Second Military Exercise 1
After pondering for several days, Yan Ge finally found a way to keep the resin soft.
On the day of the opening of the “First Company Umbrella Factory,” six different types of umbrellas were launched consecutively, causing a sensation in the entire capital. Among them, there were three types of bamboo frame umbrellas: bamboo frame cloth umbrellas, bamboo frame resin umbrellas, and bamboo frame waxed cloth umbrellas.
There were also three types of iron frame umbrellas: iron frame cloth umbrellas, iron frame resin umbrellas, and iron frame waxed cloth umbrellas.
The umbrellas varied in fabric and price. The cheapest was the bamboo frame cloth umbrella, while the most expensive was the iron frame waxed cloth umbrella, which cost eight taels. Iron was a precious material since ancient times, mainly used for forging weapons. Using it to make umbrellas was considered a waste. Even if the First Company had money, they couldn’t use it on too many iron frame umbrellas as it would be wasteful. Therefore, only 500 of these umbrellas were produced. These umbrellas were not only exquisitely made, but they also had various designs. Some of the umbrellas for women even had decorative patterns along the edges.
Since “umbrellas” and “scattering” had the same pronunciation in Chinese, they couldn’t be given as gifts so Yan Ge sold some to Huangfu Yuchen at a price of one coin per umbrella.
The serial number of Huangfu Yuchen’s umbrella was the first, and Yan Ge kept one for himself and Yan Jin.
He also kept some for his father, mother, elder brother and sister in law, totaling four coins for four umbrellas. The little prince and the empress each received one umbrella, and the managers and long-term partners of the First Company received one umbrella each. This reduced the number by more than ten. The remaining iron frame umbrellas were sold out in just one day. The bamboo frame umbrellas also sold well.
The people of the First Company said that these umbrellas could be used not only on rainy days but also on sunny days to prevent sunburn, hence they were called “parasols.” Therefore, the next day, people suddenly noticed many individuals carrying parasols on the streets, either from noble families or from respectable young ladies. These parasols varied in elegance, simplicity, and brilliance, creating a beautiful scenery.
Yan Ge heard some jokes on the streets — because they were too engrossed in looking at various parasols, people had accidentally bumped into trees. Due to this joke, the parasols became even more famous.
The main business of Yan Ge’s company was not umbrella production. He sold the agency rights for the umbrellas to four umbrella workshops at a high price. Moreover, these umbrella workshops had to pay a certain percentage of commission to the First Company for each umbrella sold. Of course, these agency workshops could only sell bamboo frame umbrellas and a few iron frame umbrellas since there were restrictions on iron purchases by the state. The common people also dared not buy too many iron framed umbrellas. If someone wanted to buy in excess, they might be suspected of trying to make weapons and rebel against the state, and would be taken away for questioning.
Walking on the cemented streets, Huangfu Yuchen observed children kicking a football by the roadside, reciting, “one plus one equals two, one plus two equals three, two plus two equals four…”
Inside the restaurants along the street, men were gulping down Drunk Immortal Wine. On the street, noble ladies strolled with their exquisite parasols. Everywhere he looked, people were using products from the First Company. Huangfu Yuchen’s heart swelled with satisfaction.
A passerby opened an umbrella, inadvertently blocking his view. Huangfu Yuchen swiftly approached and took a discreet sip from Yan Ge’s lips, barely touching. He then maintained a solemn expression, as if nothing had happened.
Yan Ge’s lips curved even higher, and he pretended not to notice. “Let’s walk faster. I wonder how well-prepared they are.”
At the southern city gate, several carriages continuously transported batches of grain and forage outside the city. Carriages entered and left through the city gate.
Could it be that the court was preparing for war? No, they had seen the huge embroidered banner hanging at the city gate that read, “Large-scale military exercise: Sponsored Enthusiastically By The First Company.”
The court had posted a notice a few days ago, announcing a massive military exercise to be held at the southern city gate. If the common people saw the court transporting grain and forage, they shouldn’t panic. Those who needed to enter or leave the city should go through the other three gates; the southern gate didn’t allow passage for the common people. Therefore, the common people stood calmly in the distance, not approaching. Those who wanted to enjoy the spectacle did so, while those who wanted to set up stalls for business did the same.
