What's wrong with me, a powerful minister, supporting a few female officials?

Chapter 289 Who says I don't know how to train troops?
Zhong Yin looked at the triumphant empress, who was about to summon all nations to pay tribute, and could only remain silent.

Is it too much of an honor to have Su Mo alone command the homage of all nations?

But he couldn't very well say that the Empress's grand goal was unrealistic!

Political correctness is true in every era.

To be honest, Zhong Yin opposed the Empress's decision to appoint Su Mo as her imperial tutor, though not as strongly as Wang Hao and Xiao Yuan.

In his view, Su Mo had a knack for making a living and also had special skills in the research and development of military equipment.

Zhong Yin would accept any offer from Su Mo, such as working in the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, or even being promoted to a fifth-rank official position.

After all, in terms of rank, Su Mo, as a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was a proper sixth-rank official of the imperial court.

But Zhong Yin simply couldn't accept making this young, unripe boy, who hadn't even reached adulthood yet, the emperor's tutor!
The position of Imperial Tutor cannot be held by anyone who is not of high moral character, great prestige, and profound knowledge.

What merit or ability does Su Mo possess? He only relies on a little cleverness to gain the Empress's favor and thus become the Imperial Tutor!
More importantly, even as the Minister of War, he had never presided over a lecture to the Empress or given a lecture on the classics; he didn't even have the title of Imperial Tutor!
The Empress made a grand vow, and seeing that even Zhong Yin, the number one critic, remained silent, she was in a good mood. With a smile, she waved her hand and said, "Let's go!"

"Go and see my new army!"

The Empress was the first to leave the military camp.

Princess Baicheng naturally followed immediately.

Zhong Yin glanced at Su Mo with a complicated expression, but didn't say anything, and followed after him.

Liu Siyun hesitated for a moment: "My lord, shall I... shall I not go?"

Su Mo smiled and said, "Go! Why wouldn't I go!"

"It's good to get to know military matters beforehand."

He thought for a moment and then said, "From now on, you will also be responsible for all logistics for the troops on Lone Peak Mountain. If you are completely ignorant, you will be easily fooled."

In Su Mo's mind, Liu Siyun was positioned as a logistics manager, housekeeper, and accountant.

From now on, all expenses for the troops at Gufeng Mountain will have to go through Liu Siyun's hands. It wouldn't do for her to be completely ignorant of military affairs.

On another note, Su Mo was also very curious about the training methods of this era.

I also want to know how Princess Baicheng, a renowned general and pillar of the state who has fought countless battles and whose fame resounds throughout the Great Wu, trains her troops.

How does her method of training soldiers differ from what I remember and what is described in the militia training manual?

Su Mo's limited knowledge of ancient military affairs came only from TV dramas or novels.

However, these things are basically embellished, or even fabricated, and are definitely very different from reality.

Without investigation, one has no right to speak. Su Mo definitely needs to observe it personally so that the soldiers of Lone Peak Mountain can learn something from it in the future.

The group arrived at the reviewing stand.

Princess Baicheng ordered the drum to be sounded and a large incense stick to be lit.

As the deep drumbeats sounded, they echoed throughout the military camp.

Before long, countless soldiers emerged quickly from their tents and, led by veterans and squad leaders, formed a small squad and jogged toward the command platform.

After a good half hour, Su Mo began to feel impatient.

The new army of 10,000 soldiers had just assembled.

A lieutenant stepped forward with a serious expression: "Reporting, General! Ten thousand troops have been assembled!"

Looking down at the command platform, the 10,000 soldiers looked chaotic, their ranks twisted and crooked, some even undressed and their armor in disarray, while others whispered and discussed amongst themselves.

Su Mo was both amused and exasperated.

Is this the level of military training of the famous generals of Dawu?

How come this is completely different from the army I remember?

The soldiers I see at the military parade are not like that.

They are a straight line whether viewed horizontally or vertically. The key is that they are full of energy and have a strong fighting spirit.

In contrast, these 10,000 new soldiers looked disorganized and ineffective...

Su Mo was too lazy to even complain.

Can such an army be combat-effective?

