"I know what you are all worried about! I am not a cruel and merciless ruler. Even though the plate armor and Vanadium Steel Horse Lances are good, I will only equip them for the Black Armored Army! Furthermore, the Marquis of Yong 'an is willing to provide all the equipment for the Black Armored Army with his own strength! "
In the Taiji Palace, Li Er saw Li Jing, Xiao Yu, and the other important officials step forward to persuade him. He couldn't help but smile.
The moment he said those words, all of the officials turned to look at Li Zexuan. The armor and equipment of thousands of cavalrymen were all on a single person. No matter how one looked at it, the amount of metal required to make these armor and equipment was at least two hundred thousand jin! In the entire Great Tang, there were no more than three people who could take out so much metal. Coincidentally, Li Zexuan was one of them!
Besides, excluding the cost of steel, the cost of labor was definitely not a small sum. This was especially so for the plate armor and vanadium steel horse lances. The cost of labor and equipment needed to manufacture a few thousand sets of armor would definitely be an astronomical figure! Li Zexuan was willing to provide so much manpower, resources, and wealth for the Black Armored Army. How could they not be shocked?
If Li Er had said it to anyone else, the officials would have probably cursed the other party without hesitation. However, since Li Er said it was Li Zexuan, the officials had no choice but to believe him! Because Li Zexuan did have the financial resources and the new workshop of Strange Interest Pavilion did have the ability to do so!
However, they couldn't understand why Li Zexuan was willing to pay such a huge price to provide the Black Armored Army with equipment for free!
Under the gazes of the crowd, Li Zexuan stepped forward and clasped his hands. "The rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of every man. As the Marquis of Great Tang, I naturally have to share your burdens. In the current world, Great Tang's strength is unparalleled. However, the Turks in the north are still like a pack of ferocious wolves, eyeing Great Tang's territory.
This official's honor and disgrace are all bestowed upon me by Your Majesty. All of this official's wealth comes from Great Tang. When the country is in danger, let alone these several thousand sets of armor, even if you ask this subject to use all of his wealth to support the Great Tang army, this subject will not object! Only with a country can one have a home. If the Great Tang cannot defeat the Turks, what is the use of this subject's wealth? "
Li Zexuan's speech was impassioned and powerful. As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell silent. All the officials looked at Li Zexuan with admiration, excitement, and respect!
The people of Great Tang were prideful. This was an era in which the honor of a nation was unprecedented. Today, Li Zexuan's speech had caused many people in the court to be overwhelmed with emotion. Li Zexuan's image in the eyes of all the officials instantly soared!
Ever since Great Tang pacified the north and defeated the Turks to rescue Liang Shidu last month, the entire Great Tang seemed to have entered a state of preparation for war. This was especially so for the officials of the court. Everyone knew that a fierce battle would soon break out between Great Tang and the Turks. At this critical juncture, Li Zexuan had offered the peerless armor and divine weapons. Furthermore, he had taken the initiative to provide the equipment for Great Tang's trump card cavalry — the Black Armored Army. This not only inspired the officials, but also made them feel deep admiration for Li Zexuan!
"The Marquis of Yong 'an serves the country wholeheartedly. This old man admires you for your righteousness!"
Wei Zheng, who had been clamoring to impeach Li Zexuan an hour ago, was the first to jump out. He first clasped his hands to Li Zexuan in admiration, and then he bowed to Li Er.
"Your Majesty, the rise and fall of the realm is the responsibility of every man! The words of the Marquis of Yong 'an have deeply moved this old subject. This subject has decided that, starting from today, as long as the Great Tang does not destroy the Turks, this subject will not receive a salary. This subject is willing to use all of his salary in the future to forge weapons and armor for the soldiers of Great Tang! "
In Wei Zheng's view, if Li Zexuan, a rising official of the court, was willing to do so much for the Great Tang, then how could he, an old official of the empire, remain indifferent at a time like this? With the country and people at stake, Wei Zheng could also act like Li Zexuan and not care about personal gains and losses!
"Imperial Father, this son is willing to take out half of the Eastern Palace's allowance each month to buy weapons and armor for the soldiers of the Great Tang!"
Li Chengqian, who had been standing below Li Er, stepped forward and clasped his hands.
As the heir to the throne of the Great Tang, his words had an extraordinary meaning.
"Your Majesty, this subject is also willing to cut his own salary to support the Great Tang in the war against the Turks!"
At this moment, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui stepped forward and clasped their hands towards Li Er.
"This old subject is also willing to cut his own salary and give all of the iron mines of the Zhangsun Family to the Marquis of Yong 'an for free to forge divine weapons and destroy the Turks!"
Zhangsun Wuji stepped forward and said.
