Right now.
In the southeast of Shuozhou City, in the newly planned "Military Factory" area, black smoke billowed and the heat wave dispelled the chill of winter.
In the ironworks, the fire is burning brightly.
Master Lu Zhizi, the blacksmith who forged the three-edged military bayonet for Zhao Muyun in Jingbian Military Town, followed Zhao Muyun all the way after he became a sergeant.
Today, he and his son Lu Da manage hundreds of blacksmiths. They not only make horizontal swords, embroidered spring swords, Mo Daos, and armor for Zhao Muyun, but also improve generation after generation of compound bows.
Even the big black cannon barrel of the Shenjiying was hammered out by him and the blacksmiths.
At this moment, he was worried about a pile of complicated drawings and several crude semi-finished armors.
The drawing is a schematic diagram of "plate armor" and "horse armor" drawn by Zhao Muyun himself.
It required abandoning the traditional complicated lamellar or scale armor craftsmanship and instead using large hydraulic forging hammers to directly forge red-hot iron plates into integral armor that conformed to the curves of the human body and horse.
"General... this..."
Lu Zhizi twisted his beard, which was almost singed by the sparks, and his brows knitted into knots. "This method has never been seen before! It consumes a mountain of iron materials, and the craftsmanship is extremely complicated. Just the curvature of this breastplate alone, if the hammer is too heavy, it will easily crack, and if it is too light, it will not form. It all depends on the craftsman's touch..."
"To create a complete armor for a man and a horse would probably take several months and be extremely expensive..."
Zhao Muyun happened to come for inspection today. He picked up a rough but curved breastplate blank and knocked it with his knuckles, making a dull "dong dong" sound.
"Master Lu, look!"
He patiently explained, "Traditional armor is adequate for defending against stray arrows, but against blunt force weapons, powerful bows and crossbows, and especially high-speed charging horse lances, the armor plates easily break apart, and its defensive power is limited."
He bent the edge of the blank with force. "Once this plate armor is formed, it will be a single piece. The curvature can effectively dissipate the force, doubling the protection!"
"What we want to build isn't just for ordinary cavalry, but a torrent of steel capable of crushing all enemy lines—heavy armored cavalry!"
He led Lu Zhizi to the window and pointed at the huge water wheel and transmission device under intense construction outside:
"As for the craftsmanship and efficiency, Master, don't worry too much. Once the water wheel is built, we'll use the water power to drive the forging hammer. The force of one hammer will be comparable to that of dozens of strong men swinging sledgehammers at the same time!"
"By then, the speed of forging will be incomparable. What we need to do now is to find the most reasonable armor plate shape, connection method and heat treatment process."
"What we want is quality and absolute protection advantage!"
Lu Zhizi looked out the window at the huge machine that had begun its trial run and was making a creaking sound. He then looked down at the rough but extremely tough blank in his hand, and an astonishing look gradually burst out of his turbid eyes.
That is the excitement and persistence of a craftsman facing a new challenge:
"If...if that's really possible...General, don't worry! Even if I have to sacrifice my own old bones, I will definitely forge this unprecedented divine weapon and armor for you!"
"Master, you can do it! I believe in you!" Zhao Muyun smiled and handed Lu Zhizi a cigarette.
However, Lu Zhizi grabbed all the remaining items with a cunning smile on his face!
......
at the same time!
In the "Military Supply Shop" in the city, the aroma of food permeates the air, and walking in it makes your mouth water.
Two veterans from the Yanqingdun Beacon Tower, formerly Zhao Muyun's subordinates, are now the owners of the largest chain restaurants and hotels in Shuozhou and other places. They are commanding hundreds of women and children to mass-produce an unprecedented kind of military rations according to the "secret recipe" provided by Zhao Muyun.
In a huge iron pot, fried ground flour, crushed meat floss, fine salt, ground dried vegetables, and even a small amount of oil are mixed and stir-fried in strict proportions.
They are then pressed into wooden molds to form palm-sized, gray-brown dry food cakes that are about an inch thick and look as hard as stone.
"Tou Zhao said this thing is called 'Compressed Military Rations'!"
Old Li picked up a piece of finished product, broke off a corner with force, put it in his mouth and chewed it hard, but a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"It's not perishable, easy to carry, and one piece can keep you going for three days."
"When marching into battle, you no longer have to worry about cooking, nor do you have to worry about being exposed by cooking smoke or even having your food supply cut off. This thing can sustain you for ten days or even half a month! It's truly a must-have for soldiers!"
Old Zhang sighed, "Even back at the beacon tower, I could tell Zhao Tou was no ordinary person! It's a pity we're both old now, otherwise we'd be able to become captains along with Old Tang, Zhuzi, Little Stone, and the others!"
Old Li laughed and scolded, "Aren't we doing pretty well now? We own more than ten restaurants in Shuozhou and other places, we're rich, and we've become Zhao Tou's largest catering supplier. If we can't do business well, isn't it better than those little bastards going to the battlefield?"
Lao Zhang retorted, "Lao Li, you are just afraid of death."
"Aren't you?"
Old Li said, "Hehe! But Zhao Tou said that war is a battle of logistics. We who work in catering logistics are more important than those who serve in the army. No one can offend us. Even if Old Han comes, he has to politely call us brothers!"
"Yes, prepare these military rations. When Tang Yanhai comes back, he must be polite to us!"
......
In another newly built "brewery" in the city, the rich aroma of wine filled the air.
This is operated and managed by one of Bai Ruolan's shopkeepers, and is also Bai Ruolan's dowry when she marries Zhao Muyun.
Inside the winery, several sets of simple distillation equipment designed by Zhao Muyun himself and built by craftsmen, consisting of large pots, condensation bamboo tubes, and ceramic collection tanks, are in operation.
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