The Frontier Prince: Starting From Scratch - Chapter 52 - Making the Most of Everything

“What kind of armor is this?”

Glancing at the shape of the armor on the drawing, Chang Wei’s eyes were immediately glued to it.

“Is this armor for me?”

He recognized the first set as scale armor. The second set, he hadn’t seen before, but given its extensive coverage, he could tell it was no ordinary piece.

“Your Highness, is this for me?” Chang Wei asked excitedly.

“No, it’s for all the soldiers,” Zhao Xu replied.

Chang Wei was rendered speechless with shock.

The armor drawn by Prince Yan was of such high quality that in the Dasong Dynasty, only commanders could afford such comprehensive protection. Ordinary soldiers would be lucky to wear armor patched with a few iron scraps.

If all his soldiers could wear such armor, he couldn’t even begin to imagine the possibilities.

“Your Highness, if the personal guard of the Prince’s Mansion could all have such armor, I could march into the grasslands,” Chang Wei said, his excitement palpable.

“Don’t boast just yet. Get well first, and then we’ll talk about conquering the grasslands,” Zhao Xu chuckled.

Despite his words, he was also looking forward to it. Although weapons aren’t the sole determinant of victory in war, why not take advantage of the opportunity when it’s available?

Chang Wei’s face turned red, and he scratched his head. The movement tugged at his wound, causing him to grimace in pain.

After giving Chang Wei a few more instructions, Zhao Xu left.

Chang Wei’s physical condition was good, and the infection had healed. With such an arrow wound, he could probably be up and about in seven or eight days, and in ten days to half a month, he might be as lively as ever, since his legs were uninjured.

As Zhao Xu walked towards the Armory Office, he suddenly saw Dr. Hu approaching with his medicine box.

Upon seeing Zhao Xu, Dr. Hu immediately came forward.

“Your Highness, this humble one has a request,” Dr. Hu said, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Zhao Xu with admiration.

“You want my medicine?” Zhao Xu asked, recalling what Feng’er had mentioned.

Dr. Hu nodded, “This humble one has a few patients whose wounds are red and swollen, and they are on the brink of not surviving. I hope Your Highness can grant me some medicine to try, and this would also prove whether Your Highness’s medicine is truly effective.”

Zhao Xu nodded, thinking that this old man was quite meticulous. He still suspected that Chang Wei had recovered on his own.

“Very well,” Zhao Xu called Feng’er over. “Give Dr. Hu a jar to take back.”

Feng’er acknowledged and led Dr. Hu away.

Upon reaching the central courtyard, Feng’er instructed someone to open the large vat. Dr. Hu’s eyes widened, and he kept pleading, “Miss Feng’er, give me more, give me more.”

Feng’er smiled, “Dr. Hu, this jar is already full, how can I give you more?”

After seeing Chang Wei’s gradual improvement with the internal and external use of this medicine, Dr. Hu was intrigued. He had never heard of or seen such a thing. Most importantly, this medicine could save lives.

Every year in Yan City, there were always a few who died from beast bites or sword wounds. Most importantly, if this medicine could be used in the military, how many soldiers could it save?

Thus, he had tossed and turned at night, unable to sleep, his mind filled with thoughts of whether the medicine was truly effective. Only then did he muster the courage to ask Prince Yan for some.

Now that Prince Yan had agreed, he naturally wanted more. Seeing that Feng’er was young, he tried to take advantage of his seniority to get more.

He said, “If Your Highness can give one jar, he can give two. Miss Feng’er, why not fill another jar?”

Feng’er rolled her eyes, “Dr. Hu, whatever Your Highness says, that’s how much you’ll get, not a drop more. Your Highness has entrusted me with managing the Prince’s Mansion, and I dare not be careless.”

With that, she instructed the servants to cover the herbal vat and left.

Dr. Hu’s expression was awkward, thinking that Miss Feng’er, though young and pretty, was quite a tough character. He could only watch longingly as the herbal vat was taken away.

After treating Chang Wei and prescribing a remedy, Dr. Hu returned to the apothecary. He immediately had his apprentice bring in patients whose wounds were red and swollen with fever. Following the dosage used for Chang Wei, he administered the medicine both internally and externally to three patients.

At the Armory Office, Zhao Xu first inspected the blast furnace under construction. The previous furnace was only for experimentation. The one he had Wang Ying build now was for actual production, so its height and volume were much larger than the first.

“Work day and night to complete the blast furnace. The armor for the Prince’s Mansion’s personal guard is urgent and cannot be delayed,” Zhao Xu instructed.

June was about to end, and time was running out for him.

Wang Ying held the blueprint Zhao Xu had given him. Prince Yan had already instructed him that this was the armor the Armory Office needed to produce next. In addition, there were swords, spears, shields, and other items, all requiring a large amount of steel.

