Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

After decades of inheritance, not only has there been no technological update or iteration, but it may even be inferior to the level of decades ago.

As a result, the size of the Western Xia crossbowmen became smaller and smaller.

Of the 30,000 to 50,000 troops under Li Liangzuo's command, perhaps not even 10% were crossbowmen.

One reason for this was that the powerful crossbows of the Western Xia were difficult to manufacture.

On the other hand, compared to crossbowmen, the Western Xia had a more powerful type of troop.

cavalry!

Crossbowmen are not unimportant, but they are not the most important.

Thus, limited resources were naturally prioritized for supplying the Western Xia cavalry.

Western Xia crossbows can be encountered occasionally, but they are relatively rare.

“It’s a replica of the Western Xia crossbow,” Zhong Shidao explained.

Wang Shao understood, crossed his arms, and watched with great interest.

The Western Xia did not cherish their powerful crossbows.

Little did they know that the Great Zhou Dynasty valued this crossbow highly and repeatedly considered imitating the Western Xia crossbow.

Unfortunately, the Western Xia crossbows almost never fell into the hands of the Great Zhou.

Decades have passed, and they still haven't been able to truly replicate it.

Did he imitate the Master Zhong's teachings?

Wang Shao couldn't help but look at Zhong E.

That old rascal, of all times, he had to pull it out now of all times.

This is an attempt to push the nephew onto Lord Jiang!

A military general, actually resorting to scheming.

"Give it a try."

Jiang Zhaoping said.

With that, he picked up his crossbow and walked toward the crossbow area of ​​the training ground.

The group quickly followed.

Upon entering the training ground, the target was three hundred paces away.

"I'll demonstrate for you, sir."

Zhong Shidao pulled out a crossbow bolt about a foot long.

With the bow and crossbow in hand, I stepped on the bowstring and pulled hard. With a "click," the string was securely fastened.

Wang Shao glanced at it and nodded.

This method of loading crossbow bolts is very similar to that of a ballista.

A typical single-person crossbow can be pulled out with a simple pull of the lever.

A ballista is loaded with bolts by several people working together.

The crossbow bolts presented by Zhong Shidao were pressed into the crossbow by foot, which was somewhere in between.

Three hundred steps, that's quite possible.

The crossbow was loaded and aimed at the target three hundred paces away.

The trigger shot!

"clatter!"

A sharp whistling sound, the arrow flew like a shooting star.

Three hundred paces away, the target wood exploded with a bang, shattering into pieces and sending debris flying everywhere.

"it is good!"

"Okay!"

Jiang Zhao clapped his hands and smiled, his face showing approval.

"Can this crossbow be mass-produced?"

“Agreed.” Zhong Shidao was greatly encouraged by the praise of the renowned young Grand Secretary.

"Where did you get this crossbow?" Jiang Zhao asked again.

“Last year, a small group of Western Xia invaded, and I accompanied my uncle to defend against them. We captured one person, a minor chieftain of the Tangut tribe. Seeking protection, he offered us the method for making some of the mechanisms of the Western Xia crossbow.”

"Based on a small portion of the Western Xia crossbow manufacturing method, I refined it bit by bit and finally produced three versions of the crossbow."

"This is the best one."

As he spoke, Zhong Shidao took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket, which contained the final version of the crossbow.

"This crossbow was first invented in the Great Zhou Dynasty. I hope Your Excellency will bestow a name upon it."

Jiang Zhao nodded in satisfaction and couldn't help but look at the boy.

His demeanor was composed and measured, showing the beginnings of a "strategic prime minister".

After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Zhao slowly said, "Having such a fine crossbow is truly a blessing for the nation. I remember there was a cavalryman in Western Xia named Iron Hawk; let's call this crossbow the Hawk-Breaking Crossbow!"

"Thank you for bestowing this name upon me, Your Excellency." Zhong Shidao quickly bowed.

Jiang Zhao became more and more satisfied the more he looked at it.

"Presenting the crossbow that breaks the hawk is truly a great achievement."

"What reward do you want?" Jiang Zhao asked.

Zhong Shidao hesitated for a moment, then tentatively said, "I have long admired you, sir. I wonder if I could stand by your side and learn some skills from you?"

As soon as he spoke, Zhong E, who was standing nearby, kept a close eye on his superior's expression.

If anything seemed amiss, he would interrupt his nephew's request by saying, "The child doesn't know any better."

If nothing seems amiss, then let nature take its course.

Standing on either side?

To put it bluntly, it's like being a "half" apprentice.

It's not formal apprenticeship, but rather a "half" apprenticeship.

With civil officials holding high positions, it was natural that some military generals sought recognition from them.

Therefore, some military generals naturally chose to take the path of "semi-apprenticeship," that is, to learn from scholars as a disciple, but without the title of disciple.

