Chapter 20: Wu's Military Industry (Part 2)

  Military industry, of course, is about making weapons. This is something that modern people are familiar with, but for the ancients, it was a new term. Zhang Daniu couldn't understand it and was very curious.

  "Wu's Military Industry?" Zhang Daniu was taken aback, very puzzled, rubbing his forehead: "The master must have thought of a good name! Master, I'll go and do it now. Make it bigger, make it more impressive!"

  "Wait a minute." Wu Jian's mind moved and some things were better said clearly to Zhang Daniu first.

  "Master, what are your orders?" Zhang Daniu hastily stopped.

  "Sit down first, I have something to say to you." Wu Ji moved over a chair and wanted Zhang Dabull to sit on it. He himself was standing, with a condescending look, sizing up Zhang Dabull, his eyes wide open, quite imposing.

  "Hehe! The host is really polite, asking me to sit down!" Zhang Daniu felt even more honored and couldn't help but mutter happily.

  But he didn't say a word, and suddenly felt something was off. Wu Ji's eyes were wide open like bronze bells, his face solemn, and Zhang Daniu's smile froze on his face.

  "Master, why are you staring at me like that? Have I done something wrong?" Zhang Dainiu hesitated for a moment before asking in a timid manner.

  "You haven't done anything wrong yet, but I'm afraid you might in the future, that's why I have to remind you! Wu Ji's tone was more severe than ever: "I just told you, working for me has its requirements. Your skills are good and you're an honest person, but this is far from enough! Working here requires your mouth to be locked, not a single word can leak out, can you do that?"

  Zhang Daniu is an honest man, he won't cheat or deceive, but because he's too honest, his mouth isn't tight, it's easy to be deceived, and if the secret is leaked, the consequences will be severe. You know, Wu Ji wants to make a bomb, a hot weapon, once leaked, the consequences are unimaginable.

  It's not just detrimental to Wu Ji's business, if it falls into the hands of Liao Guo, the consequences will be disastrous. This is on the border between Song and Liao, and the possibility of leaking to Liao Guo is extremely high.

  It was for this reason that Wu Ji had to repeatedly warn Zhang Da Niu.

  "Can! Can! Must be able!" Zhang Daniu guaranteed without hesitation.

  "I'll make a deal with you, if you dare to leak out even half a word, you'll spend the rest of your life in prison. Your family won't have a good ending either, think it through!" Wu Ji's voice suddenly rose, extremely severe.

  "Master, what are you going to do? You're scaring me!" Zhang Dainiu asked dully.

  "It's a matter of life and death for tens of millions of people, and even affects the fate of the Song Dynasty. You say it's not important?" Wu Ji's words were absolutely not an exaggeration.

  Once the bomb appears, it will inevitably change the pattern of war. If the Song Dynasty uses it well, the fate of the Song Dynasty will be somewhat different.

  "Gulp!" Zhang Daniu swallowed a mouthful of water, hesitated for a moment, and said: "Master Dong, rest assured, I'd rather die than say it out loud!"

  "Remember what you said! First go and make the signboard! As for the contract, I'll give it to you in a few days." A smile appeared on Wu Ji's rigid face.

  "I'll definitely remember!" Zhang Daniu guaranteed again, bowed to Wu Ji and went to make the sign.

  Wu Jue hesitated for a moment, then left the blacksmith's shop and returned to his residence. This place was not far from Wu Jue's residence, so he arrived quickly.

  "Brother Jie, you're back? Sister-in-law has found a job?" Wu Jian was overjoyed to see Wu Jie return, and he rushed up to greet him with a look of deep affection.

  "So soon?" Wu Jie was somewhat surprised.

  Yang Xiuxiu also walked up quickly with a smile on her face and said: "I've found some needlework to do."

  Her needlework is exceptional, and finding some sewing work is really no problem at all.

  "It's just that the wages are too low. Only slightly better than farming." Yang Xiuxiu was somewhat dissatisfied.

  "The wages are too low, don't do it. I've found a job for you, from today on, you'll have something to do." Wu Jie smiled and took the hot water handed over by Yang Xiuxiu, taking a few sips.

  "Really?" Wu Jian jumped up high, with a joyful and childish expression, his eyes measuring Wu Ji, excitement beyond words.

  He came to Guishan County, just for this job: "Brother Jie, can I learn a skill?" If he could learn a skill, his life and fate would be greatly different, which was what he had been longing for.

  "Got it!" Wu Ji nodded lightly.

  "Wonderful! Wonderful!" Wu Jian exclaimed, asking: "Brother Jie, what kind of skill are you learning? Blacksmithing? Carpentry? Lacquer art? Ceramics?" He rattled off several popular skills from the Song Dynasty.

  "Yes! What kind of skill is it?" Yang Xiuxiu also asked curiously in a soft voice.

