“When I was young and healthy, I used to practice archery and I was very fond of good bows and swords.
I wonder if those old bows and arrows in the arsenal can take me to broaden my horizons? "
Lu Shizhi paused for a moment and asked casually.
"Why not? It's just that the arsenal is full of dust. I'm afraid you won't be able to stay any longer and will come out soon."
The captain smiled casually and asked a guard to lead Lu Shizhi to the arsenal located on the west side of the palace city and say hello to the arsenal order in charge of the arsenal.
The arsenal of the Zhao Palace is also the central arsenal of the Zhao State, and it is where the "forbidden troops" are stored for the capital Handan.
This is a grand building that continues the rules of the Warring States Period. It is built high with rammed earth walls, which are several feet thick. There are guards patrolling and guarding all around. It can be said that it is heavily guarded and there is no leakage.
Such cautious precautions are also derived from hundreds of years of experience and lessons.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were constant disputes among various countries. Whenever there was internal strife among princes or an uprising among the countrymen, the local arsenal would always be the primary target to obtain ordnance in order to succeed.
If you really can't attack the arsenal, you can set a fire and burn it, which can be regarded as destroying the enemy's arsenal.
This move was systematically summarized by various schools of pre-Qin Dynasty and written into the art of war. In the twelfth chapter of "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, "Fire Attack", the objects of fire attack were divided into five categories, in order:
One is the fireman, which means burning the enemy's men and horses;
The second is fire accumulation, which means burning the enemy's food and grass accumulation;
The third is fire baggage, which means burning the enemy's baggage;
The fourth is the arsenal, that is, the warehouse where the enemy is burned. The first thing to be burned is the arsenal;
The fifth day of the fire brigade is to burn the enemy's transportation facilities.
Therefore, the Zhao Palace, which was built in the old Zhao Kingdom, paid special attention to fire prevention. The outer wall of the arsenal, which is several times thicker than other city walls, plays an excellent fire isolation function.
After a briefing, Shifu led several Kuzuo and invited Lu Shizhi into Zhao's most important arsenal.
In the huge warehouse, there were countless towering wooden racks lined up in rows. He looked up and saw bundles of complete crossbows stacked on top of them, as well as crossbow strings, arrows, and arrows neatly organized into categories. Clusters and protective gear.
Lu Shizhi was greatly shocked, but his expression did not change. He just counted silently in his mind. Looking at the bows and crossbows alone, a rough calculation showed that there were at least one hundred thousand in the warehouse that he could see.
In addition to bows and crossbows, there are countless iron weapons.
Zhao State has very rich iron ore resources. Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Handan has been one of the most prestigious iron smelting centers in the north.
Historically, there were "Iron Kings" such as the extremely wealthy Guo Zong in the Zhao State, who single-handedly took over the entire process from the mining of iron ore to the smelting and forging of iron tools.
Therefore, in addition to bows and crossbows, the most abundant items in the arsenal of the Zhao Palace are all kinds of iron weapons, such as long knives, armor, armor, iron stock, iron cutting, copper arrowheads with iron rods, etc., which is secretly shocking. .
The guard and Ku Zuo were busy chatting, and he pointed out to Lu Shi, and he found the legendary Jiang's bow and some other good things from the dusty old wooden shelf in the corner.
***
In the North Palace of Luoyang, Lu Pheasant fell into deep thought after reading the secret letter from Lu Shizhi.
In the letter, the second brother reported a piece of bad news and a piece of good news to her.
The bad news is that the veterans and arrogant generals of Zhao are really unruly and unruly. They only know that there is a King of Zhao but not an emperor. If things go on like this, the tail will not fall off and it will lead to catastrophe sooner or later.
Regarding this, neither she, who is familiar with the trend of history, nor Lu Shizhi, Zhang Cang and others who are good at assessing the situation are not surprised.
Lu Shizhi wrote worriedly that Zhang Ao had recently ascended the throne and was still in his early stages. Although he was ambitious, he was timid and could barely suppress him with kindness and power;
As for how long it can be suppressed, no one can say for sure, it is tantamount to a big gamble.
