Chapter 124: Fish Oil Firearm and Refined Iron Weapons
Miss Yan quickly apologized to Elder Brother on behalf of Jinsui, “Your Highness, please don’t be angry. My Second Brother just speaks without thinking; he didn’t mean to offend.”
Jinsui waved her hand and smiled, “It’s fine, he’s just stating facts! It’s good this way, too, so you don’t have to stay overnight here and ruin Miss Yan’s reputation.”
Miss Yan looked at her gratefully, her heart filled with sweetness. “Your Highness is so good to me!”
Gu Changxiao found the two of them being so ‘lovey-dovey’ incredibly irritating. He said to Jinsui, “Since Miss Yan is fine, Your Highness, shouldn’t we go see the workshop?”
Jinsui knew he was referring to the fish oil firearm workshop. She quickly instructed Han Xing, “You take Miss Yan to pick out a gentle mare for tomorrow’s hunt in the borderlands.”
Miss Yan trotted forward, “What are you going to do, Your Highness? Can Twelve Niang accompany you?”
Gu Changxiao blocked the two of them and answered on Jinsui’s behalf, “This is a military camp, outsiders are not allowed to enter.”
Miss Yan glared fiercely at Gu Changxiao once more. Jinsui smiled apologetically, “You rest well, we’ll have dinner together tonight.”
This managed to make Miss Yan smile. The little girl was still waving at Jinsui. As she watched the two of them disappear, her expression changed. She put her hands on her hips and asked Han Xing with mild anger:
“Who is that guy? He’s really bold. Why does Your Highness indulge him so much?”
Han Xing: …Could you spare even a sliver of the gentleness you show before Your Highness for us?
However, thinking of the scene where Miss Yan fainted from the corpses in the forest and he carried her all the way back to the border city, he only felt guilt, not a trace of resentment.
He said softly, “He is Gu Tiqi, an Old Guard from when Your Highness was in Chang’an. He has followed Your Highness since childhood, so their bond is naturally not comparable to ours, the border soldiers.”
Miss Yan’s expression changed, “Childhood sweethearts!”
Han Xing felt helpless, “Miss Yan, childhood sweethearts refers to a man and a woman, not two men.”
Miss Yan coughed lightly, “He’s so awful, won’t you all team up and drive him away?”
“See, since he arrived, Your Highness doesn’t take you or Big Black Guy anywhere.”
Hei Hu was foolishly smiling at Miss Bai nearby. Hearing Miss Yan talking about him, he poked his head out, “Hehe, Your Highness promoted me! I’m not Your Highness’s Personal Guard anymore, so I don’t have to follow Your Highness all the time.”
Han Xing also said, “Lord Gu is highly skilled. In the battle against the Tartars, he killed countless enemies and even saved Your Highness. We are all deeply grateful to him. With him protecting Your Highness, I am also at ease.”
Seeing that her attempts to sow discord were useless, Miss Yan secretly resolved that tomorrow, during the borderlands hunt, she would definitely drive this Gu fellow away from Your Highness!
As she and Han Xing went to pick out horses, she quietly instructed her maidservant Baozhu, “Go talk to Big Black Guy and find out how Your Highness and that Gu fellow usually interact. The more details, the better.”
Baozhu was overjoyed to be able to openly go play with Hei Hu. She crisply replied, “Yes!”
She first took some dim sum bought in Yanzhou from her luggage. Hei Hu did the same, taking out the brown sugar cubes he had been reluctant to eat, and also brought the scented cream he had previously asked Jinsui for.
Thus, Bear Big took Sheep Pretty to play by the less crowded vegetable patch, while Han Xing took Miss Yan to pick out horses. However, they had little to talk about along the way. Han Xing wanted to introduce the horses and the scenery of the borderlands.
Miss Yan, however, kept asking about Your Highness and Gu Changxiao. After all, Yan Shiyi Lang’s comment about noble young masters in Chang’an having homosexual preferences had truly frightened Miss Yan.
