Chapter 47: Military Equipment

  "Ah Ping, it's been a few days since we last met. Where did you get this good sword from? How much silver money did you spend on it? Can you sell it to me? I'll owe you one." Xue Liangwu had a pleading expression on his face. Among the several brothers of the Xue family, he was the best at close combat, but he didn't have a suitable weapon. Seeing this sharp sword, he couldn't bear to hold back anymore.

  "Reselling it to you is naturally out of the question!" Zhou Ping smiled and took the knife from Xue Liangwu's hand, putting it back in its scabbard: "My wrist strength far surpasses yours, this knife is too light for you. In two days I'll get Tai Shan to forge a new one for you!"

  "Isn't that Chen Tiejiang?" Xue Liangwu suddenly became angry: "You're so petty, if you don't give it to me then just say so. I'm not familiar with Chen Tiejiang's craftsmanship, how could he possibly forge such a fine knife?"

  "This sword was forged by my family's Tai Shan!" Zhou Ping smiled and pulled out the scabbard two or three inches, revealing the mark on the hilt: "Look, isn't this Chen Ji's mark?"

  Xue Liangwu took a look and indeed it was the familiar crooked "Chen" character he had seen before, and he couldn't help but exclaim: "Really?"

  "It's true, I did go to Tokyo this time and visited the Musashiya workshop, where I learned some of their skills. If you don't believe me, we can go to the Tai Shan Ironworks right now. But let me be upfront with you, I can give you the labor for free, but you'll have to pay for the materials!"

  "That's natural, that's natural!" Xue Liangwu was already laughing with his mouth wide open. The first Xue Zhenren and the Master of Zhishan also took out their swords, one by one, and couldn't help but marvel at them. Zhishan sighed: "The same iron material, but the swords made are so different, it's really puzzling." He put down his sword and asked: "Zhou Tan Yue, can you explain this to us?"

  "What's so difficult about it?" Zhou Ping walked to the side of the table, picked up a chopstick, dipped it in wine and began to draw on the surface while explaining. It turned out that the smelting technology of early humans was relatively backward, and the temperature inside the furnace could not reach the level required to melt iron ore, so what was obtained was generally a kind of sponge-like pig iron, which still needed to be forged before it could be used; with the progress of ventilation and smelting technology, the furnace temperature rose, and what came out of the iron furnace became molten iron with the lowest melting point. This molten iron was hard and brittle, and it was difficult to use directly, so it had to undergo annealing and decarburization before it could be used. At that time, this kind of molten iron was the easiest to obtain on the market, and its price was also the cheapest. However, neither this molten iron nor pig iron was suitable for making weapons, so ancient Chinese craftsmen usually adopted surface carburizing technology to make pig iron, placing the iron in high-temperature charcoal fire, then folding and forging it, and finally quenching it to make a strong and sharp weapon; another method was to mix pig iron with a certain amount of wood charcoal powder and catalyst, seal it, heat it, and synthesize it into steel. This method originated from the Sassanid Empire in Persia, and in ancient China, it was called "Gang Tie". The Western Xia Dynasty in northwest China during the Northern Song Dynasty also used this technology to make the famous "Xia Ren Jian" sword. At that time, the Northern Song Dynasty spent a lot of money to obtain this method after seeing it on the battlefield, and put it into use in the military workshop. Zhou Ping discovered it in Dongjing and secretly brought back the catalyst, carefully trying it out until he successfully tested it. Compared with the first method, the second method only required proper temperature and catalyst usage, without repeated forging, and did not require top-notch craftsmen, which saved a lot of manpower and resources.

  "Alas! This is a military secret, and yet——” Zhi Shan couldn't help but sigh when he heard this, clearly disapproving of how Zhou Ping had so easily obtained such an important military secret as if it were a joke. However, the thief was right in front of him, and some things were better left unsaid.

  "I see, then I'll go to your Tai Shan Fu tomorrow and have him forge a weapon for me!" Meanwhile, Xue Liangwu didn't take Zhou Ping's actions seriously at all, his mind preoccupied with his own weapons.

  "This is easy to say!" Zhou Ping turned around and asked Zhi Shan: "I don't know what plans the Zen master has after returning from Liaodong this time?"

  "What's the plan?" Zhi Shan was taken aback, and replied with a hint of melancholy: "Now that the alliance between the imperial court and the Jin state is on track, I'm no longer needed. It's been many years since I've returned to my hometown, so after this matter is settled, I'll return to my old home in Shaanxi to spend my remaining years."

  "Alright!" Next to him, Xue Zhenren saw that his old friend's expression was not quite right and hurriedly raised his cup to persuade him: "Master Chan, you have achieved such great merit and returned home, it is a joyful thing in life, let me be envious of you!" The people around him hastily responded with applause, raising their cups to invite him to drink. Zhi Shan did not decline, but after a short while, he had already downed six or seven large cups of wine. Although they were only village-brewed liquor, it was very thick and Zhi Shan had drunk too much, his speech becoming unclear. Zhou Ping had no choice but to get up and support him to the guest room in the backyard to rest. When everything was settled and he was about to push the door out, he suddenly heard Zhi Shan's voice behind him.

  "Zhou Tan Yue, just now you were on the stage, wasn't there something you didn't want to say?"

  Zhou Ping turned around, only to see that Zhi Shan had already sat up, his face no longer showing any signs of intoxication. It was clear that his earlier behavior was just an act, and Zhou couldn't help but smile wryly: "Master Zhi, you were quite convincing just now, managing to deceive all of us!"

  Zishan's face revealed a sly smile: "After going around in circles with the Jurchen woman, I've naturally become more cunning!"

