Dalan smiled when he heard this, and Lao Nie quickly translated.
"Ms. Dalan said that you can't just give gifts, she also has to give some gifts in return.
She also asked, what kind of woman was the eldest queen of the Han Dynasty? How old are you?
What does it look like? "
"Well--"
This question directly knocked down the messenger Liu Jing.
The queen is a monarch, subordinate to one person and above ten thousand people. The questions asked by the Dalan family were something he would never dare to think about.
But obviously, the grassland people didn't seem to have so many tortuous rules and customs. Now that she had asked the question, he had to bite the bullet and answer,
"The queen, uh, is twenty years younger than the emperor. She was the emperor's wife when he was in Pei County, and she is also the mother of the prince.
In terms of appearance, this, this, he is naturally outstanding among people. "
After listening to Lao Nie's translation, Mrs. Dalan raised her head and looked at the old confidant standing beside her. Her earrings and eyes were shining brightly, and she smiled and said a few more words.
After listening to the music, Lao Nie said to Liu Jing,
"The Dalan family said that they heard that the great emperor of the Han Dynasty conquered the Central Plains on his own. After becoming emperor, he had so many women in the harem but still did not change his wife. This shows that the great empress was also a very powerful person.
Lao Nie also echoed from the side,
"Master Dalan, you are right. The Queen is just like you. The words she says and the things she does are sharper than the fastest arrow on the grassland."
Liu Jing nodded as if he was pounding garlic, feeling that the Dalan family could make a clear and logical analysis in just a few words. Although the language and customs were different, she was as transparent as Empress Lu.
He observed the words and expressions and then added,
"Our eldest queen wants to discuss with the Dalan clan. She has been fighting with the emperor for nearly ten years and has finally conquered the world. Now is the time to live with the people, and she also wants to have a good rest.
To put it bluntly, our two countries have called it a day and stopped fighting each other. "
Hearing this, Mrs. Dalan stared at Liu Jing for a long time with her big eyes, and then slowly asked in a low voice,
"I'm afraid that the queen can't rest even if she wants to these days.
Don’t your great emperor have several very powerful kings?
Does the great emperor think that every king is loyal to him? "
***
The powerful figure in the mouth of the Dalan family is currently in the North Palace of Luoyang, secretly happy at the secret letter sent by his second brother Lu Shizhi.
This secret letter is about his new discovery in Handan City, Zhao State.
In addition to wandering around every day, Lu Shizhi would occasionally climb up to the turret in the north of Handan City and look farther to the northwest. He could only see the vast sky and the distant mountains with light clouds.
Only the huge prairie harriers that circled by in the clear blue sky from time to time seemed to remind him at all times how close this place was to the Huns' grassland and the next war.
Every time at this time, he always kept thinking,
"I wonder if Liu Jing has reached the Huns' court now? Has he encountered any difficulties along the way?
...and Zhong Lihuan, who knows where he is?
I hope he has successfully entered the territory of the Huns. "
Another day, Lu Shizhi was sitting under the stone gate at the entrance of the Zhao Palace, taking advantage of the shadow cast by the majestic eaves to enjoy the cool air, and leisurely watching the captain leading a group of guards to practice.
After watching for a while, I could only hear them complaining during the break that these newly made bows and arrows were not easy to use. It was quite laborious to stretch the string and draw the bow, and they were far less useful than the old and almost broken Geng bows in the palace arsenal.
The arsenal, as the name suggests, is a warehouse where weapons, equipment and military supplies are stored.
The great affairs of the country lie in sacrifice and military affairs.
At the beginning of the founding of the Western Han Dynasty, it was stipulated that all weapons and equipment must be manufactured and kept by the government.
The important task of manufacturing weapons was borne by the Shaofu, one of the Nine Qings. The Shaofu also had the Kaogong Ling, Zuo Yi Ling, and Ruo Lu Ling, who were respectively responsible for the management of official workshops, as well as the supervision and acceptance of swords, crossbows, and arrows.
The weapons produced and accepted will be registered and stored in a unified inventory.
The treasury here refers to the arsenal that is put into the central or local counties.
