Chapter 140: The Ma Family

"Many thanks to Your Highness for saving my son's life."

In the Hui Ke Tang, Zhao Xu sat in the main seat.

Sitting in the lower seat was a refined middle-aged man of over forty, dressed in a green robe.

He was Ma Han's father, the Prefect of Qinzhou, Ma Xuan.

Upon learning that Ma Xuan had arrived at Yancheng with over a thousand cavalry, he was slightly surprised.

He had not expected this Prefect to personally come to fetch his own son.

Compared to Zhao Heng, who had sent the Ninth Prince to Yan Commandery, the quality of this father was immediately apparent.

Ma Han sat in his chair, looking like a slacker, "Father, I haven't had enough fun in Yan Commandery yet, why have you come so early?"

"You scoundrel, you still have the nerve to speak? If you hadn't been so impulsive, would you have been captured by the Northern Di and caused such a joke? If it weren't for His Highness holding down the fort in Yan Commandery this time, you wouldn't even know how you died," Ma Xuan pointed at Ma Han and scolded him angrily.

However, Ma Han did not seem to fear Ma Xuan, remaining all smiles.

Zhao Xu's gaze wandered over this pair of father and son, finding it amusing, and he said, "This Prince did not exert much effort; my soldiers simply rescued him in passing."

Ma Xuan put away his angry expression toward Ma Han and turned to Zhao Xu with a face full of smiles, saying, "Even so, it is due to Your Highness's excellent command. The news of Your Highness crushing the Northern Di has not only reached Jingshi, but now everyone in Qinzhou knows of it as well."

In truth, he had received Ma Han's letters long ago, but in the letters, Ma Han had implied that the Yan Wang was taking very good care of him, with plenty to eat and drink.

He had felt relieved then, thinking he would wait until he had wiped out a unit of Xiliang Cavalry that had recently entered Qinzhou before making further plans.

He had not expected his informants in Jingshi to send back news that the Emperor had given Shanggu Commandery to the Yan Wang.

This was what made him decide to come to Yan Commandery in person to see the Yan Wang.

After all, Shanggu Commandery bordered Jinzhou, and currently, both the Imperial Court's Forbidden Army and the Ma Family's troops were being beaten back by the Xiliang in Jinzhou.

Previously, Yanzhou was decided by Yuan Li alone, and Yuan Li had always been wary of their Ma Family, fearing the Ma Family's influence would extend into Yanzhou.

Not to mention providing convenience, it was already a blessing if he didn't harm them.

But now that the Yan Wang was stationed in Shanggu Commandery, his mind began to stir.

Since the elite forces were lost in the Ningjindusizhizhan, the Great Song Forbidden Army had been declining day by day.

It was truly difficult for his Ma Family to resist the Xiliang alone in the northwest of Great Song.

And the Yan Wang's defeat of the Northern Di proved the ferocity of his troops.

If he could provide assistance on the flank, the pressure on his Ma Family would be much less.

Of course, he had another purpose in coming this time, which was to catch a glimpse of the armor of the Yan Commandery soldiers.

In his letters, Ma Han had mentioned the armor of the Yan Wang's soldiers many times, even claiming that if the Ma Family's soldiers could wear such armor, they would certainly be able to fearlessly face the Xiliang's Iron Pagoda heavy cavalry.

Thinking of this, he continued, "Besides this, this official has also heard many rumors regarding the armor of Your Highness's soldiers, claiming that Your Highness's armor is impervious to blades and arrows and is extremely formidable. I wonder if this is true?"

Hearing this, Zhao Xu chuckled softly.

A person of Ma Xuan's level would not shoot without a target.

He brought up this topic naturally not just for idle chatter.

In fact, he was very clear that after this battle, the matter of the Yan Commandery's armor could not be hidden.

Not to mention the Ma Family,

this time, Mo Yu was also incredibly envious of the armor worn by the Yan Commandery soldiers.

