Volume 3: The Land of Jingchu Chapter 232 Jian'an 4
The banquet was held in the courtyard of the General's Mansion. After Pang Tong got Bai Tu's approval, he immediately called several strong men. Some of them carried boxes of knives, some carried bamboo, and some carried iron sand...
"Greetings, my lord." Several strong men saluted Bai Tu.
"No, let me see the swords that the Ministry of Works is going to present!" Bai Tu said.
“Yes!”
The two strong men then stood in the center of the courtyard, facing the position of the white map. The civil and military staff on both sides also looked over curiously.
One person held up a bamboo, another poured iron sand into it, and when it was full, the third person came forward holding a typical Han sword - with a long, straight blade and a ring on the handle.
The warrior holding the knife raised the knife above his head, and then used both hands to chop the bamboo filled with iron sand diagonally...
Crack...crash...
The bamboo was split into two oblique fractures, and the iron sand inside poured out.
Immediately afterwards, new bamboo was brought up - this is a traditional technique for testing swords, using bamboo to test their sharpness, and using iron sand to test their toughness!
He split the bamboo filled with iron sand six times in a row. On the seventh time, he finally couldn't bear the weight and was only embedded in it, but failed to split it.
Pang Tong then took the Han sword, held it presented it to Bai Tu - it can be seen that it is already covered with scars, and it is obvious that it was not because the strong man was exhausted that he failed to cut the seventh sword.
Under normal circumstances, ordinary infantrymen holding swords would hold the sword in one hand and the shield in the other, so there would be no chance for them to chop with such force . This was just a testing process, and being able to break three bamboos was considered a pass.
When the civil and military staff saw Gongbu's sword break six bamboos in a row, they all praised him. Sima Lang also exclaimed in admiration a few times, but... it was all empty talk!
Six pieces of iron-breaking bamboo are indeed quite sophisticated equipment. Cao Cao, who controls most of the Central Plains, can only equip the troops directly on the front line, and the first-tier elite troops, with such sophisticated weapons, and there are only a few thousand of them at most.
But...that's all!
I thought Pang Tong was going to come up with something good after talking for so long...
Such swords are indeed excellent, but... 300 such swords, equipped to the royal guards, are not worth paying too much attention to.
It was only because of Pang Tong's face that everyone exclaimed in amazement. Each one's acting was better than the other, as if they had seen the Longquan Sword and Gan Jiang and Moye.
Only the generals leading the troops looked at these people strangely.
"You can see that this is the ring-handled saber that our army was equipped with before." Pang Tong said sullenly at this time.
The previous praises came to an abrupt end.
Some of the other generals who led the troops were secretly laughing, as they had already seen through it.
Many people felt nervous... and finally felt relieved - luckily Gan Ning was not there, otherwise that guy might have said something harsh!
Sima Lang frowned slightly at this time. Although he unfolded it quickly, he was a little worried in his heart: Before... Well, "before"... In other words, this is used for comparison?
And... if you listen to this, sabers of this level are standard equipment in the army of the General's Mansion? You're not bragging, are you?
"Hehe, no wonder it's so sophisticated, it turns out to be our army's previous equipment, hahaha..." Many people laughed dryly to give themselves a way out.
Pang Tong did not mock anyone, but continued to ask the strong man to bring in a box of Han swords - all of which were brand new ring-handled swords.
At the same time, Pang Tong personally took over a sword that was completely black and had a guard in front of the handle from the strong man behind him. The blade was longer and more curved than the ring-handled sword, but its width was similar to that of the ring-handled sword!
Most of the scholars at that time were able to mount a horse and wield a sword, just like Lu Su... He always felt that if he didn't wear armor and fight in hand-to-hand combat, his "cousin" would really not be his opponent.
The same is true for Pang Tong. Although he does not have a military token, his strength is definitely no less than that of an ordinary elite soldier.
The civil and military staff, who had been somewhat disappointed just now, were now looking forward to it again - since the ring-handled sword was used as a comparison, then...how many bamboos could the new sword break?
However, this time... no iron-filled bamboo tube was brought up, but a strong man next to him picked up a ring-handled knife and stood sideways with the knife in front of Pang Tong.
Pang Tong was seen holding two swords and swung them down. With a "clang" sound, the ring-handled sword in front of him was cut off by the new swords!
Not to mention that everyone was shocked, and Pang Tong had no intention of ending it. Immediately, another strong man came to the side, also holding a ring-handled knife, and walked to the same position as the previous one, posing in the same posture...
Pang Tong swung his sword again, and the crisp breaking sound was heard again. After a flash of cold light, only half of the broken blade was left, "flashing" on the ground.
Then came the third and fourth cuts...until the seventh cut, when the warrior who was holding the sword could not hold it, the sword hit the ground and failed to cut off anything.
After Pang Tong put away his sword, he held it in both hands and presented it to Bai Tu for him to see.
Even the high-carbon steel blade had several broken and curled edges, and the low-carbon steel blade also had some fine cracks. However, it could be seen that the saber was still combat-ready - the seventh ring-handled knife had actually been cut off by more than half!
When the sword was being chopped again and again just now, many people showed distressed looks.
Although swords are forged to be used in battle, but... in normal combat, how could soldiers have so many situations where they would fight with all their strength?
