My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 22 Can I kill the King of Wei with this arrow?

The East Palace is mainly divided into two parts.

Entering from the Jiafu Gate, you will see the East Palace, James House and other government offices, public offices and residences.

In the middle is the main hall of the East Palace.

Behind the main hall is the rear hall, which was also the place where the prince used to play.

Behind the rear hall is the bedroom, where the crown prince and the crown princess live.

There are pavilions and towers on the left and right sides. It seems that Li Xiang lived nearby.

Further back are the Three Temples and Ten Prefectures.

The three temples are right behind the sleeping palace, while the Ten Rate Palace is a little further away.

The back third of the East Palace is where other residences are located, which is separated from the sleeping palace by the Shilue Mansion.

For example, Hegan Chengji, Wei Shi, Le Tong, and Taoist priests.

This includes craftsmen, government soldiers, various workshops, clothing dyeing and making, ironware forging, woodworking workshops, horse farms, and parade grounds.

At this moment, the sky was slightly bright, in a house southwest of the parade ground.

A large number of soldiers were building high walls.

The Fubing system was a product of the equal-field system, and was somewhat similar to the later Ming Dynasty's Wei Suo system. They were farmers in their spare time and soldiers in wartime, and they also had to do some miscellaneous work.

Marching and construction is also a skill that the soldiers of the palace must master.

Therefore, Li Chengqian asked Zuo Nei Shuai Chen Yunchao to gather the palace soldiers to completely isolate the ice-making area.

"Your Highness, are you really not going to tell His Majesty the method of making ice?"

"Although the national treasury has been prosperous in recent years, the border is not stable. The countries in the Western Regions have their own plans. Once a war breaks out, Your Majesty will certainly mobilize the army."

"Once the ice shop is opened, it will surely become popular in Chang'an. The money earned will be too huge. Your Majesty will definitely send someone to ask for it."

"Your Highness, why don't you offer it earlier to enrich the national treasury, avoid hurting the harmony between father and son, and also gain a good reputation."

Su Yuer stood beside Li Chengqian, looking at the palace soldiers who were building a high wall in the distance, and persuaded him softly.

Li Chengqian sneered, "The Taiji Palace is leaking so much. Today I will give the ice-making method to Your Majesty. Tomorrow you will know everything you should and shouldn't know."

"Although there are some spies and secret agents in my East Palace, it is still better than the Taiji Palace."

"Don't worry, His Majesty won't force me to hand over the ice-making method."

When Su Yuer heard this, she was still worried, but since the prince had said so, she didn't dare to say anything.

Her idea was correct. Sushan might make a lot of money, but how could this money compare to the taxes collected by the Tang Dynasty? The most important thing was to gain the trust of His Majesty.

Li Chengqian vaguely guessed Su Yuer's thoughts, but she had never done business with him, so naturally she didn't understand the profits.

Ice cream, even after more than two thousand years, is still popular all over the world.

And now, his ice cream is a monopoly business.

Chang'an has a permanent population of over a million, and in fact, if the merchants coming and going are included, the number would be even higher.

From the very beginning, Li Chengqian had no intention of going the Sushan luxury route, but rather the people-friendly route.

Even ordinary people in Chang'an can afford to eat Sushan.

Of course, from another perspective, being able to live in Chang'an City, no matter which district, is already extraordinary for other people in the Tang Dynasty.

So there is still consumption capacity.

It will take a few more days to build the ice cellar.

Including the ice shop opened by my father-in-law, Changsun Wuji, he also needed an ice cellar to store ice.

At that time, the storage technology of ice was still relatively primitive. It was not until the Song Dynasty that it was developed to maturity. Rich families were able to build ice cellars to store winter ice for enjoyment in summer.

But now, even if it can only maintain ten, it is enough.

In addition, there were special ice-carrying carriages and large amounts of saltpeter.

In order not to expose the secret of making ice from saltpeter, Li Chengqian arranged for eunuchs to directly raid the Taoists' alchemy materials. Anyway, Li Shimin had lifted the restrictions on the Eastern Palace treasury, so he didn't need a few tens of thousands of dollars.

This can also prevent others from figuring out how to make ice from saltpeter by starting with the raw materials.

Monopoly is always the most profitable.

East Palace Parade Ground.

Hundreds of guards are waiting here.

Su Yuer and General Su Chen stood next to Li Chengqian.

"Bring the horse here."

Li Chengqian gave the order in a deep voice. Eunuch Wen hesitated slightly, but still followed the prince's order and brought a tall white horse.

The white horse is very quiet and docile.

The eunuchs brought the ladder.

Li Chengqian limped up the stairs.

Su Yuer looked nervous.

She was already frightened when the prince said he wanted to ride a horse.

Ever since he broke his leg that year, the prince has never ridden a horse again.

Now he suddenly said he wanted to ride a horse, especially with his disabled body, how could Su Yuer not worry.

But in this regard, she also knew the prince's pride, so she did not dare to persuade him.

In the training ground, Li Chengqian had already sat on the horse.

A feeling of familiarity and strangeness.

The eunuchs carefully helped the prince put his left leg into the stirrup, and then moved the ladder away.

Li Chengqian held the reins and waved them lightly, and the white horse started to move forward.

The body's memory was quickly awakened. As General Tiance, Li Shimin's sons were naturally both talented in literature and martial arts, and they had been practicing riding since childhood.

The slight bumps made Li Chengqian feel more familiar with it, but he felt a little uncomfortable because he had no strength in his left leg.

