knife

Chapter 381 Small talk
"Everyone says that it's bitterly cold outside the Great Wall, and that's true. Around October every year, it starts to snow, and the rivers freeze over. At this time, the rushing rivers become wide roads, and horse-drawn carriages can travel on them!" Li Dachui sat at the head of the table, with a boy and a girl sitting on his left and right, both staring wide-eyed as he eloquently described the scenery outside the Great Wall.

"Is that really true?" Jiang Ping asked, puzzled. "But I know that most of the battles outside the Great Wall happen at this time of year. How can they fight in this kind of weather?"

“Just like spring plowing in the interior, in spring, the mules and horses have survived the winter and are all thin and bony. It’s the season for them to fatten up and mate, so it’s naturally not a good time to fight. In summer, the weather is scorching hot, so marching and fighting is not a good idea either. In autumn, when the warhorses have all fattened up and are all strong and healthy, then the war will naturally begin,” Li Dachui explained.

"I've heard that the area outside the Great Wall is all cavalry?" Jiang Ping then asked, "Swift as the wind, highly mobile and agile?"

Before Li Dachui could answer, Han Zheng retorted, "Jiang Jiang, don't believe those rumors outside. Neither the Qin State's Beiting Protectorate nor the Yuan State lacks infantry, and they are heavy infantry at that. It's just that they are good at using cavalry in battle, so the outside world spreads these rumors. When the Yuan people fight against Beiting, they often have to attack cities and capture strongholds. How can they fight with only cavalry?"

Li Dachui gave Han Zheng an encouraging smile. Not bad, he dared to contradict the woman he admired to her face.

This is a positive first step; it's time to fully demonstrate your extensive knowledge and talents!
Jiang Ping rolled her eyes at Han Zheng, then looked at Li Dachui.

"Brother Han is right!" Li Dachui laughed. "For nearly a hundred years, the Beiting Protectorate has adopted a defensive policy towards the Yuan Dynasty, using military cities, fortresses, and villages as hubs to form a defensive depth of over a thousand miles in length and over a hundred miles in depth. Therefore, the Beiting Protectorate is actually mainly composed of infantry. Of course, although the Beiting Protectorate has few cavalry, their elite status is in no way inferior to the best cavalry units of the Yuan Dynasty."

"A thousand miles long and a hundred miles deep?" Han Zheng was somewhat surprised. "Such a large defense system, Linghu Ye is truly admirable!"

Li Dachui laughed heartily: "Young Master Han overestimates Commander Linghu. In fact, this defense system originated from the first Protector General Li Muye, and has been passed down from generation to generation, being reinforced every year, thus becoming larger and larger."

“I understand!” Jiang Ping said, “If the Yuan people dare to go deeper, they will get bogged down in these military cities and fortresses. Once they are tied down, the cavalry of the Beiting Protectorate can rush to their aid at the fastest speed. With the infantry and cavalry working together, they can wipe out the invading enemy!”

"Miss Jiang is indeed clever, just like that!" Li Dachui gave a thumbs up. "However, it's no longer necessary now. Beiyuan has split into three, and the threat to the area outside the pass has been reduced to a negligible level!"

"What if they team up again?" Jiang Ping asked curiously.

Han Zheng laughed and said, "Jiang Jiang, Li Dachui of Beiting has gone to great lengths to split Yuan Kingdom. He must still have a backup plan. He will definitely keep stirring up trouble and creating conflicts there. As long as they have the slightest intention to do so, Beiting will definitely cause some trouble. So, in my opinion, the hatred between the three princes of Beiyuan will only deepen and they will become weaker with each fight. In the end, they will definitely be swallowed up by Li Dachui!"

"You think you're so smart!" Jiang Ping turned and glared at Han Zheng.

Han Zheng shrank back, but under Li Dachui's encouraging gaze, he mustered his courage and said loudly, "That's definitely the case. And Jiang Jiang, this Li Dachui will definitely be our Great Chu's biggest enemy in the future. It's not a big deal that he split up Bei Yuan, but when he did that, he even schemed against Linghu Ye as well. That kind of cunning is terrifying."

"Is this your idea? This must be Prefect Han's idea!" Jiang Ping sneered.

Han Zheng was speechless. Indeed, Li Dachui's analysis was what his father had said.

Turning to look at Li Dachui, Jiang Ping said, "Let's not talk about these things anymore. Even if the sky falls, there are always tall people to hold it up! Li Bao, tell me about yourself. With your martial arts skills, you must be very famous outside the Great Wall. Why didn't you join the army and make a career for yourself?"

Is this a sign of things bottoming out?

The little girl looks innocent and naive, and when you try to get information out of her, she seems just as pure and innocent!

Li Dachui laughed, “In our area outside the Great Wall, you could say the whole nation is a soldier. Take my family, for example. Over a hundred families with the surname Li have formed a fortified village. The walls are no shorter than those in Luoyang, just not as thick. The fields are all around this village. When the Yuan people come, we retreat into the fortified village, light the beacon fires, and we're not afraid of small-scale Yuan attacks. Sometimes, several fortified villages can even wipe them out in one fell swoop. But if a large Yuan army comes, we have to run away to the nearby military city. All of our fortified villages have their own troops. If the Yuan people launch a large-scale invasion, we will bring our own troops to enlist.”

