Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 298 The King of Han is dedicated to governing the country and saving the world; who in the world dares not submit to him?
On this day, at the arsenal.

Xu You, having received Yuan Shao's order, dared not hesitate and immediately summoned all the craftsmen in the armory.

A group of simply dressed old craftsmen came together, looking up at Xu You, who had suddenly summoned them, with fearful expressions.

"Lord Xu, what are your orders for summoning us here?"

Seeing the fear and tension on everyone's faces, Xu You smiled kindly.

"Gentlemen, there is no need to worry. I have summoned you here today because of the Lord's instructions."

"The lord has given You a death order: within three months, you must produce three thousand sets of heavy armor for cavalry. Any delay will be punished according to military law."

"what!!!"

Upon hearing this, the craftsmen were all greatly shocked.

"Lord Xu, this is absolutely unacceptable!"

"You must persuade Lord Yuan and explain it to him clearly."

"That's right! That's right! It's not that we're delaying the project or unwilling to work, but it's simply that building three thousand heavy armor cavalry units within three months is something that no human can accomplish."

"That's exactly right. Even if we worked day and night, pushing ourselves to the limit, we couldn't possibly produce three hundred pieces in just three months, let alone three thousand."

However, Xu You only smiled coldly at the noisy complaints of the craftsmen.

"Explanation? I'll explain for you, but who will explain for me?"

The lord's orders have been issued. If they are not carried out, not only will you be implicated, but I will also be affected!

You summoned you here not to discuss anything, but to give an order!

Three thousand suits of heavy armor are due in three months. If they are not completed, the lord will punish them.

The craftsmen knelt on the ground, their faces filled with even greater fear, clamoring and pleading for mercy.

Xu You, too lazy to listen to their pleas for mercy, seeing that he had frightened them, softened his tone and said:
"Things have come to this point, it's no use for you to beg me. If you can't deliver the armor in three months, not only you, but I will also be punished."

"Right now, in order for you to complete the required number of armors and for me to avoid being implicated, I have a good plan in mind, but I'm afraid you won't cooperate."

"If Lord Xu has a good plan, how dare we not follow it?"

"But please, Lord Xu, speak freely, and we will obey your orders."

Seeing this, Xu You spoke up quietly and offered his analysis.

"Those who pretend to be Yellow Turbans rely on heavy armor that is impervious to swords and spears. The most difficult part of making it is how to make the heavy armor cover the whole body while still allowing the joints to move freely. Therefore, although the armor is heavy, it is as easy to use as an arm."

Since it is extremely difficult for you to replicate this technique, and the matter is urgent, it would be better to abandon it.”

Upon hearing this, the craftsmen frowned in confusion. "Lord Xu? If this technique is abandoned, how can such full-coverage heavy armor still be made?"

“That’s right. If we don’t have such heavy armor, even if we make three thousand ordinary armors, I’m afraid we won’t be able to explain it to Lord Yuan.”

When the generals asked about this, Xu You couldn't help but laugh.

"The claim that the armor is impervious to swords and spears was something I told the lord based on my guess."

The lord has never seen it with his own eyes, so how would he know what this heavy armor is?

Now, all we need is the armor we make, which possesses a slight degree of invulnerability to swords and spears, to respond to the rumors of the Yellow Turbans' supernatural powers at sea, enough to intimidate everyone.

Even if it falls short in a battle against the genuine article afterward, you can still answer your lord's question by saying:

This is a replica we made based on hearsay. Since it is a replica, it is naturally inferior to the genuine article.

In any case, our army has not yet captured a single piece of invulnerable heavy cavalry armor. As for replicating it based on rumors and speculation, what it should look like is entirely up to you master craftsmen.”

The craftsmen: "???"

The artisans were astonished!
Yes, the production process was difficult and slow in the past because they wanted to achieve the effect of being invulnerable to weapons and move with ease, as described in the intelligence reports.

