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墨書 Inktalez
Early the next morning, Yuwen Bao quietly set off for Luoyang. The residents of Prince Qi's Residence, except for Li Yuanji, were unaware of his whereabouts or purpose.
In the following days, Li Yuanji either stayed at his Prince Qi's Residence playing Mahjong or visited brothels. Meanwhile, Li Jiancheng, accompanied by Ma Qiang and Niu Fu, spent most of their time at the Blacksmith Shop, checking on the progress of two Patterned Steel swords being forged.
Since several blacksmiths had already learned to forge Patterned Steel, Ma Qiang and Niu Fu's swords were completed in just two days. The main challenge was crafting a long spear for Feng Li, as the blueprints provided by Li Jiancheng included threaded sections.
The threaded structure was a novelty for the people of the Tang Dynasty, making it quite difficult for the blacksmiths to work with. However, after some guidance from Li Jiancheng, they finally managed to create the long spear with threads.
When Ma Qiang and Niu Fu received their Patterned Steel swords, they were both delighted. Li Jiancheng instructed the blacksmiths to prepare a Wooden Box to store the spear's shaft and tip separately.
After rewarding the blacksmiths and ordering another sword to be made for himself, Li Jiancheng left with Ma Qiang and Niu Fu, who was responsible for carrying the Wooden Box containing the spear.
Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, Li Jiancheng and his companions immediately headed to the Training Ground. Feng Li, Hua Ying, and Yu Minjie were training the Changlin Army. Upon seeing Li Jiancheng arrive, they instructed the soldiers to continue their training before coming over to pay their respects.
"Your Highness, is there something you need from me?" Feng Li asked after bowing.
"General Feng, the spear I promised you has been forged and I have brought it," Li Jiancheng replied with a smile. He had grown accustomed to not referring to himself as "this humble one" within the Eastern Palace.
"A spear? Where is it?" Feng Li's eyes lit up but then filled with confusion as he noticed that none of them were holding a spear; only Ma Qiang was carrying a Wooden Box.
"It’s right here!" Li Jiancheng chuckled as he took the Wooden Box from Ma Qiang and placed it on the ground.
"Ah? Such a short Wooden Box!" Feng Li expressed disappointment. How big could a spear fit in such a small box?
Li Jiancheng noticed Feng Li's disappointment but chose not to elaborate further. Instead, he squatted down and opened the Wooden Box, retrieving the spear shaft, tip, and other components before assembling them by twisting the threaded parts together.
As the long spear gradually took shape, Feng Li's eyes brightened twice. This spear was indeed large and long!
Li Jiancheng handed the completed spear to Feng Li. "General Feng, see if you are satisfied with this spear and if you can handle it."
Excitedly accepting it, Feng Li examined the spear closely. He pulled at the joints with all his strength but couldn’t budge them. After weighing it in his hands thoroughly, he nodded vigorously and said, "I’m satisfied! Your Highness, this spear is excellent; I have enough strength to wield it."
"I'm glad you’re satisfied! Now continue your training while we head back!" Li Jiancheng replied.
"I bid you farewell, Your Highness!" Feng Li, Hua Ying, and Yu Minjie said almost in unison.
The next day dawned clear and bright.
Li Jiancheng took Ma Qiang and Niu Fu to the Blacksmith Shop to collect the dagger he had commissioned for himself. He rewarded the blacksmiths and instructed them to continue crafting Patterned Steel Blades. As for who would receive the finished weapons, that could be decided later; after all, they were meant for his people in the Eastern Palace.
"Your Highness, our Blacksmith Shop is too slow at producing weapons. If only we could mass-produce such fine arms!" one of the blacksmiths remarked.
Mass production? Li Jiancheng paused, as he had not given this matter much thought before.
"I'll consider it further," Li Jiancheng replied casually to the blacksmith.
"The weather is nice today; let’s take a walk outside!" he then suggested to Ma Qiang and Niu Fu.
"Sure!" Ma Qiang and Niu Fu nodded in agreement.
As the three walked down the street, Li Jiancheng's mind was occupied with the idea of mass-producing weapons. Clearly, one Blacksmith Shop alone would not suffice. This required the Ministry of Works to get involved. However, what weapons the Ministry of Works would manufacture and in what quantities depended on the Emperor's orders. It was out of the question for the Ministry of Works to secretly produce weapons for the Eastern Palace; that would be a grave crime of treason.
Could he reveal the secret of crafting Patterned Steel to his father and ask him to command the Ministry of Works to produce Patterned Steel weapons in bulk? That was also not feasible. If that were to happen, not only would his Eastern Palace have superior weapons, but Prince Qin's mansion and Prince Qi's Residence would as well. What advantage would he have then?
"No guns, no cannons; our enemies are making weapons for us..." Li Jiancheng recalled a guerrilla song he had heard in his childhood. Such foolishness of providing weapons for others was something he could never do.
It seemed that mass-producing Patterned Steel weapons would have to wait until he became Emperor!
Just as Li Jiancheng was lost in thought, a sudden burst of applause and cheers caught his attention.
Following the sound, he noticed a crowd gathered by the riverbank. Curious, he led Ma Qiang and Niu Fu over to investigate.
As they approached, they discovered a storyteller setting up his stall and regaling an audience with tales.
"In August, when the rain ceased and the skies cleared, military supplies arrived from Taiyuan, prompting the Emperor to lead an attack on Huo Yi. First, light cavalry challenged them; Song Laosheng commanded thirty thousand troops from the East Gate and South Gate to engage in battle. The Tang army retreated slightly, which led Song Laosheng to believe they were afraid and advance his troops closer to the city. General Yin Kaishan led infantry to resist Song Laosheng while His Highness and Prince Qin maneuvered their forces around behind Song Laosheng’s troops, securing positions at the East Gate and South Gate to cut off their retreat. Just as both sides were locked in fierce combat, the Emperor sent word proclaiming 'Song Laosheng has been slain!' Upon hearing this, Song Laosheng's forces fell into disarray and fled in panic while the Tang army pressed forward, killing Song Laosheng and achieving a great victory..."
The storyteller recounted events from the Huo Yi Battle with vivid detail as if he were present at that moment.
Li Jiancheng listened with amusement. At that time, Li Yuan could not yet be called Emperor. Neither he nor Li Shimin held titles as Crown Prince or Prince Qin back then. Moreover, Li Yuan’s army could not be referred to as the Tang army.
The storyteller had prematurely cast Li Yuan and his sons into their roles.
At that time, Li Yuan was not yet the emperor, and Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin were united in their efforts against their enemies. Unfortunately, this situation did not last long. From the moment Li Yuan ascended to the throne and named Li Jiancheng as the Crown Prince, a rift began to form between the two brothers.
It is understandable that Li Shimin felt uneasy, as Li Yuan had promised to make him the Crown Prince when they first rose in rebellion. It is also understandable why Li Yuan made such a promise; at that time, only his second son, Li Shimin, was by his side. Perhaps Li Yuan did not anticipate that he would become emperor so quickly! However, from the very beginning of the rebellion, Li Shimin had been preparing himself for the role of emperor.
This is likely why Li Shimin was able to succeed during the Xuanwu Gate Incident. In fact, he had been secretly preparing quite thoroughly!
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