Chapter 5

Hearing Wei Ba remain silent, Wei Feng angrily explained again: "Yang Yi, this conceited man from a prominent family in Xiangyang, has always looked down on our Wei family for being of military origin, often criticizing my father. He is now a military advisor in the Chancellor's office, responsible for the logistics of grain supplies. He deliberately makes things difficult for my father under the pretext of military affairs. If my father refuses to comply, it will be seen as obstructing the Northern Expedition, and the Chancellor will certainly be displeased. But how can so much grain be produced in such a short time? My father is angry about this matter..."

After hearing Wei Feng's words, Wei Ba finally understood a bit more. The conflict between Yang Yi and Wei Yan had a long history. Although they were both from Jingxiang, the Yang family was a prominent family in Xiangyang with deep roots, while the Wei family was just a small local power in Yiyang, lacking in scholarly pursuits and relying solely on military achievements to rise. The two families were not on the same level.

If Wei Yan had backed down, it would have been fine, but Wei Yan was a stubborn man who did not take Yang Yi seriously, leading to multiple conflicts and a very strained relationship. After Liu Bei's death and Zhuge Liang's rise to power, Yang Yi became a military advisor in the Chancellor's office. During Zhuge Liang's southern campaign in the previous year, he managed the grain supplies and made significant contributions, becoming a favorite of Chancellor Zhuge Liang. With the banner of the Northern Expedition, it was easy for him to create difficulties for Wei Yan.

Hanzhong now only had four counties and less than two thousand households. Even if all the elderly and children were mobilized, it would not solve the food supply problem for over ten thousand troops. Transporting grain was inevitable, but transporting grain from the Chengdu Plain to Hanzhong, a journey of nearly a thousand miles, was a major issue. Therefore, the best solution was to produce as much grain as possible in Hanzhong, and the allocation of this quota was in Yang Yi's hands. As long as he made a move, no matter how hard Wei Yan tried, it would be impossible to meet his demands.

In other words, the initiative was entirely in Yang Yi's hands, and no matter how much effort Wei Yan put in, he could not complete the task.

Wei Ba, of course, could not do it either. He was not a god and could not create something out of nothing. However, he was not entirely useless. He studied agricultural machinery and firmly believed that the progress of tools was the hallmark of human civilization. He knew that even a small improvement in tools could have a significant impact.

China has been an agricultural country since ancient times, and the development of agriculture has always been a major concern for the government. The development of agricultural machinery has been a top priority, with many impressive achievements. However, the simplest tools like shovels and hoes were limited by smelting technology and developed slowly. It wasn't until the mid-Tang Dynasty, with the maturity of steelmaking techniques, that agricultural tools were forged instead of cast, making them larger and lighter, and truly effective. In the Han Dynasty, iron tools were either very small and impractical, like the wooden shovel with a small iron blade, or large and heavy, requiring animal power. The plows in the Han Dynasty were pulled by two oxen because they were too heavy and the structure was not optimal for breaking the soil.

To put it simply, an iron shovel is more convenient than a wooden shovel, and a larger iron shovel is more efficient than a smaller one. However, if the iron shovel was cast, only those with superhuman strength could use it for a whole day, and ordinary people would find it useless, making the wooden shovel with an iron blade more practical. In the past few days, Wei Ba had seen farmers in the countryside using wooden shovels to till the land. He initially thought it was quaint, not like the modern imitations where people wear ancient clothing on top but show their leather shoes below. Now, hearing Wei Feng's complaints, he suddenly thought of an opportunity for improvement.

If the wooden shovels used by the farmers could be replaced with iron shovels from the future, one farmer could do the work of two, and even a 50% increase in efficiency would not be out of the question.

Wei Ba suddenly realized that his major had its first practical application. He smiled.

Wei Feng was in the middle of cursing Yang Yi when he suddenly saw Wei Ba laughing, which left him puzzled. He stopped and looked at Wei Ba in confusion: "Aba, why are you laughing?"

"Nothing, I just thought of a way that might help Father complete this task."

Wei Feng's frown deepened as he stared at Wei Ba for a long time: "Really?"

"Would I lie to you?" Wei Ba grinned, feeling suddenly much better. He patted Wei Feng's shoulder: "Eat quickly, and after we finish, take me to find a few blacksmiths."

"Blacksmiths?" Wei Feng was confused, but Wei Ba kept his secrets, picked up his bowl, and started eating voraciously. Wei Feng watched and laughed, shaking his head: "Aba, I've never seen you eat like this before; it's a bit strange."

Wei Ba laughed awkwardly and quickly finished his meal, wiping his mouth and burping. Wei Feng, with something on his mind, put down his bowl and pulled Wei Ba away. Wei Wu followed closely behind, like a shadow.

Wei Ba followed Wei Feng out of the county office and to the blacksmith's workshop. Wei Feng found a weathered old master and pointed at Wei Ba: "Listen to him, do what he tells you, understand?"

