Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 188 Forging Weapons (Part 2)

Upon hearing this, Baili Yu immediately removed his hat and bowed deeply, touching his forehead to the ground. After his chest heaved violently, he slowly said, "Your Majesty is too kind. My uncle often said, 'Craftsmen are the backbone of the nation.' I have been granted the authority to oversee military craftsmanship by my family. I have never dared to slack off day or night, for fear of failing Your Majesty's trust and the expectations of my clan."

"Now that I have gained Your Majesty's approval, I would give my life without regret."

Lu Shang's eyes softened slightly. He raised his hand to help Baili Yu to his feet and said loudly, "I have already witnessed your loyalty and diligence."

"Since the founding of the state by Emperor Wenshu, the Baili family has been loyal and virtuous for generations, sharing the fate of the country and serving as trusted advisors to successive rulers. Your uncle Baili Ming served as the Left Assistant, devoting himself wholeheartedly to the country, and now you have carried on his legacy. This shows that the Baili family has a pure and upright tradition, producing pillars of society in every generation."

"Let's see what the future holds. You will not let me down, and I will not let you down!"

The four ministers of Xu State today are Wu Wenhe, Lü Chong, Baili Ming, and Feng Boling. Except for Lü Chong, who is from the Lü clan, and Wu Wenhe, who comes from Jingzhou, Baili Ming and Feng Boling are both from noble families who share the same fate as the state.

Baili Yu said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty's praise is too much; I am unworthy of it."

Lu Shang gazed intently at the weapons workshop, looking at the roaring furnaces inside, and said in a deep voice, "With loyal and brave ministers like you, how can we worry that the country will not prosper?"

As he spoke, Lü Shang raised his hand and patted Baili Yu's shoulder lightly before turning and walking toward the gate.

The morning mist had thinned somewhat for some reason, and the golden-red sunlight pierced through it as Baili Yu presented the newly cast bronze halberd to the door.

As Lü Shang was about to board the carriage, Baili Yu said in a deep voice, "Your subject respectfully sees Your Majesty off."

Under Baili Yu's watchful gaze, Lü Shang boarded the chariot, the bronze chariot started moving, and the wheels rolled over the gravel road outside the workshop, making a soft rustling sound.

Lü Shang lifted the curtain of his carriage and looked back. He could see Baili Yu still standing in front of the gate, his figure glowing red in the firelight.

The bronze bells on both sides of the carriage trembled with the bumps of the wheels. The morning light pierced through the morning mist, gilding the streets and alleys of Xudu with a thin layer of gold. Between the rammed earth walls along the road, the faint scent of human life rose.

When Lü Shang returned to the palace, the morning light had already spilled over the vermilion palace walls. Lü Shang slowly walked into the main hall. The bronze goose-fish lamps hanging under the corridor had not yet been removed, and the lingering smoke from the lamp oil mixed with the ink fragrance of the bamboo slips on the desk, lingering in the palace.

"Are the Left Assistant Baili Ming and the Right Assistant Feng Boling waiting in the side hall?"

Upon entering the main hall, Lü Shang sat in the main seat, flipping through the wooden slips on the table, and casually asked a question.

A palace servant waiting in the main hall whispered, "Your Majesty, we have been waiting for half an hour."

Lü Shang tapped the corner of the table and said, "Summon Baili Ming and Feng Boling to an audience."

After the palace maid received the order, a short while later, the sound of tinkling jade pendants could be heard from the corridor.

Left Assistant Baili Ming and Right Assistant Feng Boling entered together, both dressed in black court robes, with jade pendants at their waists swaying lightly with each step.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects," the two bowed simultaneously, their foreheads touching the ground.

Lü Shang put down the wooden slips and gestured, "Minister Baili and Minister Feng, please excuse your formalities and come closer to speak."

Feng Boling straightened up and spoke first: "Your Majesty, this morning scouts reported that although the four-nation allied forces have retreated, the Southern Yan and E kingdoms have reinforced their borders, and the armies of Qi and Yin have not completely withdrawn, still intending to invade our territory again."

"As expected,"

Lu Shang said calmly, "They won't give up until we completely subdue them and extinguish their arrogance."

"I hereby issue this decree, ordering the eldest son of the concubine, Chong, to take charge of the border defenses. A sentry post shall be set up every twenty li along the border, and any unusual activity shall be reported directly to Xudu."

