Chapter 45: An All-Night Dialogue Between Monarch and Subject

After the court session adjourned, Ying Quliang went straight to Zhao Zheng's residence.

Zhao Zheng was lying on a reed mat, basking in the sun.

At present, stools and chairs had yet to be invented. For his own comfort, Zhao Zheng had drawn up the blueprint of a chair and sent it to Mo Hao.

However, the Mohist school was currently busy developing curved-shaft plows and bed-mounted crossbows, leaving them with no time for such trinkets.

"Sir."

Ying Quliang bowed respectfully to Zhao Zheng.

"Your Highness?"

Seeing that Ying Quliang had paid a personal visit, Zhao Zheng hurriedly rose to welcome him.

Ying Quliang sat properly on the mat and said with a helpless sigh, "My visit to disturb you today, Sir, is truly a last resort!"

"I suppose this is about the Western Rong?"

Zhao Zheng pondered for a moment. Given the current timeline, the Western Rong's border incursions were due shortly.

Ying Quliang nodded heavily. "Indeed. Led by Yiqu, the five major tribes of the Western Rong are pillaging our western borders, having successively captured Chencang and the three cities of Xiqi."

Hearing this, Zhao Zheng knitted his brows. The Western Rong had learned how to besiege cities? Surely that was impossible!

"I suspect someone is pulling their strings behind the scenes."

Zhao Zheng contemplated for a moment.

Those brainless barbarians of the Western Rong usually lived by plunder and grazing. How could they suddenly launch city sieges?

Moreover, both Chencang and Xiqi were located in the present-day Shaanxi region. How dared those Western Rong tribesmen thrust straight into Chencang and Xiqi?

Most importantly, Yiqu was situated in the northwest of the Qin State; how had they bypassed defenses to strike directly at Chencang?

Who could possibly believe this happened without someone orchestrating it?

Ying Quliang frowned upon hearing this. "You mean... the states of the East?"

Zhao Zheng nodded. "Precisely. Originally, I had no wish to deal with the Western Rong just yet, but since they are so unappreciative of favors, I have no choice..."

The Western Rong had to be thoroughly beaten into submission. Otherwise, with the six eastern states on one side and the Rong threat in the west, being caught in a pincer movement would be utterly unbearable.

Furthermore, subduing the Western Rong would bring immense benefits to the Qin State; a steady stream of Western Rong cavalry would become the backbone of the Qin army.

With this in mind, Zhao Zheng asked again:

"Your Highness, how are the reserves of kaolin clay we prepared earlier?"

Ying Quliang thought for a moment and replied, "Aside from a portion that had to be taken out to substitute for coarse salt when the army was on the march a few days ago, there is as much of it left as you need."

"Good. Then I shall set out for the Western Rong tomorrow."

Zhao Zheng readily agreed to handle the Western Rong threat.

Seeing that Zhao Zheng had consented, Ying Quliang immediately sought his opinion:

"Sir, how many troops will be needed this campaign, and who shall accompany the army?"

When it came to warfare, Ying Quliang placed absolute, one-hundred-percent trust in Zhao Zheng.

Zhao Zheng pondered. "Brother Ying Qian shall accompany the army. As for the troops... two thousand will be quite enough."

"Two thousand?" Ying Quliang was startled. "Sir, wouldn't two thousand be far too few?"

The Western Rong tribes had launched a massive southward invasion involving four major tribes, with their numbers likely exceeding fifty thousand.

Zhao Zheng smiled mysteriously. "Of course it's enough... After all, I have a trump card up my sleeve..."

"What is that?" Ying Quliang's curiosity was instantly piqued.

"Follow me." Zhao Zheng stood up and walked toward the inner courtyard. Ying Quliang hurried to follow.

In the inner courtyard stood two massive bed-mounted crossbows. Scattered around them were crossbows of various sizes.

Many of the crossbow mechanisms commissioned from the Mohists had already been delivered, but there were only two bed-mounted crossbows, which were improved versions based on the mere two bed-mounted crossbows the Qin State previously possessed. Their range, however, was still somewhat inferior to the ones Zhao Zheng had designed.

Later on, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty, Qin-style crossbows were widely adopted to fight the Xiongnu, yielding remarkable results.

Yet these crossbows differed from those currently used by various states, incorporating several peculiar components.

"Are these... crossbows?"

Ying Quliang bent down to pick up a crossbow and examined it closely. Unlike the bronze crossbows of this era, these were crafted from a mixture of wood and bronze.

"This is a repeating crossbow mechanism. It is a pity... it can only fire two bolts at a time. Given a bit more time for research and development, I believe it could achieve five consecutive shots."

Zhao Zheng explained patiently. Later generations discovered double-arrow simultaneous-firing repeating crossbows in Chu tombs that could load twenty arrows and achieve ten consecutive dual-shots.

