I asked you to go hunting, and you ended up wearing a yellow robe?

Qi Shan said, "Master Li, it seems you've been holding a grudge against me lately."

"The commander has arrived. No, no, how could I dare? It's just that I have no choice. I only have this much charcoal, and I also need to forge military equipment. There's really no other way." Li the blacksmith bowed, his tone devoid of any resentment.

Qi Shan glanced at Meng Da beside him: "Why the deduction?"

Meng Da smiled wryly: "Reporting to Commander Qian, it's not that I wanted to cut back, it's just that the treasury is short of money. We have to maintain the food, clothing, and lodging of 1000 people every day, and we also have to pay their salaries, so naturally there's less money for weapons."

Qi Shan nodded. Meng Da was right; this was indeed the problem he urgently needed to solve at this critical juncture. He glanced at the scrap metal inside the blacksmith's shop before slowly speaking, "We won't need charcoal anymore, Meng Da. Quickly send someone to unload those black stones."

"It's an adult!"

Then, several baskets of shiny black stones were dumped into the blacksmith's shop, raising a cloud of dust.

"From now on, all weapons in the army will be forged using this material."

Li the blacksmith squinted and leaned closer to see the pile of black stones. His expression changed drastically, and he took two steps back.

"This is black stone, a deadly stone!" Li the blacksmith waved his hands frantically, his dark face flushed red, and hurriedly explained again, "Sir, this is unacceptable! This thing cannot be used!"

Qi Shan looked surprised; he didn't understand why Li the blacksmith was reacting so strongly.

"Why not? Have you ever seen this thing before?"

"Sir, you must be joking. I'm an old man, what haven't I seen? This thing is everywhere around Qingyang Town, but it's really strange," Li the blacksmith continued to explain.

"This thing produces billowing poisonous smoke when burned. Old Wang from the east of the city used it to heat his kang (a traditional heated brick bed), and his entire family of three died from the smoke inside. This thing brings only bad luck; it's an evil object. Anyone who uses it will inevitably bring misfortune."

Qi Shan finally understood.

It turned out someone had suffered carbon monoxide poisoning. In Qi Shan's previous life, he had heard many similar news reports.

Coal combustion is indeed toxic and can damage the body's respiratory system, leading to suffocation and death.

If this happened in ancient times, wouldn't it have caused an uproar?

It's still unknown how the rumors will spread.

The terms "deadly stone" and "evil object" are not surprising.

But how could he explain to Li the blacksmith that this wasn't some evil object, but rather a usable resource?

"Master Li, there are no evil things in this world, just resources. Why don't we invest these resources in forging?"

"Absolutely not! This stuff has a strange, intense heat and is full of impurities. The iron blank will turn into brittle slag as soon as it touches it. Using it to forge iron would ruin my reputation as a blacksmith for 30 years."

Li the blacksmith quickly refused.

Qi Shan was taken aback. "So, you've used it to forge iron?"

Li the blacksmith nodded and said, "Commander, I am not a pedantic old man. This thing has a high temperature, and I have tried to forge it myself, but I found that all the ironware forged with it failed. That is why I disagree with using it for forging."

Qi Shan nodded, looking at Li the blacksmith with even greater respect. He had initially thought Li the blacksmith was a very superstitious person, but he hadn't expected him to have actually forged things himself.

Li the blacksmith is right; forging iron billets directly from coal is bound to be a waste.

But they just didn't know the right method.

"Light the furnace!" Qi Shan smiled and turned to give the order to Meng Da.

Upon receiving the order, Meng Da waved his hand, and two soldiers stepped forward to add coal to the furnace.

"No, no! The army already has a shortage of iron blanks. If we continue to waste them..." Li the blacksmith said anxiously, trying to dissuade him again.

"Lord Commander, you know how to train troops, you know how to kill, kill the Tartars, kill Yelü, I admire you. But when it comes to blacksmithing, you are a complete novice. If this stone really gets fired, all the iron blanks in the armory will be destroyed."

Seeing this, the instructors also knelt down with a thud, imitating Li the blacksmith, and rushed forward, shouting loudly:

"Please, Your Excellency, rescind your order!"

The commotion was quite loud, and a number of soldiers gathered outside the door, peering inside.

"Those are stones from Black Rock Slope, aren't they? I heard they smell really pungent when burned. Why would Commander Qianhu want to use this stuff for blacksmithing?"

"You're good at training troops and fighting battles, but when it comes to blacksmithing, it's hard to say. It's like being in a completely different world."

There was a cacophony of whispers outside the door. Although no one dared to make a loud noise, their eyes were full of doubt.

Qi Shan smiled and patted Li the blacksmith on the shoulder: "Master Li, let me be willful this once. If I really fail, I, Qi Shan, will never touch this filth again, okay?"

"This…"

Seeing that Li the blacksmith was still hesitant, Qi Shan added again:

"So, if I lose and this thing really can't be forged, I'll have Meng Da bring over a whole cartload of charcoal right now, how about that?"

Li the blacksmith's eyes lit up. This was definitely a good deal!

His biggest headache right now is the shortage of charcoal, but military supplies are tight. Now that charcoal is being delivered to his mouth, he is naturally overjoyed.

Seeing that Li the blacksmith had accepted, they immediately turned to Meng Da and instructed him, "Bring over a piece of iron."

Meng Da moved very quickly and brought the iron ingot a moment later.

What Qi Shan is about to do will likely shock everyone.

After all, this is modern knowledge.

"Bring over the remaining oil from the army today; I need it for quenching!"

Use oil?

"Using oil for quenching? Isn't that too wasteful?"

"It's more than just wasteful! I might not even put a single drop of oil in my entire day's meals."

"Who says otherwise? I've only ever heard of quenching with water, never with oil!"

The old blacksmith was also taken aback; it was the first time he had ever heard of quenching with oil.

"Lord Commander, isn't using oil too wasteful? After all, oil is a precious resource in the army. Even if you are a commander, you shouldn't waste it like this."

At this moment, Meng Da also looked puzzled. He stood not far away, his brows furrowed slightly.

That's an absurd claim. Anyone with a little common sense knows that blacksmithing involves quenching iron with water.

Qi Shan sighed; he could see the disbelief in everyone's eyes. He knew perfectly well that oil was a precious resource.

But no matter how precious this oil is, it is ultimately food, and as long as the method is right, it can be produced in large quantities.

In his memory, weapons that were quenched in oil were far superior to those that were quenched in water in terms of both hardness and sharpness.

The most important thing now is to forge ironware.

Ignoring everyone's doubts, he once again ordered Meng Da: "Now! Immediately! Right now!"

Qi Shan's face darkened, and he exuded an inexplicable aura of power, carrying a shocking and intimidating force. Everyone around him retreated in fear.

Only then did everyone realize that the person in front of them was no ordinary mortal, but a young general who had made a name for himself at a young age!

"Meng Da obeys!"