blogombal Chapter 125 Conferment of Titles: Sending the General to His Wedding
Chapter 125 Conferment of Titles: Sending the General to His Wedding
Chapter 125 Conferment of Titles: Sending the General to His Wedding
The news that was bound to come has finally arrived.
In the study, Wu Yingyuan exclaimed excitedly, "Ayu, something big has happened in Qin again!"
Gu Yu feigned surprise and asked, "What major event has occurred now?"
"It's truly unexpected that King Xiaowen passed away after only three days on the throne, and his heir, Prince Yiren, succeeded him as King of Qin."
"How could it be such a coincidence that he died only three days later?"
Wu Yingyuan said, "The reason is still unclear, but for our Wu family, this is great news."
Wu Shi Luo nodded and smiled, "That's right. With Young Master Yiren succeeding to the throne, he will naturally support Lü Buwei. All the efforts of our Wu family have finally paid off."
Wu Yingyuan added, "It seems we need to contact Lü Buwei immediately to see if it's necessary to hurry and rescue Zhu Ji and her child."
Little did they know that what the Wu family father and son could think of, the Zhao state could also think of.
Upon receiving the news of Prince Yiren's ascension to the throne, a group of ministers rushed to the palace to discuss countermeasures with King Zhao.
Ultimately, King Zhao ordered the deployment of eight hundred additional imperial guards, which, together with the existing hundreds, made the hostage residence as impregnable as an iron barrel, with layers of defenses, making the rescue even more difficult.
That evening, Wu Shiluo, his son, and Tao Fang sat around a small table, listening to Gu Yu's eloquent explanation.
"At present, we cannot act rashly. If we alarm the Zhao state and force them to kill Zhu Ji and her child at all costs, or to secretly relocate them, then we will be in trouble."
Wu Shilu nodded and said, "Therefore, we must ensure that everything goes perfectly before we take action. If we fail, the Wu family will also face annihilation."
Gu Yu then said, "Patriarch, I have an idea."
Wu Shilu was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "Quick, tell me about it."
After all, Gu Yu always brings surprises whenever he offers a plan.
"We can secretly manufacture a batch of weapons. I have a method that can greatly improve the hardness and toughness of the weapons."
"real?"
The Wu family father and son shouted in unison.
Many people in later generations always thought that the so-called famous swords of the Warring States period were a joke. With the backward technology at that time, what good weapons could they have made?
This is a complete misunderstanding.
In fact, steelmaking technology already existed during the Warring States period, and there were two main methods.
One type is based on the carburizing process of bloomery iron, called "blownery carburized steel", and the other type is called "cast iron decarburized steel".
Among them, bloomery carburizing steel is the mainstream method.
Given the conditions at the time, the furnace temperature was not high enough to produce liquid steel. Instead, they could only produce bloomery iron (which can be understood as wrought iron) containing impurities first, and then remove the impurities through carburizing and repeated forging.
This process is known as "forging steel through tempering".
Of course, this is a rather complicated process, and some things need to be added during it, such as carburizing, including the type of carbon used, which is also very particular.
Therefore, the requirements for craftsmen are also very high.
It can be said that, in addition to experience, sometimes luck is also needed.
Those master swordsmiths were actually craftsmen skilled in metallurgy.
The forging of a famous sword is essentially a relatively perfect smelting process, producing a piece of fine steel.
Any small mistake during the process could lead to defects such as insufficient hardness, excessive brittleness, or lack of toughness.
The method Gu Yu provided was actually very simple.
Of course, this is in his opinion, since his ideas were more than two thousand years ahead of the world.
To increase the furnace temperature, under current conditions, there are three ways: one is to modify the furnace to make its structure more reasonable, reduce heat loss, and make it more resistant to high temperatures.
Secondly, the bellows needs to be improved. Currently, a bellows blower is commonly used, which has a small air volume and must be improved to achieve a larger air volume.
Third, optimize the fuel and add combustion improvers.
Nowadays, steelmaking uses charcoal, but charcoal is also graded.
To produce high-quality steel, you need to use premium charcoal, specifically charcoal cakes made from hardwood. This is because such charcoal cakes have a relatively high density, burn for a longer time, and reach a higher temperature than ordinary charcoal.
At the same time, combustion aids must be added, such as adding a certain amount of wood ash and fluorite to the iron ore to lower the melting point of the iron ore.
In this way, molten iron can be melted and refined into high-purity bloomery iron.
Finally, by using a sealed carburizing method, high-quality carbon steel that balances hardness and toughness can be mass-produced.
Finally, through forging, quenching, and tempering, excellent weapons can be crafted.
Importantly, this method allows for mass production, which is far more efficient than the traditional method of master swordsmiths hammering each sword one by one.
"My goodness, Yu, where did you learn all this experience?"
After Gu Yu explained in detail, Wu Yingyuan's eyes widened, and he asked in shock.
Gu Yu made up a story: "When I fled Qin, I met an unnamed old man in the deep mountains, and he told me this. However, I have never tried it, so I don't know if it's feasible."
Tao Fang said, "That's simple. We've always made our own ironware. There are many craftsmen on the ranch. Just give it a try and you'll see."
Wu Shibao said with a solemn expression, "This matter must be kept secret. Steward Tao, you will go to the ranch to handle this matter. You must find someone trustworthy."
"Rest assured, Master!"
Gu Yu added, "By the way, Steward Tao, secretly collect more small earthenware jars, tung oil, and pine resin. They'll be very useful later."
"OK!"
Tao Fang nodded.
A few days later, King Zhao indeed summoned Gu Yu and arranged for him to be sent as an envoy to the State of Wei.
Zhao Mu was indeed very arrogant. Before King Zhao could speak, this guy put on a fake smile and said, "Gu Bingwei, you are very lucky. His Majesty has entrusted you with a very important task."
Gu Yu bowed and said, "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. However, I am of little importance and have little experience. I am afraid that I will fail Your Majesty's trust."
King Zhao laughed and said, "Minister Gu is too modest. I am sending you on this mission to Wei for two reasons: first, to escort the princess to her wedding, and second, to escort Lord Pingyuan and his mother to Wei to visit their relatives. Minister Gu is exceptionally brave and courageous; there is no one more suitable than you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
King Zhao then said, "This time, I have dispatched five hundred guards to accompany you, and I have appointed Minister Gu as the special envoy of the delegation and the general who escorts the bride. When you return after completing your mission, I will reward you handsomely and officially promote you to the rank of general."
Although the general who escorted the bride was also a general, it was a temporary appointment, which made it easier for Gu Yu to manage the accompanying troops.
Just as Gu Yu was about to express his gratitude, Zhao Mu continued, "Actually, your mission this time is not limited to this. We have received news that Lord Xinling of Wei has obtained a set of silk scrolls, which contain detailed methods for making various offensive and defensive weapons by Gongshu Ban, a master craftsman of Lu. The scrolls record 108 ingenious items of various sizes."
"Therefore, your main task this time is to try to obtain the 'Secret Records of Duke Lu'. At that time, our Great Zhao will have the potential to become the hegemon."
King Zhao then said, "Minister Gu, this matter is of utmost importance. You must find a way to obtain it no matter what."
Upon hearing this, Gu Yu finally understood Zhao Mu's conspiracy.
If I were to obtain the "Secret Records of Duke Lu," then this guy would definitely not let me return to Zhao smoothly; he would surely ambush me on the way.
If he fails to obtain the "Secret Records of Duke Lu," it will be tantamount to disobeying the King of Zhao's orders, and he will not fare well either.
It has to be said, it was truly a vicious scheme.