In any case, when I train the troops of Lone Peak Mountain in the future, I absolutely cannot do it like this.

It took nearly two hours just to gather the troops. If the enemy were to attack suddenly, they would be doomed.

Su Mo had expected the Empress to be furious.

It took 40,000 taels of silver to develop this thing; how much of the military funds must have been embezzled?

To everyone's surprise, the Empress seemed to show no anger whatsoever, and neither did Zhong Yin, the Minister of War.

Su Mo couldn't help but sigh inwardly, the Empress was becoming more and more composed, able to keep her emotions hidden.

However, the more this is the case, the more terrifying the anger that will erupt later will be.

Su Mo had already started to ponder this in secret.

Should we plead for Princess Baicheng later?
After all, Princess Baicheng had treated him quite well; she even came to support him in court yesterday.

To deal with powerful clans like the Wang family, we still need this henchman!
The Empress finally spoke, turning to look at Zhong Yin: "Minister Zhong, how long will it take to assemble the troops?"

Zhong Yin looked at the large incense stick, which was already mostly burned.

"It takes an hour for the incense to burn out completely, and only a little over half of it has passed now."

The Empress nodded and smiled, "I didn't expect that ten thousand soldiers would be assembled in less than an hour."

She glanced at the ten thousand soldiers below the command platform, then turned to Princess Baicheng: "General Leng's methods of training troops are indeed remarkable."

He paused, then sighed, "In just two months, the new army has been trained to such a high level. I am very pleased and should reward them!"

Upon hearing this, Su Mo was immediately dumbfounded.

Princess Baicheng was about to speak when she noticed Su Mo's strange expression, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Lord Su, what do you think of my soldiers' training?"

Su Mo was taken aback, not expecting that Princess Baicheng would suddenly ask for his opinion.

The Empress, standing to the side, also laughed and said, "That's right!"

"Minister Su is well-versed in military strategy and tactics, and since the military expenses need to be provided by Minister Su, we should indeed ask for Minister Su's opinion."

Zhong Yin frowned: "Does Su Mo also understand the art of war?"

The Empress smiled and said, "Minister, you may not know this, but Su Mo's knowledge is vast and diverse, and he is familiar with everything, including the art of war."

Zhong Yin couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

I initially thought this was the Empress deliberately praising Su Mo.

Unexpectedly, the next second, Princess Baicheng also said with a serious expression: "Master Su's art of war has reached its zenith, and I, this general, admit that I am inferior to him!"

Zhong Yin stared in disbelief at Princess Baicheng: "Princess, are you joking with me?"

"Has Su Mo already mastered the art of war?"

He knew that Su Mo was skilled in poetry, knowledgeable in military equipment development, and adept at making a living.

However, military strategy cannot be learned by simply discussing it on paper; it requires the accumulation of experience.

Where did Su Mo get this experience from!
Besides, people have limited energy.

Even if Su Mo had been learning these three subjects since he was in the womb, it would have been enough for him to study for decades. How could he possibly have the energy to study the art of war?

But Princess Baicheng was never one to joke; she was as calm and collected as an eighty-year-old man.

She even said that Su Mo understood military strategy, which indeed made Zhong Yin suspicious and puzzled.

As expected, Princess Baicheng turned her gaze to Zhong Yin, her expression extremely serious: "This general never jokes!"

She gave Su Mo a deep look and emphasized, "Su County Magistrate, what do you think of my soldiers?"

Su Mo quickly put away her strange expression and nodded emphatically: "Not bad!"

Princess Baicheng's expression changed slightly: "Not bad?"

Su Mo's heart skipped a beat.

Did I say something wrong again?

He glanced at the Empress and saw that her brows were slightly furrowed. He hurriedly said, "Your Highness has trained the troops to such a level in just two months. I am truly impressed!"

The Empress suddenly laughed: "Su Qing, General Leng didn't ask you to praise her military training skills."

"She wants to know, in your opinion, is there any room for improvement?"

Princess Baicheng solemnly replied, "Your Majesty is absolutely right."

"I humbly request your guidance, Master Su!"

Su Mo felt a pang of bitterness.

Princess Baicheng had no objection to the Empress's praise, but when she praised the Empress in the same way, Princess Baicheng stopped believing her...

