Chapter 1055 The Son of a Wandering Swordsman in the Mountain City
"Kagu soil, the god of fire, is here! The utensils used in the blacksmith shop are a charcoal stove with a bellows outside. The hotter the better when the charcoal is burned. The second is an iron hammer. There are at least three pieces of large, medium and small, which need to be repeatedly forged for refined iron. The third is the anvil, which has different shapes and needs to be strong and thick. The fourth is the tongs, with a flat head, a round head, and a conical head, which are clamped and fixed for forging..."
"Fifth is the fire scythe, trim and cut the iron while it is hot, and it is not a bad start. The sixth is oiling the sink, quenching with cold water and cold oil, the colder the better, and oiling after quenching for protection. Seventh is the iron file, which is different in thickness, and the iron surface can be repaired by filing 8. Molds, molds for large pieces, mostly ironware for daily use..."
"All these eight categories, furnace, hammer, anvil, tongs, sickle, groove, file, and mold, are the work of a good craftsman forging iron!..."
The head of the weapons team, Takeo Otani, sat down on the snow with his head down, drawing the shapes of different utensils with his fingers. Then, he wrote the name of a Chinese character next to each utensil. However, he doesn't know many Chinese characters, and if he wants to explain in detail, he can only write pseudonyms in pinyin.
The monk Watanabe Masumi also lowered his head, and wrote the narration of Takeo Otani into a line-by-line explanation. And the exploration captain Zuwaro stared wide-eyed, looking amazed. When these eight types of utensils were finished, Zuwaro was very happy, and the corners of his mouth were raised high! He generously took out a gold talisman, put it on Otani Kengang himself, and laughed happily.
"Haha! Lord God bless! What a master craftsman of forging iron! Good!... Haha! Your Majesty said that those who can forge refined iron weapons, pour steel and stir fry steel are the talents most needed by the kingdom! And as long as you can do these Skilled craftsmen from the West Sea, when they arrive in the Kingdom of the Lake, His Majesty will never begrudge rewards, and will even directly confer the title of hereditary nobleman of the kingdom!..."
"Kagutsu, the God of Fire! Forging refined iron weapons, pouring steel and frying steel?..."
Hearing Watanabe's report, the head of the weapons team, Otani Kengo, was sweating on his forehead, and his eyes were a little vacillating. Zuwaro talked happily for a while, but saw Otani Jiangang's nervous expression. He was stunned for a moment, then he asked aloud after pondering for a moment.
"Witness the Lord God! Can you pour steel and stir up steel?"
“…”
The head of the weapons team, Otani Kengo, was silent for a moment, then shook his head bitterly. This kind of professional skill in the Tang area is said to be able to manufacture ordinary refined iron knives in large quantities. Only the Bizen-style swordsmiths with the largest scale, the largest number of people, and the local production of a large amount of iron sand can do it. As for other schools, including his father's Shancheng School, they all follow the path of forging ordinary refined iron and fine jade steel...
"Uh... what about forging refined iron weapons? Can you?..."
“…”
There was another embarrassing silence, the matter of forging knives cannot be hidden from others, if the skill is not enough, if you don't know it, you just don't know it. Forging ordinary iron is one difficulty, forging fine iron steel knives is another difficulty. And then go up to forge the best jade steel famous sword in He country, or "Yewu", which is the most difficult level!
As for Otani Jiangang's level, it belongs to the lowest level of forged iron. However, he has more experience and has seen the forging of refined iron and jade steel since he was a child. As long as you don't do it yourself, it's not a problem to say one, two, three...
After a while, Dagu Jiangang carefully wrote a line on the snow.
"My father, the Otani clan, is a disciple of the Yamashiro-ryo industry swordsmith, and he knows how to forge the industry's precious swords!... My name is Otani Kengo, and I am the head of the Uyizaki clan's weapons group. I know how to forge iron farm tools and repair fine iron weapons... As for forging fine iron weapons... Iron and jade steel blades, I have seen my father forging them since I was a child, maybe you can give it a try..."
