Chapter 20 The generals were all stunned.
Ning Jinli took out an antique-style ring-pommel sword, one meter long and as wide as a palm.
Several generals stared wide-eyed.
Just by looking at it, you can tell that this is far superior to the bronze swords they use!
Before they could even marvel, Ning Jinli unpacked another package over three meters long and pulled out a spear!
"I only have a thousand broadswords and a thousand spears for now. Try them out first to see if they fit. If they do, I'll bring them all over later. If they don't, I'll buy other styles."
As she spoke, she handed the broadsword and spear to Xiao Qidi.
There's no need for her to explain or demonstrate things like cold weapons.
Several generals couldn't contain themselves and all crowded around, their eyes shining and their voices trembling as they exclaimed that this was simply a divine weapon!
Xiao Qidi had two generals try it out.
One of them took their own bronze battle sword, while the other took the sword given to them by Ning Jinli.
The result was predictable.
The bronze sword broke instantly upon impact.
Xiao Qidi then ordered another man to remove his bronze armor and wield a large sword to strike.
The armor was as if it were made of paper; it broke in two.
As for the spears, needless to say, not only were their tips sharp enough to easily pierce their armor, but they also had a much longer attack range.
"Duan Wu, go and fetch the Yu Kingdom armor and swords we captured at Xitun Pass," Xiao Qidi ordered.
"yes!"
Duan Wu ran out of the cave quickly.
Ning Jinli asked, "Should we try again? The equipment from Yu Kingdom is different from yours?"
Xiao Qidi explained, "Yu Kingdom is rich in iron ore resources, so its iron smelting technology is the best among the seven kingdoms of the Central Plains. The other six kingdoms still mainly use bronze for armor and weapons, but Yu Kingdom's army has already started using pig iron."
"Oh, I see. Pig iron is indeed better than bronze."
“That’s right. Their iron swords can easily cut through our armor, while their armor can withstand our bronze swords.”
"Then you don't need to worry anymore, fortunes change!"
Ning Jinli smiled broadly.
All of these were manufactured in modern industry.
Even the equipment of the Yu Kingdom is more than two thousand years behind!
Before long, Duan Wu brought over a suit of armor used by the soldiers of the Yu Kingdom and a long sword.
After verification, this equipment made of pig iron was still no match for the broadsword and spear provided by Ning Jinli!
Now Xiao Qidi was completely convinced.
“We have the bulletproof suit, the knife and the spear, but we can’t be without this.” Ning Jinli showed off a modern recurve bow.
He also gave him a few arrows as a bonus.
He also said that he could give him 500 of these first, and that he had 5,000 arrows.
The generals were all stunned.
Any one of these three weapons is an incredibly powerful artifact that would completely overwhelm any weapon they were using.
Fairy Jinli not only brought out three items, but also so many of them!
Xiao Qidi was, after all, an emperor. No matter how shocked he was inside, he remained expressionless.
Several generals gathered together, excitedly fiddling with the divine weapons.
He paced back and forth, pondering what kind of elite force he should build.
"With 3,000 sets of armor, 1,000 broadswords and 1,000 spears, and 500 bows, we can equip 1,000 broadsword soldiers, 1,000 spear soldiers, and 500 archer soldiers."
"With such a force of 2,500 elite men, they can roughly deal with the 10,000 elite soldiers of the Yu Kingdom."
At this point, he frowned slightly and pursed his thin lips.
There are currently 50,000 troops from the Yu Kingdom outside Linxian Village, of which about 20,000 are elite.
On his side, being able to select two or three thousand people to equip with the equipment provided by Ning Jinli was already the limit.
In the end, he only had 10,000 soldiers at Xitun Pass, and he still had to take away some of the wounded.
Of the 60,000 civilians, excluding the elderly, women, and children, only 20,000 men were able to participate in the battle.
They were untrained and could only serve as ordinary soldiers; it was unlikely that any elite soldiers could be selected from them.