Moreover, for the Zhao monarchs and ministers, they may not want to be the first, but they do not mind adding fuel to the flames. Therefore, they must not be allowed to form allies with other princes and kings with evil intentions.
But the good news he brought was far beyond Lu Pheasant's expectations.
"In the city of Handan, I visited a skilled craftsman named Jiang who was good at making crossbows. His ancestor once offered a powerful bow to King Wuling of Zhao, and paired it with a cluster of three-edged arrows to defeat the Hu cavalry.
There is also a crossbow that can shoot six hundred steps.
I also found a long iron sword, which is rare in the world. It is said that it can kill horses in front of the battle. "
Unexpectedly, there are so many talented people in Zhao country, and the weapon reform that she had been so painstakingly planning to promote, among the myriad of things, she actually found the starting point in Zhao's arsenal.
It seems that Zhao State is a treasure in terms of terrain, resources, and wealth. No matter what, it must not fall into the hands of dissidents.
What is different from others is that the current knowledgeable people only suspect that Zhao Wang Zhang Ao will rebel, but Lu Pheasant knows exactly when and how Zhang Ao, his son-in-law, will rebel.
Moreover, in history, when Zhang Ao was demoted to the title of Marquis of Xuanping due to rebellion, his successor in the Zhao Kingdom was Qi Ji's son, Liu Ruyi.
This is something she will never allow to happen in this life.
Only when she saw that Zhao land was officially brought under the direct jurisdiction of the central court and completely in her own hands could she feel at ease.
***
Thousands of miles away, the northwest border counties also received constant news.
Since Liu Fei followed Zhang Liang to Didao County, the seat of Longxi County, he followed him every day, and he never left his side to learn from him.
After observing this for a period of time, he couldn't bear it anymore, so he secretly sent Liu Ji his first secret report. It seemed to state the situation, but in fact he accused Taifu Zhang of being lazy and derelict in his duties.
The newspaper said that when Taifu arrived in Longxi, he was very excited. After eating and sleeping, he took a squeaky old car and visited the surrounding main horse pastures in full swing.
In various animal husbandry gardens, he was not very interested in mature horses. He only focused on the foals that were just born this spring and carefully selected by the supervisors. He only nodded slightly, but did not comment, which made everyone in the animal husbandry garden confused. water.
After that, he stopped going to the ranch. Every day, he still took the old car and took turns going to the homes of civilians and military households on the border to chat, visit and drink. He was not doing his job at all.
Liu Ji, who was imprisoned in the palace, looked at the details and threw them to Xiao He. He frowned slightly and said, "I hate the iron."
"This kid Liu Fei is short-sighted, and you will know once you try it, he is still far from good."
Xiao He took it and quickly scanned it ten lines at a time, feeling clear in his heart.
He understood the principle of estrangement and the role of Liu Fei in going to Longxi. Therefore, his duty was to intercede for Liu Fei as usual.
“It is common for young people to be eager to achieve success because they are very energetic and want to make achievements.
But this desire to serve the country is truly commendable, so your Majesty may be more tolerant.
Let’s wait for news about Zifang himself. "
"Okay, Liang Zifang's memorial should arrive in the next few days."
Liu Ji nodded and looked at Xiao He with stern eyes.
"You've lost weight because of your busy schedule...are you almost ready?"
In recent days, Xiao He has been working all night long. His eyes are all black and blue, and the corners of his mouth are blistered and cracked. He looks like he is overworked. Hearing the emperor's concern for him, he hurriedly said,
"That's almost it. Military supplies, grain and grass supplies along the way are all ready, and all the counties in the area are also deployed.
Fortunately, this road is our own territory, so it is convenient to coordinate. "
Liu Ji slowly grinded his teeth, his eyes filled with bottomless blackness.
“It’s not that I didn’t give him a chance, it’s all up to him which way he wants to go.
If he doesn't move, I won't move.
If he insists on provocation, God will not take it, and he will be punished. I have no choice but to take advantage of the situation and kill him as a warning to others. "
After saying that, he glanced at Chen Ping again.
"Any new news from you?"
