Chapter 24: Yuan Chonghuan and his "Anti-Arrow Armor"

  It's raining in the morning...

  The ministers were in a bad mood and hurriedly found their own accountants to calculate whether today's events were true or not.

  Yang's reform was also unpalatable.

  I think I'm really a foolish emperor, those ministers still treat me like an 18-year-old young man. It's so infuriating, whenever they encounter something that doesn't go their way, it's all "impossible". Yang Reform is disgusting to death.

  Yang decided to assign some tasks to these ministers, also making them feel uncomfortable and unhappy.

  After some thought, I still think of the arch-nemesis of the Wen Chen and the nightmare of the Donglin Party, the 9,000-year-old Wei Zhongxian. This guy is a good thing, the Wen Chen will definitely be disgusted to death when they see him, and the Donglin Party will definitely tremble with anger when they see him.

  Yang Reform decided to write a letter to Wei Zhongxian after thinking about it.

  Thought for half a night, thinking that I and Wei Zhongxian have no friendship at all, and the little interaction we had was still with the previous owner of this body. Chongzhen.

  What tone should I use to write a letter to Wei Zhongxian? Issue an imperial edict? Obviously, it doesn't fit with Yang's reformist thinking. Yang just wants to disgust those bureaucrats and let them know that he still has a "big card" in his hand. If you don't make me happy, I'll make you disgusted. The case of Wei is not yet settled, and it's not suitable to issue an imperial edict to Wei Zhongxian now. Yang is still waiting for the money from the Wei case.

  Is it necessary to use the standard body of nine years of compulsory education. First, give him a "Dear Wei Zhongxian...", Yang Gaofei felt very disgusted. There was a prelude to turning over in his stomach.

  "Dear Wei Zhongxian..." This is even more disgusting. Wei Zhongxian was just a eunuch, the emperor's house slave. Does he deserve such "respect and love"? I'm afraid that once this letter arrives, Wei Zhongxian will hang himself to death out of fear.

  "Brother Zhongxian..." No way. If he's called that, then at the age of 9,000 he'd be over 11,000 years old. Older than himself?

  "Wei Aiqing......" This is even more impossible, he's now just a man waiting for death, what "Aiqing" (beloved) could there be?

  "Little Wei... " This... Yang Gao almost vomited. The dinner in his stomach was under great pressure.

  "Wei Zhongxian..." directly calling his name, this seems a bit too much. But it won't do, in this world the emperor is the greatest, and for an emperor to write a letter to a slave, he would still use the most respectful form of address. Yang Reform was shot again.

  It seems that using the standard body of nine-year compulsory education to write a letter to Wei Zhongxian is definitely not feasible. So, Yang reform can only wrap a white paper in an envelope and call Wang Chengen.

  "Taibei, deliver this letter into the hands of Wei Zhongxian."

  Wang Chengen was startled, Wei Zhongxian! But still stretched out his hand to take the letter and said: "Your Majesty, is it Wei's rebellion?......" Wang Chengen wanted to speak but stopped. He was also puzzled, how did the emperor suddenly remember this person? This is really a hot potato!

  "Yes, it is Wei Zhongxian."

  "Yes, Your Majesty. I'll have someone send it over right away." Wang Cheng'en replied promptly.

  In the Ming dynasty, "scholars", especially those in power and high-ranking officials, all hated Wei Zhongxian. The reason was simple: too many people had built shrines for him, which was a very embarrassing thing. If he didn't die, the faces of these high-ranking officials would be swept away like dirt on the ground by the brooms used specifically for sweeping floors.

  The emperor at this time also wrote a letter to him, those people knew it and would not jump up to oppose the emperor. Wang Chengen thought he should advise a few words, but then thought that he was just a slave, the emperor had his own thoughts, so he didn't speak out again. Silently turned around and left, calling someone to send the letter.

  Watching Wang Chengen silently turn and leave, Yang Gaizhi's heart was a mess of confusion, not knowing whether this time was right or wrong. There wasn't a single "strategist" by his side to give him advice and analyze the situation. He was a lone otaku, fighting alone!

  A night without words.

  ……

  The next day, Yang Reform didn't have to attend the morning court session and only got up at 9 o'clock. After breakfast, Wang Cheng'en reported that Yuan Chonghuan, a rookie, had arrived, saying he had come up with a new battle strategy and wanted to discuss it with Master Sun using the Emperor's "sand table".

  "Alright. I'll go and take a look too." Yang Reform readily agreed to Yuan Chonghuan's request, but he didn't expect that Yuan Chonghuan would come up with a new battle strategy so quickly. Let's go and see.

  Platform

  The house is not big, with a large "sandbox" in the middle, used for simulating situations.

  Yuan Chonghuan was still no match for Sun Chengzong. Although Yuan had a new battle strategy, his own side's resources were too expensive and the peasants were too few, so they didn't have enough money to spend, making it easy for Sun Chengzong to defeat them.

  The instant strategy is a mess.

  Yuan Chonghuan was very disheartened, thinking that his new tactics could turn the tide of battle, but he lost again. Losing face wasn't the worst part; what really made Yuan Chonghuan feel ashamed and inferior was losing under the emperor's watchful eye. His confidence took another severe blow.

