Taiheiki

Chapter 120 Hunting 1
"Forget it!" Ayun shook her head. "The road from here to Jiangling is not safe. Besides, even Jiangling is at war!"

"There's Zhao Yannian in Jiangling. I heard he got promoted to General of the Central Army. He should be able to keep you and your child safe!"

"My dear, please let me stay with you!" Ah Yun whispered, "The world is not at peace right now. Sister Ah Jing and I are together. If something happens, wouldn't your flesh and blood be gone—"

Wei Cong looked at the woman in front of him in surprise. He had never expected her to say such a thing. He subconsciously defended himself, "Why do you think so? Although the world is in turmoil, it shouldn't have come to this, right?"

"Two nights ago, I woke up and saw you sitting by the window, polishing your sword and sighing. I thought you were about to do something big and that was why you were hesitating, so—"

"You don't have to say anything! Let's do this matter according to your plan!" Wei Cong sighed and hugged Ayun in his arms. He thought he could hide it from everyone in the world all day long, but in the end he couldn't even hide it from the person next to him. It was really funny.

After leaving the residence, Wei Cong resumed his usual stern and serious demeanor: "What's going on at the workshop?"

The man waiting outside was a well-built man, his body smelling of grease and iron filings, as if he had just come out of a workshop.

"General, it's done!" His face was filled with uncontrollable excitement.

"What's accomplished?" Wei Cong, who hadn't recovered yet, was a little confused. There were several projects being promoted in the workshop right now!

"Lathe, yes, that's the name!" The man finally remembered the name Wei Cong had mentioned earlier and said with a smile, "You said at the beginning that as long as I have some clues, I can come and bother you at any time, so -"

"That's right!" The sudden good news made Wei Cong excited. He clapped his hands and said, "Let's go and take a look now!"

To avoid the noise and smoke from the workshop, Wei Cong's residence was separated from the workshop by a small, wooded hill. His mount followed a winding path over the hill, passing oxcarts carrying charcoal and ore, street vendors busily hawking various mountain products, and new recruits glancing around with bewildered eyes. Finally, he arrived at a row of houses by the river. The innermost of these, a two-story house, sat next to a tall, slowly turning waterwheel by the river. Wei Cong handed his horse to a guard and walked straight through the gate.

"General!"

"General, you are here!"

"Meet the general!"

Everyone in the room knelt down and bowed to Wei Cong. Wei Cong waved his hand and said, "Everyone, get up! Time is precious. Where is the lathe? Let me see!"

"Here, please look!" Yang Zheng made a gesture, signaling people to move aside, revealing a machine behind. Wei Cong took a look and it looked a bit like a sewing machine in his previous life.

"What can this thing do?" Wei Cong asked.

"Show it to the General!" Yang Zheng said. A craftsman stepped forward, placed his foot on a pedal, and began to pump forcefully. The oscillating pedal turned the crank, which then moved the large iron ring. The large iron ring, via a belt, drove a small rotor above it, holding an iron block. Soon, the rotor's speed was so high it was invisible to the naked eye. The craftsman brought the sharp turning tool close to the block, creating a sharp, piercing sound and sending iron chips flying everywhere.

"Look!" Yang Zheng explained, "We can fix the iron workpiece to be processed on the rotor, and the iron workpiece will rotate with it. Then we can use the blade made of crucible steel to aim at the part we want to cut, and we can process it into any shape we want! Many iron pieces that originally took days to forge can now be whittled out in just a moment!"

"Very good!" Wei Cong nodded in satisfaction. He had never imagined that his craftsmen could turn a crude blueprint into a reality. Of course, the lathe was still very crude, powered only by human power and lacking fixtures or guide rails, but it already had several essential functions, greatly improving the efficiency of Wei Cong's craftsmen in manufacturing precision instruments.