The military exercise was scheduled to take place at the southern city gate. Inside and outside the gate, soldiers were busy setting up one tent after another, unloading the delivered grain and forage and neatly arranging them. The soldiers worked energetically, even though it was early October, and they were already sweating profusely.
About three miles south of the Jing River, at the fork in the official road, three young men approached on horseback. They noticed that the road leading directly north to the southern city gate was guarded by soldiers, exchanged puzzled glances and halted their horses.
“Several officials, may we inquire what has happened? Why is this road closed?” One of them dismounted and approached to ask, discreetly slipping some silver to one of the soldiers.
The soldier didn’t accept the bribe but scrutinized the three individuals before him. “Are you foreigners? Where are your travel documents?”
“Yes, we are merchants from the Mai Kingdom, here in the capital to conduct business.” Tulan Zhong took out three travel documents from his bundle.
“Te Liao, Tulan Zhong, Tulan Yong…” The soldier carefully inspected them before returning their documents. “The capital is under the Emperor’s rule. When you arrive in the capital, you must follow the rules and laws.”
“Yes, yes, that’s certain.” Tulan Zhong stuffed the silver into the soldier’s hand again. “Sir, about this road?”
Taking the silver, the soldier gestured to the side. “There’s a notice posted over there. Our Emperor is holding a large-scale military exercise at the southern city gate, so it will be occupied. If you want to enter the city, you can go around through this road next to it and follow the people ahead.”
“A military exercise?” Te Liao, the handsome and young man with outstanding temperament inquired. “What is a military exercise?”
The soldiers avoided answering this time. “If you want to enter the city, go that way,” they said.
Te Liao nodded slightly to Tulan Zhong, who then handed a silver ingot to the soldier.
The soldier declined to accept it and spoke calmly, “If you don’t catch up with the people ahead, you might get lost.”
Helpless, Tulan Zhong mounted his horse, and the three of them rode off.
Over there, Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen arrived at the foot of the city walls. The Commander of the Imperial Guards, Yang Zhuo, Prime Minister Wu, Jiang Guangyuan, Prime Minister Wei, Zhang Yingjie, Sun Yingxiong, and others hurriedly came forward to greet them.
“Greetings to the Emperor and Yan Caiqing.”
“Please rise,” Huangfu Yuchen asked, “How are the preparations coming along?”
Yang Zhuo replied, “We should be fully prepared in about another hour.”
Huangfu Yuchen said, “This military exercise will still last for five days. You can arrange it as you see fit. However, Yan Caiqing has invested a lot in sponsoring this military exercise, so I hope your performance won’t disappoint us and won’t waste Yan Caiqing’s efforts.”
Yang Zhuo and the others quickly responded, “We will do our utmost and will not let the Emperor or Yan Caiqing down.”
Huangfu Yuchen continued, “To save time, there is no need to reassign the enemy and defending forces.”
In other words, it will remain the same as last time. Sun Yingxiong and Zhang Yingjie would continue as the defending forces of the capital, while Yang Zhuo would remain as the enemy commander. This arrangement was also a test of the generals’ ability to adapt to unexpected situations.
The city gate was tightly closed, and the enemy’s objective was to breach the southern city gate. The area open for attack was limited to the city walls within a five-mile range to the west and east of the southern city gate. On the city wall of the southern gate, there was a black flag. The attacking side had to remove the black flag and replace it with a red flag to claim victory. If the five days passed and the attacking side still couldn’t hoist the red flag, it would be considered a victory for the defending side.
“Xiao Ge, let’s go up and take a look,” Huangfu Yuchen said, pulling Yan Ge along as they ascended the steps.
They climbed up the city wall, walked to the edge, and observed the preparations of both sides.
Yan Ge fanned himself and said, “Both sides are in a state of tension. I have a feeling that this exercise will be quite spectacular. Yuchen, let’s go to a suitable place to observe the battle when the time comes.”
Zhang Yingjie secretly wiped his sweat. He had asked before- Yan Caiqing hadn’t intervened in the previous exercise, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t get involved this time.
Huangfu Yuchen said, “That’s my intention as well.”
Sun Yingxiong and Zhang Yingjie remained calm. Any variable could arise on the battlefield, and if they couldn’t accept that, they wouldn’t be qualified to lead troops in battle.
