Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 187 Forging Weapons (Part 1)

Just as Wu Wenhe was taking advantage of the situation to persuade the western states, led by Jiao, to benefit Xu State.

In the Xudu Bing workshop, the morning mist had not yet dissipated, and voices gradually rose. Thirty-five furnaces were lined up in the workshop, and the charcoal fires in the furnaces made the faces of the pottery mold makers glow red.

Although the State of Xu defeated the combined forces of the four states, the nobles of Xu, led by Lü Shang, were well aware that this was only the beginning, and the next major battle might be just around the corner.

In order to deal with the military might of the four kingdoms, Lü Shang had no choice but to issue a royal decree ordering the artisans in the weapons workshops to keep firing day and night for twelve hours a day.

This illustrates the principle that "to do something well, you must first have the right tools."
At the entrance of the military workshop, the workshop's guards greeted Lü Shang's carriage and stepped forward.

Upon approaching, the military commander immediately bowed to the carriage and said, "Your subject, Baili Yu, greets Your Majesty."

Baili Yu, a member of the Baili clan, was the nephew of Baili Ming, the Left Assistant of Xu State, and an outstanding member of the younger generation of the Baili clan.

"Get up,"

Lü Shang helped Che Shi to his feet, his gaze sweeping over the rising steam in the weapons workshop.

Then, he stepped off the bronze chariot and crossed the gate in hemp shoes.

Baili Yu followed closely behind, a sword hanging from his belt at his waist, swaying slightly with each step, making a soft rustling sound.

"This is the military workshop of my Xu Kingdom,"

As soon as Lü Shang stepped into the weapons workshop, he felt a scorching wave of copper rust rushing towards him.

This was the first time Lü Shang had stepped into the weapons workshop since he ascended the throne.

Thirty-five furnaces stood in formation like crimson beasts, with the three furnaces at the front spouting golden-red flames. Twelve craftsmen squatted in front of the furnaces, working together to turn the bellows, each rise and fall producing a whooshing sound.

Sparks flew from the charcoal fire in the furnace, landing on the craftsmen's bare forearms and leaving scorch marks, but they were oblivious, their eyes fixed on the molten gold churning inside.

Twelve streaks of crimson gold flame rose from the molten gold in the furnace, flowing along the ceramic channels and into the neatly arranged cicada-patterned halberd mold.

Lü Shang stood among the craftsmen, his gaze fixed on the cicada-patterned halberd mold.

From his position, one could clearly see the cicada pattern flickering between light and shadow, appearing as flowing lines like gold foil in the firelight.

Baili Yu whispered, "Your Majesty, this is the most important step in weapon forging: casting!"

"The casting of weapons may seem simple, but it is actually something that can only be done by skilled craftsmen. One must be able to observe the times and the situation; neither can be lacking."

A skilled craftsman is a master craftsman, and in Xu Guobing's workshop, such a person is considered a top-tier craftsman, second only to Baili Yu in status.

Lu Shang watched silently as the craftsmen filled the halberd mold with molten gold. The twelve men then put down their bellows and picked up long-handled wooden mallets, gently tapping around the mold.

The hammer blows fell in a rhythmic pattern, like the striking of a chime. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the foremost craftsman placed his hand on the mold, touched it briefly, then withdrew his fingers and shouted, "Remove the mold!"

"Remove the mold!" The craftsmen each held a bronze dagger and gently pried along the seam of the mold.

The cicada-patterned halberd mold split open like a cicada's molt, revealing twelve nascent bronze halberds lying horizontally within. The cicada patterns on the halberd's spine still retained the warmth of the molten gold, and fine white vapor rose from them in the morning mist.

Upon seeing the weapons completed, Lü Shang stepped forward with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the twelve bronze halberds. His fingertips gently traced the spines of the halberds, feeling their scalding heat, yet they possessed a greater sense of solidity than ordinary bronze.

"good,"

Upon receiving it, Lü Shang immediately praised it. Although he did not understand weapon forging, he did understand weaponry, and he could tell the quality of the bronze halberd as soon as he held it.