Isn't this clearly bullying?
It seems I can't get away with this if I don't say something.

He thought for a moment and then said, "In my opinion, the princess's soldiers are indeed well trained."

The Empress and Princess Baicheng were about to speak.

Su Mo pondered the words and said, "However, the assembly speed is a bit slow, and the formation is slightly inadequate. Hmm... there is room for improvement in military discipline, as there are too many soldiers whispering among themselves."

The Empress and Princess Baicheng looked at each other in bewilderment.

Unexpectedly, Su Mo raised so many questions at once, showing absolutely no respect for the Grand General!
Princess Baicheng pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "A gathering time of nearly an hour is indeed a bit long."

A cold glint flashed in her eyes: "Then, County Magistrate Su, what do you think is the appropriate time for the assembly?"

Su Mo remembered that in later generations, the army seemed to wake up at six o'clock by blowing a bugle, and then assemble on time half an hour later.

Soldiers of ancient times cannot be judged by the standards of later generations.

Doubling it would be reasonable.

Therefore, Su Mo smiled and said, "We should be able to assemble within half an hour."

Princess Baicheng narrowed her eyes, her expression quite strange: "Half an hour? Ten thousand soldiers?"

Su Mo nodded: "With more training, it should be possible to do it in half an hour."

He paused, then recklessly added, "The shorter the assembly time, the stronger the army's execution capability, especially in the event of an ambush, allowing for a rapid response and leaving little opportunity for the enemy." Hearing this, Zhong Yin finally couldn't hold back any longer and let out a heavy snort: "Utter nonsense!"

He was a well-known critic, or in modern terms, a contrarian, and he especially thought Su Mo's words were completely wrong.

Zhong Yin glared at Su Mo and snorted, "I have been involved in military affairs for decades and have never heard of a force of more than 10,000 men being able to assemble in half an hour!"

Zhong Yin is a contrarian.

Su Mo happened to be the same!
He laughed and said, "Just because the Minister hasn't seen you doesn't mean you don't exist!"

"If they can't assemble in half an hour, can they be called elite troops?"

Zhong Yin sneered: "So you think I, the Minister, am ignorant and ill-informed?"

"Then, kid, can you give me an example? Throughout history, has there ever been a force of ten thousand men that could assemble within an hour?"

A true master troll is a master troll; their words are precise and they don't give Su Mo any chance to find a loophole!

Su Mo subconsciously opened her mouth to refute him, but the words stopped abruptly at the last minute.

Damn it!

Where did you find these examples?
We can't exactly bring out the world's most recognized army from later generations!

In the end, he could only snort and turn his face away, refusing to look at the old man.

He secretly thought to himself that once the troops of Gufeng Mountain were trained, he would definitely summon the Minister of War to broaden his horizons!
The Empress also felt that Su Mo's words were too outrageous, and was about to speak up to smooth things over and give Su Mo a way out.

Seeing that Su Mo remained silent and could find no opponent, Zhong Yin became smug. He sneered with a dark face, "In the future, refrain from making pronouncements on matters you don't understand, especially important military and national affairs like this!"

"To be able to assemble within an hour already qualifies them as an elite force!"

"Princess Leng has trained the new recruits to such a level in just two months; it is a rare feat in the world!"

Zhong Yin paused, stroked his beard, and then sneered, "Now that you are His Majesty's teacher, you must be even more careful with your words and actions. Every word you utter must be carefully considered, lest you become a laughingstock. Otherwise, you will not only lose face, but also His Majesty's!"

Upon hearing this, Su Mo's face instantly darkened!
Although he knew that Zhong Yin was admonishing him out of good intentions.

But those words are infuriating!
Su Mo took a deep breath!

Respecting the elderly and caring for the young are traditional Chinese virtues! I will endure it!

Princess Baicheng looked away suspiciously when she saw that Su Mo had stopped arguing with Zhong Yin.

The Empress smiled and said, "Minister Su is just young and lacks military experience!"

"I believe that as long as Minister Su gains some experience, he will surely achieve great things in military affairs in the future!"

