Chapter Six: The Art of Persuasion

"Interesting!"

An elderly man, stroking a piece of woolen cloth, smiled faintly. "Then let’s meet."

"Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing this, the old servant bowed slightly and turned to leave. Shortly after, he returned, leading a tall, slender young man before the elder.

"I am Qin Song, a commoner, paying respects to the Grand General of the Nation!"

Seeing the elderly man, Qin Song hurriedly saluted.

The elderly man was none other than Di Chao, the former Grand General of the Nation of Great Xia.

"Your steps are unsteady, your voice weak—clearly a man squandered by indulgence in wine and women. A complete waste!"

Seated at the table, Di Chao rubbed the woolen cloth in his hand while scrutinizing Qin Song with a piercingly cold gaze.

Di Chao could see at a glance that, despite his youth, Qin Song’s body was drained by excessive debauchery.

Understanding the meaning clearly, Qin Song lowered his head, gritting his teeth and silently vowing to strengthen his body.

"Speak. What brings you to me?"

A year ago, Di Chao had been relieved of his position as Grand General and had relocated to Yue Prefecture.

At first, visitors had come frequently, but over time they became fewer and fewer. Qin Song was the first visitor this month.

"I have come boldly to offer the Grand General a gift."

"Is this what you mean?"

Qin Song glanced at the woolen cloth in Di Chao’s hand.

"Just a piece of woolen cloth, and you expect me to plead your case before His Majesty? Is my honor so cheap?"

Di Chao, with his military background, saw through Qin Song’s intentions immediately.

"The Grand General misunderstands!"

Qin Song smiled faintly. "I only ask a small favor from you."

"What favor?"

"My family recently shipped a batch of cloth via the waterways from Chuan Shu Commandery to Yue Prefecture."

"I’ve heard water bandits have become rampant. I hope the Grand General can dispatch men to escort the shipment."

"I am now, like you, merely a civilian..."

"Upon success, before winter, my family is willing to provide 50,000 sets of woolen clothing for free!"

Before Di Chao could finish speaking, Qin Song’s words cut him off.

"Though the Grand General is now a civilian, throughout Great Xia, who does not know the name of the War God Di Chao?"

"In times of trouble, His Majesty would undoubtedly think of you first!"

Facing Di Chao’s penetrating gaze, Qin Song feigned calm despite his inner anxiety and continued, "I beg your forgiveness for this bold visit."

At this, Qin Song placed the prepared gift on the table.

"There are many matters awaiting me at home. Grand General, I will take my leave."

"Hmm."

Di Chao snorted coldly after hearing this, and Qin Song left under the old servant’s escort.

After Qin Song departed, Di Chao sat back, gazing at the woolen cloth with a faint smile playing on his lips.

Looking up, he suddenly noticed an envelope left alongside the gift.

"As expected!"

The smile deepened, tinged now with a cold edge. Opening the envelope, he pulled out its contents.

"What is this?"

The contents exceeded Di Chao’s expectations.

"Body of bamboo, bow arms of sandalwood, iron for the spearhead, copper for the horse face and teeth, hemp rope bound silk for the string..."

"Range over two hundred paces, penetrating wood halfway through!"

Inside the envelope was a stack of blueprints drawn by Qin Song, the foremost being a new type of crossbow!

Unlike ordinary crossbows, this one featured a stirrup at the front to assist in drawing the string.

According to the blueprint, this crossbow’s range was over two hundred paces.

Qin Song had calculated that one pace in Great Xia was roughly 1.2 meters, so this crossbow’s range reached about 250 meters!

The standard crossbows of Great Xia had a range of only about 150 meters—nearly a hundred meters shorter!

"This..."

Merely a glance made Di Chao’s breath quicken and his lips tremble slightly.

But it wasn’t over. Turning the page, he saw a much larger crossbow, better described as a ballista.

According to Qin Song’s notes, if manufactured, this ballista would have a range exceeding eight hundred paces—that is, about one thousand meters!

"General, General!"

At that moment, the old servant who had just escorted Qin Song hurried in with news from the capital.

His face was flushed with excitement, as if he had received monumental news.

"General, General!"

Di Chao, still fixated on the blueprints, took some time to react.

"What is it?"

"The Emperor has dismissed Minister Wang from the position of Chief of the Privy Council!"

"Rumors say the Emperor intends to appoint you, General, as the new Chief!"

"Is this true?"

At this, Di Chao’s heart pounded wildly, his body trembling with excitement.

The Privy Council was the highest military authority in Great Xia, responsible for commanding the armed forces and military orders—akin to the modern Ministry of Defense.

The Chief of the Privy Council was the supreme commander, equivalent to today’s Defense Minister.

"Though just a rumor, with Left Chancellor Qin Zhong dismissed and the former Chief Minister Wang being neutral, the Emperor would not allow Right Chancellor Cao Renjie to dominate court alone."

"The 100,000-strong Great Xia army was recently defeated by Northern Qi..."

Though officially just Di Chao’s personal servant, the old man had once served as his personal guard captain, fighting alongside him for over a decade and was well-informed about court affairs.

After the servant finished his analysis, Di Chao gradually calmed but his eyes blazed with fervor. He looked down at Qin Song’s blueprints again and recalled Qin Song’s earlier words before saying:

"Send a letter in my name to the Naval Commander of Yue Prefecture..."

"And summon the carpenters and blacksmiths within the mansion..."

While Di Chao resolved to grant Qin Song’s request and begin attempts to manufacture the crossbows and ballista, Qin Song, who had just left the Di residence, glanced back at the mansion and breathed a sigh of relief.

A breeze swept past, and Qin Song felt a chill on his back, realizing he was soaked with sweat.

Even with the experience of two lifetimes, facing someone like Di Chao still felt overwhelming—almost too much to handle.

"Now it’s just a matter of when this old fox will take the bait."

Qin Song’s main purpose in visiting Di Chao was to have him help Qin Chao evade the present crisis, but offering 50,000 sets of woolen clothing alone was clearly insufficient.

The two blueprints he handed over were the true bait to sway Di Chao.

Although the blueprints were given, Qin Song deliberately left a small flaw: the crossbows and ballista built from them would be only semi-finished products and would soon become unusable.