Han Xing was very patient. He answered everything he knew but would never speculate on things he was unsure of.
Meanwhile, on the way to the fish oil firearms, Jinsui and Gu Changxiao were also discussing Miss Yan. Jinsui said meaningfully:
“Miss Yan is truly a good girl! Partnering with Rouge Shop with her was absolutely the right decision!”
Seeing Gu Changxiao not respond, she chuckled softly, “Your Highness, we agreed that the profits from the business with the Yan Clan would be split fifty-fifty.
Given the current difficulties in the border city, out of that Ten Thousand Taels of Silver, I only want a thousand taels to give to Grandpa. The remaining nine thousand taels are all yours.”
Gu Changxiao finally looked at her, “Are you more concerned about the Yan Clan daughter, or the silver?”
Jinsui was confused, “What do you mean? Miss Yan helps us earn money, so of course I care about both!”
Gu Changxiao finally voiced his deepest doubt, “You agreed so readily to not switch identities back for now, is it because of the Yan Clan daughter?”
Jinsui was stunned for a long time before she understood what he meant. She was utterly speechless:
“Elder Brother, what are you thinking? Does this have anything to do with Miss Yan? Given my identity and… my physical condition, there’s absolutely no way anything could happen with Miss Yan!”
Gu Changxiao smiled, a genuine smile, not just a slight upturn of the lips, but a smile that lit up his eyes.
His smile stunned Jinsui. Thinking that she was currently a man, Jinsui said angrily, “Are you mocking me? Is it because I’m disabled that I can’t even speak to a woman?”
Seeing her misunderstanding, Gu Changxiao quickly explained, “No, I would never mock Brother Ji for that. I’m happy that you called me Elder Brother.”
“You’re finally willing to become sworn brothers with me.”
Jinsui: …
At times, this big boss’s thoughts were similar to Yan Shiyi Lang’s.
What else could Jinsui do but force a laugh? She was exhausted! Can’t any of you give this King some peace of mind!
“Then what are your thoughts on Miss Yan? I know she’s different from the noble ladies in Chang’an; she’s not gentle and demure, but straightforward and honest,” Jinsui asked, subtly praising her.
Gu Changxiao shook his head, “I don’t have any particular thoughts about her. She’s just an overly spoiled young miss.”
Jinsui was displeased, “Do you know that when the Zheng Family attacked the border city, this spoiled young miss held a sword and guarded it all night!”
“She didn’t utter a word when she was injured, and even when I hurt her feelings, she bore no grudges. You won’t find another good girl like her in the world!”
Most importantly, she was also good at making money!
Gu Changxiao said softly, “So, you like her.”
Jinsui nodded heavily, “Of course I like her! But it’s not the kind of liking you’re thinking of. It has nothing to do with romantic love, just pure admiration.”
“I just want to tell you that she’s an excellent girl, so don’t look down on her with preconceived notions.”
“I won’t be as long-winded as Wei Assistant Secretary, trying to persuade you of the benefits of marrying the Yan Clan daughter. I just want you to treat Miss Yan fairly.”
Seeing Gu Changxiao not respond, but instead gaze into the distance with deep eyes, as if recalling something.
Jinsui knew that sometimes, the more you say, the more resistance you provoke. She quickly changed the subject, “Let’s not talk about Miss Yan anymore. Do you want to see the fish oil firearms first, or the iron workshop?”
Gu Changxiao immediately replied, “The fish oil firearms first.”
He also didn’t want to discuss that Yan Clan daughter. It wouldn’t be worth it to argue with Brother Ji over it.
Jinsui first took him to see the kiln. Outside, common household pottery was being fired: pots, bowls, cups, and bottles, as well as bricks and tiles. The area outside the kiln was very lively.
People were coming to pick up the vessels for the new city construction. Some soldiers’ families, with their children in tow, also came to purchase items. There were also many nearby commoners, because Your Highness had decreed that commoners could also purchase from this kiln.
The quality was guaranteed, and the price was cheap. Commoners from dozens of miles around made the arduous journey to the border city to make purchases.
