Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

“You intend to cooperate with the Yao family?”

Upon hearing the news, Shen Li expressed her bewilderment.

“You are the city lord, so you have the final say, but I do not approve. From beginning to end, the Yao family and Dingxiang Residence have harbored ill intent toward us. They are full of treachery. Cooperating with people like them is like asking a tiger for its hide. Sooner or later, it will lead to disaster.”

Luo Yu did not speak, but Xiao Shaoyou took up the conversation.

“Do you think we are unaware of Yao Ling and Du Gang’s true nature? It is just that, at present, Cangqi City is still very weak. Our most important task is development, and clashing with the Yao family prematurely would be unwise. As long as they are willing to coexist with us in peace, there is no need for us to tear our faces off.”

“Exactly.” Luo Yu nodded slightly. 

“Reconciling with the Yao family and Dingxiang Residence was Jiang Shu’s suggestion as well. If we truly push Dingxiang Residence into a dead end, it will inevitably provoke a violent backlash. It is better for both sides to take a step back. However, we cannot let our guard down. We must continue to keep a close watch on the Yao family’s movements to prevent them from stirring up any more trouble.”

“Very well. Your considerations are always more thorough than mine.”

Shen Li smiled. “Since the market for Sanguotou has been opened, we can just sit back and wait to collect the silver.”

“City Lord.” Han Shuo hurried into the military tent, his face beaming. “Gongshu Bai asks that you come over. The items are finished!”

“Finally.”

Luo Yu’s eyes brightened. “Let’s go. Let us see our battle armor and weaponry!”

The group rushed out and rode at full gallop. While they were all within the Sanqi Mountains, Chiqi Mountain was actually quite a distance from the camp. Walking there on two legs would be enough to exhaust anyone.

Within a month, Chiqi Mountain had transformed. A row of wooden sheds and houses had been built along the foot of the mountain, and the high-temperature blast furnaces, bellows, and forging pools required for iron smelting were neatly arranged. Dozens of men, bare-chested, were hard at work hammering the freshly forged iron.

At first glance, Luo Yu noticed the armor and weapons neatly laid out on the ground—hundreds of them. Their deep, glossy black luster told him immediately that their quality was extraordinary.

“You’re here.”

Gongshu Bai emerged from nowhere, a wine gourd dangling from his waist, swaying as he walked with a triumphant air. “According to the City Lord’s instructions, a full five hundred sets of armor, five hundred scimitars, and five hundred long spears, along with shields, have all been completed. It nearly exhausted me.”

The original plan had been to forge gear for three hundred men, but as Xiao Shaoyou had been continuously recruiting new soldiers from the refugees, Luo Yu had asked Gongshu Bai to forge more, which had taken extra time.

Luo Yu picked up a piece of armor to inspect it. Naturally, Gongshu Bai had not forged full-body heavy armor; instead, he had covered the chest and vital areas with thin plates of steel, making it both lightweight and durable.

One had to realize that back at Yunyang Pass, military soldiers considered even cloth armor a rare luxury. Even the elite cavalry under Xiao Shaoyou’s command only had a single iron plate embedded in their chest pieces. Armor of this caliber was something only elites would typically wear, and its defensive capabilities were quite impressive.

All of this was thanks to the iron ore of Chiqi Mountain and Gongshu Bai’s craftsmanship!

“Excellent, truly excellent.”

After inspecting the armor, Luo Yu picked up a scimitar with great interest. He gave it a few practice swings, then held it diagonally in the air to examine it. “I just wonder how the texture holds up.”

“Anything forged by me, Gongshu Bai, is naturally no ordinary item.”

Gongshu Bai was extremely confident in his craft. “If the City Lord does not believe me, feel free to put it to the test.”

“Good! Shaoyou, bring a blade!”

Xiao Shaoyou immediately held his own blade horizontally in front of him. This was weaponry they had brought out from Yunyang Pass. It could not be called fine, but it was barely passable.

“Hold it steady!”

Luo Yu channeled his strength into his arm and slashed down fiercely. The two blades collided with a harsh clang!

The new blade had actually sliced the old one into two pieces on the spot, the broken edge as smooth as a mirror.

“It is so sharp!”

Xiao Shaoyou was dumbfounded. Although Luo Yu’s immense strength played a part, the fact that it could cleave through the edge of the other blade proved that the new one was far superior in quality. “How could you forge such a high-quality item in such a short time? How did you do it?”

