Chapter 94

"Yongzhen, I must introduce you to this great man!" Qiao Tieshan pulled the middle-aged man in tattered clothes to Zhang Ke's front.

"His name is O Chongyuan. He was once a rare master swordsmith in the army. It turns out he is an old friend of your father. By the way, when you and Qiao Gui, Qiao Fu went to Guangning, the bows, arrows, and Japanese swords were all provided by him!"

Upon hearing that he was his father's friend and a master swordsmith, Zhang Ke immediately bowed and said, "Nephew greets Uncle O!"

O Chongyuan stared at Zhang Ke for a long time, then suddenly exclaimed, "He looks so much like him, just like a carbon copy of Brother Hai Chuan! If I'm not mistaken, you are Zhang Ke, right? Why do you have so many people with you, and you are even chasing the government troops... You can't become a bandit!"

Seeing O Chongyuan's shocked expression, Qiao Tieshan couldn't help but laugh, "Old O, what kind of eyes do you have? Yongzhen is now the garrison commander of Dashing Fort, a legitimate thousand-household, and these soldiers are all from Dashing Fort!"

"Ah!"

O Chongyuan was terrified. He had mistaken Zhang Ke for a bandit leader and even helped to kill government troops. Now, thinking about it, his neck felt cold, and he wished there was a hole to crawl into. His mood was like robbing a police station, and he regretted it deeply.

His legs went weak, and he fell to the ground, asking in a daze, "These are government troops? Why aren't they wearing the imperial armor?"

Zhang Ke was startled and quickly reached out to support O Chongyuan.

"Uncle O, the troops of Dashing Fort have just been reorganized. The new imperial armor hasn't been issued yet, and the cloth I bought hasn't arrived. We are just making do for now. I apologize for the misunderstanding, it's my fault."

O Chongyuan slapped his forehead and shouted, "It's all my fault for not having a good eye!"

Seeing O Chongyuan's bitter and aggrieved expression, Qiao Tieshan frowned.

"Old O, what's going on? Why did you give up being a good swordsmith and become a beggar?"

O Chongyuan sighed deeply and poured out his grievances.

It turned out that the Ou family had been experts in making swords and knives for generations. O Chongyuan had once served the court, but later returned to Zhenyi Fort and made a living by forging swords.

A few months ago, Xu Dachian suddenly had a whim, thinking the court's weapons were no good, and asked O Chongyuan to forge twenty good swords. O Chongyuan naturally agreed and worked hard until the 27th of the 12th month, when he finally completed the swords and handed them over to Xu Dachian's men.

There was nothing unusual at first, but on New Year's Eve, Xu Dachian led his men to the Ou family, bound O Chongyuan without a word, and accused him of making shoddy and worthless swords!

Qiao Tieshan's frown deepened, and he said angrily, "Does Xu Dachian have the eyes of a dog? The swords you forged, while not divine weapons, are definitely top-notch. How can he still be unsatisfied!"

"Ah! Brother Qiao, you don't know. He took a sword and cut a table twice, and the blade chipped."

"How could that happen? Did you not put your heart into it?"

O Chongyuan shook his head painfully, "A villain switched the swords I forged! Xu Dachian didn't even listen to my explanation and had us all arrested. On New Year's Eve, he made us dig coal! Brother Qiao, tell me, when have we ever suffered such humiliation? Seeing my daughter's face turn blue from the cold, I wanted to kill Xu Dachian!"

Zhang Ke couldn't help but laugh, "Uncle O, because of this, you mistook us for bandits and wanted to help us fight Xu Dachian?"

"Ah! Whatever crime I committed, I admit it, but Xu Dachian is a scoundrel who doesn't treat people like humans! In the coal mine, three people died of hunger in just half a month. On New Year's Day, his men whipped the miners for fun, beating them until they were bloody and bruised, and then laughed and drank, enjoying themselves. What are they if not beasts!"

Qiao Tieshan frowned.

"I've heard that Xu Dachian is a scoundrel, but I didn't expect him to be so despicable. Brother Ou, rest assured, I will help you get justice!"

O Chongyuan wiped away his tears, shook his head, and sighed, "Xu Dachian is not an ordinary person. He has many followers, and it's said he has backing in Yizhou. I fear..."

"Fear what? Isn't Yongzhen here!" Qiao Tieshan laughed.

Zhang Ke smiled and said, "Uncle O, rest assured, I have already defeated Xu Dachian's cavalry. As for his so-called backing, I will kill him, and no one can save him!"

Zhang Ke was not boasting. Without mentioning his terrifying connections, just the flying fish robe at home was enough to scare a lot of people.

O Chongyuan suddenly fell to the ground, weeping bitterly.

"Please, sir, help us and severely punish Xu Dachian!"

At this moment, many miners who had followed O Chongyuan out also knelt on the ground, forming a large black mass, about sixty to seventy people. Many of them were completely black, almost indistinguishable from coal sticks.

In the cold weather, their arms, legs, and even faces and necks were covered with whip marks and frostbite, looking extremely pitiful.

