Scouts swiftly relayed the news back to the northern army camp, enraging the three armies!
The barbarians had indeed marched south, threatening Yanzhou?
Many of these soldiers had lost family to the barbarian's iron hooves, training day and night for the sole purpose of revenge!
All soldiers awaited Liang Xiao's command.
"The Deputy Marshal orders: Hold Yanzhou. Those who advocate war shall be beheaded!"
Upon this decree, the morale of the troops stabilized.
Out of gratitude and reverence for Liang Xiao, the soldiers chose to trust him.
A battle would come, but not now; holding firm now was to minimize future losses!
Liang Xiao, who was overseeing the training of the Great Qian Iron Guards, received a message from a herald: "Deputy Marshal, General Pingdi harbors considerable reservations about the strategy of holding ground."
Liang Xiao's brow furrowed. "Is there evidence?"
"He is currently grumbling in his thousand-man encampment," the herald replied.
Nan Jiyun and Mu Hong both looked at Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao, resting his hand on his Ephemeral Sword, smiled faintly. "Everyone, accompany me to witness this!"
"Our soldiers are brimming with fighting spirit, yet we are ordered to be cowards within the city. It makes one suspect if the Deputy Marshal intends to foster the enemy for his own gain!" He Anping declared indignantly.
The surrounding soldiers fell silent.
They were all retainers and personal guards of the He and Dugu families, naturally inclined to support He Anping. However, given Liang Xiao's military order, they dared not voice their dissent too openly.
Yet, they too considered that Liang Xiao's actions did indeed carry the suspicion of playing into the enemy's hands.
Using the barbarian threat as leverage to consolidate his military power and control the northern territories?
This was the perspective of those from aristocratic families.
If this were the case, once news reached the capital, their family head, the Minister of Personnel, He Wanli, might join forces with other officials to impeach Liang Xiao!
"I hear someone is criticizing my military orders?"
A chilling question from outside jolted He Anping and the others awake.
The crowd fixed their gaze, and saw Liang Xiao entering the camp with a group of soldiers, his eyes fixed on He Anping.
"Is it He Pingdi?" Liang Xiao appraised He Anping.
He had heard He Anping's voice on the way, but due to the distance, he had feigned ignorance to avoid revealing his superior hearing.
Seeing Liang Xiao's smile, He Anping reciprocated, "Marquis An Guo, your subordinate merely offered a suggestion. This is for the good of the northern soldiers, as they all bear deep-seated grudges!"
"I ask you again, did you advocate for the army to sally forth just now?" Liang Xiao inquired once more.
He Anping smiled obsequiously. "Indeed! But as General Pingdi, do I not have the right to participate in military deliberations?"
Liang Xiao ignored He Anping, merely surveying the assembly and raising his voice, "Did everyone hear?"
"We heard!" Nan Jiyun and others nodded.
Those behind He Anping dared not respond.
"Whoosh!"
Before anyone could react, the Ephemeral Sword was unsheathed, sweeping across in a horizontal slash!
"You!"
He Anping had no time to utter a word of protest before he was decapitated, his head rolling onto the ground, splattering blood.
A deathly silence descended upon the camp; everyone stared at the rolling head on the ground in utter shock!
To execute a ranked general without even allowing him to argue?
Liang Xiao calmly picked up a cloth from a table, wiped a few drops of blood that had splashed onto his right cheek, and then meticulously cleaned the fine traces of blood from his blade.
"General Pingdi He Anping violated military orders. As the Deputy Marshal of the Northern Army, I personally carried out the execution."
Liang Xiao's serene voice echoed through the entire assembly, sending shivers down their spines.
Wasn't he just a scholar? Why was he so adept at killing and beheading?
Even Nan Jiyun was visibly shocked.
If that sword strike had been a surprise attack, he wouldn't have been certain he could dodge it entirely without injury!
Mu Hong was equally stunned, but upon regaining his senses, his gaze became ardent.
The North needed a commander who was as good as his word!
After wiping away the blood, Liang Xiao's gaze swept over the assembled men. "Who is next?"
