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King Zhao of Qin's joy was primarily due to the acquisition of Shangdang County, for which he had discussed with Zhang Lu and Fan Ju for several days. It was too humiliating for the State of Zhao to return those three cities without a fight; today, seizing your front gate, let's see what you have to say! After hearing Luzi's report, his heart sank. He looked at Luzi, who was not one to speak of good news, and asked Bai Qi, who was currently fighting on the front lines, for his opinion. Luzi naturally had no hesitation and stated that the two military commanders at the front were in agreement. The timing to accept Shangdang County was not right; if Zhao discovered it, it would pose a danger to our army.
King Zhao of Qin nodded slightly. "So according to you, the priority is to stabilize our rear and then take Shangdang County in the spring?"
Luzi bowed and said, "Your Majesty! Our army has been engaged in continuous battles for several months now. At this time, our troops are exhausted, and it is unwise to prematurely expose our intentions. The best course of action is to endure and refrain from action, using the time before winter arrives to stabilize our newly acquired territory. This will allow us to recuperate and prepare for a vigorous campaign in the spring to take Shangdang County. Han Min's new acquisition of Public Sentiment is unstable; we can take this opportunity for education."
Upon hearing that Public Sentiment was unstable, King Zhao of Qin pondered whether Bai Qi had changed his character over the years. Wherever this fellow went, there was no instability in Public Sentiment; he had long since eradicated it as a successful achievement! Looking down at Luzi, who was still presenting his report, he suddenly understood the reason behind it. It was supposed to be Bai Qi educating Luzi, but in just a few months, Luzi had managed to educate Bai Qi instead! It seemed he had truly underestimated this person's negative influence; he was indeed a disruptive element! I refuse to believe this! I must think of another way!
Luzi was unaware that Above had begun to stir trouble again, still incessantly hoping that King Qin would change his mind. If we followed General Bai Qi's timetable, unnecessary slaughter could be avoided. After speaking for a while without hearing anything from Above, he hurriedly changed the subject and glanced around.
What he had just said was indeed serious business and the best approach. Unfortunately, King Zhao of Qin was preoccupied with other thoughts and did not catch a word. Noticing that Luzi remained silent on his knees, he finally spoke: "The envoy from Han has already arrived; it has always been said that a ruler should not go back on his word. Since I have promised, changing the schedule would seem somewhat disrespectful. If we delay the land transfer issue unnecessarily, what if Han changes its mind this winter?"
Luzi thought that all he had just said was in vain and quickly replied: "Your Majesty! Our soldiers are responsible for defending our territory and capturing cities; once everything is ready, they cannot be allowed to backtrack!"
King Zhao of Qin did not respond but sighed lightly. My Mr. Zhang Lu is indeed thinking of me! Look at you all now! Bai Qi only knows how to burn and kill; you only know how to educate Public Sentiment. You would rather not take seventeen counties without fighting and wait until next spring to capture them!? What kind of thinking is that? If we follow your reasoning, I will never see the East Sea in my lifetime! Taking a deep breath, a wave of fatigue washed over him. Stretching out lazily and moving his waist, he finally said: "Alright! I understand now; you may leave!"
Upon hearing this, Luzi suddenly felt that King Zhao was no longer the wise ruler he once knew. He now felt almost superfluous; the trust from before was fading into doubt. People are like this; once someone gives them a bad impression, they become increasingly displeased. Usually, it’s manageable; at worst, one could just avoid contact. But this is distrust from my superior; my life could be at stake! I have always been like this and have never changed. What went wrong that caused me to lose King Qin's trust?
But regardless of how things are going, the answer must be sought by oneself because no one can tell you the truth about matters. Luzi sighed inwardly, bowed respectfully while affirming his understanding, and retreated from the hall. If seeing King Qin earlier had put him in a good mood, now his mood was utterly terrible. That feeling of being like a fish in water could no longer be found; who could feel good under such circumstances!?
With an unsettled heart, he hardly knew how he made it home. He pushed open the door expecting that seeing Chuchu would lift his spirits but found that the little girl was nowhere to be found. After asking a servant, he learned she was busy doing something in the backyard. In any case, outsiders were strictly forbidden from entering; violators faced punishment!
What kind of trouble must one cause these days to face such punishment?
Others are just idle people, but the owner of this house is definitely not one of them. Luzi, filled with questions, hurried to the backyard to investigate, instructing the servants not to follow. He pushed the door only to find it locked from the inside. If he knocked and entered, even if there were valuable things inside, they would likely be hidden away. The only way to uncover the truth was to sneak in quietly. He looked up at the not-so-high wall and decided to climb over it. After checking that no one was nearby, he leaped over.
"Thud!"
An arrow struck the wall behind him, leaving Luzi stunned in place. It was too fast! There was almost no time to dodge.
Chuchu saw that the newcomer was not a spy probing for secrets and, after a quick glance, recognized it was the person she had been longing for. Dropping her crossbow, she jumped over and examined him from head to toe.
Luzi wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand and sighed softly, "You haven't been drinking enough water lately, have you?"
Chuchu nodded eagerly, tears streaming down her face. They transformed into a trickle of clear spring water that washed away all of Luzi's worries. He wanted to go over and stop her seemingly fragile body but suddenly realized he had lost focus. He coughed twice and asked, "Did you modify that crossbow? Its power is incredible!"
Chuchu also recognized her earlier blunder and quickly replied, "I added a wooden strip to the bow arm; it significantly increases the power of the shot." Saying this, she turned around and picked up the crossbow that Wang Jian had given her and handed it to Luzi. "Even an ordinary person can easily hit a target at one hundred fifty meters in light wind."
Since mass production began for equipping troops with crossbows, their design and power have remained as originally brought back by Wang Jian. They are easy to operate; most people can shoot with just a little guidance. At distances between eighty and one hundred twenty yards, individuals can generally hit their targets. This range already surpasses that of traditional bows, so no one has requested further improvements.
This is not an exaggeration; battlefield distance often determines survival rates between enemies. Achieving beyond-visual-range combat could result in nearly zero casualty rates for attackers. If what Chuchu just said is true, this weapon could rewrite the history of warfare. If ordinary people can master its shooting techniques to easily hit targets at one hundred fifty meters, then trained marksmen could effortlessly take down targets two hundred meters away or even farther! For enemies, this distance would be an overwhelmingly disproportionate nightmare!
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