Chapter 222

The successful launch of the hot air balloon greatly boosted the morale of Grand Marshal Xu and his soldiers.

After personally experiencing the feeling of flying and the magic of the telescope, Grand Marshal Xu immediately gathered his generals and worked with Li Yao to figure out a long distance communication method.

He picked some clever and agile soldiers from the army, taught them to use flags to convey different signals, and Li Yao gave them a name called signalmen.

The signalmen would be arranged on hot air balloons, while more would follow the cavalry going into battle.

The signalmen on the hot air balloons would use flag signals to convey what they saw on the ground to below, and then pass Grand Marshal Xu's orders to the accompanying signalmen using flag signals.

This way, as long as they were within fifty li, Grand Marshal Xu could freely maneuver his troops and easily surround and annihilate the enemy.

After a few days of running in, Grand Marshal Xu decided to give it a try. Things quickly got out of hand after the first try.

Two barbarian squads thirty li away had just heard the faint sound of hooves and were preparing to flee, when they suddenly found themselves completely surrounded by several cavalry troops, and not a single one managed to escape.

They didn't know how their whereabouts were leaked until the moment before their deaths.

Having tasted sweet success, Grand Marshal Xu kept maneuvering his troops, clearing out all the barbarians within fifty li.

Especially those cavalry squads harassing grain transports in the rear of the garrison, they were all wiped out, securing the safety of grain transports.

Grand Marshal Xu felt greatly gratified and prepared to hold a banquet to reward the army and boost morale.

The soldiers hadn't enjoyed such a refreshing fight for a long time, and they no longer needed to worry about barbarians suddenly ambushing them. They could enjoy a good meal of meat today, so everyone was in high spirits.

As the biggest contributor, Li Yao was given the seat of honor next to Grand Marshal Xu.

Previously when they heard Wang San'er say how amazing his mother was, no one believed it. But after spending a month with her, everyone knew that Madam Li was truly extraordinary.

Not only could she heal the sick and save lives, she could also make things that could fly into the sky. And the most amazing thing was still the telescope. Even from the ground, she could see people clearly from miles away. Most importantly, she was beautiful and didn't look anything like Wang San'er's mother, more like his sister.

"Madam Li, it's inappropriate to drink alcohol in the military," said Grand Marshal Xu. "Let me drink tea instead of wine to you, to show my gratitude. If Madam Li had not come, I'm afraid the army would have retreated back to Yuhan Pass long ago, let alone win so many battles!"

"You're too kind, Grand Marshal Xu. Those were just trivial things, not even worth mentioning."

"Madam Li is too modest," said Grand Marshal Xu after taking a sip of the fragrant lamb milk tea. "But there are still things we lack if we want to attack the barbarians' main force. Does Madam Li have any good ideas?"

"I'm useless in that aspect," Li Yao said with a laugh. "Strategizing is still up to you, Grand Marshal."

It wasn't that she didn't have any ideas, but she felt what they had now was sufficient.

"I was being greedy," Grand Marshal Xu said self-deprecatingly. "But looking at the weather, it will probably start snowing heavily in the next few days."

Once it snowed on the prairie, basically nothing could be done. Everyone could only stay cooped up in tents every day.

Even without doing anything, such days would still be very harsh and wear down people's will.

After the snow, the barbarians would also withdraw, and the Daling Army would retreat to rest at Yuhan Pass. When spring arrived next year, they would fight the barbarians in an all out battle on the prairie again.

So Grand Marshal Xu would often ask himself this question - what was the meaning of fighting like this year after year?

Whenever he thought of the countless soldiers lost each year, the endless expenditure of money and supplies, Grand Marshal Xu would feel somewhat depressed and lamentful.

"If there was a way to get rid of the barbarians once and for all, I, Xu, would be willing to die twenty years early."

"I do have a way," said Li Yao, "though it can't get rid of the barbarians for good, it can at least make them not dare to casually invade again."

"Oh?" Grand Marshal Xu's spirits were greatly roused. He quickly asked, "Please tell me the details, Madam Li, I'm all ears!"

"Build cities," said Li Yao. "A city large enough to station an army, which the barbarians can't breach. Add in using hot air balloons to scout the enemy, and there will be no need to worry about the barbarians for at least twenty years."

Grand Marshal Xu let out a bitter laugh. Of course he knew that rationale.

But building cities on the prairie was far from easy.

All the materials would have to be transported from very far away, requiring massive manpower.

And the time - building a city would take at least several years, maybe even over ten years to complete properly? "We don't need to build it so well yet," said Li Yao. "Just build the city walls first, we can worry about the buildings inside later."

"The walls are the hardest part," said Grand Marshal Xu. "So much stone, having to be shipped for thousands of li, just this one thing alone would probably exhaust the national treasury."

"Grand Marshal Xu, have you heard of concrete before?"

Grand Marshal Xu: ???

...

Two days after the celebratory banquet, small snow finally drifted down from the sky.

After being decimated, the subdued barbarians no longer appeared casually within fifty li of the Daling Army's garrison - the safe distance they had figured out.

During those two days, Grand Marshal Xu had been going over maps with Li Yao, and they planned locations for five cities.

Strictly speaking, they couldn't be called cities, they were more like large garrisons. Except the garrisons would no longer be simple tents, but have high and sturdy walls.

Each location was carefully chosen, positioned at strategic locations with water sources nearby. The distances between the five garrisons would not exceed fifty li, to allow real-time communication via hot air balloons.

One of the garrisons would be where the Daling Army was currently stationed.

This would be constructed first, and had to be completed within a month, otherwise it would be too cold for concrete work.

Grand Marshal Xu had already decided on a name for the first garrison - Xiu City.

Li Yao's objections were futile, she could only accept it in the end.

Xiu City would be two li long and two li wide. The walls would be three zhang high, about the height of a three-story building. For such a massive project, even if it was in the interior, it would probably take several years to complete.

Just obtaining the stones would be extremely labor intensive.

But with concrete, things would be so much more convenient and faster.

Three days later, a long convoy arrived from the direction of Yuhan Pass. This was not supplies sent by the court, but a large convoy that had travelled all the way from Yi Prefecture.

Apart from a small portion of grain and fodder, most of it was steel, cement, timber, coal...and the "express delivery" from Xia Xian to Li Yao.

Escorting this batch of supplies was the Yizhou Army, and a certain figure who had not shown his face the entire journey.

In the swirling snow, Liu Yun jumped down from a carriage, wrapped in a thick robe.

"Grand Marshal Xu, Madam Li, long time no see!"