The Frontier Prince: Starting From Scratch - Chapter 38 - The Armory Office

“What!”

Zhao Xu and Chang Wei were taken aback.

The two of them rushed to the entrance of the Prince’s Mansion, only to find a soldier covered in blood hanging upside down from his horse. His body lay on the ground while his foot was still caught in the stirrup.

“Quick, fetch a doctor,” Chang Wei immediately ordered as he helped the soldier down.

An arrow had pierced through the soldier’s left shoulder, with the shaft broken but the arrowhead still embedded. The soldier’s breath was faint, but upon recognizing Prince Yan before him, he gasped, “The Beidi reconnaissance force… over two hundred strong… they massacred an entire village in Wu’an County… cough, cough…”

At this point, the soldier began to cough violently.

“So it’s the reconnaissance force. I understand. You should rest now,” Zhao Xu said to the soldier, instructing others to carry him into the mansion for care. The servants were too frightened to speak coherently.

The commotion drew Liu Fu over as well. Upon learning that a Beidi reconnaissance force had entered Yan Prefecture, his face turned pale.

Chang Wei scoffed, “Chief Counselor Liu, aren’t you supposed to be brave? Why are you so scared now?”

Liu Fu’s expression was grave, unfazed by Chang Wei’s teasing. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “You aren’t locals of Yan Prefecture, so you don’t understand the terror of the Beidi cavalry. The Beidi people live on horseback from birth, never parting with their bows. It’s as if the horse and bow are extensions of their bodies.”

He swallowed hard and continued, “After capturing Ningjin Military Command ten years ago, the Beidi acquired a large number of Dasong craftsmen. Their armor and weapons are no longer inferior to ours. If they weren’t busy waging wars to the north, Yan Province might have already fallen.”

Chang Wei had heard of the Beidi’s formidable reputation even in the capital. His pride wouldn’t allow him to admit fear, but he wasn’t reckless either. “Your Highness, the Beidi reconnaissance force likely entered Yan Prefecture to gather intelligence for the autumn harvest. I will lead troops to drive them out, to prevent them from slaughtering our people.”

Yan Prefecture spans just over a hundred kilometers from north to south, and the Beidi cavalry could traverse it in two or three days. Allowing them to reach near Yan City would be a disgrace.

Zhao Xu nodded. His promise to the people still echoed in his ears; he couldn’t let these Beidi scouts roam freely in Yan Prefecture. In these barbaric times, there was no concept of wartime ethics. The Beidi slaughtered Dasong people as if they were livestock, devoid of any compassion.

“Remember, avoid direct confrontation. Use strategy,” Zhao Xu advised.

His personal guard lacked cavalry. Only about two hundred cavalrymen had been gathered from the private soldiers of the Huang and Du Families. Their skill level was questionable at best. He feared that Chang Wei might act impulsively in the heat of the moment, disregarding all else.

“I understand,” Chang Wei replied with a firm salute before turning to leave.

Liu Fu sighed, “The wolves aren’t gone, and now the tigers come. Truly a season of troubles. Who knows how many more of our people will fall to the Beidi scouts this time?”

Zhao Xu frowned. Historically, wars between the central plains dynasties and foreign peoples were brutal. The entry of foreign forces into the central plains often resulted in widespread massacres. The population of the central plains could be reduced by as much as seventy to eighty percent during such times.

During the Five Barbarians Uprising, the central plains people nearly faced extinction. Under foreign rule, their fate was often bleak, akin to low-caste individuals in some modern nations, serving those who considered themselves superior.

These thoughts sent a chill down Zhao Xu’s spine.

Now.

The Dasong Dynasty faces threats from foreign peoples like the Beidi, Xiliang, Tubo, and the Jiaozhi tribe, who are slowly encroaching.

“Break through the clouds, defy with arrogance,” Zhao Xu murmured softly.

After a chill, a surge of anger rose within him.

Foreign peoples? So what?

Dasong’s weakness? So what?

Regional magnates? So what?

Now that he was here, he wouldn’t let them bully him!

Watching Chang Wei leave, Zhao Xu turned to Liu Fu and asked, “Have you found someone to head the Armory Office?”

“Found him, as Your Highness instructed. Not someone who just reads dead books, but someone well-read and unconventional.”

“Let’s go to the Armory Office.”

In ancient times, unconventional scholars were those who didn’t pursue officialdom and instead dabbled in various odd pursuits.

Zhao Xu had his reasons for asking Liu Fu to find such a person.

The Armory Office would be the military industrial base of Yan Prefecture in the future.

He didn’t need someone who would criticize him for indulging in strange and unorthodox techniques.

Under Xu Lie’s protection, the two rode to the east of the city.

By a river, Liu Fu stopped, “Your Highness, this is the place.”

Zhao Xu nodded slightly.

This river, called Liuzhang River, runs from east to west through Yan City.

To the north of Yan Prefecture is another river, Jinlin River.

In ancient times, cities were often built near water, and Yan City was no exception.

“Not bad, very suitable,” Zhao Xu said with satisfaction.

In ancient times, everything relied on manpower, animal power, and water power.

Building the Armory Office by the river, utilizing some water-powered equipment to boost productivity, would be very convenient.

The group arrived at the entrance of the Armory Office.

The guards at the gate checked their access permits before letting them in.

The guards here had all been replaced with soldiers from the Prince’s Mansion’s personal guard, with soldiers rotating monthly.

“Wang Ying greets Your Highness,” a middle-aged official in a blue official robe hurriedly came out to greet them.

In Dasong, officials’ robes varied in color according to their rank.

The most prestigious were vermilion and purple, followed by red, scarlet, and blue.

Blue was basically for the lowest-ranking officials.

Liu Fu shook his head.

If he hadn’t been unable to find anyone suitable, he truly wouldn’t have wanted Wang Ying to head the Armory Office.

In his view, Wang Ying was not only eccentric but also slovenly, really not fit for the position.

He had hesitated for a long time before deciding to appoint him.

“Your Highness, Wang Ying is not good at much else, but he loves collecting folk crafts and has even written a book on it,” Liu Fu gestured to Wang Ying.

Wang Ying paused, recalling something, and pulled a book from his robe.

Liu Fu took it and handed it to Zhao Xu.

“Sericulture, sowing, weaving…” Zhao Xu flipped through it, and upon seeing the contents, he showed a look of surprise.

Wang Ying had documented various technologies of the Dasong Dynasty.

For instance, sericulture techniques, the current style of looms, and even the technology for polishing beads.

“Remarkable, truly remarkable,” Zhao Xu said, increasingly pleased, and couldn’t help but ask, “How did you learn all this?”

Wang Ying answered honestly, “These are things I discovered while traveling across the south of the Yangtze. I found them interesting and noted them down for future reference.”

“Good, good, good,” Zhao Xu said three times.

From this booklet, he could basically understand the current technological situation of Dasong.

After a cursory look, he felt that Dasong’s technological level was roughly at the late Song Dynasty stage.

Gunpowder was already used in warfare, but not professionally.

Other technologies also had many areas for improvement.

“There’s much potential, much potential indeed,” Zhao Xu sighed with relief.

With this, the knowledge he brought from the modern era still had significant advantages.