According to Chang Wei, when they were in Wuan County, Mo Yu had personally asked for a set to wear for fun and had even tested it himself.

In the end, he had even asked to keep it; if not for Chang Wei fearing punishment, he would have given it to him right then.

It was just that Mo Yu was still unwilling to give up, saying that when he reached Yanguan, he would have his father come forward to talk to him about the armor.

He had not expected that before Mo Di could come, this Ma Family would be the first to smell the scent.

"Xu Lie, go fetch a set of Plate Armor," Zhao Xu said.

Xu Lie nodded and turned to leave.

Ma Xuan became excited at once, and Ma Han, who had the look of a punchable young master, also perked up.

"Father, let me try wearing it," Ma Han said impatiently.

Ma Xuan could barely hide his desire and almost blurted out a 'yes', but thinking of the Yan Wang at his side, he said, "This naturally depends on Your Highness's wishes."

"No matter, since this Prince has already had someone fetch the armor, you may naturally try it on as you please," Zhao Xu said.

To him, after this battle, the Plate Armor had already lost its element of surprise against the enemy.

The defeated Northern Di would certainly study how to deal with soldiers wearing Plate Armor.

Of course, these two types of armor were still superior to other armors, but facing the enemy again, he feared he would not be able to achieve such a low casualty rate as the first time.

After all, Plate Armor also had weaknesses; it was impervious to blades, but had poor defense against blunt weapons.

Once the enemy discovered this, the next hand-to-hand combat would not be as easy as it was now.

A casualty ratio of one to one hundred might become one to ten, or even higher.

Therefore, during this time, he was considering having the Weaponry Bureau manufacture a new weapon—Artillery.

The Firearm was something that had made him very annoyed during this war; it was truly too mediocre.

If he could build Artillery, no armor would be of any use.

By then, if the Northern Di came again, he would certainly be able to strike them head-on once more.

Moreover, he had to follow the path of elite troops.

After all, even after taking Shanggu Commandery, he would have at most sixty thousand men under his command.

He could not afford to waste soldiers' lives to wear down the Yuan Family, the Xiliang, or the Northern Di.

As for the Scale Armor and Plate Armor, since they had made a name for themselves, he felt it would be better to produce some "low-spec versions" to sell.

In this way, the Weaponry Bureau could not only make a profit but also win over some factions through arms sales.

For example, Ma Xuan, who was now full of interest in the armor.

In the future, his trade routes would have to pass through the Ma Family's territory.

It is very necessary to win them over a little.

Even if this win-over only lasts for a period of time, it is acceptable.

In this way, he would have time to build ships and engage in trade via sea routes.

When all is said and done, he cannot completely trust either the Yuan Family or the Ma Family.

There is a sea to the southeast of Yan Commandery, and for him, the ocean is the most stable commercial route.

However, shipbuilding is also an extremely expensive project...

While he was deep in thought, Xu Lie returned carrying a set of Plate Armor.

Upon seeing it, Ma Han immediately took the Plate Armor and began trying it on in the guest hall.

After putting on the Plate Armor, Ma Han walked out of the guest hall.

This time, Ma Xuan had come with over a thousand Cavalry.

In the courtyard, Ma Han directly ordered the Cavalry to hack at him.

Ma Xuan and Zhao Xu stood to the side to watch.

Just like the test with Chang Wei before, the Cavalry's full-force strikes did not cause Ma Han any harm.

Next, Ma Xuan had the soldiers use bows and arrows, and the effect likewise shocked him.

After witnessing the power of this Armor, Ma Xuan was speechless for a long time.

If the army under his command wore such fine Armor, facing the Xiliang people would be much easier.

"Your Highness, although it is somewhat difficult to bring up, our Ma Family, like Your Highness, also defends against foreign enemies in the Great Song. I hope Your Highness can show mercy and have a batch of this Armor made for the Ma Family as well."