If the Yu Kingdom's army launches a full-scale attack at all costs, I'm afraid...
It's likely that we'll struggle to hold out until reinforcements arrive.
“It’s not just enough to deal with the 10,000 elite soldiers of the Yu Kingdom, I also brought you a secret piece of equipment, look!” Ning Jinli took out a pair of stirrups.
"What is this?" Xiao Qidi asked, his eyes filled with doubt.
Ning Jinli knew he would react this way.
Because history books clearly state that the stirrup appeared more than 1,700 years ago.
It was about seven or eight hundred years after the Xuan Dynasty.
Ning Jinli said, "This is called a stirrup. With it, you can upgrade those 2,500 elite soldiers into even more powerful cavalry!"
Upon hearing this, the generals all wore expressions of disbelief.
Duan Wu couldn't help but speak up: "Fairy Jinli, it won't work if they all become cavalry..."
Ning Jinli blinked and asked deliberately, "Why not?"
Duan Wu explained:
"Riding a horse is too bumpy and shaky, making it difficult to control one's body. Cavalry can only use arrows to harass the enemy from a distance while moving nimbly. It is not suitable for wielding swords and spears at all. Otherwise, the cavalry will fall off before they can kill the enemy."
"If we select 2,500 people, equip them all with the equipment given by the fairy, and assign them all as cavalry, it will greatly reduce their combat effectiveness."
Ning Jinli nodded as she listened.
This is indeed similar to the explanation in history books.
Before the invention of the stirrup, cavalry was not very effective or powerful, far inferior to infantry.
Later, the stirrup was invented, and cavalry became a powerful weapon in ancient armies.
Heavy cavalry, in particular, were comparable to ancient tanks, which is no exaggeration.
“That’s why I brought this for you,” she said with a smile. “Stirrups are used to help riders stay steady. As long as they are attached to the sides of the saddle and the rider puts his feet in, even a person who can ride a horse can use knives and spears.”
Duan Wu was skeptical. "Please forgive my bluntness, but can these two semi-circular objects really have such an effect?"
Ning Jinli asked, "Which of you is the best at horseback riding?"
"My lady, this is my specialty." A general clasped his hands in greeting.
Ning Jinli handed him the stirrups, "Then you can go and try it out."
At this moment, no one realized what a formidable cavalry army they would one day be able to develop from such a small stirrup...
"Alright, I'll go deliver all the equipment now." Ning Jinli turned to leave.
Xiao Qidi called out, "Wait a minute, Miss Ning. The people here have offered you many things as a token of their goodwill. I promised them I would make sure you accepted them."
Ning Jinli was surprised, "Wasn't giving you golden nanmu and ebony last time enough? You want to give me more?"
"Come with me." Xiao Qidi stepped out of the cave.
Ning Jinli followed out of curiosity, and then saw three "small hills" on the open ground outside the cave.
A jumble of ancient artifacts were piled together.
Most of the items were broken, dirty, and old, mixed with some jewelry, jade, calligraphy and paintings, handicrafts, gold and silver ingots, etc.
"This... was all given to me by the people?" Ning Jinli's mouth formed an "O" shape.
She was both shocked and moved, and tears welled up in her eyes. She gently placed her hand on his.
Splash—
A pile of things collapsed.
Inside was a rolled-up animal skin, with what appeared to be writing on it.
Ning Jinli casually pulled it out and looked at it carefully. She didn't recognize a single character, and it didn't even look like the seal script of this era. It might be from an earlier period.
Besides the text, there are also faint, blurry patterns.
"Do you recognize these characters?" she asked Xiao Qidi.
Xiao Qidi's eyes showed a strange light. "This is an ancient script that I don't recognize, but this pattern... seems to be a map of the mountains near Linxian Village."
"Even you say it's ancient script..." A thought flashed through Ning Jinli's mind, "Could this be—a treasure map?!"
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