The problem is that no one has ever seen a genuine suit of armor, and there's no readily available standard for measuring it.

They relied entirely on the accounts of the routed soldiers who had fled back from previous battles.

These descriptions are quite outrageous, including things like having three heads and six arms, being several meters tall, having three eyes, and so on—they are all incredibly bizarre.

If that's the case, then they have a lot of room to maneuver here.

Right now, the top blacksmiths from the four prefectures of Ji, Qing, You, and Bing are all here. As long as they all agree on what this armor is like, then it is exactly what it is!
Could Master Yuan be more authoritative or knowledgeable about blacksmithing than them?
Will they agree on a single story?
Isn't that obvious? Master Xu clearly wants to abandon the original, time-consuming, and meticulously crafted model and redesign a simple, convenient model that can be mass-produced.

You should know that the original model had a complex process, and even with all of them working day and night, it was still slow to produce.

If they were to redesign a simpler version, they wouldn't even need to do it themselves.

After all, for this matter, blacksmiths from four states were recruited here. All they need to do is design the template and then guide and supervise others to work overtime.

Who would leave an easy job to do instead of wasting time and effort for no benefit?
Moreover, if we don't keep a consistent story and this matter is reported and exposed, what will happen when Lord Yuan issues the order for three thousand sets of armor over the next three months? Are you going to make them for him?

It's impossible to finish, it's simply impossible to finish!

The only way to survive is to stick to Xu You's story; otherwise, it will be a race against time, with no choice but to work day and night and be punished for not meeting the deadline.

Therefore, all the craftsmen bowed and said:
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Xu. May I ask about the design of this armor?"

Xu You raised his hand and stroked his beard, chuckling arrogantly.

"You are all master craftsmen from the four states, so it should not be difficult for you to make iron plates."

So-called armor is nothing more than iron plates spliced ​​together. Since the craftsmanship at the joints is difficult, let's just skip the joints altogether!

The entire suit of armor is based on large and small iron plates. There are two large plates at the front and back of the chest and abdomen, two long plates at the front and back of the arms, two short plates at the front and back of the forearms, and so on, sandwiched between the two sides to form an iron man!

As for the two iron plates at the front and back, and the connections between the arms and limbs, they were all hooked together with leather armor!

Upon hearing Xu You's words, all the craftsmen exclaimed, "Brilliant!"

"By sandwiching the entire iron plate in this way, it can absolutely achieve the legendary invulnerability to blades and spears, whether attacked from the front or the rear!!!"

The old craftsman clapped his hands and laughed excitedly. As for why he didn't mention left or right?

Then you can only hope for the best.

"Absolutely! With the suppleness of the leather connecting the parts, it is naturally easy to achieve the legendary ability to control one's own arm as if it were one's own arm."

The other veteran craftsmen nodded in agreement, saying, "If you're only making iron plates, there's no fixed size or specification; you can just piece them together with leather."

In this way, no craftsmanship is needed, and we don't even need to lift a finger. Thousands of blacksmiths in the city can rush to complete the work.

If that's the case, then within three months, three thousand heavily armored cavalry units can be easily produced.

Furthermore, a craftsman with foresight quickly advised him:
"Gentlemen, please do not be too happy yet. While the production of the iron plates can be completed in time, we are currently lacking a large amount of leather and leather craftsmen. This matter requires Lord Xu to plan ahead as soon as possible."

Xu You was naturally confident. "Rest assured, everyone. To accomplish this task, the lord has given me full authority to mobilize resources from the four states."

I will summon a large number of leatherworkers and leather craftsmen tomorrow to assist you.”

The crowd then said, "Good."

The following day, with a large influx of leather craftsmen, Yuan Shao's heavy armor industry experienced rapid development and flourished, with a large number of heavy armor and cavalry gear being produced every day.

When asked why so much leather was needed to make heavy armor, Xu You simply looked arrogant and disdainful.

