Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 225: Heavy Armor Attack, Turning the Tide

What's more, to put it bluntly, sending troops to fight will inevitably result in casualties.

As the saying goes, a dead Taoist friend will never die a poor Taoist.

If there is really no one in the court to send someone, this difficult task will probably fall on the Ministry of War sooner or later.

Now, someone has finally come forward to take the blame, and as the Minister of War, he is naturally more than happy to do so.

"It must be chosen. Your Highness is absolutely right!"

"Your Highness the Fourth Prince is a master at commanding troops. Now that a war is about to break out at the border, I believe that the position of commander-in-chief of the three armies must belong to Your Highness the Fourth Prince!"

As soon as the Minister of War said this, all the ministers around him nodded and reconsidered.

On the surface, these guys seemed to support him leading the troops into battle.

But Chu Shizhao knew very well in his heart that these guys obviously didn't want to be the first to take action, so they threw this difficult task to him.

Moreover, when the Minister of War was recommending himself, Chu Shizhao keenly noticed that this guy was clearly winking at the Vice Minister of Personnel Li Zhengde standing next to him.

At the same time, Minister of Works Zhang Mingyuan also nodded frequently.

These guys, praising themselves so much, must have some hidden secrets.

However, Chu Shizhao has no time to take care of these things now.

Compared with the conspiracy of these people, Chu Shizhao is more concerned about the lives of the people of the world and the attitude of Emperor Yongjin.

Sure enough, after listening to everyone's recommendations, Emperor Yongjin frowned.

Originally, he felt that Chu Shizhao was the best choice to lead the expedition this time.

If it weren't for the strong recommendations from everyone in the court, he might have agreed by now.

But today is really a bit weird.

Those guys in the court who had always been against Chu Shizhao, for some unknown reason, all recommended their youngest son to him at the same time today.

This made Emperor Yongjin, who was already suspicious by nature, even more doubtful.

However, despite the doubts, this border war still needs to be resolved.

Finally, under the strong recommendation of everyone, even though Emperor Yongjin was reluctant, he had to give the important task of leading the expedition to Chu Shizhao.

"Well, Shi Zhao, since all the gentlemen think so highly of you, I'll leave this expedition to Tatar to you!"

……

After the court was dismissed, Chu Shizhao did not go back directly to prepare, but instead deliberately walked behind the court officials who had recommended him earlier.

Sure enough, as soon as he left the hall, the ministers who had previously recommended him began to whisper.

"Lord Li, Chu Shizhao's power is growing day by day. If he makes new achievements during this expedition to Tatar, considering the suspicious nature of our Majesty, I'm afraid..."

"Yes, although His Majesty now favors him and values ​​him very much, in fact, we all know that most people who are more powerful than their master and become arrogant because of their favor are..."

"Hahaha!"

Just when several people were talking excitedly.

At this moment, a light laugh came from behind.

"Hey, adults, what are you talking about? You look so happy. Can you tell me about it so I can be happy too?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone shut up instantly.

But everyone was cursing quietly in their hearts.

This fourth prince is really uneducated. He is a prince but he actually hides behind and eavesdrops!
However, Chu Shizhao ignored the disgusted looks from these people.

Seeing that no one seemed to be willing to share with him, he immediately turned and walked towards the Minister of Revenue, Wang Chengze, who was in the crowd.

"Sir Wang, I heard that your son has been unwell recently. I wonder if he is feeling better now?"

Chu Shizhao smiled and bowed.

Hearing this, Wang Chengze was stunned.

To be honest, he really didn't expect that Chu Shizhao, as the fourth prince of the Fourth Zhou Dynasty, knew even such a small matter as his son's illness.

I'm afraid I've been monitored without realizing it!

Although he was very reluctant in his heart, he could only bite the bullet and reply: "Thank you for your concern, Fourth Prince. My son just caught a cold and is fine now."

"That's good."

Chu Shizhao still had a smile on his face.

"If you don't mind, my Lord, when I return victorious, you can bring your son to my house for a small gathering if you have the chance."

Wang Chengze's face froze, and he quickly bowed and said, "Your Highness is too polite. I dare not trouble Your Highness!"

"That's fine. This prince likes to get along with young people the most."

Chu Shizhao's smile deepened.

"The girl your son met when he went to Yang's Teahouse in the south of the city a few days ago, I heard she is also well-educated and well-mannered."

Wang Chengze broke out in a cold sweat when he heard this.

