Chapter 214: Chang'an West City's Plan, Top-Level Crossbow
Li Longji personally came to the outside of Datong Hall to welcome Yang Yuhuan into the palace.

The carriage stopped in front of the magnificent building.

"I shouldn't have contradicted the Saint. I hope the Saint will forgive me!"

After getting off the carriage, Yang Yuhuan bowed to Li Longji.

"Call me Sanlang, just like before!"

Li Longji hurried forward to help Yang Yuhuan up. Seeing that Yang Yuhuan was not as energetic as before, he felt heartbroken.

Therefore, Yang Yuhuan and Li Longji reconciled as before.

Li Longji immediately asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to prepare fine wine and delicious food and send them to the Duke of Song's mansion as a reward for Li Xuan.

Although the prince felt regretful, he still had to curry favor with the emperor.

There are too many nobles who have lost their power. Previously, some down-and-out nobles had obtained official positions by currying favor with Zhu Yang, so naturally there would be more and more opportunists.

That's the trend.

If there is something good on the top, it will be great on the bottom.

……

"Seventh Brother, tell Yuying a story!"

Five days later, when Li Xuan was preparing to go out, Li Yuying brought a dozen young ladies and pestered Li Xuan to tell stories.

In addition to spending time with his family these days, Li Xuan also went to visit his old friend Wang Wei to reminisce about the past.

In Chang'an, Li Xuan had only one poet friend, Wang Wei. He was not familiar with other poets and had no time to make friends with them.

Wang Wei was now almost half-retired and half-official. He often went to Lantian to manage his villa in Wangchuan and did not attend the morning court.

Li Longji only needed Wang Wei to be in the state of entering officialdom.

He will even slowly promote Wang Wei!
This is the charm of the literary leader!

Back then, Zhang Shuo was able to be appointed as prime minister again, and Zhang Jiuling was appointed as the minister of the imperial court. Being a leader in the literary world was definitely a plus.

Li Xuan was also summoned to Xingqing Palace by Li Longji twice to have fun with him.

The time is almost up. In the past few days, Li Xuan is preparing to say goodbye to Li Longji.

Seeing Li Yuying and a group of young ladies pestering him, Li Xuan did not refuse and continued to tell them the story of "Journey to the West".

When his nephews and nieces heard that their seventh uncle was going to tell a story about a monkey, they immediately ran over to listen.

The maid Shuang'er and other idle servants were also standing by, concentrating fully.

"Last time, we talked about how Sun Wukong was appointed as the Great Sage Equaling Heaven by the Jade Emperor and was asked to manage the Peach Garden..."

"In the Tushita Palace of Lihen Heaven, Sun Wukong was thrown into the flame-filled Bagua furnace by Taishang Laojun. The boy watching the fire kept fanning the flames of the Bagua furnace..."

When it came to the crucial moment, Li Xuan's mouth was dry and he didn't want to talk anymore. He kept it a secret again: "To know what happens next, please read the next chapter..."

Of course, Li Xuan couldn't recite Journey to the West in his previous life, but Journey to the West is a story that is well known to all Chinese people. Li Xuan can tell the story of Journey to the West roughly in plain words.

Of course, he was afraid that the content would get out, so he made some changes to Journey to the West.

For example, Taishang Laojun is the "Supreme God" of Li Tang. Li Xuan defined Taishang Laojun as the existence of the creation of the world, with boundless magical power.

Li Yuying had never heard such a story before. Ever since Li Xuan started telling the story, she couldn't stop.

Her mind was filled with endless fantasies and expectations about the new world.

She didn't know what "Journey to the West" meant, but everything the monkey Sun Wukong did could stir her emotions.

She was worried when the monkey was bullied by the Demon King, and was happy when the monkey learned skills from the gods. She hoped that the monkey could learn skills and take revenge.

As expected, Sun Wukong learned seventy-two transformations, became immortal, and became the Monkey King.

Later, the underworld drew up a book of life and death, and the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea obtained the golden hoop. Every plot made her imagine a lot.

Li Yuying has never been so energetic when doing something.

