A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

When Shang Wanqing threw a piece of dark brown leather armor into the brazier, the old craftsman next to her almost pounced on it.

"Your Majesty! Those are the first batch of new armor that have just been pressed!"

Shang Wanqing ignored him.

The flames licked the skin, sizzling as the grease burned and smoked.

The craftsmen all craned their necks, their eyes almost touching the top of their heads.

Half a cup of tea.

A cup of tea.

The leather armor was charred black, but it didn't immediately crack.

Shang Wanqing then used an iron hook to pick the item out and threw it onto the table.

"cut."

The old craftsman swallowed hard, then raised his knife and chopped down.

clang!

The blade went in half an inch and got stuck.

The hammering stopped throughout the room.

Shang Wanqing looked at the knife mark, her brows still furrowed.

"not enough."

The old craftsman almost laughed out of anger.

"Your Majesty, is this not enough? Leather armor can block fire and intercept swords, and it weighs only 30% of iron armor. When the new soldiers wear it, they can run at least ten miles more."

Shang Wanqing looked up.

"On the battlefield, running ten miles more doesn't guarantee survival. Being pierced through the chest by a crossbow bolt still means death."

She knew very well that the million-strong new army was not the same as the army that would protect her family.

The veteran soldiers of the Wei family army knew when to raise their shields, when to turn to the side, and when to use their comrades' armor to block arrows.

The new army is no good. They panic, they crowd together, they hold their shields crookedly, and they bend over and run around haphazardly in the first wave of arrows.

Therefore, A cannot be considered only as lighter.

We must let these incredibly stupid, incredibly poor people, who are willing to risk their lives for land, survive the first wave.

As long as they survive the first battle, the merit system will push them forward.

Three mu of land.

This is even more ruthless than a military order.

Shang Wanqing picked up another piece of leather and pressed her fingertips on the layered area.

"Cowhide, rattan glue, linen, and thin wood chips, with adjusted proportions. Add tung oil and mineral powder to the outer layer, and press hemp fibers into the inner layer. Thicken the shoulders, chest, and abdomen, and reduce the thickness by half on the back."

The young craftsman couldn't help but say, "With half their back cut off, wouldn't they be even easier to die when trying to escape?"

Shang Wanqing glanced at him.

"The new military's armor leaves no way out for deserters."

The craftsman shut his mouth.

The old craftsman smiled.

"Good. I like this rule."

Shang Wanqing didn't laugh.

She doesn't like harsh words, she likes saving resources.

One suit of full iron armor is enough to fight ten suits of leather and wood armor.

If the million-strong new army were all waiting for armored vehicles, they still wouldn't be able to muster enough troops by the time Han Dashan reached the capital.

We're not making heirlooms anymore; we're making things that can be immediately put into battle.

It doesn't matter if you're a little ugly.

It's okay if it's a little thick.

As long as it can block arrows, withstand fire, and allow people to walk twenty more steps, that's enough.

"What about the blast furnace?"

The old craftsman immediately unrolled a roll of blueprints.

"Following the Empress's method, we increased the furnace height, changed the blast furnace to a double-bag system, and replaced the coke. Iron production is now more than twice as fast as the old furnace, but there are more impurities."

Shang Wanqing's eyes lit up.

"If there are many impurities, we sort them. Good iron is used for crossbow mechanisms, spear tips, and knife blades. Inferior iron is used to make iron plates, shield ribs, and arrowheads. Scrap iron is melted down."

The old craftsman's fingers trembled.

"Your Majesty, if we follow this method, the iron will not break."

Shang Wanqing finally nodded.

This is what she wanted.

It is not a divine weapon.

The entire New Martial Army has no shortage of weapons.

She lowered her head and wrote on the memorial, her strokes quick and forceful.

"The new leather armor is finished, lighter than iron armor and better than the old leather. The new furnace produces twice the amount of iron each day. Spears, shields, crossbows, leather and wooden armor, medicine chests, and stretchers can all be made at the same time."

She paused for a moment at the end.

One month.

If she were to say this out loud, those old fogies at the former Ordnance Bureau would think she was crazy.

But she knew she wasn't crazy.

She cut off all the fancy details, threw away all the pretty but useless things, and even forbade the carving of patterns on the knife handles.

The craftsmen were paid according to the number of pieces they worked, and the furnace room operated in three shifts. People could rest, but the furnace could not be extinguished.

A million pieces of weaponry, they really managed to gather that much.

Not every piece is of high quality.

But every single one is usable.

Shang Wanqing pressed the pen down.

"Within a month, a million new troops can be equipped."

The old craftsman looked at the words and his throat bobbed.

"Your Majesty, if this memorial is presented, His Majesty will be overjoyed."

Shang Wanqing sealed the memorial, her voice calm.

Whether His Majesty is happy or not is not important.

She looked up at the fire in the stove.

"Those on the front lines cannot exchange wooden sticks for fields."

……

Guiping Daying.

After reading Shang Wanqing's memorial, Wei Zhao's finger hovered over the words "one month" for a long time without moving.

Zhao Qiniang leaned closer, her eyes wide with amazement.

"Your Majesty, one month? Lady Shang is really daring to write that."

Wei Zhao smiled.