Even he only found out yesterday that his son had been having a tryst with Miss Yang, but he didn't expect that Chu Shizhao also knew it clearly.

"Your Highness was joking..."

Wang Chengze forced a smile and said goodbye to Chu Shizhao.

Looking at Wang Chengze's hurriedly leaving back, Chu Shizhao sneered.

These court officials, on the surface, appear to be righteous, but in secret they do all kinds of shameful things.

But it's better this way, if these guys are all honest, it won't be so easy for him to catch them. ...

After returning to the mansion, Chu Shizhao immediately called Hengyi and others to discuss sending troops.

"Your Highness, these ministers suddenly unanimously recommended you to go to war. Obviously, they have ulterior motives."

After listening to Chu Shizhao's account of what happened in the court today, Hengyi immediately frowned.

"In my opinion, these guys probably want to take advantage of your expedition to the border and take advantage of your lack of time to take care of the things in the capital to secretly plan something unspeakable." "You must be on guard against this!"

"I think there's more to it than that."

At this time, Su Wan'er, who was temporarily staying in Chu Shizhao's house, added.

"You know, among the border generals, there are many who are in collusion with these ministers in the court."

"I am worried that the enemy might plot against you on the way when the Fourth Prince is ordered to go on the expedition. When the time comes, while suppressing the Tatar rebellion, Your Highness must be careful to guard against their secret plots."

Hearing this, a cold light flashed in Chu Shizhao's eyes.

"Miss Su is absolutely right!"

"I also think these guys have bad intentions!"

"However, it is not so easy for these people to get rid of me through the Tatars."

"These guys are not the most urgent matter. What I am concerned about now is the war at the border!"

"I have to say, I really don't know much about these Tatars."

"Do you have any good strategies to fight the enemy?"

"Your Highness is right. We do need to be more prepared to deal with the Tatars."

After thinking for a moment, Hengyi suddenly thought of someone who might be able to help Chu Shizhao.

"Your Highness, I remember there is an old retired general in the south of the city who fought against the Tatars many times at the border. I think Your Highness should go and visit him first."

……

The next morning, Chu Shizhao brought Hengyi to a secluded house in the south of the city.

"Old General, I am Chu Shizhao, a junior, and I have come to visit you specially."

Chu Shizhao stood outside the door, bowed and spoke loudly.

After a long time, footsteps were heard in the yard.

Then an old man with white hair and beard pushed the door open and walked out.

"Fourth Prince?"

The old man was slightly surprised.

"I wonder what brings you here, Your Highness?"

"I heard that the old general had made great achievements at the border. I have been ordered to go to the frontier this time, so I came here to ask for your advice."

Upon hearing this, the old general looked at Chu Shizhao for a moment, then stepped aside to make way for the door.

"Your Highness, please come in."

Chu Shizhao followed the old general into the courtyard, only to see that it was filled with various flowers and plants. It was quite different from the general's mansion he had imagined.

"I have long retired and no longer care about government affairs."

The old general poured Chu Shizhao a cup of tea.

"But since Your Highness is here to visit, let's talk." "The Tatars are good at riding and shooting, and they love guerrilla warfare the most."

"..."

Chu Shizhao listened carefully and nodded from time to time.

"We suffered losses in the past. They often harassed our army in groups of three or five. When we sent troops to pursue them, they would lead us into an ambush that had been set up long ago."

The old general sighed thoughtfully.

"Does the old general have any good countermeasures?"

"To deal with these nomadic peoples, the most important thing is not to fall for their tricks of luring the tiger away from the mountain easily."

The old general pondered for a moment before speaking in a deep voice, "Based on my experience fighting them in the past, these guys are most afraid of the charge of heavy cavalry."

……

After returning to the mansion, Chu Shizhao immediately called everyone together to discuss the matter.

"It seems we need to put more effort into armaments."

"What do you mean, Your Highness?"

Hengyi looked at Chu Shizhao with some confusion.

"Heavy cavalry!"

"I plan to take advantage of this expedition to form our own heavy cavalry!"

"Your Highness's idea is indeed correct, but..."

Hengyi spoke with a little hesitation.

"I'm worried that once this news gets out, someone in the court will definitely try to stop it, maybe even over military pay..."

"Don't worry, I have already taken care of this matter."

"These people want to make things difficult for me, but it won't be that easy!"

"After all, I have a lot of evidence against them now!"