Sun Wukong entered the Heavenly Palace, and started out as the Horse Keeper, then stole fairy peaches and golden elixirs, and finally made a big fuss in the Heavenly Palace, fighting with Erlang Shen, before being easily subdued by their ancestor with a circle.

Such a gripping plot.

Not only Li Yuying, other young ladies also looked at Li Xuan with admiration, he was their ideal husband!
Their hearts were touched, but suddenly it was gone, and they were sad for a while.

Li Xuan's little nephew also took a stick and asked Li Xuan if the golden hoop looked like this.

"Seventh Brother, what happened to Sun Wukong when he entered the Eight Trigrams Furnace... Tell Yuying quickly..."

Li Yuying's sleeve was shaking.

"Uncle, tell me quickly whether the monkey will be burned to death." Nephew Li Ding also grabbed Li Xuan and asked anxiously.

The other nieces and nephews were also told to surround Li Xuan and let him continue.

Only Li Xuan's relatives dared to do this, the other ladies could only watch helplessly.

"Next time, the story can't be told in one day."

Li Xuan refused decisively and was unwilling to say more.

How could he finish such a long story?

Seeing that Li Xuan refused to speak, Li Yuying had no choice but to hope that Brother Qi would continue to speak tomorrow.

She thought that Sun Wukong would not be burned to death by the Bagua furnace. Seventh Brother had said before that Sun Wukong was attacked continuously by heavenly thunder, earthly fire, and Bifeng, but Sun Wukong was intact.

Li Yuying and the young ladies were filled with regret and were in great pain.

Afterwards, Li Xuan took his personal guards and prepared to go to Xishi.

The Jinwu Guards sent hundreds of armored soldiers to protect him, as they were afraid that someone would assassinate Li Xuan.

This was ordered by Li Longji.

When Li Linfu traveled, he was escorted by the Jinwu Guards.
Li Linfu had too many enemies, and Li Xuan also had many enemies, but their enemies were not of the same nature.

"Seventh Brother, why don't you go to the East Market to buy things instead of the West Market?"

On the way, Li Yuying asked curiously.

Hearing that Li Xuan was coming to Xishi, Li Yuying said goodbye to her friends and followed him with Shuang'er.

This time they didn't ride horses, but rode in a carriage.

"The items in the East Market are not as numerous as those in the West Market."

Li Xuan said with a smile.

The 108 wards of Chang'an City correspond to the 108 constellations, and their distribution is related to population settlements, social classes, and trade markets.

Since the imperial city was located in the north of Chang'an and Xingqing Palace was located in the east of Chang'an, most of the princes, nobles and civil officials lived on the east side, which made the East Market on the east side of Chang'an a high-end trading market.

In addition to the basic goods, there are also the most exquisite and unique items for the needs and entertainment of kings and nobles.

Moreover, there are strict restrictions on the number of vendors in the East Market.

There is the West Market on the west side of Chang'an. Merchants from all corners of the country and all over the world would come here. There are tens of thousands of commodities, and there are all kinds of goods. There are not too many restrictions on merchants, so the West Market is also called the "Golden Market".

Therefore, the residential distribution in Chang'an showed the characteristics of "rich in the east and rich in the west" and "empty in the south and solid in the north".

The word “rich” is not necessarily a positive word.

Merchants gathered there, which was why Li Xuan came to Xishi.

"But they said West Market is a mess!"

Li Yuying was influenced by her surroundings. The places they went to were either the East Market or the specific districts. They had never been to the West Market.

"When there are too many things and too many people, it will seem noisy, and that's understandable!"

Li Xuan knew that there were all kinds of Hu people in the West Market, and it was more difficult for the officials in the West Market to manage, so it was definitely not as good as the East Market next to the Xingqing Palace.

The nobles did not like Xishi, especially the noble women, who basically would not go to Xishi.

Li Yuying didn't ask any more questions. Since Brother Seven liked it, she also wanted to go and see it.

The Jinwu soldiers cleared the way into the West Market, causing surprise in the West Market.