In the past, the Armory Office would not have dared to promise to produce so much steel in a year. But now, with enough materials, he was confident he could produce the required amount of steel within two months.

Seeing that the foundation of the blast furnace was laid, Zhao Xu and Wang Ying went to the banks of the Liuzhang River.

“Do you know about the water-powered trip hammer?” Zhao Xu asked.

Wang Ying smiled, “Your Highness, of course, I know. It’s a device used by the common folk to pound grain, built along rivers, using the flow of water to drive a wheel, which then moves a hammer shaft up and down.”

Zhao Xu nodded and asked, “Isn’t the blacksmith’s hammering similar in principle?”

Wang Ying furrowed his brow, then suddenly realized, “Your Highness, you mean to use the water-powered trip hammer to forge steel tools?”

“Yes, you’re quite clever,” Zhao Xu laughed.

Communicating with someone like Wang Ying, who understood technology, was indeed easier.

“Whether it’s the plates for plate armor or the scales for scale armor, they all require hammering, which takes a lot of time. A device called a water-powered forging hammer can use water power to operate continuously, greatly speeding up the production of iron tools. This forging hammer can be modified from a water-powered trip hammer,” Zhao Xu explained slowly.

“A water-powered forging hammer?” Wang Ying was astonished.

On the vertical rod of the trip hammer, there are raised plates, each corresponding to a hammer shaft. As the rod turns, the plates move the hammer shafts, allowing the hammer heads to fall.

This way, as long as the trip hammer is made large enough, it can have a dozen forging hammers working day and night to shape iron tools.

“Why didn’t I think of that? Why didn’t I think of that?” Wang Ying slapped his forehead.

Finally, he gave up on his self-reproach and looked at Prince Yan with boundless admiration.

Zhao Xu noticed Wang Ying’s expression. In truth, the wisdom of ancient people was limitless; they just sometimes applied it in the wrong direction. For instance, the water-powered trip hammer, if it could pound rice to remove husks, it could also pound iron.

In modern times, there’s gunpowder; some use it to make guns and cannons, while others use it for fireworks. Many devices existed in ancient times but were simply used incorrectly. With some modification and a change in purpose, they could be put to great use.

“I don’t need to say more, do I? The Liuzhang River’s current is swift, and the Armory Office is built along the river. Not using water power would be a waste,” Zhao Xu said, gazing at the emerald green river.

“I understand, Your Highness. I will immediately have the carpenters build a giant water-powered trip hammer, no, a water-powered forging hammer,” Wang Ying said, bowing.

However, he suddenly remembered that with so many tasks at the Armory Office, they were short on manpower. He said, “Your Highness, with so many tasks at once, we might be short on hands.”

Zhao Xu had anticipated this issue. There were still some slaves sent by Wang Yanzhong last time who weren’t assigned important tasks. He said, “I will send you over two hundred people later.”

Recalling that Wang Ying had dispatched a large number of people to the mountains to dig limestone, he added, “Recall those digging limestone. I will handle those materials.”

Wang Ying breathed a sigh of relief.

After instructing on the important tasks for the near future, Zhao Xu left the Armory Office and headed to the merchant house in Yan Prefecture.

For better management, the regional magnates had set up a shop as the merchant house’s base. This base was located by Jinlin Pond.

These regional magnates, having handed over their lands, were already starting to see returns from the liquor sales, so they weren’t short on funds. Naturally, they wanted to place the merchant house by Jinlin Pond, allowing them to enjoy themselves and entertain merchants from afar.

“Your Highness, what brings you here?”

On the west bank of Jinlin Pond, opposite the Tianxiang Pavilion on the east bank, was where the merchant house was located. As Zhao Xu arrived and looked at the plaque on the two-story building, a voice called out.

Looking in the direction of the voice, it was Dong An.

“So it’s Da Lang¹,” Zhao Xu said, addressing Dong An, who was the eldest in his family. In the Dasong Dynasty, it was common to address someone politely as Lang, according to their family order.

“I’ve missed Your Highness these past few days,” Dong An said, coming forward to greet Zhao Xu and inviting him inside.

In recent days, his father had monopolized all opportunities to see Zhao Xu, leaving Dong An somewhat resentful but unable to defy his father.

Thus, upon seeing Zhao Xu, he was particularly attentive. After all, he didn’t want to neglect his relationship with Prince Yan.

After inviting Zhao Xu to the main seat, Dong An ordered tea to be served. At this time, upon learning of Prince Yan’s arrival, all the young members of the regional magnates came out to greet him.

Yang He came down from upstairs, grinning as he approached. Now that their family’s lands had been handed over to the Prince’s Mansion, they no longer needed to inspect the estates. Their families, finding them idle and annoying, had sent them to the merchant house.

Footnote:

1. Da Lang(大朗):Literally “Eldest Lang.” A polite term of address in historical China, specifically referring to the eldest son or male in a family, indicating their birth order.