The repeating crossbow mechanism designed by Zhao Zheng could only hold six arrows, allowing for a triple-shot.

However, in terms of precision, lethality, and range, it far surpassed the double-arrow repeating crossbows of the Chu State.

"Sir is truly a man of extraordinary talent!"

Ying Quliang could not put down the crossbow mechanism in his hand. If the Qin army were to be equipped with these on a large scale... wouldn't their combat effectiveness soar dramatically?

At this thought, Ying Quliang asked, "Sir, can these crossbow mechanisms be mass-produced and equipped?"

"They can, but it costs money. The production cost of a single crossbow mechanism is one gold coin."

At this, a pang of heartache crossed Zhao Zheng's face. The funds owed to the Mohist school for developing these mechanisms were still a debt.

"One gold coin?"

Ying Quliang did not find the cost overly distressing; he felt this type of crossbow mechanism was well worth the price. "Sir, the expenses for these crossbow mechanisms shall be covered by me, Ying Quliang."

"You'll cover it?"

Zhao Zheng gave Ying Quliang a sidelong glance of exasperation. "Do you think you can afford two thousand gold coins?"

This made Zhao Zheng's heart ache even more. The Mohists had worked day and night to batch-produce one thousand crossbow mechanisms. Factoring in material costs, labor, and other expenses, the average cost per crossbow mechanism came to two gold coins.

As for the two modified bed-mounted crossbows, they were even more exorbitant.

They cost ten gold coins each, and that was merely for the modification.

If an entirely new large-scale bed-mounted crossbow were to be built from scratch, the cost was terrifying to contemplate.

Warfare—this damned thing burned money!

Although the Mohists did not demand money from Zhao Zheng upfront, Zhao Zheng knew that for long-term relations to endure, payment had to be made; one could not simply take advantage of others for free.

Ying Quliang's expression stiffened. "H-how much?"

"Two thousand gold coins." Zhao Zheng held up two fingers, and of course, this did not yet include the cost of the crossbow bolts.

To allow these crossbows to reach their maximum range, the cost of manufacturing their specialized bolts far exceeded that of ordinary ones, with each bolt costing approximately five Qin copper coins.

To forge the specific arrowheads, the Mohists had even specially invited the descendants of Ouyezi.

All of these required funds.

Conservatively estimated, Zhao Zheng owed the Mohists three thousand gold coins.

"Let's be conservative; three thousand five hundred gold coins." Zhao Zheng calculated for a moment and held up three fingers.

Ying Quliang's mouth twitched slightly. Expensive, truly terribly expensive!

Nevertheless, he bit the bullet and said, "Sir, give me a moment and I shall have someone send over four thousand gold coins."

Thanks to Wei Yang's Land Reclamation Decree, Ying Quliang had indeed amassed a considerable fortune in his coffers.

Yet before this money had even grown warm in his hands, the greater half of it was swept away in one fell swoop by Zhao Zheng.

Originally, Wei Yang had planned to use these funds to purchase new equipment and weapons to arm the Qin army. Yet Ying Quliang felt that giving this money to Zhao Zheng was a far more valuable investment than letting Wei Yang spend it.

"Sir, was this policy of legal reform truly wrong?"

Suddenly, Ying Quliang recalled the events that had transpired earlier in the imperial court.

Zhao Zheng didn't even need to guess; party politics within the court had evidently begun.

Zhao Zheng pondered softly. "As the ruler of a state, you need only maintain the balance among your ministers... As for everything else, let them be..."

The sophisticated art of imperial manipulation had yet to be fully developed. Although Ying Quliang was a powerful monarch, his mastery of domestic politics fell somewhat short compared to later generations.

"As for the laws of Qin... they remain the finest strategy of our time. They must never be altered."

Through these past few days, Zhao Zheng had come to realize that the Qin State currently had no choice but to follow the path of legal reform.

As for neutralizing the potential threats hidden within the reforms, perhaps... the time had not yet come.

Ying Quliang was momentarily stunned, then bowed respectfully to Zhao Zheng. "Quliang will strictly heed your teachings, Sir."

"Sir, will you accompany Your Servant for a modest drink tonight? It will also serve as a farewell banquet for you."

Zhao Zheng smiled. "How could I refuse an order from Your Highness? I shall cook the meal myself..."

That night, Zhao Zheng and Ying Quliang talked of everything without restraint, ranging from statecraft and governance to personal matters.

At the morning court session the next day, Zhao Zheng, who had been absent for three days, reappeared in the imperial hall.

However, whereas the court had previously been divided into two factions—left and right—

There was now a middle faction.

Though few in number, every single person in this middle faction was a heavyweight.

Led by Zhao Zheng, the remaining members consisted of Ying Qian, Meng Yun, Bai Ying, and Gongsun Jia—four in total.