Author: Gongsun Wujiu

Pang Yi took the cotton armor and handed it to Zhang Yue.

Zhang Yue tried it in his hand and asked, "Why is this armor so light?"

Pang Yidao, "These are pure cotton armors. Each pair only requires twenty kilograms of cotton..."

Zhang Yue muttered, "Pure cotton armor!"

At this time, Zhang Yue thought of the pure cotton armor from the late Qing Dynasty. Isn’t that the best?!

"How's the defense of this armor?" Zhang Yue asked

Pang Yi said, "Although this armor is very light, its defensive power is not inferior to leather armor... It cannot be penetrated by a barbarian riding a bow from fifteen steps away... It can block a big yellow crossbow from thirty steps away..."

Zhang Yue looked surprised, "This armor is so good?"

Pang Yi said at this time, "But this armor also has shortcomings!"

Zhang Yue asked, "What's the shortcoming?"

Pang Yi said, "This armor is good at defending against arrows, but it is difficult to withstand cuts and stabs... However, this armor is very cheap and can be made in just four or five days..."

Zhang Yue was shocked, "It's so fast. Can it be manufactured on a large scale..."

Pang Yidao, "It's true, as long as there is enough cotton, it doesn't take a year for everyone to have a set!"

Zhang Yue laughed when he heard this and said, "No wonder Pang Gong made these two armors..."

Pang Yi took a sip of tea and said with a smile, "What the prince said is true. The subordinates believe that cotton-iron composite armor can be used for lance cavalry and heavy armored infantry...pure cotton armor can be used for archers and crossbowmen..."

Zhang Yue held up his palms and laughed loudly and said, "Great kindness!"

Zhang Yue was very satisfied with the two pieces of armor in front of him.

At this time, he said to Pang Yi, "Pang Gong's army is currently incomplete. I hope you can make 3,000 pairs of cotton-iron composite armor as soon as possible... 8,000 pairs of pure cotton armor..."

Pang Yi stood up and bowed, "This is a matter for the subordinates. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be completed within eight months!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yue bowed solemnly to Pang Yi, "Can Pang Gong make it within five months?"

Pang Yi looked embarrassed when he heard this, but in the end he nodded in agreement.

Zhang Yue held Pang Yi's hand and said, "I'll leave it to Mr. Pang!"

Pang Yi nodded and said, "Don't worry, Lord, I will return to the general's camp immediately, suspend other matters, and concentrate on making cotton armor..."

Zhang Yue said at this time, "No hurry!"

Then he took out a drawing from the drawer.

"Pang Gong, please take a look at this picture first?"

Pang Yi curiously took the drawing and looked at it carefully.

"Could it be that Junhou comes from the Mo family?"

He asked curiously.

Zhang Yue shook his head, "Does Mr. Pang know people from the Mohist family?"

Pang Yi sighed and said, "I once met two Mohist sages by chance in the past!"

Zhang Yue heard this and said happily, "Pang Gong may be here now!"

Pang Yi shook his head and sighed, "During the Taishi period, two wise men were forced to commit suicide by Gu Liang..."

Zhang Yue was silent when he heard this. The Mohists and Confucians were mortal enemies from the day they appeared.

After the emperor deposed all schools of thought and only respected Confucianism, other schools of thought might still have room for survival, but the Mohist school had no place to die.

Over the years, Zhang Yue has been asking Yang You and Qian Niuwei to search for traces of the Mo family, but they have found nothing.

Today, I finally heard a bit of news about the Mo family from Pang Yi, but I didn't expect it, but it had the same result.

At this time, Zhang Yue was deeply criticizing the emperor for "deposing hundreds of schools of thought and only respecting Confucianism".

For the first time, Zhang Yue began to think about whether centralization of power was more important, or the inheritance of civilization.

While Zhang Yue was thinking, Pang Yi had already finished reading the drawings.

"Your Majesty is really a fantastic thinker. I never thought that water power could be used in this way..."