There were also some bolder refugees, using the work points they had earned, who came to exchange them for household pottery.
Seeing Your Highness arrive, the soldiers in charge of the kiln area quickly came to pay their respects.
Jinsui explained to Gu Changxiao, “The most important thing for the border city right now is to attract people. That’s why I’ve opened up the pottery trade to draw in the nearby commoners.”
Gu Changxiao nodded, “I understand. Your agreement to a polo match with Yan Shiyi is also to attract the noble young masters from Yandi to the border city.”
“But what does this have to do with fish oil firearms?”
Jinsui smiled mysteriously, “You’ll know soon enough.”
The publicly accessible trade pottery kiln was one attraction; the second was to serve as a cover for the porcelain kiln, to divert attention.
After all, the method for making fish oil firearms was too simple to explain; it could easily be learned by others.
She could only disperse the production process and keep the materials secret.
The steward led the two through the stuffy pottery kiln area and into the strictly guarded porcelain kiln area in the back mountain valley. They watched rows of small porcelain bottles being pushed into the furnace.
What came out were pale blue porcelain bottles, slightly smaller than wine bottles but larger than the scented cream bottles used by women. The bottle mouths were not the usual corks but had spiral threads.
Sealed tightly with stoppers of the same pattern and then coated with beeswax, although the sealing effect was inferior to that of glass bottles, it was the best that could be achieved in this era.
The fired bottles were sent to a workshop further inside, where security was even tighter. Coal stoves were boiling fish oil, and using the refining pots and pans made by Jinsui, pure fish oil was being extracted drop by drop.
Compared to the fish oil mixed with impurities seen by the seaside, the oil here was much purer.
Once the fish oil was bottled, it would be used to burn the border city and set the Tartars ablaze with fish oil firearms.
Jinsui handed a bottle to Gu Changxiao and then took out her treasured glass bottle, saying, “Actually, this glazed glass bottle is made from sand, but the composition is complex and requires more experimentation to fire.”
“Over there, I’ve had someone set up a kiln specifically for experimenting with firing glazed glass. Once we can fire it, not only will our fish oil firearms be more authentic, but we can also make mirrors, accessories, and other glazed glass artifacts. If we cooperate with the Yan Clan then, we’ll definitely make a fortune.”
Before Jinsui could finish speaking, Gu Changxiao said for her, “The formula for glazed glass artifacts is a Ji Clan heirloom. The profits will be split equally between the border city and the Ji Clan.”
Jinsui’s face turned red. “Really, why say it so directly? It makes me sound like I’m greedy for money.”
“Hehe, that’s easy to say, easy to say. It’s too formal to always talk about money. The most important thing is to develop the border city. In the future, these glazed glass artifacts will be a key industry for our border city.”
Gu Changxiao suppressed a smile, “The glazed glass artifacts from the Western Regions are worth their weight in gold in Chang’an. If our border city can truly fire them, it will be a huge fortune.”
Jinsui suppressed her excitement and guaranteed, “We will definitely be able to fire them!”
With the space she had, she could test out the formula with the materials available in the border city. She didn’t believe they couldn’t even fire glass!
“Alright, you’ve seen the entire process. The manufacturing of fish oil firearms is this simple.”
“Currently, only the border city and Yanzhou City have seen firearms. To prevent them from spreading throughout the empire and attracting the covetous attention of the Imperial Court or others, I feel that placing the workshop in the border city is not safe.”
“Once the base in the East Sea is built, we will transfer the workshop there, preferably to an uninhabited island, to exclusively produce these high-lethality weapons.”
Gu Changxiao strongly agreed with this point. The military industry workshops in Chang’an were so tightly guarded that not even a fly could get in.
Looking at the border city…
Alright, in the border city, even Li King lived in a thatched-roof house, and in the East Sea, they slept in open-air greenhouses. There was no comparison.
The more he compared, the more Gu Changxiao recognized the prowess of Daoist Ji. In such a border city with nothing, she managed to annihilate three thousand Tartars!
