At this moment, two officials approached and bowed to Magistrate Cao, saying:
"Prefect Shen has prepared a luncheon and invites you all to attend. Please follow me."
Prefect Shen even invited them to lunch, which was a great honor. The group was very excited and followed the officials to the banquet venue.
In the banquet hall of the government office, the magistrates and scholars from the other counties had already arrived. They were seated in their places, and the food was laid out, waiting for the meal to begin.
No drinks were served at the lunch, which was essentially a working meal. Once everyone had arrived, Prefect Shen ordered the meal to begin.
There have been many things going on at the government office lately, and Prefect Shen has been extremely busy. It's already quite remarkable that he was able to find time to invite them to dinner.
After quickly finishing his lunch, Prefect Shen bid farewell to everyone.
The others also quickened their pace of eating, and after finishing, they left the government office and went home.
Magistrate Cao and his entourage stayed at Zhao Xian's residence. They were not in a hurry to go back and planned to rest for one night before returning to Zhengyang County the next day.
Zhengyang County performed exceptionally well at this poetry gathering, especially the two poems composed by Zhao Xian on-site, which have already become widely circulated in Qing'an Prefecture.
Zhengyang County was not particularly outstanding among the five counties, but through this poetry gathering, its brilliance suddenly overshadowed the other four counties. It would be strange if Magistrate Cao was not happy.
In the afternoon, after resting, the group was in good spirits and chatting happily when a servant came in and said that two constables wanted to see Young Master Zhao.
Zhao Xian was a little puzzled as to why a yamen runner had come to his door. He looked at Magistrate Cao.
Magistrate Cao shook his head, not knowing what was going on either.
"Then please have two constables come in," Zhao Xian instructed.
After the servant left, he brought in two constables.
The yamen runners greeted Zhao Xian and his entourage with a cupped-hand salute.
"Fortunately, Young Master Zhao did not leave, otherwise we would still have to rush to Zhengyang County."
"I wonder what brings you two officers here?" Zhao Xian was a little uneasy, wondering if he had gotten himself into some trouble.
"It is the Prefect who has invited Young Master Zhao to come over immediately, as there is something he wishes to discuss."
"Since the prefect has invited me, I will go with you."
After Zhao Xian finished speaking, he cupped his hands in greeting to Magistrate Cao and walked outside.
Zhao Cheng immediately followed, but Zhao Xian waved his hand, telling Zhao Cheng to stay in the courtyard and that he could go with the yamen runners by himself.
Before long, Zhao Xian arrived at the government office, and the yamen runners took him directly to the council hall.
The people received in the council hall are usually important figures. Could it be that Prefect Shen is receiving me in the council hall?
Upon entering the council hall, Zhao Xian realized he had been overthinking things; many important officials from Qing'an Prefecture had already arrived.
What puzzled Zhao Xian was that a young girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old, was sitting in the guest seat. Judging from her clothes and attire, she must have been of extremely high status.
Behind her stood four female soldiers, fully armed and heroic, clearly the young girl's personal bodyguards.
Zhao Xian walked up to Prefect Shen and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Your Excellency the Prefect."
Prefect Shen immediately stood up and cupped his hands in greeting to the young woman.
"Princess, this is Zhao Xian. Last time we attacked Qianniu Mountain, it was Young Master Zhao who built the catapult that allowed the soldiers to wipe out the bandits in one fell swoop."
This girl was originally a princess; no wonder she had such an extraordinary air about her.
The girl looked Zhao Xian up and down, then stood up and cupped her hands in greeting to him.
"So you are Zhao Xian. Prefect Shen has mentioned you several times today, so I would like to meet you."
Seeing that Zhao Xian was still a little surprised, Prefect Shen then explained.
"Young Master Zhao, this is Princess Li Xue, the youngest daughter of the current Fourth Prince."
“So it’s the Princess,” Zhao Xian bowed.
"No need for formalities, please sit down," Li Xue said with a smile.
Zhao Xian quickly sat down in a seat next to him.
Zhao Xian had certainly heard of the Fourth Prince of the Imperial Court. This prince was the current emperor's younger brother. He had practiced martial arts since childhood and possessed excellent skills. He spent most of his time at the border.
This girl is actually the Fourth Prince's daughter. What does she want from me?
Seeing Zhao Xian's confusion, Li Xue spoke up:
"On this official mission, we happened to be passing through Qing'an Prefecture. The catapult that Young Master Zhao manufactured some time ago has now become an important combat weapon on the front line, playing a vital role on the battlefield."
Upon hearing from Prefect Shen that Young Master Zhao was also in Qing'an Prefecture today, he specially invited him to meet him.
"I wonder what important matter the princess wishes to discuss with me?"
"I've come to see you on behalf of my father. Some time ago, the border soldiers clashed with the barbarian troops. Although our soldiers eventually defeated the barbarian troops, they suffered heavy losses."
The main reason was that the enemy soldiers' bows and arrows were too powerful, with a long range and great force, which our bows and arrows could not match.
The reason our soldiers suffered losses this time was that their bows and arrows were inferior to those of the barbarian soldiers. Currently, our dynasty is unable to manufacture powerful bows and arrows. If we fight the barbarian soldiers again, our soldiers will definitely suffer losses again.
The king was eager to create a weapon that could suppress the barbarian soldiers, so he invited many skilled craftsmen to make it, but after a period of time, he still hadn't succeeded.
Some time ago, I remembered that Qing'an Prefecture manufactured a catapult for attacking mountains during the suppression of bandits. This catapult was extremely powerful.
If such a powerful weapon can be manufactured, then manufacturing a powerful bow and arrow would not be difficult either.
If we give these powerful bows and arrows to our soldiers, they will no longer be afraid of the enemy's arrows.
"So that's how it is," Zhao Xian finally understood Li Xue's intention.
"The princess just wants me to make bows and arrows, as long as their range and power exceed those of the barbarian soldiers."
"That's exactly what I mean. Young Master Zhao, could you perhaps make a bow and arrow like that?"
"Group leader, could you give me a bow and arrow? I want to see the bows and arrows used by my soldiers."
Soon a guard handed him a bow and arrow, which Zhao Xian took and examined.
This bow and arrow is not heavy. It is made of bamboo and has some elasticity, but not much force. Although the bowstring is made of ox sinew, the sinew is too thin. A bow made of such materials will not have a long range, which will definitely put it at a disadvantage on the battlefield.
"Do you have any of the barbarian soldiers' bows and arrows? I'd like to see what their bows and arrows are made of."
Li Xue shook her head and said:
"My father told me that the barbarian soldiers' arrows can travel thirty paces further than ours. In battle, the barbarian soldiers can shoot at us, but we cannot shoot at them. Therefore, we are at a disadvantage when we fight against them."
Zhao Xian calculated that thirty paces should be more than twenty meters. If the range of an arrow exceeds twenty meters, it would be overwhelming. It would be strange if he were not defeated by the enemy.
Without superior materials, it is impossible to manufacture high-quality bows and arrows.
Although he was a materials expert, he should have no problem producing a small number of high-quality bows and arrows. However, to use them on a large scale on the battlefield, he would need to use a large amount of high-quality materials, which was something he would not be able to do.
It seems that only by creating a crossbow bolt that is even more powerful than a bow and arrow can I overwhelm my opponent with an absolute advantage.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