The old master grinned, revealing his few remaining yellow teeth, and his deeply lined face crinkled even more. He bowed deeply and respectfully to Wei Feng: "Yes, young general, I will do my best."

Wei Ba was a bit uncomfortable. Although he was not a model student, he still had a sense of respect for the elderly. He smiled and awkwardly clasped his hands: "Old master, I want to ask you to help me make something. I hope you can assist me."

The old master was startled by Wei Ba's bow and, without checking if the ground was dirty, fell to his knees, which surprised Wei Ba. Wei Feng raised an eyebrow, somewhat displeased: "Aba, he is just a government slave. You are being too polite to him; he can't handle it."

Wei Ba was a bit embarrassed, realizing that in this era, craftsmen were considered a lowly profession, not like the workers of the future, and these were government slaves with no personal freedom. He cleared his throat and did not dwell on the formalities, explaining his intentions to the old man succinctly.

At first, the old man was respectful but somewhat indifferent, almost expressionless. However, when Wei Ba mentioned the technique of mixing wrought iron with cast iron to make steel, his eyes lit up, and he looked at Wei Ba with newfound respect.

In fact, Wei Ba didn't say much; he just explained the process of steelmaking using the method of pouring steel. This method was invented around the end of the Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Jin Dynasty and was widely used to make agricultural tools during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The technique was not difficult, just a slight improvement on the repeated folding and forging method. The best weapons in the late Han Dynasty were made using this method, removing impurities from cast iron to make wrought iron, and then quenching to increase the hardness of the blade, achieving a balance of flexibility and sharpness. However, this method was very time-consuming and was only used for making weapons, not agricultural tools. The key feature of the pouring steel method was the addition of wrought iron to improve the quality of cast iron, reducing the time and increasing efficiency.

The old master, who had been a blacksmith all his life, quickly grasped the essence of the technique. Wei Ba then drew a diagram for him, and the old master took it, beaming with joy. Wei Feng, however, frowned and pulled Wei Ba aside: "Aba, the thing you are making will require a lot of iron. With a war imminent, iron is in short supply. Using too much would be a problem."

Wei Ba laughed: "Why are you so worried? By tomorrow morning at the latest, you will see the result, and then you will know how much iron is needed."

Wei Feng stared at Wei Ba for a long time and then laughed helplessly: "You rascal, keeping secrets from me. Fine, I won't ask. We'll see the results. If it's good, I'll tell Father to reward you. If it's bad, well, I'll tell Father, and he'll beat you until your bottom is bruised."

Wei Ba rolled his eyes. Wei Wu had said earlier that their father, Wei Yan, would beat him until his bottom was bruised, and now Wei Feng was saying the same thing. Did his bottom often get bruised in the past? This father seemed quite violent, no wonder he felt nervous whenever he saw him. This fear had become an instinct, deeply ingrained in his bones.

Sigh, why did I end up with a wolf for a father?

...

The next morning, Wei Ba used all his willpower to get out of his warm, soft bed and began his self-torturing morning exercise. Since he started exercising, his sleep had improved significantly, and he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Insomnia and other petty problems were gone, but getting out of bed in the morning had become more difficult, requiring more effort to drag himself out of bed.

By the time Wei Ba and Wei Wu had run a lap around the mountain, the sun was already high in the sky. With something on his mind, Wei Ba did not linger on the mountain and returned to the city directly. As soon as he entered the door, he saw Wei Feng holding a newly forged iron shovel, beaming with joy. The old master was standing in front of him, bowed, and looking proud and hopeful for a reward.

Seeing Wei Ba come in, Wei Feng waved him over: "Come, come, look at the iron shovel made according to your method."

Wei Ba walked over, took the shovel, and weighed it. It was still a bit heavy, indicating that the old master, being a first-timer, was not yet skilled and had made some parts too thick.

"It's too heavy," Wei Ba frowned. "Old master, can you make it lighter?"

"No problem, no problem," the old master grinned, nodding repeatedly. "This is the first one, and I'm not yet skilled. I think I can reduce the weight significantly in the next one. I can't promise much, but reducing it by a third or so should be possible."

Wei Ba turned to Wei Feng: "Brother, do you think it can be used?"

Wei Feng, thinking Wei Ba was joking, laughed heartily: "You rascal, you have a small heart. No problem, even if it's reduced by a third, it's still fine. I think we should make a hundred of these first, have people try them out, and see if they are practical. If they are, we can make more, and it will be helpful."

Wei Ba smiled but said nothing. A little helpful? You don't know, this small tool, though simple, could mark the beginning of a new era.

At least, it's the beginning of my era here. ——

The scheduled update had an error yesterday, and the third update didn't go out. I apologize! I'm making up for it today. Please recommend, collect, and support in any way you can!

[End of Chapter]