Uh, don’t think the number is wrong. Asking the Imperial Court for military merits has always been like this.
The specific number of Tartars killed in the border city was one thousand three hundred and fifty-eight, but the number on the memorial to the throne jointly signed by Li Heng and sent to the Imperial Court was two thousand.
After the Emperor reviewed it, he announced in court that the border city had single-handedly annihilated three thousand Tartars.
By the time the news spread to Chang’an, and then throughout the country, the number would probably become five thousand…
Otherwise, do you think the historical records mentioning armies of millions are actually true?
This isn’t spreading rumors or bragging; this is called social maneuvering.
In short, regardless of how much the number was exaggerated, based solely on the fact that Daoist Ji came to the border city two months ago and, with a group of border soldiers who couldn’t even afford to eat and lacked proper weapons, completely annihilated a cavalry unit of Tartars, is an undeniable fact.
Setting aside Daoist Ji’s marching capabilities, the greatest contribution is undoubtedly these fish oil firearms.
Gu Changxiao naturally attached great importance to fish oil. The biggest difference between him and Jinsui was that Gu Changxiao prioritized military affairs, while Jinsui prioritized agriculture.
The first order Gu Changxiao gave after his inspection was, “There are too few guards. Have Han Xing send another team to protect this place.”
Jinsui also agreed, “The border city is short of people everywhere. Sending another team here is fine. I plan to find Li Heng and have us recruit workers from Yanzhou City.”
“Cheng Yu has already inquired. The workers in Yanzhou City are provided with two meals a day, and their wages range from six to eight wen.”
“If we post a notice offering two meals a day and eight wen in wages, I guarantee many people from Yanzhou will be willing to come and work.”
“It’s getting cool in the mornings and evenings now. Who knows when frost or snow might fall. We must build the winter housing as soon as possible.”
Gu Changxiao chuckled, “Brother Ji’s considerations are very thorough. For now, endure the shortage of silver. Once the Imperial Court’s reward arrives, we’ll be more comfortable.”
Jinsui smiled, “Then it will be your concern.”
Gu Changxiao’s heart skipped a beat. Does Daoist Ji still intend to leave?
Next, they went to the iron workshop. Similar to how the fish oil workshop used a pottery kiln as a cover, the outermost part of the iron workshop was a mountain of coal, with a group of people making honeycomb briquettes.
Jinsui explained, “Burning coal directly is prone to extinguishing and carries the risk of poisoning. But when mixed with yellow mud and formed into honeycomb briquettes, and then burned in a matching stove, it’s not dangerous and is extremely durable. It’s the best fuel for winter.”
Gu Changxiao was very patient and didn’t ask what this had to do with making weapons.
Seeing the commoners queuing outside to buy honeycomb briquettes and stoves, he had a good idea. Daoist Ji had gone to great lengths to attract commoners to the border city!
Jinsui whispered to him, “Don’t underestimate this coal ball business. Once it grows, it won’t earn less than Rouge Shop.”
Gu Changxiao looked at the animated Daoist Ji. Her lips were almost touching his ear, and he didn’t realize when his own ears had turned the color of rouge.
Following a cart of coal balls further inside, they arrived at the heavily guarded blacksmith workshop. Gu Changxiao had seen weapons made of refined iron; during the battle with the Tartars, many soldiers had used new weapons.
But seeing the molten iron at high temperatures poured into molds, and then spearheads and swords being forged one by one, with his own eyes.
He was so shocked he was speechless for a long time, “Is this also a Ji Clan family secret?”
Jinsui felt that if she answered yes, then the Ji Clan had too many heirlooms! With so many heirlooms, how could they have ended up as poor Taoists? It didn’t make sense!
Furthermore, she couldn’t turn the weapon forging into a business. She had to ask Gu Changxiao for money. Like the sun-drying salt method, it was a welfare she provided for the border city.
She shook her head and said, “No, it’s not. I was anxious about the border city’s lack of weapons, and in my urgency, I had an epiphany and thought of this smelting method.”
