Quick, female general, I traveled through time to save my father

Chapter 423 Great Qi Dynasty 24

Watching Old Wei holding those rough-edged but indeed usable cast iron screws in his hands as if they were treasures, Muchen knew that this kind of cast thing was still far from being truly useful.

It has the hardness and makes a jingling sound when knocked. But that's exactly where the problem lies.

Too hard, too brittle.

When he was demonstrating just now, he noticed the edge of a screw with his sharp eyes, but it accidentally hit the wooden ridge and broke off a small sharp piece.

If it is placed in a place with high force, or experiences some bumps or collisions, it is almost inevitable that it will break.

At the root of the problem is the molten iron.

Ironware for different purposes requires very different proportions of various components in molten iron.

An axe needs to be sharp and hard, a spatula needs to be rust-resistant, and bearings need to be both strong and tough...

The seemingly small screws must be able to clamp the wood and withstand a certain amount of torque, and also be able to withstand the knocks during installation and slight vibrations during use.

Simply making a mold by melting scrap metal will definitely not meet the performance requirements.

Looking at the pure joy on Old Wei's face, Muchen swallowed back the words "This thing isn't very good" that were about to come out of his mouth.

It was an extremely rare breakthrough for the old man to be able to tinker with a usable shape.

It’s better not to pour cold water on others, but to give some constructive direction.

"Mr. Wei, you can make screws, that's your real ability!" Muchen gave a thumbs up.

Then he changed the subject, pointing to the small crucible and the individual clay pots on the ground, and said, "It's just too labor-intensive and time-consuming to make. Do you think you could try this?"

He squatted down, picked up a relatively flat stone, and quickly drew on the stone surface with sharp pieces of charcoal.

The lines are simple but clear, with a row of screw punches arranged side by side, and the root of each screw is connected to a main runner through a thin "bridge".

"You see, if you make the molds in a long row like this, and pour a mouthful of molten iron, a string of them will come out." Muchen explained.

"After they're done and have cooled slightly, gently tap along the thin neck and they'll snap off one by one. This way you can get several at a time, which is much faster than baking them one by one!"

Mr. Wei's eyes immediately lit up like the barrel of an old musket, staring at the simple pattern intently.

"This...this method! Wonderful! Truly wonderful!"

He didn't care about the "treasures" he had just cast, but hugged the stone drawing in his arms, muttering to himself, "Compare the proportions... I need to think about the molten iron again..."

He rushed to his own small workshop.

Looking at Mr. Wei's vigorous fighting spirit, Muchen smiled silently. Technological progress is often accumulated from these small steps of trial and improvement.

Sirong, who had finished taking care of some chores, quietly appeared, carrying two small packages. "Is everything arranged?"

"Yeah." Muchen nodded.

"Then let's go." Without much words, the two looked at each other tacitly, and their figures seemed to blend into the twilight at the edge of the night, and they left the northern defense camp silently.

The mounts were two sturdy northern horses, their hooves wrapped in thick, soft cloth to reduce the sound of the hooves.

Taking advantage of the last bit of light before the night fell completely, the two rode their horses north, heading straight for the boundless grassland that separated the Daqi Dynasty and the Lengyue Kingdom.

The wind whistled in my ears, carrying with it a strong smell of grass.

The vast sea of ​​grass appeared a dark green in the twilight, undulating like frozen waves. The cold stars began to appear on the horizon, sparse and cold.

This vast grassland, seemingly unowned, is the real "border" between the two countries.

The capital of Lengyue Kingdom is hidden further north of this grassland, and it takes two days to get there by horseback riding.

This sea of ​​grass may seem peaceful, but in reality, it's home to numerous small tribes that rely on herding for a living. These tribes range from a few hundred to several hundred people, all of whom are affiliated with the Cold Moon Nation.

In years with abundant grass and water, the cattle and sheep are fat and strong, enough for the entire tribe to survive the harsh winter. These small tribes can maintain superficial peace with the neighboring villages and towns in the northern border of Daqi, and even conduct a small amount of barter trade.

If drought, snowstorms or epidemics sweep across the grasslands, and the cattle and sheep freeze to death and see that they cannot survive, the instinct for survival will overwhelm the illusion of peace.

These tribes would secretly connect with each other and transform into fast-moving raiding teams composed of desperate herdsmen.

They would cross the vague, invisible grassland line and pounce on the less well-defended villages and towns on the border of the Great Qi Dynasty like greedy locusts, robbing food, salt, cloth... and even abducting people as slaves.

Although they were poorly equipped and had no organizational discipline, they were born on horseback, skilled in archery, moved like the wind, and were familiar with every hidden animal trail and sheltered valley on the grassland.

He is good at assault tactics, and his warhorse is fat and strong. He will run away after robbing.

Mu Chen and Si Rong lay on a sheltered grass slope in the distance, and with the help of the sparse starlight and the cold moon that had just risen into the sky, they observed the sparsely lit tribal camp about three miles ahead.

The spy's information was very accurate, Xiao Tiedan was in this tribe.

With a population of over 200, it is a typical medium-sized tribe in Lengyue Kingdom.

Dozens of tents made of thick fur and rough felt were clustered together, and the outer perimeter was roughly surrounded by a circle of sharpened wooden stakes and dead branches, forming a barrier that was better than nothing.

Several bonfires were burning in the central open space of the camp. The flames flickered in the night wind. People were everywhere, and one could faintly hear low conversations and children playing, mixed with the occasional mooing of cattle and sheep.

The air was filled with the scent of hay, livestock manure, and a unique blend of spices.

"The leader's name is Fierce Bear Sarentuya."

Muchen's voice was so low that it was almost drowned out by the slightest noise. "It is said that when he was young, he tore a wolf apart with his bare hands. He is very prestigious among the dozen or so small tribes nearby. The tribe's war horses have been especially well-maintained in recent years."

Sirong's eyes quickly scanned the layout of the camp, the sentry posts, and the location of the animal pens.

"Tiedan..." She murmured the name, trying to find the small figure among the flickering firelight and human shadows.

Sirong had never seen the child before, and she only had a portrait of him from two years ago.

However, the appearance of the children from the Central Plains and the people from Lengyue Country was quite different, so he was not worried about not being able to recognize them.

I just don’t know how many children of their Daqi Dynasty are in this tribe.

Sirong's uneasiness spread silently. "I wonder how many children like Tiedan from Daqi are hiding in this tribe? Are they being scattered among households as slaves? Or are they being kept under special supervision?"

Their goal this time was to find Tiedan and bring him back safely.

But if there are many Daqi children in this tribe, they can't just turn a blind eye, right?