Chapter Ninety-Five: The Grand Plan

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Chen Ying was instantly captivated when he saw the freshly crafted snow sled. Made from willow wood, the sled was polished to a mirror-like smoothness. What puzzled Chen Ying the most was that not a single nail was used in its construction.

“Nails tend to loosen and fall out over time with movement, but mortise-and-tenon joints are different. Once aligned and soaked in water, the wood swells and becomes even sturdier than nails,” Lin Chuanfu explained with a warm smile as he looked at Chen Ying.

“This snow vessel invented by General Chen is truly ingenious. It can carry cargo and even people. Just set up a warm canopy with a fire basin and foot stove, and even in freezing conditions, no one inside will feel the cold.”

“Excellent, excellent, very excellent!” Chen Ying nodded. “We should produce at least eight hundred of these snow vessels at once—half outfitted for passengers with warm canopies, the other half as empty frames for cargo!”

By now, Chen Ying was aware that Li Jiancheng did not intend for him to lead the Second Xun Prefecture to Lingzhou. Instead, they planned to promote him to the rank of Zhongwu General (a military official without a fixed command), appointing him as Right Commandant of the Crown Prince’s Guard, in charge of four prefectures—the First and Second Xun Prefectures and the First and Second Yi Prefectures—totaling sixteen regiments and 4,800 men to support Lingzhou.

Ordinarily, Chen Ying was far too young for such a command, and Emperor Li Yuan would not have allowed him to lead troops. It was unclear whether Prince Qin, Li Shimin, was preparing to mock Chen Ying or to give Li Jiancheng an opportunity to make a poor appointment, but he did not oppose it. The officials at court, traditionally loyal to the Crown Prince, even supported it.

Thus, Li Jiancheng gained approval from Li Yuan and the Secretariat, appointing Chen Ying as Zhongwu General and Commander of the Crown Prince’s Right Guard. Li Jiancheng authorized Chen Ying’s weapons, armor, and provisions to be distributed across the four prefectures rather than concentrated in the Second Xun Prefecture alone. With sixteen regiments under his command, numbering over 4,800 soldiers, and to prevent non-combat casualties en route, as many snow sleds as possible had to be built.

By fitting the snow sleds with leather canopies, they functioned like carriages that shielded soldiers from the cold, conserving their strength and reducing non-combat losses.

Chen Ying, standing on the shoulders of historical giants, found his mind expanding as Lin Chuanfu sparked new ideas. If carriages could be mounted on snow sleds, why not crossbows as well?

Why not create a snow sled crossbow vehicle?

What about a catapult?

Or a side-chariot?

Could he also build a massive command vehicle?

Side-chariots?

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Side-chariots were an invention of the famous Ming general Sun Chengzong, who incorporated the advantages of Qi Jiguang’s wagon formations and synthesized them into a complete chariot warfare system, one that made the swift Manchu cavalry despair. Since Turkic cavalry moved like the wind, surrounding them with a ring of these side-sleds could form a mobile shield wall. No matter how many horsemen approached, faced with such a shield wall, they could only sigh in resignation.

Over the next three days, Chen Ying stayed with the Second Xun Prefecture’s camp, incessantly discussing with Lin Chuanfu and others about crafting more versatile snow sleds. Under Chen Ying’s tinkering, he gradually invented a crossbow sled capable of firing three cold crow bolts (bed crossbow bolts) when stationary.

He designed a cooking sled that could hold four large pots side by side, capable of preparing meals for 112 soldiers at once.

There was a 33-foot-long, 6-foot-wide signal sled carrying eight marching drums.

A lookout sled equipped with triple-tiered ladders for enhanced observation.

A house sled where twelve soldiers could lie down and rest simultaneously.

What left Lin Chuanfu speechless was that Chen Ying had even built a central command sled.