After Pang Yi admired it, he shouted that it was a pity.

"If the two sages of the Mohist family in the past do not die, they should become close friends with the princes!"

Zhang Yue heard this and asked, "Do those two Mohist sages also intend to use water power?"

Pang Yi was surprised when he heard this, "Don't you know that Mozi built a hydraulic workshop years ago?"

Pang Yi shook his head and said, "I heard that there was a hydraulic workshop in Guanzhong during the pre-Qin period. Unfortunately, the overlord of Western Chu was massacred... a fire... but now it is nowhere to be found..."

Zhang Yue consoled him, "The predecessors can do it, and our descendants can do it too..."

After some comfort from Zhang Yue, Pang Yi finally calmed down.

"The prince is now in a hurry to make armor. It may be difficult to make this thing in a short time..."

Pang Yi said with a confused look on his face.

Zhang Yue said with a smile, "There is no need to rush this matter, but now the most important thing is to make the armor first..."

Pang Yi couldn't help but ask, "Why are you in such a hurry... Could it be that you intend to send troops in winter..."

The first thing Pang Yi thought of was that Zhang Yue planned to go all out with force and send troops to attack the Xiongnu in winter.

He was planning to persuade Zhang Yue to postpone sending troops.

At this time, Zhang Yue had already shaken his head and said, "No, I am just prepared..."

Pang Yi was surprised and asked, "Is it possible that the Huns invaded?"

Zhang Yue shook his head and did not answer, and Pang Yi did not ask any more questions.

The reason why Zhang Yue asked Pang Yi to complete the production of so many cotton armors within five months was because he had decided to formally submit a letter to the emperor requesting the establishment of a Protectorate of the Western Regions.

As for why he submitted the letter at this time, it was naturally because he hoped to finalize the overall situation of the Western Region while the emperor was still alive.

If history does not change, the emperor will not live long.

If the emperor does not determine the status of the Western Regions before his death, there will be too many uncertainties once the emperor dies.

In Zhang Yue's view, although the emperor was aware of Madam Gou Yi's plan in advance and executed Madam Gou Yi, the one most likely to inherit the throne was Liu Fuling.

Historically, after the emperor's death, Huo Guang, Jin Rixi, Sang Hongyang, and Shangguan Jie assisted in the administration.

With the assistance of the four people, Liu Fuling succeeded to the throne successfully.

But the leader was weak and the ministers were strong, so the commotion in Chang'an was quite big. In the end, Shangguan Jie, one of the four auxiliary ministers, was killed by the Yi tribe.

In this life, the situation is even more complicated, but Li Guangli is still alive and well at this time.

A series of officials from the Second Division still hold great power.

What's more serious is that Mrs. Gou Yi's murder of the prince has been spread. It is very difficult to say whether Liu Fuling can secure the throne.

According to Zhang Yue, after the emperor's death, Chang'an and even the whole world would usher in a period of chaos.

I still don’t know what trouble will be caused by then.

If the status of the Western Regions cannot be determined before the emperor is alive, then we don’t know when and when the Western Regions will be officially included in the territory of the Han Dynasty.

In addition, there is another advantage to formally confirming the status of the Western Regions before the emperor's death.

"My father has not changed his policy even after three years of his death!"

The Han Dynasty also retained a large number of traditions from the pre-Qin era.

If the status of the Western Regions is established before the emperor's death, there is no need to worry about policy changes in a short period of time after the new emperor ascends the throne.

Not only that, if the location of the Western Regions can be determined before the emperor's death, perhaps the Western Regions can also gain some benefits from the chaos after the new emperor succeeds to the throne.

For example, in exchange, Zhang Yue could offer to bring the loser's family members to the Western Regions.

In this way, the Western Regions can obtain a large population, and a high-quality population.

These are all benefits, but there has never been anything in this world that only has benefits and no disadvantages.
Chapter completed!