Iron Powder and Spellcaster

Pieces of iron lay quietly in the dark warehouse, without any thought. But if it had, it must have expected what it would be like throughout its life.

Is it the plow that breaks the land?

Or a sickle for harvesting crops?

The door opened, light came in, and the bar of iron was taken out of the warehouse by the craftsman.

It was thrown into the hearth and buried beneath the hot coals. The bellows whirred, and the flames burned the iron body.

I don’t know how long he endured it, but Tiao Tie finally escaped from the hell. Immediately, it was clamped onto the hydraulic forging bed by the craftsman and beaten repeatedly.

Soon, the iron bar disappeared, and what was left was an iron awl that was as long as a forearm, pointed at both ends, and about as thick as a person's hand in the middle.

As soon as the iron cone was formed, the blacksmith threw it at the feet of the apprentices. Before the apprentices could take the next step, the blacksmith had already gone to get another bar of iron.

The iron cone was taken over by the apprentice, and it still contained amazing heat.

Its surface was soaped by apprentices: it turned yellow and was returned to the forge; when it turned white, it was buried in hot sand to cool down.

The iron cone is adjusted repeatedly until the color is between gold and silver, and then the apprentice throws it into the oil tank;

The hot iron cone made a "squeaking" sound when it touched the cold oil.

In the blink of an eye, it faded from bright yellow to blood red, and was pinched out of the oil tank by the apprentices and left to dry in the air;

The color of the iron cone continued to gradually change, the blood red faded, and violet appeared bit by bit.

It is again immersed in oil and allowed to cool slowly.

While the apprentices were doing this kind of work, a man with a big belly wiped his sweat, bulged his belly, and stared around among the apprentices, scolding and correcting their mistakes.

Quenching and tempering have always been the secrets of famous craftsmen, and the timing of blanking depends entirely on vision, experience and secrets.

If a craftsman is willing to teach his apprentice these two crafts, he is either drunk or the apprentice is his illegitimate son.

Looking around Tiefeng County, the one who is best at these two techniques is none other than the swordsmith and municipal councilor Shao Sha.

Now, Shaosha has shown his ability to keep the bottom of the box. Although the apprentices were scolded, they were happy in their hearts.

Just learning to identify the three colors of steel is enough to benefit them throughout their lives.

After the iron awl is quenched and tempered, it is passed on to the new apprentice for sharpening.

In the hierarchical blacksmith guild, young apprentices are not qualified to learn more advanced skills and can only grind iron honestly.

The pedal grinding wheel rotated rapidly, sparks flew everywhere, and the iron cone was polished to an extremely sharp point.

Swords are rarely sharpened with a grinding wheel because the blade will be broken if not careful. However, I don’t have time to do the fine work now, so naturally I’ll do it as quickly as possible.

After being burned, forged, quenched, tempered and sharpened, the iron awl was sent to the town hall, where the carpenter was waiting for it.

The next thing is simple: the iron awl is smashed into a thick wooden stick, one end is deeply buried in the wood, and the sharp tip of the other end is exposed.

It was hastily secured with nails and ropes by carpenters, and then carried off to the town square to join its brethren.

At this moment, Tiao Tie understood its destiny, that of being a weapon.

…

The fire was red and the hammers were roaring. Forge Village was like a fierce horse being beaten desperately by the driver, and it was already running at full strength.

No one is making plows and sickles anymore, both craftsmen and apprentices are working like crazy making weapons.

Swords are too time-consuming, axes and halberds are too useless. When it comes to killing people, the simpler, the better.

The bayonet became the obvious choice. There's no other reason than that it's easy to build.

As the name suggests - a mallet with the ability to thrust.

It doesn't require good steel or good wood. An iron awl and a wooden stick used as a farm tool are fixed together to form a hammer. Not as good as a spear, but at least better than a sharpened wooden pole.

The mace itself is one of the crudest weapons.

The spur hammer made in Forge Township is also the simplest among the spur hammer family.

