Chapter 158: The Iron Mold is Cast

Yancheng.

Zhao Xu had just returned from Yunhai County, and his seat had not yet grown warm.

Wang Ying and his son arrived at the Prince's Mansion.

"Your Highness, the matter you entrusted to us is done," Wang Chong said, rushing to speak.

Since he held no official rank or position in the Armory Bureau, he referred to himself as "the little one."

Wang Ying glared at Wang Chong and said slowly, "Your Highness has returned at just the right time. We are to cast the iron molds today; would Your Highness like to observe in person?"

"What a coincidence," Zhao Xu said, showing a look of pleasant surprise.

The construction of the Lengbao and the building of warships were both underway, and in the future, both the Lengbao and the warships would require a massive amount of Artillery.

Now that the iron molds were cast, the next step was to manufacture the Artillery.

To him, this matter was of vital importance.

He had not been blinded by the victory in this Autumn Hunt.

The Northern Di were powerful.

This failure was merely because Kutu had fallen into a trap.

Even Chang Wei admitted that the Northern Di soldiers were brave and skilled in battle.

If the two sides were to engage in open field combat, he might win, but the losses would definitely be significant.

The high mobility of the Cavalry allowed them to retreat at any time, making it difficult for the enemy to pursue.

They could also quickly maneuver to strategic chokepoints to seize the initiative.

Especially if one had overly long supply lines, facing an opponent with a large number of Cavalry was simply a nightmare.

It was precisely because he thought of these things.

He believed that for a long time to come, when facing the Northern Di and Xiliang, he could only adopt a defensive posture.

And Artillery was the sharp weapon for defense.

Facing the current complex and intricate situation in Yanzhou, this was also his lifeline for protecting his fief.

"Let's go, let's take a look," Zhao Xu said, walking outside.

The three of them arrived at the Armory Bureau and saw eighteen cylinders placed in the courtyard.

This was the final step of the casting process.

Arriving before the cylinders, Zhao Xu saw that half of a Mud Cannon was placed inside, with its muzzle facing upward.

The cylinder holding the Mud Cannon was also made of mud, with a gap between it and the Mud Cannon.

The molten iron was to be poured into these gaps.

The reason the Mud Cannon was cut in half and cast in two parts was that when the two molds were joined together, one could proceed with the casting.

After the casting was complete, the molds could be separated, and the Artillery could be taken out.

If it were cast as a whole, in the future, one could only make an Artillery piece once, as the iron mold would have to be chiseled away to retrieve the Artillery inside.

"Your Highness, the molten iron is ready. Shall we begin the casting now?" Wang Ying asked.

"Begin," Zhao Xu nodded.

Although he had this information in his mind, this was his first time seeing it on-site.

Wang Ying gave the order, and the craftsmen immediately brought over the molten iron.

A high platform had been temporarily built of earth in front of the mud cylinders; the craftsmen climbed onto the platform and poured the molten iron into the gap between the Mud Cannon and the mud wall.

After the molten iron filled the gap between the two, the craftsmen also poured molten iron into the muzzle of the Mud Cannon.

Once the casting was complete and the molten iron had been allowed to cool for a period of time, Wang Ying ordered the Mud Cannon to be chiseled away.

Finally, they used a pole with a cloth strip tied to the front to clean it.

The iron mold was finally completed, and this had taken three hours.

After all, the iron mold required a long time to cool.

"Bring that half over," Wang Ying said, standing before the iron mold and gently stroking its outer wall, which still retained residual heat.

The iron mold in front of him was only one of the two halves.

At this moment, the craftsmen brought over the other half of the iron mold.

Once the two iron molds were joined, they formed a complete iron mold.

"Mm, not bad, this is exactly how it should look," Zhao Xu said with a smile on his lips.

The next step would be to use these iron molds to make the Artillery.

"Your Highness, now that the iron mold is finished, what about the technique for making the Artillery?" Wang Ying asked, rubbing his hands together.

For him, this was the thing that made his heart itch.

Yan Wang had said that one shot could devastate an area of three or four li, which was beyond his imagination.

Obsessed with all kinds of crafts, he could not resist the temptation to create the Artillery.

"Come to the Prince's Mansion tomorrow to collect it," Zhao Xu said.

The manufacturing of Artillery was not as simple as directly pouring molten iron or steel into it.

There were a series of technical points during the casting process that he needed to organize.

