Chapter 970: Frozen

"This old subject has never seen such an ingenious and versatile shovel." Yang Feng took the Engineering Shovel from Zhao Xu's hand and examined it carefully.

This small shovel was only about fifty centimeters long.

The left side of the shovel was as sharp as an axe, which could be used for chopping, while the right side was like a saw.

The connection point between the shovel head and the handle could be folded, and it was small enough to fit in a bag.

"In the future, prepare some for the army. When fighting, send them directly to the battlefield so that the soldiers fighting can carry them personally. This way, they can dig a Trench at any time, and there will be no need for the Baggage Train to specifically carry iron shovels and other tools," Zhao Xu continued.

Besides the shovel, he was also preparing to produce a type of military canteen.

Regarding food, he was having the Research Institute coordinate with the Workshop to develop canned goods.

When the Weaponry Department manufactured Metal Bullets, they utilized a stamping Lathe to press a whole piece of copper sheet into a Dankou.

This technology could naturally be used to manufacture cans for canned food.

In this way, producing canned food would no longer be a problem.

In the future, the food for soldiers on the battlefield would be greatly improved.

Thinking of this, he said to Yang Feng, "Your Ministry of War should directly contact the Workshop, place orders with them, and have them immediately produce the Engineering Shovels!"

"Yes, Your Highness." Yang Feng responded.

Zhao Xu nodded.

Now, all affairs in Da Song were moving toward standardization.

Previously, he was always the one to contact the Weaponry Department or government-run Workshops for firearms and Artillery, which were then manufactured and delivered.

From now on, he would let the Ministry of War directly contact the Workshops.

Whatever the army needed, they would first report it to him for review, and then they could directly give the order to the Weaponry Department.

And the firearms and Artillery manufactured by the Weaponry Department must also be approved by the army for quality before they could be equipped.

This was the proper procedure.

After all, the army knew better than him what they lacked or what defects existed in the actual use of firearms and Artillery.

His role was merely to inform them what new Weapon was about to be released.

After sending Yang Feng away, Zhao Xu stretched and smiled.

Thanks to the Wired Telegraph, he could now stay in Yancheng and keep abreast of the battlefield situation at any time without delaying government affairs or various research and development projects.

He rose and headed toward the sleeping quarters.

On the way, a breeze blew, and the cold cut through his skin like a knife, causing pain.

When he passed the pond in front of the sleeping quarters, he couldn't help but cast his gaze toward the ice surface covered in snow.

Thinking of something, he picked up a palm-sized stone and threw it hard at the ice.

With a "thud," the stone only left a white mark on the ice and slid a long way across the surface.

This sight made Zhao Xu frown.

In terms of latitude, Yancheng and Yongzhou were actually on the same line.

This meant that as cold as Yancheng was, Yongzhou was likely just as cold.

Since he couldn't break the ice layer with all his might now, it wouldn't be long before one could ride horses across the ice.

Moreover, it was very likely that the Jin River in the Hetao Plain would freeze over a large area, which would be more favorable for the Northern Di's offensive.

"This battle is inevitable sooner or later; let them come." Zhao Xu hummed softly and continued toward the sleeping quarters.

Before Chang Wei's telegraph arrived, he had just received telegraphs from the Azure Dragon Army and the Vermilion Bird Army.

The intelligence from the south was stable for the time being; after their initial offensive was thwarted, Jiaozhi and Piaoman neither attacked nor retreated.

In his view, they seemed to have great confidence in the Northern Di.

Or perhaps they believed the Northern Di could disrupt Da Song's entire defense, creating an opportunity for them to move north.

It was just that, like the Westerners, they were destined to be wishful thinkers.

This time, the Northern Di would not achieve any results, only total defeat.

At the same time, the Northern Di would also embark on the road to destruction.

After this battle, the Northern Expedition would be put on the agenda.

On the map of Da Song, the northern Grassland and Tibet in the west—not one could be missing.

Yin Mountain.

At this moment, Mule Hongzhen and Ashuer were in the tent, warming themselves by a charcoal brazier.

Wulanba stood by their side.

Poking the glowing red charcoal in the brazier, Mule Hongzhen had a sudden realization and said,

"Wulanba, your brother is dead. From now on, you are the successor to the Khanate. Promise me, you must lead us to become strong again, at any cost."

Upon hearing this, Wulanba was stunned and said, "Why does Great Khan say this? This time we will definitely be able to defeat Yan Wang."

Mule Hongzhen smiled, "That goes without saying. It's just that to boost morale, your uncle and I have decided to lead the troops personally this time. If the worst happens, after victory, when you take over the Northern Di, you must inherit my ambition."

"Great Khan is blessed with great fortune; nothing will happen." Hearing this, Wulanba immediately knelt down, his heart filled with grief.

Mule Hongzhen patted Wulanba's head and smiled, "I said, just in case."

After a pause, he said: "Once, our Northern Di was very weak. It was through the life-and-death struggles of generations of Khans that it was passed to me, and only then did we have such a powerful Northern Di. Now, it is my turn to sacrifice everything for the Northern Di. This time, I will stake my own life to carve out a bloody path for the Northern Di."

Having said that, he stared into Wulanba's eyes, "Promise me."

Wulanba nodded heavily, "Great Khan, I will, at any cost."

Mule Hongzhen and Ashuer looked at each other and smiled.

Ashuer said, "Remember, if this war goes smoothly and the Northern Di occupies half of Da Song's territory, you must first unite with the Ross to defeat the Tusman Empire, which is constantly invading the east, and then unite with the Tusman Empire to avoid being encroached upon by the Ross."

"Tusman?" Wulanba frowned.

Ashuer nodded, "After I returned from the Western Regions, there was no one left to stop the invasion of the Tusman. As far as I know, during this time, the Tusman have already occupied the lands I once conquered. Without a doubt, they will be a threat to the Northern Di."

He was very annoyed about this matter, yet he was helpless to do anything.

Compared to the fate of the Northern Di, he could only choose to abandon the Western Regions.

Upon hearing this, Wulanba nodded slowly.

As the three were speaking, suddenly, the sound of footsteps rang out outside the tent.

A Northern Di Wolf Guard lifted the tent flap and walked in.

Kneeling before Mule Hongzhen, he said, "Khan, the ice on the narrowest section of the river can now support horses, and the other wider sections can be crossed on foot, though it is still a bit difficult for horses. However, in three or five days, it should be fine."

Mule Hongzhen's face lit up with joy, "This time, the Eternal Heaven is helping us; we, the Northern Di, are destined to defeat Yan Wang."

Looking toward the direction of Yongzhou, he gritted his teeth and said to the Wolf Guard, "You are to immediately lead a ten-thousand-man unit to enter Yongzhou from that narrow river section to scout the path. Remember, once there, you may kill anything that is alive."

"Yes, Khan." The Wolf Guard licked his tongue, a bloodthirsty, fierce light flashing in his eyes.

This meant that they could slaughter and plunder at will.

From now on, wherever the Northern Di army passed, not a single blade of grass would remain!

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