"Xiang Bo went north to save Zhao, do you want to make another miraculous achievement?" Not only Xiong Jing has the heart of a villain, but Yin Zengfang of Xiyangyi also has the heart of a villain, as soon as he said this, Xiang Yan's face changed suddenly, and then glared at him angrily.

"Zeng Gong's words are wrong!" Chen Bu of Chen County immediately accused him of saying the wrong thing. Xiang Bo remembered that Qi besieged Wei to save Zhao in the past, so he said that Qin could not save Zhao. As Cheng Ao said, after going west to restore Ying, it is necessary to accumulate millet again, so that he can follow the Wuguan Road to cut down Qin. I have only three years of millet after six years of accumulation in the Chu country, how many years do I need to accumulate millet after recovering Ying? In the past few years, the Qin State has sat back and watched me accumulate millet safely? ”

"The six years of accumulation is because the land of Chu is small and there are too few people, if you get the old Ying, three years can be." Shen Yinxi of Yuxian County refuted that when Chen Jian and Chen Qi were in charge of Chen County, Chen Bu was just a right Sima and his status was not high.

"There are more than 300,000 households in the old Yingdingkou, and there will be more millet to eat, how can you get three years of millet in three years?" Chen Bu argued again. At this time, it was no longer Cheng Jie and Xiang Yan arguing, but those among the courtiers who were in favor of going north and those who wanted to go west were arguing.

A good artillery demonstration turned into a large-scale debate, and Xiong Jing was helpless about it. It doesn't matter if you talk about debate, you are afraid of using force. Chu people are irritable, and it is not uncommon to draw their swords when they are angry. He was worried, but the more he worried, the more he came, and he could only hear Chengsuke shouting: "Draw your sword!" I will fight against you. ”

Cheng Jie has already drawn his sword, and the person he wants to fight against is not Xiang Yan, but Yiyang Hou Yisu, who stands in Xiong Jing's position and supports Xiang Yan's northward journey. Both of them had a fiery temper, and before his words fell, Yi Yi had already drawn his sword, and the tip of the sword pointed at Cheng Jie, and the others quickly retreated.

"Presumptuous!" Xiong Jing hurriedly rushed forward before the two of them could slash and kill, forcing the tips of their swords to point down and salute him. "This is not the right dynasty, if you want to decide, you can go to the right dynasty, and you will not be determined or blocked."

Only in the Zheng Dynasty can the courtiers duel, not at any other time and anywhere, let alone find some people to sneak along the way to kill everyone as before. To kill whoever must be invited to fight in the open, and then cut off under the gaze of all the courtiers. According to the principle of reciprocity, doctors can only challenge doctors, and doctors can only challenge doctors; Due to age, doctors can replace doctors, and scholars can replace doctors; Finally, Xiong Jing, as the king, has the right to interrupt and adjudicate to prevent someone from using force indiscriminately.

Under Xiong Jing's angry reprimand, Chengsuke and Yi Su had to put away their swords. Yi Su is a die-hard person, knowing that the king doesn't like duels, and Seisuke knows that as Xiong Jing grows older, the royal power is better than one day, and he has been jealous very early in his subconscious. Although Xiong Jing said that he could go to the main court, both of them put their swords into their sheaths, leaving only a fire-like glare.

"The demonstration is over, if there is nothing else, let's retreat." It was already tense, and it was estimated that there would be a group fight if the discussion continued, and Xiong Jing quickly left.

"Dare to ask the price of the king's artillery? How do you buy with each other? The argument delayed the matter, and when Xiong Jing announced his exit, some people remembered to ask about the price of the artillery.

