The Human Emperor's Decisions and Inventions

Hearing this, the men were deeply moved. For the country to have such a ruler was truly a great blessing.

Bi Gan readily agreed.

Ye Xuan then turned to look at Prime Minister Shang Rong, who stood to one side.

"Prime Minister Shang, in all honesty, you are the most learned man in Great Shang. I have admired you greatly since I was a child."

"There is one more matter today, and I believe you are the only man for it. But it will be fraught with countless dangers and difficulties. I wonder if you are willing to undertake it, Prime Minister?"

"You flatter me, Your Majesty. You hold the universe within your breast and have the world at heart. I am filled with admiration."

"Whatever the task, I would not refuse it even if it meant dying ten thousand deaths."

Hearing Shang Rong's words, Ye Xuan nodded.

He then ordered someone to bring him silk.

He began to draw on it.

Before long, the silk was densely covered with drawings of dozens of plants.

There were written descriptions beside the plants as well.

After a while, Ye Xuan had filled a full three or four pieces of silk with drawings!

He then spread them out.

Pointing to the things drawn on them, he explained them to the others.

"The most common grains in Great Shang are millet and rice."

"These are also the two crops the people grow. The selection is rather meager."

"In fact, there are many, many other plants that can be used as food. People simply haven't discovered them yet."

"I have now drawn all these plants that can be used as food here. Minister Shang, you must keep these safe."

"I hope you can lead knowledgeable men out of Chaoge and into the vast world, and find these crops for me, one by one."

"If you truly succeed, it will be a great deed that brings blessings to all living beings."

"Even if you find only four or five in the end, it will still be a great deed remembered for ages to come."

Hearing the Human Emperor's words,

Shang Rong grew excited all over.

In ancient times, Shennong had tasted a hundred herbs.

Was the present king asking him, Shang Rong, to find a hundred crops?

If he truly succeeded, wouldn't his name really be remembered for ages to come?

At the thought, he fell heavily to his knees.

Then he bowed his head deeply to the ground.

"I will not fail my mission. I swear to complete the task Your Majesty has entrusted to me, even if it costs me my life."

Looking at the excited Shang Rong, Ye Xuan helped him to his feet with a smile.

Huang Feihu and Bi Gan, who were beside him, hurriedly leaned in for a look as well.

The three or four enormous pieces of silk were densely covered with drawings of more than a hundred unfamiliar plants.

There were written descriptions beneath each plant.

The men couldn't help exclaiming in amazement. The present Human Emperor truly was a heavenly god descended to the mortal world.

Little did they know that what Ye Xuan had drawn were merely some ordinary crops.

As a man from a later age, Ye Xuan was naturally very familiar with these plants.

Many of them had yet to be discovered in this era.

Others had spread here from distant places.

Ye Xuan could no longer remember which had been introduced and which were native products.

He could only draw them all at once and let Shang Rong search for them.

Surely he could find at least some of them?

Even finding a small portion would greatly ease the food shortage.

Only by solving the people's food problem could Ye Xuan have enough confidence to free his hands and deal with the gods and buddhas filling the heavens.

Finally, Ye Xuan turned his gaze to Huang Feihu.

Sensing Ye Xuan's gaze, Huang Feihu sprang to his feet.

He knew the Human Emperor was about to assign him a task.

"Feihu, how are preparations coming along for the secret force I ordered you to form?"

"All these years, you've been given men whenever you asked for them and money whenever you asked for it. If you still have nothing to show for it, beware of losing your head."

Although Huang Feihu appeared utterly loyal to him at present, if the man dared to fob him off, he would certainly have him executed without mercy.

According to legend, Di Xin, King Zhou of Shang, had been utterly foolish and incompetent.

This was probably the only meaningful thing he had done, wasn't it?

Hearing the Human Emperor's question,

Huang Feihu answered firmly and forcefully:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I have naturally spared no effort in carrying out your orders."

"The work has begun to bear fruit recently. The force currently numbers around ten thousand men, with more than twenty thousand war elephants in reserve. Every soldier is imposing and immensely strong, and they have all cultivated the Qi Refining Technique. Their overall combat strength is extremely formidable."

Hearing this, Bi Gan and Shang Rong couldn't help staring in astonishment.

No wonder Huang Feihu had been acting so mysteriously and disappearing without a trace lately.

So the king had ordered him to form a secret cavalry force?

In fact, this force was also the Shang Dynasty's greatest weapon of war-the "war elephant cavalry"!

As the name suggested, it was simply elephant cavalry.

However, the mammoth elephants of the Great Shang era were far more terrifying.

Whether in size or ferocity, they far surpassed ordinary elephants of later ages.

An elite cavalry force formed by pairing such giant mammoths with elite soldiers who had cultivated the Qi Refining Technique naturally possessed tremendous power.

Once this heavy cavalry charged, any force that stood in its way would be as easily chopped apart as tofu beneath swords and axes!

It was said that Western Zhou had an instinctive fear of this special force.

When the Eastern Yi rebelled, King Zhou, Di Xin, sent the war elephant cavalry against them.

It was said that the Eastern Yi were extremely powerful in battle because they possessed Chi You's bloodline.

As a result, Great Shang's forces remained locked in a stalemate with the Eastern Yi.

Only after the war elephant cavalry had been sent away, leaving Chaoge's defenses depleted, did King Wu of Zhou dare summon his generals and send out his troops.

He soon fought his way to the vicinity of Muye, near Chaoge.

Although King Zhou was eager to recall the war elephant cavalry, distant water could not quench an immediate thirst. It was already too late.

Thus King Zhou burned himself to death amid a sky-filling blaze!

Hearing Huang Feihu's answer, Ye Xuan nodded.

That fellow Di Xin had finally left him a legacy.

At least it wasn't all a complete mess.

Ye Xuan pondered for a moment, then picked up his brush again and swiftly drew several objects on a piece of silk.

The three men didn't understand and couldn't help asking:

"Your Majesty, what are these?"

Ye Xuan smiled faintly.

"This object is called a stirrup. They come in pairs, connected by a long strap and hung on either side of a mount, one on the left and one on the right, forming footrests for a person to step on when riding a horse or another mount."

"Their function is not merely to help people get on and off their mounts. More importantly, they support the feet and help maintain balance while riding."

"That way, even when the horse gallops at full speed, the rider can maintain his balance!"

As he spoke, Ye Xuan pointed to another object.

"This thing is called a saddle. The principle is much the same."

"Fix it onto a mount, and it forms a stable seat. The rider sits on it as steady as Mount Tai and in extreme comfort. Even during a long ride, the rider can still endure it."

"The saddle works best when used together with the stirrups!"

Huang Feihu was a renowned general and a descendant of Huang Gun, a general who had served three dynasties.

He had been familiar with all manner of military affairs since childhood, and with Ye Xuan's explanation, he instantly understood the principles and uses of the two objects.

His face lit up with surprise and delight.

"Your Majesty truly is extraordinary! To think you could invent such strange things. You are truly a remarkable talent!"

"If these things can really be put into widespread use in the army, the cavalry's combat strength will at least triple."

"But what are these things?"

Huang Feihu pointed to several other objects.

Some were large and some small, and their shapes were all manner of strange. He truly couldn't make sense of them.