For seven or eight consecutive days, in addition to rectifying the city's defense and responding to important military and political matters, Li Yuan devoted himself wholeheartedly to the weapons prison.
Hu Gui and the other craftsmen never slacked off. Ever since Li Yuan gave him the cold forging method and issued a series of tasks, the weapons prison had been ringing with hammering sounds day and night, and hundreds of people The shirtless man was sweating with all his strength. Some were making armor, some were refining weapons, some were making furnaces, and some were tempering. The division of labor was clear and orderly. The strong fire was burning brightly in this huge workshop. After a few days, the air here was already filled with a strong smell of hormones.
At this time, Li Yuan was squinting his eyes and leaning lazily on his seat, admiring the busy scene in front of him with great interest. The sound of hammers and irons coming from time to time in his ears, although boring, to him, it was like Like a symphony with a thumping rhythm, my heart is filled with a deep sense of satisfaction and pride. Lin Sichang, on the other hand, and his soldiers were guarding him with serious faces. Since the commander trusted him so much and entrusted his life to him, he must always remain vigilant and never let down, no matter where and when.
After a moment, an exclamation woke Li Yuan up: "Commander, Commander! It's done!"
Li Yuan suddenly opened his eyes wide. He stood up and saw Hu Gui's two big hands carefully holding a piece of armor. Judging from his nervous look, he didn't dare to run away for fear of breaking the thing in his hands. He could only adopt an awkward posture and walk quickly with his legs stretched out.
"Why so fast?" Li Yuan frowned and spoke subconsciously. After all, his knowledge of the armor forging process was all on paper, but when it came to putting it into practice, he was concerned about the forging time and the effect of the armor. Difficult to determine. It's just that the armor is related to the life of the sergeant. I hope Hu Gui and others will not take advantage of it.
Hu Gui had already walked up to him, and then he said in astonishment: "Commander, isn't this the cold forging method you gave me? Forging at normal temperature, without the need to start the furnace and temper it, can be done by three people in ten days, but the official asked for thirty Of course it is much faster for the caller to make the armor... I have repeatedly selected it, and I only picked this one with the best quality, please take a look at it!"
Hearing this, Li Yuan smiled awkwardly and quickly took the newly made armor and inspected it.
The color of this piece of armor is no different from what Li Yuan had imagined before. It is completely black with a hint of cyan. When you touch it with your hands, you can see that it is completely different from the previous armor. It feels soft and very thin, but when holding a fist, it is It feels tough, and the craftsmanship of Hu Gui and others can be seen. The individual beetle leaves are tightly strung together with thin ribbons, and the surface is so bright that the silhouette of a human figure can be seen. Li Yuan looked closer and saw that his hair was faintly visible against the background. He had a strange idea in his mind. This thing could be used as a bronze mirror...
Taking a deep breath, Li Yuan's eyes lit up and he praised repeatedly: "You are worthy of being the weapons supervisor! This cold-forged armor is simply a masterpiece!"
Hu Gui's face glowed red, and he quickly raised his hands and said: "The commander-in-chief has given me too much praise! This armor can be achieved only by the methods given by the commander-in-chief. The subordinates are just following the same example and trying to get started!"
Ignoring Hu Gui's flattery, Li Yuan couldn't wait to try it out, so he ordered Lin Sichang to move a stone table, spread the cold-forged armor on it, and then took out the sword given by the emperor from his waist. , slashed hard.
There was only a sharp and ear-piercing sound of "bang". Li Yuan exerted all his strength, and the tiger's mouth was slightly numb from the shock, but he saw that the cold-forged armor did not move at all, and the dark green and black light patterns seemed to have accumulated over time, quiet and calm. However, Li Yuan did not stop, but slashed dozens of swords in succession. With such gnashing of teeth, others might have thought that the commander-in-chief had any grudge against the armor.
After all, the stone table under the armor was a hard object, not a living body. When he reached the 60th or 70th blow, Li Yuan was already slightly panting, and then he sheathed the sword, and then ordered several soldiers to step forward and strike one by one. After cutting and testing, it was calculated that there were three to four hundred swords, and then he ordered to stop and ordered Hu Gui to check.
After all, it was the first time to give Li Yuan the test results. Hu Gui, who had been nervous for a long time, rushed forward nervously and skillfully checked several key joints of the armor. He reported back: "Commander, there is no damage at all, not even a sword mark left!"
Lin Sichang and others who were watching were full of surprise. You must know that although these soldiers are still young, they have served in the Dianzhi Army and the Weisheng Army successively since they joined the army. Naturally, there is no shortage of various armors, weapons and weapons of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Therefore, they can be considered to have seen the world. Judging from the Mingguang armor they were wearing, it was considered the best armor in the Southern Tang Dynasty. However, after a round of fighting, not to mention the cracked armor leaves and mottled sword marks, the cold-forged armor on the stone table in front of them was inevitable. The hardness has obviously exceeded their knowledge.
"Good armor! Good armor!" Lin Sichang couldn't help but take the lead in cheering.
Li Yuan didn't change his expression, because the test method he just used was completely based on the book "Mengxi Bi Tan", but this was only the first step of the test. He then gave a few instructions to Lin Sichang, and stood in the open space. He temporarily moved a straw man as an arrow target, put the cold-forged armor on it neatly, and then ordered everyone to retreat fifty steps away. The intention is self-evident.