Gongshu Bai chuckled. “Ordinary blacksmith shops use ‘hundred-refined steel,’ repeatedly hammering the iron to remove impurities. I, however, have devised a ‘stir-fry steel’ method. I first smelt the pig iron into a semi-liquid state and stir it repeatedly to remove impurities before forging it into weapons. This method not only saves a great deal of time but also yields a large amount of high-quality iron. Naturally, its texture is much harder than ordinary ironware.”

“Stir-fry steel method?”

Luo Yu was inwardly shocked. Gongshu Bai was truly a genius to have figured this out.

“City Lord Luo, what do you think?”

“Good, very good!”

Luo Yu suddenly put on a hesitant expression and mentioned, as if in passing:

“Speaking of steel refining, I suddenly thought of a possibility. Do you think if we mixed raw pig iron with the finished wrought iron, the texture might be even better? Would that save even more labor and materials?”

Gongshu Bai, who had been smug, was stunned. He slapped his thigh as the realization hit him.

“That’s right! If we mix and forge them together, wouldn’t it be even easier? You are truly a genius! However, the ratio of pig iron to wrought iron must be controlled perfectly. I will need to study this carefully.

“City Lord Luo, I must get back to work. Take the gear yourselves!”

Gongshu Bai trotted back to the smithy, not forgetting to wave his hand. “Don’t forget my wine! I won’t work without it!”

Luo Yu smiled with great satisfaction. Gongshu Bai was a genius who could grasp the essence of an idea with just a hint. He believed that before long, he would be able to produce even higher-quality refined steel.

“The new blades are simply magnificent.”

Xiao Shaoyou was still in shock, stroking the blade with affection. “With these blades and this armor, our brothers’ combat strength will greatly increase on the battlefield once they are equipped. Haha. Such a fine blade, should we give it a name?”

“A name?”

Luo Yu replied without hesitation:

“This is Cangqi, so let us call the new blade the Cang Dao!”

* * *

Dong!

Dong! Dong!

Early in the morning, the sound of rumbling war drums echoed across the city walls once again. But this time, it was not because of bandits; it was Luo Yu summoning all the commoners and soldiers of the city.

The camp walls at the mountain pass had been raised significantly, serving as the first line of defense for Cangqi City. In a few days, Luo Yu planned to mobilize all the commoners to transport stones and build a true stone wall three li behind the current defenses.

Over two thousand commoners gathered before the camp walls—the old, the young, women, and children alike—everyone looking on with anticipation.

At the very front, four hundred soldiers were arranged in neat ranks. Originally, Cangqi City only had three banners of troops, but with the new recruits and the integration of the Luan Shi Ling bandits, they had added a fourth banner, bringing the total to four hundred men. The centurion of this new banner was, naturally, Yu Hangong.

All the soldiers were clad in black armor, with sharp blades at their waists and long spears in their hands. Even the warhorses seemed to sense the significance of the day, holding their heads high.

Despite there being only four hundred men, they gave all the commoners a profound sense of security.

A plaque engraved with the two characters “Cangqi” had been hung at the city gate. The calligraphy was vigorous and imposing, written by Luo Yu’s own hand.

“Citizens, soldiers! Today, Cangqi City is officially established in its preliminary form.”

Luo Yu shouted in a clear, resonant voice.

“I know that many of you have left your homes and fled here as refugees. But from this day forward, you are no longer refugees or displaced wanderers; you are the new citizens of Cangqi! Cangqi is your home, and it is mine. I hope that we can work together to build and manage our city well!”

The field fell into a heavy silence, but everyone subconsciously nodded. Luo Yu was right; this was their new home.

“Raise the banner!”

Whoosh!

Little Wu suddenly swung the banner in his hand, and the military flag fluttered in the wind, snapping loudly.

The flag was a deep, dark color—not pure black, but a profound shade of red-tinged black. Embroidered on the banner was not the character for Qian or for Jun or Li, but a large, bold “Luo.”

Black armor, dark banners!

Cangqi, Longxi!

“Soldiers! Citizens!”

Luo Yu clenched his fist and shouted.

“From this day forth, we shall protect our home together! We shall protect Cangqi!”

BOOM!

The black-armored elites pounded their fists against their chests, their aura of killing intent rising as they roared in unison:

“We swear to follow the City Lord to the death!”

The roar grew louder and louder, the sea of iron armor glinting coldly under the sun.

Watching the scene before him, Xiao Shaoyou felt dazed, whispering to himself:

“I do not know why, but I have a feeling that one day, these black armors and dark banners will cover the three prefectures of Longxi!”

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