Pooling Wisdom

We must win!

The Battle of Mayi forced the Empress Dowager to withdraw from the center of power.

In the present moment, the new emperor is equally unable to bear defeat.

Wei Qing, Li Guang, and others' four-pronged attack was just a trial run; only if it succeeded could he continue the offensive plan.

If this group is defeated, everything the new emperor has planned will fall apart.

The new emperor could not possibly send a group of soldiers who only wanted to defend the city to the border to seek war. He could only continue the policy of seeking peace and stopping war that had been practiced by many of the previous emperors of the Han Dynasty.

Why does Your Majesty appear so troubled?

Another little princess has joined the boudoir.

Compared to the blessing bestowed upon the first princess, this princess's childbirth coincided with the Battle of Mayi, and everything seemed to go unnoticed.

After listening to his eldest daughter recite the classical Chinese text, the new emperor played with his younger daughter for a while.

Perhaps somewhat distracted, the new emperor failed to notice the errors in the recitation of the classical text, and even when teasing his youngest daughter, he maintained a solemn expression.

After observing for a moment, Wei Zifu played the zither to calm her mind. When her gaze swept over the new emperor's face and she noticed a hint of impatience, she quickly stopped playing the zither and instead asked the new emperor a question.

"The women in the inner palace should not inquire about political affairs," the new emperor said, frowning.

"I dare not interfere in political affairs," said Wei Zifu. "If Your Majesty would be willing to say a few words, gathering wisdom from all sides might be of some help!"

"You?"

The new emperor looked at Wei Zifu and forced a smile.

It wasn't that he looked down on women, but rather that women had virtually no experience in major war events and therefore couldn't offer any reliable advice.

Even the Empress Dowager, who had served Emperor Jing for many years, was no exception in this regard, not to mention Wei Zifu, who had previously been merely a singer.

"Alright, I'll explain, and you can listen. If you have any opinions, just say so!"

When power struggles and acts of violence occur, all sorts of people will emerge, but very few will be involved in matters of macro-level military affairs.

The new emperor arranged everything, but he was uncertain about his future, had no one to confide in, and no one to guarantee his safety.

What Han Anguo and others said was indeed reasonable: if the horses are inferior to the riders, then the skills will be inferior, and if the skills are inferior, one can only rely on defending the border.

Horsemanship could not save the Great Han Dynasty. Warhorses were merely the foundation of military equipment; they also lacked the skills to control and control horses.

If these differences cannot be bridged, there will inevitably be disparities in the strength of the legions during battles.

"His Majesty..."

The women in the inner palace were unaware of the affairs of the court. Empress Wei Zifu never expected that one moment she would be offering sacrifices to Heaven at Mount Tai, and the next moment the border regions would fall, leading to a sudden and full-scale war.

No one can guarantee victory in a war, and the balance between the two sides is extremely important. The Great Han cavalry has always been at a disadvantage.

When Wei Zifu learned of the matter, she felt that it was far beyond the reach of women like them.

When her gaze swept over the new emperor's slightly disappointed face, Wei Zifu's heart skipped a beat, and she finally remembered something.

"Your Majesty," Wei Zifu said, "my younger brother Wei Qing, who has been a horse driver for many years, once told me something. 'Horses cannot understand human speech, but they are sensitive to music and know what sounds they should be given to urge them to run at full speed.'"

"Music does indeed have some use," the new emperor nodded. "Ancient texts record that in the East Sea there is a mountain called Liubo, which extends seven thousand li into the sea. On it lives a beast that resembles an ox, with a blue body, no horns, and one foot. When it enters or leaves the water, there will always be wind and rain. Its light is like the sun and moon, and its sound is like thunder. Its name is Kui. The Yellow Emperor obtained it and used its skin to make a drum, and filled the drumsticks with the bones of the thunder beast. The sound could be heard five hundred li away, thus awe the world!"

Ancient records contain both true and false information. The new emperor did not know whether the Kui existed or whether the Yellow Emperor used it to make drums. However, drums, as musical instruments, had an auxiliary function for the army, and there were drummers in the marching army.

However, the drummer's drumming was mostly used for military communication, and was music for people to hear, not for horses, so it had little effect on warhorses.