Of course, the price is not Xiong Jing, Shi Yan saw the color of Xiong Jing and bowed forward and said: "Ten catties of cannons cost twenty gold, and fifteen gold cannons cost thirty gold." 200 rounds of ammunition for one cannon, and 30 gold for 10 catties of gun; Fifteen catties of cannon cost forty-five gold. ”

"This ......" is not expensive in terms of artifacts, but in terms of weapons, this price is very expensive. At this price, a battalion of 16 10-pound guns, and 800 gold for artillery and shells, will already be a year's land rent for a small county - although a soldier does not need to pay field rent, he must buy his own weapons and equipment, and hoard his own grain and straw for wartime in the county's high storehouse. If the county nobles thought it necessary to buy any weapons, such as war boats, crossbows, trebuchets, artillery, etc., they also had to pay for them temporarily.

Artillery ammunition costs 800 gold, and artillery horses cost even more. A ten-pound artillery battalion required 860 horses and 32 horses. This is only the horses in the establishment, and about 10% of the horses are needed in wartime, as well as more than 100 four-wheeled carriages worth two gold.

Of course, if the eight-day supply could be cut, an artillery battalion would only need to be equipped with three hundred and twenty horses, and three hundred and fifty in wartime. This depends on the meaning of the Great Sima Mansion, if the Great Sima Mansion feels that the artillery battalion must be equipped with eight days of horse material to ensure artillery operations, then the counties must purchase so many horses and carriages.

After Shi Yan finished talking about the price, everyone looked at the artillery generals Gong Yi Ji and Xiang Yan, and only listened to Gong Yi Ji and said: "The Great Sima Mansion thinks that the artillery soldiers must have three days of grain and straw, that is, a battalion needs to prepare two hundred and sixteen horses and fifty-four grain trucks. ”

"There is little grain in a truckload!" Some people questioned that the number of carriages carried by the Great Sima Mansion was only 500 kilograms each.

"Yes. The heavy cart is pulled by four horses, the less is 4,000 Chu catties, and the more is 6,000 Chu catties, how can it be counted as 2,000 Chu catties. "It's humane again.

"A car only counts two thousand Chu catties, and it has its own reason for the Great Sima Mansion." Xiang Yan spoke. "If you don't have enough money, you can buy a lot. The ammunition of the artillery of the company was no more than 200 gold, and 14 wagons were equipped with grain and straw, and 56 horses. ”

A ten-pound artillery battalion costs more than 500 horses, plus 54 carriages, almost 1,600 gold, and it will take three or five years for a small county to pay off so much money; And if you buy only one artillery battery, the cost will not exceed four hundred gold. So that some small towns can afford it. As soon as Xiang Yan's words fell, there were some counties to buy, but he still had something to say.

"Artillery is the weapon of Thor, and it is very useful to man. Therefore, the county that buys guns needs to send people to Yingdu to try first, and only after the trial can they buy guns, and only after they can they use guns. Xiang Yan added the conditions for purchasing guns.

"Dare to ask Uncle Xiang, who is the one who has been tested in Yingdu?" Everyone looked at it, worried that they would be eliminated from the competition.

Fortunately, Xiang Yan said: "Those who are tested, those who are natural, and martial arts must not be slack." ”

Chu language, nature, practice, and martial arts, these are the basic courses, and these four courses are taught in the schools of each county. It has been seven years since the implementation of the policy of culture and education, but because teachers also need to study in teachers' schools, there are twists and turns in the middle, so it is not until this year that the first batch of students graduated. Entering school at the age of eight and graduating at the age of eleven, the eleven-year-old child soldiers who come to Yingdu will try.

"How should this be a good ......" Some people are anxious, some county schools open late, and the students have not graduated this year. However, today, the courtiers have long been in gangs, and there are always some county schools that open early, and there are many students graduating this year, so it is okay to transfer each other.

The courtiers finally withdrew from the martial arts with joy - Xiang Yan finally announced an order: starting next year, the original trebuchets in each county could be sold to the three kingdoms of Qi, Wei and Zhao. This weapon is inferior in range to artillery, and its weight is much higher than that of artillery, so it has been listed as obsolete.

