Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Knife

  When they heard that Wang Que was going to have a duel with Yang Fangyun, all the brothers gathered around.

  Does everyone want to see me make a fool of myself? Wang Hengyu felt somewhat embarrassed.

  I myself have never played with knives, and I'm definitely not Yang Fangyun's opponent. What if I accidentally lose and get beaten by Yang Fangyun? That would damage the dignity of our master. But now that all of you brothers are here, can we still send them away?

  "Be careful, Lord Wang." Yang Fangyun drew his sword, took a deep breath, and charged forward with a slash at Wang Hengyue.

  This commander's saber was originally used for decoration, but in Yang Fangyun's hands, it was used with a loud whooshing sound.

  Wang Hengyue was somewhat flustered, parrying several knives in a row and retreating several steps.

  Among the "ding-dong" sounds, Yang Fangyun kept shouting: "Sir, watch your step." "Sir, be careful on your left side." "Sir, make your blocking moves a bit faster!"

  He spoke in a low voice, and the brothers were far away, only Wang Hengyue could hear. According to Yang Fangyun's words, he constantly changed his figure and footsteps, outsiders saw them fighting fiercely, but it was actually Yang Fangyun directing Wang Hengyue on how to use his knife.

  Actual combat is the best practice. At first, Wang Hengyue was busy and flustered, but as he fought on, he became more skilled and gradually gained some insight into the secrets of using a sword.

  Although it's no longer the era of cold weapons, this knife will still be very useful on the battlefield in the future!

  "Look out, sir!" Yang Fangyun suddenly bellowed, his sword flashing down through the air!

  Wang Hengyue exerted all his strength, using every last bit of energy to make a single strike upwards. With a loud "Dong" sound, the commander's knife in his hand was actually chopped into two pieces!

  A burst of applause erupted, and the brothers watching around looked as if they were in a trance, unable to help but shout their approval.

  "Your skills are impressive, but unfortunately, the knife doesn't suit your hand." Yang Fangyun hastily put away his knife and said respectfully.

  "What a good move, you let me have it." Wang Hengyue smiled and threw away the broken knife.

  The brothers gathered around, Pete gave a thumbs up and said repeatedly: "Wang, you're awesome! I didn't expect that you can do this too."

  "Damn it, I know a lot of things." Wang Hengyu cursed with a smile, and took a somewhat regretful glance at the broken knife on the ground.

  "Wang, as the leader of a team, having a knife that doesn't work well is not good." Liu Sihai, being a local, thought for a moment and said: "The knives of our brothers are also mostly like this, they look good but aren't practical. In the future when the two armies clash in close combat, guns lose their power, and in hand-to-hand combat, with this knife, I'm afraid..."

  Is everyone going to take out a big knife and form a "big knife team"? Wang Hengyue thought to himself, and casually asked: "What do you mean?"

  "There is a blacksmith's shop in the north of the city, it's an old brand." Liu Sihai had an idea: "The old man Huang inside has been making iron for generations, his craftsmanship is exquisite, why don't you go take a look?"

  Wang Hengyue thought for a moment, and since there was nothing else to do, he decided to go take a look. He let his brothers continue to lead the new army in training, and had Liu Sihai guide the way.

  Arriving at the north of the city, I heard the sound of "ding ding dang dang" right in front of me. Walking a few steps forward, an ironwork shop appeared before my eyes.

  Liu Sihai went in first, and after a while, he saw him bring out a pair of people who were either father and son or master and apprentice: "Sir, this is Huang Tiejiang from the ironworks, and this is his son Huang Zixuan."

  "Huang Zihuan? What a elegant name." Wang Hengyue smiled and said.

  "I'm afraid I've made a fool of myself, sir. A humble man like me doesn't know the first thing about giving names． It was actually our neighbor， a teacher， who helped us come up with this name．" Huang Tiejiang hastily said： "Sir， you must be Officer Wang， right？"

  Wang Hengyue nodded, and Huang Tiejiang invited him into the ironwork shop while saying: "Sir, you fought against foreign enemies and evaluated bandits, the whole Rong County is talking about it. I don't know what merits my ancestors accumulated to be able to meet sir."

  Entering the blacksmith's shop, inside was bustling with activity. Wang Hengyue humbly spoke a few words and roughly explained his intention. Huang Tiejiang furrowed his brow and thought for a moment: "Sir, to be honest, since the arrival of foreign guns and cannons, there are indeed fewer people coming to me to forge knives. Nowadays, I can only make a living by making plows and rakes... this knife"

  Wang Hengyue was slightly disappointed, but Huang Tiejian suddenly changed his tone:

  "However, since it's a task for adults, I naturally cannot decline. Coincidentally, when I was young, I was entrusted to forge a sword, said to be used against the Japanese katana. The result was that after the sword was completed, the person who commissioned it offended the imperial court and got beheaded. This sword, of course, was never picked up again."

  He said to his son, "Go get that knife."

  After a while, Huang Ziyu took out a box, Huang Tiejiang blew off the dust on it, and carefully opened it.

  A sharp knife appeared in front of Wang Hengyue.

  The shark skin scabbard of this knife is adorned with red and gold accents, looking quite magnificent. The exposed guard is exquisitely crafted, and just by looking at it from the outside, one can't help but fall in love with it.

  "Look, sir!" Huang Tiejiang pulled out his knife. "Whoosh" - it was drawn in an instant, its sharp light dazzling. Huang Tiejiang's words were filled with pride:

  "This was made in the style of a Tang Dynasty straight sword. Selected high-quality steel. Normally, a knife is forged repeatedly thirty times or more and it's already a fine product, no armor can stop it. This knife of mine, however, was carefully forged for over half a year, it can be called an extreme product! It's not me bragging, I won't say the whole country, but in Sichuan alone, there is no other knife that can surpass it!"

  Wang Hengyue took it over, fondling it lovingly and turning it over repeatedly.

  This knife is completely in the style of a Tang knife, with a straight blade and no arc, and an arched tip that naturally connects to the blade. The spine of the knife also has engraved characters, as is customary for Tang knives:

  "A hundred refinements of the sword, no place is not advantageous!"

  "How does this sword compare to a Japanese sword?"

  "Japanese sword?" Huang Tiejiang sneered: "The Japanese sword is nothing but a slight improvement on the style of my Chinese knife. Those fake foreigners have blown it up to the sky, but whether in terms of manufacturing or practicality, how can it compare with my Chinese knife?"

  Saying so, he picked up a knife: "Please, sir, try out this knife!"

  Wang Hengyue took a deep breath, using all his strength to slash down with one knife. All that could be heard was the sound of "Dang", and Huang Tiejiang's knife in his hand had already been cut off by this hundred-refined knife in his own hand!

  "Good sword, good sword!" Wang Hengyue couldn't stop praising: "I want this sword, no matter how much silver it costs!"

  Who would have thought that Huang Tiejiang suddenly said: "Sir, although I am illiterate, I also know the importance of loyalty and patriotism. You are fighting for our county's honor, I am willing to offer this knife to assist you in your efforts!"

  Huang Tiejiang spoke resolutely, and Wang Hengyue hesitated for a moment before losing his politeness. He put away the knife and again made a batch of knives in the same style to give to his brothers.

  Huang Tiejiang readily agreed and then said: "Sir, I have another presumptuous request."

  "Say."

  "My son is already eighteen this year and has long been eager to join the army. Now that you, sir, have arrived, I beg of you to take him into your service, where he will be able to protect you day and night without daring to slacken!"

  Wang Hengyue took a look at Huang Zihuan and then nodded vigorously!