My house's electrical wiring dates back to the Tang Dynasty.

"Hey buddy, I have something I'd like Master Zhou to do. Could you arrange a meeting for me? Now," Li Mingbo said, after paying and putting the sword in his car, locking it up, and looking at the young man following behind him.

"Okay, I'll make a call and ask," the deliveryman said.

Upon hearing this, the deliveryman realized that the customer had purchased 23 yuan worth of goods, and it was acceptable for him to make some requests.

Besides, this is also a business.

The deliveryman went to the side to make a phone call, but returned quickly. "Master Zhou is in his workshop. We'll head over now."

"Okay, get in the car," Li Mingbo replied.

Soon the car arrived at a traditional tiled house.

This is somewhat like the tiled houses of the Hui-style architecture.

Li Mingbo met Master Zhou.

After the two exchanged pleasantries...

Li Mingbo took out his phone and handed it to Master Zhou, saying, "Master Zhou, I want to forge a lance like this, using the best steel, to be practical in combat, not just for collection."

Li Mingbo said.

Mr. Zhou took the phone and looked at it.

"This lance..." As soon as Master Zhou saw the lance, he felt a terrifying killing intent emanating from it, even through the phone screen, as if he were being stared at by a fierce tiger.

That solidified brown patina on the surface... could it be human blood?

Master Zhou zoomed in on the picture to examine the wooden spear handle.

The scars on the hilt of the spear, left by sword cuts, resembled medals on a soldier's uniform.

This is a real lance that has actually killed people.

"The horse lance was still a powerful weapon on the battlefield during the late Sui and early Tang dynasties, and famous generals such as Yuchi Gong and Qin Qiong were known for their skill in using the horse lance."

By the time of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Central Plains dynasty had lost control of the high-quality horse-producing areas in the northwest and Youyan, and was unable to build a large-scale elite cavalry force.

Military strategy shifted from "using cavalry to control cavalry" to "using infantry to control cavalry," and the tactical value of the lance, the core weapon of heavy cavalry, decreased significantly.

However, by the Song Dynasty, it had largely been phased out of actual combat.

"This is a genuine lance, possibly from the Tang Dynasty, and it's so well preserved, it's incredibly rare," Master Zhou remarked with emotion.

You were absolutely right, this is indeed Qin Shubao's personal spear.

Li Mingbo thought to himself.

"Boss, where did you take this picture? Can I see the real thing?"

"Looking is possible, but not now. I promised him I would forge an identical horse spear for him using meteorite iron, and he agreed to trade with me in return," Li Mingbo said.

"That's great! As long as the boss lets me see it, I'll make him an identical lance for free." Master Zhou handed his phone to Li Mingbo, pointing to the lance shaft. "The most valuable part is the lance handle. Look, there are chopping marks on it. It's made of wood, so a knife can't cut through it, and you can see the cuts are very shallow." Master Zhou zoomed in on the picture for a clearer view.

"The most valuable part of a lance is the shaft, which involves hundreds of processes and has a low yield rate."

"The shaft is mainly made of strong, tough, and flexible mulberry wood. The sinew is soaked in fish glue to soften it, and then spirally wrapped around the shaft. During the wrapping process, it needs to be pounded with a wooden mallet to ensure that the sinew adheres tightly to the wood and enhances its resistance to bending. After wrapping the sinew, raw lacquer is applied every 3-5 layers, and each layer needs to be air-dried for 7 days."

"Vermilion or charcoal black can be added to the final coat of lacquer. This spear shaft is black, and the final coat is made of charcoal black. It is also polished smooth to make the diameter of the spear shaft uniform."

"After an extremely complicated production process that takes two years and has a low success rate, the shaft of this lance is so well preserved; it is truly a masterpiece among masterpieces."

"I'm content just to see it with my own eyes."

Master Zhou said excitedly.

"Can he be replaced?" Master Zhou looked at Li Mingbo with a questioning gaze.

Would the other party exchange something so valuable for a modern item?

"I saved his life. He said he would make me an exact replica, so he gave me this one. Master Zhou, please use the best materials," Li Mingbo said.

"Just body shaping?"

"Yes," Li Mingbo replied.

