The sovereign and his ministers collaborated for a day to determine the direction of the military campaign.
With the strategic direction set, the remaining task was to prepare for the expedition.
After another day of deliberation, the personnel for the campaign were decided.
Chai Shao, the emperor's son-in-law, would serve as the commander-in-chief, with Cheng Yaojin and Hou Junji as his deputies. They would lead ten thousand elite troops, initially attacking Liang Shidu. If successful, they would then proceed to attack Goguryeo.
Yuchi Jingde's three thousand elite soldiers from the previous battle, having gained experience using explosive packs, were the obvious first choice. Thus, Yuchi Baolin was also appointed to lead these three thousand elite soldiers, temporarily under Cheng Yaojin's command.
While discussing the allocation of military equipment and explosives, Li Er suddenly remembered the cannon at Fang Family Village.
With that item, he mused, sieging cities would likely be much easier.
That noon, Li Er summoned Fang Er to the palace.
"The Emperor has agreed to send troops?"
Fang Er asked Li Er in surprise.
He had only spoken casually; if it worked, it worked, but if not, he wouldn't ignore the plight of the disaster victims.
He simply hadn't expected Li Er to agree to the expedition so readily.
Moreover, the court had even set the combat objectives.
"What's so surprising? We have to fight them sooner or later. Since you can provide the provisions, wouldn't it be better to fight sooner rather than later?"
"I summoned you here today to ask how many of those cannons you have. If possible, I hope we can bring a few on this expedition."
"Ah? Cannons? I only have one! The cannons are too material-intensive to produce, so I only made one before stopping. Do you need any firearms?"
Li Er and Fang Er were alone in the Eastern Palace; even Xiao Dengzi had been sent away by Li Er.
Therefore, Fang Er didn't hide anything, and Li Er already knew about these items.
"How long does it take to forge a cannon? And what is the cost?"
Li Er asked.
"Under normal circumstances, about ten days. One cannon requires over a thousand catties of refined steel. The cost is roughly two hundred guan."
Li Er was shocked.
"Two hundred guan for one cannon!"
"Damn, that's too expensive!"
"Your Majesty, this is pure refined steel. Over a hundred wen per catty, it's really not expensive!"
Fang Er explained.
"One guan is eight or nine catties. Calculated this way, a catty of copper coins for a catty of refined steel?"
"Calculated like this, the price is indeed fair."
However, Li Er still felt something was not quite right.
But thinking about the power of the cannon, he dismissed it from his mind.
"I want twenty! How soon can you make them?"
Fang Er was dumbfounded.
"What a grand undertaking!"
"Your Majesty, to my knowledge, the national treasury might not be able to produce so much silver."
"Don't worry about that. We don't have the money, but we have land. Do you want it?"
"What the hell?"
"Li Er wants to exchange land for cannons?"
"One must admit, that's a very good calculation!"
"I don't have enough manpower to farm that much land. Your Majesty, please don't make things difficult for me. The iron materials were all bought with my own hard-earned money from Lord Changsun. I was planning to make things and earn some money to support my entire household."
Fang Er said with a wronged expression.
"Don't play coy with me. For the sake of a thousand mu of land in Fang Family Village, you could send people all the way south to buy grain. What? Now you're unhappy that I'm offering you land in exchange for a few cannons?"
Li Er was displeased.
"Damn it, as the sovereign of this nation, don't I even have this much face?"
"Your Majesty, could you first tell me which land it is? And how much?"
Fang Er was speechless. Li Er was clearly intending to force a sale.
"Along both sides of the Longshou Canal, from Yunmen Township to Ansheng Township, a total of three thousand mu of excellent irrigated land. Is that enough?"
Li Er's offer was quite fair.
One mu of land for slightly over one guan. In this severe drought year, irrigated land sold at this price was practically a giveaway.
"Only three thousand mu?"
As soon as Fang Er finished speaking.
Li Er suddenly stood up from his dragon throne, pointing at Fang Er's nose.
"You! You! You!"
He was truly exasperated by Fang Er.
After a long pause, he suddenly smiled and sat back down on the dragon throne.
"We won't talk about the Zheng family matter. How do you propose I punish you for privately manufacturing military equipment?"
Li Er's question startled Fang Er.
"Damn it!"
"Is he reneging because the price wasn't right?"
"You've known about firearms and cannons for more than a day."
"Your Majesty, if you put it that way, then I don't want any land. I'll sell everything I have to make these twenty cannons for you."
Fang Er spread his hands and said helplessly.
Who knew if he was just saying it or meant it.
If he were truly punished for privately manufacturing military equipment, it could be a big or small matter. If viewed broadly, it could be considered treason. If viewed narrowly, confiscation of property would be the least of it.
"You don't need to look like that. Those three thousand mu of land are still yours. The army will depart in half a month, and I expect to see twenty cannons accompanying them. If the matter is handled well, I will not pursue the matter of your private manufacturing of military equipment."
Li Er offered his terms.
"Your Majesty! Those are twenty cannons, a total of twenty thousand catties of refined steel! In half a month, how is that possible?"
Fang Er was startled by Li Er's terms.
"With the workshop operating at full capacity, we can produce one per day. This thing isn't just cast and finished.
It still needs polishing, processing, and testing.
It's not possible to make one and have it be perfect. If there are any defects, we have to remake it.
With the few amateurs I have, not even a professional blacksmith, how can I complete such a large task?"
"I don't care. I only look at the results."
Li Er shamelessly dismissed him.
"Fine, you are the Emperor, you have the final say. But there is one thing that requires the Emperor's intervention, otherwise, let alone twenty cannons, not even ten can be made."
"Tell me."
"As you know my situation, people say a clever housewife can't cook without rice. Now I have the rice but no cooking. So, I request the Emperor to allocate some blacksmiths with excellent skills. These people must be exempted from the Ministry of Works and transferred to my Fang family, otherwise, I fear they might be used against me again, just like the explosive packs."
"Granted. I will have Xiao Dengzi bring them to you later."
Li Er agreed generously.
The Ministry of Works was like a sieve, with informants from noble families everywhere. Having the cannon manufacturing technology in Fang Er's hands was more reassuring to him than having it in the Ministry of Works.
"Also, I plan to send ten thousand elite soldiers on the campaign. How much grain and fodder are you prepared to provide?"
After settling the matter of the cannons, Li Er inquired about the food situation.
"Your Majesty, may I ask how much grain and fodder a soldier consumes per day?"
Fang Er asked.
"A soldier consumes one and a half catties of grain per day, doubled during wartime."
"Each warhorse consumes ten catties of fodder and five catties of refined feed daily. Similarly, refined feed is doubled during wartime."
Li Er didn't need to think; he was very clear about these matters.
Fang Er began to calculate.
Ten thousand elite soldiers with warhorses would consume sixty-five thousand catties of refined grain daily.
Even if they successfully captured the counties of Liang Shidu, it would take at least twenty days, or even a month.
Adding the increased consumption during wartime, they would need at least over two million catties of grain.
"Hmm?"
"Only this much?"
It felt like there was no pressure at all!