Chapter 127 - Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber's Opportunity to Kill
Chapter 127 – Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber’s Opportunity to Kill
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Yin Wuyou’s actions made Zhou Shu overlook why she appeared in his home.
Only when Cheng Wanli happily left with a Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber did Zhou Shu come to his senses.
“Grand Minister, why are you here?” Zhou Shu looked at Yin Wuyou.
Even though he had seen Yin Wuyou countless times, he still felt a little stunned every time he saw her. She was wearing a simple and elegant dress, and under the contrast of her curvaceous figure, she gave off a different kind of warm feeling.
“I can’t come?” Yin Wuyou delicately rolled her eyes.
“No, I’m just curious,” Zhou Shu said.
“Of course I’m here for something. Your steward said that you were in the middle of meeting someone, so I didn’t ask him to inform you and came in directly.”
Yin Wuyou doesn’t treat herself as an outsider. It’s fine that she lives next door, but now she doesn’t even announce her arrival?
Is this the baron’s residence or the princess’s residence?
Zhou Shu cursed in his heart.
“What is it? Why did you ask me to sell the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber to General Cheng? Isn’t this somewhat against the rules? He should go to the Forging Division to purchase it.”
“It’s fine. Why not earn some money?” Yin Wuyou replied. “Cheng Wanli doesn’t lack money anyway.”
Yin Wuyou spoke as if it was a matter of course and didn’t take it seriously at all.
“Alright.” Zhou Shu actually didn’t care why. In any case, he had made a small profit and didn’t need to take responsibility. This was a good thing.
“Grand Minister, you haven’t told me why you’re here,” Zhou Shu continued asking.
Yin Wuyou replied, “Just like Cheng Wanli.”
“You’re here for a saber too?” Zhou Shu said. As soon as he said this, he knew something was wrong. Yin Wuyou was the grand minister of the Forging Division, and she was free to take standard weapons whenever she wanted.
“The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber, are you here for the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber?” Zhou Shu corrected himself.
“Yes.” Yin Wuyou nodded. “Zhou Shu, let me ask you, if I allow you to freely mobilize the resources of the Forging Division workshops, how fast can you forge?”
“The craftsmanship of the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber is extremely complicated. With the workshop’s current conditions, only I can forge it,” Zhou Shu said in a low voice.
The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber was different from other standard weapons. Even if the forging process was broken down, ordinary apprentices wouldn’t be able to do it.
“Unless Forging Masters take action, the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber can’t be mass produced. With my speed, I can forge one every two days.”
Zhou Shu gave a conservative number. In truth, if he went all-out, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to forge a Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber every day. However, he had other things to do, and he couldn’t spend the entire day forging.
“One every two days?” Yin Wuyou frowned. “We won’t make it in time like this.”
“In time for what?” Zhou Shu asked curiously.
“Do you know why Cheng Wanli suddenly came to you for a saber?” Yin Wuyou answered with a question.
Zhou Shu shook his head. How would I know? I’m not familiar with Cheng Wanli. I didn’t even get to speak to Cheng Yong just now.
“The Imperial Court is currently establishing a new Country Protector Army, responsible for taking over the You and Bing prefectures. Cheng Wanli will be in charge of this new Country Protector Army,” Yin Wuyou said.
Although this was a military secret, Yin Wuyou didn’t hide it from Zhou Shu.
“Take over You and Bing prefectures?” Zhou Shu thought of the bet between Great Xia and Great Wei and asked curiously, “Is Great Xia so sure of winning?”
The bet between Great Xia and Great Wei was based on who ranked first in the Standard Armament Manual. The wager was two prefectures.
If the weapon ranked first in the Standard Armament Manual came from Great Xia, then Great Wei would return the two prefectures to Great Xia. Otherwise, Great Xia would give two prefectures to Great Wei.
The Standard Armament Manual rankings hadn’t been announced yet, so it was still uncertain who would win.
But Great Xia had already started to prepare the army to take over the You and Bing prefectures?
Weren’t they counting their chickens too soon?
“If we lose, we will send troops to take back the You and Bing prefectures!” Yin Wuyou had a murderous look on her face.
“You’re not kidding, right? If we attack rashly, will the other countries just sit back and watch?” Zhou Shu was speechless.
The ten countries of the land stood side by side. In the beginning, in order to reduce conflict, the ten countries had an agreement to settle disputes through the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament.
Although the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament was only in name now, if the two countries really fought, the other countries would definitely take advantage of the situation.
