Du Qi was curious as to what kind of powerful figure they had discovered. The group passed through the crowd and returned to where Liu Zhengxi and Guo Xiaozheng were.
There was a simple platform where the two of them were sitting, while the other 30 groups of examiners were outside alone. This was an empty area.
It was convenient for Liu Zhengxi and Guo Xiaozheng to examine.
Du Qi and his group returned to this place and ordered the attendants to bring the examiners over. Yuan Yin, who was in charge of the examination, also came along with them. Although Yuan Yin was here, the examination was still going on. After all, there were people assisting Yuan Yin in holding the fort.
When Yuan Yin saw Du Qi, he quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
"No need to be so polite!"
Du Qi shook his head and said, "Yuan Yin, tell me, what kind of powerful figure did you discover?"
Yuan Yin waved his hand and a stooped figure appeared behind him. His arms were like a pair of ape's arms, and his hands were extremely thick. It was obvious that he was a person who worked hard all year round.
However, this person's hair was already gray, his cheeks were messy, and he had a rosacea nose. He looked rather dispirited because he did not tidy himself up.
Yuan Yin introduced, "Your Highness, this person's name is Tang Zhongsheng. He's a blacksmith. Although his hair is gray and his back is a little stooped, he's actually just turned 30 years old. It's just that he overworked himself, that's why he looks like this. He came today because he said that he's good at blacksmithing and brought a sword that he forged. Your humble servant has also tested this sword. It is truly a sharp sword that can cut through iron as if it were mud and cut through a strand of hair just by blowing on it. That's why I brought him here. "
As he spoke, Yuan Yin handed over the sword.
The scabbard was very ordinary. It was gray and did not look sharp at all. However, the hilt was in the style of an authentic Han sword. The hilt was wide. Du Qi took the sword and felt that it was quite heavy, about 15 to 16 kilograms.
Clang!
Du Qi pulled the sword out of the scabbard and a cold light flashed.
Especially under the morning sun of early spring, the blade of the sword was shining brightly. The brilliance of the blade was like a pool of autumn water, giving people a feeling of extreme sharpness.
Du Qi raised his sword and ordered, "Bring me a sword!"
"Yes!"
Xue Rengui followed along.
He unsheathed his sword.
Although Xue Rengui's sword could not be considered a top-notch treasure sword, its blade was still quite sharp. He knew that Du Qi wanted to test his sword, so he gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands and held it in the air.
Du Qi's expression was solemn. He raised the sword in his hand and slashed down fiercely.
"Clang!"
The two swords collided.
With a cracking sound, the sharp sword in Xue Rengui's hand broke into two pieces. Furthermore, the cut was neat and tidy, which showed the sharpness of the sword.
"Good sword, good sword!"
Du Qi's eyes lit up with joy.
On the battlefield, weapons were very important.
If a soldier obtained a sharp weapon, his combat strength would increase by at least 30%, or even more. That was why Du Qi was so happy.
Du Qi stared at Tang Zhongsheng in front of him and asked in a deep voice, "Tang Zhongsheng, this King has a question. Did you really forge this sword? "
"Yes!"
Tang Zhongsheng answered without thinking. When it came to forging weapons, his face was full of confidence.
Du Qi asked, "Can such a sword be forged in batches?"
"Yes!"
Tang Zhongsheng nodded, then shook his head and said, "But it can't be done!"
When Yuan Yin heard Tang Zhongsheng's words, he scolded, "Can it be done or not? Don't try to be mysterious in front of His Highness and answer honestly. "
"Plop!"
Tang Zhongsheng was so scared that he knelt on the ground.
After all, he was just a commoner.
He had not seen the world.
