Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 426 Preparations (Part 2)

  [wilderness]

  [The "No Man's Land" between Iron Peak and the Terden Territories]

  The vast grassland is boundless as far as the eye can see, and ten patrol cavalrymen searched forward along the seasonal river.

The attire of the riders looks a bit nondescript: tanned hide trousers and linen cardigans appear on the same man, the tail trimmed Hed walks side by side with the never trimmed Platoon, giving an overall peasant look. The pragmatic style unique to the pastoral mixed zone.

   "Why is [Hedde] frowning?" The young rider headed smiled and asked the two companions who looked alike with guns and bows: "What's wrong with [Hedde]? Follow me on the sidewalk, your brothers are not satisfied."

  Among the two riders with guns and bows, the younger one was about to pout his mouth into the sky.

"[Hede] Batu is going to fight another big tribe, why did he leave my brother and me alone? My brother and I joined Batu to fight, kill the enemy, and receive rewards. Batu left my brother and me behind. As a border patrol here, I won’t even give you a piece of iron armor…”

"[Hede] Lord Beast Spirit Whisperer." Another rider with a spear and a bow interrupted his brother's words and bowed slightly: "[Hede] My brother and I really don't understand why we didn't bring it on. My younger brother and I went on an expedition, of course, not dissatisfied."

   The two brothers who carry guns and bows are naturally Dabai and Xiaobai who have just been given names not long ago.

   The young rider who questioned them was not someone else, but Bell, one of Winters' first four "guards", the son of Ralph, and the beast-speaker who had been recognized by the great shaman.

   "[Hede] Iron armor? There is iron armor." Bell laughed dumbly. He waved his hand to Da Bai and said to Xiao Bai, "[Hede] wears iron armor while patrolling, aren't you tired?"

   "[Herde] doesn't mind!" Xiaobai replied stubbornly.

   Although Bell is not very old, in front of the more immature half-eldest child, he also has some majesty of an adult: "[Herde] Well, I will ask you for a pair of iron armor."

   Xiaobai shouted excitedly when he heard the words.

   But then, a dissatisfied growl came from the Lele car at the end of the cavalry.

  Xiaobai covered his mouth abruptly.

"[Hedde] iron armor has been promised to you." Bell knotted the reins, let the reins rest on the horse's mane, and commanded the warhorse with only his knees, freeing his hands to continue grinding a bone whistle: "[Hedde] ] Are you satisfied?"

Xiaobai rolled his eyes, ignoring the fact that his brother was shaking his head, chasing his horse to the Beast Spirit Whisperer, groaning and complaining: "[Hede] wants iron armor, I want to go into battle. What's the point?"

  Bell frowned slightly, already a little impatient. But he imagined in his mind how "Brother Montagne" or "White Lion" would deal with this situation. In the end, he didn't get angry or reprimanded, but just asked Xiaobai: "[Herde] Do you want to go into battle?"

   "[Hede] think!" Xiaobai nodded desperately, his head shaking like a reed plate.

   "[Hede] Then come here." Bell reached out and squeezed Xiaobai's thin shoulders and arms, and then suddenly punched Xiaobai's chest.

   Caught off guard, Xiaobai almost fell off the horse.

   His body fell on the other side of the saddle, and one foot fell out of the iron pedal. Dabai hurriedly slapped the horse to help, but fortunately, Xiaobai waved his arms and took a lot of effort to regain his balance.

The other cavalrymen of the    patrol burst into laughter.

  Xiaobai clenched his fists and glared at the beast spirit speaker in shock, anger and grievance.

  Bell ignored him, but rode his horse to the side of the other cavalrymen and punched everyone in the chest.

The other cavalrymen of the    patrol sat motionless in their saddles.

   "[Hede] when can you do this." Bell lightly controlled the warhorse with his knees and returned to Xiaobai: "[Hede] Let's go into battle."

   "[Herde] They are on guard!" Xiaobai was not convinced.

  Bell took a deep breath, turned around and punched Xiaobai in the chest again. This time, Xiaobai was directly hammered off the horse.

   When Dabai dragged the embarrassed Xiaobai back to the saddle, Bell said coldly: "[Herde] But I only gave you six points."

  Xiaobai was discouraged, lowered his head, and lost the energy he had before.

   Seeing the child become lethargic, Bell felt inexplicably guilty - even though he was not very old.

Bell hesitated again and again, but still said a few words of comfort: "[Hedd] Blood Wolf ordered you and me to patrol, not because he despised you and me, but because only you and I could do this well - just like catching a fox to Falcons are used, and fast dogs are used for hunting deer."

"[Herde] As for you, the first thing you need to learn is not to doubt the blood wolf's arrow command." Bell patted Xiaobai on the shoulder and said, "[Herde] then eat more meat and eat as much as you can. Be as strong as a real warrior, and ask if you can play."

  Xiaobai sniffed hard, wiped away tears, and nodded.

Bell was relieved, he scratched the back of his head, showing a mischievous smile belonging to a young man: "[Herd] is worse than this. Don't you want iron armor? Then after you get the iron armor, you will give me - put on the iron armor. Patrol, every day."