In the short term, this could reduce the combat effectiveness of Wei Cong's crossbowmen - for example, the original horn and wooden firing devices could be replaced with copper or iron, so that a stronger crossbow arm could be used; for example, the lathe could choose harder wood for the crossbow body, and add labor-saving tools such as ratchets and sheep horn levers, allowing crossbowmen to use more powerful crossbows; for example, a shoulder rest could be added to the tail of the crossbow, allowing crossbowmen to shoot accurately, and so on.

In the long run, the use of pedal-powered lathes would provide a significant boost to the shipbuilding industry: even in ancient times, shipbuilding was a highly technology-intensive industry. For example, dozens of different types of nails were used in large wooden sailboats alone, not to mention pulleys, cables, various planks, and beams. The availability of lathes would significantly reduce the cost of these marine components, undoubtedly providing a significant boost to Wei Cong's future plans.

"As long as you find it useful!" Yang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Wei Cong nod. Although Wei Cong didn't say it, he could feel that the string was getting tighter and tighter, and the man was preparing for something.

"Of course it's useful!" Wei Cong smiled and patted Yang Zheng's shoulder: "You've been a great help this time!"

"I dare not!" Yang Zheng's face flushed. "You don't have to be so modest!" Wei Cong smiled. "You've been with me since Jiangling. I've seen and remembered all the hardships you've endured along the way. Don't worry, I, Wei, will never let anyone who follows me suffer!"

"It's the honor of my life to serve under the general!" Hearing Wei Cong's words, Yang Zheng's eyes welled up in tears. Ever since he lost his way while commanding the fleet in Baling, he'd been extremely cautious, fearing another mistake. After nearly a year of toil, he'd finally achieved some success, earning Wei Cong's commendation. A glimmer of hope for his future.

"Do it well!" Wei Cong patted Yang Zheng's shoulder and said, "Next year by this time, I will make you a Marquis of Guannei!"

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The hunting ground that Wei Cong chose was located about twenty miles downstream from the camp. In the mountains to the south, an unnamed small river valley met the Poyang River, forming a river bend with a radius of forty to fifty miles. The confluence of the two rivers formed a large swamp wetland. Here, reeds grew thickly, grass was lush, and various unknown wild flowers grew wildly. Flocks of water birds hid in the reeds to build nests and lay eggs, and from time to time they flew high and low over the water, splashing water and catching fish and shrimp in the water; groups of wild boars burrowed in the muddy ground, rolling from time to time, splashing mud everywhere;
Black bears plunge into shallow water, their claws digging deep. Reappearing, they often carry a fat, struggling fish. These majestic beasts sit on the ground, methodically peeling the skin with their sharp claws before devouring the rich, tender flesh. Herds of elk, roe deer, and bison also frequent the area. They dip their legs in the water, their ears alertly pricked, and cautiously lap up the water. The abundance of herbivores also attracts wolves, lynx, water pythons, and even mountain tigers, all seeking food. It's truly a gathering of birds and beasts, a vibrant scene.

Wei Cong ordered his army's bivouac to be set up on a high ground near the swamp. He ordered it to be built in accordance with the standard for military fortifications—a rectangular camp surrounded by trenches, earthworks, and palisades. The soldiers set up their tents in the corresponding locations according to their respective units. Just after the twilight hour, Wei Cong personally inspected the camp with a short spear and his guards. He examined every detail, praising and rewarding those who did well and pointing out their mistakes, explaining the consequences, ordering them to correct them, and warning that if they saw the same mistakes again, they would be punished according to military law. By the time he had finished inspecting the entire camp, it was already completely dark.

"You all just saw it. There is still a big gap between your people and the veterans!" Wei Cong said.

In the open space before the general's tent stood a large bonfire, surrounded by a crowd of men. The flames cast a bronze luster on their darkened faces. They were all newly commissioned officers of the auxiliary army. According to the covenant, these able-bodied men, recruited from various villages, would be organized into teams of fifty men each, based on the proximity of their villages and the closeness of their clans. Each team would form a unit with a corresponding number of regular troops to fight together. These new team leaders would serve as deputies, under the command of officers of the same rank in the regular army.