It was clearly a top-grade steel blade, but it was broken...
But on second thought, according to what Pang Tong said, there are still three hundred such swords?
How many blacksmiths are there in the Ministry of Industry who can complete the casting of so many tempered steel knives?
From a practical point of view, even if this sword has not been tempered a hundred times, it must have been tempered dozens of times, right?
It seemed that Cao Pi's expression was even more solemn at this time, and Sima Lang on the side was already glaring at him implicitly as a reminder.
Sima Lang was amazed at the quality of the new sword in the General's Mansion, but he was also a little confused - this couldn't be Pang Tong's sudden idea, it must have been Bai Tu's instruction...
Then why would the General's Mansion publicly display its new swords, which have not yet been equipped to the entire army, on such an occasion? Now it's not just him, but also many envoys sent by other princes to watch the Nine Gifts Ceremony. Is it just to intimidate?
"Okay! Shi Yuan gave me and the Huben a surprise!" Bai Tu said.
As he spoke, Bai Tu directly called over three hundred Tiger Guards - now they were not only Bai Tu's personal guards, but also the Nine Gifts Tiger Guards bestowed by the emperor. In theory, they could be fully armed and equipped even in the capital.
Pang Tong had brought 300 swords and equipped them to the guards. Even though some of them usually used long weapons, they also had spare ports to connect short weapons. Their mission was to protect the white map. Once the enemy approached, they had to rush up to block the swords in hand-to-hand combat...
The only two exceptions are Lu Lingqi and Taishi Ci - Lu Lingqi's dagger was also given to her by Lu Bu. It is a real magic weapon, more powerful than the standard military sword produced on the assembly line. Taishi Ci also has a short spear that can be used for close combat. It is also produced by the Ministry of Industry and is custom-made. It is real hundred-tempered steel.
I saw that this originally black saber became three points longer after being loaded onto the armor of other guards. At the same time, when the generals exerted force, a hazy silver light would appear at the blade, and it was very dazzling when wielded!
Bai Tu is no longer surprised. The same weapon will become more powerful and more "abnormal" after being loaded with armor.
"This sword has no name, please name it, my lord." Pang Tong said at this time.
A name must be given, otherwise Bai Tu will probably be called "Bai Gong Dao" in a few days.
"Can this sword be equipped to the entire army?" Bai Tu asked.
"In terms of production capacity, it can cover more than 70% of the army within three years... In addition, better weapons will definitely appear within three years, and the main force will definitely eliminate the next batch of old models by then, which should be enough to equip the entire army." Pang Tong said.
"Okay! In that case, there's no need for a name. Just give it a number... Since it was equipped in the fourth year of Jian'an, let's call it the 'Jian'an IV' saber." Bai Tu said.
The two of them spoke in unison, saying the most crucial point - this was not only not a precious sword, nor could it even equip three hundred personal soldiers, but... it was to be a universal weapon covering the entire army and replacing the ring-handled sword!
Just from the name "Jian'an Four"... no, it should be said that the numbering is enough to show Bai Tu's positioning of these "treasure swords", which are standard weapons, and also his ambition.
As the whole room was in uproar, Zhang Zhao, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Revenue, could not help but stand up and ask, "My lord, this sword is powerful, but... it's quite wasteful, isn't it? The previous ring-handled sword was also a sword that the Han Dynasty had used for hundreds of years. I have observed the craftsmanship of the Ministry of Works, and the use of ring-handled swords is enough to surpass the enemy. Moreover, with such a large-scale replacement, wouldn't the previous ring-handled swords be a waste? The coverage rate of the dragon bone waterwheel that my lord has been thinking about..."
Zhang Zhao didn’t want to cry poor, but... the Ministry of Revenue was indeed not rich!
Although the salt tax, as well as the tax on traders of rare treasures such as Shu brocade and colored glaze, can now be collected, the Ministry of Revenue's income has increased sharply... but it cannot withstand the fact that Bai Tu spends more.
"Zi Bu, you're worrying too much. The replaced ring-handled knives are indeed elite weapons. Don't forget that on the road to supporting the Han Dynasty, we still have an ally like Prime Minister Cao. I believe... Prime Minister Cao will be interested in these replaced ring-handled knives." Bai Tu said and looked at Sima Lang.
Bai Tu did not know the person who came from Xudu to preside over the conferring of the Nine Gifts this time, and he was not an official of the Prime Minister's Office, but a courtier of the Han Dynasty. Bai Tu estimated that he was not Cao Cao's confidant, so Bai Tu looked at Sima Lang, who was the "Prime Minister's historian."
Before Sima Lang could speak, Cao Bang on the side said anxiously: "Mr. Bai, I think my uncle will be more interested in this...'Jian'an Four'."
Bai Tu smiled at him and said, "Well, it will be sold, and it will be sold in the future."
Cao Bang looked at Bai Tu's smile, bit his lip, and wanted to punch him in the face - yes! So you sold us the "worn out" ring-handled knife, and then made money to build the "Jian'an IV"? You will still sell it... Do you have to wait until Jian'an VI and Jian'an VII come out before selling it?
Lu Lingqi on the side frowned slightly, always feeling that this kid from the Cao family looked... weird?
