Fu Ruoxi and Wang Xiping also nodded in agreement.
Although elephants are cumbersome, their trunks are extremely flexible. If that long trunk wraps around a person… or horse and flings them away, the consequences are imaginable.” Shen Jingzhong, who had been thinking for a long time, set down his tea bowl and looked at Bai Qingyan as he spoke. “Moreover, according to what General Bai wrote in his letter, the elephant trunks are equipped with chain mail, making it difficult for them to become a weakness.”
“The trunk…” Bai Qingyan’s hand, tapping the armrest, paused. She supported herself on the armrest and stood up, pacing two steps. “How is an elephant’s sense of smell?”
Grand Commandant Lu and the others immediately understood Bai Qingyan’s meaning.
“Does Your Majesty plan to exploit the elephants’ sense of smell as a weakness to attack the elephant army?” Zhang Duanning felt this was worth trying.
“Quickly, summon two elephant trainers!” Dong Qingping turned and shouted toward the tent entrance.
Soon, several elephant trainers returned. When Zhang Duanning asked them whether elephants had particularly keen senses of smell, the trainers were stunned for a moment.
One of them thought for a while and said: “Yes, perhaps… because of their long trunks, elephants have very keen senses of smell. According to what the old elephant trainers passed down orally, they told us that when elephants were sick and herbs were mixed into their food, the elephants would use their trunks to precisely pick them out…”
Another elephant trainer quickly added: “So we trainers need to establish deep emotional bonds with the elephants and tell them these can treat pain, to prevent our trained elephants from dying of illness.”
“We are all elephant trainers, and these elephants have been with us since they were young, but… my ancestors captured elephants for their masters, and the masters were in the ivory trading business. When I was small, I heard my grandfather say that elephants in the wild rely on their trunks to find food, so when they captured elephants, they often used food that elephants liked as traps.” That elephant trainer boldly raised his head to glance at Bai Qingyan, then lowered his head again. “And people had to stay far away, only approaching when there was movement, otherwise the elephants would know people were there. So this commoner thinks that perhaps elephants’ trunks are even more sensitive than hunting dogs.”
Bai Qingyan nodded: “Thank you both for your hard work. General Lin, have someone escort these two elephant trainers to rest.”
“Thank Your Majesty!”
Both elephant trainers kowtowed together.
“Organize this information and send the first wave of messengers to deliver it to the Bai family army generals. Perhaps… before war breaks out, the generals can find opportunities to test this.” Bai Qingyan said.
“This minister will handle this matter!” Zhang Duanning took on the task. “The message will be sent out today.”
Bai Qingyan nodded: “Thank you for your hard work!”
With matters settled, Bai Qingyan was also ready to return to the palace. She instructed Lin Kangle to ensure someone took good care of these elephants, as if war truly broke out in the future, Great Zhou’s chances of defeating the elephant army would depend on these elephants.
Bai Qingyan planned to immediately have people sew animal hides according to these elephants’ body measurements for them to wear. Once these elephants had recovered sufficiently, they would depart to send these elephants and trainers together to Nan Jiang, settling the elephants north of the Jing River. This way… they could transmit the elephants’ weaknesses to the front lines at the fastest speed.
The appearance of Tianfeng Kingdom’s elephant army made Great Zhou’s several key ministers’ nerves tighten, spurring them to prepare for the impending great battle, mobilizing provisions… mobilizing troops. The sense of urgency spread from Grand Commandant Lu to the ministers of the six departments and various regions, tightening up officials and soldiers throughout the Great Zhou.
Originally, after the autumn harvest, this year’s busy farming season had ended, and it was time for the people to prepare for winter. They saw cities with stationed troops and major camps beginning to mobilize forces.
To prevent those with military power in Great Liang – which had just become Great Zhou territory – from harboring inappropriate thoughts once war broke out in Nan Jiang, except for Great Liang’s navy, Bai Qingyan transferred all former Liang army main forces to Nan Jiang, having Wang Xiping lead troops to take over their positions.
Originally, the Liang soldiers were quite dissatisfied, but hearing that the entire Bai family army was in Nan Jiang, they said no more and followed orders to head to Nan Jiang.
Seeing this troop rotation, the people with keen minds vaguely sensed the atmosphere of impending war. Those with relatives serving as officials in government offices heard some rumors, saying that Xiliang was about to cause trouble again, so His Majesty was deploying troops to Xiliang.
Some local prefects had heard about the elephant army, but orders from above strictly forbade informing the people of this matter for now, to avoid causing unnecessary panic among the populace.
In the capital city, being close to the imperial city, the families of court officials had mostly learned about the elephant army and inevitably broke into cold sweats for Nan Jiang.
Because of the elephant army, Bai Jinzhi and Xiao Ruojiang spent these days in the suburban military camp, staying with these elephant trainers beside the elephants all day long…
Bai Jinzhi believed that even if Xiliang and Tianfeng Kingdom temporarily dared not confront the Great Zhou, the Great Zhou must have countermeasures against the elephant army to ensure a certain victory.
On the twenty-ninth day of the tenth month in the first year of Yuanhe, Xiao Ruohai and Chen Qingsheng, who had been sent to Tianfeng Kingdom, returned to the capital together with Shen Qingzhu, who had been secretly dispatched to Nan Jiang by Bai Qingyan. By coincidence, they encountered Bai Jinzhi returning from the military camp at the city gate, and all four entered the palace together.
Xiao Ruohai and Chen Qingsheng returned suddenly without sending an advance notice. Chun Tao was accompanying Bai Qingyan in reviewing memorials when Wei Zhong suddenly announced that Chen Qingsheng had returned. Chun Tao, who was grinding ink for Bai Qingyan, trembled and quickly raised her eyes to peer toward the palace entrance.
Bai Qingyan set down her brush and smiled as she told Wei Zhong, “Quickly invite them in!”
As she spoke, Bai Qingyan looked at Chun Tao, who was eagerly watching the palace entrance, and said: “When your cousin returns this time, I’ll arrange your marriage, so… my mother can also rest assured!”
Chun Tao’s cheeks reddened, and she shyly protested: “Miss…”
Chun Tao was the daughter of Bai Qingyan’s mother, Dong Shi’s wet nurse. Though not blood-related, Dong Shi’s wet nurse treated Chun Tao as if she were her daughter.
Before her death, Dong Shi’s wet nurse grasped Dong Shi’s hand and entrusted her daughter to her, only then revealing the truth to Dong Shi…
Chun Tao was the biological daughter of Dong Shi’s wet nurse’s younger sister. When Chun Tao’s birth mother died giving birth to her, Dong Shi’s wet nurse noticed movement in her sister’s womb and performed a cesarean section to save Chun Tao from her younger sister’s belly.
But her younger sister’s in-laws considered it unlucky and didn’t want Chun Tao, so Dong Shi’s wet nurse raised Chun Tao by her side, nurturing her bit by bit as if she were her daughter. Chun Tao was also her only relative in this world.
Dong Shi had always thought the wet nurse adopted Chun Tao because she was lonely, having no children, never knowing there was this story behind it. So after the wet nurse passed away, Dong Shi brought Chun Tao to Bai Qingyan’s side and told everyone in the mansion that Chun Tao was Dong Shi’s wet nurse’s daughter, and no one was allowed to mistreat her.
Dong Shi was also very concerned about Chun Tao’s marriage, always feeling that arranging a good match for Chun Tao would fulfill the wet nurse’s dying wish…