Have you ever forged iron? Have you ever seen heavy armor and cavalry?

Do you know how to design and make it?
The words of this country's master craftsman are ignorant; you should not question them further!

Everyone: "."

Because these words and actions were so consistent with Xu You's previous persona, everyone actually thought it was quite reasonable.

Because this is very much like Xu Ziyuan.

Nevertheless, some people felt that Xu You's current behavior was very unreliable. Xun Chen thought about it for a while and secretly reported him to Yuan Shao.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao investigated and was initially pleased with the current progress in heavy armor manufacturing, but he couldn't help but become suspicious of Xu You's strange behavior.

After all, when I asked last time, it was incredibly difficult to make. How come the production progress is so much faster now that I've urged it on?
However, when summoned by Yuan Shao for questioning and rebuked by Xun Chen, Xu You simply replied arrogantly:
"My lord, please try on the armor!"

Now, one hundred cavalrymen may be ordered to wear the newly made heavy armor.

"Also, have five hundred cavalrymen in ordinary armor charge directly from the training ground with the other two armies. We'll see how it goes."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao also found it reasonable and thus agreed.

Before long, everyone went to the high platform of the training ground and watched from afar. They saw two armies facing each other, ready for battle.

Yuan Shao gestured to Xu You, and seeing that he indicated he was ready, he gave the order:
"kill!"

Then the two armies shouted "Kill!" and charged head-on into each other!

The result was a near-total defeat, with Xu You's two armies achieving a great victory!

Apart from a few unlucky ones who were just hit by a spear that went astray and struck their joints, most of the hundred men were unharmed.

After they routed five hundred cavalry in a frontal charge, the remaining pursuing troops were a one-sided victory.

Those who observed the battlefield from afar were astonished!
Such a record made Yuan Shao's eyes light up with admiration.

They defeated five hundred cavalrymen head-on with fewer than ten casualties.

"With such a strong army, who can defeat them?"

"I have a brilliant plan, Ziyuan; taking the world will be as easy as turning my hand!"

"You flatter me, my lord."

Xu You cupped his hands and smiled, secretly pleased.

A bunch of short-sighted people, what can you see from this distance?
My two armor plates are best suited for head-on confrontations!
With a frontal charge, we are invincible and unbeatable. How can a mere five hundred leather-armored cavalrymen be our enemy?

Imagine a head-on collision, with the enemy's spear thrusting towards us and striking our thick, solid iron chest plate.

But when our spear thrusts forward, it pierces through the leather armor; how could we not win?

After our troops have charged through, if the enemy tries to stab from behind, they will be blocked by the iron plate behind them!

Moreover, the warhorses are protected by leather hooks and iron plates, so in a head-on collision between the two armies, defeating ordinary cavalry would be a piece of cake.

With these two iron plates sandwiched between him, he was practically impervious to swords and spears from both sides. Xu Zizhen, wanting to look down on everyone, declared:
Nobody knows more about heavy armor than me!

What if you are attacked from both sides?
Xu You blinked. "This...of course, it's using my, Xu Ziyuan's, strategy to try and avoid this situation, just like now, hehe."
Regardless of what Xu You was really thinking, the result of this training ground competition completely silenced all voices opposing him.

Yuan Shao also greatly appreciated Xu You's achievements and encouraged him to continue his efforts, promising to provide him with strong support using the resources of four provinces.

On the other side, Shouchun.

As a long line of carriages stretched out, the leader unfurled a banner that read:

[Marquis of Duting, Cao!]

It was Cao Anmin who had returned in triumph from Luoyang.

It's impossible to say that Cao Cao didn't hate him to the core, but he really couldn't do anything about it.

Firstly, he himself could not admit that Cao Anmin had surrendered, and had to cooperate with Cao Anmin and believe that his surrender was feigned.

