The Strongest Lu Bu's Sweeping Thousands of Armies

Chapter 28
Xu County is very close to Huainan.

Although the county magistrate who was executed by Lu Bu surrendered without a fight many times, he also ensured that the city has not been affected by wars for several years.

Xu County, which occupies only one-third of the area of ​​Xiapi, has more than doubled its population.

On the street, most of the shops are open.

People in the city can also leisurely buy the goods they need.

After entering the city, Lu Bu asked some blacksmiths to be invited.

Forging iron all year round, the blacksmith's physique is very strong.

The weather is relatively cold, and the clothes are quite thick. It can still be seen that each of them has strong muscles.

"Can you build weapons?" Lu Bu asked the blacksmiths.

"Swords, guns, swords and halberds can be made." One of the blacksmiths replied: "It's just that the quality of the iron in Xuzhou is not very good, and the weapons forged are not as tough as Hebei."

"It's fine if you know how to shoot a weapon." Lu Bu asked again: "Can you shoot a hook?"

"Of course the hook will." The blacksmith replied, "I wonder how big the general wants?"

"What I want is a three-pronged hook." Lu Bu said, "A hook has three ends, no matter which end is used to hang something, it can be stuck firmly."

Several blacksmiths looked at each other.

None of them thought about what kind of hook Lu Bu wanted.

The same blacksmith replied, "We really haven't hit the hook that the general said."

"You can type one for me first." Lu Bu said, "If it is suitable, type fifty for me."

In order to make the blacksmiths feel more intuitive, Lu Bu held up a finger, and with the other hand, he drew three arcs of hooks on this finger: "That's how it looks, the distance between the three hooks should be exactly the same."

Forging iron all year round, blacksmiths are particularly sensitive to shapes, and they immediately understood the style of hooks.

"The hook the general wants can be made, but when will it be finished?" asked the blacksmith.

"When can the first one be delivered at the earliest?" Lu Bu asked back.

"It's fine tonight."

"Then send me the samples first tonight."

Ordered to make iron hooks, the blacksmiths resigned and left one after another.

Zhang Liao asked Lu Bu, "What does Marquis Wen want with such a weird hook?"

"Whether Huainan can be taken or not depends entirely on them." Lu Bu said, "We are small and it is impossible to attack Shouchun by force. The only way to enter the city is to go through the city wall."

"Wen Hou is going to hang the wall with an iron hook?" Zhang Liao asked in surprise.

"You don't think so?" Lu Bu asked.

"I haven't tried it, so I don't know very well." Zhang Liao replied: "Wen Hou's whimsical ideas are often unexpected, and I dare not say whether it will work or not."

"When the iron hook is made, I will personally teach the soldiers how to use it." Lu Bu got up and walked towards the door.

Zhang Liao followed closely behind him: "Where is Marquis Wen going?"

"Look at the scenery of Xu County." Lu Bu replied.

After all, Xu County is a small town.

Walking around the city didn't even take an hour.

Although there are many shops on the street, there are very few commodity categories for sale.

It was still dark when we returned to the county government.

After a brief dinner, Lu Bu went back to his room to think about how to take Huainan.

The afterglow of the setting sun was a bit dim, and the light in the room was even more dim, so that the furnishings could only be discerned vaguely.

The guard lit the oil lamp.

The dim light filled the room, and people could still feel a warm breath in the room.

Lu Bu dipped his fingers in some water and drew lines on the table.

He wasn't just scribbling, but was studying how to sneak into Huainan, and how to enter the city when he arrived in Shouchun.

"Reporting to Wen Hou, there is a blacksmith asking to see you." The guard outside the door reported.

"Let them in." Lu Bu ordered without looking up.

The guard pushed open the door, and two blacksmiths walked in.

After the salutation, one of the blacksmiths held a three-pronged iron hook high above his head: "I don't know if this is what Wenhou wants."

Taking the iron hook he was holding, the guard presented it to Lu Bu.

Weighing it in his hand a few times, Lu Bu nodded: "That's it, make fifty of them for me within two days."

Handing the hook to Lu Bu, the blacksmith was still uneasy.

Hearing that this was the case, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"It doesn't take two days, it can be built at noon tomorrow." The blacksmith replied.

"Thank you for your hard work." Lu Bu said: "The iron hook is related to the lives of the soldiers, so it must be strong and durable!"

"Don't worry, general." The blacksmith replied, "Although the iron quality in Xuzhou is not good, the hooks we made can still be used."

Lu Bu had no more orders, and the two blacksmiths withdrew.

After getting the iron hook, Lu Bu came to the courtyard.

Standing not far from the top of the wall, he threw it hard.

The hook drew an arc in the night sky, and it was stuck on the wall very firmly.

I practiced repeatedly more than a dozen times, and every time I was able to successfully get stuck on the wall.

Satisfied, Lu Bu slept soundly that night.

With the iron hook, he has a little more confidence in capturing Huainan!

The blacksmith rushed to make it overnight, and fifty iron hooks were delivered to Lu Bu at noon the next day.

Lu Bu personally inspected each hook.

The hooks are all exquisite, which shows that the blacksmith really put his heart into making them.

After checking the iron hooks, Lu Bu ordered the guards: "Pay them some copper coins from the government."

"Serving the general is what we should do." The oldest blacksmith quickly declined: "Don't dare to ask for the general's reward!"

"It's not a reward, but what you deserve." Lu Bu said, "I can't treat you badly by doing things for me."

Lu Bu insisted on giving it, but the blacksmith didn't dare to refuse, so he had to thank him a thousand times.

After dismissing the blacksmiths, Zhang Liao reminded Lu Bu: "Hou Wen, in the past, you didn't need to pay the craftsmen for work. If you don't do well, you can just punish them."

"I know the rules in the past." Lu Bu said, "But the rules will change from now on. Craftsmen rely on their craftsmanship to support their families and do things well. If they don't pay some wages, how can they be happy in their hearts? When the craftsmen are happy, they will be more attentive. Even if they don’t do well after being paid, you can’t blame me for being merciless.”

Zhang Liao was a little confused by Lu Bu's response.

In the past, when Lu Bu asked craftsmen to do work, he was never willing to give even a copper coin.

But the person in front of him actually said that he would change the rules of the past...

Even if you change your temperament, it won't change so completely!
"Find someone to tie a strong hemp rope on each iron hook." Lu Bu told Zhang Liao: "When you are ready, gather the soldiers and I will teach them how to use the iron hooks."

Lu Bu asked a blacksmith to make a hook, and Zhang Liao was wondering what the use of such a thing was.

After much deliberation, he didn't figure it out.

When the iron hook was delivered, Lu Bu would personally teach the soldiers how to use it.

The answer to the mystery will soon be revealed, so Zhang Liao hastened to answer.

Under Zhang Liao's order, more than a dozen guards found hemp ropes and tied the iron hooks firmly according to the method taught by Lu Bu.

(End of this chapter)