Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

Meng Tian seemed to have thought of something, and his eyes, as clear as autumn water, looked straight at Bai Su.

She suppressed her nervousness and tentatively asked, "Could it be that you, young master, have a solution?"

Bai Su pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "I happen to have a way to guide the general through the thick fog and make the will of Heaven work for us."

Chapter Ninety-Three: To Make the Southern Desert Have No More Royal Courts

Upon hearing Bai Su's reply, Meng Tian's eyes, as clear as autumn water, immediately lit up with a look of joy.

She asked impatiently, "Does the young master have any method to determine direction in this thick fog?"

Bai Su chuckled and pulled something out of his bag: "Of course, it's all thanks to this!"

After Meng Tian clearly saw what Bai Su was holding, his expression immediately became somewhat strange: "This is... a scandalous history of the imperial court, the things that happened between King Zhou of Shang and Daji in bed. Are you sure this thing is useful, young master?"

Bai Su was taken aback for a moment, then glanced at the little yellow book in her hand and said awkwardly, "Ahem, sorry, I grabbed the wrong one."

He turned around and took something out of his bag.

"This time it's definitely right, General, please take a look..."

Meng Tian looked suspiciously at the small box in Bai Su's hand and asked, "What is this?"

Bai Su smiled mysteriously and said, "This thing is called a compass. As the name suggests, it is something that can indicate direction."

He made this item specifically to prevent himself from accidentally going the wrong way when he was traveling deep in Xianyang.

After all, finding your way in the vast grasslands is a skill in itself.

Have you not seen the Flying General Li Guang, who fought battles his whole life, but because of his terrible sense of direction, he repeatedly went the wrong way in the campaigns against the Xiongnu in the north, thus delaying the battle?

He never even managed to become a marquis in his entire life, and he almost got beheaded by Emperor Wu of Han. It was truly tragic.

To prevent herself from repeating the same mistake, Bai Su made special preparations before leaving the border, and she never expected them to come in handy today.

"compass?"

Meng Tian curiously took the box and looked at the magnetic needle inside that clearly pointed south, and he was greatly surprised.

Xianyang also has something that can indicate direction, called the Sinan, but that thing is too bulky and can only be fixed in the palace, and cannot be carried around at all.

But this thing called a compass, which is only the size of a palm, can clearly indicate the direction.

Meng Tian was utterly shocked, and her delicate body even trembled slightly.

What an exquisite masterpiece!

It's simply not of this world.

No matter which direction she moved, the tiny compass needle pointed out the correct direction precisely.

for a long time......

Meng Tian reluctantly put down the compass in his hand, looking at Bai Su with burning eyes: "Young Master, how many of these treasures of yours called compasses do you have?"

Bai Su touched her nose: "There's only one right now. I brought one mainly because I was worried about getting lost on the way, so I brought one to help me find my way."

"Is there only one?"

Meng Tian fiddled with the compass in his hand, biting his lip in frustration.

If I could give her ten thousand, no, just a thousand.

She could then assemble a force of nearly ten thousand elite cavalry, armed with powerful bows and crossbows, and launch a direct raid on the Xiongnu's royal camp, wiping out those damned bastards.

Unfortunately, Bai Su only has one treasure, so even if she knew about it, it wouldn't be of any use.

Bai Su couldn't help but ask, "Why is the General sighing? Do you think this thing isn't good enough?"

Meng Tian shook his head and said, "This thing is so light and easy to carry, and it can accurately point out directions. It is truly a divine tool for marching. It's just a pity that one is not enough."

Bai Su smiled and said, "If it's not enough, then why not just make some?"

"Go do it?"

Meng Tian understood the key point in Bai Su's words and seemed to realize something. His eyes, as clear as autumn water, stared straight at Bai Su.

She swallowed hard, then asked nervously, "Could this divine artifact be the work of the young master?"

Bai Su nodded and said with a smile, "That's right, I made this. I also have a way to make it on the spot. As long as there are enough materials, I can make as much as the general wants."

"hiss!!!"

Meng Tian couldn't help but gasp, his eyes, as clear as autumn water, became vacant, and his thin, red lips remained open for a long time, unable to utter a word.

Although she had been somewhat prepared just now.

But when I actually heard it, I couldn't help but feel a shock.

This exquisitely crafted artifact was indeed made by Bai Su, who was knowledgeable in military strategy, medicine, governance, astronomy, and geography. Now…

There are also those who possess skills comparable to those of the Mohists in mechanical arts.

It's as if the talents of all the philosophers of the Hundred Schools of Thought have been gathered in one person; there is such a great talent in the world.

In a daze, she seemed to understand why her younger sister admired Bai Su so much.

Why did His Majesty specifically send an envoy to instruct her that if the front lines were lost, she should abandon all the gains made at the front and protect Bai Su's safety with her life, ensuring that he was safely escorted back to Xianyang?

At first, she thought that His Majesty valued Bai Su too much, but after spending these days together, she realized that her sister Zheng's judgment was absolutely correct.

The man before them was a rare treasure, a man who could be compared to an army of 100,000.