"If you were to become a real military officer, you should have a bright future, right? Why did you decide to come out and gain experience?"

"My family thinks I can make further progress in my martial arts cultivation!" Li Dachui said proudly. "I'm only twenty-seven years old this year. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow morning and have already advanced to the ninth rank of the Profound Origin Realm. The Innate Realm isn't out of the question either. If I step into the Innate Realm, my Li family will really prosper in the area outside the Great Wall. Isn't Tai'an City built up such a huge empire in just twenty years because their city lord is an Innate Realm expert?"

“That makes sense!” Jiang Ping nodded.

“Reading a thousand books is not enough to travel ten thousand miles. Staying at home is definitely not going to work, so you have to go out and travel all over the country to seek your own opportunities!” Li Bao said, “The Qin Kingdom is in chaos right now, with wars everywhere, it’s not peaceful. But the Chu Kingdom is peaceful, I can go there to find some masters of swordsmanship to exchange skills with.” “When we get to Danyang, I’ll find people for you!” Jiang Ping took it all on, “Not only the Five Tigers Severing Gate Swords, I also know many other masters of swordsmanship, people don’t usually see them! But if I find them for you, you’ll owe me a favor!”

"Of course!" Li Dachui exclaimed with delight, "But if we achieve something, we will surely be rewarded in the future!"

"You won't repay me if I don't achieve anything?" Jiang Ping retorted, "Anyway, I did the work. Whether you succeed or not is none of my business, but you owe me a favor in the future. If you can't repay it, hmph, I'll use you as a scapegoat!"

"I'll definitely report it! I'll definitely report it!"

Li Dachui could only nod repeatedly, "I never expected this woman to have such a unique way of thinking, but you can't find any logic in her reasoning."

"Let's not talk about fighting and killing anymore, let's talk about something fun! What's fun to do outside the Great Wall?"

"There's still a lot of fun to do!" Li Dachui said. "Especially Tai'an City, which is the most prosperous area outside the Great Wall! Right now, the ice city in Tai'an City is doing very well. This year, the Yuan Kingdom collapsed, and the Beiting economy is booming. Tai'an City will definitely earn more than in previous years!"

"Ice City?"

"They sculpt all sorts of animals and figures from ice, build castles from snow, decorate them with all kinds of colorful lights and lanterns, and then sell tickets for them. It's incredibly popular every year!" Li Dachui said longingly. "I've been there once. It's absolutely gorgeous, like being in a fairyland. One hundred coins a time, it's definitely worth it!"

"One hundred coins for a ticket, just to get into this ice city? So expensive?" Han Zheng was greatly surprised. One hundred coins for one person, ten people would be one string of cash. In Jiangnan, a pound of rice only costs three to five coins these days!
"Not expensive at all!" Li Dachui laughed loudly, "Just one ice show is enough for you to break even!"

"What is ice skating?" Jiang Ping asked.

"Women wearing specially made shoes dance and sing on the ice, looking like celestial beings descending to earth—it's breathtaking!"

"Singing and dancing is one thing, but why wear special shoes? Is there something wrong with these shoes?"

Li Dachui dipped his finger in tea and casually drew a pattern on the table, saying, "Look, this is what it looks like. These are shoes specially made for ice skating. We call them ice skates. When you wear them, you can go faster than a galloping horse and spin like a top. They're not only for dancing but also for racing. Dozens of people can wear them and compete on the ice. The winner gets a generous prize!"

"Really? Can I have a pair of shoes like this?" Jiang Ping's eyes widened.

"Of course, of course!" Han Zheng immediately agreed. "After we disembark, I'll have someone make you the best pair. Brother Li, what are the specific blueprints?"

"No problem, I'll draw it for you later. I'll also write down the method for making ice skates for you. These things aren't rare outside the Great Wall, everyone knows how to make them!"

"Thank you so much! I will definitely not let Brother Li's efforts go to waste!" Han Zheng was overjoyed.

"But Miss Jiang, even if you have a pair of ice skates like these, there's no ice surface in Danyang for you to dance or race on, is there?" Li Dachui asked curiously.

"You don't need to worry about that. As long as we have the shoes, we can always create ice!" Jiang Ping said with a smile. "I'm a little curious, if they really are faster than a galloping horse, what if many people wore them and launched a surprise attack along the river? Would that have unexpected effects?"

"Great idea!" Li Dachui laughed. "Some people have tried it, but they died horribly! It's just a gadget. It might work for small units to infiltrate, but its effectiveness is ultimately limited. So, outside the Great Wall, it's just something for everyone to have some fun with!"

"Large-scale warfare ultimately requires overwhelming force with a grand formation. The use of surprise attacks is usually a last resort. Those who take risks rarely succeed; they fail more often!" Han Zheng said. "However, once successful, they are remembered by history, which is why later generations believe that taking risks can have miraculous effects!"

Li Dachui gave a thumbs up: "Brother Han is an expert, his insights are spot on!"

(End of this chapter)