C39. Stirrups.

C39. Stirrups.

Zhang Ming and Zhong Ji were waiting for Yuan Li's summons.

Zhong Ji, who was usually dignified and imposing, looked extremely haggard and weary at this moment, with dark circles under his eyes. He was restless, constantly glancing towards the door.

After a while, he managed to control himself, paced around, and appeared much calmer.

Zhang Ming spoke softly to comfort him, but Zhong Ji remained calm, feeling that Yuan Li was his last straw for help.

Thinking of the tragic death of his wife and daughter filled Zhong Ji with despair and anger. He was even prepared for the worst, planning to join the Baimei bandits if Yuan Li did not help him seek revenge.

Zhang Ming expressed confidence in Yuan Li, saying, "Zhong ge, trust me, Yuan Zi will handle your situation."

Zhong Ji forced a smile and did not reveal his worries to Zhang Ming.

The bandits were ruthless, even the governor of Yanzhou, Che Kangbo, could not confront them. Although Yuan Li had a reputation for kindness, he was new to Youzhou.

Even if he wanted to help, would he be willing to face the mountain bandits?

Even if he was willing to confront the bandits, did Yuan Li have the military strength?

General Chu Hechao of the Northern Frontier may have a force of 130,000 soldiers, but would he lend his troops to Yuan Li?

The more Zhong Ji thought about it, the more anxious he became, weighed down by various possibilities. Just as he was caught up in his fluctuating emotions, Yuan Li finally appeared and summoned them.

Zhong Ji and Zhang Ming exchanged a glance and hurriedly followed him.

Upon entering the main hall, they saw Yuan Li seated at the head. They bowed and said, "We pay our respects, Master."

Yuan Li smiled and said, "Please, have a seat."

Zhang Ming sat down, but Zhong Ji hesitated to sit and still bowed. Yuan Li frowned and asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

Zhong Ji knelt and performed a deep bow, his voice choked with emotion, "I am Zhong Ji from Jiyin County in Yanzhou. Please forgive my impetuousness, but I have run out of options. Please help me seek revenge for my wife and daughter. I am willing to offer my life as repayment."

Yuan Li helped him up and urged him to sit, saying, "Please, rise. Tell me what troubles you, there is no need for such formalities."

Zhong Ji composed himself and recounted the tragic death of his wife and daughter.

As he narrated the gruesome incidents, Yuan Li's face darkened with barely concealed anger. "Where are these bandits from?" he asked.

Seeing Yuan Li's anger, Zhong Ji felt a sense of relief. Rising once again, he made another bow to Yuan Li and pleaded, "The mountain bandits are lurking in Yishan, known as the Yishan Army. They are numerous and ruthless, causing harm to countless innocent people like me. Master, I beg you to intervene on my behalf."

Before Yuan Li could respond, the system notification interrupted.

[The Encyclopedia System has been activated.]

[Task: Subdue the Yishan Army.]

[Reward: Map of coal mine distribution.]

If Zhong Ji's family tragedy had occurred within Youzhou, Yuan Li would have readily agreed to eliminate the bandits. But since this was in Yanzhou, he had to consider his responsibilities carefully.

Yuan Li had witnessed too much death in this chaotic world. While he sympathized with Zhong Ji's plight and was angered by the injustice, he had to make a rational decision based on conscience.

Since Zhang Ming had brought Zhong Ji before him, it signified that Zhong Ji held a certain value. Despite Zhong Ji's willingness to risk his life, Yuan Li could not make an immediate decision.

But with the system prompt, Yuan Li's internal struggle was resolved, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, system," he thought. With enough justification, Yuan Li agreed to help Zhong Ji. "Any discerning person would see that since you have asked for my help, I shall grant it."

Zhong Ji looked up, his eyes welling with tears. He knelt down and expressed his gratitude, "As long as Master seeks revenge for my wife and daughter, I am willing to serve you in any capacity and offer a generous gift."

Jian Shaoning asked curiously, "What is the gift?"

Zhong Ji replied firmly, "Iron ore."

