Qi Ning followed Situ Mingyue into the big tent and immediately sighed. When he was outside the tent, he could see that the cowhide tent was very huge. After entering, he found that the width inside was unimaginable. At this time, he estimated that the inside was huge. To accommodate a hundred or so people, I'm afraid it will still be empty.
The interior of the tent cannot be said to be luxurious, but the furnishings inside are antique, like a mobile palace. There are a small number of maids lined up in the tent. In front of it is a large ancient wooden table, around which several people are sitting on the floor. Qining After taking a quick glance, I saw five or six people, all wearing black clothes, which was not as luxurious as I thought.
When Qi Ning came in, everyone sitting around the table stood up. Situ Mingyue stepped forward and cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, the envoys of the State of Chu are waiting to see you in their golden robes!"
But he saw one of them saying with a smile: "Are you the world-famous Jin Yihou?" The voice was gentle. Qining looked over and saw that the man was in his twenties, seventeen or eight years old, wearing black brocade clothes, with bronze skin. His appearance could not be said to be handsome, but He has sharp edges and corners, and is quite masculine. He has a yellow belt wrapped around his head, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a smile. Knowing that this person is the crown prince of Dong Qi, he cupped his hands and said: "Qining, Kingdom of Chu, pay homage to His Royal Highness the crown prince! "
The prince smiled and said: "Without courtesy, please wait in royal robes. I also heard that the Chu State sent a delegation, and I didn't want to arrive so soon."
Qi Ning smiled slightly and said: "Qi Ning came to Eastern Qi to repair the harmonious relationship between the two countries. It is truly an honor to see His Highness the Crown Prince here."
"Brother Prince, there are rumors everywhere that Jin Yihou is the pillar of the Chu Kingdom, and he is powerful in all directions. How come he is just a child?" A clear voice said with a smile.
Qining heard the words and looked over, and saw that the speaker was also wearing black brocade clothes. He looked to be fourteen or fifteen years old. In terms of age, he was a few years younger than himself, who was in brocade clothes. He was so brazen that he called himself " The child, this doll has a handsome appearance. Standing next to the prince, against the prince's bronze skin, the young man's skin appears to be quite fair, and he looks like he has been pampered at first glance.
Hearing the rude words of this young man, Qi Feng and Li Tang behind Qi Ning frowned, but the prince had already said in a deep voice: "Third brother, don't talk nonsense, why don't you apologize to Jin Yihou?"
Qi Ning's heart trembled, but he immediately smiled and said: "The King of Linzi is innocent and childish, and Qi Ning will not blame him."
When he heard the prince call the young man the third son, he immediately thought that the king of Dong Qi had three sons, and the prince was the second son of the king of Dong Qi. According to his age, this young man was probably the king of Linzi, the youngest son of the king of Dong Qi.
The prince smiled and said: "Jinyihou's eyes are like a torch, and he can recognize them at a glance. He is really smart." He raised his hand and said: "I am discussing weapons with them. Jinyihou is a military family of Chu State, so he is naturally interested in weapons. We are very familiar with each other. We might as well come over and discuss it together." He added: "I don't care about those red tapes and etiquette. This time I am out on a hunting tour. Everything is casual. Please don't be restrained by the noble Lord."
Qi Ning felt strange and went forward. A maid had already come over and put a futon on the ground. Qin Ning nodded his thanks and sat cross-legged on it. At this time, he saw that there were five or six futons placed on the table. Knives of various shapes.
At this time, he looked around again and saw that in addition to the Crown Prince of Dong Qi and the King of Linzi, there were two middle-aged men with strong military skills. At first glance, it was obvious that they were from the military. They must be generals under the Crown Prince of Dong Qi. Next to Prince Dong Qi, there was an old man in his early fifties who was rather fat. At this time, Situ Mingyue also sat down under the old man.
The prince seemed to understand Qi Ning's thoughts and introduced with a smile: "You have already met Situ Changshi." He raised his hand and patted the old man's shoulder, and said with a smile: "This is Mr. Fang Xingzhaifang, the governor of Xuzhou, and those two are Mr. Shitang." and the two generals Su Lun."
Everyone bowed their hands to Qi Ning, and Qin Ning returned the salute. The prince had already picked up a sword and unsheathed it. A cold light suddenly flashed in the tent. The prince smiled and said: "Jin Yihou, what do you think of this sword? "Sending it over, Qi Ning stretched out his hand to take it. He had a cold blade that cut iron like mud. He had seen a real treasure. Compared with the cold blade, this knife was far more different than the cold blade. He smiled and said: "The shape is acceptable. But the benefits should be ordinary."
The prince smiled and said, "If Jin Yihou said this, you won't be wrong." He took out another knife and handed it over and asked, "How about this one?"
Qi Ning put down the previous one, but after just one glance at this one, he felt that it was very familiar. He took out the sword and saw at a glance that it was much sharper than the previous one. He nodded and said: "This is a good knife. Suddenly he thought of something, frowned and said: "Your Highness, this sword seems... to be the saber of my Yulin Camp in Chu State!"
The prince laughed and said: "Yes, this is the sword of your country's Yulin Camp." He picked up the previous one and said with a smile: "This is the sword of the guards of the Forbidden City of the Northern Han Dynasty. Compared with the sword of your country's Yulin Camp, There is a huge difference. They say that the northern horse has a southern blade, the Northern Han people's war horses are unparalleled in the world, and the southern Chu's weapons are unstoppable. This is indeed true."
Qi Ning felt strange in his heart. He couldn't understand what the Prince of Dong Qi was thinking for a while, but when he saw the prince pushing another knife over, he smiled and said, "What do you think of this knife?"
