Racing Against Time to Stock Up for Winter
The initial success of the bronze ware test was like a shot in the arm, injecting energy into the blood of the Fire Tribe's leadership. After a brief period of euphoria came an almost obsessive sense of urgency and a strong drive to execute.
"Uncle Dazhuang!" Wang Yan immediately found Dazhuang, who was in charge of training the Hunting Team. "The ore from Colorful Stone Mountain is crucial to us. The weather hasn't completely frozen over yet, so we must bring back as much as possible before the first heavy snowfall makes the mountain roads difficult to traverse!"
Dazhuang had already learned of the importance of bronzes from his elder brother Jianshi, and without hesitation, he asked, "Yan, tell me, how many people and how many animals do we need?"
"Same setup as before: ten reliable warriors, eleven horses, and ten oxen. But this time we need to be fast, minimizing the time between trips." Wang Yan estimated the time. "From now until it snows, we can probably make eight or nine more trips. Each time, try to load them full, especially the malachite."
"Understood! I'll personally lead the team and guarantee we'll bring all the Shitou back for you!" Dazhuang patted his chest, his eyes gleaming with determination.
That afternoon, Dazhuang, along with ten of the most discreet and physically fit soldiers he had carefully selected last time, drove the oxen and horses with their pack baskets ready and set off again for Colorful Stone Mountain. This time, they were more familiar with the route, had a clear objective, and moved swiftly.
Meanwhile, the "Secret Forging Zone" deep in the Fire Tribe Valley entered an unprecedented state of activity. In order to concentrate all resources to ensure bronze smelting, Wang Yan and Jianshi made a difficult but decisive decision after discussion: to temporarily suspend the refining of fine salt and the firing of some pottery!
"Salt, we still have some fine salt in stock, plus the coarse salt from the pickling, that's enough for now. Pottery, our previous reserves are sufficient for daily use and trade for a year or two," Wang Yan explained to Jianya, who was in charge of logistics. "But bronze is different; it's our hope for the next few years, even a matter of life and death! We must concentrate all our best fuel, manpower, and attention to lay the foundation this winter!"
Jianya agreed wholeheartedly and immediately adjusted the allocation of resources and manpower. A large amount of high-quality charcoal originally used for pottery and charcoal making was prioritized for the secret smelting area. Several of the most skilled potters were also temporarily reassigned to assist in making more heat-resistant and larger smelting crucibles and molds. The entire tribe's fuel and manpower began to be tilted towards this inconspicuous corner.
Dazhuang's transport team was incredibly efficient. The first round trip took only three and a half days, bringing back almost the same amount of ore as the previous trip. As soon as the ore arrived, it was immediately sent to the secret smelting area. Wang Yan personally supervised the process, and the entire smelting process began to be scaled up.
Crushing, mixing, blast melting, extracting crude copper and tin, secondary refining... the steps gradually became standardized, and the craftsmen's techniques became increasingly skilled. Although there were occasional failures and losses, the success rate steadily increased.
With a relatively sufficient supply of metal materials, Wang Yan began to plan the first batch of bronze artifacts to be manufactured.
"We can't rush to turn everything into weapons," Wang Yan said to the foreman in charge of forging. "To do a good job, one must first have the right tools. What we lack most right now is the tools themselves!"
He drew up a list of priority manufacturing projects:
1. Ten sets of shipbuilding tools: including bronze chisels, bronze adzes, bronze planes, bronze drill bits, and more robust and durable saw blades (although still frame saws, the bronze teeth would make them sharper and more durable). With these, the speed, precision, and quality of shipbuilding would see a qualitative leap, making it possible to build ships larger than those of the Fish Tribe in the future.
2. Three hundred bronze daggers: This is the core of the armed warrior. Sharper and more durable than stone knives, they far surpass stone tools in close combat, hunting, and everyday use.
3. Fifteen bronze axes: These served as both tools and weapons. They were used for logging, breaching doors, and close-quarters combat, and were extremely powerful.
This list was approved by Jianshi. Weapons are necessary for deterrence and self-defense, but improving one's own production capacity is the foundation for long-term strength.
Inside the secret forging area, the furnaces burned day and night. The monotonous yet powerful whirring of the bellows, the distinctive smell of smelting metal, and the clanging of forging became the constant background noise. Wang Yan practically lived here, eating and sleeping alongside the craftsmen, solving every technical problem and adjusting every detail of the process.
Forging is a more delicate process. They pour molten bronze alloy into simple molds made of fine clay and sand to obtain rough blades, axe blanks, or tool prototypes, which are then repeatedly heated and forged (heat treatment and work hardening), and then polished and sharpened. Every step of the process is the result of hard work and trial and error.
The weather grew colder day by day, and the north wind brought a biting chill. Dazhuang's transport team made trip after trip, and the white breath exhaled by the cattle and horses condensed into frost flowers in the cold wind. Three days after the ninth and last batch of ore was transported back to the valley, the leaden sky finally saw the first light snowflakes of the winter.
Just as the first snowflake landed, the craftsmen in the secret forge finished polishing the last bronze dagger.
The furnace fire was temporarily extinguished. In a specially built, dry, and sturdy vault, the first batch of bronze artifacts lay quietly on display:
Ten sets of shipbuilding tools, each with a unique shape and a dark bluish luster, were neatly arranged.
Three hundred bronze short swords, their blades gleaming with a cold light, though rough, possessed a sharpness unmatched by stone tools.
Fifteen bronze axes, their heavy blades exuding a Chenwen power.
There were no cheers, only deep exhaustion and a heavy sense of accomplishment. Wang Yan stroked the still-warm (psychologically) metal objects and let out a long sigh of relief. This winter, they had not wasted it.
When Jianshi arrived after hearing the news, his eyes welled up with tears when he saw the bronze artifacts in Mikuli, which embodied the core strength and wisdom of the entire tribe. He picked up a short knife, weighed a large axe in his hand, and finally his gaze fell on the exquisite set of shipbuilding tools.
"Great... great!" His voice was a little hoarse. "With these, next spring we can really get things going! We'll build bigger ships, open up more land, and train even better soldiers!"