Mount & Blade: Warband in the Sengoku period of Japan

The battle at Gejuan Hall went very smoothly. Fifty elite warriors launched a night raid on a large village that was poorly guarded. In Chen Daoyuan's eyes, there was really nothing to boast about.

However, after the battle, the fact that only a few of the fifty-odd people were slightly injured, achieving a near-injury-free victory, still excited everyone, and they looked at Chen Daoyuan with more respect.

The only one who didn't feel good was probably Shiba Akane. The seventeen-year-old boy was in his first battle when he was encouraged by the samurai to kill a foot soldier who dared to go out and resist with a bamboo spear.

Although Shiba Ikusa managed to kill the enemy without serious injury thanks to his decent swordsmanship, the shock of killing for the first time was reflected in his deathly pale face.

Chen Daoyuan offered a few words of comfort to Shiba Quanzhen, then quickly directed everyone to search the Kuzumaki family's valuables, set fire to the Kuzumaki store's armory and granary, and withdrew from the Kuzumaki store without any hesitation.

To the south of this place are mountains, while to the north is a flat river valley. It would be difficult for the Shiba clan to hold their ground and provide support in the face of the Nine Households' counterattack. Therefore, Chen Daoyuan had no intention of occupying the area. Destroying the Gejuan family, a mid-to-lower-level command and mobilization hub, would have been enough to achieve his goal.

As night fell, after leaving the Kuzukikan, Chen Daoyuan and his party walked north along the Egarashi River Valley for a while, clearing out two horse farms managed by about ten people each. They not only upgraded the samurai to cavalry on the spot, but also had the foot soldiers lead more than thirty horses.

This is definitely a huge gain. The renowned Takeda cavalry only had two or three thousand horses at their peak. Chen Daoyuan has taken more than eighty horses here. It is estimated that the Kyu-no-bu and even the entire Nanbu clan will feel the pinch for a while.

What's special is that Chen Daoyuan also discovered a special horse in the stables of the second horse farm.

This horse was kept separately in a corner of the stable. It was noticeably larger than the other horses. The Oshu horse from the Nanbu region was already larger than the Kiso horse from the Kanto region, but this horse was visibly larger and was undoubtedly a superior breed.

Chen Daoyuan roughly gestured with his hands, and the horse's height was about 15 hand widths (Hand, a modern standard unit for horse height, 1 Hand = 4 Inch, approximately 10 centimeters), which was about the same height as the American Quartet horse that Chen Daoyuan was very familiar with, but its body shape looked much more slender than the muscular Quartet horse.

Ryokawa Nobutsugu pried open the horse's muzzle to examine its teeth: "Huh, this horse is only two and a half years old? Is this the 'Raw Eater' that Minamoto no Yoshitsune rode?"

"Shengshi" was a famous horse presented to Minamoto no Yoshitsune by the Fujiwara clan of Oshu during the late Heian period. Legend has it that it was five feet tall, had a volatile temper, but was exceptionally fine. The horse in question was an Oshu horse, which was produced in the Iwate and Aomori areas of Oshu.

Ryokawa Shinji was clearly knowledgeable about horses. He examined the horse for a long time, touching it and praising it as he went. Finally, he stood up, his gaze shifting between Chen Daoyuan and Shiba Senshin, but he kept his lips pursed and didn't say a word.

Chen Daoyuan and Shiba Kenshin both knew what Liangchuan Xinji meant. Shiba Kenshin looked at the tall and majestic brown-black horse, and his still pale face forced a smile: "Since ancient times, a fine horse has been paired with a divine general. What virtue or ability do I have to possess such a fine horse? Lord Chen, this expedition was made possible by your bravery, so this horse should naturally be yours to receive."

Chen Daoyuan declined, saying, "I am unworthy of such an honor. How about the young master takes it back to Gaoshui Temple Castle and hands it over to Lord Gosho?"

Shiba Kenshin shook his head: "Although my grandfather and father were good at leading troops, they were not known for their bravery. The horses they rode in battle were not the best horses in the family. The best horses were reserved for the generals who led the charge, and this horse was no exception."

Chen Daoyuan glanced at the horse again. The horse was dark brown, almost black, with only a stripe of white on its nose. Its two big, round eyes had thick, brush-like eyelashes that made it look adorable...

With a thought in mind, Chen Daoyuan solemnly nodded to Shiba Senshin and Liangchuan Xinji and said, "In that case, I will accept your offer without hesitation."

Liang Chuanxin immediately relaxed and asked with a smile, "Then why don't you, Lord Chen, give this fine horse a name?"

Chen Daoyuan was naturally prepared; from that one glance, he had already made up his mind: "Let's call it Special Zhou."

"Spessaloo? What does that mean?" Ryokawa Shinji and Shiba Kenshin stared at each other, completely baffled by Chen Daoyuan's naming logic.

Chen Daoyuan ignored them, had the captured stable manager put bridles on the horse, led it for a while in the night, and then mounted it.

Unlike the legendary, fierce and spirited horses, the Special Zhou beneath him was quite docile and quiet. Chen Daoyuan was still fully armed at this time, and his huge body plus the armor weighed nearly 120 kilograms. When he mounted the horse, Special Zhou only swayed slightly, shook its neck, snorted, and continued to walk forward with small steps.