"The rhythm of a horse is different from that of a person," Wei Zifu said. "People like exciting drumbeats, but horses are more suited to deep, resonant sounds. My younger brother once said that no matter how low his whistle is, his mount will come running, but if he whistles too loudly, it can actually make his mount sluggish!"

"You mean the deep drumbeat can stimulate warhorses?" the new emperor asked doubtfully. "Leaving aside how the melody of the drum can rouse horses, the deep drumbeat will inevitably have difficulty penetrating a great distance, thus its effect will be negligible!"

"Your Majesty," Wei Zifu said courageously, "since the Yellow Emperor could use the hide of the Kui ox to make a drum, we can also follow the ancient texts and try to make a large drum as a ritual Law Artifact. "Failure in this endeavor will not cause any harm, but success would be a great achievement!"

"Very well, since Zifu is willing to try making drums, let's go and make some new large drum Law Artifact and see if they can be of any use to warhorses!"

The new emperor nodded.

The Empress in the Jiaofang Palace could spend tens of millions of dollars on cosmetics, so it was nothing for Wei Zifu to make a few drums. The new emperor did not object to this matter and indicated that Wei Zifu could recruit officials from the Music Bureau to make them together.

"It's a pity that Sima Xiangru a mission to the southwestern barbarians and never returned. He was highly accomplished in poetry and music, and perhaps he could have really created a drum for warhorses," the new emperor lamented.

"Mr. Sima's talent in music is unmatched; it would be wonderful to have his assistance!"

Wei Zifu bowed and accepted the summons bestowed by the new emperor; her right hand, which was gripping the summons, was still somewhat white.

Zhang Xuezhou was right. It was wishful thinking for women in the imperial harem to think they could bind the emperor by bearing children. If they did not possess unique and outstanding abilities, their temporary favor would be nothing but fleeting clouds.

Even the most beautiful woman will grow old and lose her beauty, and with daily exposure, her appearance will lose its novelty.

Men may be attracted to women, but a ruler who has ascended to the pinnacle of power cannot be obsessed with a single woman.

Wei Zifu did want to do something to demonstrate her value, and even if others didn't approve, she needed to try.

Her path to Divine Ability was by no means simply following the rules, practicing songs, showcasing her singing voice, or reciting new poems by a certain poet—that would never earn her a place in the realm of high art.

Those skilled in traditional folk arts are treated like actors, only listened to as performers. This is not because folk arts are worthless, but because it is extremely difficult to become a master of them.

But Wei Zifu believed that the art of performing arts that truly resonates with life will endure and even be engraved in the body, forming a mark of inheritance that will be passed down from generation to generation.

The new emperor was troubled and his unstable emotions were easily ignited, so Wei Zifu did not dwell on it too much.

Not long after the new emperor left, preoccupied with his own thoughts, she summoned Chen Zhang and others, and with the order in hand, rushed to the Music Bureau.

"Your Majesty, do I look beautiful today?"

After leaving the Shufang Palace, the new emperor showed no favoritism and went to the Jiaofang Palace as well.

Seeing that the Empress was overjoyed to see her, she put on a new makeup.

Compared to her haphazard makeup in previous years, the Empress's current makeup is of a very high standard.

The new emperor had to tell the truth: the empress changing her makeup every day was like encountering a woman with a different style, which indeed brought a strong sense of novelty.

But at that moment, he was in no mood to appreciate such beauty.

The suppressed emotions were quickly ignited, and after a furious outburst, the Empress couldn't help but cry and scream as she went back to her parents' home.

"A sword that's utterly useless!"

Even the strongest martial prowess is limited to an individual; one person's sword cannot save the fallen Shanggu County, nor Hexi County, nor the victims slaughtered in the flames of war.

The new emperor wielded his longsword and wielded it with such skill that his swordsmanship, once mastered, had no target for attack.

After practicing his swordplay in the back garden of Shufang Palace, he sat cross-legged for a long time, and finally remembered someone.

"One sword is useless, ten swords are useless, a hundred swords will have some use, a thousand swords will have brilliance, and ten thousand swords like mine will be enough to change the Heaven and Earth!"

The new emperor muttered to himself, and as he rose with his sword in hand, he summoned the imperial guards and delivered an urgent imperial decree.

"Summon Dong Zhongshu, the Dong Zhongshu of Jiangdu, to the capital!"