Volume 4 is in the ascendant Chapter 404: Tactical Guidance
Xu Shu looked at the "Book of Five Wheels" and gradually became focused. With this concentration, he naturally relaxed. Once he relaxed... he put his feet on the chair and sat half-squat and half-cross-legged as if he was sitting on the street.
After a cup of tea, he slapped the table and said, "Great! Your Majesty, this sentence is exactly what I was thinking!"
Then he hurriedly remembered the current situation and stood up awkwardly to apologize to Bai Tu...
"That's okay. Yuanzhi is a man of genuine character...Now our Chu State is on the rise internally and surrounded by many enemies externally. It's a time when we are eager to recruit talented people. I want to bring peace and prosperity to the people of the world and create a place for ambitious people from all over the world to display their talents. I wonder if Yuanzhi is willing to serve as an official in Chu?" Bai Tu took the opportunity to offer his recruitment.
"I was a foolish person when I was young, but I have done my best and have no regrets. Later, I was supported by many good teachers and helpful friends, and I have made some achievements in my studies. Now, I am honored by the king's support. I hope to do my best for the rest of my life!" Upon hearing this, Xu Shu stood up from his chair and bowed formally.
Xu Shu had always been interested in Bai Tu, otherwise he would not have shown up before.
Later, he had a pleasant conversation with Bai Tu and accepted the book he gave him. Naturally, he had no reason to refuse.
"Okay! Since Yuanzhi has the ability to break the formation on the battlefield, he will naturally be appointed by the Privy Council. In addition... I have a private task I want to assign to Yuanzhi." Bai Tu said seriously.
When Xu Shu heard that the appointment from the Privy Council was only mentioned briefly, but the latter was emphasized specifically, even though the official title was not mentioned, he knew that this was a truly important task!
"I am willing to share the king's worries." Xu Shu said with high morale.
"Ministry of Works... This task involves the confidential matters of the Ministry of Works. Does Yuanzhi need any arrangements for his family?" Bai Tu asked promptingly.
Xu Shu also heard that the Ministry of Works was the most confidential department of the State of Chu, and if any of the participants were involved in any of the secret projects, their close relatives must be in the State of Chu.
In comparison, even the generals leading the army under the Privy Council did not have as many requirements as the Ministry of Works...
"My old mother is still in Changsha, Yingchuan. I just don't know if I can bring her back now." Xu Shu was a little worried when he mentioned his mother.
After all, this was the Eastern Han Dynasty, and road transportation was extremely inconvenient, especially during times of chaos. There were always bandits and robbers in every valley, and ordinary people could not just move far away.
Xu Shu hoped that after serving in Chu, he could take his mother back to Chu to enjoy her old age, but...
"Yingchuan Changsha? Don't worry about that. You can write a letter to your mother later, and I will contact King Wei for the rest." Bai Tu nodded in understanding. This was something Bai Tu had prepared for.
After all, Xu Shu's most well-known achievement was not his success in defeating Cao Ren, but the fact that he had to bid farewell to Liu Bei because his mother was in Cao Cao's hands, and was not reused after joining Cao's camp.
There are two versions of the story. One is that during the escape from Changbanpo, Xu Shu's mother was captured by Cao's army because she was walking behind with the common people. The other is that Xu's mother did not come to Jingzhou with Xu Shu at the beginning, and her identity as "Shan Fu" was discovered by Xu Shu's fellow villager Cheng Yu, so Cao Cao tricked Xu Shu back in the name of Xu's mother.
Regardless of which statement is true, Cao Cao behaved very disgracefully in this matter. According to the mainstream values of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, it was very degrading to threaten other princes with the relatives of the civil and military officials under his control.
After all, nowadays, there are situations where brothers, and even fathers and sons, serve different princes.
Especially for aristocratic families, it is very common for them to pledge allegiance separately, and this kind of threat is a violation of the rules .
The State of Chu had special regulations, and only in a few of the most confidential departments of the Ministry of Works, all personnel involved must have close relatives in the State of Chu to reduce the risk of leaks.
The only way Cao Cao could cover up his shame by doing this was that he was recruiting Xu Shu on behalf of the imperial court at the time.
But now Bai Tu is not worried that Cao Cao will not give him this face...
Not to mention Cao Cao's current situation, which has determined that he will be much closer to Bai Tu. Besides... Cao Pi is still in Jinling!
Bai Tu was still very righteous and was about to send Cao Bang, with whom he was like a brother and almost sworn brother, back to Xu County. Cao Cao would never detain the relatives of a Chu official at this time.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your help... But I just don't understand. The Ministry of Works should be composed of skilled craftsmen or people with extensive knowledge, right? I don't seem to have any special skills in this area..." Xu Shu asked in confusion while breathing a sigh of relief.
"Hahaha, of course we are not asking Yuanzhi to work in the Ministry of Works, but the Ministry of Works will develop some new armaments in the future. They are different from ordinary swords, bows and crossbows. At that time, someone will be needed to give these new armaments new tactical positioning." Bai Tu said it vaguely.
Not only muskets, but also cold weapons such as heavy cavalry - once the stamping machine appears, combined with the current steel production, plate armor can be directly mass-produced. By then... even if it will eventually be eliminated, it can be taken out for export.
The State of Chu will not fight any major wars in the next five years... unless the situation changes drastically. However, small-scale conflicts may break out in the ports of Qingzhou and Youzhou, and even in the Chaohai Peninsula. At that time, hundreds or thousands of heavy cavalry can serve as a decisive force.
As for whether it will be wasted?
Bai Tu felt that before he eliminated the heavy cavalry, he could easily sell plate armor and the like to other companies.
Moreover, heavy cavalry is different from muskets. If someone imitates the heavy cavalry of Chu, Bai Tu will be very happy that they go astray. For Chu, three or two thousand yuan of plate armor is just a drop in the bucket. Even if it is only for the purpose of "misleading", it is still a profit. Moreover, although plate armor is weak against breech-loading guns, breastplate-style bulletproof vests appeared in Germany during World War I, which can be regarded as a continuation of plate armor...
Using muskets merely as an upgraded version of bows and arrows, or using armored heavy cavalry as an upgraded version of cavalry, are both in the category of "twice the effort for half the result".
Like muskets, heavy cavalry also has its own tactics...
Just like the Liaodong Iron Cavalry in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, Li Chengliang did not conquer Liaodong by using military tactics and battle formations.
If heavy cavalry is really used as an enhanced version of cavalry, its power will not be fully utilized.
Not to mention that the Ministry of Industry also has many magical gadgets...
After the Qi machines gradually became practical, various products of trial and error emerged one after another, some of which may be practical.
Because the world of Cheng Ji is different, Bai Tu also encourages this kind of "trial and error".
In addition to the big projects led by Pang Tong, Yu Ji and Huang Yueying, there are also many "interesting" small projects in operation.
However, in order to make this kind of trial and error innovation more reliable, Bai Tu also needs some trusted generals who can give the Ministry of Works targeted suggestions from the perspective of tactical command. After all, most of the skilled craftsmen in the Ministry of Works do not understand the real battlefield.
Although Bai Tu's words were vague, Xu Shu understood it. He was being asked to be a tactical pioneer. One can imagine the weight of responsibility and trust involved. He was even more moved and his blood boiled.
"As for the arrangements of the Privy Council... I will not interfere for now. Later, when Privy Councilor Lu comes back, Yuanzhi may as well show himself." Bai Tu was thinking of letting Xu Shu go and simulate the battlefield with Lu Bu.
