gnovel Chapter 79 A Ruler Like a Heavenly King, Yet the People Suffer.
Chapter 79 A Ruler Like a Heavenly King, Yet the People Suffer.
On this day, the craftsmen of the Yanzhou Armory suddenly received an order to put down their work and clean the smoke-filled workshop, ensuring it was spotless.
It was only because Gao Yanei sent someone to announce that he wanted to come and inspect the place.
According to the system, the workshop was divided into armor workshop and crossbow workshop, one focusing on armor and the other on weapons. The supervisor followed Gao Huaide, bowing frequently to explain the process.
The craftsmen in the armor workshop take a small iron bar that has been heated to a bright red from the furnace, place it on an anvil, and pound it vigorously until it is shaped into a flat and long armor plate.
Gao Huaide thought that was about it, but unexpectedly the craftsman grabbed the armor plate, put it back into the furnace, and took out another hot armor plate to forge.
"Young master, steel is forged through countless hammer blows. A single armor plate needs to be repeatedly forged to achieve the perfect balance of hardness and toughness."
Gao Huaide gave an "oh," and looked at another area where craftsmen were also hammering away at pieces of armor that had already taken shape. He asked curiously, "They're all cold now, why are you still hammering them?"
"Young Master, the fine armor of Iron Falcon that we seized earlier is indeed in excellent condition."
The supervisor explained with a smile, "After using some methods, we finally found out the manufacturing method. It turns out that the Tanguts use a cold forging method."
He gestured with his thumb and forefinger to indicate the thickness: "Even a very thick armor plate can be thinned by two-tenths when hammered at room temperature. The commander ordered us to forge it in the same way. Although it added an extra step, the hardness was indeed greatly improved."
"Sounds good."
"Young master, forging a set of armor is no easy feat."
The shop owner seemed to be explaining, or perhaps boasting: "A fine suit of bright armor requires thousands of armor plates. Forging the armor plates is only the first step. The subsequent processes of forging, rough grinding, perforating, fitting, cutting, rigging, and fine grinding, followed by weaving into the armor, plus the shoulder caps, leg skirts, helmet, and visor, etc., can take more than half a year to complete." (Note 1)
"Is it that difficult?"
As Gao Huaide spoke, he kept walking forward, deeply moved.
No wonder emperors and warlords throughout history often fell into ruin after a decisive battle; it turns out that not only did they suffer huge losses in manpower, but the inability to replenish their military equipment and supplies was also a contributing factor.
He passed through a wooden door, shutting out the noise and heat of the forging area, and in its place came a scent that was a mixture of the coldness of metal and the tanning of leather.
In this secluded area, a specially made wooden frame, taller than an ordinary person, stands, covered with a dark suit of armor.
Looking closely, one can see countless fine nail plates layered upon each other, complete with arm guards and a battle skirt. With arms outstretched, it looks just like a real person, and the two round mirrors on the chest are so bright they reflect one's image. It is clearly a set of precious and fine nails.
Several craftsmen were busy around the wooden frame, polishing the patterns and sewing on the armor plates. Several processes were carried out in parallel, and Gao Huaide couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Noticing his gaze, the supervisor smiled wryly and said, "During the first month of the lunar calendar, the military commander issued an order to urgently forge this Heavenly King Armor. Everyone worked day and night to finish it, and we finally managed to get it about eight or nine parts complete, but it delayed many other things."
"Heavenly King Armor, that sounds like a nice name. Who's wearing it?"
The supervisor lowered his voice and leaned close to Gao Huaide's ear, saying, "I've heard that His Majesty resembles Vaishravana, and has ordered all the palace guards to wear this armor. Therefore, he has decreed that all the provinces under Heaven must make armor and present it to him." (Note 2)
Vaishravana, also known as the Northern Heavenly King, is an incarnation of the Buddha Prabhutaratna. He is in charge of wealth and treasures, and is a protector of the Dharma beyond the world. His right hand holds a victory banner, which brings wealth and happiness to virtuous people, while his left hand holds a mongoose that spits out jewels, which can transform into inexhaustible treasures.
Legend has it that in the first year of the Tianbao era, Anxi City was besieged by the Tibetan army. Vaishravana, the Heavenly King, appeared on the north gate tower of the city, emitting great light. He released golden rats to bite through the enemy's bowstrings, and five hundred divine soldiers, clad in golden armor, beat drums that resounded for three hundred miles, causing the earth to shake and mountains to collapse, resulting in a great defeat for the Tibetan army.
When the news reached the capital, Emperor Li Longji ordered the military governors of each town to enshrine the statue of Vaishravana in the northwest corner of the city. The esoteric Buddhist monk Amoghavajra recorded this event, and from then on, the name of Vaishravana as the god of war spread far and wide, even reaching the Japanese kingdom of Japan.
There are also rumors that Li Jing, the Duke of Wei, was the earthly incarnation of Vaishravana, the Heavenly King.
This story is not fabricated. According to the "True Words of the Northern Heavenly King Vaishravana Accompanying the Army and Protecting the Dharma" translated by Master Amoghavajra, Vaishravana held a pagoda to Shakyamuni Buddha, and the one holding the pagoda was his third son, Nata.
However, how Duke Weiguo Li Jing became Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li, or how he turned against his son, had nothing to do with Gao Huaide.
His mind was elsewhere at that moment. Ignoring the flattery of his supervisor, he strode past the armor workshop and arrived at the crossbow workshop.
The crossbow workshop not only manufactures crossbows, but also a variety of other military equipment such as spears, bows and arrows, crossbows in multiple passes, and blades.