As for the spear handle, given Qin Shubao's status as the Left General of the Martial Guard, it would be perfectly acceptable for him to also have a spear shaft.

The manufacturing process of the gun barrel is complex, and the quantity is limited.

But it depends on who it is.

Given Qin Shubao's current status, there's no reason why he wouldn't be entitled to a spear.

Logically speaking, modern high-manganese steel would have been sufficient to dominate the Tang Dynasty, but Li Mingbo insisted on using the best and highest-grade meteorite iron to be befit his idol status.

Master Zhou agreed to build one for free.

When Li Mingbo suggested using meteorites to create it, it wouldn't be free anymore.

Because meteorites are now expensive and scarce.

This time, he also brought out his collection of meteorite iron.

Finally, Master Zhou said he would only charge the purchase price for the meteorite.

However, the other party had one condition: he wanted to see it with his own eyes when Li Mingbo received it.

Li Mingbo thought to himself, "That meteorite iron sword cost 130,000 yuan, but this time the meteorite iron lance is only 20,000 yuan. The other party must be reducing the price because I bought 230,000 yuan worth of items."

Or perhaps it was to see Qin Shubao's horse spear with their own eyes.

Master Zhou said it would take about three days.

He has his own ready-made steel and meteorite iron.

After they reached an agreement, Li Mingbo did not leave immediately, but stayed to watch Master Zhou work on the project.

I watched for a while and then left.

For the next three days, Li Mingbo took his girlfriend Lin Chunli on a trip in Zhejiang Province.

The evening of July 8.

A five-star hotel in the capital city of Zhejiang Province.

Li Mingbo and his companion went to the hotel restaurant for dinner.

"Senior, let's go out to eat." When Lin Chunli reached the restaurant on the 8th floor, she suddenly frowned and tugged at Li Mingbo's sleeve.

"What's wrong? Is it not to your liking?" Li Mingbo asked.

I'm tired of this affluent life and want to experience the life of the poor.

You don't want to eat delicacies, you want to eat out?

"No, I suddenly have a craving for sauerkraut fish," Lin Chunli said.

"Okay, let's try something different, let's have sauerkraut fish."

Because Li Mingbo didn't spend much time with Lin Chunli, and because he had two women in Tang Dynasty, he felt guilty towards Lin Chunli. When he was with Lin Chunli, he would fulfill any request she made, as long as it could be solved with money.

The next day, Master Zhou called to say that the lance had been made.

Li Mingbo drove to the production workshop.

The lance is very well made.

"It's made from meteorite iron and wrought iron..." Master Zhou explained.

This was folded and forged, and it has patterns left from the repeated folding and forging.

"It hasn't been sharpened yet, because sharpening would make it a controlled knife, requiring identification and registration. There's an old saying that it takes ten years to forge a sword, and sharpening would take several more days, which is the most time-consuming part," Master Zhou said. "Anyway, it's just for collection, not for killing people, so there's no need to sharpen it."

They were meant to be used on the battlefield to kill people.

Li Mingbo thought to himself.

Actually, there's nothing wrong with registering it, but if it's not sharpened, then it's fine. We can find someone to sharpen it when we get back to Qin Shubao.

The Tang Dynasty was an era of cold weapons, and the Tang swords were all so sharp that they must have been made by masters of that time.

After receiving the goods, Li Mingbo said goodbye to Master Zhou and drove away.

After a few more days of travel, I returned to Jianghai Province on August 20.

There are 22 days left until the armor is delivered on September 12th.

Li Mingbo took Lin Chunli to Hainan for a week.

On September 1, the two arrived in Beijing.

Last time, Li Mingbo promised Huang Wentao that he would find an incense burner for burning agarwood.

"Brother, where did you find this incense burner? It's a real gem, you can tell it's genuine at a glance. It's expensive, but I'll pay for it."

"Isn't it illegal to give money?" I gave it to you as a gift. If you offer me money now, wouldn't that be a transaction?

You're still a top lawyer.

"Some things, don't take them too seriously. If you don't say anything, and I don't say anything, who will know?"

"What if the other party doesn't know about the transfer? When they investigate, they'll find a huge sum of money with an unexplained source..."