He then explained in detail to Xiang Ze how to use explosives to blast the mine, and only after confirming that Xiang Ze had understood did he let them set off immediately.
This was the first time that Lü Tu had sent his subordinates away from him to do something. The previous bandit suppression missions did not count, as they were only a short journey of about half a day. But this trip to Huai Shuo was a full 80 li away, and it was deep in the heart of Huai Shuo, which was very dangerous.
However, the inevitable reality is that Lu Tu cannot always do everything himself.
After Xiang Ze left, Lü Tu continued to teach the soldiers physical training, and even doubled the intensity of the training!
This was the result of Lü Tu's observation. The reason why the intensity was not so high before was mainly due to long-term hunger. Many soldiers were not in good physical condition, and could even be described as very thin. If they had been forced to train like that, they would probably have been ruined long ago.
The situation is different now. After several months of recuperation and gradual training, most of the soldiers have become visibly stronger.
Ten days passed in this way. On this day, Lü Tu received a report from Liu Hu: "Brother, the minerals from Pangjia Village have been delivered back!"
Lu Tu was still playing with his son when he quickly handed the child over to Song Yuxi and followed her to the warehouse.
Feng Lie was in charge of transporting the minerals. He led some Kunlun slaves and brought back 50 cartloads of iron ore and sulfur ore.
This was a lifesaver for the village, and Lu Tu sent Liu Hu to fetch Hu Delu.
After inspecting the iron ore, Hu Delu rubbed his hands excitedly: "Great! If we can get this much iron ore every 10 days, we can soon have everyone equipped with a long-handled broadsword!"
Lu Tu laughed and said, "Don't just think about risking your life. If your blacksmith shop is short-handed, you can always pick out strong men from among the refugees."
After all, in any army unit, the production of ironware is of paramount importance, and no matter how many people are involved, it is not a problem.
Hu Delu did not refuse: "The reason I didn't select so many people before was mainly because I was afraid that some people would shirk their duties. Now that we have enough iron ore, can I ask for another 100 people to supplement my blacksmith shop?"
Upon hearing this, the onlookers exclaimed, "Wow, Hu Delu really has a big appetite!"
The blacksmith shop already has 30 people. Now, with another 100 people coming specifically to forge iron, how many weapons will they be able to make?
But in the eyes of Lü Tu and Xiao Zhong, this was actually a good thing.
Before Xiao Zhong could speak, Lü Tu waved his hand and said, "Granted! If 100 isn't enough, find 200 men to work as blacksmiths! Everyone will be paid the standard wage!"
"Yes, sir! I guarantee I'll forge 500 Mo Dao swords within a month!"
Lu Tu nodded: "You said it yourself. If you finish it within a month, I'll give you a big gift!"
Hu Delu excitedly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I guarantee it will be done!"
Anyway, now that Hu Delu is using the blast furnace to smelt iron, the sulfur ore will naturally be separated, and his explosives will be continuously replenished.
Lu Tu called Feng Lie aside and asked, "Has there been any movement from Huai Shuo during this time?"
Feng Lie chuckled: "Some of you, from the very first day we arrived at Pangjia Village, encountered a small group of Huai Shuo border troops harassing us. There were about 30 of them. As Brother Xiang said, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit, so we sent out our entire army to attack and tie them all up. But we didn't kill them; we just confiscated their weapons and armor!"
Lu Tu nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this: "Well done."
Hearing Lü Tu's approval, Feng Lie felt even more at ease. It seemed that Lü Tu was indeed a wise ruler, just as Xiang Ze had said. One sentence was enough to explain why they did what they did.
“After that, no Huai Shuo people came to harass us.”
Lu Tu patted him on the shoulder: "Go back and tell Xiang Ze to be careful, especially to strengthen the night guards and patrols. That bastard Zhao Wuyou is incredibly cunning and won't give up so easily. Especially now that he knows how much we value Pangjia Village, given his nature, he will definitely come to harass us again."
Feng Lie said solemnly, "Yes, sir! I'll go back and report to Brother Xiang right away!"
Lu Tu waved his hand: "No need to rush. Have lunch before going back. By the way, how long will the food in Pangjia Village last?"
Feng Lie did a quick calculation: "We can probably eat for another 30 days."
Xiao Zhong asked in confusion, "How can you eat more and more? I only brought you 30 days' worth of food before I left."
Feng Lie laughed and said, "Mr. Xiao, you may not know this, but after we repelled the first wave of harassment from the Huai Shuo border army, many people in the surrounding area said they wanted to come and join us. Then, Brother Xiang followed Lord Lü's method and had them help with the work and gave them food."
"They still haven't said where the food comes from. Could it be that it magically appears?"
Feng Lie explained, "Mr. Xiao, you may have forgotten that ten days ago, Lord Lü rewarded us brothers with 800 taels of silver. Brother Xiang asked everyone, and they all agreed that we could use the money to exchange the silver for grain. So we bought a lot of grain in the surrounding villages."
"And those people who sold us grain, upon hearing that we were offering work relief here, simply came to join us again."
Lu Tu couldn't help but laugh: "They really have a bright future. They're not even farming anymore, they just want to come and work. This shows that their lives in Huai Shuo are not peaceful."
A hint of surprise flashed in Feng Lie's eyes. Lü Tu had directly analyzed the essence of the matter, a conclusion he and Xiang Ze had reached after discussing it.
“What the sir said is right, but Brother Xiang and I think that this is not a good idea in the long run. After all, all our food comes from Kuishan Village, and we can never be completely self-sufficient.”
Lu Tu nodded and said, "Don't worry so much. How easy is it to be self-sufficient? You've already done very well. Go back and tell Xiang Ze that I approve of his approach. Unite all forces that can be united and mine all the minerals in Pangjia Village as soon as possible, and we'll have accomplished our mission!"
"Yes, sir!"
Lu Tu then looked at Xiao Zhong: "Send them another 30 days' worth of food."
Seeing Lü Tu's certainty, Xiao Zhong thought that Lü Tu must understand that this might be seen as having too much power and influence, but Lü Tu didn't care, and he wouldn't say anything to affect Lü Tu's judgment.
After Feng Lie left, Lü Tu suddenly laughed: "Xiang Ze and the others are indeed worthy of being the ones who revolted in the Red Turban Army. They really have some guts in this regard."
Xiao Zhong nodded: "That's because he's imitating you, sir. After all, there's a ready-made example right in front of him. If he couldn't even copy the answer, he'd be too dull."
After a moment's thought, Lü Tu said, "Mr. Xiao, I will personally lead my troops north within a month at most."
Xiao Zhong asked in confusion, "Aren't you going to leave after my senior sister gives birth?"
Lu Tu shook his head: "The situation is urgent, and the time the Second Princess gave me is running out."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