The room gasped in shock, even Yuan Li's eyebrows raised at the mention of iron ore.

"You have iron ore?" Zhan Shaoning exclaimed, "Do you mean to tell me that Che Kangbo is not willing to eradicate the bandits for you?"

Was Che Kangbo a fool?!

Zhong Ji smiled wryly, "Governor Che did not even let me finish speaking before he chased me out."

Che Kangbo was indeed a fool, and Zhong Ji was also foolish to reveal the existence of the iron ore so easily.

Iron ore was a valuable commodity, controlled by the authorities. While the aristocrats could secretly send slaves to mine it, small merchant like Zhong Ji dared not touch it.

He had stumbled upon the iron ore by chance but kept it as a last resort to save his life.

When seeking help from various powers before approaching Yuan Li, Zhong Ji had planned to reveal the iron ore as a precious treasure for their assistance once they agreed to help him subdue the bandits.

However, as none of the powers until then, including Yuan Li, knew about the iron ore, he was dismissed without a second thought.

Zhong Ji laughed at the shortsightedness of these people but also lamented the cruel reality of the world.

Finally, he found someone willing to help him even before disclosing the presence of the mine.

"Zhong Ji, how large is this iron mine?" Yuan Li pondered, "I intend to borrow some iron ore from you in advance to equip the troops for the bandit suppression. Will you agree? You can rest assured that I will not seize it by force. If I fail to fulfill my promise to you, you can have this generous gift back."

Zhong Ji hesitated slightly before agreeing, "I am willing."

After that, he stood up and asked eagerly, "When can we go to mine the iron ore?"

Yuan Li sent Guo Lin with Zhong Ji to find Zhao Ying, and instructed Zhao Ying to bring along 5,000 Bai Mi captives to mine the iron.

As they left, Zhang Ming stayed behind.

Yuan Li sighed, "Zi Bo, you have been waiting for me in Jixian for a long time, I apologize for the delay."

Zhang Ming assured him there was no problem and then revealed his intention, "Master, the Zhang family in Youzhou wishes to pledge allegiance to you."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Shaoning blinked at Yuan Li, a look of satisfaction on his face as if to say, "I told you so."

Yuan Li smiled faintly, offering Zhang Ming some cold tea, "Zi Bo, I must ask you a question beforehand."

Zhang Ming asked, "Please go ahead."

Yuan Li inquired, "Do you wish to pledge allegiance to me, or to the Prince of Chu's household?"

Zhang Ming was taken aback.

It was not just Zhang Ming who was surprised; Zhan Shaoning was also shocked.

Despite the unexpected question, Yuan Li remained composed, waiting for Zhang Ming's response.

He did not necessarily need the allegiance of a merchant like Zhang Ming, but certain matters needed clarification.

If Zhang's family pledged allegiance to him, he could entrust them with confidential information in the future. If they sought to ally with the Prince of Chu, Yuan Li would treat them as business partners, but their cooperation would end there.

As Zhang Ming closed his mouth, wanting to ask if pledging allegiance to Yuan Li was the same as pledging allegiance to the Chu Estate, beads of sweat the size of beans were already forming on his forehead.

"Of course."

Yuan had the surname Yuan, while the Chu Estate had the surname Chu. At that moment, Zhang Ming clearly understood the difference between the two.

So, which should he choose?

Zhang's heart was pounding with nervousness.

Logically, he should choose the Chu Estate.

The Chu Estate was powerful, and Youzhou was the Prince Chu's fiefdom. With the Chu Estate as a backing, what did the Zhang family have to fear?

But at this moment, the one ruling over Youzhou was Yuan Li. After Yuan Li took control of Chu Estate, whoever controlled the land was under Yuan's authority.

Plus, he was so young. If he ruled over Youzhou for several decades, what then?

General Chu Hechao commanded a grand army of 130,000 troops, and was the rightful vassal of the Chu Estate! The military power was now in his hands.

Was Yuan Li inferior in any way?

