Zeng Xiaoer was stunned upon hearing this.
"Sir, it is illegal to manufacture iron armor privately."
Lu Tu smiled contemptuously: "Of all the things we've done, which one is truly in accordance with the law?"
Zeng Xiaoer glanced at Lü Tu with trepidation: "What you say is right, sir, but I have never forged iron armor before. I need to ask my master about this before I can report the truth to you."
Lu Tu patted his shoulder and encouraged him, "No need for all that trouble. If I want to ask your master, I can just go to him directly, right? I just want to hear your opinion."
"Please wait a moment, sir." Zeng Xiaoer said and continued to flip through the handwritten record, which was filled with small characters and various drawings.
Lu Tu could tell that Zeng Xiaoer was studying very diligently, having recorded all the knowledge Professor Hu Delu had given him. This was the kind of attitude one should have when learning; a bad pen is worse than a good memory.
After about ten minutes, even though Lü Tu didn't urge or show any dissatisfaction, just sitting next to Zeng Xiaoer put a lot of pressure on him.
The sweat on Zeng Xiaoer's forehead was even more intense and agonizing than when he was forging iron.
"Reporting to my lord, it seems we can forge 1,000 sets of iron armor."
Lu Tu nodded, smiling at him: "Have you figured it out? I need iron armor that ordinary arrows and swords can't pierce, so you're not allowed to cut corners!"
When this issue came up, Zeng Xiaoer was no longer flustered. He met Lü Tu's gaze firmly and then nodded emphatically: "I'm sure, I'd stake my life on it!"
Upon hearing this, Lü Tu laughed heartily: "Haha, I was just testing you casually to see how much you've learned from your master. No need to be so nervous."
Zeng Xiaoer secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was chosen by Hu Delu as a refugee, and more importantly, he was Zeng Xiaolan's younger brother. Without this relationship, he probably would never have been able to sit next to Lu Tu and chat with him like this in his entire life.
Lu Tu stood up and patted him on the shoulder: "Little Er, you did a good job. Keep up the good work, and I'll find you a wife and open a blacksmith shop for you in the future."
Zeng Xiaoer quickly stood up, bowed, and said, "Thank you, sir! I will certainly not let you down."
After Lü Tu left, Zeng Xiaoer watched his departing figure and realized that his back was already soaked with sweat, and his whole body felt as if he was about to collapse.
The main reason why Lü Tu didn't consult Hu Delu was that he wanted to cultivate more people and pave the way for the future.
He didn't want any particular matter in the village to fall on one person. Such a monopoly wouldn't be a good thing in the long run. This is something that human nature cannot change, and Lu Tu would never deliberately test human nature.
Moreover, Zeng Xiaoer is his brother-in-law, so supporting him wouldn't pose much of a threat. Furthermore, the fact that Hu Delu would impart all his knowledge to him is something Lu Tu needs to test thoroughly.
With so much ironware, Lu Tu already had enough weapons under his command; what he truly longed for were those suits of iron armor.
It should be noted that the casualty rate of ordinary Wuhuan cavalry against ordinary border infantry was a terrifying 1:100.
After all, it would be difficult to avoid fighting with other border armies in the future, and Lü Tu had already begun to regard the other five towns as hypothetical enemies.
The vast majority of the Wuhuan cavalry were either leather-armored or light cavalry, and they would have virtually no chance of winning against the fully armed iron cavalry built by Lü Tu.
Moreover, with the addition of Lu Tu's explosives, Lu Tu wouldn't be too afraid of the Wuhuan people, or even Ye Qingyu's Shence Army. But the key is when these 1,000 sets of iron armor can be made!
You should know that anywhere in the Great Yu Dynasty, making armor privately is a serious crime that would result in the confiscation of the entire family's property!
An ordinary person, even if wearing iron armor, could easily take on ten opponents. With 1,000 sets of iron armor, Lü Tu would be confident enough to sweep through the entire Huai Shuo!
Thinking of the threats to the future, Lü Tu couldn't help but wind up his mind. At this time, it was a race against time. Time was running out for him and the whole village!
Only by developing your trump cards before the enemy launches an attack and holding them firmly in your hands can you ensure complete safety.
Lu Tu never fought a battle he wasn't confident of winning. Taking advantage of the early hour, he went directly to the training ground to begin training his cavalry in advance.
Fortunately, when the training ground was first established, Lü Tu had prepared for a scale of several thousand people to build it, and now it can be used to train cavalry.
Lu Tu immediately ordered Nie Yun to sound the horn, summoning all the soldiers to the drill ground.
The maple leaves fluttered in the wind, and the banners waved. Lü Tu nodded in satisfaction as he faced the more than 1,200 soldiers who were standing ready in battle.
"All soldiers, starting today I will personally train you. I'm telling you in advance that if you don't meet my standards, you will be eliminated and sent to work as civilians!"
The entire hall was silent, but everyone's eyes were filled with a surge of fighting spirit because of Lü Tu's words.
Among them, even the one who had followed Lü Tu for the shortest period had been two months, and they had been through at least several battles. They knew that following Lü Tu as a soldier meant a limitless future, and they could even bring glory to their ancestors and live a life of comfort and ease.
This is something that men born on the frontier simply cannot resist!
"I'll tell you the truth: only 800 of you will become my cavalry. Even those who were already cavalrymen, if you can't outperform the others, you'll have to obediently run errands! And my training methods will be extremely cruel; people might die. If you're afraid, you can quit now!"
Everyone was on high alert, and anger was now flashing in their previously resolute eyes.
Seeing this, Lü Tu shouted loudly, "Good! This is the kind of anger I want from you. From today onwards, all training must treat the hypothetical enemy as that pack of heinous Wuhuan dogs! Only by sweating more on the training ground can we shed less blood on the battlefield! Since no one is backing out, I'll take that you all agree!"
"Now, everyone, including all the squad leaders, shall be in formation and participate in training together!"
"Yes, sir!" Nie Yun, Liu Hong, Liu Yang, Tuoba Yue, and others also joined the ranks and listened to Lü Tu's orders.
Lu Tu pointed to the training ground and shouted, "Everyone, listen to my command! Run 10 laps around the training ground. The last 100 will not get any food tonight!"
Upon hearing this, the fighting spirit of all the soldiers present was almost overflowing, and their will to fight soared to the sky.
This is more than just a meal; it's the biggest humiliation. After all, we're all teenagers and young men in our twenties. Who wants to admit to being weaker than others?
Upon hearing this, everyone gritted their teeth and assumed the standard posture for preparing to run, something Lu Tu had taught them before.
"Ready, set off!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