Because this kind of situation never happens under normal circumstances, it is usually the patrolling Jinwu Guards rather than armored soldiers guarding a carriage.

There are also men in black guarding the area with swords.

This is obviously a high-ranking official.

When Li Xuan got off the car with Li Yuying and Shuang'er, it caused a stir in Xishi.

"So handsome! Who is he? Why do you look like that?"

A businessman who didn't know Li Xuan asked people around him.

Judging from the expressions of the people around him, this is an incredible person.

Could it be the prince of the Tang Dynasty?
"General Li, don't you know? I am the Duke of Chu of the Tang Dynasty and the commander of 300,000 border troops. No ancient hero can compare to me."

There were people around who responded.

In Chang'an, you may not know who the prince is, but you must have heard of General Li's reputation.

After his heroic deeds spread, Li Xuan's name became known to everyone, including women and children, after passing through Suzaku Street twice.

"So he is the legendary General Li. I haven't seen him before because he was not in Chang'an. General Li's reputation has spread all over Jiangnan."

The businessman suddenly realized.

General Li was indeed as heroic and extraordinary as the rumors said.

"It's worth the trip today to see General Li again."

A young man was very happy to see Li Xuan.

Li Xuan is now a role model in the hearts of young people.

Rumor has it that Li Xuan used to be a chivalrous man and even had a fight in a brothel. Events such as punishing the powerful, destroying pirates, and rushing thousands of miles to save women and children are very similar to the chivalrous concept of valuing righteousness over life.

In addition, Li Xuan had 300,000 soldiers at a young age and was also a great poet. He wrote magnificent frontier poems, which were simply perfect in the young man's mind.

As for the deeper political struggles, the teenagers don't care.

The surrounding Hu merchants also soon learned of Li Xuan's identity.

Most of the small countries in the Western Regions do not have 300,000 soldiers. Li Xuan controls 300,000 soldiers and horses, which makes these Hu merchants tremble.

It is said that Li Xuan is a match for ten thousand men, which may seem doubtful based on his appearance, but his achievements speak for themselves.

All the Hu people admired Li Xuan, but they knew that they could not get in touch with a big man like Li Xuan.

When news of Li Xuan's stay in Dunhuang reaches Chang'an, these Hu merchants will become even more in awe of Li Xuan.

Many of the pedestrians around had forgotten to buy things. They stared at Li Xuan, wondering what Li Xuan was doing in the West Market. When the Chang'an West Market Magistrate heard the news of Li Xuan's arrival, he quickly ran over to greet him.

"Your humble servant greets you, sir. I wonder what you are here for?"

The West Market Magistrate bowed to Li Xuan and then asked.

"No need to be polite, I'm just taking a look at the market."

Li Xuan asked the West Market Magistrate to exempt himself from the formalities.

His main purpose of coming to the West Market was to use his reputation to tell the Han merchants in the West Market that they could transport some goods to Guzang City and sell them to the Hu merchants in Guzang, which would definitely be profitable.

Li Xuan also wanted to expand trade to Dunhuang City and revitalize the entire Silk Road.

Rather than just a road.

Li Xuan let the West Market Order take care of his own business, and he wandered around freely under the protection of the Jinwu Guards.

Whenever Li Yuying asked questions, Li Xuan explained patiently and Shuang'er listened beside her.

In fact, Chang'an's West Market was not as bad as the nobles imagined. Although the market areas were crowded, they were still relatively neat, and shops were lined up in the West Market.

Chang'an still attaches great importance to urban appearance construction.

It just lacks the gorgeously dressed noble ladies and children of the gentry to decorate it, and there are a large number of low-end handicrafts and ordinary silks, with less than 10% of the high-end goods.

"If merchants sell Shu brocade in Liangzhou City, they can earn at least 200 more coins per piece."

Li Xuan stopped in front of a Han merchant's stall, and after understanding the situation, he spoke to the merchant.

This Han merchant sold the famous Shu brocade from Shu to Xishi, and foreign merchants were the main customers.

Shu brocade is exquisite and colorful, and is the most famous brocade.

"General...we have never walked that road before, so we dare not go there!"