Yuan Li's reputation was much better than the notorious Chu Hechao, and his temperament was also much better. Dealing with Yuan Li was much better than dealing with Chu Hechao, and with Yuan Li as a support, they would still be able to benefit from the power of the Chu Estate.

Wasn't that good enough?

Furthermore, Yuan Li had not yet ascended the official position, yet he conducted himself in such a mature manner. Could his future achievements really surpass Chu Hechao's?

The sweat on Zhang Ming's face had already dripped to the ground. He looked up at Yuan Li, who had already finished a cup of tea.

With a start, Zhang Ming realized he had been thinking for too long.

Like a bucket of cold water splashed on his face, Zhang Ming suddenly became clear-headed. He bowed deeply and said, "Zhang Ming pays respects to Master."

Yuan Li shook his head and smiled, "You can speak the truth, you don't have to be afraid of offending me."

Zhang Ming shook his head, "To be able to discuss future plans with the one I like, and to have the opportunity to serve under you, who is just and upright, I know that you will not blame me for choosing who to pledge my allegiance to. Please rest assured, this is what I truly desire."

Yuan Li smiled, "I told you before to find a way to procure horses as much as possible. I do business with the Wuhuan using things better than soap. Do you remember?"

Zhang nodded repeatedly, "I remember. I was just about to discuss this with you. As autumn approaches and the grass on the grasslands withers, the livestock will have no fodder. Trade with the Wuhuan will become more and more frequent. Since your last order, I have already bought nearly five hundred horses from the Wuhuan and will have them sent to you soon. As the weather gets colder and food becomes scarcer, the Wuhuan will sell even more horses."

Yuan Li immediately praised, "No matter how much these horses cost, just tell me, I won't let you bear the expense."

Zhang Ming declined, "Consider these horses as a gift for you."

Yuan Li laughed, "You can give me a gift once, can you give me a gift twice? Five hundred horses is a huge quantity. I can see how much effort and money you've put into this. Such hard work cannot be erased with just one gift to me, you deserve what you have earned, so please take it."

His words deeply touched Zhang Ming's heart. He felt that he had made the right choice in serving under Yuan Li, and his gratitude and sincerity grew even stronger.

After these trivial matters were settled, Yuan Li took Zhang Ming to his study and ordered some refine salt.

Zhang Ming's reaction to the fine salt was no different from Yuan Li's. As a merchant, he was even more excited and knew the value of such fine salt.

Yuan Li then had coarse salt brought to the table.

Zhang Ming couldn't help but show a look of disdain. "I never thought that coarse salt was so good, but compared to fine salt, the difference is like night and day."

Yuan Li picked up a bowl of coarse salt and poured it into the bowl of fine salt that Zhang was holding. He then mixed the two together, "Zi Bo, remember what I said. Mix fine salt and coarse salt in equal proportions and sell them to the Wuhuan at this price."

He mentioned a price slightly lower than what was sold to Dadan.

The fine salt and coarse salt sold to Dadan were mixed in a ratio of one to one point five, and yet the price was still high. Judging from Dadan's proud personality, this matter was probably already known to the Wuhuan.

When Zhang Ming sold the cheaper and purer fine salt to the Wuhuan, they felt they had gotten a good deal and didn't mind the higher price compared to coarse salt.

Zhang Ming nodded, indicating that he understood.

After seeing him off, Yuan Li retired to his room, washed his face, and Lin Tian brought him a bowl of fruit, "Master, would you like to eat?"

"I don't have much appetite at the moment, let's wait a little longer," said Yuan Li, leaning on the cool table to cool his face. "How has Xiao Ce been during my absence?"

"He has been peacefully resting in his room," Lin Tian fanned Yuan with a fan. "Master, we have been keeping a close eye on him. Apart from bringing him meals and medical care, there has been no further interaction with him."

Yuan Li yawned, leaving an imprint on his face. He turned to his other side and continued to rest, asking, "Has Young Master Jian seen him yet?"