"Yes, Your Highness," Wang Ying said, delighted.

Zhao Xu looked at Wang Chong, "You father and son—one makes the Artillery, the other researches the ammunition. Now you can combine your efforts. This Prince hopes to eventually see a real piece of Artillery capable of firing Cannonballs."

The father and son looked at each other and nodded.

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Leaving the Armory Bureau, Zhao Xu returned to the Prince's Mansion.

Before he even reached the gate of the Prince's Mansion, he saw Chang Wei and the generals of the rank of Captain and above in the army talking about something, their expressions indignant.

Seeing that Zhao Xu had arrived, Chang Wei said, "Your Highness, are you aware that Kutu will arrive at Yanguan immediately?"

"I am aware," Zhao Xu said.

He had received this news on the very day he set out from Yunhai County.

Dong An was not only responsible for conducting business in Jinling, but also for transmitting important news from Jingshi.

"So Kutu is just going back to the Grassland like that?" Chang Wei's tone rose by an octave.

"That's right, this Kutu was captured by our soldiers with their lives on the line; how can we just let him go because the Northern Di people threatened us? Your Highness, let this subordinate take my Cavalry to kill him before Kutu enters Yanguan." Chen Hu raised his fist, even more agitated than Chang Wei.

Lv Chang's eyes were bloodshot: "Your Highness, when we surrounded and annihilated Charha, hundreds of soldiers died just like that. If Kutu goes back just like that, how can this subordinate face those fallen soldiers?"

"..."

In their view, they were the ones who fought the battle, and they were the ones who captured the man.

For the Imperial Court to release Kutu just like that was an insult to Yan Wang, and also an insult to them.

Zhao Xu waited until the generals had vented their resentment before slowly saying: "Do you think I am not resentful? Do you think I am not angry? Killing Kutu would certainly be satisfying, and I could bear the responsibility; at worst, I would be locked in the Heavenly Prison for the rest of my life. But what about the people of Yan Commandery and Shanggu Commandery? Should they wait for the Yuan Family to make a comeback? Wait for the iron cavalry of the Northern Di to slaughter their wives and daughters again?"

He currently lacked the capital to confront the Imperial Court and still had to rely on the Imperial Court to check the Yuan Family.

When one day he could dominate Yanzhou just as the Yuan Family once did, he would naturally not have to suffer this kind of indignity.

On this point, he had considered things more deeply than Chang Wei and the others.

Hearing this, the generals all fell silent.

Mo Yu sighed; he was the one who had told Chang Wei about this matter.

It was news sent to him by an old friend at Yanguan.

He just hadn't expected Chang Wei and the generals to be so impulsive.

"In the imperial court, of the Eight Great Influential Clans, six heads of the family favor peace, two remain silent, and there are even court officials who openly suggest trading annual tribute for peace. This is not a matter of whether or not to release Kutu, but that the current Great Song is like scattered sand; every faction has its own agenda and is unwilling to fight the Northern Di. During the Ningjin Battle back then, if the Shizu Army hadn't retreated whenever they encountered the enemy in order to preserve their own strength, things wouldn't be like this today," Mo Yu said.

Zhao Xu took over the conversation and said: "So put away your resentment and save it for training your troops when you return. Weakness is the original sin; when your strength is sufficient, the Grassland will be nothing more than a cage for the Northern Di people. Never mind Kutu, even their Khan can be captured!"

He had been mentally prepared for this after Kutu was escorted to Jingshi.

The Imperial Clan was weak, and Zhao Heng certainly would not be willing to see the elite forces of Yanguan buried at the hands of the Northern Di.

At that time, he, the Emperor, would truly become a lonely man.

The Influential Clans thought the same as Zhao Heng; none of them wanted to exhaust their own armies.

"Autumn winds blow as horses ride out of Yanshan, bow backs shine bright and swords reflect the frost; until the Emperor's lands in Hehuang are recovered, I do not intend to look back toward my hometown. I gift this poem to you all, hoping you will recite it often and not forget today's anger," Zhao Xu added.

"Autumn winds blow as horses ride out of Yanshan, bow backs shine bright and swords reflect the frost; until the Emperor's lands in Hehuang are recovered, I do not intend to look back toward my hometown." Mo Yu recited this line softly.

He looked at Zhao Xu and felt that he had come to the right place in Yan Commandery.

"Yes, Your Highness." Chang Wei and the other generals chewed on the poem, their blood surging with fervor.