"The fact that she dares to write it means she can do it."

This really quenched my thirst.

With the military merit system in place, the new army had enough men, the medical camp was established, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard began to lay the groundwork.

The most needed item is weaponry.

If a million new soldiers have no armor, no guns, and no shields, they are just a million mouths to feed.

It looks scary, but it falls apart as soon as it's deployed.

But Shang Wanqing's fold made up for the last shortcoming.

Wei Zhao finally felt a sense of relief after holding his breath for so long.

it is good.

very nice.

Although Shang Wanqing was usually very quiet, she spent all her time in the workshop, as if she wanted to refine herself into a furnace.

But when it really came down to it, she gave us not a pleasant surprise, but our lives.

Millions of pieces of equipment in a month.

Upon hearing this news, the rebel king would probably lose his appetite.

After reading the memorial, Liu Jingshuang's eyes lit up.

"If the new army had armor and shields, after half a month of training, they could at least form ranks."

Xie Daoning, who was sitting next to him approving medicine for wounded soldiers, looked up when he heard this.

"Lighter armor is better. New recruits have poor stamina, and if they wear heavy armor for too long, a bunch of them will fall ill before they even get to the battlefield."

Wei Zhao nodded.

What he fears most now is something big but useless.

The fact that 1.5 million people are willing to join the army does not mean that 1.5 million people can fight immediately.

Weapons, provisions, medical care, training, military law—every single link can be incredibly time-consuming and exhausting.

fortunately.

The people around him are all incredibly capable.

After his initial excitement, Wei Zhao's gaze returned to the military map.

Huainan.

Chenqiao.

Golden City.

Beijing.

His fingertips paused on Huainan, and his brows slowly furrowed.

"wrong."

Several people in the tent looked at him at the same time.

Zhao Qiniang asked, "What's wrong?"

Wei Zhao did not answer immediately.

The Embroidered Robe Pavilion had just been established, and Hua Jieyu and Nie Yinniang's covert network had not yet been fully established, but the information sent back from Huainan was already sufficient.

Du Heng is expanding his army.

Du Heng is reinforcing the water fortress.

Du Heng is building a fire ship.

However, there was no sign of a large number of reinforcements being stationed near Huainan.

What about Han Dashan and Zhou Laodao?

What about Qin Lie, Ma Chengyi, Xu Zhongmou, Xue Feng, Sun Qing, and Feng Wanjun?

They kept saying "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold," but Du Heng was pinned down by him, and these people didn't send their main force to Huainan.

Is this reasonable?

unreasonable.

That's completely unreasonable.

Wei Zhao stared at the map, mentally listing the locations of the eight princes one by one.

If he were Han Dashan, what would he do in this situation?

Rescue Huainan?

That would mean sending troops right under the noses of the Xinwu Army, so they could be beaten along with the Huai River Alliance.

not help?

Du Heng is dead; it'll be my turn sooner or later.

Therefore, they will definitely make a move.

The direction of movement is not necessarily Huainan.

Wei Zhao's eyelid twitched.

Are these guys really planning to flank us?

Footsteps sounded outside the tent.

Huo Qingluan lifted the curtain and came in, holding a diagram of the array in her hand.

She was wearing light armor, and her face was pale, clearly indicating that she had been working for a long time.

"His Majesty."

Wei Zhao looked up.

"You've come at the right time. I've been looking for you too."

Huo Qingluan spread the battle formation diagram on the table, her fingertips first landing on Guiping, then on Huangjincheng.

"I want to transfer some of the veterans of the Wei family army back to Golden City."

Zhao Qiniang was stunned.

"Send the veterans back now? Guiping is still keeping an eye on Huainan."

Liu Jingshuang didn't speak, but looked at Huo Qingluan.

She understands Huo Qingluan.

This woman wouldn't be idle enough to relocate troops to the rear.

She said she wanted to investigate, so she must have seen something.

Wei Zhao's fingers also stopped.

"reason."

Huo Qingluan spoke very softly.

"Golden City has too many new recruits and too few veterans. The military merit system has just been implemented, and more people will be recruited later. Without veterans to lead the way, training will be slow."

She paused for a moment, then pointed her finger at several roads outside the Golden City.

"Moreover, Golden City is the gateway to the capital."

Wei Zhao's gaze froze.

Huo Qingluan continued, "If the rebel king does not come to Huainan's aid, but instead bypasses Guiping and heads straight for Golden City, the capital will be thrown into chaos first."

No one spoke inside the tent.

The ease on Zhao Qiniang's face vanished completely.

Xie Daoning also stopped writing.

Looking at those words, Wei Zhao's unease finally subsided.

Correct.

Golden City.

There were millions of refugees, soup kitchens, newly registered soldiers, and grain routes leading to the capital.

Other characters include Wei Xuan, Su Qingyun, Fang Fuyao, Tuoba Yue, Xiao Guanyin, Shang Wanqing, Hua Jieyu, and Nie Yinniang.

That was no ordinary city.

That is the softest, and most deadly, piece of meat in the new Wu Dynasty.

If the rebel king attacks Guiping, it will be a direct confrontation with him.

If we attack Golden City, we'll force him to turn back.

How could someone like Han Dashan be invisible?