The prince is more stable

Chapter 128 Offensive and defensive changes
No one expected that an ordinary autumn hunt would be the beginning of a changing era.

Zhao Xiaoqian achieved his goal.

The Song Dynasty was ill. It had been ill since its founding, and its condition was becoming increasingly serious.

Compared with other dynasties in Chinese history, the Song Dynasty had particularly many shortcomings. It struggled for more than a hundred years amid internal and external troubles, exhausted its strength, and finally became increasingly weak.

The flintlock rifle is a powerful medicine to cure the disease. Other problems can be solved slowly. Zhao Xiaoqian needs to use this powerful medicine to prolong the life of the Song Dynasty first.

The old Chinese medicine prescription was large in quantity and enough to satisfy the stomach. The Liao people watched helplessly as the Song Dynasty gulped it down, and their mood plummeted to the bottom.

The only thing Xiao Guangjing knew at this moment was the small iron ball in his hand.

The Liao people were puzzled as to how this small thing could end so many lives.

If it were a battlefield, with arrows covering the sky, the killing effect might be similar, but the range of bows and crossbows could never reach that far.

A Liao official sniffed the air carefully and said, "This must be related to gunpowder. I smell gunpowder."

Another official said, "We have seen Song firearms before. Fire caltrops, fire whip arrows, bamboo fire kites, and so on. They have appeared during the friction and fighting on the Liao-Song border in recent years, but they are definitely not as powerful as this. Those so-called firearms in the past can only be said to pose a slight threat to our Liao cavalry."

"But the firearms equipped by the Song army today are the natural enemy of our Liao cavalry. If we meet on the battlefield in the future, most of our Liao cavalry will be killed or wounded in a single charge, and there is no way they will survive and reach the front of the Song army."

"If the Song army uses cavalry to suppress our left and right flanks and outflank us, we will surely be defeated!"

Several officials gathered around the wild boar's corpse to discuss the matter, and they became more and more heartbroken as they talked.

Before the autumn hunt, the Liao people's complacent and even arrogant and contemptuous mentality was shattered by this new firearm. Now every Liao person feels like a joke.

Xiao Guangjing gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "We must get that kind of firearm and imitate it, otherwise our Liao Kingdom will be in danger!"

…………

Compared to the despair of the Liao people, outside the autumn hunting camp in the distance, the officials and playboys of the Song Dynasty were still in a state of shock, and the scene was dead silent.

The corpses of sika deer and wild boars lay hundreds of steps ahead. Some were still howling and twitching, and it was obvious that they were dying.

And the weapons that caused these casualties were those seemingly inconspicuous fire sticks?
Five hundred men knelt on one knee, holding the fire stick horizontally, and fired their weapons calmly. Then they stood up and walked to the back row, calmly loading their gunpowder and continuing to fire...

They stood in the queue and hardly moved, while the prey running in groups on the opposite side died in large numbers?
What kind of incredible fire stick is this!

The flintlock rifle was kept secret from its invention to its mass production. Except for the officials and craftsmen of the Firearms Bureau, very few people in the Song Dynasty court knew about it, and the court officials were basically completely unaware of it.

Who could have imagined that the Song Dynasty, which had been weak for a hundred years, would actually develop such a powerful firearm, and it appeared without any warning.

The appearance of the flintlock rifle today not only shocked the Liao delegation, but also deeply shocked the officials of the Song Dynasty.

Among the crowd of officials and dandies, only Cai You's eyes were shining with excitement.

He had a vague idea of ​​the inside story. He often heard explosions from the firearms depot outside the city. He didn't know what was being researched inside. It was said that people were often killed, and the bodies of the craftsmen were carried out and buried every few days.

In the past two months, his father, the Minister of Revenue Cai Jing, was ordered to approve several sums of money from the Firearms Bureau. It was said that the Firearms Bureau was forging a very powerful weapon, and the person who invented this weapon was Zhao Xiaoqian, the prince of Chu.

Cai You became more and more agitated. He had decided to follow Zhao Xiaoqian just for his own future, but since when did this man start to change the country's destiny step by step?

Cai You's hands, hidden in his wide sleeves, clenched unconsciously.