They were happy, but Xiang Yan and Xiong Jing were not happy at all. Judging from the reaction of the courtiers just now, the vast majority of those who were in favor of westward expansion were in favor of it. Even the honorable people of Song and Wu also hoped to go west. Advancing westward is to recover the old land, and to obtain practical benefits, the people who have no Lu will become the lord of Lu, the lord of Yi Lu will become the Yin of Yiyi, and the Yin of Yi may soon be called a county and county prince. Whether it is emotion or practical profit, it all makes people tend to go west instead of north.

"Dare to ask Uncle Xiang, can you divide the troops? Is it possible for an army to lead Qi Wei to save Zhao, and an army to march west to attack Qin? Zheng Mingtang, Qu Sui, who was not very familiar with the war, asked. He asked, and even Xiong Jing looked at Xiang Yan.

"No, you can't. The army of Qi Wei was already afraid of Qin and did not dare to fight with the Qin people. If the division of troops is divided into battles with the Qin people, or such as the battle of Chengpu. Xiang Yan shook his head and talked about the battle of Chengpu. Seeing that Qu Sui still didn't understand, he had to say again: "The Qin army is gathered in Gongyi, if I divide my troops to lead the division of Qi and Wei to fight with the Qin people, when the battle is due, the Qin people will storm the two armies of Qi and Wei, and they will be defeated."

The Chu army is only 200,000, and if it is not a battle of 150,000 people, it is invincible; If 150,000 people fight against each other, the soldiers who advance westward will not be enough. Therefore, if you go west and go north, you must take one or the other. From today's point of view, the court should go west. However, the westward march is a matter of the next year, and the Qin people will attack Zhao in the next year, although I attack Qin in the next year, Qin will not save Nanjun and insist on destroying Zhao, so Zhao will die. ”

"Can you call more new pawns?" Qu then remembered that more than 300,000 people had been recruited that year.

"If it is not a pawn of long-term training, it is useless to summon more." Xiang Yan looked at Xiong Jing after answering, "Does the king also want to regain Ying?" ”

Xiang Yan risked his disapproval to lobby Concubine Zhao, even if he was afraid of Xiong Jing, he also agreed to go west. He asked now that Xiong Jing shook his head and smiled bitterly, "The matter of recovering Ying can be delayed, but the matter of saving Zhao cannot be delayed." If Zhu Qing had to go west, Master Ying should go north with Master Xiang and Master Chen to rescue Zhao. ”

"No, you can't. Not almost. Xiang Yan, Zhao Huang, Nao Cunning, Qu Sui, Yi Su and others shook their heads together.

"How can the King of Fuying not come?" Nao said slyly, "The people of the old Yingzhi don't see the king, and they miss the king." And if Ao's heart is known to everyone, let him lead the army to recover, he will be the end of the day, and the tail will not fall. ”

If the Ao clan once rebelled, but what the reason is, it is very taboo. At the beginning, there were already some people who opposed giving Chengyang to them, and if the battle of Fuying was dominated by them, Fuying would succeed and he would become a big disaster one day. When Nao said this, Xiang Yan and Zhao Huang completely agreed with him, and Qu Sui also nodded slightly.

The power of each clan must be balanced in order for the country to be stable. A bad battle of Fuying will make Ruo Ao's clan bigger again, which will affect the political situation very much.

"It shouldn't have been sold to Ruo Ao's family." Yi Su nodded and complained again.

"That's not right." Before Xiong Jing could speak, Xiang Yan objected. "Artillery is my sharpest weapon, and I can break through a few miles away without engaging troops. If artillery is not sold, many soldiers will die. ”

Yi Su almost fought with Cheng Jie today, and his relationship with Xiang Yan was not good, but this time he didn't refute Xiang Yan's words. From the perspective of checks and balances, it is indeed necessary to restrict the Ruo Ao clan, but from the position of the Chu people, then this cannot be done. This is the lower limit.

"If the day after tomorrow the dynasty decides to go west, the minister will ask the king's quasi-ministers to go north with Chen Shi and Lu Shi to save Zhao." Xiang Yan pleaded. The situation was such that he could only divide his troops at the risk of defeat.