  Actually, Yang Reform's "abuse" of Yuan Chonghuan has two purposes. First, it is to make him have a sense of self-awareness and not act recklessly. Arbitrarily going to kill Mao Wenzhen and the like, let him know that the emperor is not easy to fool around with, and he is not a genius either. Second, it is to improve Yuan Chonghuan's "strategic" level.

  Since the basic purpose has been achieved, Yang Reform is not very interested in Yuan Chonghuan's war method. What is of interest is one thing related to Yuan Chonghuan.

  According to legend, during the Battle of Guangqu Gate in defense of the capital, "Yuan Chonghuan was hit by multiple arrows, with two sides like a hedgehog, fortunately, his heavy armor did not penetrate." This is what Yang saw when he searched for Yuan Chonghuan on Baidu and suddenly had an epiphany.

  "With multiple arrows in his body, both sides of his ribs were like a hedgehog's, thanks to the thick armor that didn't penetrate." From these simple words, Yang Reform suddenly realized that Yuan Chonghuan was indeed a very impressive figure, fearless of death. In the chaotic army, it was already a melee, and arrows were almost shot point-blank, yet he had multiple arrows in his body without any problem. Judging from "thanks to the thick armor", Yuan Chonghuan's "arrow-proof clothing" was not inferior to modern "bulletproof vests".

  Yang's interest in reform is how Yuan Chonghuan wore it and how he came up with this "heavy armor". If we say that Yuan Chonghuan, a scholar, wears armor on the battlefield, it is also reasonable. However, if we say that there is such a "heavy armor" that even nearby arrows cannot penetrate, how thick must the iron plate be? There may be some "mystery" in this. If it were really "heavy armor", Yuan Chonghuan would not have been able to wear it for long, but legend has it that the Battle of Guangqu Gate lasted several hours.

  It can be seen that this "heavy armor" is not very heavy at all. However, its defensive capabilities, especially against arrows, are quite astonishing. Moreover, it can even "hang" the incoming arrows on the body, otherwise how to describe it as "like a hedgehog"? Therefore, Yang is very interested in this and plans to discuss this "anti-arrow armor" with Yuan Chonghuan.

  The lethality of ancient times, especially in battles involving cavalry, was largely due to arrow wounds. Being able to defend against this would greatly reduce casualties. This is something worth researching for Yang's reform.

  "Yuan Ai Qing, take a rest first, I have something to say to you." Yang said with a smile to Yuan Chonghuan.

  "Yes, Your Majesty." Yuan Chonghuan no longer had the "heroic spirit", "clouds soaring" and "talking freely" feeling he had when he first met Emperor Chongzhen. Instead, he was sincere, humble and respectful in his treatment of the emperor. He no longer treated the emperor as an eighteen-year-old young man to be fooled around with.

  "Haha, Yuan Aiqing, it's like this. I think you're a man of letters, yet you dare to take the battlefield - truly admirable courage and aplomb! You must have something to rely on."

  "Your Majesty, I, Chen, have only one loyal heart, and that is all. Fortunately, Your Majesty has great fortune, and there will be no corpses on the battlefield." Yuan Chonghuan was very careful in flattering Emperor Chongzhen.

  "Haha, Yuan Ai, I know your loyalty. Without it, you wouldn't be sitting here. I have a question that interests me greatly - what protective gear did you wear before going into battle? I'm very interested, and I'm not a strong man either. If in the future I have the chance to go into battle, perhaps I'll need something with great defensive power like yours..."

  The speaker is unintentional, the listener is intentional. The emperor wants to go to the battlefield? This frightened Sun Chengzong and Yuan Chonghuan, if the emperor goes to the battlefield, what will we ministers do?

  "I deserve death, I am guilty, putting your father in a dangerous situation..." Two people hurriedly confessed their crimes.

  Yang reform sighed, and changed his words: "Alas... actually it's not that I want to go to the battlefield, but I think our dynasty and the Eastern Turks and Later Jin are at war, to a large extent, are arrow injuries. If there is an effective 'anti-arrow armor', it should be able to greatly reduce casualties. That's why I asked Yuan Ai about this matter. In the future, if it can be made, it will be given to the front-line generals and soldiers, and let them feel the court's concern for them. This is also a good thing that can make the vast number of soldiers grateful! I am also considering the frontline soldiers! What do you two Ai think?"

  This... is unbelievable. Sun Chongzong and Yuan Chonghuan find Yang's reform ideas of "heavenly simplicity", "heavenly genius" and "unbridled imagination" to be unbelievable.

  "Our emperor is indeed a wise ruler." Sun Chengzong said a flattering remark. Yuan Chonghuan was dumbfounded, thinking that this emperor was indeed a master who liked to have fanciful ideas.

  The old Zhu family's, a clever trick. This is what Yuan Chonghuan had in mind.

  Horse's fart returns to horse, things still need to be done. Since opinions have been unified, then they must be implemented. Therefore, Yuan Chonghuan, who was practicing "instant strategy", began to discuss the issue of "anti-arrow clothing" with Sun Chengzong. On this issue, Yuan Chonghuan showed 200% enthusiasm and initiative, pouring out his years of experience.

  The trend of history is always great. Later, in the Guangqu Gate, he was shot with several arrows, but Yuan Chonghuan, who had two ribs like a hedgehog, didn't have any problems. In this discussion on the "anti-arrow armor" issue, he was destined to be a "genius". He quickly finalized the design plan and waited for it to be made before going to "test the arrow".

  Yang watched from the side, smiling but saying nothing.