Daily Intelligence System: Don't Kill Me, Honey!

Chapter 455: Chapter 159 Chen Jie: Miss Hongyan, you don’t want this either (subscribe please)_2

Chen Jie pushed the paper and pen towards Sun Tiechui, who said, ”If we use Fire Iron, to achieve the best effect, the spear body can’t be made of ordinary refined iron but rather should be made of bin iron.”

”Bin iron?”

Chen Jie looked at Sun Tiechui after hearing this, as he had heard of bin iron, especially when he watched Water Margin in his past life. Wu Song’s twin sacred swords were supposedly made of bin iron, and some said it was meteorite iron from outer space, but he didn’t know if that was correct.

Sun Tiechui, hearing this, chuckled and said, ”Hehe, Master Chen is also knowledgeable about metals?”

Chen Jie replied, ”I’ve heard that bin iron is meteorite iron from outer space, is that correct? If so, isn’t it too precious; where can we find so much bin iron?”

Sun Tiechui asked, ”Who told you bin iron is meteorite iron?”

”Is it not?”

Sun Tiechui explained, ”Actually, bin iron is a kind of iron that came from the Western Regions. It began to gradually enter the Central Plains since the Tang Dynasty and became more widespread during the Song Dynasty. Everyone thought it was a kind of meteorite iron, but it wasn’t until Daqian’s founding Emperor, Heavenly Khan, led his troops to the Western Regions and found this type of bin iron in a small country there, Damascus.”

”So it turns out to be crafted by artisans. Later, when the troops returned north, they brought back over a hundred craftsmen skilled in this technique to a place not far from the Capital, specifically to craft weapons for the Mulan Prince.”

”A city dedicated to manufacturing weapons was established, and later when these people lived together with the Han people, it became what is now Baoding Prefecture.”

”Baoding? The place that sells donkey meat?”

Sun Tiechui laughed, ”Donkey meat is just a front; what they’re really selling is bin iron.”

”So that means, you can get bin iron?”

Chen Jie looked at Sun Tiechui, who said, ”Hundred silver taels for a jin of iron, do you want it?”

Chen Jie replied, ”I do.”

Sun Tiechui, upon hearing this, asked, ”How heavy do you think the spear should be to be convenient to use?”

”How heavy is usual?”

Sun Tiechui explained, ”A normal spear, with an iron head and wooden shaft, weighs around ten jin, but a good bin iron spear should weigh about thirty jin.”

Chen Jie, hearing this, said, ”Good, forge it with the best quality.”

Sun Tiechui agreed, ”Hmm, in addition, considering the spear’s characteristics, I’ll add some flexible metal to make your spear more springy, which will make it a fine weapon.”

After hearing this, Chen Jie clasped his fist and replied, ”Then I will heed Master Sun’s advice.”

Sun Tiechui looked at the ’design drawing’ in his hand and followed up by saying, ”Now there’s one issue, the spear has two sections, how should they be connected?”

”Master, didn’t you notice that here it’s spiral?”

”Hmm?”

At that moment, Huang Bing spoke up from the side, and Sun Tiechui asked, ”What’s special about that?”

Huang Bing explained, ”I believe this spiral is the key to the whole spear, quite similar to the carpenter’s dovetail joint. It might look like two sections, but when joined, it’s no worse than a single piece.”

”A dovetail joint?”

Sun Tiechui contented, ”But this is iron, not wood. Once forged, how can this spiral be imprinted on the weapon?”

”Master, we can cast the proper tooling in advance during the casting process; this way, with just a bit of fine-tuning later on, we can create the shape.”

Sun Tiechui, hearing this, nodded in agreement, his mind became clear; his skill was not a problem, but sometimes he wasn’t as quick-thinking as his apprentice.

Chen Jie also took a look at this apprentice, Huang Bing, at this moment; this young apprentice was quite clever.

Blacksmithing skill is one aspect, but sometimes talent is also important; he lacked a blacksmith himself.

Chen Jie muttered to himself, his craft workshop indeed didn’t have a blacksmith, and Huang Bing seemed a good fit, if there was a chance, he could recruit him.

Su Yunjin was right; everyone aspired to align with a figure like Zhou Gong spitting out food—Chen Jie was indeed eager to acquire talent.

Thinking this way, Chen Jie looked at Sun Tiechui and asked, ”Master Sun, how long will it take to forge?”

Sun Tiechui replied, ”It will take at least five or six days.”

Chen Jie nodded, ”Do I need to leave a deposit?”

Sun Tiechui answered, ”There’s no need, I trust the reputation of Master Chen, and with the Fire Iron already here with me, what need is there for a deposit? Just come and collect it when it’s ready.”

Chen Jie nodded in response, ”Then I thank Master Sun.”

After saying this, Chen Jie stood up and said, ”Master Sun, don’t see me out, I shall leave now.”

Sun Tiechui added, ”I have things to attend to here too. Huang Bing, see Master Chen out.”

Huang Bing responded, ”Yes.”

As Huang Bing escorted Chen Jie out, Chen Jie asked him, ”Young fellow, how many years have you been studying your craft?”

Huang Bing answered, ”Ten years.”

”Oh, then your skills must be quite good.”

Huang Bing modestly replied, ”They’re, well, passable.”

Chen Jie nodded and said, ”You’re being too modest.”

”Have you thought about starting your own business after completing your apprenticeship? White Tiger Hall is in need of a master blacksmith.”

Huang Bing was taken aback, a hint of hesitation in his eyes, but he quickly shook his head, ”Master has been as kind to me as a mountain; I haven’t thought of leaving. Thank you for your generous offer, Master Chen.”

Chen Jie, not minding that he hadn’t been able to tempt him away, smiled and said, ”Well, in that case, we’ll chat another time. I will take my leave now.”

...

”Cough cough...”

At this point in the room, a clear cough sounded, and the woman wearing Dai Douli emerged.

”How about it? This Chen Jiusi isn’t what you expected, is he?”

Sun Tiechui watched the departing Chen Jiusi and said, ”Hmm, indeed, he’s too young, and doesn’t match his age; he’s too practiced in the ways of the world. Such a young person shouldn’t be like that.”

Hearing this, the woman said, ”An extraordinary person bears an extraordinary presence, cough cough...”

Sun Tiechui turned his head to look at the woman and said, ”Alian, you can’t go on like this.”

The woman replied, ”Cough cough... My health might be secondary right now, but Darugachi Mansion has begun to strike against us, and all our transport channels have been caught. If Darugachi blocks off Mianshui County, I’m afraid we will be unable to transport this batch of military supplies, cough cough... the brothers of the rebel army in the Northern are still waiting for us!”