Just by looking at these miners, one could tell that Xu Dachian had committed many evil deeds. Zhang Ke helped O Chongyuan up and suddenly smiled, "Uncle O, I can naturally kill Xu Dachian and bring him to you so you can take revenge. However... I have a request, and I hope you will agree."

"Speak! As long as I can do it, I will do it without hesitation!"

Zhang Ke quickly waved his hand and said, "Uncle, I just want you to help me forge swords and knives. Dashing Fort is expanding its army, and we need good weapons."

O Chongyuan immediately nodded and smiled, "Swords and knives? That's my specialty. No problem. By the way, do you need only swords and knives? What about muskets?"

Zhang Ke's eyes lit up. He certainly wanted to make muskets and make a lot of them. However, there weren't many craftsmen who could make muskets. In the early Ming Dynasty, the local production of firearms was prohibited, and although it was gradually relaxed later, the best craftsmen were still in the capital and border garrisons, and they were far from being abundant.

Zhang Ke had been thinking about getting some craftsmen through Zhang Ye or He Shixian, but when he heard O Chongyuan's words, he became very interested.

"Uncle O, can you make muskets?"

"Ha ha ha, I only know how to forge swords, but I know someone who can. Follow me!"

O Chongyuan led the way, and Zhang Ke and Qiao Tieshan followed closely, entering a valley. At the entrance, there were two tall gatehouses, and in the middle was a wooden fence, sealed tightly, making it impossible to escape.

Today, coincidentally, Xu Dachian had been defeated, and he passed by the coal mine, taking all his men to defend the city, allowing O Chongyuan and the others to escape.

Inside the valley, the coal was black, and the slopes on both sides were filled with diagonal tunnels. Inside the valley, there was a row of wooden houses, but they were so drafty that they were worse than pigpens!

As they walked in, a pungent smell hit their noses. Outside the wooden houses, the ground was frozen solid with excrement, looking extremely disgusting.

O Chongyuan lowered his head and entered a shack. In a corner, there was a pile of rotten straw. He gently moved it, revealing a person who was shivering uncontrollably.

"Quick, carry him out!"

Two soldiers followed O Chongyuan's instructions and carried the person outside. Zhang Ke came closer and saw that the man was about fifty years old, thin and emaciated, and hadn't washed his face for days. His eyebrows and beard were matted together, and he was shivering, looking as if he could die at any moment.

Could such a person be the talent he needed?

O Chongyuan saw Zhang Ke's doubt and quickly said, "This man is called Old Gouda, a master craftsman from Tieling. He is known for making muskets. When the Jurchens occupied Tieling, he fled and eventually reached Zhenyi Fort. Xu Dachian, without any reason, arrested him and made him a miner. He has been working for over two months and was beaten on the 10th of the first month, and then fell ill."

O Chongyuan patted his chest and said, "Although I don't know how to make guns, I have talked to Old Gouda, and he is truly skilled. Don't let him die in vain!"

Zhang Ke nodded and turned to call Ma Biao.

"Go and bring Mr. Zhou here to examine him."

Ma Biao nodded and soon brought Mr. Zhou, who was now the military doctor of Dashing Fort. Zhang Ke had specially provided him with a carriage to accompany the army.

Mr. Zhou came to Old Gouda and quickly examined his pulse and body.

"Sir, this old man has no serious illness. He is cold, hungry, and weak from the beating. With proper care, he will recover in one or two months."

Mr. Zhou took out his needle kit and inserted two needles into Old Gouda's head. Old Gouda suddenly frowned, as if he was waking up. Mr. Zhou then took out two pills, put them in his mouth, and gave him a few sips of strong liquor to help him swallow the medicine.

Within a minute, Old Gouda slowly opened his eyes.

"Is it, is it Brother O? I'm not dead?"

"Ha ha ha, Old Gouda, not only are you not dead, but you are about to become rich!" O Chongyuan pointed to Zhang Ke and smiled, "Old Brother, this is the garrison commander of Dashing Fort. He heard you can make muskets and wants your help!"

Zhang Ke also came closer and smiled, "Old Sir, my name is Zhang Ke. My men urgently need firearms. Can you help us?"

Old Gouda frowned and remained silent for a while before saying, "I can't make them. Find someone else!"

"Ah!" O Chongyuan was shocked. Was Old Gouda delirious from his illness? Qiao Tieshan's face also turned dark, thinking that O Chongyuan was playing a joke, wasting their feelings.

At this moment, only Zhang Ke frowned, seeing the struggle and pain in Old Gouda's expression.

"Mr. Zhao, I am not a person who forces others. If you have any grievances, please speak up. If you really can't make them, I will have someone take you to Dashing Fort to recover."

Old Gouda's expression was painful, and his wrinkles twisted together.

"Ah, why make muskets? I don't want to create more evil!" A tear rolled down Old Gouda's cheek, "It's not that my skills are poor, but the court's methods for making guns are flawed. The muskets will explode before they can kill the enemy. I am an old man, and I can't harm others!"

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