https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-175-The-Rewards-of-Killing-Pei-Yuanshao/13030964/
Chapter 176: The Blacksmith Camp
Chapter 176: The Blacksmith Camp
September 25, 2017
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Lu HaiJun had begun to feel the deep malevolence this world seemed to hold for him. Nima, after opening two golden treasure chests, he still had no idea what half of the items inside were for.
Of the remaining items, one couldn't be used yet, and another was currently unusable. Especially the Appraisal Technique, which made Lu HaiJun feel like taking an axe to someone.
Nima, at least the Purple Qi Ascending Dragon Scripture clearly stated the conditions for cultivation, but this item simply told him, 'Your intelligence is insufficient,' and dismissed him. Lu HaiJun had no choice but to put it aside temporarily or see if Wang Jun could make use of it.
After putting away the items from the treasure chests, Lu HaiJun, who had been mocked by the Manual Intelligence, had no interest in doing anything else.
During the time Wang Jun was preparing, Lu HaiJun decided to visit the Blacksmith Camp.
Ever since the gold mine started operations, the Blacksmith Camp had become the most crucial part of Lu HaiJun's mountain camp. Lu HaiJun had transferred the Plunder the Rich, Aid the Poor group, including the Dragon Snake Tiger Crane Leopard team, a total of eight people, to the camp. He also assigned a team of about a hundred mountain bandit archers, trained by elite archers, to guard the Arsenal, including the Carpenter Camp.
The Arsenal was Lu HaiJun's self-built mountain camp logistics base, housing various skilled personnel. Currently, the Blacksmith Camp was the primary focus, while the Carpenter Camp had fewer members and less demanding work, mainly producing arrows and other logistical supplies.
When Lu HaiJun arrived, the Blacksmith Camp was bustling with the smelting of gold ore.
The gold ore smelting seemed to be an excellent way to hone the blacksmiths' skills. After working for over two months, many blacksmiths had improved from low-level to mid-level. However, there was still no high-level blacksmith among them.
A high-level blacksmith was a watershed moment. Only upon reaching this level could they independently research and forge equipment. Lu HaiJun had been eagerly awaiting the emergence of a high-level blacksmith, but they couldn't be cultivated solely through gold ore smelting.
Previously, Lu HaiJun had obtained three equipment blueprints from Dark Wind Fort, which he delivered to the Blacksmith Camp. These blueprints were like three doors to high-level blacksmith status for the experienced mid-level blacksmiths there.
They formed a special team dedicated to researching these three blueprints. After much deliberation, they chose the Light Cloud Crossbow as their first research subject, and within a few days, they had crafted a prototype.
Lu HaiJun's arrival coincided with their testing of the prototype, a fortunate coincidence.
"This is the Light Cloud Crossbow?" Lu HaiJun asked, feeling a bit perplexed as he held the massive object, nearly two meters long, in his hands.
Moreover, the scouting technique he used revealed his attributes, and this item didn't seem to match the description of the Light Cloud Crossbow.
Unknown Heavy Crossbow
Manufacturer: Flame Yellow Mountain Fort Blacksmith Camp
Range: 300 meters
Power: 200 jin
Ps: A crude imitation with limited use, despite its immense power.
It was clear that the blacksmiths hadn't successfully replicated the Light Cloud Crossbow. Lu HaiJun didn't say anything but instead took a keen interest in testing the crossbow several times.
He carefully pointed out various issues with the crossbow and highly praised the blacksmiths before returning the crossbow, which fell apart after three uses.
Although the blacksmiths in the Blacksmith Camp didn't successfully create the Light Cloud Crossbow, they clearly had their own understanding of it. Failure in research, whether once or twice or countless times, wasn't a big deal as long as these blacksmith masters could improve and create useful items for the mountain camp's army.
For example, the crossbow they made was quite impressive. With some refinement, it could become a small war machine. If placed on the mountain camp's defensive wall, it could further enhance the wall's defensive capabilities.
Therefore, Lu HaiKong also wanted the blacksmiths to conduct more research and perfect this weapon.
However, there weren't many masters in the Blacksmith Camp; after counting, there were only a few dozen. They also had the task of smelting gold ore, and with a few masters absent, the efficiency of smelting had already declined significantly.
Currently, there were still several tons of gold ore to be smelted in the camp, and there was a shortage of manpower. There wasn't enough time to focus on weapon research.
Lu HaiKong didn't have a better solution for this issue, and he could only wait for the Flowing Camp to refresh and produce blacksmith talent. The hostage negotiation with the Xianbei tribe had also been temporarily suspended, and the only talent channel for Lu HaiKong's camp was from the Flowing Camp.
"It seems that the Flowing Camp's level needs to be raised further."
In the 619 version of the book, there were no mistakes!
After strolling around the Blacksmith Camp for a while and chatting with the guards, including Ma Jie, Lu HaiKong left.
Chatting with old friends like Ma Jie, Lu HaiKong felt a bit sentimental. Among his ten near-commander-level subordinates, only one had truly grown, and it wasn't Wang Ti. Although Wang Ti had good military talent, he lacked a suitable environment for growth.
After Wang Ti's recent crushing defeat, Lu HaiKong decided to give up on him, as the encirclement and suppression campaign was imminent. Continuing to rely on the Black Wind Fort, which had already split its forces, was pointless.
In this situation, Wang Ti's position in the camp became somewhat awkward. The third battalion was given to Zhao Gang, the first battalion to Zhang Yi, and Lu HaiKong was planning to cultivate Zhao Er in the second battalion. It seemed Wang Ti had nowhere to go.
However, this situation also gave Wang Ti an opportunity. Lu HaiKong planned to send Wang Ti to the Flame Battalion after his injuries healed, utilizing the battalion's resources to cultivate him. Of course, Wang Ti wouldn't start from scratch in the Flame Battalion, and Lu HaiKong would allocate resources to him, as he was one of Lu HaiKong's most veteran subordinates.
If Lu HaiKong's favoritism towards Wang Ti was like a parent's bias towards a child, he also felt a sense of guilt towards the only subordinate among the ten veterans who had grown.
If given the chance in the future, Lu HaiKong would definitely compensate that person. After all, that loyal subordinate had endured too much hardship for Lu HaiKong.
After leaving the Arsenal, it was already noon. Lu HaiKong had lunch with the Second Battalion and then went to find Wang Jun. Wang Jun had already prepared all the conditions for promoting the mountain camp and was waiting for Lu HaiKong to come and upgrade the camp's level.
...
PS: Don't go away; there's a post-publication statement!
(End of Chapter)
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