Chapter 48 Meeting Wang Zhongsi
The side hall was very simple. Apart from the table and chairs, there was only a large bow painted black hanging on the wall.

"Meeting General Wang!"

When Li Xuan saw Wang Zhongsi, he bowed and greeted him.

Wang Zhongsi was one of Li Xuan's most respected generals.

He is resolute yet kind-hearted, cares about the people, and has the demeanor of a general. There is only one person like him in history.

"No gift!"

Wang Zhongsi motioned Li Xuan to excuse himself from the formalities, then stood up, picked up the lacquer bow hanging on the wall, and came to Li Xuan: "General Li, you can use a strong bow and shoot the tassels on a flying horse. This lacquer bow of mine weighs 150 jin. Can you use it?"

Li Xuan was startled. Wang Zhongsi didn't ask anything but showed him his lacquer bow first.

This bow has gone down in history.

One hundred and fifty pounds is not the weight of the bow, but the tension of the bow.

In terms of conversion, it is equivalent to between 596 to 53 dou. [One jin in the Tang Dynasty is approximately equal to grams in later times; one shi in the Tang Dynasty is approximately equal to kilograms in later times]

Of course, in the Tang Dynasty this kind of bow would be called a two-stone bow.

Just like some nine-bow bows, one-stone-one-dou bows, will be classified as one-stone bows.

"I am willing to give it a try."

Li Xuan took the lacquer bow respectfully. He was not a shy person.

Of course, in front of Wang Zhongsi, Li Xuan held the bow arm with his left hand and slowly pulled the bowstring with his right hand.

"Buzz..."

The bow made a slight sound, as if it was accumulating a terrible power.

Little by little, the bow becomes like a full moon.

It was called the "two-stone bow", and Li Xuan pulled it to its limit without batting an eyelid.

Afterwards, in order to prevent damage to the bow, Li Xuan gradually reduced his strength and slowly lowered the bowstring.

This means that Li Xuan can not only pull the bow, but also use it on the battlefield.

Take a crossbow for example. Many people can pull it, but few can use it in a high-intensity battlefield.

Pulling a strong bow is not a skill. Being able to continuously shoot all the arrows in the quiver while running is an ability.

"As expected, this is the first time I've seen someone use this bow so easily, especially at the age of sixteen."

Drummer Wang Zhongsi praised.

"General Wang, you are too kind. I am just a little stronger than ordinary people."

Li Xuan returned the lacquer bow to Wang Zhongsi.

"The Left Prime Minister once wrote a letter and asked you to bring it to me. Why didn't you give me the letter when you came to Huile last time?"

Wang Zhongsi took the lacquer bow and suddenly asked this question.

If Li Shizhi had not written to Wang Zhongsi later, he would not have known about this matter.

So he recognized Li Xuan's qualities and let Li Xuan control the Feng'an Army.

"I discarded the letter on the way." Li Xuan answered tactfully.

"The Turks have been standing on the grassland for hundreds of years, and they have never changed their ways. It is time for them to end. After this battle, I will sew a bag and hide the lacquer bow in it. I will not use it easily in the future."

Wang Zhongsi laughed, hung up the lacquer bow again, and changed the subject by saying this.

"Nowadays, the people live and work in peace and contentment. The duty of a general is to comfort and train the soldiers. If a general wastes the country's financial and material resources and sacrifices the lives of his soldiers for the sake of military merit, he will surely be condemned by the world."

Li Xuan certainly understood what Wang Zhongsi meant. It was not that he would not use the lacquer bow easily, but that he would not use force easily.

Historically, after the fall of the Later Turkic Khaganate, Wang Zhongsi often said to people: When the country is at peace, a general should just comfort his people. I don't want to exhaust China's strength just to gain fame.

It is hard to imagine that these were words that a general who was brave and aggressive in his youth could say.

When Wang Zhongsi was young, he only wanted to avenge his father.

When he was recalled from the frontier, "because his hatred and humiliation had not yet been avenged, his anger grew even deeper, he would forget to eat every time he sat at his desk, or he would cry alone."

It can be seen that he was also blinded by hatred at that time.

"I'm surprised that Shichiro could think this way."

