CHAPTER 464: CHAPTER 458 HAPPY NEW YEAR

Across various places, people are celebrating the New Year. Some celebrate well, while others struggle through hardship and despair. Yet many hold onto hope, wishing to their ancestors tonight for better days next year, hoping for peace and for bountiful harvests of grain;

If none of that is possible, they at least hope to be safely escorted to Yu State, where they’ve heard its governor is a woman, with a gentle heart and great kindness towards the people, making survival there easier;

Importantly, she is also a formidable fighter, even the Xiongnu are not her match. With her presence, perhaps Yu State will no longer become a battlefield?

Zhao Hanzhang, half-drunk, saw many people slumped over in the hall and stood up to wave them away, "It’s late in the night, everyone go home to guard the night with your families. I’m leaving as well."

The county deputy, drunken and dazed, tried to rise to see her off, but Zhao Hanzhang waved him off.

Fu Tinghan, having drunk very little, rose as well and subtly supported her arm to escort her outside.

Seeing her walk steadily, the county deputy could only clumsily get up with a servant’s support and exclaim, "The governor is truly the governor, with her great capacity for drink."

Fu Tinghan escorted her to her room door, and when Ting He came to assist, he waved her away, pulling out a leather wrist guard from his sleeve. He took her left hand and tied it on, "This is for you; I made it myself."

Zhao Hanzhang felt the wrist guard was somewhat heavy and rigid, so she touched it, squinting her eyes, "A mechanism?"

Fu Tinghan nodded, "It’s a sleeve arrow, modified into a wrist guard so you can carry it unnoticed. If in danger and close quarters with an enemy, this can save you temporarily."

Fu Tinghan paused before adding, "I soaked the fine arrow inside with poison. Its thinness means that even if it hits a vital spot, it won’t be lethal immediately, so this was the best approach. You use it for now, and when you run out of arrows, I’ll replace them."

Zhao Hanzhang touched the wrist guard, her expression somewhat dazed, "This suits you more."

After all, his combat ability couldn’t match hers.

Fu Tinghan shook his head with a smile, "There aren’t many who want to kill me, but many want to kill you. The danger you face is much greater than mine. If I want one, I can make it myself."

He carefully fastened the wrist guard on her, lowering his eyes, "This is your Spring Festival gift, Hanzhang. Happy New Year!"

Zhao Hanzhang’s expression became even more dazed, as if transported to the past, and not in Great Jin.

People here only called today the year, never saying Happy New Year.

She murmured, "I haven’t prepared a gift for you..."

Fu Tinghan chuckled softly, "It’s alright, I’ll just give you gifts every year from now on. How about I send you a New Year gift every year?"

Zhao Hanzhang smiled softly, nodding, "Alright!"

Fu Tinghan then handed her over to Ting He, "Prepare a bowl of sober-up soup before she sleeps, careful of a headache tomorrow."

Ting He respectfully acknowledged, "Yes."

But once Zhao Hanzhang drank the sober-up soup, she felt more alert, and after washing, sat cross-legged on the bed playing with the newly acquired sleeve arrow.

The mechanism was crafted cleverly, made from treated wolf skin with the mechanism in its center. To use it, she needs to release the safety first before aiming and firing.

This principle employed the idea of a gun, providing dual safety without the danger of accidental discharge.

Zhao Hanzhang raised her left hand and aimed at the nearby screen, gently pressing with her right hand, a sleeve arrow shot out swiftly with a whistle, piercing the screen with a clang.

Ting He, pouring water, was taken aback, "Miss, this sleeve arrow is powerful, it can even pierce the screen. If a person stood in front, might it penetrate too?"

"No," Zhao Hanzhang replied, "This screen is too thin. However, it’s better that it doesn’t pierce a person. It’s meant to remain inside to exert its lethal power."

Not to mention, foreign objects inserted into the body are difficult to remove and painful, especially given that the sleeve arrow is poisoned, the toxin takes time to take effect.

But if Fu Tinghan can create such a formidable mechanism, does that imply he can also make firearms?

Zhao Hanzhang lowered her eyes in contemplation.

She had always thought that such technology couldn’t be achieved in this era, but if he were to do it...

Soon, she suppressed this thought. No, with the productivity of this era, if firearms were widely used, it would be like opening Pandora’s box.

Using gunpowder for mining might be alright, and it appears that a precursor to gunpowder might have emerged by now, though only few know of it, and they haven’t realized its potential applications in daily life and warfare.

Gunpowder finds big use during the Tang period, which was a prosperous era, they had a buffer.

But now, in times of chaos, its emergence unless constantly controlled could potentially drive species, even human extinction.

Without it, the barbarians of this era almost exterminated the Han people; what more if it existed?

Thus the question arises, can she ensure the formula won’t leak if produced?

Which is why she hesitated to use it on the battlefield now, opting for life application instead. The people would need a long time to figure out its usages, let alone having the formula.

Zhao Hanzhang lowered her gaze, if used for warfare, she must enhance the era’s productivity and fully suppress wars.

Lost in thought, the sound of bells rang from afar, echoing in people’s hearts.

Ting He glanced out, hearing the faint sound of clappers, growing in excitement, "Miss, it’s midnight, a new year."

Zhao Hanzhang stood and walked to the window, opened it to look outside, seeing the quiet starry sky as if time had frozen. After a long moment, she heard crackling noises gradually growing near, then louder firecracker sounds.

Zhao Erlang holding a torch ran into the yard from outside, seeing the rooms to the left and right with opened windows, where Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan stood watching the night sky. He loudly asked, "Sister, Brother-in-law, why are you standing at the window, come out to light firecrackers, it’s New Year!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hanzhang leaned over to look aside, meeting Fu Tinghan’s gaze, and couldn’t help but smile, "Happy New Year."

Fu Tinghan also smiled slightly, "Happy New Year, may everything go smoothly."

Zhao Erlang thinking of his half-lit firecrackers, seeing them dawdle, shoved the torch to Lv Hu, then ran and pulled them out, "Sister, Brother-in-law, Qiu Wu prepared firecrackers for you too, mine is already lit, quickly go light yours, missing the auspicious time wouldn’t be good."