Yes, Cai You was deeply influenced by his father. He was also an opportunist. His choice to follow Zhao Xiaoqian was also a decision of choosing a good tree to perch on.

However, Cai You also hoped that, in addition to personal gain, he could also accomplish something that would go down in history. Ordinary people could not refuse to have a page opened in their family tree, so how could a wise minister or general refuse to have a page opened in history books?
Today, it seems that as long as we firmly follow Zhao Xiaoqian, we may be able to realize this wish.

Zhao Xiaoqian was still riding on his horse motionless, his eyes gazing at the distant end of the plain, wondering what he was thinking.

The officials of the Song Dynasty had recovered from their shock, and then everyone became excited.

"My Song Dynasty actually has such a magical weapon. Why should we be afraid of the Liao people in the future?" A dandy shouted excitedly.

"This item is specifically designed to defeat Liao cavalry. Who could possibly have such extraordinary talent to create such a magical weapon?"

"As long as we can mobilize our army of ten thousand, we can conquer Liao and destroy Xia!"

The crowd was excited and jubilant. All the officials and playboys of the Song Dynasty seemed to have been injected with a shot of adrenaline, and the atmosphere around them suddenly became heated and boiling.

When Xiao Guangjing led the Liao delegation back on horseback, everyone's face was ashen, and they rode silently on their horses without saying a word. There was clearly a bit more fear in their eyes when they looked at Zhao Xiaoqian.

The Liao delegation's entourage inadvertently looked around at the Song officials and playboys who were watching, and then they discovered a very uncomfortable fact.

In just a short moment, the way the Song Dynasty officials and playboys looked at them had quietly changed for some reason.

They no longer looked at the Liao Kingdom with awe or fear but dared not speak out.

There seemed to be something in the eyes of the Song people that had never existed before. There was neither anger nor sadness, but rather a sense of provocation that was eager to try.

The powerful medicine that Zhao Xiaoqian injected into the Song Dynasty has already taken effect on the people of the Song Dynasty.

Xiao Guangjing rode his horse closer to Zhao Xiaoqian with a complicated expression.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "What do you think, Your Excellency? This humble item from the Great Song Dynasty is still useful, right?"

Xiao Guangjing was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Sir, could you please tell me what this is? How was it made?"

Zhao Xiaoqian blinked: "I'll sell you the secret recipe later, okay?"

Xiao Guangjing was overjoyed and was about to say thank you, but when he looked up, he saw Zhao Xiaoqian's playful eyes with a half-smile in them, and Xiao Guangjing's heart suddenly sank.

Even if Zhao Xiaoqian dared to sell it, would he dare to buy it? Who knows whether the secret recipe is real or fake? If he happily presented a fake to the Liao emperor, how many heads would Xiao Guangjing have to chop off?
Cunning Song people!
Xiao Guangjing suppressed his anger and said coldly, "This thing is quite interesting. It must be a new firearm made by you Song people, right? Does your Highness think that with this thing you can defeat our Liao cavalry? Haha, I can only say that your Highness is too naive."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and sighed, "I just like the way you keep saying harsh words even after getting slapped. It's so cute. If we met on the battlefield, I wouldn't be able to aim at you..."

Xiao Guangjing sneered, "Your Highness, you're not convinced? The Song Dynasty's firearms are certainly powerful, but our Liao cavalry aren't the foolish prey you just killed. How can we Liao cavalry not dodge or block? Are we fools?"

Zhao Xiaoqian chuckled and pushed him in an angry manner, almost pushing Xiao Guangjing off the horse.

"Your Excellency is really not humble at all. He calls himself a fool and still feels so righteous." Zhao Xiaoqian said angrily.

Xiao Guangjing was so angry that his hair stood on end: "That's not what I meant!"

"Ah, right, right, how about this? Since you're not convinced, why don't we have a real fight? Your Liao delegation consists of about a hundred people today. I'll have you form a formation and charge the Song army from 500 steps away. Let's see if you can dodge the firearms of the Song Dynasty."

Xiao Guangjing was stunned. Is this something a human could say?

"Why? Why don't you let your Song army charge?"

"People will die! The Song army is not happy with this!"

(End of this chapter)