After walking a short circle, Li Chengqian became much bolder.

Although the calves cannot exert force, the thighs can, and by clamping the horse's belly, the horse can be very stable.

He is not his predecessor and does not have a psychological fear of riding a horse.

"drive."

The reins were raised and the white horse immediately began to trot.

The people around watching began to become nervous and didn't dare to blink.

Su Yuer clenched her hands so tightly that she didn't even notice the sweat coming out. What she was most worried about was that the prince would fall off his horse again.

Zuo Neilu Chen Yunchao was also in a tense state, ready to step forward to rescue at any time.

Li Chengqian was not nervous at all, and even felt very comfortable.

His leg disease meant that he could walk but not run.

And now, the horse is his legs.

The wind whistled in my ears, my hair danced in the wind, the horses galloped, and the dust flew.

As the speed increased, an indescribable sense of excitement rose in Li Chengqian's heart.

The blood is boiling and every cell is cheering.

Li Chengqian looked up at the sky and saw the clear blue sky with white clouds floating like silk ribbons.

In this world, Li Chengqian became one with his white horse, as if he himself had turned into a gust of wind.

This feeling, as if breaking free from bondage, made Li Chengqian unable to help but let out a long howl.

Chen Yunchao's face relaxed. The prince's riding skills immediately showed that he no longer needed to worry.

Su Yuer's eyes were covered with a hazy layer.

Over the past few years, she had witnessed with her own eyes how the once handsome and talented prince, who was both a civil and military man, gradually indulged himself due to his inferiority complex caused by his leg disease.

Now, the prince's unbridled roar meant that the former prince had finally returned.

In Su Yuer's heart, she was sincerely happy for the prince.

On the training ground, Li Chengqian ran happily, but he always felt that something was missing.

His eyes lit up when he saw the target not far away, and he shouted, "Bring me a bow."

The guards immediately brought out the horn bow and quiver.

There were four main types of bows in the Tang Dynasty.

Longbow, used by infantry.

Horn bow, used by cavalry.

A slight bow is good for close shooting.

Ge bow is a colorful bow held by a feathered instrument.

Li Chengqian slowed down his horse, took the bow and arrow from the guard, and then galloped away.

Stand about twenty steps away from the target, aim at the center of the target, draw the bow and shoot the arrow.

Everyone watched closely and saw the prince shoot an arrow, which missed the target.

Li Chengqian was not surprised by this. He had felt it the moment the arrow was shot.

Archery while riding is not an easy task. The shaking of the horse when running will make the bow and arrow lose its accuracy.

In terms of archery, conventional cavalry have always practiced the kick-shooting method.

That is, use your feet to stand up on the stirrups, so that you can shoot arrows more accurately.

Li Chengqian used to ride and shoot like this, but of course he can't do that now.

So he wanted to feel the rhythm of the horse.

There were thirty arrows in the quiver. Li Chengqian clamped the horse's belly with his thighs, released his hands, drew the bow and shot the arrow.

Ten shots in a row, all missed the target.

After shooting another ten, all of them were on the target, and the remaining three were close to the center of the bull's eye.

The last ten shots all hit the bull's eye, and the last three even hit the bull's eye.

This kind of riding and shooting is simply terrifying.

This has a lot to do with Li Chengqian's physical changes.

Ever since he lifted the stone lock to train his strength in the training ground last time, he felt that his body was getting stronger.

Not only the body, but also the five senses are more acute.

The way of archery places great emphasis on talent.

As Li Chengqian held his breath and concentrated, he felt the wind in his ears stop and his breathing became slow.

The strength in the hands is steady and the horse's rhythm is clear.

The bow and arrow is like an extension of the arm, and the distance of twenty steps is as if before your eyes.

Horse riding and archery are so simple.

"Bring the longbow!"

After shooting thirty arrows, Li Chengqian still felt unsatisfied.

The power of this horn bow is a little too light.

The guards quickly brought over the longbow.

It was a full moon, and Li Chengqian felt that the force was still a little light, but he could still use it barely.

Long bow with long arrow.

There are thirty targets on the parade ground.

This time it was not twenty steps, but forty steps, which is equivalent to fifty meters in later generations.

This is also the longest killing range of the longbow.

Everyone in the parade ground saw the prince riding his horse at a gallop, drawing his bow and shooting arrows repeatedly without stopping, all in one go.

After the flying dust settled, there was an arrow stuck in the red center of each of the thirty targets.

"color!"

When Zuo Neilu Chen Yunchao saw this scene, he couldn't help but shout.

"Color! Color! Color!"

Hundreds of guards became concerned and started to shout together.

Chen Yunchao stared at the target, his eyes shining brightly.

The other guards were even more excited.

People in the military have always admired the strong, and the riding and archery skills displayed by the prince are already amazing.

How not to make them admire you.

In the past, they obeyed orders because of their status as princes.

But from today on, they will obey the orders of the prince himself.

Li Chengqian stopped his horse and looked at the thirty arrows piercing the red hearts of the targets. He felt happy in his heart.

What matter if he has a leg disease now? With his riding and archery skills alone, he can be the leader in the army.

On the battlefield, he shot the enemy leader in the midst of thousands of soldiers.

King of Wei, ah, King of Wei.

Can you still dodge my arrow like you did before?

With this archery skill, if Li Chengqian is really forced into a corner one day.

Just take a bow and arrow and ride your horse to attack the Prince of Wei's palace.

The King of Wei was shot to death with one arrow.

　Happy Tanabata

　　
　
(End of this chapter)