Lü Shang loosely gripped the handle of the halberd with his five fingers, the texture slightly rough yet fitting snugly against his palm.

hum!
Then he lightly tapped the spine of the sword with his finger, the sound clear and melodious like striking a chime stone, the long trailing tone carrying the unique vibrato of metal, vibrating straight to the bone marrow and making his palm numb.

The halberd is a crucial weapon, ranking first among the five weapons: halberd, spear, bow, dagger-axe, and halberd. Whether in infantry or chariot warfare, the halberd is considered a formidable weapon.

Because of the importance of the spear, all nations and states regarded the forging of spears as the foundation of their state.

Lü Shang turned around, gripping the new halberd, his gaze sweeping over the piles of armor in the corner of the armory, and asked in a raised voice, "Are there any items prepared for testing the troops?"

Baili Yu stepped forward half a step, raised his hand to indicate the wooden shelf on the west side, and said, "Your Majesty, there is the rhinoceros armor that was sent the other day, as well as three sets of bronze armor."

“Rhinoceros armor,”

Lü Shang nodded, his fingertips lightly tapping the blade of the halberd. His gaze swept over the pile of rhinoceros armor, and he said in a deep voice, "Take the thickest rhinoceros armor to test."

"promise,"

Baili Yu responded immediately, and two craftsmen quickly brought over a dark suit of armor. The rhinoceros hide on the armor was shiny with scales, and the seams were reinforced with interlaced raw cowhide ropes with cloud patterns on them.

Lü Shang gripped his halberd and struck the left breast of the armor. With a clang, sparks flew where the halberd blade collided with the armor.

"Excellent!" one of the craftsmen watching couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.

Lu had not yet shown any joy. He bent down to carefully examine the damaged parts of the armor, his fingertips tracing the blade of the halberd, and said, "It is indeed a fine halberd."

He looked up at the group of craftsmen and said, "From now on, for every ten halberds cast, three suits of armor must be used to test them. Rhinoceros armor, bronze armor, and leather armor must all be tested. During the testing, a special person must record the wear and tear on the halberd blades and the damage to the armor. If there is a skilled craftsman who can break through heavy armor, I will reward him handsomely."

Baili Yu and the group of craftsmen solemnly accepted the order and replied, "Yes, sir."

Looking at the craftsmen who had also accepted the mission, Lü Shang sighed inwardly: "It's a pity that Xu has no master craftsmen. If there were, I would really like to ask a master craftsman to forge a weapon that suits my taste."

"With my near-divine martial prowess, having a top-tier divine weapon in my hands would truly make me as powerful as a tiger with wings."

The two iron clubs he used during the Battle of Xudu were only barely considered divine weapons because of their solid materials. Lü Shang never imagined that he could dominate the world and become famous throughout the land with these two iron clubs.

After all, since the beginning of time, when Taiyi created the world and the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors attained enlightenment, countless extraordinary talents have been born in this land of nine provinces.

These heroes, with their divine and otherworldly qualities, spread civilization across the land, establishing one kingdom after another, becoming the protagonists of their time.

To this day, some of them use the nation to nurture their Dao fruits, and after the Dao fruits mature, they ascend to the heavens; others are trapped in the realm of gods and humans, lying dormant among mountains and valleys.

If the world changes, these old-generation geniuses will not be content to remain silent. Lü Shang does not believe that he can make them back down with just two iron rods.

These thoughts crossed Lü Shang's mind. Then he put down the bronze halberd in his hand and walked slowly back and forth in the weapons workshop with Baili Yu.

After carefully inspecting the armory, Lü Shang stood with his hands behind his back in the rising steam, turned to look at Baili Yu standing beside him, and said with satisfaction, "The Baili family is indeed full of talented people. You have managed this armory in an orderly manner. In my opinion, you have already inherited your uncle's true skills."

"You're very good. I can rest assured that I'm handing this weapons workshop over to you."

(End of this chapter)