Not far from the city gate, the three young men stood beside their horses, looking at the fluttering banner that read, “Large-scale military exercise: Sponsored enthusiastically by the First Company.” Their faces wore expressions of surprise.
“I heard this military exercise will last five days, with nearly thirty thousand troops. It’s quite a significant expense. Yan Caiqing is truly generous!” Tulan Yong exclaimed.
Tulan Zhong added, “Not only this exercise. These roads… Oh, cement roads! I’ve never seen anything like them before. Great Han is truly extraordinary.”
Te Liao suggested, “Let’s find an inn first.”
“Yes.”
Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen arrived at Yang Zhuo’s tent. Two more chairs had been added inside.
Yang Zhuo said, “This siege will be more challenging because the enemy has the high ground and can almost observe our every move. If any of you have any ideas, please speak up. Let’s brainstorm.”
Jun Xiang proposed, “General, can we dig tunnels for a surprise attack?”
“We are stationed more than a mile away from the city walls, and we only have five days. I’m afraid we won’t have enough time to dig to the walls before time runs out,” Ah Fei shook his head.
Captain Liu suggested, “Launching a frontal attack during the day would result in significant losses. The period from the end of the hour of Yin to the beginning of the hour of the Yu is when the night guards are most sluggish. We can choose that time to launch our attack.”
“But the speed of the attack must be fast; otherwise, it will still alert the enemy,” Captain Luo added.
“So, we can only go for a frontal assault?” Yang Zhuo furrowed his brows. “Is there really no other clever approach? The enemy forces are similar to ours, so if we launch a frontal assault, we won’t have an advantage.”
No one spoke, and everyone pondered in silence.
Yan Ge also contemplated, staring at the sand table for a long time without finding a breakthrough. He nudged Huangfu Yuchen with his arm and whispered, “Let’s go out and conduct on-site investigations.”
Huangfu Yuchen nodded.
As for Yang Zhuo and his men, there was no need for on-site investigations. They were the guards of the capital and often patrolled the city. They were well aware of every nook and cranny.
Second Military Exercise 1
After pondering for several days, Yan Ge finally found a way to keep the resin soft.
On the day of the opening of the “First Company Umbrella Factory,” six different types of umbrellas were launched consecutively, causing a sensation in the entire capital. Among them, there were three types of bamboo frame umbrellas: bamboo frame cloth umbrellas, bamboo frame resin umbrellas, and bamboo frame waxed cloth umbrellas.
There were also three types of iron frame umbrellas: iron frame cloth umbrellas, iron frame resin umbrellas, and iron frame waxed cloth umbrellas.
The umbrellas varied in fabric and price. The cheapest was the bamboo frame cloth umbrella, while the most expensive was the iron frame waxed cloth umbrella, which cost eight taels. Iron was a precious material since ancient times, mainly used for forging weapons. Using it to make umbrellas was considered a waste. Even if the First Company had money, they couldn’t use it on too many iron frame umbrellas as it would be wasteful. Therefore, only 500 of these umbrellas were produced. These umbrellas were not only exquisitely made, but they also had various designs. Some of the umbrellas for women even had decorative patterns along the edges.
Since “umbrellas” and “scattering” had the same pronunciation in Chinese, they couldn’t be given as gifts so Yan Ge sold some to Huangfu Yuchen at a price of one coin per umbrella.
The serial number of Huangfu Yuchen’s umbrella was the first, and Yan Ge kept one for himself and Yan Jin.
He also kept some for his father, mother, elder brother and sister in law, totaling four coins for four umbrellas. The little prince and the empress each received one umbrella, and the managers and long-term partners of the First Company received one umbrella each. This reduced the number by more than ten. The remaining iron frame umbrellas were sold out in just one day. The bamboo frame umbrellas also sold well.
The people of the First Company said that these umbrellas could be used not only on rainy days but also on sunny days to prevent sunburn, hence they were called “parasols.” Therefore, the next day, people suddenly noticed many individuals carrying parasols on the streets, either from noble families or from respectable young ladies. These parasols varied in elegance, simplicity, and brilliance, creating a beautiful scenery.