After hearing Li Xuan's words, Wang Zhongsi excitedly held Li Xuan's hand and called him affectionately. He had admired Li Xuan before, so he entrusted him with an important task.

Now it seems that this is his confidant, who says what he wants to say in his heart.

For someone like Wang Zhongsi, nothing makes him happier than meeting like-minded people.

"I wish to do so, but it is often difficult to disobey the king's orders!"

Li Xuan sighed.

In this respect, he is not worthy of being compared with Wang Zhongsi.

But he was determined to benefit the world and could not help himself.

Wang Zhongsi really dared to disobey the emperor and disobey the emperor's order for the sake of the soldiers. He gave up the power he held, gave up the possibility of becoming prime minister, and even risked his own life.

So much so that some people in later generations thought that Wang Zhongsi was a fool with no emotional intelligence.

Isn’t it just the death of tens of thousands of soldiers? If a man does not care for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth.

After the capture of Shibao City, it became obvious that Wang Zhongsi would become the prime minister.

To be a general and then a prime minister is the highest achievement for a minister!
"Qilang has such an ideal. My Tang Dynasty wants to send troops to destroy the Turks. What do you think?"

Wang Zhongsi suddenly asked this question.

"As Commander Wang said, the Turks have established their own states several times over the past few hundred years. They have been fickle and have harmed more than a million Han people. Not mobilizing troops easily is not inconsistent with destroying the enemy country. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, Yin Jifu defeated the Yanyun and Zhao Hu pacified the Huaiyi, so the Zhou Dynasty was revived. We are doing the same thing for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. Even if there is no sage's edict, we must formulate strategies and share the country's worries."

Li Xuan quoted from classics and gave a well-reasoned reply to Wang Zhongsi.

"I was a little hesitant at first, but now the striker has to be you. Shichiro, do you dare to take on this important responsibility?"

Wang Zhongsi nodded slightly and asked Li Xuan.

"The commander has given orders, and the generals must follow them."

Li Xuan replied that it was a soldier's duty to obey orders.

"If Qilang were to be the vanguard, would he have any tactics that would lead to victory?"

Wang Zhongsi tested Li Xuan and asked him what he should do when he became a striker.

"When you meet enemy cavalry, you must form a battle formation. This is common sense. However, when you encounter the enemy on the grassland, if you want to catch the enemy off guard, you must first understand the enemy's motives. I will send out scouts with three horses to monitor any movement within a hundred miles. In this way, based on the number of enemies, we can consider whether to strike first or strike first. There is also enough time to notify the commander's flag and lure the enemy deeper."

"The art of war is about adapting to changing circumstances. You don't have to copy the Sun Tzu and Wu Tzu."

Li Xuan explained it to Wang Zhongsi.

"Good, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. The striker is not the main force, and that's all he needs to do."

Wang Zhongsi was very satisfied with Li Xuan's answer.

The role of the vanguard army is to survey the terrain and detect the enemy situation to ensure the smooth operation of the main force or strategic deployment.

Wang Zhongsi did not tell Li Xuan about other specific strategies.

Wang Zhongsi was very strict and wanted to wait until other commanders arrived before discussing the matter in detail.

The two talked for a while and ate together. During the conversation, Wang Zhongsi introduced Li Xuan to the officials, assistants and the chief general of the Shuofang Jiedushi Mansion.

Only then did Li Xuan realize that the person who had invited him into the mansion was Li Guangbi.

The current commander of the Shuofang Army is Guo Ziyi.

The two of them were the main contributors to the suppression of the An-Shi Rebellion.

The generals and officials were shocked to see Wang Zhongsi's closeness to Li Xuan.

As the emperor's godson, Li Xuan's identity was nothing in front of Wang Zhongsi.

It is well known that Wang Zhongsi admires capable people.

The reason why Li Xuan could gain Wang Zhongsi’s intimacy must be that Wang Zhongsi highly recognized her performance.

Everyone was curious about what other outstanding qualities Li Xuan had besides his bravery and poetry that attracted Wang Zhongsi's attention.

After finishing the meal, when Li Xuan left the Jiedushi Mansion, Wang Zhongsi told Li Xuan to relax in Huile City for the next few days.

He has official duties and cannot be with Li Xuan all the time.

Wait for other generals to arrive at Huile City and then discuss military affairs.

(End of this chapter)