Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

When the second batch of coke from Tiecheng arrived, Ou the blacksmith was so excited that his hands were shaking.

"Your Highness, this coke...this coke is truly a divine substance!"

He held up a piece of silvery-gray coke, his eyes gleaming. "It burns longer than coal, produces a stronger flame, and leaves no smoke. Used for iron smelting, the molten iron is clear, with fewer impurities; the resulting iron ingots are so bright you could use them as a mirror!"

Xiao Chen took the iron ingot. Sure enough, its surface was smooth and had a bluish-gray metallic luster.

When tapped, it produces a crisp sound, like gold and jade striking each other.

This is no longer ordinary pig iron; it's almost like steel.

"Try the knife," he said.

"yes!"

The blast furnace was reignited, and coke and iron ore were layered in.

The bellows roared as four strong men took turns pulling them, making the fire burn brighter and brighter. The flames turned from orange-red to bright white, and the temperature was so high it was scorching.

The blacksmith stood guard in front of the furnace, his eyes fixed on the firebox.

He was an old blacksmith, and he could judge the heat based on his experience.

When the molten iron turned a dazzling golden-white, he shouted, "Out of the furnace!"

Molten iron flows and is poured into a sand mold. After cooling, it is broken open, and the iron ingot is formed.

This time, the iron ingots are darker and brighter in color.

When the blacksmith filed it, the cross-section was a uniform silvery-white color, without any air bubbles or impurities.

"Fine iron!" His voice trembled. "This is...this is refined iron! No, it's even better than refined iron!"

Xiao Chen picked up one piece, weighed it in his hand, and found it to be heavy. He tapped it with another iron ingot, and it rang out with a long, lingering sound.

"What can you play?"

"Knives, guns, arrowheads, armor—we can fight them all!"

"Especially knives," the blacksmith exclaimed excitedly. "Made with this kind of iron, once quenched, they can cut through iron like mud!"

"Then forge a knife."

Xiao Chen made the decision, "Let's play a hundred rounds first, and then assign them to the Hanyuan Guards."

"yes!"

The manufacturing company is operating at full capacity.

Ironsmith Ou personally took the helm, leading twenty apprentices to work day and night.

The iron ingot is heated until red-hot, placed on an anvil, and hammered repeatedly.

Sparks flew everywhere, and the clanging sound was incessant.

Forging a single knife requires hundreds of forging processes. It's heated until red-hot, then forged, then heated again until red-hot again, and then forged once more.

Repeated folding and hammering removes impurities and increases toughness. This is called "hundred-refinement steel".

Xiao Chen also went down to the workshop to learn.

Although he had read the information in his previous life, theoretical discussions and hands-on experience are two different things.

The first hammer blow made my hand go numb, and the iron ingot only dented a little.

Blacksmith Ou smiled: "Your Highness, blacksmithing is both physically demanding and technically skilled. Watch me—"

He swung the sledgehammer, using his waist and legs to generate power, and with one blow, the iron ingot was flattened by a third.

"The waist must be stable, the legs must be solid, the power should originate from the ground, flow through the arms, and reach the hammer."

As he forged the iron, Ou taught him, "You can't just use the strength of your arms; you have to use the strength of your whole body."

Xiao Chen did as instructed, and it went much more smoothly.

Three days later, the first knife was forged.

The knife is three feet long and two inches wide, with a slight curve.

The blade is dark blue-green and covered with fine cloud-like patterns, marks left by hundreds of folds and forgings.

The blade was gleaming, and its chilling aura was palpable.

"Your Highness, please try it." Blacksmith Ou handed it over.

Xiao Chen took it, casually swung it, and chopped at a wooden stake as thick as an arm next to him.

Swish!

The wooden stake snapped instantly, leaving a clean, mirror-like cut.

"What a fine knife!" the surrounding craftsmen exclaimed in unison.

Xiao Chen tested the resilience again.

He bent the knife into an arc, then released it, and it snapped back straight as before.

It didn't break or crack; it's very elastic.

"Quenching," he said.

Quenching is the final and crucial step.

The red-hot blade is immersed in cold water or oil to cool it rapidly and increase its hardness.