  "I thought the Jurchen women would be more honest!" As he spoke, Zhou Ping's face turned serious and he said in a deep voice: "Actually, I have a few words to say to you, Master Chan. The question is whether I should say them or not."

  "I am an outsider, what can't I talk about?"

  "The sage said: 'Nothing does not have a beginning, nothing does not have an end.' This alliance to conquer the Liao may not be something you alone can take credit for, but without you, I fear it would not have been possible. Now that the matter of recovering Yan and Yun has just begun, you are returning home to retire - is this not unworthy of a great man?"

  Zhishan heard the words and laughed, saying: "Zhou Tan Yue's words are not quite right. That Wanyan Aguda has long had the intention of allying with Song to destroy Liao, even if I, Zhishan, were not in Liaodong, wouldn't he be able to find someone else to pass on the message? Such a big hat is being placed on me, and I am unable to bear it!"

  "What the Master says is indeed true, but I would like to ask you a question: If in the future the conquest of Liao does not succeed and the country suffers defeat and humiliation, how will history evaluate the Master?"

  "This?" Zhì Shàn was suddenly speechless, and Zhōu Píng's question had struck his weak point. For someone like Zhì Shàn, who is unyielding to power, unmoved by wealth and luxury, and unwavering in the face of poverty and lowliness, it can be said that he is impervious to both soft and hard tactics - it would be easy to cut off his head, but difficult to get him to do something for you. There is only one thing that he cannot put down, and that is how he will be evaluated in the historical records a hundred years later. Therefore, later Confucian scholars said, "Confucius wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals, and the treacherous ministers and sons were afraid!" The treacherous ministers and sons may not have been intimidated, but those who were intimidated were people like Zhì Shàn, who took it upon themselves to be responsible for the world.

  Zhou Ping saw that his move was effective, and he hurriedly pressed on: "You dare to say another sentence: if one day the northern cavalry comes south, and the Central Plains are devastated, repeating the disaster of Yongjia, I wonder where Master Chan will be in the annals of history?"

  After listening to Zhou Ping's series of questions, Zhishan closed his eyes slightly, sweating profusely, as if he were in a nightmare. After about half a moment, Zhishan raised his head, looked straight into Zhou Ping's eyes and said in a low voice: "If it is really as you said, after a hundred years, I will naturally be recorded in the history of treacherous ministers, ending up with a reputation that will be despised by all. Zhou Tan Yue, it seems you don't want me to return home!"

  "It's true!" Zhou Ping said in a deep voice: "Anyang is located at the river crossing, leaning on the Taihang Mountains to the west. Since ancient times, it has been a place that controls and blocks the north and south, and screens the Western Capital (Luoyang). If it were really unfortunate for the young master to be right, the Hu cavalry would go south, and this place would inevitably encounter the edge of the sword. At that time, I'm afraid that there will be no more land north of the Yellow River."

  "Do you want to guard your hometown and keep it peaceful?"

  "Not bad, but this young man is still inexperienced and shallow. It seems that Master Zhen has left me with a bit of his power!" With that, Zhou Ping stood up and bowed deeply to Zhi Shan.

  "Hahaha!" Zhi Shan suddenly burst out laughing, Zhou Ping's face remained unchanged, only maintaining his bowing posture. Zhi Shan jumped up from the bed and walked towards the door, laughing as he went: "You're just a ninth-rank military officer, merely a patrol inspector, if the Hu cavalry really does invade the south, you'll be lucky to save your own skin, yet you still think you can resist the great disaster with your own strength, it's truly laughable!"

  "You are a Zen master, an outsider, yet for decades you have been rushing around, without even having time to warm your seat, what is the purpose of all this?"

  Zishan's movement stopped, he turned around and looked at Zhou Ping, asking: "The current situation is so severe that it's hard to reverse, relying on our power alone, I'm afraid it's difficult to succeed."

  "I borrow the wisdom of all under heaven to govern with righteousness; what worry is there that things will not be accomplished?"

  With a bright glance of her eyes, she asked: "What if it's not predestined by heaven?"

  "If fate is not harmonious, then this place will naturally become our burial ground. It's better than being spat on by the masses in history books a hundred years later!"

  "Good, good, good!" Upon hearing this, Master Zhi Shan's eyes were already brimming with hot tears: "Zhou Tan Yue's words have truly allowed me to see the light of day. It seems my fortune-telling skills are not off the mark after all! In that case, I'll just leave this old body of mine here!"

  "I have a major matter that lacks someone in charge. If I can get the Zen master's help, what worry is there that it won't succeed?"

  Sanhezhou is located twenty-three miles northeast of the ancient city of Ye, where the Zhang River flows eastward. There is a narrow point suitable for crossing the river. At the end of the Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu sent his generals to cross the river from here and stationed troops south of the Zhang River to attack the Qin general Zhang Han. Since ancient times, it has been an important ferry on the Zhang River. Due to its convenient transportation, the population increased, and by the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, it gradually developed into a small market town. The government set up a patrol office here, with twenty archers under its jurisdiction, to catch thieves and maintain law and order. Originally, it was just an old house next to the ferry terminal. After Zhou Ping took office, he occupied a nearby abandoned temple, cleaned it up, and temporarily used it as the yamen of the patrol office.

  It was a busy day at the market, and the streets of Sanhu were especially lively. Farmers in straw sandals, cattle merchants wearing sheepskin coats despite the heat, and small vendors crowded the only street in town, filling it to bursting point. The air was filled with the sounds of arguments and shouting from all directions. However, the commotion soon died down for a simple reason - a group of people were approaching from the direction of the Patrol Office, led by a young man wearing a black hat, a round-collared official robe, and carrying a sword at his waist. He was none other than Zhou Ping, who had recently taken office.