As she spoke, she turned her gaze to Princess Baicheng: "General Leng said that the new army has already practiced battle formations. Could you demonstrate them to me?"

Princess Baicheng had actually made preparations long ago; the Empress would come to inspect the military camp, after all, the new army had cost too much money.

He nodded solemnly and gave a few instructions to his deputy.

Then the horns were sounded and the war drums were beaten.

Under the command of the flag bearers, the troops dispersed and it took another quarter of an hour for the 10,000 soldiers to finally form their battle formation.

Su Mo really held back from saying anything this time.

Setting up a battle formation takes this long; I don't even know how to complain about it.

This battle formation, in particular, is the simplest one: the central army is the main force, with guards on both flanks, and then a cavalry force of five hundred men provides support from the rear.

However, what caught Su Mo's eye was the three thousand archers in the central army!
They were all wielding divine bows!
As one crossbow after another was pushed out of the battle formation under the protection of armored veterans, the morale of the entire army suddenly rose, revealing a chilling aura!

Su Mo's eyelids twitched!
Good heavens, more than eighty crossbows of eight oxen each!

The Empress truly spared no expense.

It seems that only about twenty Eight-Ox Crossbows were given to the Empress over Lonely Peak Mountain.

Clearly, the remaining eight crossbows were manufactured by other artisan battalions.

Even the Empress knew the principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket!

As the saying goes, with ten thousand men and horses, there is no end in sight!
The sight of these 10,000 soldiers spread out was indeed quite magnificent.

Hundreds of paces in front of the army formation, the troops' logistics support personnel quickly erected wooden stakes.

The very first row of wooden stakes was even covered with iron armor!

As the command flag was waved.

The commander-in-chief pointed his central banner forward, and the entire army instantly sprang into action.

Although most of them were new recruits, Leng Li dispersed five hundred veterans into the army formation. Under the leadership of the veterans, the entire army moved forward in an orderly manner!
Furthermore, cavalrymen constantly moved through the battle formation. If any small unit became disorderly, a cavalryman would immediately rush over, whip in hand, and shout to maintain the integrity of the army formation.

Approaching within two hundred paces of the wooden stake, the war drums changed their frequency, and the army halted its advance. Under the supervision of the cavalry, the army's formation was briefly disrupted before it reorganized.

Su Mo didn't know what the war drums and command flags represented.

Before long, crossbows of eight oxen were used to attack the wooden stakes.

The enormous spear roared out.

Its power was so great that it instantly knocked down several wooden stakes.

Even the spears that missed their mark were still shot several hundred paces away, demonstrating their astonishing power.

Zhong Yin, the Minister of War, suddenly changed his expression and stared intently at the Eight-Ox Crossbow!
Of course he knew what this meant.

If the enemy cavalry were to charge the Eight-Ox Crossbow Formation, this single volley of fire could likely take the lives of Kamijou's hundred cavalrymen!

With a wave of the command flag, the Eight-Ox Crossbowmen quickly nocked their crossbows and fired three volleys in quick succession!

Of the three or four thousand wooden stakes, more than one-fifth have fallen!
Zhong Yin's face turned slightly pale!

He subconsciously turned his head to look at Su Mo.

Such terrifying weaponry was made by this blond-haired kid.

Despite his ruthless reprimands of Su Mo, it was actually out of deep concern for her.

Strict teachers produce outstanding students!
In Zhong Yin's view, it is only natural for elders to scold and discipline younger generations, and there is no need to consider saving face for the younger generation!
On the contrary, the stricter the better!
But when Zhong Yin looked at him, he noticed that Su Mo's brows were furrowed, and he didn't know what Su Mo was thinking.

As the drumbeats changed, Zhong Yin quickly turned his gaze back and stared intently at the Divine Arm Bow Division in the center of the army!
Once a major battle begins, the battlefield becomes incredibly chaotic, making micro-management virtually impossible. Success relies more on pre-arranged battle plans.

However, battlefield information is constantly changing, and necessary command is still required.

For example, the flag of the central army, or the gong and war drum!
These drums and horns are the command for the archers to launch their attack!

