Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

The old emperor, sensing Liang was about to humbly deflect the praise, waved his hand impatiently and interrupted. His gaze shifted to the barbed wire fence and reminded him that Xu Yanmiao likely harbored more ingenious ideas. Unable to resist, he reached out, “Xu Yanmiao, do you have any more clever ideas?”

Xu Yanmiao: “…Huh?”

The old emperor’s thoughts wandered: We’ve dealt with cavalry, so why not have something for infantry? Not too much to ask, right? A multi-year strategy tailored to the barbarians’ terrain? Fair enough, right? We’ve addressed land issues; why not touch on naval warfare? Perhaps suggest improvements to ships, or pinpoint areas where treasure islands might exist? Surely that’s reasonable…

[Damn it, if I’d known this would happen, I’d have kept my mouth shut.]

The emperor’s smile froze.

Wait! No! Don’t stop now!

In a hasty attempt to salvage the situation, he blurted, “It’s fine if you don’t have anything—I was just asking casually…”

[Of course, they’ll ask me for ideas. Who has the time to think about these things amid all the eating, drinking, and relaxing? Wait… I’ve got it!]

The emperor immediately fell silent, saying no more about his “casual inquiry.”

As long as there’s an idea! They weren’t picky!

[But… isn’t this too cruel?]

The emperor and his ministers inwardly chimed in: Not cruel! War is all about deception and strategy. If it works, we’re fine with it! We wouldn’t…

[What if we wrap dung water in explosives? Once the skin breaks, infection is highly likely… and survival chances are slim.]

The collective inner dialogue of Da Xia’s emperor and ministers froze, and they all stared at Xu Yanmiao.

You—looking all clean and proper…

[Huh? What’s wrong? Why are they all staring at me?]

Thinking they were waiting for him to speak, Xu Yanmiao tentatively said, “Well, I do have an idea. It’s inspired by the concept of ‘golden liquid’…”

Golden liquid refers to a common defensive weapon used in siege battles—scalding hot fecal slurry. When poured, it severely burns anyone it touches, leaving their skin raw and exposed. The bacteria from the feces then infect the wounds, and once infected, survival is a slim chance.

Xu Yanmiao elaborated on his idea, though he referred to the explosive package as a “fire brick,” a contemporary invention similar to a dynamite stick. Shaped like a brick, it was packed with gunpowder and ignited before being thrown.

He added with a slightly sheepish smile, “These are just small tricks of mine, nothing compared to the grand strategies of Master Liang.”

“No! This method is excellent—better than mine!” Liang Rui immediately countered. “Master Xu’s idea could determine the victory of a war!” He then turned to the emperor, bowing deeply, “Your Majesty! I urge you to dispatch someone to inform the Marquis of Yongchang immediately. These fire bricks will be invaluable on the battlefield against the Wokou. With them, we could hasten the campaign’s progress and avoid a prolonged blockade and attritional warfare.”

The old emperor, whose mind had been overexcited by the barbed wire idea, suddenly had an epiphany. Overcome with excitement, he exclaimed, “Indeed! This could be used in the war against the Wokou! Blockade the islands, prevent them from moving, and then toss the fire…”

[…manure bricks, right?]

The words slipped out: “Manure bricks.”

The emperor froze.

Liang Rui froze.

Xu Yanmiao, however, felt validated: [Oh? Even the emperor thinks this name fits better! Great minds think alike!]

Nothing of the sort!

The emperor, annoyed, said, “This name is too vulgar, isn’t it? It cannot be called that! But ‘fire brick’ doesn’t feel quite right either…”

Liang Rui quickly intervened, fearing Xu Yanmiao might suggest another unrefined name. “How about ‘golden brick’? A brick of golden liquid.”

“Good! We’ll call it the golden brick!” The emperor made a swift decision and then announced, “Court adjourned! Ministers, return home and rest!” He seemed as though he were fleeing from something terrifying.

The emperor paused, then turned back, “Xu Yanmiao.”

Xu Yanmiao assumed a listening posture.

The emperor revealed a peculiar smile. “When you return home, you’ll find a surprise waiting for you.”

Xu Yanmiao’s eyes widened slightly in curiosity.

“What surprise?”

Xu Yanmiao walked into his residential ward, puzzled. Looking around, he noticed nothing out of the ordinary—except for the unusually warm greetings from at least seven or eight neighbors along the way.

The ward remained as lively as ever. Adults sat on stools under the trees, chatting, while the aroma of meals wafted through the air. Children chased each other in playful games.

“Daddy! Do a trick!”

“Alright!”

A sturdy man, likely a farmer, performed a series of somersaults with a cheerful grin. A young girl clapped enthusiastically and, upon noticing Xu Yanmiao watching, blushed and hid behind her father’s leg, peeking out shyly to smile at him.

Xu Yanmiao couldn’t help but smile back.

Home sweet home—

The young man stretched lazily, walked to his front door, and took out his key. But before unlocking it, he noticed a box covered with red silk sitting at the entrance.

Startled, Xu Yanmiao picked it up and gently lifted the silk.

Inside was a piece of paper.

Just as he was about to comment on the local honesty that allowed such an unlocked box to be left unattended, he read the paper and froze.

“…A deed?”@@novelbin@@

It was the land deed to his small courtyard. In the ownership section, his name was boldly written.

Author’s Note:

1. Regarding secondary mounts:

   The Taizu once asked his commanders, “If we kill the secondary mounts, would it be enough for three days of rations?”

   — Book of Wei

2. Regarding whether warhorses always die on the battlefield:

   In previous northern campaigns, though the army did not achieve victory, they suffered no significant losses. At the time, the military maintained 300,000 horses, and the number lost to exhaustion during marches was fewer than 8,000.

   — Book of Wei

Note: Horses often die not from carrying supplies (which is handled by packhorses) but from the strain of long, urgent marches without adequate rest, food, or water. Warhorses, driven by a strong competitive instinct, will keep pushing themselves to match the pace of others, even when exhausted. Prolonged driving or whipping can lead to sudden collapse.

On Fire Bricks:

The fire brick, roughly three to four inches wide, burns on contact.

— Jiangyin City Siege Records

To use fire bricks, cannons, or fireballs, the fuse must be lit just before throwing. Otherwise, the fuse may go out, or worse, the enemy could throw it back at you at the most critical moment, turning the weapon against you.

— New Book of Military Efficiency

(Speculated to be made of a paperboard or thin wooden shell filled with gunpowder, with a fuse that is lit before being thrown into the enemy ranks.)

By the way, it’s said that Mongols used fecal projectiles.

They also dipped arrowheads in cow dung and let them dry, so the arrows carried fecal matter.