But if the quenching is not done properly, the knife will be ruined; it will either be too brittle and break at the slightest touch, or too soft and curl up when cut.

The blacksmith Ou personally carried out the work.

The blade is heated to an orange-red color, then quickly pulled out and immersed in pre-prepared tung oil.

stab-

White smoke rose, and the oil noodles churned.

After waiting for ten breaths, I withdrew it.

The blade had turned a dark cyan color, with a faint blue glow.

"Sharpening".

With careful polishing on a whetstone, the blade gradually becomes gleaming.

Finally, wipe it with cowhide, and the blade will be so shiny it will reflect your image.

"It's done." Blacksmith Ou breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao Chen took the knife, casually twirled it, and its cold light flashed, making a sound as it cut through the air.

"This knife deserves a name," he said.

Everyone looked at him.

"Let's call it 'Frost Abyss'," Xiao Chen said, enunciating each word clearly. "The iron of Frost Abyss, the blade of Frost Abyss. Guarding my Frost Abyss, protecting my people."

"Frost Abyss Blade! What a great name!"

"The Frost Abyss Blade! The Frost Abyss Blade!"

The cheers were deafening.

Xiao Chen kept the first Cold Abyss Blade for himself. The remaining ninety-nine were to be forged as quickly as possible.

Ten days later, all one hundred Cold Abyss Blades were completed.

The Cold Abyss Guards have officially changed their uniforms.

On the training ground, three hundred Cold Abyss Guards stood in neat rows.

Each person was equipped with a leather armor, a strong bow, and twenty arrows, and now they also had a Cold Abyss Blade.

The scabbard is made of cowhide, simple yet sturdy. The handle is wrapped with black sharkskin, which is non-slip and absorbent.

The blade is sheathed, revealing only the ebony hilt—unassuming, yet dangerous.

"Draw your sword!" Xiao Chen ordered.

Swah——

One hundred knives were drawn simultaneously, their cold gleam reflecting the sunlight.

"drill!"

One hundred people dispersed to practice swordsmanship.

The movements—slashing, chopping, parrying, thrusting—were perfectly synchronized, the wind whistling through the air. Though only basic swordsmanship, its sheer power was astonishing.

Wang Dashan stared, his eyes wide with disbelief.

He was a veteran, a man of the world. The swords of the Imperial Guards, made by the Ministry of Works, were of good quality.

But compared to this Cold Abyss Blade, it's far inferior. Whether it's sharpness, toughness, or craftsmanship, it's not in the same league.

"Your Highness, can these knives... be mass-produced?" His voice trembled.

"Yes, we can," Xiao Chen nodded, "but it will be slow. It takes three days to forge one knife. A hundred knives would take three hundred days. We can't afford to wait that long."

"That……"

"Improve the process," Xiao Chen said. "Master Ou, I have an idea."

"Please speak, Your Highness."

"Right now, we're forging them one by one, which is too slow. Could we make a mold to cast the blade blanks all at once, and then forge, quench, and sharpen them? That would increase efficiency tenfold."

"Cast?" Blacksmith Ou frowned. "Cast knives are brittle and break easily."

"Therefore, improvements are needed."

Xiao Chen said, "We use sand molds, preheat, pour the casting, keep it at a high temperature, and then cool it slowly. This produces a blade blank with a uniform structure and few impurities. After forging, it's ready to use."

The blacksmith was skeptical, but what the prince said always made sense.

"Then...shall we give it a try?"

"try."

A new experiment has begun.

Xiao Chen drew up the blueprints for the die-cutting mold, which consisted of two joined sand molds with a hollow cavity shaped like a knife in the middle.

The sand mold needs to be dried and preheated to a certain temperature before molten iron is poured in.

The first attempt failed.

The molten iron wasn't hot enough, so it solidified as soon as it was poured in, and only half of it was poured. The blank is incomplete.

The second time, the molten iron was too hot and washed away the sand mold, causing the molten iron to spill all over the ground.

The third time, the temperature was right, but the cooling was too fast, and the blank cracked.