Du Qi stopped Yuan Yin. He squatted down and held Tang Zhongsheng up, saying, "What exactly happened? Tell me in detail. Don't be afraid and don't worry. Just tell me the truth. But no matter what, you can forge such a sword. You're a great craftsman. "
Tang Zhongsheng hurriedly nodded his head. He was still a little fearful in his heart, and he felt that his hands and feet were bound. After all, the most important people he had seen in his life were the ordinary patrolling guards and the Assistant Secretary of the City Lord's Mansion. He had never seen anyone else.
Tang Zhongsheng bowed and quickly said, "Your Highness Pacifying West King, the reason why this little one said that I can forge such a weapon is because this little one found a kind of iron ore that is harder.
"But this little one used coal to smelt it this year. Also, I used a new bellows to gather the fire, so the firepower is enough to melt the iron ore, so I can forge such a weapon in batches.
"As long as you have such an iron ore, you can easily forge a sword that can cut through iron like mud.
"The problem is that this kind of ore can't be supplied all the time. If all the ores are consumed, you can use ordinary iron ores to forge. Although according to the current smelting temperature, you can constantly hammer weapons and even refine fine steel. But the result of thousands of hammering is the result. Compared to the original iron ores, the quality of the weapon is still much worse.
"So this little one said that it can't be done."
Tang Zhongsheng spoke very fluently at this time with inexplicable confidence. He continued, "This little one has the skill of smelting weapons. Although smelting requires many skills, in fact, the smelting materials are also very important."
After hearing this, Du Qi nodded and agreed with Tang Zhongsheng's words. In any case, Tang Zhongsheng could find iron ores that ordinary people could not find and smelt such a sword. This was Tang Zhongsheng's ability.
From Tang Zhongsheng's words just now, Du Qi heard that Tang Zhongsheng was proficient in the selection of materials and the smelting temperature. If he was not a professional smelter, it was impossible to have such knowledge.
Tang Zhongsheng was still very powerful.
Du Qi admired him in smelting.
Du Qi sternly said, "Tang Zhongsheng, you're very good."
When Tang Zhongsheng heard Du Qi's words, a bright smile appeared on his old face. He timidly asked, "Your Highness Ping Xi Wang, has this little one passed?"
"Passed!"
Du Qi smiled and nodded.
When Tang Zhongsheng heard this, his cheeks twitched twice. He seemed to be excited, happy, and even seemed to be in disbelief. He did not expect that he would actually pass.
Tang Zhongsheng wanted to say something but hesitated. He looked embarrassed.
What kind of person was Du Qi? He immediately noticed Tang Zhongsheng's hesitant expression and asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"
"Plop!"
Tang Zhongsheng directly knelt down again, kowtowed, and said, "Your Highness Ping Xi Wang, this little one has a request. This little one knows it's inappropriate, but I have to say it. "
Du Qi once again held up Tang Zhongsheng, looked at this little old man in his early thirties, who had become like a man in his fifties because of life, and said, "What's your problem? Say it."
Tang Zhongsheng said, "This little one's mother and wife are sick and need money to treat their illness. I earnestly request Ping Xi Wang to give this little one a month's salary in advance to treat my old mother and wife. Their illness has dragged on for three or four years and has not been cured. Recently, their condition has worsened and must be treated as soon as possible. It can't be delayed any longer. "
After hearing this, Du Qi saw the tension and hesitation in Tang Zhongsheng's eyes. He patted Tang Zhongsheng's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I'm here. There's no problem."
"Mr. Liu!"
Du Qi ordered.
"Yes!"
Liu Zhengxi immediately stepped forward.
Du Qi ordered, "In our mansion, there are accompanying doctors. You arrange people to treat Tang Zhongsheng's family and send all the necessary medicinal materials. In addition, give Tang Zhongsheng ten strings of money to subsidize his family. "
"Yes!"
Liu Zhengxi immediately complied.
As Du Qi's Chief Historian, Liu Zhengxi naturally knew the value of a craftsman who could forge weapons that could cut iron like mud. To put it bluntly, with such a craftsman, the overall strength of Du Qi's army would be greatly improved.
Therefore, Du Qi's arrangement was not excessive.
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