The best material

Gongshu Chou struggled to contain the surging grief in his chest. The corners of his mouth and facial muscles, twitching uncontrollably from crying, were now completely contorted, as if forming a mask of sorrow. He abruptly raised his hands, and with all his might, delivered several resounding slaps to his own face. "Slap! Slap! Slap!" The crisp sound of the slaps echoed starkly in the silent crowd, causing those around him to gasp.

This sudden action seemed to temporarily dispel the pain in his heart, allowing him to regain some composure. His voice hoarse, he spoke in a near-sob, "General Qin... that day... I brought the blueprints you gave us back to the clan. After the elders and craftsmen in the clan saw them, they were all... all amazed by the design's... exquisite brilliance! They... they were all very certain that once this instrument could be successfully built, it would definitely... definitely become famous on the battlefield, and even... even revive the... status of my Gongshu clan in the world!"

At this point, he could no longer suppress the grief in his heart, and his voice choked up again.Qin Yi looked at the distraught old man before him, feeling a pang of sorrow in his own heart. He stepped forward, half-knelt on the ground, extended his hands, and carefully lifted Gongshu Chou's trembling arms, speaking with concern and respect, "Elder Gongshu Chou, please... please get up and speak. The ground is cold, take care of your body."Gongshu Chou struggled to stand, but his legs were numb from kneeling for a long time, and he was temporarily unable to move. Seeing this, Qin Yi supported him with even more strength until he barely regained his footing.

Then, Gongshu Chou began to slowly recount the whole story to everyone present..."Our Gongshu clan's craftsmen have, for generations, adhered to the exquisite techniques passed down from our ancestors. We provide various practical tools for agricultural production, a wide array of goods for commercial trade, and convenient vehicles for the transportation industry... It can be said that the existence of our Gongshu clan has permeated every aspect of people's lives." Gongshu Chou's voice was low and slow, as if tracing a long history.

His eyes revealed a sense of pride and arrogance, but it was soon replaced by sadness. "But... but everything has its advantages and disadvantages. Especially in this Warring States period, with constant conflicts between lords and frequent wars, the demand for weapons and various military equipment is extremely high. In this era, our Gongshu clan's craftsmanship, whether willingly or under duress, had to start serving the military, such as manufacturing sophisticated weapons, designing solid fortifications, and producing efficient transportation tools, etc., in order to earn some meager money and barely maintain the clan's survival in this era of great strife.

Without the emergence of us craftsmen, there would be no economic and cultural prosperity, and... and there would not even be wars and conflicts."Gongshu Chou took a deep breath and continued, "In these long and turbulent years, countless small clans have fallen like meteors, completely buried by the dust of history. Those who have been able to preserve their heritage as completely as our Gongshu clan are few and far between. I'm afraid that only our Gongshu clan and... and the Mo family remain." His voice was full of vicissitudes and helplessness, as if telling an ancient and tragic story.

"The division of labor within our Gongshu clan is extremely rigorous and meticulous, covering six major categories: carpentry, metalwork, leather, dyeing, polishing, and ceramics. Each major category has a chief in charge, and each major category can be further divided into as many as twenty-five different types of work. The manufacturing matters involved are even more diverse, including vehicles, buildings, precision measuring instruments, weapons, leather products, and gorgeous printed and dyed fabrics, etc. The process specifications we follow contain profound knowledge and valuable experience accumulated in mathematics, geography, mechanics, acoustics, architecture, and other fields, fully demonstrating the infinite wisdom of our ancestors." At this point, Gongshu Chou's tone was once again filled with pride, as if showing the world the former glory and arrogance of the Gongshu clan.

However, this brief moment of pride was soon overwhelmed by endless sadness, and his voice became choked up again, his eyes once again moist."In order to complete this... this ultimate weapon that General Qin entrusted to us, a weapon that could change the course of the war," Gongshu Chou's voice trembled slightly, "I... I convened the six chiefs of the Gongshu clan for countless secret discussions. We consulted all the classics in the clan, just to find the most suitable material ratio." He paused, "We carefully analyzed the various materials needed for this weapon, from the smallest parts to the most core components, and we repeatedly deliberated over them. In the end, we found that the most crucial material, and also the material that accounts for the largest proportion, is... is iron and bronze."Qin Yi asked, "Is there something mysterious about this iron and bronze?"

At this point, Gongshu Chou's eyes became deep, and he slowly said, "The chief of the Gongshu clan's metalworking department has reached the pinnacle of achievement in metalworking, and is the most authoritative expert in the entire clan. He said: 'Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. Although its hardness is much higher than that of pure copper, its toughness is relatively poor, especially when it is subjected to severe impact or collision, it is more likely to fracture. In a cruel siege, what kind of high-intensity impact and hacking does a weapon need to withstand? Whether it is hitting a strong city gate, hacking a thick city wall, or fiercely blocking the enemy's sharp weapons, bronze weapons are very likely to break or chip under such circumstances, eventually leading to failure.'" Gongshu Chou's tone became even heavier, as if he saw countless broken bronze weapons on the battlefield. "As for iron..." He shook his head and sighed, "Although its hardness is superior to bronze, it also has insurmountable defects.

Humid environments, raging rain, and battlefields where soldiers sweat profusely will accelerate the corrosion of iron, making it more prone to deformation." At this point, he paused, "This is the biggest problem we face, how to take advantage of the strengths and avoid the weaknesses, perfectly combine the advantages of iron and bronze, overcome their respective shortcomings, and finally create a truly... divine weapon?" He did not say the following words.After listening to Gongshu Chou's account, Qin Yi felt a thousand emotions in his heart. He said earnestly, "As the saying goes, every profession has its own expertise.

If it weren't for Mr. Gongshu Chou's explanation today, we would have overlooked a crucial truth: what can make us invincible on the battlefield is not only the morale of the soldiers, the exquisite tactics, but also... also the weapons we hold in our hands! The sharpness of a weapon is also related to the victory or defeat of a battle. This is a great taboo for military strategists."Gongshu Chou nodded slightly when he heard this, with a bitter smile on his face, and continued, "The turning point of the matter happened a few nights ago.

That night, I and several chiefs took advantage of a rare moment of leisure and set up a few tables of wine and dishes in the pavilion in the back garden. We enjoyed the wine and chatted, which can be regarded as taking a break from our busy lives and relaxing our bodies and minds. After a few rounds of wine, everyone's spirits rose, and someone suggested that we should liven things up with poetry. Whoever couldn't come up with a line would have to drink three cups of wine as a penalty." At this point, a hint of a smile appeared on Gongshu Chou's face, as if he had returned to that relaxed and happy night."At that time, the chief of the metalworking department was holding a wine glass, but he was in a difficult situation. He usually only cared about studying the properties of various metals and smelting methods, but he knew very little about poetry and songs.

Now that everyone was forcing him to compose a poem, he was naturally scratching his head and at a loss. He looked up at the vast and brilliant starry sky, looking at the Milky Way that stretched across the sky, with stars twinkling like countless shining gems. He couldn't help but sigh: 'The universe is so vast, the Milky Way is so brilliant, compared to which, how insignificant we humans are!' Although his sigh was irrelevant to the topic, it amused all of us. However, just as we were all immersed in laughter, a sudden event brought all the laughter to an abrupt end.""Suddenly, there was a crisp 'pop' sound, and a cup of wine fell to the ground. We followed the sound and looked over, and it was actually the chief of the metalworking department! He stood there in a daze, his eyes staring straight in the direction of the northern starry sky, his face filled with almost crazy excitement and ecstasy! He kept shouting: 'That's it! That's it! I found it! I finally found it! That's it! The best material!'"