Late at night, outside Luoyang City, under the Dingding Gate.
"Good news from Hedong, the prince made refined steel, presented his sword to your majesty, and opened the city gate!"
Xiao Shilian came to Luoyang from Hedong Starry Night with two hundred elite iron cavalry, escorting the first forged steel sword all the way.
Upon hearing the name of the prince, the city defense guards checked the visitor's name tag through the door opening of the city gate. After confirming that it was correct, they opened the city gate and ushered Xiao Shilian and others into the city.
Starting from Dingding Gate, city gates opened one after another, and out of the two hundred cavalry, only a dozen or so rode straight into the palace to report the good news to Emperor Yang Guang.
It was already ugly time, and Yang Guang was already asleep. Outside the palace, Ma Laoliu, who was responsible for keeping vigil, knocked on the door of the palace, and the chamberlain informed the emperor who lived deep in the palace.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, there is good news from Hedong,"
Yang Guang frowned and stood up, saying in a daze:
"How can there be good news in Hedong?"
The excited voice of the chamberlain came from outside: "Wenxi blast furnace made refined steel, which is of extraordinary material and unrivaled toughness. The prince sent someone to present the first sword that was tempered to your majesty."
Refining steel? Yang Guang sat on the couch and froze for a long time. Suddenly his eyes froze, he suddenly opened the quilt and walked out.
"Hold the lamp!"
After pushing open the palace door, Yang Guang ordered Ma Laoliu to lead the man who brought the knife into the main hall.
I saw Xiao Shilian holding a knife in both hands, kneeling in the center of the hall, and said excitedly:
"The newly made sword cuts iron like clay, blows hair and breaks hair. It is a sacred weapon that has never been seen in ancient and modern times. The prince ordered me to present it to Your Majesty at night for His Majesty's inspection."
Yang Guang winked at Lao Liu, who took the knife and handed it to Yang Guang.
Holding the sheath in his left hand and the handle in his right hand, Yang Guang slowly pulled out the sword.
I saw a flash of cold light. Under the light of the lamp, the entire blade shone brightly, and Yang Guang's face was also reflected on the blade.
He was stunned because he had never seen a blade that was brighter than a mirror. This was undoubtedly the work of hard work and hard work.
Yang Guang's eyes sparkled with excitement, he turned his wrist, looked at Xiao Shilian and said:
"Has the prince tried his sword?"
Xiao Shilian said: "Reporting to your majesty, the sword in your majesty's hand can cut through thirty pieces of armor without damaging the edge."
Yang Guang was stunned for a moment and looked at Ma Laoliu subconsciously.
Ma Laoliu is a master and is good at using various weapons. When he saw this, he said:
"Qi Renqi Wu Huaiwen's Su Iron Sword can cut through thirty armors, but after thirty years, the blade breaks apart. The blade in your Majesty's hand is not even damaged at all, so it must be a fine product."
Yang Guang suddenly burst into laughter and said with a smile: "It seems that my son has not wasted his time in Hedong. He is still productive."
"Your Majesty," Xiao Shilian said: "When the prince tried his sword, he cut off a full-steel Mingguang armor, thirty pieces in total, and the fractures were neat."
Yang Guangda was shocked, with a look of disbelief on his face.
The palace guards are basically equipped with steel-filled armor. If they are chopped with a steel-filled knife, it is very difficult to cut. If the sword in hand can cut through thirty pairs of Mingguang armor, then this craftsmanship is simply incredible.
It's just appalling.
Without the emperor's instructions, Ma Laoliu had already led the guards outside the palace inside, took off his Mingguang armor, and placed it on the ground.
Yang Guang put the sword back into its sheath and threw it to Ma Laoliu. Lao Liu stepped forward with the sword and struck out without any warning, then sheathed the sword with a clean and neat movement.
Looking at the Mingguang Armor on the ground, it was all broken into two pieces.
The guard who took off his armor trembled all over, what the hell, what kind of knife is this? If it cuts on me, wouldn't I die?
Yang Guang stepped forward quickly to check the fracture in the armor. After a while, he clenched his fists and said excitedly to Takano:
"Summon all officials into the palace immediately."
Today's court meeting has been brought forward.
Since Yang Guang succeeded to the throne, this is the first time that he has summoned all officials to hold a court meeting when he was in trouble.
Naturally, the ministers knew that something big had happened, so the officials who received the order rushed to the palace one by one, and some of them only packed their court clothes on the way.
When all the officials arrived, Yang Guang ordered Xiao Shilian, who was waiting outside the palace, to enter the palace with his sword.
Xiao Shilian, the one who presented the sword, knelt down and shouted: "The craftsmanship of the Hedong kiln has been greatly improved. This sword is the first one out of the furnace. It is a sharp blade that blows hair. It is indestructible. The prince ordered me to dedicate this humble duty to your majesty."
Yang Guang smiled and scanned the expressions on the faces of the officials.