Sure enough, the archers quickly stepped forward, raised their crossbows, and launched a flurry of attacks on the wooden stakes!
Three thousand divine bows unleashed a rain of arrows, which rained down on the wooden stakes.

In the blink of an eye, countless armor-piercing arrows were deeply embedded in the wooden stake!
Even the ironclad wooden stakes in front could not withstand the power of the Divine Arm Bow!
Zhong Yin took another deep breath.

He subconsciously looked at Su Mo again.

To their surprise, Su Mo's brows furrowed even more deeply.

Princess Baicheng also looked at Su Mo, and was immediately taken aback when she saw Su Mo's expression.

The Divine Arm Bow was invented by Su Mo, and now a volley of fire is incredibly powerful. Why is Su Mo frowning?

Could there be some problem?
Princess Baicheng narrowed her eyes slightly and suddenly said, "Prince Su, do you think there's anything that can be improved in the Divine Arm Bow division?"

Su Mo only came to his senses when he heard Princess Baicheng ask a question.

Having been bluntly rebuffed by Zhong Yin when he had pointed out a problem earlier, he naturally refrained from offering any opinions this time. Instead, he immediately smiled and said, "Your Highness is a seasoned general with exceptional military skills. The Divine Arm Bow Division is naturally no problem!"

Princess Baicheng pondered for a moment, then said calmly, "If Su Xianzi can point out the shortcomings of the Divine Arm Bow, this general can grant Su Xianzi three reasonable requests!"

Su Mo was immediately stunned and looked at Princess Baicheng in surprise.

The Empress smiled gently: "Minister Su, General Leng doesn't make promises lightly!"

"If Su Qing truly knows the shortcomings of the Divine Arm Bow Division, why not speak frankly?"

After a pause, the Empress smiled and said, "However, in my opinion, General Leng's three requests will not be easy to obtain."

"This Divine Arm Bow is already quite formidable. If it is combined with the flat-box cart that Su Qing mentioned, even if cavalry attacks, they will surely not return alive!"

Su Mo hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked, "May I ask, Princess, do your archers all shoot at targets like this?"

Upon hearing this, the Empress and the others were all taken aback.

Zhong Yin couldn't help but sneer, "If you're not shooting at the target, are you shooting at your own people?"

Although Zhong Yin's words were sarcastic and could infuriate Su Mo, they also revealed a lot of information.

God knows why the tactics in this world are so backward; they don't even know how to use a bow and arrow!

This tactic existed as early as the pre-Qin period, right?
Even after two or three thousand years, people continue to use it, especially the British longbowmen, who brought this tactic to its limit!
Su Mo took a deep breath and slowly said, "Why doesn't the princess have the archers fire upwards at a 45-degree angle?"

Princess Baicheng was slightly taken aback upon hearing this: "What does 'firing upwards at a 45-degree angle' mean?"

Su Mo made a launching gesture and laughed, "Like this, point diagonally to the sky and shoot the arrow upwards!"

Princess Baicheng was dumbfounded!

Why shoot arrows at the sky instead of the enemy?

What kind of truth is this?

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yin was about to speak when the Empress suddenly said in a deep voice, "General Leng, do as Su Qing says!"

Princess Baicheng hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

However, this method of launching was truly strange, as the army did not have such flags and drums.

In the end, they could only summon the deputy general in charge of the drills and give him the orders.

The deputy general then sent someone to inform the commanders of the Divine Arm Bow Division.

This wasted seven or eight minutes in total.

The three thousand archers finally raised their crossbows in unison, pointing them at a forty-five-degree angle to the sky!

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd.

Three thousand armor-piercing arrows shot out with a whooshing sound!

Then, without a doubt, it flew over the wooden stakes without hitting the target.

Zhong Yin sneered and was about to speak when his expression suddenly changed. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the area behind the wooden stake!

Su Mo became smug and looked at the Empress, only to see that Princess Baicheng and the Empress had just shown expressions of not knowing whether to laugh or cry!

　I originally intended to leave you in suspense and introduce a plot twist in the next chapter, but many readers have questioned this, so perhaps I'll release another chapter tonight? Actually, I already hinted at the mystery earlier, explaining why the people here didn't know how to launch projectiles.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)