More recently, Fan Zhongyan, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, had a military general who sought to learn from him as his disciple.

Jiang Zhao couldn't help but ponder.

The Grand Marshal was indeed a first-rate talent.

“Okay.” Jiang Zhao nodded.

Zhong Shidao was overjoyed and immediately bowed, saying, "Zhong Shidao greets you, sir."

Compared to military generals who "partially" became disciples of Fan Zhongyan in order to gain his approval, the benefits of him "partially" becoming a disciple of the Junior Grand Secretary went far beyond that.

Firstly, the young Grand Secretary is truly capable and can teach him.

It's called a "half" apprenticeship, but in reality, it's no different from a full apprenticeship.

Secondly, the young Grand Secretary was truly capable of supporting military generals; Wang Shao and Gu Tingye are typical examples.

The commander-type scholar was destined to lead large-scale wars primarily under the leadership of the Grand Secretary.

In this way, it would be incredibly easy for the young Grand Secretary to promote a military general.

Jiang Zhao smiled and helped the person up.

"From now on, you'll follow me."

"How much real knowledge you can learn depends entirely on your comprehension," Jiang Zhao said slowly.

Zhong Shidao nodded quickly.

"Have people mass-produce this broken crossbow."

Jiang Zhao handed the crossbow to Zhong E and instructed, "The Western Xia are mainly cavalry, so they don't need strong crossbows for individual soldiers. Little do they know, this is very suitable for the Great Zhou army. If it's feasible, we should simply set aside 10,000 men as crossbowmen."

"Yes." Zhong E nodded solemnly.

"Let's train the troops."

Jiang Zhao instructed, "Practice some more; it's time to meet Li Liangzuo."

"At that time, we will head north along Hezhou and force them to Lezhou."

"As for whether we can expand our territory, we'll have to rely on the crossbowmen."

We cannot kill the Western Xia.

Once the Western Xia is defeated, the tripartite balance of power will be broken, and the Great Zhou will have to face the Liao Dynasty directly.

However, not being able to kill them doesn't mean they can't cripple them or annex some of the Western Xia's territory.

Wang Shao nodded.

Whether it's a mule or a horse, we'll have to put it to the test eventually!

Chapter 193 The Battle for Bianjing!

Bianjing, Wende Hall.

The sandalwood incense wafted gently, and the candlelight flickered brightly.

Civil and military officials stood in orderly rows.

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying sat upright with his feet at his sides, and said calmly:

"All internal and external departments shall submit reports on matters that need to be reported."

Having been on the throne for half a year, Zhao Ceying has gradually accumulated power and his voice has become increasingly strong.

On the left, a person holding a scepter walks out steadily.

Zhao Ceying's expression darkened slightly, and his gaze naturally shifted downwards.

Lu Gongzhu bowed and slowly began to speak: "Your Majesty, recently, the King of Western Xia, Li Liangzuo, personally led an expedition to invade the border. Fortunately, Jiang Zhao, the Minister of Rites, who also holds the position of Minister of War, has raised troops to fight the war and is in charge of the military and political affairs of the Xihe and Shaanxi routes."

However, the combined 300,000 troops stationed in Xihe and Shaanxi were under Jiang Zhao's control, who held both military command and the power to appoint and dismiss generals, concentrating both military and political power in his own hands. The border regions were vast, and his reach was limited.

Your subject believes that capable individuals should be sent to the border to alleviate the burden of commanding troops. Therefore, I intend to recommend virtuous and capable individuals to contribute to the court's defense of the western frontier.

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying's face darkened.

Adding generals at the last minute?

Under the guise of sharing the burden, it was actually a way to divide up military power.

This move will not only demoralize the soldiers, but also add pressure to the commander.

It does a hundred harms and no benefits.

Zhao Ceying said calmly, "No need."

"Jiang Qing is loyal and brave, and a skilled commander. There is no need to add generals at the last minute."

"Your Majesty's kindness is deeply appreciated by me, but the defense of the border is a serious matter, and I must be cautious."

Lu Gongzhu said in a deep voice, "The establishment of a branch headquarters is imperative."

"I recommend three people."

Lü Gongzhu said loudly:

"Firstly, the emperor's brother-in-law, Cao Yi. He currently holds the position of Minister of Works and has long served in the court. He can be appointed as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief to assist in the military affairs of Xihe."

"Secondly, the emperor's brother-in-law, Gao Zunyu. He is currently the deputy commander of Yuzhou and is familiar with the terrain of the border region. He can be promoted to the military commander of Shaanxi Road and serve as an advisor on military affairs."

"Thirdly, there is Shen Congxing, a relative by marriage of the Prince of Shu. He is currently the patrol inspector of Yuzhou. He is exceptionally brave and can be appointed as the commander of the vanguard army, in charge of supervising military discipline."