Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

With a subtle glance from the old emperor, an official from the Ministry of Rites stepped forward and politely guided the Mongol delegation away. Smiling, he said, “Honored envoys, please follow me to discuss the details of the trade agreement.”

The Mongol envoys understood the message.

The Emperor of Daxia had mentioned needing to consult with his ministers, but the true meaning was clear: their offered sincerity was insufficient. While trade could exchange steppe cattle and horses, expecting Daxia’s support for such a modest gesture was overly optimistic.

Moreover, it was they who sought Daxia’s tea, not the other way around.

The official from the Ministry of Rites walked slightly ahead, engaging the Mongol representatives in friendly conversation.

Toward the back of the group, two higher-ranking Mongols whispered in their native language.

“Xiangkun, what should we do? It seems we may not be able to fulfill the Great Khan’s orders.”@@novelbin@@

Xiangkun—a title for “general” in Mongolian—frowned deeply. “I never imagined the strength of the Daxia court would be so formidable, let alone their possession of new weapons specifically designed against cavalry.”

The iron wire mesh came to mind, sending a chill down the Mongol general’s spine.

Its greatest advantage was its speed.

Too fast!

And so easy to transport!

They had initially dismissed the contraption, equating it with typical traps like spike strips. However, after witnessing the Daxia officials’ demonstration, they realized its unique and overwhelming superiority.

• Cheaper alternatives lacked its convenience.
• Sharper tools couldn’t match its ability to block a cavalry charge.

Infantry could simply lie behind the iron wire mesh and gun down the cavalry as if shooting fish in a barrel.

Could spike traps achieve this?

“Alternatively…” the other Mongol hesitated before continuing, “following the Great Khan’s orders, if negotiations fail and Daxia refuses to grant us exclusive trade rights, we could ally with the Jin Mongols. As for tea… if they won’t open trade, we’ll simply take it by force. Or, we could unite with other tribes and attack Daxia until they’re forced to trade.”

“Absolutely not!”

The Mongol general raised his voice, then quickly lowered it when the official glanced back in confusion. His tone, however, carried a stern warning. “Did you not see the iron wire mesh? Do you think Daxia allowed us to witness their new weapon out of carelessness?”

Did they think the Emperor of Daxia was foolish, unaware of the importance of secrecy?

No, it was a warning: if they dared to act rashly, this weapon would be used against them first.

The Mongol general couldn’t stop envisioning scenes of horses’ hooves being torn apart by the mesh as they continued on their journey.

Meanwhile

“Where are the scouts?”

After sending off the Mongol delegation, the old emperor strode forward and sternly questioned the cavalry commander. “Did I not instruct you? Follow the standard battlefield protocol. Where were your scouts?”

The cavalry commander looked helpless. “The scouts spotted their presence about one li away, but from that distance, they couldn’t determine whether there was iron wire mesh. Upon receiving their report, I immediately ordered the light cavalry to harass them, with the heavy cavalry following up. The rest… Your Majesty has seen it all.”

The truth was simple: the iron wire mesh was deployed too quickly, so quickly that the cavalry couldn’t even change direction to avoid it.

Moreover, on a real battlefield, the enemy would deploy their own scouts. In such a scenario, their scouts might lose, leaving them completely in the dark.

The old emperor, far from angry, was delighted. “Truly? Excellent! This is wonderful!”

The entire point of the test was to determine whether this device could truly harm cavalry in a real war.

Otherwise, do you expect us to test it on the battlefield?

The wire mesh was like a small, portable barricade, with the countryside serving as a comparable environment to the plains, hence the use of serpentine wire mesh.

“Then there’s also the fence-style wire mesh.”

The Ministry of Works brought it forward. This type didn’t require enemy demonstration; Xu Yanmiao had the soldiers drive stakes into the ground and then drape the wire mesh around them to form something akin to a low wall.

“It’s different from the serpentine wire mesh in its use.”

The old emperor nodded, acknowledging the distinction. “It’s not as flexible as the serpentine wire mesh.”

It was clear that these two types of wire mesh served different purposes.

The fence-style wire mesh was set up in three or four layers, and Xu Yanmiao also directed the Ministry of War to dig trenches behind the mesh.

“Dig as many trenches as you wish, just keep them no further than fifty paces apart.”

“This is…” The Minister of War was momentarily confused, but soon his eyes gleamed with excitement. “I understand now!”

Not all officials were familiar with military strategy, so the Chief of the Imperial Household asked with a smile, “What has the Minister understood?”

The Minister of War explained, “Look at these three to four layers of wire mesh. They’re quite thick! It will take the enemy some time to dismantle it, right?”

The Chief of the Imperial Household nodded hesitantly.

The Minister of War continued, “And these trenches, they’re only fifty paces because there are over a hundred paces left. Those will be used for firearms attacks.”

He turned to Xu Yanmiao. “But what do you think, Xu Lang?”

Xu Yanmiao glanced at the Minister of War and nodded without surprise.

He had never underestimated the intelligence of ancient people. Some things they simply hadn’t encountered before, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t learn and adapt.

The Minister of War had grasped the essence of the fence-style wire mesh.

In a battle, this kind of setup would generally be placed in several layers to be dismantled by the enemy. It would take time for the enemy to destroy it, giving your own machine guns enough time to fire from the trenches. Behind the machine guns would be a barrage of artillery, continuously bombarding the area in front of the wire mesh.

Even if the enemy managed to break through the wire mesh, they would typically only create a small opening for one person to pass through. Then, the machine guns would open fire on that gap, and anyone trying to rush through would have to pay with their life.

Of course, in many battles, it might never even get to that point, as artillery would cover the area, making it difficult for infantry to reach the wire mesh.

Cavalry would also find it difficult—who would sacrifice their cavalry to charge through a hail of bullets?

“Very good!” After Xu Yanmiao’s second explanation, the old emperor stared at the fence-style wire mesh for a long while, his eyes filled with fiery excitement. “This truly is the nemesis of cavalry! Even infantry would have to risk the fire of firearms to destroy the wire mesh.”

The key point was that the wire mesh had holes, offering a clear view of the surroundings without becoming an obstruction for the enemy.

He turned to look at the ambassador from the Ironworks.

The ambassador, recognizing the emperor’s unspoken intent, quickly approached and whispered, “Your Majesty, the national iron production, including both official and private sectors, totals 18,475,026 pounds. Our annual iron consumption is approximately 6 million pounds.”

The remaining production was more than sufficient to create wire mesh.