Chapter 19 Defection: If you don't run now, you won't be able to escape later.

In the eighty-fourth year of the Great Jin Dynasty, the seven cities of Xiguan colluded with the troops of the Western Regions and gathered an army of 100,000 to rebel. The army marched straight in, and the Jin Kingdom lost several cities in succession. The imperial reinforcements marched for ten days and nights to reach the last barrier of the imperial city of Rongdu—Eagle Ridge Road.

Three thousand soldiers of the crossbow battalion lay in ambush on the ancient road to resist the enemy. However, after firing only one crossbow bolt, not only did the crossbow mechanism shatter, but the bolt also wounded the archer holding it, exposing the enemy. The entire three thousand elite soldiers were wiped out, their blood staining the eagle's back. When the tragic news reached Rongdu, it shocked the court and the public. The case was submitted to the Dali Temple for a thorough investigation and named the "Bloody Crossbow Case."

The three thousand crossbows and one hundred thousand crossbow bolts were originally made by the Lu family of Tianhu Workshop. However, due to the urgency of the war, Tianhu Workshop was unable to complete the task within the deadline. The imperial court specially summoned the other four major workshops in Rongdu to assist in the production—Mingqi Workshop, Zhongyi Workshop, Shenjiang Workshop, and Xuanping Workshop. With the combined efforts of the five workshops, the project was finally completed within ten days.

Three thousand crossbows, contracted by all five workshops, with hundreds of craftsmen, blacksmiths, and swordsmiths involved, everyone had a part in the process, yet a thousand crossbows were all damaged simultaneously. Weapons are of utmost importance and must be inspected repeatedly by the Ministry of War to ensure they are absolutely safe before being distributed to the army. But this time, the reinforcements were needed in a hurry, and the Ministry of War, accustomed to using Tianhu Workshop's products which had never had any problems, took a chance and rushed to Eagle Ridge with the army without waiting for inspection...

Most importantly, the crossbow is nothing new. Hundreds of years ago, people in Shu (Sichuan) had already developed the repeating crossbow, and with continuous refinement of the technique, it had become a mature weapon. How could renowned weapon makers like the Five Great Workshops of Rongdu produce such a crossbow that could be destroyed with a single arrow? Three thousand of them like this… it could not be a coincidence. The only possibility is that the various workshops, led by Tianhu Workshop, colluded with the rebels to wreak havoc on the Great Jin Dynasty.

Father said it wasn't them. After the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty, the national policy was "everyone can cast weapons, no need for state craftsmen." For many years, the various workshops have been blessed by the emperor, promoting craftsmanship, teaching skills to the people, and coexisting harmoniously and mutually beneficially. Who would give up a peaceful life to commit such a heinous crime that would lead to the extermination of nine generations of their family? This is unreasonable!

However, all three thousand crossbows were damaged. Besides colluding with the enemy, the poor performance of each ward not only resulted in the loss of soldiers and generals, but also caused the reinforcements to lose the Eagle Ridge Pass, a key fortress. Prince Mu, who was leading the troops, was almost captured alive by the rebels.

No matter the crime, even the Emperor himself cannot forgive them. Everywhere they look, there are dead ends. It's not just a matter of a few people dying; a whole lot will have to die.

My father loves to drink, and when he drinks too much, he easily makes mistakes. But this time, it was because of this habit that he saved the whole family.

When the news reached Rongdu that day, my father happened to be having a drink with a man surnamed Feng from the Zhuque Gate at a tavern. A soldier found the man and said that the court had just received an urgent message from the emperor, and he didn't know what it said. The emperor was going to seal off Rongdu City at midnight that night and ordered the generals of all the city gates to go back and prepare immediately.

Rongdu City is sealed off? Luckily, I haven't drunk too much. My father heard it clearly, grabbed the soldier's sleeve, and asked, "Why would you seal off the city for no reason?"

A major disaster is about to occur. Feng Shouzheng dismissed his troops. Throughout history, sealing off a city has never been a good thing. In the past, when our Jin state was expanding its territory, our army approached the city of Buye at Xiguan. To prevent unrest among the people and soldiers in the city and the possibility of them defecting to the enemy, the lord of Buye ordered the city to be sealed off. He ordered that the people inside be kept inside until they died, and that no one be allowed to leave the city. For a full six months, the city's food supplies were exhausted, and the soldiers and civilians ran out of ammunition and food. They even dug up tree bark and grass roots, leaving nothing behind. In the end, Buye was defeated without a fight. When the army entered the city, there were starving corpses everywhere, a truly tragic sight.

