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墨書 Inktalez
For the next two days, Li Jiancheng left early and returned late, spending all his time in the Blacksmith Shop.
“Clang, clang, clang…”
Inside the Blacksmith Shop, several blacksmiths swung their hammers relentlessly. Li Jiancheng silently prayed that this time, there would be no cracks.
They had been working on a piece of Alloy Tool Steel just big enough for a gun tip for several days now, and he had lost count of how many times they had failed. Of course, each failure brought improvements, bringing them closer to success. This time, it seemed promising.
The gun tip was nearly finished and so far had not cracked. Under Li Jiancheng's anxious gaze, the gun tip was finally completed. But there remained one crucial stage: quenching.
To quench the steel, Li Jiancheng generously purchased rapeseed oil. There was simply no quenching oil available in the Tang Dynasty. Although rapeseed oil was not as effective as professional quenching oil, it had a much higher success rate than water quenching.
Once the quenching was complete, Li Jiancheng rushed over to inspect the gun tip alongside the sweating blacksmiths.
“Your Highness, it’s done!”
“Yes, it’s done! We finally succeeded!”
After confirming that there were no cracks, everyone cheered joyfully.
“Excellent! I will reward you handsomely!” Li Jiancheng exclaimed with excitement. He decided to refer to himself as "I" in front of ordinary people; otherwise, it would seem too unrealistic.
Next, he instructed them to hurry and sharpen the blade. The blacksmiths did not dare to slack off; as soon as the gun tip cooled down, they immediately began the sharpening process.
With several blacksmiths working in relay, they finally completed the sharpening half an hour later. Looking at the gleaming gun tip, a sense of pride welled up within Li Jiancheng. The craftsmanship issue was resolved!
With such weapons at their disposal, his soldiers could easily slice through their opponents' inferior blades without any difficulty.
Amidst his excitement, Li Jiancheng remembered that he still needed to complete one final step: acid etching! Without specialized etching solution, he decided to use white vinegar as a substitute.
As the acid etching progressed, the patterns on the tip of the spear gradually revealed themselves.
"What beautiful patterns!"
"Is this what His Highness referred to as Patterned Steel?"
"The name is indeed fitting!"
"It's so gorgeous..."
"If this steel were made into a knife, it would be absolutely stunning!"
"If I had such a beautiful knife, I wouldn't even want to use it for cutting."
A group of people in the Blacksmith Shop marveled at the sight, with Niu Fu and Ma Qiang's eyes shining brightly. Today, Li Jiancheng had brought both of them along because he was confident that success was likely.
Watching their reactions, Li Jiancheng couldn't help but smirk inwardly.
A bunch of inexperienced folks—what's so special about this? If only there were modern machinery, I could make you a feather pattern that would truly be beautiful! Once I ascend to the throne, I must create a large knife with a feather pattern and name it Tang Dao!
Li Jiancheng silently resolved.
"Thud thud..."
At that moment, a sudden sound of horses whinnying broke the air.
Li Jiancheng looked up to see Hua Ying and Yu Minjie leading Feng Li, all three riding swiftly towards him.
Creating weapons was essential for enhancing military strength, and Li Jiancheng naturally wanted Feng Li to know about it since he was the commander of the Changlin Army. So, he had arranged for them to come by today. But how did they manage their timing so perfectly? Perhaps it was just a coincidence!
The three arrived at the entrance of the Blacksmith Shop and elegantly dismounted from their horses, making Li Jiancheng envious. Although he had also ridden into battle in his previous life, he clearly lacked the skill compared to Feng Li and the others. He needed to practice more!
"Your Highness, you look..." Feng Li stood at the entrance of the Blacksmith Shop, staring in surprise at Li Jiancheng, who was covered in dust and grime.
To be honest, Li Jiancheng knew he must look rather disheveled. Although he hadn't worked directly with his hands, the dust in the Blacksmith Shop combined with the heat made sweat mix with dirt on his face, giving him a rather filthy appearance.
"You all made it!" Li Jiancheng hastily wiped away some dust from his face and smiled.
Feng Li said, "Your Highness commanded it, how could I not come? I even heard that you have been working at the Blacksmith Shop these past few days. I didn't believe it at first, but now I see it's true."
Working at the forge? This is serious research! Ah, you really don't understand!
Li Jiancheng suppressed a chuckle and replied, "I am merely here to guide; I haven't actually done any forging myself. If I weren't here to provide guidance, how could we create new weapons?"
"Your Highness, about that new weapon..." Feng Li intended to ask if the new weapon was ready, but his gaze fell upon the spearhead in Ma Qiang's hands.
Feng Li's eyes widened in surprise as he quickly stepped forward and snatched the spearhead from Ma Qiang.
"This spearhead is beautiful!" Feng Li exclaimed, admiringly caressing the spearhead as if it were a beloved.
Who among martial artists doesn't appreciate a fine weapon?
"General Feng, this is the Patterned Steel that His Highness taught us to forge!" one of the blacksmiths said with a grin.
"His Highness is so skilled?" Feng Li was taken aback. Since when did the Crown Prince become so knowledgeable about blacksmithing?
Another blacksmith chimed in, "Yes, it was His Highness who taught us. He has been working alongside us these past few days and has endured quite a bit to produce this Patterned Steel."
Feng Li thought to himself: The Crown Prince has really changed lately; he is truly dedicated to securing his position! It makes sense, considering Prince Qin and Li Shimin have been so aggressive and eyeing the throne.
He looked at Li Jiancheng with admiration and said, "Your Highness has worked hard for our weapons. I will do my utmost to ensure your position as Crown Prince."
Li Jiancheng waved his hand dismissively. "General Feng, you are too polite! I am already grateful that you and everyone else are willing to serve me. While you may be prepared to fight hard, I do not wish for you to truly risk your lives. My hope is that you all can live well. The purpose of forging these new weapons over the past few days is precisely that."
"Your Highness, this spearhead looks impressive, but does it really outperform other spearheads?" Feng Li still had doubts; it couldn't just be a decorative piece!
"You'll see for yourself whether it's impressive or not," Li Jiancheng replied with a smile. He then instructed Niu Fu to hold the spearhead securely while asking Ma Qiang to strike it with his saber.
"Clang..." Ma Qiang swung his saber down onto the spearhead, and it shattered into two pieces.
Yet on the edge of the spearhead, there was only a slight scratch; it was almost unscathed.
Seeing this, Feng Li, Ma Qiang, Niu Fu, Hua Ying, and Yu Minjie were all left in shock.
This Patterned Steel is incredibly tough!
Li Jiancheng observed their astonished expressions and said with a smile, "Did you see? This spear is not only beautiful but also very strong!"
Feng Li nodded in agreement. "Yes, indeed." He then stepped forward decisively and took the spearhead into his hands before cupping his fists toward Li Jiancheng. "Did Your Highness summon me today to gift me this spearhead?"
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