Chen Daoyuan was very satisfied and gently urged Special Zhou to run slowly on the pasture grass.

Chen Daoyuan didn't let the horse run too fast. He learned his riding skills when he was a child, when he went on vacation with his family at a ranch in Nevada. He was only at a beginner level. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to control the horse if it ran too fast, and he was also afraid that the special horse under his crotch wouldn't be able to support it.

Fortunately, Zhou was clearly extraordinary. He carried Chen Daoyuan back and forth for almost two miles and was only slightly out of breath, showing no signs of exhaustion.

Chen Daoyuan was overjoyed, thinking that another powerful weapon in the basement could now be unsealed.

After testing the horses, the attack was over. Chen Daoyuan took off his armor, tied it to another packhorse, mounted Special Zhou again, and led his troops back to the village.

The return journey was uneventful. When crossing the northern mountain range of Dafangzhai, Chen Daoyuan used the excuse of bringing up the rear to stay at the very back of the group and took the opportunity to return to the basement to retrieve something.

As dawn broke, Chen Daoyuan rode his Special Zhou on the dirt road outside Dafangzhai, a dark spear already in his hand.

The spear is 3.3 meters long, with a 3-meter shaft made of two sections of high-modulus carbon fiber connected by titanium alloy joints. The 30-centimeter-long triangular spearhead is made of 3V tool steel wrapped around a tungsten alloy core. This spear also comes from the technological cold weapon fantasies of Chen Daoyuan and the old man Silvio, and its actual performance on the battlefield is likely to be just as good.

However, as he held the spear, Chen Daoyuan's desire to find a master to practice his kung fu grew stronger.

After all, veteran knife enthusiasts would practice their knife skills for fun, but after this custom-made spear was brought back, Chen Daoyuan never actually used it, except for taking pictures and hanging it on the wall for display.

Shiba Akane led his samurai back to Takasui-ji Castle on horseback, and life at Ōbō Fortress finally returned to normal.

Chen Daoyuan spent most of the past two weeks peacefully in the village. Apart from practicing chopping wood stakes with his greatsword and stabbing wood stakes with his spear every day, he hid in his side courtyard, chatting and playing chess with Bei Xin'ai to build their relationship, while also studying hard with his reference materials.

The study materials were a book taken from the basement.

This is a poorly presented "combined volume." Beneath the worn-out kraft paper cover are two books hand-bound together with blackened cotton thread. The paper quality of both books is very poor, but the preservation is acceptable. Apart from some yellowing, the traditional letterpress text on the pages, which is of varying thickness, is still clear.

The two books bound together, one titled "Technical Data on Small Blast Furnace Ironmaking" and the other "Compilation of Traditional Chemical Production Methods," were both from the same era as the Barefoot Doctor's Manual.

Two years ago, when Chen Daoyuan returned to China for a trip to pay respects to his ancestors, he found this book in a secondhand bookstore in the antique market of his hometown. At that time, Silvio was researching rudimentary steelmaking methods and planned to try it out himself. Chen Daoyuan thought this book might be useful, so he paid for it and brought it back to the United States. However, Silvio quickly gave up his idea of ​​steelmaking and returned to the path of finished steel production. So, he casually placed the book on the bookshelf in the basement.

But now, by a twist of fate, it has become Chen Daoyuan's golden touch, and also the biggest source of Chen Daoyuan's confidence in drawing PPTs in front of Sibo Quangao.

Chen Daoyuan was also involved in the simplified Chinese internet, so of course he knew about the so-called three great time-travel novels. However, in terms of sheer hardcoreness, the two books he had were even better.

These two books teach you how to build a blast furnace from scratch and produce tri-acid and di-alkali using earthenware pots and water tanks!

Just as Chen Daoyuan was engrossed in his studies, a messenger from Gaoshui Temple City finally arrived at Dafangzhai, bringing Chen Daoyuan two documents.

The first document was Shiba Inugami's instruction. It first praised Chen Daoyuan's successful night raid on Kuzukira Castle and apologized for not rewarding him promptly. Then, it informed Chen Daoyuan that a suitable village had been selected near Takasui-ji Castle, a new fortress had been built for him, and additional laborers and skilled craftsmen had been transferred to the village. Chen Daoyuan was ordered to proceed to the village immediately to begin preparations for steelmaking. Furthermore, the minerals needed for steelmaking, such as coal and clay, had been identified; however, the iron ore he mentioned had not yet been found.

The second document was a copy of a protest letter, sent by none other than Nanbu Harumasa, the current head of the Nanbu clan.

Harumasa Nanbu found the tone of his words rather strange. The entire speech revolved around morality and etiquette, arguing that the Shiba clan, as Ashikaga retainers, had openly launched a night raid on the Nanbu clan's flank, violating the code of honor among samurai. He strongly condemned this act and hoped that the Shiba clan would take this as a warning, adhere to etiquette, and confine the war to the main battlefield in Iwate County. As for the Kuzumaki front, he advocated maintaining the status quo and non-aggression.

Chen Daoyuan was completely bewildered by this letter. Did the Japanese still use such a tone during the Warring States period? When your Nanbu clan frequently sent troops to harass Dafang Fortress, you didn't say this.

Chen Daoyuan simply took the letter to Bei Xin'ai to see what this defector from the Nanbu clan had to say.