Using a thick wooden stick sacrifices weight and flexibility for structural strength; the iron cone does not have time to be firmly fixed, which is equivalent to trading structural strength for time.

There must be some people in Tiefeng County who don't believe that "the barbarians are coming to kill", but the blacksmiths are convinced.

How could Tribune Montagne order such crudely made weapons if it wasn't an urgent matter?

In such a suffocating situation, no one would care about the change of ownership of a forge - except for the great Goncharov.

Dagoncha didn't know what was going on.

Anyway, little Vinicius went to Gevaudan, and when he came back, all the procedures were completed smoothly.

Without further ado, the Vinicius family's forge had been traded to Shaosha, and the publicity, voting and other processes were simplified.

Dagancha suffered a frustrating loss. After all, the nominal head of the blacksmith guild was still Mr. Shaosha.

As for Shaosha’s backside? Ogangcha could guess who it was even with his knees.

At this moment, the man was standing in front of him.

"Lord Tribune." Dagancha smiled carefully and said, "Three hundred stabbing maces and six hundred iron awls have been loaded on the truck."

"Not bad." The military tribune nodded.

The young military tribune was dressed in military uniform, holding a whip in his hand and a long sword at his waist. For some reason, Dagancha felt a little out of breath.

"Thank you for the compliment, sir. I really don't take it... I don't take it seriously."

"Five of the seven forge masters ran away. They all took their families and hid in Gevaudan. Only your three brothers and Mr. Vinicius Jr. are willing to stay." The military tribune showed a smile: " You are really good, I hope I can use you again in the future."

Dagancha had cold sweat on his forehead and his spine was also chilly. He didn't regain his composure until he was very far away.

In the square of Forge Township, a convoy was ready to go, and the troop responsible for escorting it was Tamas's first company.

"There is no need to save horsepower. The sooner it is sent to Lieutenant Bard, the better. Tell Lieutenant Bard that this is the first batch, and there will be more to come in the future." Winters told Tamas: "When we get there, Leave the cart horses there. Bring back the horses that have been scattered among the farms.”

"Yes!" Tamas saluted heavily.

Winters fixed his helmet on the first company commander and sighed: "Don't embarrass me again."

Tamas was so aggrieved that his nose felt sore, and he saluted again: "Yes!"

…

Just this afternoon, the first company commander was severely criticized by Winters in public.

If it weren't for the new organization's inability to switch sequences at will, First Company Commander Tamas would now be Twelfth Company Commander Tamas.

Because after Winters personally inspected it, he found that the ration preparations of each company were in a mess.

In particular, a short soldier from the first company brought a piece of bread, which was far from the standard of "two weeks".

Slightly fermented dough is baked twice, it is light and does not take up space, it is military food. Fluffy food like bread is not even dry food.

Winters doesn't deal with soldiers, he deals with company commanders, especially the first company commander.

According to legion tradition, the order of each company is closely related to its combat power. The first company has the strongest combat effectiveness, so he is the first company.

Upon inspection, the first company's preparations for war were the worst.

On the contrary, the second company commander Bart Xialing did it very beautifully.

On average, each person in the Second Company carries three and a half weeks of dry food, and there is no situation where "some soldiers have more soldiers and some have fewer soldiers", which is extremely commendable.

Winters took out a Gold Cross on the spot and hung it on the flag of the second company.

[Note: Andre’s one and Winters’ two have been melted down]

…

"Okay." Winters waved his hand: "Let's go."

Tamas mounted his horse, raised his hand in salute again, and rode away.

Winters watched the carriage rumble out of Forge Country until the convoy disappeared into the night.

He could not allocate troops to Bard, not even a company.

Tiefeng County is bounded by a river. If there are sufficient troops or a fleet, then the best strategy is obviously to defend along the river.

However, he had neither soldiers nor fleets.

He had to clench his fingers tightly and punch the fire-warmer on the bridge of his nose. Even the difference in strength of a ten-man team may affect the success or failure of this punch.

Therefore, he cannot allocate troops to Bard, and Bard and the refugee camp can only rely on themselves.