Yan Ge heard some jokes on the streets — because they were too engrossed in looking at various parasols, people had accidentally bumped into trees. Due to this joke, the parasols became even more famous.
The main business of Yan Ge’s company was not umbrella production. He sold the agency rights for the umbrellas to four umbrella workshops at a high price. Moreover, these umbrella workshops had to pay a certain percentage of commission to the First Company for each umbrella sold. Of course, these agency workshops could only sell bamboo frame umbrellas and a few iron frame umbrellas since there were restrictions on iron purchases by the state. The common people also dared not buy too many iron framed umbrellas. If someone wanted to buy in excess, they might be suspected of trying to make weapons and rebel against the state, and would be taken away for questioning.
Walking on the cemented streets, Huangfu Yuchen observed children kicking a football by the roadside, reciting, “one plus one equals two, one plus two equals three, two plus two equals four…”
Inside the restaurants along the street, men were gulping down Drunk Immortal Wine. On the street, noble ladies strolled with their exquisite parasols. Everywhere he looked, people were using products from the First Company. Huangfu Yuchen’s heart swelled with satisfaction.
A passerby opened an umbrella, inadvertently blocking his view. Huangfu Yuchen swiftly approached and took a discreet sip from Yan Ge’s lips, barely touching. He then maintained a solemn expression, as if nothing had happened.
Yan Ge’s lips curved even higher, and he pretended not to notice. “Let’s walk faster. I wonder how well-prepared they are.”
At the southern city gate, several carriages continuously transported batches of grain and forage outside the city. Carriages entered and left through the city gate.
Could it be that the court was preparing for war? No, they had seen the huge embroidered banner hanging at the city gate that read, “Large-scale military exercise: Sponsored Enthusiastically By The First Company.”
The court had posted a notice a few days ago, announcing a massive military exercise to be held at the southern city gate. If the common people saw the court transporting grain and forage, they shouldn’t panic. Those who needed to enter or leave the city should go through the other three gates; the southern gate didn’t allow passage for the common people. Therefore, the common people stood calmly in the distance, not approaching. Those who wanted to enjoy the spectacle did so, while those who wanted to set up stalls for business did the same.
The military exercise was scheduled to take place at the southern city gate. Inside and outside the gate, soldiers were busy setting up one tent after another, unloading the delivered grain and forage and neatly arranging them. The soldiers worked energetically, even though it was early October, and they were already sweating profusely.
About three miles south of the Jing River, at the fork in the official road, three young men approached on horseback. They noticed that the road leading directly north to the southern city gate was guarded by soldiers, exchanged puzzled glances and halted their horses.
“Several officials, may we inquire what has happened? Why is this road closed?” One of them dismounted and approached to ask, discreetly slipping some silver to one of the soldiers.
The soldier didn’t accept the bribe but scrutinized the three individuals before him. “Are you foreigners? Where are your travel documents?”
“Yes, we are merchants from the Mai Kingdom, here in the capital to conduct business.” Tulan Zhong took out three travel documents from his bundle.
“Te Liao, Tulan Zhong, Tulan Yong…” The soldier carefully inspected them before returning their documents. “The capital is under the Emperor’s rule. When you arrive in the capital, you must follow the rules and laws.”
“Yes, yes, that’s certain.” Tulan Zhong stuffed the silver into the soldier’s hand again. “Sir, about this road?”
Taking the silver, the soldier gestured to the side. “There’s a notice posted over there. Our Emperor is holding a large-scale military exercise at the southern city gate, so it will be occupied. If you want to enter the city, you can go around through this road next to it and follow the people ahead.”
“A military exercise?” Te Liao, the handsome and young man with outstanding temperament inquired. “What is a military exercise?”
The soldiers avoided answering this time. “If you want to enter the city, go that way,” they said.
Te Liao nodded slightly to Tulan Zhong, who then handed a silver ingot to the soldier.
The soldier declined to accept it and spoke calmly, “If you don’t catch up with the people ahead, you might get lost.”
Helpless, Tulan Zhong mounted his horse, and the three of them rode off.
Over there, Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen arrived at the foot of the city walls. The Commander of the Imperial Guards, Yang Zhuo, Prime Minister Wu, Jiang Guangyuan, Prime Minister Wei, Zhang Yingjie, Sun Yingxiong, and others hurriedly came forward to greet them.