"Young Master Jian has visited him twice, but coincidentally found Xiao Ce asleep both times. Hence, Young Master Jian and Xiao Ce have not yet truly met."

After a pause, Lin Tian hesitated and asked, "Master, do you trust Young Master Jian?"

They were all loyal to Yuan Li, so they needed to know how to adjust their guard towards others based on Yuan Li's attitude.

"I don't necessarily trust him. It's just that the less he knows about the fine salt, the better."

Yuan Li closed his eyes and said softly, "If Xiao Ce can continue to rest in bed peacefully, giving him a chance at life may not be a bad idea..."

In the next ten days, baskets of iron were transported to Ji County.

Yuan Li sketched the design of the stirrups on paper and had a blacksmith forge a few prototype pieces.

At present, Northern Zhou only used saddles without stirrups. The saddle was a piece of equipment on the horse's back, which could effectively prevent cavalry from falling off the horse front and back. However, even with this, without stirrups, riding was still a high-risk endeavor.

Cavalry nowadays needed to grip the horse's flanks with both legs, and in battle, they needed to tightly grip the reins with one hand to prevent the horse from veering off course. This meant they couldn't easily use their large swords and spears to attack enemies, as they couldn't carry out slashing or thrusting actions with both hands.

In close combat, one misstep could result in being dragged off the horse by the enemy.

If they wanted to archery, it was even more impossible. Cavalry either had to stop the horse or halt it to shoot arrows; otherwise, it was impossible to shoot arrows immediately.

The battle where General Chu Hechao became famous was because he could use the explosive power of his legs alone to tightly grip the horse with his muscles, controlling the horse's movements and freeing his hands to slay the enemy leader on horseback.

Without the explosive power like Chu Hechao, it was impossible to do such a thing.

But with stirrups, this could be done.

Stirrups made the riding much easier, greatly increasing the number of cavalry troops.

During combat, cavalry could also rely on stirrups to free their hands for battle. This would result in a significant increase in combat effectiveness.

This small stirrup could potentially train a devilish cavalry force that had not yet appeared in the world without stirrups.

Just the thought of it made Yuan's blood boil.

The finished saddle was produced three days later. Because it was the first time it was being made, it took this long, but the final product was almost identical to what Yuan Li had drawn on paper.

After securing the saddle onto the horse, Yuan Li mounted the horse and took a turn, feeling good about it. He then brought two riders who were skilled in mounted combat to try it out.

These two were Liu Jixin and Wang Er.

They were curious about the thing Yuan Li had created. When Yuan Li gave them instructions and easily mounted the horse using the stirrups, Liu Jixin's eyes lit up.

He test-drove the horse for a few steps, not exerting any force to grip the horse's flanks, but still sitting firmly on the horse, with no tendency to slide off. It felt even easier and simpler than usual.

A good thing, it was definitely a good thing!

Liu Jixin was surprised and did not expect such a small thing to have such great abilities. If they could equip each cavalryman with a set...

Lost in his imagination, Liu Jixin's breathing became more and more rapid. Suddenly, the sound of a flying arrow came from behind him. Liu Jixin turned to look and saw Wang Er raising his arms, shooting an arrow at a tree trunk in the distance.

"Good!" Liu Jixin exclaimed enthusiastically.

With high spirits, Wang Er, after using the stirrups, made a great improvement in his horsemanship, showing fierce courage in an instant. He put away his bow and arrow, drew his broadsword and wielded it a few times, then rode his horse forward, cutting off a branch from the tree above his head with one swift stroke.

There was a gasp from the crowd.

The four or five who had come to observe the stirrups' effectiveness under Yuan's direction had brought paper and pens to jot down any improvements that could be made. Witnessing this scene, their pens fell to the ground in disbelief as they looked at Wang Er.

Once they came to their senses, overwhelming joy washed over them.

"Master!" Wu Kai stepped forward, his eyes full of fighting spirit, "Please let me challenge Wang Er on behalf of Mr. Liu."

Yuan Li exhaled a sigh of relief and smiled. He was also looking forward to this, "Go ahead."