The other cavalrymen of the    patrol burst into laughter.

   Across the Seasonal River, a scout came running from a distance: "[Hedde] Beast Spirit Whisperer! Beast Spirit Whisperer! Another flock of sheep, horses and Lele carts are coming!"

  Bell took off the bone whistle and blew it softly, a strange sound spread in all directions.

   From the hooded Lele cart at the end of the riding team, a giant lion bigger than a bison calf reluctantly climbed out.

  The lion was as spiritual as a person who was woken up from a late sleep. It first put its front paws on the ground, puffed out its **** and stretched hard, then opened its **** mouth and yawned, and looked around with sleepy eyes.

  Bell rolled over and dismounted, walked straight forward, and rubbed the little guy's face: "Okay, alright, stay calm, it's time to work! Do you still want to eat meat?"

   The little guy hummed a few times, took a deep breath, and let out a deafening terrifying roar in the sky.

   The other patrolling cavalry tried their best to steady their horses and looked at Bell in awe. No matter how many times, the sight of the Beast Whisperer conversing with the giant lion surprised them.

"[Hedde] asked all their men and women to come and swear by arrows." Bell took out a pocket atlas and a graphite bar from his arms, and solemnly declared: "[Hedde] From now on they are the Vendor Department. The blood wolf will give them pastures, protection...and iron pots."

  …

  [Iron Peak County]

  [Forge Township]

   Bright yellow molten iron poured out from the bottom of the blast furnace, each drop carrying heat that could erode flesh. The molten iron flows along the preset grooves, and the surface gradually fades to an ember-like red.

  The smelter guards on both sides of the trench, under the scorching heat, used long-handled rakes to scrape off the **** floating on the surface of the molten iron, and guide the molten iron to flow into the pottery mold groove.

   After a while, the iron smelter dug out the pot-like mold groove, smashed the groove body, and a round, dark black iron ball was exposed to the air.

   With just a little polishing, this iron ball will become a qualified six-pounder and take one or more lives at some point in the future.

   The old blacksmith Boltain, who was in a wheelchair, watched all this with satisfaction.

Shaosha, the swordsman and city councilor, pushed his wheelchair, his round face was full of smiles, and he kept saying compliments: "Master Berian is indeed the master that His Excellency Montagne personally invited back from the Steel Castle! It takes medicine to cure the disease. Since you helped us improve our blast furnace, our biggest worry has become the lack of iron ore.”

  Berion tapped the blanks one by one with a small hammer, and said calmly: "I am not a 'master'."

"Master is just a title, the key is to look at your ability!" Shaosha immediately came back: "In my opinion, your ability is not comparable to tying up all the 'master blacksmiths' in the newly cultivated land. Ouch. When I was your age, I was still working on the master! Young people are terrible! Terrible!"

  Carlos stood beside him with his chest raised and his face full of pride. He was more happy to hear others compliment his brother than to hear others compliment him.

  Berion wanted to say something, but his lips moved, but in the end he didn't speak.

   As soon as Berian took over the smelting yard, he solved the problem of "the blast furnace does not produce molten iron" that had plagued Carlos and Saosha for several months.

  He improved the blowing device, corrected the raw material ratio according to the actual measurement results, adjusted the shape of the furnace body, and improved the thermal insulation performance.

  The workers brought back by Winters from Steel Castle also joined the smelting yard under the coordination of Berrian, and resumed the familiar tools.

  The owner of the forge in Tiefeng County couldn't figure out where the Blood Wolf invited such a precious character?

   While secretly amazed, the masters of the forge began to rack their brains to inquire about the marriage status of Berion and Carlos - they couldn't get on the older brother, and the younger brother also made do.

   "By the way, you may not know it yet." Shaosha was naturally the same, he said sideways: "I actually have an unmarried daughter, just a little younger..."

Carlos next to    was shocked. He knew too much about Saosha's family situation: "Your unmarried daughter, shouldn't it be Teresa? She...she is only eight years old!"

   Shaosha replied cheekily: "Aren't big trees grown from small trees? Teresa will grow up sooner or later."

   Berrian continued to examine the shells without saying a word.

  What more Shaosha wanted to say, the old blacksmith Boltain knocked on the wheelchair armrest displeasedly: "Enough, don't be ashamed!"

   Shaosha closed his mouth immediately.

   "Mr. Berrion." The old blacksmith Boltain looked up at Berrion, gave a thumbs up, and said solemnly: "As far as your skill in hammering is concerned, you are this! I am ashamed of the old man."

"Please don't say that." Facing the old blacksmith, Bellion's attitude was also very respectful, and he explained sincerely: "Many things, I also tried for the first time, I tried step by step according to the previous teaching. "

"No matter what, you've done it, you're the one." The old blacksmith Boltain gave a high thumbs up, but he changed his words and changed his thumb to a little one, and said sadly and helplessly: "But on insight The ability of the human heart, you are this."