Otherwise, with the prohibition against the extermination of nine generations of a family for surrendering, it would be very troublesome to deal with a member of the Cao family who openly surrendered to Yuan. It would be better to simply say that Cao Anmin was ordered to feign surrender to Yuan in order to plan for the future.

Secondly, Cao Anmin claimed to be the only official merchant designated by the King of Han, so killing him would cut off the way to purchase the rare goods of Shouchun.

Therefore, after Cao Cao quelled the internal strife in Luoyang and obtained a large amount of wealth, he simply sent Cao Anmin, a man who had submitted to both sides, back to Shouchun to conduct trade and purchase goods.

He knew that buying things from Yuan Shu would inevitably result in a significant premium.

However, whether it was stationery, fine writing brushes, inkstones, or newly ground glass, refined salt, and soapberry from Shouchun, these were all things that aristocratic families eagerly desired.

If Yuan Shu has it, but Cao Cao doesn't, over time, people will start to want to change their minds.

In any case, he has already strictly prohibited private trade, so no matter how much premium Yuan Shu pays, he can sell it to him.

At worst, he could sell it to his own powerful families for ten times the price, or resell it to Yuan Shao in the north for thirty times the price; he could always make a profit.

It's reasonable to charge a shipping fee for something that's unique to Shouchun that you bought all the way here.
At this moment, with Shouchun City in sight, Cao Anmin smiled and put his arm around Fu De beside him, saying:

"Brother Fu, don't be nervous. The King of Han really doesn't eat people."

"Brother Cao, don't lie to me. I saw it with my own eyes when I came last time. How could it be fake?"

"If I weren't so bland and didn't suit my taste, I would have been eaten last time."

The man before me, Fu De, had a bitter expression on his face. He had come bearing imperial credentials, clearly having been sent on another mission.

The main problem was that every time Cao Cao sent someone to Yuan Shu's territory, for some reason, one would defect. Cao Cao no longer dared to send his own people.

Just as he had finished purging the court and almost everyone was gone, the Fu family was spared because of the Emperor's relationship with Empress Fu and the fact that they had not been involved in the affairs of Dong Cheng and Liu Yao.

This is why Liu Yao didn't dare to bring the Fu family into his fold. After all, he could only tell others that the emperor had secretly given him an imperial edict, but he dared not speak openly to others.

They brought the Fu family along, but when Empress Fu asked the Emperor about it, the truth was immediately revealed. It's impossible for the Emperor to have something he couldn't say to Empress Fu, right?

Unexpectedly, this very act saved the Fu family's lives.

This time, Fu De was better able to represent the emperor's identity, so Cao Cao appointed him as an envoy to accompany the people in pacifying the land.

The imperial edict he brought this time contained the following: [The Emperor's acceptance of Yuan Shu's title of King of Han signifies encouragement and recognition of his desire to restore the Han Dynasty.]

There's no way around it; you have to agree.

If they do not approve, then the whole world will unite to attack him, and Prime Minister Cao will have to lead his troops to attack Yuan Shu again.

But he's not ready yet; he's struggling to defend, let alone launch an attack.

After much deliberation, Cao Cao suddenly realized that it would be better to say that Yuan Shu was acting on the emperor's edict to become king, and that he was a loyal and virtuous man who was upholding the Han dynasty. This would save face for the court and even intimidate the surrounding areas.

For Cao Cao at this point, the longer he can delay, the better. Every extra day he delays means one more day of conscription and training for his soldiers.

Furthermore, we should use the matter of the King of Han to appease Yuan Shu, and use the benefits of trade to pacify this traitor!

Once Yuan Shu received the imperial edict and was appointed, it was tantamount to acknowledging the legitimacy of the Luoyang court and recognizing that the edict came from the emperor, not Cao Cao.

If the King of Han were to govern the country, the prestige of the imperial court would greatly increase!
If that's the case, then you, King of Han, are a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty. You can't possibly attack the imperial court, can you?

Don't hit me, go hit Lu Bu first!

(End of this chapter)