Li Mu nodded, touched the gleaming blade, and felt a chilling aura emanating from it.
He frowned slightly and asked, "The material of this knife seems a bit unusual. Is it made of iron?"
Lian Po, however, said with some doubt, "Iron? That seems unlikely. Would an iron sword be this sharp? And it would be difficult to forge one that long!"
Due to the limitations of iron smelting technology at that time, iron knives were generally not very long, otherwise they would easily break.
That's why Lian Po had this doubt.
Li Yao smiled and said, "This ring-pommel sword is indeed made of iron, but I used a special forging method to make this iron sword more resilient and sharper."
He passed on techniques such as quenching and repeated folding and forging to the ironworkers.
These craftsmen were very experienced, and although Li Yao's explanations weren't very professional, they quickly mastered these new forging techniques through trial and error.
That's why they were able to forge such a sharp ring-pommel sword.
The ring-pommel sword is a weapon of extraordinary significance in the history of Chinese weaponry.
To some extent, the Han Dynasty used the ring-pommel sword to defeat the Xiongnu, which indirectly contributed to the great migration of Eurasian peoples at that time.
Of course, there are many factors involved, and the ring-pommel sword is one of them.
When Lian Po learned that the ring-pommel sword was made by Li Yao, he exclaimed in amazement, "Grand Tutor Li, I am completely convinced of your abilities. I never imagined that you could create so many amazing objects, and each one of them has extraordinary effects."
As Li Mu stroked the sharp blade, his excitement was mixed with even greater admiration for Li Yao.
Li Mu handed the knife in his hand to the soldier beside him, and solemnly bowed to Li Yao, saying, "Grand Tutor Li, it is you who made the Great Zhao strong. I have offended you in the past, and I hope you will not take it to heart."
Lian Po quickly handed the knife in his hand to the soldier and solemnly bowed to Li Yao, saying, "Grand Tutor Li, I am a rough man. I acted rashly before and offended you. I apologize to you."
When Li Yao saw Lian Po apologize to him, he couldn't help but think of the story of Lian Po carrying thorns to apologize.
As is widely known, the story of Lian Po carrying thorns to apologize originated from Lian Po.
Li Yao smiled slightly and said, "You two prime ministers are too kind. We are all doing this for the sake of the Great Zhao and for the sake of the people of the world."
Li Mu said solemnly, "Grand Tutor Li's magnanimity is truly admirable."
Then, with an expectant look, he asked, "Grand Tutor Li, how many of these stirrups, high-bridged saddles, horseshoes, and ring-pommel swords do you have now? Can they be mass-produced?"
Lian Po also stared at Li Yao with great anticipation.
This is a very important issue. If these four things cannot be mass-produced, then everything else is meaningless.
Li Yao nodded solemnly and said, "Please rest assured, Your Excellencies, I have already ordered people to work day and night to produce these four items. I believe that in just one month, your cavalry will be able to use the new horse tack and new weapons."
After he acquired Guo Zong's ironworks and ironworkers, he taught them forging techniques such as quenching and had them rush to make stirrups, horseshoes, and ring-pommel knives.
As for the Takahashi saddle, Li Yao entrusted it to the Mohist Guild for production, since many Mohists were themselves craftsmen, and there was no problem with them making the Takahashi saddle.
Li Mu and Lian Po were overjoyed to receive Li Yao's affirmative answer.
It was as if they had already envisioned a cavalry force capable of sweeping across the other six kingdoms and unifying the world.
After Li Mu and Lian Po left in high spirits, Li Yao and Shan Rou Zhao Zhi returned to the Mohist guild.
As soon as Li Yao returned to the Mohist Guild, Yuan Zong came to report intelligence.
Chapter 63 Envoys from Six Kingdoms, A Gathering of Swordsmen
Li Yao leaned back in his armchair, closing his eyes to rest while listening to Yuan Zong report intelligence.
Yuan Zong said, "My lord, with the passing of the King, the six states of Wei, Chu, Han, Qi, Yan, and Qin have all sent envoys to offer their condolences. These envoys are already on their way and will arrive in Handan soon."
Li Yao nodded and said, "Let me guess, the envoy sent by Wei must be Lord Longyang."
Lord Longyang loves socializing, and he certainly won't miss this opportunity.
Yuan Zong was surprised and said, "My lord, you are really amazing. The envoy from Wei is none other than Lord Longyang. In addition to Lord Longyang, Ji Yanran, who is known as the most talented woman in the world, has also come along."
"Ji Yanran?"
Li Yao opened his eyes, feeling somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Ji Yanran to come to Handan City. What was she doing in Handan City?
He pondered for a moment and then asked, "Was that master of Yin-Yang, Zou Yan, also brought along?"
Yuan Zong nodded and said, "My lord is right. Mr. Zou Yan of Qi happened to be traveling in Wei, so he came along with me."
After a pause, Yuan Zong continued, "The envoy sent by the State of Chu is..."
"It's Li Yuan!"
Li Yao spoke first.
Yuan Zong was surprised again and quickly asked, "My lord, how did you know?"
Li Yao smiled and said, "I've heard that Li Yuan has been pursuing Ji Yanran. Now that Ji Yanran is coming to Handan, Li Yuan will naturally not let this great opportunity pass him by."
Yuan Zong suddenly understood, but he still had a question in his mind: how did his lord know that Li Yuan was pursuing Ji Yanran? It seemed that this information was not among the intelligence he had obtained.