Seeing this, Zuwaro was stunned for a moment, thinking for a while, with anger on his face. He suddenly pulled out the copper axe, his heart was full of ups and downs, he wished he could kill this wounded Japanese warrior with the axe.
"Witness of the Lord God! You can't even forge refined iron weapons? How dare you call yourself a blacksmith?!..."
"Ah? Buddha's blessing! Your Majesty, please be patient and let me explain it to you! There are not many blacksmiths who can forge fine iron weapons. There must be a school of inheritance!..."
Soldier Watanabe Masumi's forehead was sweating, and he explained carefully for a while. He had actually heard about Otani Kengo's situation. He could even guess the reason why the other party appeared in the fleet.
"Otani's father's family is a swordsmith with a real heritage. Different from the ordinary blacksmiths of the villagers, he is a professional swordsmith who can forge jade steel!..."
Ōtani Kengo's father, named Ōtani Ubobo, was an outstanding swordsman from Wakasa Province. He studied under a great swordsman from the Yamashiro-ryu line. The "karma" is a sword, and the so-called "good karma" means a good sword.
The sword-forging schools of Japan can be roughly divided into five branches. The oldest founding school is naturally the Yamato-ryu in the ancient capital of Nara. The nominal founder is the legendary "Ten Craftsmen", but the actual founder should be Yukino nobu of the Heian period. There are many temples in Nara, and Buddhism is huge, and the Yamato-ryu is also famous for making weapons for monks. Like the exquisite naginata used by the monk warrior Watanabe Masumi, it is tough and cold-resistant. It is a fine iron sword and was forged by Yamato-ryu craftsmen!
In addition to the ancient Yamato-ryu, there are also the Yamashiro-ryu of Yamashiro country, the Bizen-ryu of Bizen country, the Soshu-ryu of Sagami country, and the Soshu-ryu of Mino country. In fact, the five major swordsmith schools of Yamato-ryu, Yamashiro-ryu, Bizen-ryu, Soshu-ryu, and Soshu-ryu also mark the five iron-making and forging centers of Japan: the ancient capital Nara, Kyoto Yamashiro, the iron sand production area Bizen, and Kamama Sagami, the center of the Kura Shogunate, and Mino, the transportation hub of Kanto and Kansai.
All in all, the swordsmith skills of the country, just like the swordsmanship of various sects, have the characteristics of a small circle of closed inheritance. The swordsmiths of various schools, those are the most skilled blacksmiths, are all passed down from generation to generation according to the school, and the special steel forging skills will not be allowed to leak out.
Therefore, among the ordinary people with no roots, there are at most only craftsmen who make iron farm tools, and there will never be any outstanding craftsmen who can make fine iron armor. If the kingdom wants to find outstanding blacksmiths, it can only find them from the five major sects in the country, or from the five iron smelting centers.
"Huh? This guy can forge fine iron weapons, the son of a master blacksmith? That's it!..."
After listening to Watanabe's explanation, Zuvaro calmed down. He looked at Kengo Otani who lowered his head slightly and looked ashamed, then looked at Masumi Watanabe, and asked with some expectation.
"God bless you! Then, is his father currently in some oyster tribe in the far north?"
"Well…"
Hearing this, Masumi Watanabe pursed her lips and whispered a few words to Kengo Otani. Otani just blinked, lowered his head sadly, and wrote seven characters,
"Five years ago, my father died..."
"Ah! What? He's dead! . . . "
Looking at Zuvalo who was angry again, Watanabe Masumi touched his nose and was speechless for a moment. Although Ezo produces iron sand and coal, it is extremely difficult to find an outstanding swordsmith in the wild Ezo!