A one-armed middle-aged soldier stood behind Winters and watched all this silently.

The one-armed soldier asked softly: "If you don't give a single soldier, is it really possible for Lieutenant Bader to do that?"

"You have to do it if you can, and you have to do it if you don't." Winters was silent for a long time: "I trust Bud, and he trusts me."

The wind blew gently, carrying back the muffled sound of forging hammers in the distance.

"The last time I saw this level of trust." A trace of a smile recalling the past appeared on the one-armed soldier's lips: "It was still between a hammer and a shield."

Winters laughed loudly and took the one-armed soldier's arm: "Okay. Colonel and Captain, please don't curse us. Let's go back to Gevaudan. Mrs. Mitchell is treating you to dinner tonight, have you forgotten?"

"I really don't want to go. I'm scared when I see that lady."

"And women who scare you?"

"At least there is one right now."

…

…

Colonel Bode had been back in Plato for three days.

According to the custom of the Palatuan people, a happy event such as Colonel Bode's regaining freedom and returning to his homeland must be celebrated by inviting relatives and friends to a banquet to show that he has broken with the bad luck of the past.

Although the current situation is special, Winters still wants to give the colonel a good start.

After thinking about it, I could only ask Mrs. Mitchell for help in this matter.

Winters was very ashamed of Mrs. Mitchell. With Girard's life and death uncertain, he sent Pierre to carry out the most dangerous mission. He also used Mrs. Mitchell.

Mrs. Mitchell never showed the slightest reproach to him, making Winters even more guilty.

So in the end it was Anna who asked Mrs. Mitchell for help.

Ellen Mitchell readily agreed, and so this "family dinner" took place.

Mrs. Ellen Mitchell was the host and Colonel Bode Gates was the guest of honour.

The male guests were Winters, Mason and Father Carman.

Andre was not there. Like Don Juan, he had already led the reconnaissance cavalry into the wilderness; Lieutenant Colonel Moritz avoided Colonel Bode and did not come to the banquet.

The female guests were Anna and Catherine, but Scarlett was not there.

Because Scarlett cut off her hair on her own initiative, Mrs. Mitchell did not allow her to attend the dinner table.

It just happened to satisfy the little wild cat's wish. At this moment, Scarlett was hiding in the kitchen and eating wantonly. No dish could escape her "poisonous hands" - Ellen obviously did not expect this.

There were only six guests, and Ellen chose a two-meter-long dining table that was neither alienating nor crowded.

Ellen also opened two bottles of wine brought from Wolf Town. In today's Gevaudin, wine is a rare thing.

The guest of honor toasted and chatted, and everyone deliberately did not talk about war, politics or the Hurds. The atmosphere was pleasant and intimate.

Colonel Bode's witty stories came one after another, and the laughter at the dinner table never stopped.

There may be some controversy over who of the three men here is better at marching and fighting.

But when it comes to pleasing women, even having Winters, Bud, Andre, Mason, Don Juan, and Moritz tied together wouldn't be enough for Bod Gates to beat alone.

Although the disaster in the wilderness almost tortured the colonel into a little old man, it failed to kill his sense of humor.

While chatting, it was the turn of the snacks to be served.

There should be seven snacks for one host and six guests, but only six were served.

Ellen handed it to others calmly, but she didn't take it herself: "Speaking of snacks, the price of flour in the city is the same these two days."

Winters' attention suddenly focused: "The price of flour has increased?"

"Yes, those poor believers can't even afford the batter." Father Carman asked coldly: "Is this matter your responsibility?"

Colonel Bode stopped telling jokes. He tasted the snacks silently, as if he was invisible at the table.

"This... I will check it out." Winters nodded sternly to Mrs. Mitchell and Carman and said, "Thank you both for reminding me."

Kaman sneered and stopped looking at Winters.