“Greetings to the Emperor and Yan Caiqing.”
“Please rise,” Huangfu Yuchen asked, “How are the preparations coming along?”
Yang Zhuo replied, “We should be fully prepared in about another hour.”
Huangfu Yuchen said, “This military exercise will still last for five days. You can arrange it as you see fit. However, Yan Caiqing has invested a lot in sponsoring this military exercise, so I hope your performance won’t disappoint us and won’t waste Yan Caiqing’s efforts.”
Yang Zhuo and the others quickly responded, “We will do our utmost and will not let the Emperor or Yan Caiqing down.”
Huangfu Yuchen continued, “To save time, there is no need to reassign the enemy and defending forces.”
In other words, it will remain the same as last time. Sun Yingxiong and Zhang Yingjie would continue as the defending forces of the capital, while Yang Zhuo would remain as the enemy commander. This arrangement was also a test of the generals’ ability to adapt to unexpected situations.
The city gate was tightly closed, and the enemy’s objective was to breach the southern city gate. The area open for attack was limited to the city walls within a five-mile range to the west and east of the southern city gate. On the city wall of the southern gate, there was a black flag. The attacking side had to remove the black flag and replace it with a red flag to claim victory. If the five days passed and the attacking side still couldn’t hoist the red flag, it would be considered a victory for the defending side.
“Xiao Ge, let’s go up and take a look,” Huangfu Yuchen said, pulling Yan Ge along as they ascended the steps.
They climbed up the city wall, walked to the edge, and observed the preparations of both sides.
Yan Ge fanned himself and said, “Both sides are in a state of tension. I have a feeling that this exercise will be quite spectacular. Yuchen, let’s go to a suitable place to observe the battle when the time comes.”
Zhang Yingjie secretly wiped his sweat. He had asked before- Yan Caiqing hadn’t intervened in the previous exercise, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t get involved this time.
Huangfu Yuchen said, “That’s my intention as well.”
Sun Yingxiong and Zhang Yingjie remained calm. Any variable could arise on the battlefield, and if they couldn’t accept that, they wouldn’t be qualified to lead troops in battle.
Not far from the city gate, the three young men stood beside their horses, looking at the fluttering banner that read, “Large-scale military exercise: Sponsored enthusiastically by the First Company.” Their faces wore expressions of surprise.
“I heard this military exercise will last five days, with nearly thirty thousand troops. It’s quite a significant expense. Yan Caiqing is truly generous!” Tulan Yong exclaimed.
Tulan Zhong added, “Not only this exercise. These roads… Oh, cement roads! I’ve never seen anything like them before. Great Han is truly extraordinary.”
Te Liao suggested, “Let’s find an inn first.”
“Yes.”
Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen arrived at Yang Zhuo’s tent. Two more chairs had been added inside.
Yang Zhuo said, “This siege will be more challenging because the enemy has the high ground and can almost observe our every move. If any of you have any ideas, please speak up. Let’s brainstorm.”
Jun Xiang proposed, “General, can we dig tunnels for a surprise attack?”
“We are stationed more than a mile away from the city walls, and we only have five days. I’m afraid we won’t have enough time to dig to the walls before time runs out,” Ah Fei shook his head.
Captain Liu suggested, “Launching a frontal attack during the day would result in significant losses. The period from the end of the hour of Yin to the beginning of the hour of the Yu is when the night guards are most sluggish. We can choose that time to launch our attack.”
“But the speed of the attack must be fast; otherwise, it will still alert the enemy,” Captain Luo added.
“So, we can only go for a frontal assault?” Yang Zhuo furrowed his brows. “Is there really no other clever approach? The enemy forces are similar to ours, so if we launch a frontal assault, we won’t have an advantage.”
No one spoke, and everyone pondered in silence.
Yan Ge also contemplated, staring at the sand table for a long time without finding a breakthrough. He nudged Huangfu Yuchen with his arm and whispered, “Let’s go out and conduct on-site investigations.”
Huangfu Yuchen nodded.
As for Yang Zhuo and his men, there was no need for on-site investigations. They were the guards of the capital and often patrolled the city. They were well aware of every nook and cranny.