At that time, it might become a world war.
“I don’t know if it’s a joke or not, but the establishment of the You Prefecture Army and the Bing Prefecture Army are already set in stone,” Yin Wuyou replied. “This has nothing to do with you. The responsibility of the Forging Division is merely to supply weapons.
“I was planning to equip them with the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber, but it seems like I won’t be able to now.” Yin Wuyou frowned.
Yin Wuyou was the grand minister of the Forging Division. She had the right to make a lot of suggestions as to what weapons an army should be equipped with.
Originally, she had wanted to make use of the recovering of the two prefectures to make the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber known to the world. It would be a good thing for Zhou Shu and the Forging Division.
However, the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber couldn’t be mass produced now.
“Grand Minister, we can’t mass produce the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber, but we can mass produce the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber.” Zhou Shu’s eyes lit up.
War meant an opportunity to kill enemies.
Zhou Shu didn’t like war, but an opportunity to kill enemies meant a massive increase in his cultivation.
Of course, he couldn’t let go of such an opportunity.
“Grand Minister, to the Country Protector Army, the power of the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber is enough. The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber can be given to the generals of the army,” Zhou Shu said.
Of the six sabers he had developed, or rather, of the six sabers in the Legendary Armament Canon, the Huben Saber, the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber, and the Horse Slaying Saber were all showing their prowess on the battlefield in the southern borders. From time to time, they would give him a wave of benefits.
The Spring Embroidered Saber had already been supplied to the Divine Constable Bureau. In the future, there would be no lack of chances for it to complete kills.
Only the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber and the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber were not equipped to anyone.
Zhou Shu had originally wanted to sell them to the Country Protector Army.
Now that such a great opportunity was presented to him, how could he miss it?
If Great Xia lost the bet, they would send the army to recover the two prefectures.
The You Prefecture Army and the Bing Prefecture Army definitely existed for the sake of battle.
Just think about it. Even if Great Wei returned the two prefectures to Great Xia, they had occupied the two prefectures for over a hundred years. Would they be able to wipe them out in an instant?
Impossible!
At that time, the You Prefecture Army and the Bing Prefecture Army would definitely have plenty of opportunities to fight!
“Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber?” Yin Wuyou nodded. “The Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber is indeed enough.
“Can the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber be mass produced?”
There would be a lot of people in the You Prefecture Army and the Bing Prefecture Army. The number of weapons needed would also be vast.
If the production of the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber couldn’t keep up, it would be impossible to use it.
“Yes!” Zhou Shu said in a low voice. “My subordinates have been practicing the forging process of the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber day and night. They can start working at the various workshops at any time.”
It would be much more efficient to break down the forging process than having the Forging Apprentices forge the weapons individually.
Furthermore, it would be very difficult for Forging Apprentices to master the forging method of the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber alone.
“Grand Minister, if you can give me the workers from five workshops, I can supply five thousand Autumn Anatidae Plume Sabers within a month!”
In order to obtain an opportunity, Zhou Shu had to give it his all.
“Five thousand a month is too slow.” Yin Wuyou shook her head. “I’ll allow you to use all the resources in ten workshops. I want to see five thousand Autumn Anatidae Plume Sabers within ten days!”
Ten days? Zhou Shu frowned. Your Highness, you really can order people around.
“It’s not that I’m anxious, but the Standard Armament Manual’s ranking will be announced in ten days at most. The You Prefecture Army and the Bing Prefecture Army must be formed before then!” Yin Wuyou noticed Zhou Shu’s expression and explained. “If there are too few Autumn Anatidae Plume Sabers, we won’t even be able to equip a brigade. Five thousand is sufficient to equip a brigade.”
To Zhou Shu, all he needed to do was send the hundred sabers he had personally forged into the army. However, he definitely couldn’t just send a hundred sabers.
“Alright, I’ll accept it!” Zhou Shu thought for a moment. Five thousand in ten days meant five hundred in a day. After dividing the work, it meant fifty a day for each workshop.
The Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber was much harder to forge than ordinary standard sabers. But for a workshop, it wasn’t too difficult to forge fifty sabers a day.
“There are still ten days to go. How many Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sabers can you give me?” Yin Wuyou continued to ask.
The Autumn Anatidae Plume Sabers would be given to ordinary soldiers, and the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sabers would be given to generals. Yin Wuyou was determined to use this opportunity to make a name for the Forging Division’s 0th Workshop.