Speaking of which, Zhangsun Wuji was truly the pride of the entire clan. It was all related to the Great Tang and the royal family. He was a relative of the royal family. His sister was the empress of the Great Tang, and his nephew was the current heir to the throne of the Great Tang, the future emperor of the Great Tang! Thus, when it came to 'donating money', Zhangsun Wuji didn't hesitate at all. The only thing that made him a little depressed was that the first to jump out to 'donate money' was Li Zexuan. At most, he was just adding flowers to the brocade, not providing charcoal in snowy weather!
Be it adding flowers to the brocade or providing charcoal in snowy weather, at such a crucial moment, no one dared to drop the ball.
At this moment, all of the officials and generals in the court bowed and said, "This subject is also willing to cut his own salary to help the Great Tang forge divine weapons and destroy the Turks!"
Seeing that a good morning court assembly was about to turn into a 'donation gathering', Li Er was touched. At the same time, he hurriedly waved his hands and said, "My dear subjects, I appreciate your patriotism! However, the imperial court isn't in such a difficult situation that I have to rely on the salaries of all of you to survive. Thus, don't mention about cutting your salary! All of you only need to do your duty well, and the Great Tang will definitely grow stronger and defeat the Turks! "
Benefiting from the rapid development of maritime trade in the south, the Great Tang's current financial situation was still very healthy. At the very least, they didn't lack money or rations! Thus, Li Er didn't have any intention of cutting his own officials' salaries!
Hearing this, the officials hesitated for a moment before clasping their hands and saying in unison, "This subject will do our best to assist Your Majesty to create a prosperous era and defeat the enemies of the universe!"
Li Er was overjoyed and said with a smile, "Good! Let us work together to create a prosperous era. What is there to fear about the mere Turks? "
"Your Majesty is wise!"
The civil and military officials shouted in unison.
At this moment, Li Zexuan stepped forward and clasped his hands. "Your Majesty, other than plate armor and vanadium steel horse lance, this subject will also present vanadium steel horse armor and horseshoes!"
Li Er frowned and said, "This vanadium steel horse armor, we have seen it just now. It is indeed very useful for cavalry to charge, but what is this horseshoes? Why didn't we see it just now? "
Li Zexuan was about to explain, but Duan Zhixuan beat him to it and said, "Your Majesty, this subject guesses that the horseshoes mentioned by the Marquis of Yong 'an should be something that is wrapped around the hooves of horses. Just now, when this subject was fighting with the Marquis of Yong' an, I noticed that the hooves of his warhorse seemed to be wrapped with some sort of metal. I think that it should be the horseshoes that the Marquis of Yong 'an was talking about!"
As the commander of the Black Armored Army, Duan Zhixuan's observation of horses was undoubtedly more meticulous. Thus, he was able to notice such an inconspicuous detail.
Li Zexuan nodded and said, "General Duan has good eyesight. The horse that I was riding just now did indeed have metal wrapped around its hooves."
Saying so, he clasped his hands to Li Er and said, "Your Majesty, in this subject's view, people need to wear shoes, and horses also need to wear shoes! When a horse wears shoes made of metal, not only will it not affect its running, it will also greatly reduce the wear and tear of the horse's hooves. Every year, tens of thousands of horses in my Great Tang will be abandoned due to the wear and tear of their hooves. If all the horses are nailed with horseshoes, this subject dares to guarantee that the average lifespan of the horses will be extended by at least two years! "
With these words, the officials were once again shaken, and they couldn't help but discuss in private.
A moment later, Xiao Yu stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, if the Marquis of Yong 'an's words are true, then this subject suggests that we immediately implement horseshoes in the army! Every year, tens of thousands of warhorses are eliminated due to the wear and tear of their hooves, and this is especially true for the warhorses on the front lines. If horseshoes can really protect the hooves of the horses, it will save the Great Tang countless amounts of money every year! At the very least, we can save twenty percent of our military expenditure! "
As the butler of the Great Tang, Xiao Yu helped Li Er manage the country's purse. He knew better than anyone else just how much of the annual expenditure of the Imperial Court on the military was used to purchase warhorses. Thus, when he heard Li Zexuan introduce the use of horseshoes, Xiao Yu was more excited than anyone else!
"Military expenditure will be reduced by twenty percent!"
Hearing these words, not only did many of the officials in the Imperial Court reveal expressions of shock, even Li Er, who was seated at the head of the table, could not remain calm. Old Li straightened his body and looked at Li Zexuan, asking, "Marquis of Eternal Peace, are you certain that not only will this horseshoe not harm the horseshoe, it will instead protect the horseshoe?"
Li Zexuan clasped his hands and said, "This subject is extremely certain! Big White, which this subject was riding just now, is a living example. If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, you can have someone bring Big White in. At that time, whether or not the horseshoes will harm the hooves, everyone will know with a single look! "
Li Er also wanted to take a closer look at how the horseshoes looked like. Hearing this, he nodded and said, "Permitted!"
