Chapter 43: Short-Term Development Plan

"Boss!"
"Little General!"
The two spoke in unison.

Their respectful greetings interrupted Zhao Mang’s train of thought.
Zhao Mang first walked over to Wei Xian, helped him up with his own hands, and said with a sorrowful expression, "Old Master Wei, I truly feel ashamed. Things are not yet stable here, and I've let all you elders and commoners suffer."
"It is my fault!"

Hearing this, Wei Xian hurriedly shook his head and replied, "Not at all, not at all. The Little General exaggerates. If not for the Little General giving us a place to stay, we might not even be alive today!"
"These times are turbulent, and it is only natural that Tibetan raiders frequently harass us."

With that, Wei Xian fell to his knees once more and implored, "I earnestly beg the Little General to allow us surviving commoners to join your ranks!"
"It is already a miracle that we survived. It would be entirely improper of us to demand any further assistance from the Little General!"

Zhao Mang was overwhelmed with emotion.
He had not expected that, after enduring the baptism of fire from the Tibetan raiders, these refugees would become even more motivated. This completely exceeded his expectations.
Even as refugees, most of them did not want to easily give up their identity as ordinary citizens.

With them being so sincere, how could Zhao Mang refuse?
"Get up, Old Master Wei. You must not do this again. You are already the civilians of my settlement; there is no reason why you cannot join my forces!"
"It is simply that you will need to put in extra effort. Currently, our army's food supplies are nearly exhausted. Only through our collective efforts can we ensure that we have food and shelter when winter arrives!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Xian quickly expressed his gratitude: "As it should be. Many thanks, Little General!"
Having said that, Wei Xian turned around and left without lingering. He was an extremely clever and decisive old man.

"Boss! The blast furnace and the blower you wanted made have been completed, and we have already produced the first batch of steel sabers!"
"Compared to the swords we currently have in service, it is exceptionally sharp! The only drawback is that it is somewhat brittle."

Hearing this, Zhao Mang instantly grew excited. This was the best news he had heard in a long time.
"Bring it here let me see!"
"I can hardly wait anymore!"

Yu Zhiyuan turned around, bowed, and made a gesture of invitation: "Please follow me, Boss!"
With that, he took the lead and walked ahead. Zhao Mang hurried to follow right behind him.

The Steel Smelting Workshop!
This was the name Yu Zhiyuan had given to this iron and steel production site based on Zhao Mang's suggestions.
As soon as he stepped inside, Zhao Mang felt that the temperature of the air was noticeably higher than outside.
Looking at the blast furnace standing nearly three meters tall before him, Zhao Mang was immensely satisfied.

Right next to the blast furnace was the brand-new blower designed by Zhao Mang specifically for it.
Two soldiers were currently working hard to operate the foot pedals.
They would switch out with another group at regular intervals, working in shifts.
Batch after batch of molten steel was drawn from the blast furnace and poured into pre-prepared molds.

Once cooled, they immediately hammered and polished the pieces. Their division of labor was clear and meticulous.
The initiative shown by this group of craftsmen brought by Jiang Wan completely exceeded Zhao Mang's imagination.
By now, all the red iron ore brought back from the red iron mine last time had been refined into steel sabers by them.

At this moment, Yu Zhiyuan picked up a completed steel saber and walked over to Zhao Mang.
This saber was three feet and six inches long, about two and a half inches wide, with a thin edge and a thick spine.
It was forged by the craftsmen according to Zhao Mang's description, bearing a close resemblance to a dao.

Holding the long saber in his hand, Zhao Mang gave it a few simple test swings; it felt quite well-balanced and handy.
"Bring an ordinary sword for comparison!"
Hearing this, Yu Zhiyuan immediately picked out an existing iron saber from the pile of weapons and handed it to Zhao Mang.

Zhao Mang held one blade in each hand and slashed downward.
*Clang!*
With a sharp sound, the old-style iron saber instantly snapped into two pieces.
The newly forged steel saber remained extremely sharp.

Looking at the newly crafted steel saber in his hand, Zhao Mang could not put it down.
Although it lacked a bit of the flexibility found in the hundred-refined saber Jiang Wan had given him, its sharpness was virtually identical.
"Good! Good! Good! Well done, Master Yu. With you working this hard, I will certainly reward you handsomely!"

Yu Zhiyuan gave an honest, foolish smile: "Boss Zhao flatters me too much. Being able to work under Boss Zhao is my greatest fortune. Since coming here, I have also learned a lot of new knowledge and witnessed many things I have never seen before."
"This is all thanks to the Boss's help. If there are any more novel creations, please be sure to inform me in time, Boss!"

Yu Zhiyuan's attitude reminded Zhao Mang of the inventors of his past life—his eyes held nothing but a passion for invention, and the ability to continuously progress through innovation was perhaps the greatest reward for him.
"I was being a bit shallow!"
With that, Zhao Mang suddenly recalled that during the previous battle, riding a horse while holding a long saber had proved somewhat inconvenient.
He immediately realized that he needed a long spear.

He could use the remaining red iron ore to forge a spear for himself right now, allowing him to display his mighty prowess on the battlefield!
Thinking of this, Zhao Mang immediately returned to his tent and began to draw furiously.
"Master Yu, you will need to personally oversee this long spear and tailor-make it for me!"
"How many enemies I can slay on the battlefield in the future will depend entirely on this spear of yours!"

Flattered and deeply honored, Yu Zhiyuan cupped his fists solemnly toward Zhao Mang and said, "Rest assured, Boss, I will definitely forge a long spear that satisfies you!"
Taking the assignment, Yu Zhiyuan immediately departed.

He had personally looked into almost every single matter within the camp.
The only urgent issue right now was food supplies.
He immediately wrote a letter and dispatched it via carrier pigeon to Jiang Wan, asking her to send out a large caravan and simultaneously requesting some grain provisions from her.
By this time, Jiang Wan must have already regained full control of the Jiang family.

Having arranged everything, Zhao Mang finally welcomed the bonfire celebration!
Everyone gathered together once again!
Naturally, Zhao Mang became the center of the festivities.
Zhao Mang shouted loudly: "The recent incursion by the Tibetan raiders was my fault!"
"But everyone has seen how hard our soldiers worked for you! How desperately they fought!"
"And now! Everything within these several miles is my land, and your land as well!"
"To protect our families, to protect the land we currently hold!"
"Should we fight with our lives on the line?!"

Zhao Mang's words were like a tiny spark that ignited the fighting spirit of everyone present.
They shouted in unison at the top of their lungs!
"We swear to follow General Zhao to the death!"
Zhao Mang shouted: "Slay every invading Tibetan raider! Protect our own fertile fields!"
"Slay the Tibetan raiders! Protect our fertile fields!"

The crowd burst into cheers of joy!
Zhao Mang's subordinates shouted the loudest, especially Zhu Wuneng, who was so excited he could barely contain himself: "The Boss is awesome!"
Gone was the terror from when the Tibetan raiders attacked; they cast the ambush behind them and immersed themselves wholly in the joy of the moment.

Seeing the high spirits of everyone present, Zhao Mang felt a deep sense of gratification.
Afterward, carrying fine wine and food, he went to the wounded soldiers' quarters to visit the injured.
The atmosphere in the wounded camp was vastly different; it was exceptionally quiet and remarkably clean, all maintained strictly according to Zhao Mang's requirements.
The wounded soldiers were quietly recuperating.

Seeing the soldier by the door, the moment he spotted Zhao Mang entering, the man excitedly struggled to his feet and shouted, "Squad Leader! What brings you here to see us?"