Zhou Shu would naturally not let go of such a good opportunity.
“A hundred!” Zhou Shu gritted his teeth.
He already had more than ten Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sabers. With his current cultivation base, if he had enough materials, he would only need four hours to forge one.
Without sleep or rest, he could forge five or six weapons a day.
It was difficult to forge a hundred Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sabers in ten days, but it was not impossible!
With his current cultivation, he wouldn’t die if he didn’t sleep for ten days and ten nights!
Men should be tough to themselves!
“A hundred?” Yin Wuyou was astonished.
She was very clear that only Zhou Shu was capable of forging the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber. He could forge ten Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sabers in a day?
How was this possible?
Even if it was just forging standard sabers, it was already the limit for an experienced Forging Apprentice to be able to forge three sabers a day.
In Yin Wuyou’s opinion, it was normal for a standard saber like the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber to be forged in a few days.
She had seen it with her own eyes when Zhou Shu forged it previously. It had taken quite some time.
It was impossible to guarantee a 100% success rate when forging.
Yin Wuyou originally thought it would be considered very fast if he could successfully forge one a day.
“Zhou Shu, this isn’t child’s play. I will take your word for it!” Yin Wuyou said seriously.
“I’m not joking. A hundred sabers in ten days, I mean what I say!
“If I can’t produce a hundred Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sabers by then, you can do whatever you want with me!” Zhou Shu said seriously.
This was the perfect opportunity to max out the number of Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sabers and distribute them.
Then he would just wait for the rewards…
Ten days of hard work would be worth it!
Zhou Shu was determined. He looked as though he was willing to go through fire and water for Great Xia!
Yin Wuyou was moved. He’s willing to go all out for me?
Yin Wuyou’s eyes flickered as she tenderly glanced at Zhou Shu. “Alright, I believe you can do it.”
With that, Yin Wuyou lifted the corner of her skirt and quickly left.
Zhou Shu was baffled by what Yin Wuyou said. Women are strange.
Isn’t that obvious whether I can do it or not?
Zhou Shu didn’t think about Yin Wuyou anymore. He left some simple instructions and headed straight for the 0th Workshop.
Putting aside the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber, forging a hundred Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sabers in ten days was definitely a challenge for him.
Before, Zhou Shu himself didn’t have the confidence to complete this.
But recently, he had been studying all kinds of forging materials. Now, his understanding of forging had reached a whole new level. Thinking about it now, forging standard weapons should be even easier.
Furthermore, his own cultivation had also increased. This would be very helpful for forging.
With greater strength, it was naturally more efficient.
To be able to forge a hundred Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sabers in ten days was also a challenge that Zhou Shu gave himself!
…
At the 0th Workshop, Zhou Shu acted like a heartless boss, directly waking Zhang Yibei and the others from their sleep.
Without another word, he placed the 1,300 taels of silver that he had just earned from Cheng Wanli in front of everyone.
“There are one thousand and three hundred taels here. Each person gets around thirty,” Zhou Shu said directly.
Zhang Yibei and the others looked at each other in dismay. Then they felt a little uneasy.
“Superintendent, are you trying to chase us away?”
Giving out money out of nowhere, wasn’t this the prelude to disbanding?
Thirty taels of silver was equivalent to two to three years of their salary.
Whoosh—
The group of Forging Apprentices knelt on the ground and shouted,
“Superintendent, don’t chase us away! If we did anything wrong, you can punish us however you want, but don’t chase us away!”
Zhou Shu’s expression darkened. “All of you get up! Who said I was going to chase you away?”
“Then, why did you suddenly give us money?” Zhang Yibei said nervously.
“This is your salary,” Zhou Shu said. “From now on, I want you to go to the other workshops and lead the other Forging Apprentices to forge Autumn Anatidae Plume Sabers! Forge as many as you can within ten days. The money is your overtime pay!”
“Overtime pay?” Zhang Yibei and the others were confused.
“All you need to know is that once you take the money, you have to work! As long as you don’t die, you have to work as much as you can! For the next ten days, you don’t have to treat yourselves as humans. Just work!”
When Zhang Yibei and the others heard this, they heaved a sigh of relief. They had been scared to death. They thought something had happened. Was it just work?
Were they like humans in the past?
Only after coming to the 0th Workshop did they live like human beings. Who didn’t go all out in the past?
No one had given them so much money back then.
Not to mention that each person could get 30 taels, even if they didn’t, they would still do their best.
Besides, they got 30 taels of silver each. There was no need to live like human beings.. They would just work!