A eunuch went out to help Li Zexuan lead the horse. After a while, Big White finally stood on the Imperial Court. Four strong men came from the side and wanted to work together to overturn Big White. However, they were stopped by Li Zexuan with a wave of his hand.
Li Zexuan stroked the tuft of hair beside Big White's neck and whispered something into Big White's ear. Following which, a miraculous scene appeared!
Big White snorted and rubbed its head against Li Zexuan's arm. Then, Big White bent its legs and sat on the ground. Following which, it nimbly flipped over and lay on its back with its four hooves facing the sky!
Big White understood human nature. This was already discovered by Li Zexuan when he exterminated the group of mountain bandits at Mount Beimang last year. After that, he often trained Big White intentionally or unintentionally and cultivated the tacit understanding between them. Thus, this scene appeared!
Everyone in the Imperial Court, including Li Er, was stunned. At this moment, Li Zexuan said, "Your Majesty and all the ministers, please take a look. Is there a horseshoe nailed to the horse's hooves?"
Wei Zheng, Xiao Yu, Duan Zhixuan, Cheng Yaojin, Zhangsun Wuji, and a dozen other important ministers took the lead to take a look. After looking, Duan Zhixuan couldn't help but click his tongue in wonder and said, "There is indeed a shoe made of steel nailed to the horse's hooves. However, in the battle with me just now, this horse's hooves were quite nimble and there were no signs of injury at all. Truly miraculous!"
"That's right! Why didn't I, Old Cheng, think of nailing a piece of metal to the horse's hooves in the past? This toy is good! However, Little Xuan, I, Old Cheng, am more interested in your horse riding skills just now. If you have time, you must teach this old man! "
Cheng Yaojin laughed loudly and said.
Li Zexuan replied, "Uncle Cheng, this horse riding skill is just a small trick. As long as one is familiar with the horse, anyone can do what this nephew did just now!"
Cheng Yaojin naturally didn't believe it. However, before he could say anything, Li Er, who was sitting on the Dragon Throne, had already walked down. After looking at Big White's hooves for a while, he said,
"These horseshoes are indeed good stuff. However, with a piece of metal embedded in the hooves, does the horse really not feel any pain?"
Li Zexuan cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, actually, the dark outer layer of the horse's hooves is a very thick layer of hard cuticle. There are no blood vessels in it, just like a human's fingernail. Therefore, when the horseshoe is nailed, the horse doesn't feel any pain at all. Under normal circumstances, if a horse gallops for too long or if the road is too bumpy, it will cause the hard cuticle on the horse's hooves to be quickly worn away and split open. This way, the horse will become lame and unable to walk. This is why this subject wants to wear shoes for Big White to reduce the wear and tear on its hooves! "
Li Er roughly understood Li Zexuan's meaning and said in realization, "So that's how it is!"
Then, Li Er returned to the Dragon Throne. He looked at the officials in the hall and pondered for a moment before saying, "Beloved Official Yan, hear the decree ~!"
Yan Lide stepped forward and cupped his hands. "This subject receives the decree!"
Li Er said in a deep voice, "Order the Ministry of Works to immediately rush out a batch of horseshoes. From now on, all the warhorses on the Tang Empire's frontlines must be nailed with horseshoes!"
Yan Lide bowed and said, "This subject receives the decree!"
Li Er nodded and then looked at Li Zexuan. Li Zexuan was delighted. Is Old Li going to reward me?
Li Er didn't know what Li Zexuan was thinking. He said expressionlessly, "Marquis Yong 'an, come forward and hear the decree!"
"This subject, Li Zexuan, hears the decree!"
Li Zexuan cupped his hands in anticipation.
Unexpectedly, Li Er said, "Marquis Yong 'an has contributed plate armor, vanadium steel horse lance, vanadium steel horse armor, and horseshoes. You have contributed greatly. In view of your knowledge of military affairs, I hereby appoint you as the Black Armored Army's Registrar. You will assist Duan Zhixuan in quickly replacing the Black Armored Army's equipment. You will also incorporate the new equipment and come up with new training methods and battle tactics!"
What? You want me to become an Registrar in the Black Armored Army? Hearing this, Li Zexuan was instantly dumbfounded!
Not only was he stunned, but so were all the officials in the imperial court! After all, Li Zexuan had always been a civil official. After entering the imperial court, Li Zexuan's resume had been from the Imperial College's Doctorate to the Yanhuang College's Yamachō to the Crown Prince Zhan Shi to the Crown Prince's Junior Guardian to the Marquis of Yong 'an. He had started his career as a civil official. But now, Li Er had appointed Li Zexuan as the Registrar. Wasn't this branding?
"Your Majesty, this subject feels that this is inappropriate!"
Before Li Zexuan could voice his objection, Wei Zheng had already started to scold him. Ah, he had spoken!
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