fifth form

Chapter 3313 Brainstorming

We must win!

The Battle of Mayi forced the Empress Dowager to withdraw from the center of power.

In the present moment, the new emperor is equally unable to bear failure.

Wei Qing, Li Guang, and others' four-pronged attack was just a trial run; only if it succeeded could he continue the offensive plan.

If this group is defeated, everything the new emperor has planned will fall apart.

The new emperor could not possibly send a group of soldiers who only wanted to defend the city to the border to seek war. He could only continue the policy of seeking peace and stopping war that had been adopted by many of the previous emperors of the Han Dynasty.

Why does Your Majesty seem so troubled?

Another little princess has been added to the boudoir.

Compared to the blessing bestowed upon the first princess, this princess's childbirth coincided with the Battle of Mayi, and everything seemed to go unnoticed.

After listening to his eldest daughter recite the classical Chinese text, the new emperor played with his younger daughter for a while.

Perhaps somewhat distracted, the new emperor failed to notice the errors in the recitation of the ancient text, and even when teasing his youngest daughter, he maintained a solemn expression.

After observing for a moment, Wei Zifu played the zither to calm her mind. When her gaze swept over the new emperor's face and she noticed a hint of impatience, she quickly stopped playing the zither and turned to ask him a question.

"The women in the inner palace should not inquire about political affairs," the new emperor said, frowning.

"I dare not interfere in politics," said Wei Zifu. "If Your Majesty would be willing to say a few words, gathering wisdom from all sides might produce some help!"

"you?"

The new emperor looked at Wei Zifu and forced a smile.

It wasn't that he looked down on women, but rather that women had virtually no experience in major war events and therefore couldn't offer any reliable advice.

Even the Empress Dowager, who had followed Emperor Jing for many years, was no exception in this regard, not to mention Wei Zifu, who had previously been just a singer.

"Alright, I'll explain, and you can listen. If you have any opinions, just say so!"

When it comes to power struggles and brawls, all sorts of people will emerge, but very few will be involved in macro-level military affairs.

The new emperor arranged everything, but he was uncertain about his future, had no one to confide in, and no one to guarantee his safety.

What Han Anguo and others said was indeed true: if the horses are inferior to the riders, then the skills will be inferior, and if the skills are inferior, the only option is to defend the border.

Horsemanship could not save the Han Dynasty. Warhorses were only the foundation of military equipment. They were also lacking in skills such as horse control and riding.

If these differences cannot be bridged, there will inevitably be disparities in the strength of the legions during battles.

"His Majesty……"

The women in the inner palace were unaware of the affairs of the court. Empress Wei Zifu never expected that one moment she was offering sacrifices to Heaven at Mount Tai, and the next moment the border regions had fallen, leading to a sudden and full-scale war.

No one can guarantee victory in a war, and the balance between the two sides is extremely important. The Han cavalry has always been at a disadvantage.

When Wei Zifu learned of the matter, she felt that it was far beyond the reach of women like them.

When her gaze swept over the new emperor's slightly disappointed face, Wei Zifu's heart skipped a beat, and she finally remembered something.

“Your Majesty, my younger brother Wei Qing has been a horse driver for many years. He once told me something,” Wei Zifu said. “Horses cannot understand human speech, but they are sensitive to music and know what sounds they should be roused to run at full speed.”

“Music does indeed have some use,” the new emperor nodded. “Ancient texts record that there is a mountain called Liubo in the East Sea, which extends seven thousand miles into the sea. On it lives a beast that looks like an ox, with a blue body, no horns, and one foot. When it enters or leaves the water, there will always be wind and rain. Its light is like the sun and moon, and its sound is like thunder. Its name is Kui. The Yellow Emperor obtained it and used its skin to make a drum, and the pegs were made from the bones of the thunder beast. The sound could be heard for five hundred miles, so as to awe the world!”

Ancient records contain both true and false information. The new emperor did not know whether the Kui existed or whether the Yellow Emperor used it to make drums. However, drums, as musical instruments, had an auxiliary function for the army, and there were drummers in the marching army.