The merchant was nervous as it was his first time talking to a big shot like Li Xuan.

He couldn't believe that Li Xuan would stop in front of a humble businessman like him.

A piece of Shu brocade can bring an extra 200 coins in profit, which is a huge profit, but the road to the west is not easy to travel.

"The Hexi Corridor is not scary. You can ask about the profits of the merchants returning from there."

Li Xuan laughed.

He hoped that Han merchants from all over the world could bring specialty items from all over the Tang Dynasty to Liangzhou City, enriching goods and increasing tax revenue.

It doesn't count as undermining Chang'an's foundation. Even if Chang'an loses a few hundred caravans, it doesn't matter much, but it can have a great impact on the Hexi Corridor.

The early bird catches the worm. Everything has its limits. When the merchants in Liangzhou City reach a limit and competition arises, profits will become lower.

Before leaving the stall, Li Xuan bought two pieces of Shu brocade and asked his personal guards to put them in the car.

Less than a quarter of an hour after Li Xuan made his purchase, the Shu brocade that the merchant had spent several months transporting from Shu was sold out.

The merchant selling Shu brocade was excited and at the same time, he became very interested in the Liangzhou City that Li Xuan mentioned and prepared to inquire about it.

Afterwards, Li Xuan stopped at dozens of stalls and bought a cart full of items.

Every time he went to make a purchase from a merchant, he would introduce the city of Liangzhou to them.

Every item that Li Xuan sells is a "representation" for the merchants, so that these merchants will remember Li Xuan's words.

They thought that Li Xuan, as a great general, had no reason to deceive small businessmen like them.

Li Xuan knew that businessmen all had their own circles. Although he only told dozens of businessmen about "getting rich in Liangzhou City", it would soon spread among their circles.

He believed that with his reputation, some Han merchants would be influenced and lead a team westward.

"what……"

Just as Li Xuan was about to leave Xishi, there was a commotion ahead.

I saw a strong man stumbling towards Li Xuan.

But Li Xuan was surrounded by Jinwu Guards, and before the sturdy man could rush to Li Xuan, he was knocked down and pinned down by the Jinwu Guards.

After a while, five or six officers and soldiers came running over.

It turned out that the strong man was not here to assassinate Li Xuan, but to avoid being captured by the soldiers.

However, the Jinwu Guards on Li Xuan's side blocked the road and he was captured without being able to escape.

Fortunately, the strong man had no weapons in his hands, otherwise it would not be so easy for the Jinwu Guards to knock him down.

"I am the arresting officer of the Chang'an County Government. This man has committed a crime. Thank you, General, for helping us capture the criminal."

The leading officer bowed to the Jinwu Guards, took the certificate, and wanted to get the strong man back.

"It's unfair... I didn't commit any crime..."

The strong man struggled and shouted subconsciously.

"You still say you didn't commit any crime? Is this crossbow yours?"

The arresting officer took a powerful crossbow from his subordinate and said to the strong man.

When the strong man saw the powerful crossbow, he immediately explained: "This is a crossbow I made and I have never used it."

"Privately possessing a powerful crossbow is a serious crime, and privately making a powerful crossbow is an even more serious crime."

The arresting officer felt that this strong man had come to his doorstep and even dared to say that he had privately made a powerful crossbow.

Seeing that there was no problem, the Jinwu Guards handed the strong man over to the arresting officer so as not to disturb the passage of the Right Feathered General.

"slow!"

At this time, Li Xuan had been alarmed. When he heard the strong man say that he had made a crossbow privately, he became interested and prepared to take a look.

Regarding the private possession of weapons, the most serious crime is the private possession of armor. Even if it is only one set, the offender will be exiled two thousand miles away.

A person wearing armor, even if holding a kitchen knife, can chop down a large number of people.

The law considers iron armor to be more harmful to the country.

The second is the crossbow.

If someone secretly possessed even one powerful crossbow, he would be sentenced to two and a half years in prison; if he possessed three powerful crossbows, he would be exiled two thousand miles away; if he possessed five powerful crossbows, he would be hanged directly.