From the capital of Luoyang to all border and inner counties, there are large and small arsenals. The arsenal of the border counties is to defend the border and stabilize the country, while the arsenal of the inner counties is to facilitate the deployment of troops and generals in preparation for local civil uprisings. .
In addition, the domestic official system of each prince is like the central government, with great autonomy. Therefore, these kingdoms with different surnames also have their own arsenals.
"I was almost careless. The State of Zhao once promoted Hu clothing, riding and archery. It was once a powerful country among the heroes of the Warring States Period, and it was adjacent to the Hu people for a long time.
Is there any magic weapon hidden in Zhao's arsenal that can defeat the enemy? "
Lu Shizhi's heart moved, and he walked closer slowly, curiously looking at the bows and arrows in the hands of the guards.
***
He had lived in Zhao Di for a long time. He went in and out without any airs and was already familiar with everyone.
In addition, he was weak and quiet, and seemed to have no sense of existence. Zhao Wang Zhang Ao also told his subordinates that they must be respectful to the powerless Marquis Jiancheng and follow him as long as his request is not too outrageous.
The captain was unprepared for the sick relative from the bottom of his heart, and even looked down upon him for no reason, so he casually handed him a bow.
Lu Shizhi followed his brother Lu Ze to practice martial arts since he was a child. Later, he entered the Chu camp and was tortured to the point of near death. His body was weak and weak, but he still knew the difference between the advantages and disadvantages of weapons.
Under the suspicious eyes of everyone, he took a sharp breath, opened his arms and pulled hard. Although he could not fully draw the bow, he had made a preliminary judgment in his heart——
The arms of this bow have average elasticity, and the bowstring is not very flexible. It can be regarded as a qualified weapon, but not a good one.
However, although it is not in hand, it is still a high-quality bow and arrow commonly seen in the army, and it does not seem to be to the extent of being complained about again and again.
Could it be that the soldiers of the Zhao State used a magical bow that was a hundred times more powerful than it, and the comparison caused a lot of dissatisfaction?
He was distracted, so his movements were inevitably distorted. His breath suddenly became uneven, his arms went limp, and he coughed until his face turned red and his neck became thick.
“Ahem, cough, cough, this bow, cough, cough, is really not easy to use.
How is the Geng bow you just mentioned different from this bow? "
The guards secretly suppressed laughter and hurriedly helped Lu Shizhi sit down in the shade. They hurriedly poured him a glass of water before explaining in detail.
It turns out that everyone knows that there are a batch of old Geng bows in the arsenal. They look shabby, but they are extremely smooth and smooth. They have high accuracy, fast shooting speed and light weight. Every time they are used, they feel like they get twice the result with half the effort.
Someone who was interested went to check and discovered that these old bows were all made by craftsmen with the same surname, that is, the Jiang family living in Handan City.
"Lao Jiang's family has lived in Handan for generations, six or seven generations now.
His family's ancestral craftsmanship not only makes bows, but also crossbows.
According to legend, the ancestor of the Jiang family was valued by the heroic king of the generation, King Wuling of Zhao, and was appointed as an engineer, entrusted with the important task of making bows to fight against the Hu.
Later, General Li Mu also used his home-made bows and paired them with Hu horses to train ten thousand good archers and defeat the Xiongnu and Linhu tribes. "
"In that case, the Jiang family should have become famous outside the country. Why have we outsiders never heard of his family's name?"
"Alas, after years of war, the Zhao Kingdom declined and was destroyed. His family members died and ran away. It seems that only Lao Jiang is left, and he has become a useless person."
"how do I say this?"
"During the Qin Dynasty, Lao Jiang missed the corvee service due to illness and had one of his legs chopped off by the government. He was unable to move and was discouraged. He stopped making bows for many years.
At present, there are only a few dozen broken and old bows in the arsenal that can be used. "
Lu Shizhi felt pity in his heart. The Qin Dynasty adhered to the spirit of Legalism. In order to seek speedy governance and peace, they imposed harsh punishments. It was common to see people having their hands and feet cut off for minor crimes. Lao Jiang suffered such an unreasonable disaster. Helplessness under harsh laws.
From this, he realized more deeply that what the emperor, empress, and sober-minded ministers talked about every day as "light corvee, small tax, and rest with the people" really meant to ordinary people like Lao Jiang. What.
