Castle of Black Iron

After those crates were opened, they saw wholly-new Fiery Oil weapons lying inside tidily. Being simply isolated by tissue paper, the swarthy and shiny weapons were lying quietly in the crates in rows and floors. At the sight of them, all the marshals at present drooled as they moved their fingers.

Before Zhang Tie came to the theater of operations, the ground troops of Fiery Dragon Corps mainly used inflammable grenades, inflammable spears and inflammable crossbows and bolts. Zhang Tie carried some crates of inflammable spears, inflammable grenades and inflammable crossbows and bolts. Besides, engineers and craftsmen in Taixia Country invented two more Fiery Oil weapons and matched them with ground troops on a large scale, namely, inflammable mines and inflammable flamers…

“This is an inflammable grenade…” Zhang Tie said as he took up an inflammable grenade from a crate under the gaze of those corps leaders. After rotating its handle anticlockwise by 90 degrees, Zhang Tie threw it towards a wooden target in the training ground over 50 m away. The moment the grenade fell in front of the wooden target, it had turned into a fierce flame, which instantly covered the wooden target. Only after a few seconds, the wooden target had been burned into ashes. Not only that, after the wooden target was burned into ashes, the flame didn’t die out until it turned 20 square meters’ area into scorched black, leaving some wisps of smokes…

The power of an inflammable grenade made those corps leaders and officers thrilled.

After seeing Zhang Tie’s gesture, all the 8 corps leaders gathered about as each of them took up an inflammable grenade and started to look at it. They weighed up the grenade by hand while nodding inside.

“I saw that the general rotated the handle of the inflammable grenade before throwing it out just now. I wonder about the principle?” Peng Yulin asked with an inflammable grenade in hand.

“This is the safety switch of the inflammable grenade. When you don’t rotate it, this inflammable grenade would be very safe and wouldn’t be detonated by ordinary collisions. After you rotate its handle anticlockwise by 90 degrees, you would trigger its fuse. Inflammable grenades adopt two modes of fuses. After switching on its fuse, it would be detonated soon after it crashes against any object. The other mode is that it would be detonated automatically after its fuse switches on for 4.2 seconds even if it doesn’t touch any object. Whenever each of the two modes’ condition was satisfied, the inflammable grenade would be detonated in that mode…” Zhang Tie said as he took up another inflammable grenade. After rotating its handle by 90 degrees, he threw it out in the same trajectory. This time, that grenade exploded directly in the air. After turning into a fierce blaze in the air, it finally landed on the ground and started to burn up.

“The mixed modes of detonation of an inflammable grenade are designed for the sake of actual combat. Because Hua fighters’ opponents on the battlefield are at least LV 9 demon fighters, whose speed and responsiveness were far out of the reach of ordinary Hua fighters. In this case, if time-delayed fuse were adopted, the grenade might be kicked back or thrown back before explosion. The outcome might be that we have to suffer an accidental casualty. However, if we only adopt contact-mode fuse, the inflammable grenade would not explode unless it touched the ground or hit the opponent. The opponents would not easily dodge away from the attack of an inflammable grenade in the second mode…”

After hearing Zhang Tie’s explanation, all the 8 corps leaders nodded. The mixed fuse of the inflammable grenade was indeed developed for the sake of actual combat. It could never be developed by nerds or those who had not attended any fight in the frontline at all. Additionally, 4.2 seconds was the optimal period given the throwing speed and the distance on the battlefield…

“Great, that’s really great!” Fang Hui clapped his hands on one side forcefully as he continued, “Those who have not fought demon fighters on the ground could never work out such modes. The inventors should be well awarded…”

Zhang Tie remained silent with a slight smile while Lu Yanyu who was standing on Zhang Tie’s side opened his mouth, “The idea of mixed modes of the fuse of an inflammable grenade was proposed by the general. The general has joined in the design of many key links in the production of these weapons in the arsenals of Huanzhou Province, Kangzhou Province, Ningzhou Province and Military Province…”

After hearing Lu Yanyu’s words, those corps leaders changed their viewpoints about Zhang Tie once again. They all knew that Zhang Tie was something; however, they had not imagined that Zhang Tie could have such great accomplishments and insight in technologies and craftsmanships. It seemed that the Military God had made a pretty correct choice in having Qianji Hermit serve as Weiji General. Previously, those corps leaders were not sure that dual-drive engines were invented by Zhang Tie as they thought the accomplishment might be achieved by someone else for the honor of Zhang Tie. However, now they realized that Qianji Hermit’s abilities might not be out of the imagination of commoners…

Zhang Tie just smiled after hearing the exclamation and praise of those corps leaders. He didn’t look arrogant at all. The mixed modes of the fuse of inflammable grenades were indeed the best design that Zhang Tie worked out after so many combats with demons. Besides inflammable grenades, inflammable spears also adopted mixed modes of the fuse…

After trying the power of inflammable grenades themselves, the 8 corps leaders were all thrilled…

After showing inflammable grenades to them, Zhang Tie started to introduce inflammable spears and inflammable crossbows and bolts to them. Even officers and Hua fighters in the training ground were in a tumult when they watched those new Fiery Oil weapons, not to mention those corps leaders.

