Chapter 146: Tang Military Equipment

Fearing that Zhen Qian might get the short end of the stick when collecting weapons and equipment, Hao Ren volunteered to accompany him to the armory and even had his subordinates hire several large carts. The grand procession initially left Zhen Qian somewhat puzzled, though he soon realized how little he actually knew about the equipment of the Tang Dynasty military.

Quietly slipping ten silver coins into the armory official's hand, Zhen Qian watched the official's face light up like a peeled shoe that had burst its seams, beaming with delight.

In front of the armory, one storehouse clerk specialized in keeping records, while four lesser scribes handled the moving, distribution, and verification. Holding an account ledger, the senior storehouse official loudly chanted out each item of equipment, then checked and confirmed it with a stroke of his brush in the book.

"One hundred and sixty-five Hengdao sabers for close-quarters hand-to-hand combat!"

As the storehouse clerk chanted aloud, workers inside the warehouse immediately carried out seventeen boxes of Hengdao sabers, with ten sabers to a box. Zhen Qian and Hao Ren stepped forward to inspect and receive them. Expecting somewhat worn-out, obsolete weaponry, they opened the boxes to find that the blades were entirely brand new yet subtly weathered into a refined utility.

Zhen Qian's eyes lit up. Hao Ren picked up a saber, weighing it in his hand at roughly two to three jin. Drawing the blade from its scabbard, a silver flash illuminated the air. The edge was over three feet long; including the hilt, the entire Hengdao measured about three feet and three inches. When swung casually, it moved as fluidly as an extension of one's own arm.

Hao Ren was overjoyed. "It has been a long time since I last laid eyes on Hengdao of such fine quality."

Seeing the expressions of satisfaction on Hao Ren and Zhen Qian's faces, the storehouse clerk smiled and said in a low voice, "Master Zhen, this is a batch of exceptional weaponry forged just last year. County Defender Zhang specifically instructed us to select the absolute finest batch of weapons for you. These Hengdao were originally intended exclusively for military officers at the squad leader level and above, but now they are all Master Zhen's gain."

Hearing this, Zhen Qian understood the underlying meaning. This preferential treatment was undoubtedly thanks to County Defender Zhang. Li Cui, a powerless and nominal prince, lacked any real authority in the prefecture and wielded no influence over local counties.

"Many thanks! Next time you have leisure, come to the Drunken Immortal Tower for a drink—put it on my tab!"

"Easily done, easily done! Having Master Zhen's word is more than enough!"

The storehouse official nodded in satisfaction and chanted even more energetically: "Close-combat polearms, one hundred and sixty-five lances!"

"Ranged weapons: one hundred and sixty-five bows and crossbows, equipped with three hundred and thirty bowstrings, one hundred and sixty-five quivers, one thousand six hundred and fifty armor-piercing arrows, one thousand six hundred and fifty raw-steel arrows, and one thousand six hundred and fifty long-range volley arrows!"

"One hundred and sixty-five sets of light armor, one hundred and sixty-five sets of single-layer battle robes, and one hundred and sixty-five sets of padded winter battle robes!"

"One hundred and sixty-five bronze helmets!"

"Five hundred strips of cowhide for capturing prisoners, along with one sheepskin grain sack and one waterskin each!"

With every chant from the clerk, the junior officials inside continuously carried out batches of various equipment. As the rhythmic chanting continued, the gear from the warehouse was steadily brought out until the weapons and supplies formed small mountain-like piles before Zhen Qian and his companions, leaving Zhen Qian utterly dumbfounded.

The sheer quantity and superb quality of the issued equipment astonished Zhen Qian, but what surprised him even more was the completeness of the variety. Every single man was issued both a close-combat lance and a Hengdao saber. This completely shattered Zhen Qian's preconceived notion that local militia were merely cannon fodder and disorganized mobs. In particular, the deployment rate for ranged bows and crossbows was an astonishing one hundred percent, with every single man equipped with a crossbow and thirty arrows. Furthermore, those thirty arrows were divided into three distinct types: raw-steel, armor-piercing, and long-range volley arrows—though Zhen Qian was not yet entirely clear on the specific tactical uses of each.

Moreover, the one hundred and sixty-five sets of armor far exceeded Zhen Qian's expectations. Rather than simple leather armor, they were genuine, standard half-body iron cuirass sets. In later eras, the famed Mingguang armor was generally reserved for high-ranking generals. The armor in the armory was fashioned from overlapping iron plates into lamellar suits, structured into two-piece ensembles: the shoulder guards and pauldrons joined as a single piece, while the chest-and-back armor connected with the thigh guards as another, fastened together at the front and back by two shoulder straps draped over the pauldrons. At first glance, Zhen Qian assumed these were officer-grade armors. However, he was informed that while County Defender Zhang had intentionally shown them some favor, this armor was actually only slightly more refined than standard issue; in reality, given the unprecedented strength of the Tang Dynasty at this time, the imperial guards, regional garrisons, and border troops all wore armor of this exact design.