The blacksmith was so anxious that blisters appeared on his lips, but Xiao Chen remained calm.

Keep trying; failure is the mother of success.

On the seventh try, it finally worked.

The molten iron temperature is just right, the sand mold is preheated to the appropriate temperature, casting is performed, the temperature is maintained, and the iron is slowly cooled.

After the mold was opened, a complete blade blank appeared before my eyes. Although rough, it was well-shaped and without cracks.

"It's done!" The blacksmith was so excited that tears streamed down his face.

After forging, quenching, and sharpening, a new knife is born.

Although it is not as good as the Cold Abyss Blade made of refined steel, it is much stronger than an ordinary iron blade.

The key is that it's highly efficient.

Fifty knife blanks can be cast in a day, and fifty knives can be produced in three days.

"Let's call it 'Frost Abyss Standard Knife'."

Xiao Chen named it, "The entire Cold Abyss Guard will be re-equipped. Veteran soldiers will use Hundred-Refined Blades, and new recruits will use standard-issue swords. In the future, they will all be replaced with Hundred-Refined Blades."

"yes!"

The armory was operating at full capacity, day and night. Blast furnaces were used to smelt iron, cast blade blanks, forge them into shape, and quench and sharpen them. One after another, the Cold Abyss Blades were transported out of the armory to equip the troops.

The combat power of the Cold Abyss Guards has visibly increased.

With a good knife, they trained even harder. They chopped down wooden stakes, split straw men, practiced sparring, and engaged in real combat.

His swordsmanship became increasingly skilled, and his killing intent grew stronger.

That day, Xiao Chen was watching the training on the training ground when Zhao Tie rushed over.

"Your Highness, Night Owl has news."

"explain."

"There's been some movement from Prince Yong's side."

Zhao Tie lowered his voice, "He submitted a memorial to the court, saying that the prince was 'privately manufacturing weapons and plotting rebellion.' He also sent several captured... ordinary iron knives, saying they were made in Hanyuan and were exceptionally sharp, incomparable to standard weapons."

Xiao Chen sneered.

"He certainly knows how to pick a fight. And then what?"

"His Majesty ordered the Ministry of Works to inspect it. The people from the Ministry of Works said that the knife was indeed of excellent quality, but... it did not conform to regulations. The knife was three feet three inches long and two inches wide, which was three inches longer and two-tenths of an inch wider than the standard knife. Moreover, the blade had cloud patterns, which were traces of hundred-refined steel. According to the law, privately manufacturing hundred-refined steel weapons is tantamount to treason."

"What a huge compliment." Xiao Chen's expression remained unchanged. "What was the court's reaction?"

"Your Majesty...His Majesty has instructed the Prince to submit a memorial defending himself. The memorial has been drafted and is expected to arrive in ten days."

Ten days.

Xiao Chen pondered for a moment.

"Have Night Owl spread the word that Prince Yong is privately manufacturing a huge quantity of weapons at Dingbei Pass, intending to rebel. The few knives he sent me were made by himself, and he's framing me."

"yes!"

"Then have Zhang Meng write a letter to his father, asking him to echo the sentiments in court. He should say that the Prince of Yong is running rampant in the northern border, embezzling military pay, and privately manufacturing weapons, and that the evidence is conclusive."

"yes!"

"Furthermore," Xiao Chen's eyes flashed with a cold light, "have the Imperial Workshop speed up the forging of swords. Didn't they want evidence? I'll give them evidence. Make a thousand standard-issue swords, engrave the character 'Yong' on them, and send them to the capital, saying that they were weapons privately manufactured by the Prince of Yong and seized at Dingbei Pass."

Zhao Tie gasped.

"Your Highness, is this...is this going to work?"

"Why not?" Xiao Chen retorted. "He can frame someone, so why can't I? Let's see who can outmaneuver whom."

"yes!"

Zhao Tie accepted the order and left.

Xiao Chen stood alone on the training ground, watching the Han Yuan Guards train.

The blade flashed like snow, and a murderous aura filled the air.

Prince Yong, if you want to play, I'll play with you.

Let's see whose territory this northern border truly belongs to.