Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside-Chapter 1102: Blade

"Yes, I obey, father!" Guo Qiang changed his self-reference, but his tone remained like a subordinate speaking to a superior.

General Guo picked up a long arrow beside him and threw it at him: "Hurry and get out."

Guo Qiang promptly dragged Qin San Lang away.

Shortly after leaving the tent, they encountered Zhang Zhong.

Zhang Zhong held a red envelope in his hand, handed it to Qin San Lang, and said with a smile, "Sir, this is a congratulatory gift from that brat Zhong Yu."

Because of the special training in the mountains, Zhong Yu is grateful to Qin San Lang. Knowing he is going home to finalize the engagement ceremony, he felt that such a significant life event requires a gift.

But he couldn’t muster the face to give it directly, so he sent the red envelope to Zhang Zhong to pass it on to Qin San Lang.

Qin San Lang didn’t stand on ceremony, accepted it, opened it, and found a thousand tael silver note inside: "Hmm, indeed quite wealthy."

Xiao Yu would probably like this gift. Xiao Yu once said that receiving gifts is not as good as receiving silver; holding silver in hand, one can buy whatever they want.

Guo Qiang also nodded: "Indeed quite generous, giving a thousand tael silver note; I would have to save ten years of monthly salary to accumulate this amount."

Qin San Lang laughed, instructing him: "Don’t save monthly salary, you can earn money yourself. A man needs to learn to earn money; otherwise, how will you support your wife in the future? When buying something for your wife, will you use your monthly salary?"

Guo Qiang felt it made sense after listening: "Yes, I should earn money, I can’t let my future wife live in poverty."

Guo Qiang admired Qin San Lang; due to Qin San Lang always thinking about marrying a wife, Guo Qiang at a young age started thinking about having a wife too.

Moreover, he learned from Qin San Lang and said he would not accept a concubine, living only with one wife.

Zhang Zhong looked at Guo Qiang, somewhat speechless... Young General, you are General Guo’s own son; can you not learn everything from Company Commander Qin? Can’t you learn from your own father? If not for your age being only seven years younger than Company Commander Qin, we would think you were his son.

"Let’s go, we are going to meet the Zong matchmaker and set off back home." Qin San Lang instructed Guo Qiang, after having Zhang Zhong gather the soldiers from Tianfu County’s Soldier Station, take them to meet the Zong matchmaker.

...

Gu Jinli was still staying in the Ironing Yard at Songzi Manor; these days, she came to Songzi Manor every day to make knives, returning at the initial hour of the afternoon to be back home before dark.

With a sizzle, the red-hot long blade-shaped fine iron was put into cold water, taken out quickly, and clanged as it was hammered.

There were three people forging: Xiao Ji’s brother Xiangzi, as well as Liu’an and Wuping.

They are relatively young, both thirteen years old, sent by Qin San Lang to help Elder Qin forge.

Xiangzi has overseen matters at Songzi Manor, looking after the crafted ironware, preventing manor residents from entering the Ironing Yard.

Elder Qin stood nearby and said: "Remember the feeling, calculate the time right, can’t ruin it again, we’ve been working on it for two years."

Little Xiao Yu gave him the Tang Blade’s blueprint and production steps two years ago; but this type of knife is too difficult to make, as Elder Qin working with Xiangzi, Liu’an, and Wuping nearly two years could still not forge a genuine Tang Blade.

Nevertheless, those unqualified products produced had deeply surprised Elder Qin.

He had never seen a knife with such slaying power; the knife’s material, after forging, is different from today’s knives, more resilient, even a two-finger-wide thin blade knife can sever bones with one strike.

If qualified Tang Blade were made, Elder Qin couldn’t imagine how sharp it would be.

And if such knives were equipped throughout the Great Chu army, would the Da Rong people dare to invade?

However, Little Xiao Yu said, that’s not possible; the Tang Blade’s crafting technique is too challenging, merely training a Tang Blade forging master takes years. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Xiangzi and others learned for nearly two years before crafting unqualified Tang Blades.

Once Tang Blades were forged, to produce them on a large scale, more masters would need to be trained, and only when the number of masters reaches a certain level, could the large-scale production of Tang Blades be achieved.

Even so, forging a qualified Tang Blade isn’t easy, as the forging time and water entry temperature for each blade cannot be precisely controlled.

For various reasons, Little Xiao Yu said in a year it’s possible to produce at most tens of Tang Blades; the Great Chu army is in the millions, wanting all soldiers equipped with Tang Blades is simply impossible.

Gu Jinli could only focus first on her family, Brother Qin.

Clang clang clang!

In the Ironing Yard, the sound of clanging was constant, occasionally mixed with the sizzle of hot iron going into water, the hushed sound of bellows, and the scraping sound of sharpening blades.

Gu Jinli didn’t do the forging; she watched Liu’an and the others craft, fearing they might make a mistake, causing failure again.

As the afternoon approached, Elder Qin took out the newly crafted knife and handed it to her: "Little Xiao Yu, take a look, how’s this knife? Can it be considered a real Tang Blade?"

Gu Jinli took it, tapped the blade, heard a humming sound amid the clangs, and felt delighted, saying, "It looks quite close; let’s go to the adjacent room and test on the iron armor."

A genuine Tang Blade can cut clean through iron armor and human bones, with no damage, chipping, or bending of the blade.

Elder Qin was thrilled, saying: "Seems it will succeed, hurry, go and chop."

He was more anxious than Gu Jinli.

Gu Jinli smiled, took Elder Qin and Erqing to the adjacent room.

Inside the room, a human-shaped iron armor was tied to a pillar, made from the hardest iron sheets of Great Chu, filled with cooked dough blocks similar in thickness to flesh, and hard sheep bones inside, maximally resembling the thickness of a real person.

Gu Jinli lifted the long blade, swung it, cutting the armor, a crunching sound was heard, the shoulder of the armor was sliced off at an angle, the dough block and sheep bones inside were also cut, the incision was very neat.

Elder Qin’s eyes lit up, it seemed very close to succeeding.

Gu Jinli looked at the cut, immediately examined the long blade, found the blade edge intact, though subtly burred: "No, the front edge isn’t done well, burred, need to increase the number of strikes on the front edge, control the timing of heating and quenching."

To accomplish Tang Blade, the details must be mastered, otherwise, it cannot be done.

Elder Qin sighed upon hearing: "Still not succeeding."

But he, being very persistent, yet this knife was already better than those before, the blade wasn’t bent anymore, just the edge was burred.

"It’s the two hundred tenth blade, made by Xiangzi; I’ll ask him, after clarifying, we’ll revise it." Elder Qin took the long blade, looked at the sky, and said to Gu Jinli: "It’s getting late, Little Xiao Yu should head back, or your mother will worry."

"Hey, we’ll head back, Grandpa Qin don’t be anxious, if it doesn’t work... this birthday gift won’t be given." Gu Jinli was rushing to make the Tang Blade as a birthday gift for Qin San Lang, but the Tang Blade’s craftsmanship is too complex; even if Gu Jinli learned Tang Blade crafting in her previous life, now the makers are Elder Qin and others, urgency won’t work.

Moreover, she not only aims to make Tang Blade but also wants to give Qin San Lang the craftsmanship and all the masters skilled in crafting Tang Blades, so even more she cannot rush, must let Xiangzi and others fully grasp all techniques to count as real success.

Elder Qin is a lifetime soldier, understanding the importance of a good knife for soldiers, hence he was anxious, but after listening to Gu Jinli, he knew urgency won’t work, nodded, saying: "Alright, Grandpa Qin won’t rush, you head home first."