Not to mention His Majesty, even she couldn't bear to see someone as talented as Bai Su get hurt or suffer any mishap.

Meng Tian covered her breasts, trying to calm her racing heart and temporarily compose herself.

She tried to calm her breathing and tentatively asked, "What materials does the young master need? I will risk my life to find them for you."

Bai Su touched his nose and said with a smile, "General, there's no need to be so nervous. The principle behind this thing is actually very simple, and it's not difficult to make. All you need is enough iron needles."

"Iron needles?"

Meng Tian was taken aback: "I've heard from folk tales that when Yu the Great was controlling the floods, he threw an iron needle into the sea to suppress the sea. Could it be that this iron needle, besides controlling the floods, can also discern the will of Heaven?"

Bai Su nodded: "In a sense, it is indeed possible. If the general does not believe it, why not call a few craftsmen to try it out?"

Meng Tian felt a surge of curiosity and wanted to see what Bai Su was going to do.

Not long after.

Several craftsmen dressed in plain clothes came in, cupped their hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, General."

Meng Tian waved his hand: "Just follow Young Master Bai's instructions in a moment."

"Actually, I called you all here because I want you to help me create something," Bai Su said, leaning close to their ears and whispering a few words in their ears.

Despite their puzzled expressions, the craftsmen clasped their hands in obedience.

They quickly got to work.

They tied iron needles together with wire and heated them in the furnace, where they gradually turned red.

Immediately place it in a bowl of cold water. With a hiss of white smoke, the iron needle slowly cools and floats on the surface of the water.

Bai Su said with a smile, "General, a compass is ready."

"What?! Wait, this... how is this possible?!"

Meng Tian stared wide-eyed, looking utterly incredulous.

The ordinary iron needle, which had been perfectly ordinary before, now clearly pointed the way. No matter how she turned the bowl, the iron needle pointed precisely south.

Seeing her surprised expression, Bai Su explained, "By heating the iron needle until it's red-hot and then immediately cooling it, the needle can absorb magnetism, thus indicating direction."

"All you need to do is cut down some wood, make some portable containers, mark the directions, put a magnetic needle inside, and you can have a simple compass that you can carry with you and use to find your way no matter where you are."

"After that, the general only needs to think of a signal that can distinguish friend from foe, such as wearing a yellow turban on his head and tying his hair up, or wrapping a black cloth around his arm, and then carrying a compass, and sneaking up on the Xiongnu camp."

"As long as you see someone with disheveled hair, dressed in Hu clothing, and who doesn't match the code, just swing your knife and cut them down."

"The Xiongnu were completely undefended and would be thrown into chaos by such a surprise attack. In addition, they would be unable to distinguish friend from foe in the thick fog. Faced with the general's overwhelming offensive, they would be doomed to defeat."

"General, you can take advantage of the momentum and break the backbone of the Xiongnu in one fell swoop, completely take over Yinshan and Yanzhishan, and ensure that after this battle, the Xiongnu will never dare to graze their livestock in the south again, and there will be no royal court in the southern desert from now on."

Upon hearing this, Meng Tian's eyes lit up, especially after learning that there was no longer a royal court in the southern desert.

She felt a surge of heat in her chest, and a heroic spirit soared to the sky: "With your help, young master, how could I fail to live up to your trust? I will definitely break the backbone of the Xiongnu in one battle, and make sure that there is no more royal court in the southern desert."

Chapter Ninety-Four: Bai Su, I'll Remember You

The Yinshan area.

Inside the Xiongnu's main tent.

The brazier blazed, warming the entire tent.

Maodun sat in the main seat, and on the long table in front of him were exquisite wine vessels, silver pots and gold cups, looted from the Yuezhi people, and filled with dried beef, mutton, dried fruit, cheese and pasta.

She took a big gulp of wine from her cup, let out a long breath, and realized she hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time since her battle with Meng Tian.

"The Chanyu..."

A plump man walked into the tent, looked at Maodun, and bowed with his hand on his chest.

"how's it going?"

Looking at the returning envoy, Maodun raised her delicate eyebrows slightly and put down her wine cup.

"The Right Wise King has already mobilized 100,000 troops from Liaodong and collected a large number of bronze arrowheads, scimitars, and warhorses. They are on their way and should take about five days."

"Alright, once the Right Wise King's troops have assembled, we will attack from both sides and completely trap Meng Tian and his men in Yinshan."

Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Maodun's handsome face, which was darkened by years of wind and sun, and his lips curled up slightly.

Although the copper mines on the grasslands were much richer than those in the Central Plains, they were limited by the backward mining and smelting techniques of the Xiongnu.

Their bronze and iron weapons were not abundant; only the elite troops of some tribes were equipped with them. Many soldiers were recruited from ordinary tribes, and many others used arrowheads made of bone and wood.

This item is quite effective in the grasslands where armor is scarce, and in tribal wars, given its large production volume and ease of manufacture.

However, they were too weak to fight against the armies of the Central Plains.

Meng Tian only needed to send a few thousand elite cavalrymen, dressed in armor and armed with powerful bows and crossbows, to rout tens of thousands of Xiongnu soldiers, who were no match for him.