Armor and crossbows were both strictly controlled military weapons. The Tang Code stipulated that anyone who privately owned prohibited weapons would be sentenced to one and a half years of penal servitude; for each crossbow, the punishment would be increased by two degrees; for one set of armor and three crossbows, the punishment would be exile for two thousand li; for three sets of armor and five crossbows, the punishment would be hanging. Those who privately manufactured such weapons would have their punishment increased by one degree.
Weapons, in general, are not limited to bows, arrows, knives, shields, and short spears, but include armor, crossbows, spears, halberds, and other armored items.
The supervisor was afraid that the young master might suddenly decide to take a set of armor and a crossbow back to play with. Although the imperial court could not control the local areas now and the military governor's laws were strict, he had to politely refuse, even at the risk of offending the young master.
Fortunately, Gao Huaide did not make such a request. Under the guidance of his supervisor, he finally found his destination: the arrow-making workshop.
There are four types of arrows: bamboo arrows, wooden arrows, military arrows, and crossbow arrows.
The *ji* is a pole; bamboo arrows have bamboo *ji*, and wooden arrows have wooden *ji*. These two types of arrows are only suitable for hunting. Military arrows have steel arrowheads and long *ji*, used to shoot armor; crossbow arrows have leather fletching and short *ji*, used to penetrate hard objects.
Like himself, Yang Chonggui began practicing mounted archery, and Gao Huaide planned to personally make him a weapon-grade arrow capable of killing enemies. Military armor-piercing arrows could not be made in civilian blacksmith shops, hence the visit to the military equipment workshop.
Hearing that the young master wanted to try out the arrow-making process, the supervisor was flattered and hurriedly ordered the craftsmen to select the best materials to present.
Arrow shafts are made of bamboo in the south, willow in the north, and birch in the north. Birch bark is used to wrap saddles, stirrups, and bow handles, and is called "warm bark".
Yanzhou, a place known for its tribute of birch bark, musk, and wax, is a birch-producing region with abundant resources, which the young master could squander.
The craftsman respectfully presented a bundle of straight, round branches, each about two feet long. The bark had been removed, and both ends were of uniform thickness, making it impossible to distinguish the front from the back.
Gao Huaide frowned: "Everything's been taken care of, what else do I need to do?"
The craftsman took a block of wood with a short groove carved in the middle, the width of which was about the same as the branch, and dragged the arrow shaft inch by inch through it as a demonstration.
"This piece of wood is called the arrowhead, so that the arrow shaft is straight and the weight is evenly distributed from head to tail."
The craftsman then presented two triangular arrowheads, each about an inch long, made of pure steel and quite heavy. One had a tang at one end, and the other had a tube at the other. The tang was secured by inserting into a groove at the top of the arrow shaft, while the tube was simply slipped on.
"Attach two fletchings to the one-fifth mark of the arrow's fletching with fish glue, and let it air dry to set. That completes the process."
Gao Huaide followed the same method, dragging a twig along the groove at the tip of the arrow several times before attaching the arrowhead.
He felt that things were different from what he had expected. The arrow was made without much effort, and it didn't seem like a meaningful gift. This was immediately reflected in his expression.
The supervisor noticed Gao Huaide's displeasure and anxious look as he glanced at Fu An. Had he made a mistake in instructing him to prepare in advance?
"Young master, your time is precious; how can you waste it on trivial matters? Besides, you personally oversaw every step of the process, so how could it not be made by hand? This thoughtfulness is truly invaluable."
Fu An waved his hand: "Bring up the arrows."
"The best arrow feathers are those from the wings of eagles, followed by those from hawks, and then those from owls. Ordinary arrows must at least use goose feathers. If goose feathers are used as substitutes, the arrows will not be easy to release and will often veer off course in the wind."
The supervisor brought over a tray with two long, sturdy feathers on it: "The eagle-feathered arrows are faster than hawks and falcons, and can remain upright for more than ten paces, and can withstand the wind."
Just as Gao Huaide thought this was an eagle feather, the supervisor changed the subject: "Unfortunately, the workshop doesn't have such a rare material. Young master, you'll have to make do with eagle feathers."
"No eagle feathers?"
How could a gift for Yang Chonggui be anything less than satisfactory? Gao Huaide's eyes darted around: "No need, I have my own ideas."
The supervisor, unable to fathom his thoughts, assumed the young master was dissatisfied with the substandard materials provided and hastily apologized in fear.
Gao Huaide waved his hand, asked for a jar of fish glue, carefully wrapped and put away the semi-finished arrows, and ended his inspection of the armory.
That night, a thief broke into the falconry of the military governor's residence.
Strangely enough, the thief didn't take anything else, but he specifically targeted the two old eagles that Gao Xingzhou kept, plucking several feathers from their wings, which caused them to squawk loudly.
The next day, when Yang Chonggui and Gao Huaide were practicing martial arts, they noticed that his arm was wrapped in gauze, with faint traces of blood showing through.
When asked how he got hurt, Gao Huaide casually replied, "I was fighting with a thieving bird and accidentally got scratched."
……
The 25th day of the first month, Gengshen day.
On the same day that Liu Yanhao, the garrison commander of Yedu and younger brother of Empress Liu, presented the Heavenly King Armor. (Note 3)
The three departments submitted a memorial requesting additional taxes on silkworms and salt, as well as an increase in the price of yeast. Previously, yeast cost eighty coins per catty, but now it has increased to one hundred and fifty coins.