  Wu Jie rubbed his hands together and put on a sly expression: "This matter, you haven't said it right! If you want to know, follow me and take a look, then you'll understand."

  "Come on, brother! Let's go!" Wu Jian couldn't wait any longer, grabbing Wu Qi's hand and urging him to hurry up.

  "Alright! Let's go!" Wu Ji also handled this matter early on, so he could go do other things.

  At this time, Yang Xiuxiu locked the door and the three of them went to the blacksmith's shop together. On the way, Yang Xiuxiu asked about Wu Ji being in charge of the account book, and Wu Ji just said it was very smooth. The difficulties caused by Niu and Yang were not taken seriously by Wu Ji at all, as long as the tools were made, he would settle that small account without any effort.

  Yang Xiuxiu and Wu Jian praised Wu Ji enthusiastically, saying he was excellent.

  Soon, the three of them arrived at the blacksmith's shop, Wu Ji said: "It's here!"

  At that time, the sign of Wu's military industry had not been made yet, and it was still hanging with the ironwork shop sign. When Wu Jian saw it, he was overjoyed and exclaimed: "Ironwork? I can learn to be an ironworker!"

  He hopped in, and saw Zhang the Great Ox making a sign. Zhang was covered in iron filings and had quite a bit of oil on him, clearly an old blacksmith. Wu Jian hurried to pay his respects: "Disciple Wu Jian greets Master!"

  He thought Wu Ji had found him an ironwork job and even arranged for a master, so he couldn't help but rush to pay his respects.

  "Disciple?" Zhang Daniu was stunned, his big eyes kept moving back and forth on Wu Jian's body, like a giant golden rod, unable to understand: "Who are you? Where did I get a disciple from?"

  "Wu Jian, stop it!" Wu Ji then came in and stopped Wu Jian.

  "Are you really going to hammer iron? What can I do then?" Yang Xiuxiu took a look around the blacksmith shop, apart from farm tools there were only kitchen knives and cleavers, this was definitely a blacksmith shop. Hammering iron was hard labor, she was just a weak woman, there really wasn't anything suitable for her to do.

  "You're going to wield a big hammer, of course!" Wu Ji said seriously, sizing up Yang Xiu Xiu.

  "Can I swing a big hammer?" Yang Xiuxiu was stunned, that hammer is so heavy, how many times can she swing it? Wu Ji smiled with a playful smile on his face, and only then did he understand that Wu Ji was joking with her. She couldn't help but feel a little sweet and also a bit embarrassed, tightly pursing her lips without saying anything, her hands clasped together, her pretty face flushed red, looking very cute.

  "Xiuxiu, you and Wu Jian go buy saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal, as much as you can." Wu Ji looked at Yang Xiuxiu's charming appearance with great pleasure and began to assign tasks.

  "Saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal? Brother Jī, what are you buying these for?" Wú Jiàn's face was full of confusion.

  "Wu Lang, you wouldn't be thinking of doing..." Yang Xiuxiu's face was filled with shock and realization.

  "Hmm!" Wu Ji nodded lightly.

  "Where's the bear?" Yang Xiuxiu was completely clueless about bombs, she had only seen bears blown up and didn't know that this was a weapon of war, her thinking was quite narrow.

  "This time, it's not for hunting bears, but for making money! We'll make a lot of money!" Wu Jia was full of confidence.

  Wu Jie was Yang Xiuxiu's heaven, he said what is what, Yang Xiuxiu was overjoyed, took the silver and went with Wu Jian to buy raw materials.

  "Master Zhang, can you carve wood?" Wu Jia came over to Zhang Daniu's side and examined the wooden sign he had made, which wasn't bad.

  "It's okay, not too good!" Zhang Daniu hastily replied: "Master, are you going to do something? If it's just something casual, I can barely manage. But if you want it done well, you'd better ask someone more skilled."

  "It doesn't have to be that good, as long as you can make it work." Wu Ji nodded, looks like there's no need to find a carpenter anymore: "You go ahead and make the wooden sign first."

  Wu Jie helped Zhang Daniu with his work. The two of them worked together to make a wooden sign, and before long, they had finished one.

  Looking at the four characters "Wu's Military Industry" on the sign, it was not very good, nor bad, just average, enough to use, Wu Ji was quite satisfied.

  Zhang Daniu carried the sign to the door, and under Wu Ji's guidance, hung it up. The ironwork shop was no more, replaced by "Wu's Military Industry".

  Thus, Wu's military industry was established, shaking the world and enjoying a great reputation for a long time, famous all over the world!

  One hundred years later, the famous literary giant Lu You, took the Wu family's military industry manufactured weapons as a model, and compiled the book "The Great Song Dynasty Armory", which was passed down to future generations!

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