This revelation fundamentally altered Zhen Qian's perspective on Tang military equipment. By this point in the Tang Dynasty, military logistics and armaments were already exceptionally sophisticated. Just the hundred-percent archery equipment rate and the widespread issuance of fine iron armor spoke volumes about the immense wealth and foundation of the Tang military.

After receiving these weapons and armor, Zhen Qian assumed the distribution was complete. Just as he was about to tell his men to load the mountain of gear onto the carts, the storehouse clerk called out to stop him: "Master Zhen, do not rush off just yet! There is still plenty of equipment left to claim!"

"There's more?"

"Of course there is, plenty more," the storehouse official said with a smile.

Next, Zhen Qian discovered that there was indeed a vast amount of equipment remaining—truly an overwhelming amount.

According to the storehouse clerk's ledger, Zhen Qian proceeded to collect one horse-feeding trough per person, crafted either from fine timber or wrought iron. Additional items included a small knife, a small file, pliers, a padlock, a medicine pouch, a salt pouch, a flint pouch, a knot-untying awl, and a whetstone. Each man also received a pair of trousers, a headband, a six-strap belt, a hat, and a felt hat.

In addition, every single man was issued a blanket, a quilt, a felt rug, three pairs of hemp shoes, and various other daily necessities.

Each person received a woolen overcoat, and Zhen Qian's small squad was specially allocated a set of leather garments per man. Because the leather-tanning craftsmanship was rather mediocre and produced a strong odor, the storehouse clerk explained that these leather suits were specifically intended for surprise raids.

Looking at the bewildering array of miscellaneous equipment piled before him, whose uses he could barely fathom, Zhen Qian thought to himself that surely everything must be finished now. Once again, however, he was mistaken.

The items issued thus far were merely individual equipment—weapons and gear for personal use. Next came the collective equipment required for each squad and platoon.

Normally, each squad was allotted six pack animals, though these were visibly absent here, having likely been pocketed and divided among the various corrupt officials behind closed doors. Still, every squad was required to have a black fabric tent, an iron feeding trough, a cloth feedbag, a spade, a mattock, a chisel, a pestle and mortar, a basket, an axe, pliers, and a saw, along with two armor racks and two sickles. Furthermore, each platoon had to be equipped with one fire-starter brazier, one breast-harness rope, halters, and three sets of foot hobbles.

Of this massive pile of equipment, Zhen Qian could recognize only a tiny fraction. In the end, he had to humbly and somewhat awkwardly ask the storehouse clerk for guidance to finally understand the practical purposes of these items.

Since the militia did not engage in long-distance campaigns, transport animals were temporarily unnecessary. However, if one wished to establish a scout unit, they would have to pay out of pocket to purchase warhorses, with the quantity entirely at Zhen Qian's discretion—militias enjoyed none of the luxuries of regular standing armies.

Zhen Qian considered himself a half-baked military enthusiast, but he still knew very little about the weaponry and equipment configurations of the Tang military, and when it came to troop movements and battle formations, he was utterly clueless.

While he had read his share of ancient stratagems, applied them to modern business, and was intimately familiar with *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, those texts lacked such granular logistical details. He truly was a novice here; it was clear he needed to seriously study ancient military treatises.

It was at this moment that Zhen Qian realized what a brilliant decision it was for Hao Ren to bring over a dozen large carts. The three mountain-like piles of equipment before him were more than enough to fill every single cart to the brim.

As the storehouse official remarked, had this been a regular standing army, the rations and fodder alone would have formed yet another mountain.

Only by running an enterprise does one realize the cost of firewood and rice; only by serving as a Tang military officer does one realize the sheer volume of equipment required!

In an instant, Zhen Qian felt that the hundred gold coins given to County Defender Zhang were money well spent. The three mountain-like piles of equipment before him were easily worth over fifteen thousand guan, not to mention the five thousand mu of camp land allocated to the militia camp by the county office. Though not prime agricultural land, it still held substantial value. This investment had yielded an astronomical return.

Overjoyed, Zhen Qian slipped the very last few silver coins from his sleeve to the storehouse official. Although he knew the official was acting out of respect for County Defender Zhang, matters requiring personal execution always needed some grease for the wheels—after all, it is easy to deal with the king of hell, but difficult to cope with the petty imps at his gate.