As he said this, Chu Shizhao immediately turned around and looked at Su Wan'er beside him.

"Wan'er, go get Wang Chengze's list."

……

Su Wan'er quickly brought the list. After Chu Shizhao looked at it carefully, a sneer appeared on his lips.

"Interesting, these people really gave me a good opportunity."

He turned to Heng Yi and said, "Immediately send people to various places to secretly purchase horses and armor. Be sure to do it quickly."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Hengyi took the order and left.

Chu Shizhao called a few trusted generals and began to select suitable soldiers for training.

However, things did not go as smoothly as expected.

Within three days, news spread in the court.

Li Chongming, the Minister of War, took the lead in making trouble in the court: "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to report!"

"speak."

"I heard that the Fourth Prince wants to form a heavy cavalry. This is a matter of great importance. The national treasury is currently empty and military spending is tight. We are unable to afford such a huge expenditure."

Chu Shizhao watched the scene coldly.

Sure enough, several other ministers followed suit.

"I second your proposal! The armor and horses needed for heavy cavalry are both very expensive. If we rashly form one, I'm afraid it will increase the burden on the people."

"Besides, the Fourth Prince is still young, and I'm afraid it would be difficult for him to control such an elite army."

Seeing these people talking to each other, Chu Shizhao stood up calmly and said, "You are right, the heavy cavalry does require a lot of military funds."

He took out the account book he had prepared long ago: "But I have made a detailed plan. This is the list of required materials and the expenditure budget. Please take a look."

Li Chongming took the account book and his expression changed slightly.

"in addition,"

Chu Shizhao glanced at some of the ministers meaningfully and said, "I have some interesting documents here. Are you interested in taking a look?"

The ministers immediately turned pale.

The dispute in the court was temporarily settled, but the obstruction in secret became more rampant.

The officials in charge of purchasing made things difficult for us and always shirked their responsibilities by citing the shortage of supplies.

"Your Highness,"

Heng Yi reported with a sad face, "The weapons bureau said it would take at least three months to make the armor."

"Three months?"

Chu Shizhao sneered, "Go tell Lord Yang that if he dares to delay again, I will expose what his son did in the brothel."

The next day, Lord Yang sent someone to report that the armor could be completed within half a month.

At the same time, Chu Shizhao was not idle either.

He sent people to secretly contact several neutral ministers and inform them of the benefits and disadvantages.

Although these people did not want to offend other princes, they also did not want to see the border lost.

Finally, with the efforts of all parties, the formation of heavy cavalry gradually got on track.

"Line up!"

On the training ground, a team of heavily armored cavalrymen lined up in neat formation.

The sound of horse hooves was like thunder, and the iron armor was majestic.

"Prepare!"

As the command sounded, the cavalrymen raised their spears in unison.

"charge!"

The war horses galloped and the dust flew.

Chu Shizhao looked at this team that was beginning to take shape and felt somewhat proud.

However, just doing this is far from enough.

What he wanted was to train this team into a truly elite force, which would take more time.

In the following days, Chu Shizhao personally developed a strict training plan.

He required his soldiers to not only be proficient in riding, archery and close combat, but also to learn teamwork and combat skills in various complex terrains.

On the training ground, the soldiers were sweating profusely and their shouts were deafening.

Chu Shizhao often personally took to the battlefield to give instructions and even fought with the soldiers.

"Your Highness,"

A soldier came forward and said, "You are too weak. Do you want me to carry you for a few days?"

Chu Shizhao smiled and punched the soldier: "Stop talking nonsense and practice quickly!"

"Yes!"

As the training progressed, the combat effectiveness of the heavy cavalry increased day by day.

"Your Highness!"

Heng Yi excitedly reported to Chu Shizhao: "Our heavy cavalry is now ready for actual combat drills!"

"it is good!"

Chu Shizhao waved his hand and said, "Pass the order down, hold the exercise tomorrow!"

The next day, flags were fluttering on the training ground.

Chu Shizhao personally took charge of the command and divided the heavy cavalry into two teams to simulate actual combat confrontation.

"kill!"

With an order, the two teams of cavalry collided violently like two torrents.

In this exercise, the advantages of the heavy cavalry formed by Chu Shizhao were fully demonstrated.

At the end of the exercise, Chu Shizhao was very satisfied with the results.

"it is good!"

He praised loudly, "You are worthy of being this prince's elite division!"

"Your Highness!"

(End of this chapter)