Privately making a powerful crossbow is a serious crime, which is a more serious crime.

"This is... General Li..."

When the Jinwu Guards bowed to Li Xuan, the arresting officer also saw Li Xuan. He had witnessed Li Xuan's glory on Suzaku Street.

He would not be able to forget Li Xuan's handsome face for a short time.

"Well, let me see this crossbow..."

Li Xuan nodded to the arresting officer and asked him to watch the crossbow.

"Please have a look, General..."

The arresting officer quickly handed the crossbow to Li Xuan.

The arresting officers in Chang'an were just officials outside the imperial court, which meant they were only slightly higher than the so-called "bad guys".

The bad guys are a characteristic of Chang'an, and most of them are ruffians.

Since Chang'an was a complicated place with many different social groups, once a villain committed a crime, the government was often helpless. So they thought of the "bad guys" who often mixed in among them and hired them as arresting soldiers.

It really greatly improved the crime-solving rate.

Of course, in general cases, the bad guys only need to report to the arresting officer, and then the arresting officer will send soldiers to take action.

Li Xuan took the crossbow and saw at a glance that it was a circle larger than the Broken Crossbow in the army, and much larger than the Horn Crossbow.

The powerful crossbow is more than three feet long, the string is more than two feet long, the crossbow body has a very large curvature, the crossbow arm is extremely long, and the crossbow mechanism is designed to be positioned further back. From the crossbow body, it can be strung with the foot to improve the efficiency of strung.

This crossbow looks simpler than the Bo Zhang crossbow, but Li Xuan feels from its crossbow arm and crossbow body that this shooting strategy is a bit like the Shenbi Crossbow of the Song Dynasty.

In his previous life, Li Xuan had only seen pictures of the divine arm crossbow, but he didn't know how to make it.

This crossbow was made with the utmost care, from the twisted hemp string to the carved wood of the crossbow arm.

Li Xuan had never seen such an exquisite and powerful crossbow in the army.

He tried to draw the string.

The crossbow string was easily pulled, but that doesn’t mean others can do the same as Li Xuan.

Judging from the setting of the crossbow, it is obvious that one needs to step on it with one's feet to draw the arrow, and it also requires a skilled and powerful person.

This is indeed a single-soldier crossbow.

Li Xuan thinks it is extremely powerful!
"Did you make this crossbow yourself?"

Li Xuan raised his crossbow and asked the strong man.

"General, I did it. I was just curious and had no other intentions. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I won't do it again. Please forgive me, General."

The sturdy man recognized Li Xuan and begged for mercy from Li Xuan in fear.

He ran an ironware shop in the West Market. He had learned some ideas about making weapons from his father, and also learned the skills of using a crossbow.

Ever since he first saw a powerful crossbow more than ten years ago, he had the idea of ​​making one himself.

He made the Broken Crossbow and the Jue Zhang Crossbow, but was ultimately not satisfied with either.

But they were afraid of being discovered, so they produced and destroyed them at the same time.

Because of his strong talent for hands-on work, within a few years he had created a powerful crossbow that he believed was far more powerful than the crossbows in the army.

I thought he was doing everything in secret and just treating it as a hobby, but I didn't expect him to be discovered and reported.

By the time he was ready to escape from the store, it was too late. The arresting officer pursued him relentlessly and he eventually fell into the hands of the Jinwu Guards.

"This crossbow can shoot so many steps; it can penetrate armor so many steps!"

Li Xuan wanted to know the range of this powerful crossbow and whether it would be useful when equipped to soldiers.

"General, the range is 300 steps. As for the armor, I have not tried it. I shot at the tree from 200 steps away, and the arrow was completely embedded."

The sturdy man answered in this way, hoping to satisfy Li Xuan.

Li Xuan did some calculation in his mind.

The maximum range of the crossbow in the army is 230 steps.

Generally, it can kill enemies from a hundred steps away and penetrate armor from fifty steps away.

According to the strong man, there are no trees with arrows at 200 steps, so it should be able to kill enemies without armor.

(End of this chapter)