Inspired by Cao Cao’s linked ships at the Battle of Red Cliffs, Chen Ying crafted four house sleds, each 28 feet long and about 12 feet wide. On open terrain, these sleds could be joined to form a massive 56-foot-long, 24-foot-wide command sled with nearly 400 square feet of space—ample room for Chen Ying to convene over a hundred commanders from the four prefectures, sixteen regiments, and forty-eight brigades for strategic meetings.

More than two hundred craftsmen took three days to produce over a hundred snow sleds, though this was still far short of the number Chen Ying required. After working overnight with bloodshot eyes, he was urged by Wei Wenzhong to rest, so Chen Ying reluctantly returned home.

Without even bathing, he lay down fully clothed. After barely half an hour of sleep, Chen Qi, a palace attendant from Ganlu Hall, arrived at Chen Ying’s residence, leading a retinue of over a hundred ceremonial guards, carrying banners and trumpets.

An imperial edict was announced. Chen Ying dared not delay and appeared with reddened eyes.

When Chen Qi saw him, he whispered, “Young master, abstain from indulgence in youth!”

“Damn!” Chen Ying wanted to explain that he was nothing like Chen Qi imagined, but Chen Qi waved him off. “This is an imperial decree—no need to kneel.”

Chen Ying, who hated kneeling at the slightest provocation, bowed solemnly instead.

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Chen Qi cleared his throat and announced, “The Emperor of the Great Tang decrees: I govern with culture in times of peace and suppress rebellion with arms. Military leaders are the pillars of the court and the nation’s bulwark. Those who combine literary and martial skills and serve loyally deserve recognition and reward. Hence, General Chen Ying of Ningyuan and Commander of the Vanguard, who burns the midnight oil and masters the classics, is rightly granted a noble title and rank. Unexpectedly, I have inspected border affairs and learned that the Liang rebels disturb Lingzhou. You have drawn on ancient and modern strategies to support the cause. Therefore, I hereby appoint you Zhongwu General and Commander of the Crown Prince’s Right Guard, granting you this imperial command to awe the barbarians and honor the army. I deeply cherish your valor and merit to illuminate China’s glory. Temporarily bestowed with military robes and additional honors. So decreed. First year of Wude, eleventh month, twentieth day.”

Chen Ying now had some grounding in classical Chinese, especially in official document usage. Although Li Jiancheng had already informed him, hearing the imperial decree still filled him with boundless excitement.

While there were over 670 Ningyuan Generals and Vanguard Commanders in the Tang court, they were mid-level officers. However, the position of Zhongwu General commanding the Right Guard was different—of the fourth rank in officialdom. In terms of authority, Zhongwu General was equivalent to the commanders of the Twelve Guards, who served as deputies to China’s twelve major military districts. Chen Ying’s rank was comparable to that of a modern-day major general or brigadier.

As the saying goes, the seat determines the mind. Chen Ying no longer thought solely of himself but of whether Lingzhou could be defended. To do the job well, one must first sharpen one’s tools. Chen Ying plunged into frantic preparations. Without cotton, he had to produce enough down jackets quickly; otherwise, even with warm canopy sleds, large-scale non-combat casualties were inevitable.

Chen’s household began aggressively purchasing duck feathers, but Chen Ying discovered that the market had run dry. Not even at high prices could feathers be procured.

Hearing this, Chen Ying was deeply alarmed.

“What’s going on?” he asked Liang Zan.

Liang Zan bowed and replied, “Apparently, a set of two down quilts sells for a hundred strings of cash. Everyone in the city is buying duck feathers at exorbitant prices.”

“Who is buying them all?” Chen Ying frowned.

“The Wei family of Jingzhao, the Pei family of Wenxi, and the Yuan family of Jingzhao. Even Su Hu, the magistrate of Wannian County, is secretly stockpiling duck feathers through his relatives.”

“Well done!” Chen Ying had not forgotten his grudge against Su Hu and the humiliation suffered by Lan’er. In fact, Li Xiaoguang was only a figurehead; the man wielding the knife was indeed the magistrate of Wannian County.

Learning that Su Hu was secretly hoarding duck feathers, a grand plan slowly took shape in Chen Ying’s mind.