Qi Ning took a look and was a little surprised. He saw that this sword was quite strange. It was obviously much longer than ordinary knives, and the curvature of the blade was very obvious, much like a Japanese sword. He picked up the sword and unsheathed it. , a cold air came, the blade was clear, the blade was curved, and the thickness was very thin, half as thin as other props.
Qi Ning looked more and more like him, and heard the prince smile and say: "This is the treasured sword that I recently discovered. It is well-made and extremely sharp." After winking, he saw Shitang and Su Lun getting up. Tang took the sword of the guard of the Forbidden City of the Northern Han Dynasty, and Su Lun picked up a knife from the table that was exactly the same as the scimitar in Qining's hand. The two of them walked away a few steps, both drawing their swords out of their sheaths. Pointing, Su Lun held the knife with both hands, and suddenly let out a low roar, slashed diagonally, hitting the big knife in Shi Tang's hand. There was only a "choking" sound, and the knife in Shi Tang's hand broke into two pieces, and Su Lun's hand The scimitar was unharmed.
Qi Feng and Li Tang on the side both changed their expressions.
They were born in the military and were most familiar with weapons. Although the swords of the Northern Han Dynasty Forbidden Palace warriors were not superior, they were not inferior either. Who would have expected that the scimitar would break in an instant when they clashed with it.
They had never seen such a scimitar before, and when they saw the power of the scimitar, they were surprised.
Although Qi Ning has seen many treasures, whether it is the Cold Blade or the Pilu Sword, they are both peerless treasures. But when he saw the power of this scimitar, he was still a little surprised, but his expression was calm and composed. There was no look of surprise.
The prince was obviously a little surprised when he saw Qi Ning Yun Qingfeng, and said with a smile: "Jin Yihou, is it possible that this knife is not eye-catching?"
Qi Ning smiled and said: "It is indeed a precious sword, which is hard to find for a thousand dollars."
"Jin Yihou has a good eye." The prince smiled and said, "Since you like it, I will give you one." He brought a scimitar over and said, "I plan to equip all the Qi army with such a saber. The combat power should be greatly enhanced.”
Qi Ning smiled and said: "If the Eastern Qi army were equipped with such precious swords, they would be invincible in the world."
King Linzi said proudly: "Jin Yihou is also scared?"
Qi Ning glanced at him, took the saber of the Yulin camp warrior with a smile, and said with a smile: "Your Highness, young prince, this is the saber of the Yulin camp warrior of Chu State. I am on an envoy to your country, and all my men are It is equipped with such weapons. The emperor has also ordered the Ministry of War to vigorously mine these iron ores and manufacture 50,000 such swords every year. This is the limit of our national strength, and one more cannot be made. "
Qi Feng and Li Tang looked at each other, wondering if there was anything else going on
The Chu State has refined iron ore, which is known all over the world, and the Chu State's craftsmanship in manufacturing weapons is also extremely excellent. The Yulin Camp is the Royal Guard, equipped with the most refined weapons, but Qi Feng and Li Tang Tong knew in his heart that it was not easy to mine fine iron, and the process of making such a fine iron sword was complicated. Not to mention 50,000 swords a year, even 5,000 swords may not be manufactured. Otherwise, all the Chu army would be equipped with such swords. Waiting for the big sword, the combat effectiveness will be greatly improved immediately.
Shi Situ Mingyue, the head of the Prince's Office, stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Fifty thousand swords a year. With all due respect, Jin Yihou, with the strength of your country, it is impossible to produce such a large number of fine iron swords in a year, right?"
Qi Ning laughed and said: "This is just our Chu country's plan. If you can do it, just try your best." Fang Xiayu Lin Dao picked up the scimitar and praised: "Your Highness, this kind of sword is rare. Qiu, even if it is just one, it is worth a lot of money. One inch long, one inch strong, this knife is much longer than an ordinary broadsword. When fighting, it has the upper hand. The most amazing thing is that the blade of this knife is extremely thin. , it is very light to hold in the hand, so the speed of drawing the knife will be a little faster. However, long knives are often thin and easy to break, so in order to maintain the toughness of the knife, it is impossible to make a general big knife so long."
The prince nodded and said, "That's true."
"However, this sword is long and thin, but it has excellent toughness. You don't have to worry about breaking. The craftsmanship is really amazing." Qining sighed: "But with all due respect, the prince wants all the Eastern Qi army to be equipped with such a sword. , I’m afraid that I have more ambition but not enough strength.”
King Linzi said angrily: "What did you say?"
But the prince raised his hand to signal King Linzi not to say anything more, and said with a smile: "How can Jin Yihou say this?"
"Prince, the material of this sword should be jade steel, also known as leather iron." Qi Ning smiled and said: "This mineral is extremely rare. This is not the main thing. The most important thing is to create such a precious sword. It is definitely not What ordinary craftsmen can do without decades of fire will only be counterproductive. In the process of making this knife, the most time-consuming thing is to create a sharp and thin blade edge, which requires uneven unevenness on the blade body. Apply carbon powder and clay, then quench and smelt it. After heating, the blade is repeatedly struck. To create a sword like this, it must be struck at least nearly a hundred times, hundreds of times each time. If the skill is not reached, flaws will be left. , and may even break during the making process." Having said this, he smiled faintly and said: "Your Highness, in my estimation, there are no more than thirty swordsmiths with such skills in the world, and each of them can do it in a year. After making ten swords, the limit has been reached. Even if His Highness has the power to recruit all these swordsmen under his command, even if the swords are placed on their necks, they can only make 300 swords a year at most. It will take three years for each person to get one!"
Everyone stared at Qi Ning, dumbfounded. Even Qi Feng and Li Tang also had their mouths open, in disbelief. They never expected that Qi Ning knew so much about the craftsmanship of this sword.