Especially when Zhang Tie demonstrated the usage of the inflammable spear. He took up an inflammable spear and threw it out casually. As a lightning bolt flashed by, it hit a huge piece of weathered rock on the hillside over 1,000 m away. The entire piece of rock was broken completely. Closely after that, it started to burn heavily. The destructive capability and sphere of influence of inflammable spear were over 3 times more than that of the inflammable grenade.

The inflammable mine was weirder. Being of the same size as an inflammable grenade, the inflammable mine was flatter and could be easily buried under the ground. Its fuse was based on contact mode. As long as a demon stepped on it, it would be covered with high-temperature flame and burnt into ashes. Even those on its side might be involved. The inflammable mine was as destructive as an inflammable grenade. After being detonated, it would cover about 20 square meters…

The inflammable flame thrower was most destructive among all the Fiery Oil weapons.

The prototype of inflammable flame thrower was flamethrower that human troops were matched with before the Catastrophe. With a pair of steel cans on one’s back, one held an over 1-m long spraying gun, as long as he pressed down the switch, Fiery Oil would be sprayed out of the spraying gun under high-pressure nitrogen in the shape of a 40-50 m long berserk fiery dragon, which would sweep over everything nearby. As a result, stones, wooden targets and bushes started to burn up…

Even those corps leaders were dumbfounded by the destructive capability of inflammable flamethrower, not to mention those Hua fighters in the training ground. Because everybody knew that this destructive weaponry would be available to them soon…

“With such sharp weapons, our fighters of Taixia Country would never be afraid of demons even if all the demons are above LV 9…” A corps leader sighed with feeling.

“Even LV 10 battle demons who are able to release protective battle qi could only stand such a high temperature for a few seconds, not to mention those LV 9 fighters…”

“It seems that one Hua fighter could kill dozens of LV 9 demons with a set of an inflammable flamethrower in proper topography…”

“Based on its destructive capability, it could even be used to deal with low-altitude wing demons. Therefore, those wing demons would not be scrupulous in the sky anymore…”

“As long as demons suffered some losses, they would definitely know the destructive capability of the inflammable flamethrower. In the future, our fighters who manipulate inflammable flamethrower would definitely be the primary target of demons. Therefore, only dauntless fighters could use inflammable flamethrower…”

All the corps leaders at present were in hot discussion as they were conquered by the destructive capability of the inflammable flamethrower. In some sense, the inflammable flamethrower was even more destructive than some powerful battle qi strikes with fire attribute.

“Besides being available for a single pawn, the inflammable flamethrower could also be installed on the armored vehicle…” Peng Yulin said while all the others moved their eyes on Zhang Tie.

“Actually, we’ve already invented inflammable tanks, which is matched with a reinforced inflammable flamethrower by adding a steam pressure device and a small nitrogen separator. This sort of inflammable flamethrower could reach over 100 away…”

After hearing Zhang Tie’s words, all the corps leaders’ eyes shone once again. However, Zhang Tie’s following explanation disappointed them for the time being…

“However, the topography in Helan Mountain Range doesn’t allow heavy weaponry such as armored vehicles to access. Therefore, the first batch of inflammable tanks could only be transported to corps near Weishui River by train…”

“What about airplanes and air force?”

Zhang Tie replied while blinking his eyes, “I have no idea about the concept of the air force. I’m just a Weiji General. I’m responsible for training pilots and making weapons. As for the arrangement of those pilots, it’s within Military God’s consideration. If I established an air force in the rear end, those imperial around-the-clock censors might find an opportunity to find me trouble…”

After exchanging a glance with each other, all the corps leaders were clear of Zhang Tie’s concerns. Therefore, they shifted the topic at once.

“How many weapons does General bring to our corps this time?”

“1.5 million inflammable grenades, 500,000 inflammable mines, 100,000 inflammable spears, 200,000 inflammable crossbows and bolts, 10,000 inflammable flamethrowers and some matched equipment and supplies for each corps for the time being…”

“We extend our thanks to the general on behalf of our soldiers!” Some corps leaders cupped their hands towards Zhang Tie as they said in unison, “Our fighters are happy to see general in the theater of operations!”

Shaking his head, Zhang Tie sighed with emotions inside as he threw a glance at those ordinary fighters on the training ground and said in a low voice, “Hopefully, their parents, wives and children don’t hate me in the future. Without the weaponary, they might still have a chance to escape; however, with the weaponry, they would seek for death…”

At this moment, a breeze blew by, causing dirt to rise and fall. It was quiet all over. Those corps leaders and officers were all watching Zhang Tie silently as they could barely understand Zhang Tie’s feelings.

“Our Hua men could fight to death for the country, the people on the battlefields. We all wish to fight to death and not feel pitiful at all…” Peng Yulin said while raising his head, revealing a pair of heroic, raised sword-shaped eyebrows under his helmet…