"Does this still need to be investigated?" Senior Mason, who was very drunk, said in a drunken state with blurred eyes and confusion: "I heard that the Hart barbarians are coming to kill. Everyone in the nearby villages and towns who have some property, all ran into Gervaudan! This There is a city wall! Can the price of flour not increase? What do you think? Can it not increase?

Prices will continue to rise. On the day when the barbarian horses step into Tiefeng County, more people will flee to Jevaudan. "

"Then you just watch?" Father Carman asked with a frown.

"What should we do? Limit the price? The price will rise even higher! Limit purchases? Everyone will rush to buy it!"

The senior sniffed, fiddled with the wine glass, and pushed it back unceremoniously: "If you want to completely solve the problem, you have to open a warehouse and sell food! But do we have food? We don't have any extra food! The food in the warehouse is getting less and less day by day. We still have to get food to fight against the Hurds! You push us, do you know our difficulties? Father Carmen!"

Not only does the senior have a bad ability to drink, but his wine taste is also not very good... At least at this moment, Mason is by no means the gentle and gentle senior he usually is.

Kaman was choked and couldn't speak, and the priest didn't want to argue with the drunkard.

Colonel Bode, on the other hand, had already finished his snacks.

"I will discuss a solution with Mayor Priskin." Winters smiled and reassured Kaman and the seniors: "There will always be a way, don't worry."

Seeing that Senior Mason was already sixty percent drunk, Winters had a thought and asked the senior: "How is your ranch doing now?"

"Which one?" The senior asked slightly dullly.

"That's where I first visited you."

It's a good thing Winters didn't mention it, but he just poked fun at the principal's sadness.

The alcohol, depression, and emotions were infected by the banquet atmosphere. Senior Mason actually burst into tears, and the atmosphere suddenly became subtle.

Did you use too much force? Winters was also a little alarmed.

Winters felt someone kick him under the table. He looked up and met Anna's bright smile.

Something bad is happening!

Winters scratched Anna's ankle expressionlessly.

Madam Navarre's hand was unsteady and she almost spilled half the glass of wine.

Catherine narrowed her eyes and looked at the two of them suspiciously.

Then Winters was kicked harder in the shin.

Enduring the severe pain, Winters put his arms around the senior's shoulders and comforted him: "I just wanted to ask, how are the breeding pigs you have bred?"

"It's all gone, didn't I tell you?" The senior wiped his nose.

Winters certainly knew, because of the testimony of the victim, Don Juan. Last time, the senior got drunk and went crazy, dragging Juan along to talk about breeding stock all night long.

"It doesn't matter if it's gone, we can cultivate it again." Winters guided the senior.

"Oh, it's different." The senior said drunkenly: "To improve breeds, the fastest way is to use male animals, and the most direct effect is to use female animals. I have both male and female animals, all of which were carefully selected and bred. Now they are all No more…Ronald…it’s okay to raise pigs for meat, but how can you kill breeding pigs for meat? I hate it so much…”

Winters listened and nodded.

Anna was a little annoyed. What were sows and boars talking about at the dinner? She had clearly signaled Winters not to continue this topic, but the bad guy continued to lead Mr. Mason to talk as if he could not hear or see.

Anna suddenly heard her sister say: "Can't we buy seeds from outside anymore?"

A lady was interested in this topic, and Senior Mason’s conversation became more intense. He cheered up and explained: “Pigs are mostly raised in free-range households and lack the awareness and conditions for breeding. Only by raising a lot of pigs at one time can you have more opportunities. Select the best from them and cultivate them.”

Catherine smiled sweetly and asked curiously: "Can't we raise a lot more?"

Little Ms. Navarre was in some ways far more perceptive than her sister. For example...it was clear that Mr. M was deliberately inducing Mr. Mason to talk about certain things.

"It will take many years to restore the size of the herd." The senior became more melancholy and sad: "It takes time to conceive, and it takes time for the cubs to grow up, alas."

"What about the broodmare?" Winters asked.

[Thanks to book friends for their collection, reading, subscription, recommendation votes, monthly votes, rewards and comments, thank you all]

[In fact, Winters is also a piece of iron]