As an excellent swordsmith of the Wakasa Kingdom and the swordsmith of the Wakasa Takeda Clan, the Otani family left the favorable conditions of the Wakasa Country and came to Katsuzankan in the bitter cold of Ezo. wide. In fact, he is Takeda Nobuhiro's hometown party and an old friend whom he met when he was young. He is one of the people who is most trusted by Takeda Nobuhiro. It is precisely because of this relationship that his eldest son Takeda Otani became the head of the weapons team of the Oyizaki clan.
As the leader of the weapons team, Otani Kengo was only the second person among the Oyezaki samurai to follow Murakami Yoshitsuo on board the ship. The obvious reason for him appearing on the ocean-going ship going north this time was to repair the easily damaged iron knives and spears and maintain the large amount of trading irons carried on the ship in the extremely cold climate. As for the secret reason, that is, as a descendant of the township party trusted by Takeda Nobuhiro, secretly supervised the trade in the extreme north to prevent Murakami Jitong and Watanabe Masumi from colluding and embezzling the property obtained in the nautical trade!
After all, the last trade in the North, just around Korewakatai Island and the Shantaru trade on the opposite side, made the Uyizaki family ten times the profit! With the previous harvest, the large amount of cargo carried northward this time was already all-consuming for the small Oyizaki clan. And the fur income expected to be exchanged is also very astonishing. Murakami Jitong must be arranged for someone who can check and balance the supervision...
"Uh... Your envoy, don't worry! Dagu's younger brother is also a swordsmith with a heritage. Although he is not as good as his father, he can also forge fine iron! And Dagu Jiangang, who has seen swordsmiths since childhood, although he is not good at forging swords, But he is also the blacksmith on board the ship, who can repair weapons for your ministry..."
After writing this, the monk soldier Watanabe Masumi paused his fingers, and then remembered that the leader of the glue man in front of him used expensive bronze weapons. But such a collection of old-fashioned, tyrannical and rich weapons may only be made by craftsmen in Nara and Kyoto...
"Huh!... The Lord God blesses you! Having such a master blacksmith's son, it's good enough! At least he is a knowledgeable blacksmith who can guide the kingdom's hard work..."
Expedition Captain Zuvaro took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled. He put the copper ax back into his waist, and held the lock of hair in the center of Tsukiyo Otani's head. Dagu Jiangang stiffened for a while, but bowed his head and saluted respectfully.
"The Lord God blesses the kingdom! Go! Take him to manage the captured iron weapons and iron soldiers... That's right! He can get access to weapons, arrange three warriors, and watch him carefully!"
"Yes! Captain!..."
"Is there any more? Are there any special skills?!..."
Seeing Takeo Otani limping away, the remaining eight Oysteraki samurai looked at each other for a while, and then walked out four more wounded.
As ordinary Ezo warriors, they don't know much, and their best skills are not fighting, but farming and hunting! They also know some simple gun skills and bow skills. As for the various sword skills that are famous in later generations, they have to join a school to learn them. In fact, sword technique is more suitable for one-on-one fighting, and it is far inferior to spear and spear on the battlefield. It is more like a martial art than a battlefield skill.
"Well...these four wounded who had taken refuge were all arranged in a small tent and squeezed together! As for the last four guys, they were scattered and arranged on different sleds, sleeping with the transported goods …What kind of tent? They don’t have tents, so each person will be given a thick robe, as long as they don’t freeze to death! The rest will be discussed after returning to the camp in the south and holding the conversion ceremony…”
"Yes! Captain!"
"God bless you! Let's do it!"
Zuvalo waved his hand, and the final captives were in place. Under this level of differentiated treatment, coupled with the subsequent blood oath, I am not afraid that they will not be able to disintegrate and subdue these prisoners...
"Lord God! The blizzard is getting closer, and we have to leave today..."
After pondering for a moment, Zuvaro looked at the gloomy sky in the north, then stepped on the deep snow marks and walked to the glacier not far away. Before he left, he had one last thorny business, the arrangement of the hard-won and precious five-masted sunken ship. That ship seems to be much better than the kingdom's long ship, and it just so happens that next year someone will be sent back on the ship to pack and transport the captives back to the kingdom...