There was an uproar in the palace, and the ministers looked left and right, whispering to each other, and discussing in low voices. The originally quiet court was now as lively as the early morning market in Luoyang.
Yu Wenshu said blankly: "Blowing one's hair and breaking one's hair are originally words of description. Such exaggerated words should not be used in the main hall."
The corner of Xiao Shilian's mouth twitched: "Whether it's an exaggeration or not, your Majesty will know after a try."
There is no need to try it. Yang Guang has already tried it. I brought it to the court today to let others try it and open their eyes.
So Yang Guang said: "Take the wooden stake and the armor to test the sharpness of this knife."
After a while, five wooden stakes were brought in, covered with steel-filled bright light armor, fine scale armor, chain mail, infantry armor, and light cavalry leather armor.
This time the sword tester was Xiao Shilian. He first pulled out the sword, held it in both hands, and walked back and forth in the hall, while the ministers observed the blade.
There are many people here who know the goods, and Yang Yue is one of the best. When he saw this, he was the first to exclaim:
"It can shine brightly on people, and its blade is sharp. This is a rare weapon."
Yuanshou from Taifu Temple was also an expert. He immediately saw the subtlety and said in surprise:
"This is refined steel that has never been seen before. The blade has no impurities and is the same color. What kind of craftsmanship is this?"
When Yu Wenshu saw the blade of the sword for the first time, he knew that it was anything but ordinary. After all, he was born in the military and had been wielding swords for half his life. He could tell the quality of the blade at a glance without having to use it.
The whole hall immediately became noisy. Some people who were drowsy because they got up early now became ten times more energetic.
The knife test begins.
Xiao Shilian was not as crisp and agile as Ma Laoliu. He first swung his sword towards the Qingqi leather armor.
The leather armor broke in response, and behind the broken leather armor, a deep knife mark was scratched on the wooden stake.
This is because Kung Fu is not good enough. If it were Ma Laoliu, he would cut off the armor and there would never be any contact with the wooden stake.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Cutting off the leather armor still couldn't explain the problem, so Xiao Shilian slashed with another knife and cut off the steel-filled infantry armor to the chest.
"Oh~~~"
The ministers had already exclaimed, and everyone couldn't help but move forward so that they could see more clearly.
Next, the remaining three pieces of armor were cut off one by one while everyone was stunned.
Xiao Shilian still held the knife in both hands, and everyone watched to see if the blade was damaged. After turning around in a circle, Xiao Shilian knelt down and said:
"This sword has cut off thirty pieces of armor. Please inform Your Majesty whether you would like to continue cutting off armor."
Yang Guang laughed: "Behead!"
In this way, each pair of steel-filled armors was put on wooden stakes, and Xiao Shilian tried the sword.
One, two, three and four, five, six, seven and eight
After another thirty cuts, the blade rolled over and could no longer cut, but the blade showed no signs of cracking.
In other words, if you sharpen the blade again, you can still continue cutting.
The ministers were excited,
Pei Ju stood up and said excitedly:
"Congratulations to Your Majesty. Now that our army is about to launch, the Crown Prince is bringing this heavy gift to honor Your Majesty. It can be seen that Your Majesty's expedition strategy has been favored by the Emperor and Heaven. It is Heaven that will help me, the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty, to attack the barbarian countries in one fell swoop."
Yang Yue also hurriedly said: "The smelting technology has not improved in a hundred years. For thousands of years, it has been said that iron has been cut like clay. It is a great honor for me to see the magic weapon now. The prince's gift is actually the foundation for your majesty's personal expedition. I invite you, your majesty."
Immediately send people to Hedong to take over the kiln to prevent leakage of the process."
"My love for you, your words are very much in line with my wishes," Yang Guang said with high spirits:
"The imperial edict was passed, and a governor's office was established in Hedong, which was directly under the management of Menxia Province. Dugu Huaien was appointed as the minister of the Taifu Temple and the governor of Hedong. He was responsible for supervising the kilns to prevent the leakage of the craftsmanship. All the craftsmen who participated were incorporated into the Taifu Temple.
, the refining kiln was transformed into an official governor, and the prince was ordered to present his treasured sword again, and to prepare his palace for Yang Qing and Yang He. He took his treasured sword to the east capital city and practiced armor cutting. I want the people all over the world to know that my great Sui artifact has descended from the sky.
, to help our country become more powerful."
Process leakage is basically unpreventable, but if precautions are taken properly, it can last at least ten to twenty years.
After all, it is impossible for the imperial court to promote this craft only in Hedong. Once it is spread everywhere and more and more people know about it, it will be leaked sooner or later. However, the core secrets must be strictly guarded and guarded.
Next, Su Wei stood up and asked:
"I think that if the output of this magic weapon can be increased, our Sui army will be invincible. If we use it to refine steel and make armor, who can hurt me at all? The prince should make no move in this regard.
Move your mind."
Yu Wenshu's face was ugly and his heart was extremely complicated.