  Before Berion spoke, Carlos became anxious and asked angrily, "Mr. Boltain, what do you mean?"

  The wind, wrapped in scorching heat, approached several people. In the distance, the huge hydraulic forging hammer made a loud rhythmic sound.

   "You also helped Goncharov and the others improve the blast furnace, right?" Boltain asked in a deep voice, "There are six in total."

   "Yes." Berrian admitted bluntly: "If time permits, I can remodel more."

  The old blacksmith Boltain's expression became distorted, he was heartbroken and patted his thigh with gritted teeth:

"Confused! Confused! Preparation is important, I know. But even so, you can't cooperate with Goncharov and the others! They are different from me, they are all about maintaining the monopoly of the guild! You help them improve The blast furnace is equal to strengthening their power! Originally, as long as we kept lowering the price, they would give in sooner or later. Now? They also have a blast furnace that can continuously flow out molten iron, and our weapons are useless! How could Mr. Montagne do this? Confused!"

Berian listened quietly to the old blacksmith's vent, and when the latter gasped and began to cough involuntarily, he said calmly: "Don't worry, M. Boltain. As long as your Excellency Montagne thinks, Goncharo The husband and the others will be crushed like ants. Compared with the blacksmith guild in Steel Castle, the blacksmith guild in Iron Peak County is simply vulnerable."

  Puzzled, frightened, surprised...complicated emotions appeared on the faces of Boltan, Saosha and Carlos in turn.

   "Right now, the most important thing is-" Berian didn't explain much, he just looked at the three of them: "Win the war."

  …

  War, war, war.

  The war has not yet come, but in the smelting yard in Forge Township, in the refugee farm in Lower Tiefon County, in the uninhabited wasteland, in the barracks in Gervodin, everyone is chanting its name.

  In Iron Peaks, in New Reclaimed Land, in Palatu and every piece of land between the two mountains, everyone is preparing for it.

   Whether active or passive. Whether it is driven by desire to step into the vortex, or carried by the river and aimlessly forward.

   Because when war comes, no one can stay out of it.

  …

"Alexander, you're lucky boy." Turin smiled and patted the shoulder of the young man who was shoveling horse dung: "The blood wolf does not intend to disband the light cavalry regiment for the time being, but Cellini is very popular, saying that he will pull up another one. Heavy cavalry. There is a shortage of manpower right now, I told him your name, and he agreed without thinking."

  Aleksandr Nikolaevich, still wrapped in a white cloth, continued to shovel horse manure silently, but nodded.

  …

"You want to go on an expedition with Your Excellency Montagne?" Charles couldn't believe his ears, and he asked the tall, thin middle-aged man in front of him suspiciously: "Jacob... Mr. Green, are you forty years old? "

Jacob Green—the town representative of Oxhoof Valley, a member of the free class, and a clerk who had served temporarily as a blood wolf during the Battle of the Blood Mud—stands in front of the Ciel and replies respectfully: "I can ride a horse, I can endure hardship, and I will not burden Lord Montagne."

   "I'm not..." Ciel couldn't help crying: "I'm worried about you."

"My property has been properly distributed to my wife and children, please don't worry." Jacob paused for a moment and whispered: "As long as I can witness the blood wolf, whether he rises or falls, please. ."

  Charle was puzzled at first, then his brows slowly opened, and he smiled: "Then you can come, we will always need learned people like you."

  …

   "You say it again." Little Priskin looked at the white-haired young man in front of him and asked with a headache, "What's your name?"

   The white-haired young man spoke with a strong Monta accent, and was also secretly observing Brother Palatu, who was in front of him: "Luo, everyone calls me White-headed Roger."

   Little Priskin's head hurts even more. He doesn't know what this Monta man is doing - to be an eyeliner? Be a bodyguard? Or was it just sent to him?

However, with an optimistic nature, he quickly decided not to think about it. He took the white-headed Roger's shoulders and said carelessly, "I am now Mr. Leo's apprentice. Since you are sent by Mr. Montagne, it is estimated that He will also accept you as an apprentice. Then we will be buddies in the future!"

   "That's right." Little Priskin clapped his hands and asked Roger with a smile, "Can you ride a horse? We need to leave immediately and get back to Maplestone!"

  …

"Gentlemen."

  Mason stood on the podium of the council hall with about fifty people in the audience.

   Eighteen of them were the clerks, bookkeepers, and scribes of the town hall—that is, all the government employees of Gervodin.

   The rest are accounting school students who haven't been sent out yet.

   "This is Lieutenant Bud." Mason said happily: "Starting today, he will take over all my duties."

  Budd meticulously saluted everyone in the audience.

   "My dear daughters," thought Mason, "here I am."

  Outside the window, a rider holding a green flag was galloping towards the council hall.

  …

  …

  The war is still coming.

   A day in mid-May 560 in the imperial calendar.

The    messenger brought the news of the "New Reclamation Corps" dispatching troops to Jinghu County to the people of Tiefeng County.

   [87,029/100,000]

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   (end of this chapter)