"promise,"

The Left Assistant Baili Ming and the Right Assistant Feng Boling responded.

"Sit down," Lü Shang gestured for the two to rise and sit. The candlelight of the bronze goose-fish lamp under the eaves still flickered, intertwining with the morning light filtering through the eaves to create a warm yellow glow.

Lu Shang ran his fingertips along the bamboo slips on the table and said, "I just went to the weapons workshop and saw that Baili Yu, the head of the workshop, is managing it very well, fulfilling his duties and living up to the family's reputation."

"Bai Liqing, you have a fine nephew!"

Upon hearing this, Baili Ming hurriedly rose from his seat, bowed deeply to the ground, and said, "Your Majesty's favor is something my entire family could never repay. I am merely fulfilling my duty as a subject, inheriting the legacy of my ancestors."

Lu Shang raised his hand to stop Baili Ming from making the gesture of avoiding the seat, and said with a light laugh, "Minister Baili, there is no need to be so modest. Baili Yu is indeed a capable minister, and I will continue to give him important responsibilities in the future."

Baili Ming said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty's favor is greatly appreciated. On behalf of the Baili clan, I thank Your Majesty for this kindness."

Lu Shang pondered for a moment and said, "I have just seen Baili Qing, Feng Qing, and the craftsmen in the weapons workshop. Their skills are quite good."

"However, a skilled craftsman is still just a skilled craftsman, not a master craftsman. The weapons they forge all lack a certain spirit."

"How do you think we can make up for this lack of spirituality?"

Lü Shang had personally witnessed the forging of weapons by Xu Guoliang's craftsmen, and even held the newly forged weapons in his hands.

Although the newly forged weapons in the armory were sharp, Lü Shang always felt that something was missing.

After a moment of contemplation, Baili Ming lowered his eyes and said, "What Your Majesty calls spirituality, I believe, is merely craftsmanship."

“In the past, when an elder of the Baili clan was in charge of military production, he once discussed the Dao with Gongshu, a master craftsman from Jingzhou. Gongshu said: ‘When a master craftsman forges weapons, he must integrate the energy of heaven and earth and the blood and sweat of the craftsman to obtain the essence of the weapon.’”

"Although we, Xu Guoliang, have many skilled craftsmen, we lack a master craftsman to oversee us. Therefore, although our weapons are sharp, they lack that piercing edge that connects heaven and earth."

He looked up at the swaying bronze goose-fish lamp in the hall, the candlelight flickering in his eyes, and said, "Your Majesty, I humbly request that you issue an edict to send envoys to search for the greatest craftsmen in the land and treat them with the respect due to 'national craftsmen.' If we can summon these great craftsmen to Xuchang, why worry about the army lacking spirit?"

Lü Shang exclaimed in admiration, "Your words are exactly what I was thinking. I have long been eager to find talented people!"

Feng Boling, standing to the side, narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty's desire to seek out talented people is as clear as the sun and moon. However, I dare to suggest that if you are looking for a master craftsman, you need not look far away from what is near."

"Oh?"

Lü Shang paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean by abandoning what is near for what is far?"

Feng Boling shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, you don't need to send envoys all over the world to find a master craftsman."

“My Xu Kingdom is a state of the Jiang clan. Just by virtue of this name, we can attract great craftsmen to join us. You should know that among the Jiang clan, there is one who is revered as the Lord of War by all the states of the Nine Provinces.”

"To be honest, all the soldiers in the world are from the Jiang family. If even your Jiang family state cannot recruit master craftsmen, then I'm afraid there are no master craftsmen left in the world."

"Master of War,"

Lu Shang suddenly gripped the edge of the table, stood up, and said solemnly, "Feng Qing is right; I had completely forgotten this connection."

"All the soldiers under heaven belong to the Jiang family, and their lord is Chi You!"

Everyone knows that Chi You fought against the Yellow Emperor, but few know that Chi You was also a descendant of the Yan Emperor.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas says that he was Chi You of the Banquan clan, surnamed Jiang, and a descendant of Emperor Yan.

The Chi You that Lü Shang knew was the leader of the Jiuli clan, the lord of the Jiang clan of the Li family, the ancestor of weapon forging in the world, who made weapons out of metal, created five types of weapons, and his power shook the nine provinces.

(End of this chapter)