Hanhai City, Military Manufacturing Camp.
Molten iron poured from the furnace in a crimson stream, the scattering sparks reflecting off one bronze-colored face after another. Scorching heat spread unchecked through the workshop, making even breathing difficult.
Yet the craftsmen seemed oblivious. With utmost care, they poured the molten iron into the prepared clay molds before proceeding to the next stage.
A broad-shouldered master craftsman with a bare chest said in a deep voice, "Lord Wang, it'll succeed this time, guaranteed. If it doesn't, you can twist my head right off!"
Wang Chen smiled. "It's not that serious."
After Shangguan Wuji submitted, Wang Chen had immediately taken out the cannon blueprints he had drawn earlier and handed them to the Military Manufacturing Camp for casting.
Outside Hanhai Pass, the Yan Army had deployed in force. New trebuchets and siege engines rose every day, and anyone could see that once their preparations were complete, they would launch the battle to storm the city.
Compared with the hundreds of thousands of Yan soldiers, the fifty thousand Hanhai Army troops were unquestionably at an absolute numerical disadvantage.
However, the Hanhai Army held a mighty strategic pass and enjoyed an enormous defensive advantage. Thus, the Yan Army's tactical intent was crystal clear: they intended to flatten the pass walls with a sea of siege engines.
To deal with such a powerful Yan Army, the heavy crossbows and trebuchets inside Hanhai Pass were clearly nowhere near enough.
Wang Chen believed that the cannons he had "invented" would leave the enemy with a memory they could never forget!
But in the beginning, the cannon-casting process did not go smoothly.
Although Wang Chen had provided the blueprints and casting methods, the first batch of iron cannons was riddled with problems and simply could not be put to use.