"Sichang, how many stone bows can you fire?"
Lin Sichang was stunned for a while, then stood still and replied loudly: "Commander, I will be ashamed to say that I can only kill one stone with more than one stone!"
Killing one stone kills more than one stone? Li Yuan nodded calmly. He had seen the right person. This personal commander was honest. You must know that the soldiers of the Southern Tang Dynasty are not as good as the Northerners, and their physical fitness is uneven. The average level is only eight fights, and the average elite soldier is more than one stone. Unless they are fierce generals or strong men, the limit can be two or three stone. But the training bow is different from the actual bow. For example, Luo Erhu can sometimes shoot three stones during practice, but can only shoot two stones in actual combat. This is already very rare.
"New Book of Tang" records that the bows used by the two tiger generals Zhang Shigui and Wang Zhongsi had a draw force of 150 kilograms. There is a slight difference between the jin in the Tang Dynasty and the modern jin. When converted, it is two hundred jins, which is equivalent to less than three stones and five stones. This is an extreme exaggeration! As for the characters described in the story books who can easily fire seven or eight stone bows, those are not heroes, they are gods.
"Bring me my handsome bow!" Li Yuan waved his hand domineeringly, and the soldiers beside him trotted over and brought up a strong gold-painted bow.
"Sichang, please try my bow, two stones!"
Lin Sichang took it without hesitation and responded crisply: "Follow the commander's orders! The general will definitely try his best!"
At this time, I saw Lin Sichang's eyes showing a slightly excited look. After all, it was a honor to be named by the commander and perform some archery skills in front of everyone. But at the same time, he was a little worried. These were two stone bows. If he could pull them by himself, What should I do if it fails to fire or misses the shot? This is not a matter of embarrassment for me. As a personal commander, I have lost the face of the commander-in-chief...
Following Li Yuan's order, Lin Sichang did not dare to neglect, and quickly collected his thoughts. After his mind was clear, he took a deep breath and began to concentrate.
I saw him standing up with a bow in his hand, then closing his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking silently in his heart, a gust of draft suddenly passed by gently.
Suddenly, Lin Sichang's eyes widened, his lower body was steady, his arms were tense, and he quickly nocked the arrow on the string. He only heard a dull "bang" sound, and the strong bow was gradually fully drawn until it made an exaggerated creaking sound. At this time, it almost It has become an arc moon.
"Bang!" The moment Lin Sichang let go of the bowstring, everyone's eyes followed the sharp arrow whizzing away, hitting the heart of the grassroots fifty steps away, but unexpectedly the arrow did not pass through the armor. , but it was like hitting a solid rock, and then fell straight to the ground with a clang!
Li Yuan was the first to shout: "Okay!" At this time, the spectators cheered in agreement.
Lin Sichang smiled shyly, and his heart was filled with excitement. He never thought that he would actually draw the bow today. Is this a fluke or has his arm strength really improved? But what surprised him the most was that the seemingly thin cold-forged armor could actually stop even a powerful bow? Simply incredible!
Gradually, he developed a stronger sense of awe for Li Yuan. Such a treasured armor is hard to find in the world. Where did the commander get the forging method? If all the armies from now on are equipped with this cold-forged armor, what will they have to fear in battlefield battles? Could it be that my handsome man is blessed by heaven and man...
Hu Gui hurriedly stepped forward to take off the cold-forged armor, and then trotted back to Li Yuan. Apparently he had never thought that the armor he forged with his own hands was so hard. Then he was so excited that he almost shed tears and said tremblingly: "Big Handsome, this cold-forged armor is as solid as a rock, even the ancient meteorite iron is incomparable! I congratulate you, Marshal, for obtaining such a divine item! From now on, our Wuping Army will be invincible in all battles!"
Lin Sichang and his soldiers couldn't help themselves. They all shouted generously: "Congratulations, commander-in-chief! Congratulations, commander-in-chief!"
Li Yuan's mind was already swaying, and his chest was heaving violently at this time. According to "Mengxi Bi Tan", this piece of cold-forged armor has obviously reached the level of "it can't be penetrated if it's fifty steps away, and a strong crossbow can shoot it." Qualified standards, but in practice the performance is so excellent, Shen Mengxi sincerely does not deceive me!
Li Yuan spoke excitedly: "Hu Jiancheng will be rewarded fifty guan for his merit in casting the armor. Each craftsman who participated in the armor casting will be rewarded 10 guan!"
Hu Gui's brows were filled with joy. After thanking him for the reward, he raised his hand and said, "Commander, the cold-forged armor is now ready, but the quantity needed for the army is really huge. In addition, there are other weapons that need to be made. Therefore, the lower official suggested that the weapons supervisor should be in Guangzhou Recruiting people so that we can rush the production..."
Li Yuan waved his hand without hesitation: "That's right! But I still say the same thing, anyone who leaks secrets will be killed! Anyone who passes off a good one as a good one will be killed!"
Seeing the commander's trust so much, Hu Gui was so flattered that he dared to disappoint him? After making up his mind, he bowed and said: "I will remember the command of the commander-in-chief!"