However, the drummer's drumming was mostly used for military communication, music for humans, not horses, and had little effect on them. "Horses' melodies are different from humans'," Wei Zifu said. "Humans like exciting drumbeats, but horses are more suited to low, deep sounds. My younger brother once said that no matter how low his whistle was, his mount would come running, but if his whistle was too loud, it would actually make his mount sluggish!"

"You mean the deep drumbeat can stimulate warhorses?" the new emperor asked doubtfully. "Leaving aside how the melody of the drum can make the horses obey, the deep drumbeat will inevitably have difficulty penetrating a greater distance, so its effect will be negligible!"

"Your Majesty, since the Yellow Emperor could use the hide of the Kui ox to make a drum, we can also follow the ancient texts and try to make a large drum ritual instrument," Wei Zifu said courageously. "There is no harm in failing at this, but it would be a great achievement if we could succeed!"

"Very well, since Zifu is willing to try making drums, let's make some new large drum ritual instruments and see if they can be of any use to warhorses!"

The new emperor nodded.

The Empress of Jiaofang Palace could spend tens of millions of dollars on cosmetics, so it was nothing for Wei Zifu to make a few drums. The new emperor did not object to this matter and indicated that Wei Zifu could recruit officials from the Music Bureau to make them together.

"It's a pity that Sima Xiangru was sent on a mission to the southwestern barbarians and never returned. He was highly accomplished in poetry and music, and perhaps he could have really created a drum for warhorses," the new emperor lamented.

"Mr. Sima's talent in music is unmatched. It would be wonderful to have his help!"

Wei Zifu bowed and accepted the summons bestowed by the new emperor. Her right hand, which was gripping the summons, was still a little white.

Zhang Xuezhou was right. It was a pipe dream for women in the harem to think they could bind the emperor by bearing children. If they did not have unique and outstanding abilities, their temporary favor would be nothing but fleeting clouds.

Even the most beautiful woman will grow old and lose her beauty, and with daily exposure, her appearance will lose its novelty.

Men may be attracted to women, but a ruler who has ascended to the pinnacle of power cannot be obsessed with a single woman.

Wei Zifu did want to do something to demonstrate her value, and even if others didn't approve, she needed to try.

Her path to extraordinary talent was by no means simply following the rules, practicing songs, showcasing her singing voice, or reciting new poems by a certain poet—that would never be considered high art.

Those skilled in traditional folk arts are treated like actors, only allowed to listen to their tunes. This is not because folk arts are worthless, but because it is too difficult to become a master of them.

But Wei Zifu believed that the art of performing arts that truly resonates with life will endure and even be engraved in the body, forming a mark of inheritance that will be passed down from generation to generation.

The new emperor was troubled and his unstable emotions were easily ignited, so Wei Zifu did not dwell on it too much.

Not long after the new emperor left, preoccupied with his own thoughts, she summoned Chen Zhang and others, and with the order in hand, rushed to the Music Bureau.

"Your Majesty, do I look beautiful today?"

After leaving the Shufang Palace, the new emperor showed no favoritism and went to the Jiaofang Palace as well.

Seeing that the Empress was overjoyed to see him, he put on a new makeup.

Compared to her haphazard makeup in previous years, the Queen's current makeup is of a very high standard.

The new emperor had to tell the truth: the empress changed her makeup every day, which was like seeing a woman with a different style, and it did bring a strong sense of novelty.

But at that moment, he was in no mood to appreciate such beauty.

The suppressed emotions were quickly ignited, and after a barrage of scolding, the Empress couldn't help but cry and scream as she went back to her parents' home.

"A sword that's utterly useless!"

Even the strongest martial prowess is limited to an individual. One person's sword cannot save the fallen Shanggu County, nor Hexi County, nor the victims slaughtered in the flames of war.

The new emperor wielded his longsword and wielded it with such skill that his swordsmanship, once mastered, had no target for attack.

After practicing his swordplay in the back garden of Shufang Palace, he sat cross-legged for a long time, and finally remembered someone.

"One sword is useless, ten swords are useless, a hundred swords will have some use, a thousand swords will have brilliance, and ten thousand swords like mine will be enough to change the world!"

The new emperor muttered to himself, and as he rose with his sword in hand, he summoned the imperial guards and delivered an urgent decree.

"Summon Dong Zhongshu, the Chancellor of Jiangdu, to the capital!"