"Each of you has participated in at least one expedition against the mountain beasts, and many have even made military achievements, or at least demonstrated bravery. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been selected as officers! But this doesn't mean you're already qualified officers. To be honest, few of you are. I'm letting you take the position because I can't find many suitable candidates right now, so I can only let you take over temporarily. I hope you can learn well from this hunting trip, so that there will be less bloodshed and fewer deaths on the battlefield!" At this point, Wei Cong paused briefly and asked, "Do you know what the most important thing about being a garrison commander (an officer commanding fifty men in the Han Dynasty) is?"

There was silence around the campfire. People looked at each other in confusion, not knowing how to answer Wei Cong's question. Wei Cong waited for a while. Just as he was about to answer the question himself, someone in the crowd replied, "Fight to the death with your brothers?"

"Whoever answered just now, stand up!"

The crowd stirred, and a lean man stood up, his face showing an unconcealable panic. Wei Cong nodded: "What's your name?"

"My last name is Wang An!"

"Wang An, okay, I'll remember this!" Wei Cong took the dagger from his waist and threw it over: "This is a reward for you!"

"Thank you, sir!" Wang An took the dagger and immediately attracted countless envious eyes around him.

"Wang And's answer is correct, but not entirely!" Wei Cong said, "As a garrison commander, you do have to lead your men into battle, but that's not all. You also have to pay attention to how they march, camp, eat, sleep, and so on. Take today for example, someone pitched their tent in the wrong place. It seems like a small matter, but it could cost someone's life in a critical moment.

For example, there is an open space between the fortress and the camp, where tents are not allowed to be erected and items are not allowed to be placed. This makes it convenient for vehicles and horses to move around. Secondly, when encountering a sudden attack and siege by foreign enemies, the enemy's arrows cannot hurt the people in the camp, and the enemy's rockets cannot burn the tents, so the soldiers can fight with peace of mind. For example, each squad, each group, and each garrison should be arranged in order in the camp, so that when marching, only one order is needed and each team can march in order and form a group naturally. When camping, the soldiers are surrounded by familiar people, so if there are enemy spies, it is not difficult to find them. When encountering an attack, the soldiers will not panic and run around, because everyone knows where to go!

As the commander of an army, I have countless things to look after, but I only have one pair of hands, one pair of eyes, and one mouth. If I want the army to be united, to obey orders, and to be able to do what I want, I need a group of good dubo, tunzhang, and shizhang! That means you!

After hearing Wei Cong's words, the people around the campfire fell silent. Their simple minds hadn't even considered the things Wei Cong had just mentioned. Seeing this, Wei Cong couldn't help but sigh, "I know these things are a bit too urgent and difficult for you, but let's start from the beginning. During these days of hunting, every night we'll be here to review who did something wrong that day and how to correct it! Everyone must be here, and I'll be the one to do it myself, starting now!"

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The early morning horn woke up the camp. Soldiers stood in groups of three or five around their campfires, leaning on their spears and crossbows. Some were arranging ropes and nets, which were indispensable for the upcoming hunt. In the iron pot on the fire was simmering thick porridge. In addition to corn, there were also a lot of dried meat, dried wild vegetables and dried beans, giving off an enticing aroma.

Wei Cong walked through the tents and found some people taking arrows out of bamboo tubes beside the camp. He asked, "What are they doing?"

"They're making poison arrows!" Liu Jiu replied. "Last night they put the arrows into bamboo tubes filled with poison. Even wild boars and black bears would die quickly if shot by such arrows. It's a pity that these poison arrows must be used as soon as they are made, otherwise they will lose their effectiveness quickly. Otherwise, they can be used in large quantities in the army!"

"That's fine. We can have them keep it centrally and distribute it to the soldiers before the battle so they can make it on the fly!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "Liu Jiu, have someone ask where this venom comes from. If they can make it themselves, they can make it themselves. If they can't, they can buy it and keep it in the central army for safekeeping. The more the better."

(End of this chapter)