workers and begin construction here.

He had received word yesterday that, following his instructions, the workers had already completed the initial setup.

How wonderful it was to have money in this era.

Having hired over a hundred workers at the time, the project was wrapped up in just a few days.

Moreover, construction in this era was quite different from that of later generations.

Su Chen had requested purely single-story flat-roofed buildings that required no deep foundations, which further accelerated the pace of work.

The small group rode toward their destination.

"This land used to belong to your family, didn't it? You should be much more familiar with it than I am," Su Chen said, glancing at Cheng Chumò.

This location was the stake Cheng Yaojin had contributed for the equity in Taibai Drunk. Su Chen had already had this massive expanse of land enclosed by high walls.

It was indeed a vast area, and several villages were clustered nearby.

Cheng Chumò shook his head. Although the land technically belonged to his family, he had practically never set foot here because it had previously been nothing more than an empty plot, giving him no reason to visit.

"I only knew that this used to be barren land and there were several villages around here. But I've never actually been to this side, so I'm not really clear about it," Cheng Chumò admitted, showing a complete lack of familiarity with the place.

This was his very first time coming here, tagging along with Su Chen.

Su Chen nodded. A lack of familiarity didn't matter; the most important thing was to get this place up and running first.

What Su Chen valued most right now was the site's level of secrecy and security.

"The things I'm going to do next might have a profound impact, which is why this place needs to be relatively remote and secure. Utter secrecy is an absolute must. His Majesty might even dispatch troops to garrison this place in the future."

Su Chen understood that he was about to create a true ultimate weapon.

Once this creation saw the light of day, every single military general in the imperial court would be utterly captivated by it.

By then, even if Changsun Wuji wanted to move against him, he would have to think twice and weigh the consequences.

Of course, if Su Chen were to say this out loud right now, not a single person would believe him.

Even Cheng Chumò was secretly wondering whether Su Chen was just boasting again.

However, since the boasts Su Chen had made previously had all somehow materialized, Cheng Chumò could only harbor doubts for now.

"Anyway, brother, whatever benefits come out of this, you must remember me and not leave me behind," Cheng Chumò said. Tagging along by Su Chen's side nowadays was entirely driven by the desire to secure a share of the profits.

Besides, Cheng Yaojin had explicitly ordered his son to do precisely this.

With an extra thirty percent stake in the profits of Taibai Drunk, Cheng Yaojin's household income had skyrocketed overnight. Naturally, he now regarded Su Chen like a god of wealth.

"Naturally. We're brothers of the same family, and we don't draw lines between us. However, the benefits of this particular creation might be something none of us can afford to keep."

Su Chen knew that once this item was forged, Li Shimin would undoubtedly take it directly into his own hands, absolutely refusing to let anyone else control it.

If anyone else held such a terrifying ultimate weapon, Li Shimin would never let that person live for long, as it was something that directly threatened the security of his entire empire.

Su Chen understood that there were things one could take, and things one must never attempt to keep.

Otherwise, surviving long in the Tang Dynasty would be a nearly impossible task.

Arriving at the destination together, they could already see the towering perimeter wall from afar.

Though many details inside were yet to be finished, the overall structure was largely complete.

Old Song III was waiting outside for Su Chen. Seeing them ride up on horseback, he hurried forward.

"Young Master, the interior has been laid out almost exactly according to your plan. There are a few minor touches left to mend, but they no longer affect the overall appearance inside."

Old Song III was exceedingly delighted to see Su Chen arrive.

They had basically completed everything Su Chen had requested and sketched out in his blueprints.

Moreover, since Su Chen only required simple structures, throwing money at the workers to labor day and night naturally made the progress remarkably fast.

"Well done. Let's go inside and take a look together. This place will need to be expanded further in the future, but for now, let's leave it as it is. As long as it's functional, that's enough."

Su Chen's design prioritized rapid construction so that the first batch of weaponry could be manufactured promptly.

After all, judging by the current timeline, Changsun Chong would arrive in Chang'an City in about ten days.

With so little time remaining, Su Chen had to act swiftly.

Entering the compound, everyone saw rows upon rows of neat stone houses.

"This looks remarkably similar to your brewing workshop. Are we going to brew alcohol on a massive scale here? That would mean mountains of shining silver!"

Seeing the endless succession of rooms that mirrored Su Chen's previous distillery, Cheng Chumò instantly lit up with joy.

If this many workshops were truly put into mass production, making money would become as effortless as turning one's hand.

In fact, Cheng Yaojin had been pondering lately when Su Chen would increase production.

After all, Taibai Drunk had always been in short supply in Chang'an City. The moment it was put on sale, it would invariably be completely bought out in less time than it took to burn a stick of incense.

Furthermore, many people now placed their orders in advance, and those wishing to pre-order Taibai Drunk had to maintain a quite favorable relationship with Cheng Yaojin just to secure a batch; ordinary people with money couldn't even buy a single jar.

Right now, no matter how much Taibai Drunk was produced, it could instantly be sold out.

However, Su Chen had no intention of turning this into a brewing workshop.

"The things we are going to produce here are far too important. We can find another location to expand brewing production later, but there's no rush for that right now. Once I get this project up and running, I will truly be able to establish a firm footing in Chang'an City."

A confident smile played across Su Chen's lips.

He had planned this step right from the very beginning.

If he wanted to win over all the military generals, relying solely on his medical skills would simply not take enough time.

If he had a year or two, perhaps he wouldn't need to produce an ultimate weapon to get the generals to stand by his side.

Eventually, even a major faction within the court would support him.

Yet Su Chen did not have that kind of luxury.

With time running short, his only option was to unveil his most formidable creation first.

"So miraculous? Just what on earth are we going to make here?"

Cheng Chumò was consumed by curiosity.

However, Su Chen showed no intention of revealing the secret just yet.

This place had to remain strictly confidential for the time being. Once the creation was completed, this entire site would be presented to Li Shimin.

At that very moment, the sharp whinny of horses echoed from outside.

It sounded as though a dozen galloping horses were rapidly approaching their location.