Chapter 122: The King of Cold Weapons

After the villagers had all dispersed, Xu Mo gathered everyone into the house for a meeting.

Present were Chen Miaoyi, the entire Xu Tieshu family of three, Ning Yaxin, Qin Mutou, the village chief, and the three Niu brothers from the delivery team.

Once everyone settled down, Xu Mo stood and said, “Everyone, although our goods were robbed today, thankfully no one was harmed. That is my greatest relief!”

Hearing this, the village chief and the three Niu brothers immediately nodded in agreement. Those present felt Xu Mo was a man of genuine compassion.

Xu Mo continued, “Let me share my thoughts. Though we are all disheartened and angry about today’s loss, I urge you not to dwell on it. We have far more important matters to attend to!”

He then outlined three points.

First, they must immediately report the incident to the authorities. After the meeting, he and Ning Yaxin would head to the city to seek an audience with the magistrate.

Second, some villagers should be sent out to gather intelligence on the whereabouts of the White-Haired gang and Peng Dong’s bandits. This would not only provide valuable information to the government but also help them understand the enemy’s movements—knowledge is power.

Third, and most importantly, they needed to increase the manpower of the delivery team and strengthen its armament.

No one present voiced any opposition to Xu Mo’s proposals.

Seeing no dissent, Xu Mo began assigning tasks.

First, the village chief was entrusted with gathering information on the bandits.

The chief readily accepted, pledging to select a few experienced hunters from the village, as they were familiar with the local terrain and swift on their feet, making intelligence gathering more efficient.

Next was the matter of increasing personnel for the delivery team.

Xu Mo declared on the spot that they would recruit thirty more members and triple the wages for all delivery workers, including the existing team members.

Of course, anyone too frightened by the recent events was free to quit at any time without obstruction.

Lastly, the focus was on upgrading the delivery team’s weaponry.

Niu Da proposed equipping each member with a single-edged sword and intensifying their swordsmanship training, confident it would be enough to fend off bandits made up of refugees.

Niu Er and Niu San, who always followed their eldest brother’s lead, readily agreed.

They further suggested forming an archery unit to provide significant deterrence and greatly enhance the team’s combat effectiveness.

Apart from the three Niu brothers, no one else present was well-versed in military matters.

All eyes turned to Xu Mo, waiting for his judgment.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Mo addressed the Niu brothers, “I must say your ideas to arm the team with single-edged swords and archers are excellent, but I believe now is not the right time for us.”

Niu Da was puzzled and immediately asked, “Why not, Boss?”

Niu Er chimed in, “Boss, do you think swords are too expensive? That equipping everyone would cost too much?”

Niu San shared his brother’s sentiment, frowning deeply.

Xu Mo shook his head. “You misunderstand. It’s not that I’m unwilling to buy swords. The problem is, while swords are easy to acquire, mastering them is quite another matter…”

He reasoned that villagers varied greatly in physical ability, aptitude for martial arts, and psychological resilience.

If they were to train in swordsmanship, it was uncertain how long it would take before they could effectively defend against bandits.

In short, the process would be too slow, and the resulting combat effectiveness uncertain.

What Xu Mo wanted now was to quickly organize a stable fighting force capable of escorting goods safely to the city.

Having explained his reasoning, Niu Er and Niu San fell silent, acknowledging the logic in his words.

The village chief and Ning Yaxin also nodded in agreement.

Niu Da then asked, “Boss, if swords won’t do, what weapon should we use?”

Without hesitation, Xu Mo replied, “Spears!”

He went on to justify his choice eloquently.

“The spear is known as the king of cold weapons. The saying ‘the longer the spear, the stronger the power’ refers to it!”

“First, spears are quick to learn and extremely flexible in use. They can be used offensively or defensively, suitable for men and women alike.”

“Second, their killing power is tremendous. A spear can pierce vital points like the heart, throat, and major arteries, capable of killing with a single thrust. On the battlefield, this intimidates the enemy greatly, applying immense pressure!”

Xu Mo recalled many famous generals who favored the spear: Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Xiang Yu, Yue Fei, Lin Chong, Lu Junyi—all wielded spears with devastating effect.

Therefore, to rapidly assemble a combat-ready armed force, his first choice was spear-wielding troops.

Despite Xu Mo’s passionate speech, the expressions around the room were strange. Everyone exchanged uncertain glances, and no one spoke.

Confused, Xu Mo asked, “What’s wrong? Did I say something incorrect?”

Chen Miaoyi gently tugged at his sleeve and whispered, “Husband, spears won’t work.”

“Why not?” Xu Mo asked, puzzled.

Ning Yaxin frowned deeply upon hearing this question.

Others were equally surprised.

Ning Yaxin explained, “Young Master Xu, you don’t know that spears are banned by the government.”

“Banned? Really?” Xu Mo was genuinely unaware.

Niu Da nodded, “It’s true, Boss.”

He then told Xu Mo that the imperial edict prohibited private ownership of armor, horse armor, crossbows, horse lances, and spears.

However, the ban on horse lances and spears applied only to those longer than nine feet; those under nine feet were not included.

Nine feet equals about three meters.

Though initially disappointed, Xu Mo perked up upon realizing a loophole.

“That’s easy! We can use spears shorter than nine feet. They’ll still be effective against those bandits!” he said excitedly.

But Niu Da warned, “Boss, even so, no one dares to forge spearheads.”

It turned out that making spears was associated with the crime of rebellion, punishable by death if discovered.

Therefore, common folk neither knew how nor dared to make spearheads, fearing denunciation and severe consequences.

Xu Mo frowned, lost in thought.

Seeing this, Ning Yaxin suggested, “Young Master Xu, perhaps we should just equip everyone with single-edged swords. Having weapons is better than none, and it will boost morale. As for combat effectiveness, we can train hard and improve quickly.”

At this, the three Niu brothers nodded in agreement.

The village chief and Xu Tieshu also found Ning Yaxin’s proposal sensible.

Xu Mo remained silent, his brow furrowed in deep contemplation.

Suddenly, his gaze landed on a small bamboo stool in the room.

At that moment, an idea struck him. He snapped his fingers excitedly and exclaimed, “We don’t need to forge spearheads—we can just use bamboo spears!”