The rebels are coming? Father was suspicious. Prince Mu You was a man of both literary and martial talents. His personally led reinforcements shouldn't have been defeated and brought to the city walls in just over ten days. He himself had gone outside the city to mine iron ore just a few days ago, and there was no sign of an imminent enemy.

Father said he didn't believe it, but he didn't dare to gamble. At that time, Mother was pregnant and would give birth in a few months. He wasn't afraid of the city being sealed off; he could hold off the rebels with his big sword for a while if they attacked. But Mother couldn't. If the city was sealed off, there would be no food or drink, and what would happen to Guan Ye, who was not yet born? He could endure it, but his wife and daughter couldn't.

The city is under lockdown at midnight, which means there's still time. Feng Shouzhen reminded his father that his wife's family was in the next county, so he should hurry back and get ready, go out and observe first, and if nothing's wrong, stay for a while before coming back.

I still need to ask for leave from the workshop. Father hesitated; the iron ore that was just delivered is waiting for me to return tomorrow to start the work… Besides, my sword is still at the workshop…

Foolish! Can you eat iron ore? Can it protect your whole family? Everyone looks out for themselves. If something really serious happens, can iron ore protect your wife and children? And you're carrying a knife? Guan Xiaotian, don't you know how to write the word "death"?

When he heard this, his father said he immediately jumped up and ran back. Feng Shouzhen repeatedly warned him not to tell anyone, because if everyone rushed out of the city, none of them would be able to escape.

Dad really didn't tell anyone. When he got to this point, this seven-foot-tall man who never shed a tear suddenly burst into tears. Even when his wife closed her eyes, he held back a single tear, only stroking his wife's thin face and murmuring that she was finally relieved.

When Father and Mother arrived at Zhuque Gate, there were already seven or eight households ahead of them. Judging from their clothes, their status was not clear. Everyone had different expressions, but they all kept their mouths tightly shut. One by one, they took out gold, silver and valuables from their bundles. Feng Shouzhen skillfully took them and waved to signal the soldiers to let them pass.

Father said he thought giving a few taels of silver as a thank-you gift would suffice, but who would have thought that Feng Shouzhen would mention that Mother had a very solid gold bracelet? Before he even finished speaking, Mother obediently pulled it out. Father later grumbled, saying Mother was too honest; how could she be so easily tricked? Feng Shouzhen had never even met you, how did he know you had a prized gold bracelet...?

Mother said, "Didn't you see that others were only given gold ingots? Two taels of gold bracelets could really be exchanged for three lives. Your Guan family is still making a profit."

After leaving the Vermilion Bird Gate, they first went to their mother's hometown, Sui County, to settle down for the night. The next day, their brother-in-law came in a panic to report that something terrible had happened in Rongdu—the entire crossbowmen had been wiped out, Eagle Ridge Pass had fallen, and the Emperor wanted to punish the major crimes of each ward. Before dawn today, all five wards had been raided.

The brother-in-law was panting heavily. The entire Lu family, more than a hundred people, had been imprisoned, along with the other four workshops. No matter who the blacksmiths or craftsmen were spared, even the sword slaves who did odd jobs were not spared. Among them were men and women, old and young. The old ones had white hair and could barely walk, while the young ones were just children, completely unaware of what was happening. The scene was truly tragic.

The brother-in-law paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and jumped up again, "Oh right, brother-in-law, your portrait is posted at the city gate. They haven't found you, so they've issued a warrant for your arrest throughout the city!"

The father cried and told him that the white-haired man was his mentor, Uncle Deng, who had taught him since he was a teenager and treated him like his own son. The young man with his hair in a bun was Lu Fangzhu's youngest son, Lu Xiaojun, who was only seven years old that year.

At this point, Father's eyes turned red with regret. He said he was heartless and how could he have kept quiet about it? If only he hadn't gone straight home, but instead gone around to the neighborhood to deliver a message... even if it was just to tell Uncle Deng... Uncle Deng was over seventy years old and had already retired to his hometown to enjoy his old age, but upon hearing that the neighborhoods were rushing to make weapons to defend against the enemy, he shakily returned from his home in another county to help.

Unexpected misfortune struck; at an age when he should have been enjoying his retirement, he inexplicably lost his life.