Yang Guang nodded in agreement, looked at Xiao Shilian and said, "How many months will it take to make this knife?"
Xiao Shilian said: "Reporting to your majesty, the prince has set up a new smelting ground. If everything goes well, the molten iron smelted in one blast furnace can cast more than 300 horizontal knives. At present, seven blast furnaces have been built and are still being added. The technology is complex.
According to the prince's estimate, six thousand pairs of armor and tens of thousands of various types of weapons can be delivered before the end of the year."
It is already September, and there are only three and a half months until the end of the year. Six thousand armors and tens of thousands of weapons are produced in three and a half months. This is simply appalling.
Yang Guang was stunned.
The officials were even more stunned and in disbelief.
After a long while, Yang Guang slammed the table and stood up: "Tell the prince that I want more. Guanzhong's treasury is at his disposal. He will use the material resources of Guanzhong and Shanxi. He must deliver 20,000 to me before the end of the year."
The corner of Xiao Shilian's mouth twitched. The prince didn't mess around. You did. This armor didn't come from the strong wind. You can have as much as you want?
"Humble your duties and obey your orders."
At this time, Yu Wenshu finally expressed his doubts:
"How does the prince know how to smelt?"
Yang Yue directly mocked: "The son of the emperor naturally knows more than ordinary people. You and I are both mortals, so naturally we cannot understand the mysteries."
You are really good at flattering with your bad mouth. Yu Wenshu found that the emperor was very happy after hearing these words, knowing that Yang Yue's flattery was in place again.
"I'm just wondering, how did the prince know how to modify the furnace and refine steel?" Yuwen said:
"After all, the achievements of the prince are unprecedented. Countless master craftsmen have been unable to make any progress in their craftsmanship for hundreds of years, but the prince succeeded in one fell swoop. Knowledge and skills are always learned, not innate, right?"
Yang Yue said directly: "A dragon gives birth to a dragon, and a phoenix gives birth to a phoenix. I think that even if you are born, only your majesty's son can be a genius. Your and my sons will definitely not have this ability."
Your stupid son, you useless piece of shit, Yu Wenshu shook his head helplessly:
"Arguing with you is actually playing the piano to an ox."
Yang Yue did not give in at all: "Both each other."
The conflict between these two people is completely obvious. Unlike Pei Ju who smiles on the surface and stabs behind his back, Yang Yue is a completely different person now. He no longer plays dirty tricks and will tell you clearly in front of the emperor.
Dry.
Anyway, the emperor seemed to like it.
Of course Yang Guang would not talk about where the prince learned his skills in front of the officials, so he changed the topic directly and looked at Yuan Shou:
"Don't be idle in Luoyang. Go to Hedong to help the prince, recruit Shanxi craftsmen Yu Wenxi, add mines and refineries, Taifu Temple will set up a government-run kiln in Guanzhong, and select good talents to go to Wenxi to study.
Craftsmanship, transforming official furnaces in various places, I want all of our Sui generals to wear armor before the end of next year to protect my sons."
"I accept your order!" Yuanshou said.
Yang Guang's words would have been a fantasy just an hour ago. Everyone is wearing armor? This is more mysterious than a dream.
But now, everyone feels that this is not impossible.
Yang Guang is also relatively conservative. At present, he only plans to improve the craftsmanship in the Guanzhong area and does not plan to promote it nationwide. After all, Shandong, Jiangnan, Southwest, and Lingnan have not yet completely returned to their roots, and such exquisite craftsmanship is not suitable for teaching.
At this time, Yang Xuangan suddenly stood up and said:
"I heard that Wenxi's smelting kiln was privately owned by the prince. Now that the court has taken over it, shouldn't it make some amends to the prince?"
Good guy, thank you. After hearing this, Pei Ju was quite happy, because the Pei family took the lion's share of Wenxi's smelting kiln. Now that the imperial court is annexing it, they should give some compensation, right?
Yang Guang smiled slightly, nodded and said:
"If this is indeed the case, I will confer the title of King of Wei on Yang Jin, King of Xingyang, to show my praise to the Crown Prince."
Damn it, mother, you can’t even take your son’s money? I shouldn’t have opened my mouth like this. Yang Xuangan said bravely:
"Your Majesty is Holy Ming."
This time, Yang Guang really wasn't trying to sow discord, but was trying to give the Pei family a little sweet spot, because he knew it was the Pei family that took the lion's share.
It is normal for the prince's son to be crowned king. Just like Yang Zhao's three sons are all princes now, Yang Ming's sons will also be princes in the future, just sooner or later.
As for the black son's money, Yang Guang is not that big of it. I even let you touch the Chinese treasury. If you are short of money, why don't you just pay some of it yourself?
Making false accounts and swindling the public's money should be necessary skills, right? My son must know it.
But he doesn’t understand his third brother Yang Jun. He didn’t even bother to make false accounts and blatantly embezzled the national treasury. How could such a fool be my brother?