The soldiers' faces turned ashen, and they unanimously declared, "We dare not."
"General Pingdi He Anping violated military orders, rashly advocated for a sortie, and incited unrest. The Deputy Marshal personally executed him!"
News of this spread throughout the North, striking fear into all ranks!
Had someone truly been executed for this?
He Anping, a General Pingdi of the fifth rank, had become a tool for Liang Xiao to assert his authority!
In the northern army camp, no one dared to mention engaging the barbarians in battle again.
Liang Xiao then appointed Nan Jiyun, Lü Changhe, Zhuo Yun, and Mu Hong to jointly guard the northern camp, before proceeding to the workshop he had established in the southeast.
More accurately, a steel mill.
Within the workshop, Liang Xiao, accompanied by his personal guards, inspected the various production processes.
The workshop utilized high-grade iron ore to smelt high-quality pig iron. This liquid pig iron was then poured onto wrought iron and refined through several melting stages, allowing carbon to penetrate the iron and become usable steel. Because pig iron and wrought iron were smelted together, the resulting steel was called "Su Tie."
The annual output of "Bin Tie" in the Great Qian Dynasty was less than one million catties, not even half of that of the Tang Dynasty.
The primary reason for this was the relatively backward steelmaking technology in this world.
However, improving steelmaking technology required practical effort; it wasn't as simple as possessing modern knowledge. The protagonists in movies and novels often employed "primitive steelmaking methods" in ancient times, which was highly misleading.
The construction of blast furnaces, converters, and open-hearth furnaces, along with the production of coke and the selection of refractory materials, presented immense challenges. This was not something Liang Xiao could achieve single-handedly through cleverness; it required national strength and resources.
Records of using coal mines existed throughout various dynasties, but the Great Qian Dynasty had not yet discovered any coal mines with significant output.
Liang Xiao, based on his memories of his homeland, suggested that Xiao Qing secretly dispatch people to explore these coal-rich areas. This might negate the need for Dongye Shi's hidden topographical maps.
However, every individual sent to explore various regions returned empty-handed. One person did, by chance, discover a copper mine, but it was of no use for steelmaking.
This indicated that the geography might be similar, but the resources were comparatively scarce. Perhaps differences in resource distribution led to different historical trajectories...
Without sufficient coal, it meant the inability to prepare adequate coke. Mass production of steel using modernized primitive methods was impractical.
Even with coal, refractory materials and the various furnaces required for steelmaking were not something that could be easily created with the current level of technology.
But Liang Xiao could not simply give up. There were other methods!
Currently, Liang Xiao's steel mill employed a form of "cast steel method," a mature technique originating from the renowned metallurgist Qi Wu Huaiwen of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. He would consider the crucible steelmaking method and improved primitive steelmaking techniques when conditions matured in the future.
At high temperatures, the carbon, silicon, and manganese in the liquid pig iron reacted vigorously with the oxide inclusions in the wrought iron through oxidation. This process removed impurities, purified the metal structure, and improved the metal's quality. Therefore, the cast steel method reduced the need for repeated folding and forging, increasing labor productivity. Moreover, the cast steel method was simple to operate, easy to master, and convenient to popularize.
For the forging of weapons, Qi Wu Huaiwen's "dual-liquid quenching" method was used. This involved quenching the workpiece first in animal urine, which had a rapid cooling rate, and then in animal oil, which had a slower cooling rate. This resulted in steel with superior performance and avoided the limitations of using only one type of quenching.
The dual-liquid quenching method involved using a quenching medium with a faster cooling rate when the workpiece temperature was higher, to ensure hardness.
When the temperature was lower, a quenching medium with a slower cooling rate was used to prevent the workpiece from cracking and deforming, thereby imparting a certain degree of toughness.
Yanzhou was cold, yet the workers at the riverside steel mill were drenched in sweat; the work remained as fervent as ever.
Liang Xiao observed the craftsmen forging the Mo Dao in the distance, and was reasonably satisfied.
Battlefields were fluid, and opportunities fleeting. To minimize casualties, the Great Qian soldiers required more advanced weaponry!
Starting with his steel mill!