Yuan Zong continued his report: "My lord, we have also intercepted an important intelligence report. Chu Mo's leader, Fu Du, has also secretly come to Handan."
"Chu Mo's poison has also arrived?"
A barely perceptible smile appeared on Li Yao's face. "Now that he's here, he can forget about going back to Chu."
Yuan Zong nodded and said, "Indeed, this is a great opportunity to unify the Three Inks."
Li Yao said, "The envoy from South Korea this time should be Han Chuang!"
Yuan Zong exclaimed in surprise, "My lord, you were right again!"
Li Yao laughed and said, "Han Chuang has come here this time probably to meet his old flame."
"An old flame?"
Yuan Zong was puzzled.
Li Yao explained, "Madam Ya is Han Chuang's old lover."
Emperor Yuanzong looked rather strange. He had heard that Lady Ya was of questionable character, but he never expected that she would have an affair with Han Chuang, the Marquis of Pingshan of Han.
After a pause, Yuanzong continued, "Besides Marquis Han Chuang of Pingshan, Han Feizi of the State of Han also came along."
"Han Fei?!"
Li Yao's eyes lit up, and he muttered to himself, "I didn't expect him to come too!"
Han Fei was the synthesizer of Legalist thought, and his belief was in "ruling the country according to law".
Yuan Zong said, "Han Feizi's Legalist thought seems to be very similar to Your Majesty's concept of 'ruling the country according to law'."
Li Yao said with some emotion, "That's right, my ideas are indeed similar to his Legalist thought. Han Fei is a rare talent, and we must recruit him."
Yuan Zong was slightly surprised; he hadn't expected his lord to value Han Fei so highly.
It should be noted that although Han Fei was talented, he was a stutterer and not good at speaking. Even the King of Han did not like Han Fei.
However, Yuanzong nodded seriously and kept Li Yao's instructions in mind.
Then, Yuanzong smiled and asked Li Yao, "My lord, who is the envoy from Qi? Can you guess?"
Li Yao pondered for a moment and said, "If I am not mistaken, the envoy from Qi should be Tian Dan."
A look of surprise flashed across Yuan Zong's eyes again; his lord had guessed correctly once more.
Yuan Zong added, "Besides Tian Dan, there was another person in the Qi delegation who was making a fuss about Wei Mou."
Li Yao smiled contemptuously and said, "It's that arrogant Wei Mou who advocates learning from beasts!"
Yuan Zong said in surprise, "I didn't expect that my lord had also heard of Lian Xiao and Wei Mou."
Li Yao nodded and said, "This arrogant Wei Mou is no good. He often gathers bandits to harass and cause trouble on the border of Zhao. If there is a chance in the future, we must kill him."
In fact, Yuanzong already knew about this situation. The reason he specifically pointed out Xiao Weimou was to remind his lord to be wary of Xiao Weimou.
Unexpectedly, our lord already knew everything about Xiao Weimou.
My lord is truly a divine being!
Then, Yuanzong deliberately tested him, asking, "My lord, can you guess who the envoy from Yan is?"
Li Yao thought for a moment and said:
"Prime Minister Lian recently defeated the Yan Kingdom, so Crown Prince Dan certainly wouldn't dare to come."
"Uh... I think the envoy from Yan should be Leng Ting, a high-ranking official of Yan."
Yuan Zong's eyes lit up, and he gave Li Yao a thumbs up, praising, "My lord, you're amazing! You guessed right again."
Next, only the envoy from Qin remained.
Yuan Zong asked again, "My lord, can you still guess who the Qin envoy is?"
Li Yao took a longer time to think this time.
Because the Qin state had too many people, there were also many who could be sent as envoys to other states.
First of all, Lü Buwei can be ruled out. Now that Ying Yiren has just become king, it is a great opportunity for Lü Buwei to seize power, and he is unlikely to send an envoy easily.
Secondly, Lord Yangquan can also be ruled out. Lord Yangquan has been openly and secretly vying for power with Lü Buwei. The cunning and shrewd Lord Yangquan would not be sending an envoy to another country at this crucial moment.
Furthermore, although Lord Changping and Lord Changwen are of high status, they are too young, and Ying Yiren would probably not send them as envoys to the State of Zhao.
All that remained were Xu Xian, Lu Gong, Gao Lingjun, and others.
Therefore, Li Yao guessed: "The Qin envoy may be Xu Xian or Lu Gong, or it may be Lord Gaoling, but Xu Xian and Lu Gong are more likely."
Yuan Zong's eyes widened in astonishment as he exclaimed:
"My lord, you are even more capable than Mr. Zou Yan, who was proficient in the art of sensing the heavens and man."
"The envoy from Qin was none other than Xu Xian, a famous general of Qin."
Li Yao nodded and said, "I think Lü Buwei would definitely not send Xu Xian as an envoy to Zhao alone. He should also send someone else to monitor Xu Xian. This person... should be one of his confidants, Guan Zhongxie."
Yuan Zong was shocked once again; he had lost count of how many times he had been surprised today.
This time, the lord's prediction came true once again.
Guan Zhongxie, a master swordsman, was also in the Qin delegation.
Li Yao stood up from the armchair, stretched his limbs, and said meaningfully, "This time, Handan City is going to be lively, so many important people have come all at once."