Young Master Lu is also very intelligent. His father wiped away his tears, and Lu Xiaojun said that when she is older, she will become his apprentice. He also wants to learn the most powerful forging techniques and become an outstanding forging master in the future, so as to carry forward the skills of Tianhu Workshop and benefit the world.

Father also asked his brother-in-law: Have you seen Miss Lu?

The brother-in-law shook his head: There were quite a few women, but I didn't recognize which one was the young lady.

It's just... even Dad doesn't know how to describe it.

He must be inside too! His brother-in-law told him to stop worrying about these trivial things, and that if he and his sister didn't run away now, they wouldn't be able to escape.

The more Dad thought about it, the more frustrated he became, and he kept hitting his head: If only he had said something... given a heads-up... maybe, maybe so many people wouldn't have died.

Guan Ye listened attentively, then couldn't help but ask, "What if... you tell others, and the news gets out, and the court arrests them beforehand, and none of them can escape?"

Father was drunk, yet seemed perfectly sober. He touched Guan Ye's fair cheek and said in a deep voice, "Father is now merely clinging to life. If I could do it all over again, Father would rather die with everyone."

"Then Mother, what about me?" Guan Ye asked again.

Father chuckled, “Your mother was fierce and resolute. She lived such a hard life, yet she never complained until her death. If she had gone to prison with us back then, no matter how severely she was tortured, she would never have confessed to anything we didn’t do. She would have lived and died with us. As for you?” Father hiccuped, pinched her cheek, and said, “My daughter, Guan Xiaotian’s daughter, will never be a coward. Even before she was born, she was made of steel.”

The Guan family of three had been on the run for many years, hiding their identities. The father was sometimes called Guan Er, sometimes Guan San, and so on. Guan Ye, as a child, couldn't remember his father's real name. His real name was Guan Xiaotian, the most skilled blacksmith at Tianhu Workshop. Every type of iron ore that was to be put into the furnace had to be inspected by him. With just a glance, the father could tell the quality and purity of each piece. The iron molten by him had extremely high purity. The weapons he forged, swords and blades, were all of the highest quality, extremely rare. Other large workshops in Rongdu would often consult him for appraisal and guidance when they acquired rare items or encountered difficulties. Recalling his past glory, the father raised the jar and took another large gulp.

They said I was the greatest blacksmith in the world. My father laughed, then tears streamed down his face.

Father was wanted, so he naturally couldn't stay in Sui County for long. As soon as his brother-in-law finished speaking, Father and Mother set off again. Father said that at the time, they still had a glimmer of hope. Father knew this business too well, especially the five workshops of Rongdu. Everyone there was loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and they were all hardworking. No one would do such a thing. They must have been framed. Many people in the court were on good terms with the workshops. Someone would definitely clear their names. Perhaps they would only be in jail for a few days and then be released.

Father and Mother drove the oxcart along the way, thinking all the while. He had also handled the crossbow before. It was an old craft of Tianhu Workshop. They had made at least eight thousand of them, if not ten thousand. The workshop was full of experienced craftsmen. With all the materials ready, they could make it even with their eyes closed. Everything had been fine before, so why did this happen?

"Could it be that a spy from Xiguan has infiltrated?" Mother boldly guessed.

“Absolutely impossible,” Father said firmly. “How many spies would it take to tamper with the work so many times? During those days of rushing to finish the project, the Ministry of War sent many people to supervise. Who would dare to commit a crime under their noses? Impossible.”

"Then there must be a ghost." Mother said this with great seriousness, then suddenly slapped her thigh. "Xiaotian, we have to go back to Rongdu, immediately!"

"If you lose something, you can't keep it." Dad didn't even turn his head. "Earn money slowly on the road."

"No, that's not it!" His mother said anxiously, hitting him. "Think about it, hundreds of people from the five wards were all arrested, but you were the only one missing, and you're even on the wanted list. What does that mean?"

What does this mean?

"You idiot, you idiot!" Dad said. If he hadn't stopped her in time, Mom, who was pregnant, would have jumped out of the car. "The fact that you disappeared means what? It means you did it!"

With a "whoosh," Dad tightened the reins on the oxcart. "That's right! Then it'll be my job!"

"We have to go back and explain!" Mother said firmly. "We can't be cowards, and we can't abandon others."

A note from the author:

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My friend said my title was too obscure and suggested I change it to "I Am Unrivaled in Blacksmithing"... What do you all think...?