Yet Li Fubo had strongly recommended his two nephews, and several other Master Craftsmen had put forward their finest disciples as well.
Crafting artifacts, much like cultivation, placed great weight on serendipity.
He Lingchuan offered exceptional opportunities here; perhaps the youngsters' skills might even rise to the next level.
Yet He Lingchuan knew in his heart that this was all the result of Li Qingge's vigorous lobbying and heartfelt personal guarantees. Otherwise, no matter how daring and enterprising young people might be, sending them thousands of li to the remote Yangshan Archipelago would amount to little less than banishment.
Observing these ten Songyang Mansion disciples closely, however, their expressions showed only the exhaustion of long travel by boat, overlaid with curious eagerness; there was neither sullen restlessness nor impatience.
According to Li Qingge, she had summoned these disciples personally and boasted of whatever she could share regarding He Lingchuan's past exploits. She described Elder He as exceptionally brilliant and possessing the talent to save the world, claiming that if the Songyang Mansion disciples followed him now, their future achievements would certainly know no bounds, and so forth.
Seeing her lavish praise in the letter, even someone as thick-skinned as He Lingchuan cleared his throat with slight embarrassment. He asked the disciples of Songyang Mansion, "Was your journey smooth?"
"The wind and waves were heavy, with occasional bouts of illness." Three of the ten had suffered from seasickness, vomiting for days before recovering. "Apart from that, the winds were in our favor all the way."
They had spent two and a half months at sea. Aside from being enchanted by the boundless ocean views at the very beginning, the rest of the voyage had been dull, monotonous, and filled with idle woolgathering.
Yet upon arriving at Blade Harbor, the Songyang Mansion group heard legends of Elder He wherever they went: subduing pirates, developing barren islands, taming yin hui, selling Emperor's Flowing Dew...
They had no idea what yin hui were, let alone the difficulty of taming them, but the words "selling Emperor's Flowing Dew" truly stunned them!
Li Mingrong had refused to believe it and even argued back a few words. The tavern patron had grown quite displeased, claiming his own maternal grandfather had gone to Suoding Island to purchase a Jisheng Pill. The old man had already grown somewhat senile, failing to recognize his own kin when his bouts flared, yet the moment he took the pill on the spot, his hearing and vision cleared, his mind became lucid, and he recognized everyone without the slightest hesitation!
The Songyang Mansion group had set foot on the island having heard all manner of legends about Island Master He, and curiosity had long since overshadowed the fatigue and restlessness of their lengthy voyage.
"Thank you all for your hard work," He Lingchuan said. His polite pleasantries were always delivered impeccably. What was more, the arrival of Songyang Mansion's people would fill a major deficiency for the Yangshan Archipelago; they were precisely the talents he urgently needed. "Please rest yourselves here at Yingxiang Pavilion. A banquet has already been prepared outside. Come, please take your seats!"
The banquet comprised eighteen dishes in all, gathering delicacies from both mountain and sea—whether flying in the sky, running on the ground, or swimming in the water, every course was hearty and substantial.
Having traveled for over two months and eaten only a few meals at small eateries in Blade Harbor, the Songyang Mansion disciples found their appetites thoroughly whetted upon seeing such exquisite fare.
Cultivators were hearty eaters. When He Lingchuan told them not to stand on ceremony, they took him at his word and feasted with gusto.
Aided by fine wine, the rapport between both sides quickly warmed.
In truth, He Lingchuan, as a guest elder, was half a Songyang Mansion man himself, and the Li brothers were also natives of the Yuan Kingdom. Sharing the same homeland and roots, they naturally felt close to one another.
With He Lingchuan deliberately steering the conversation, they found themselves in ever greater accord as they talked.
After three rounds of drinks, He Lingchuan laid his cards on the table and made his request: he wanted the Songyang Mansion disciples to serve as production overseers, specifically charged with rushing out arms and armor for the Yangshan Guard!
Although the archipelago had recruited blacksmiths, forging weapons and armor was completely different from making farming tools and daily necessities in terms of material ratios and temperature control. Those blacksmiths had attempted test forgings, but their success rates and quality left much to be desired.
Prior to this, the Guard's military armor and weapons had mostly relied on smuggled goods from Platinum Island. Deliveries were sporadic, quality was inconsistent, and the prices were steep—
How could hard currency like that ever be cheap on the black market?
He Lingchuan had had Ding Zuodong calculate the costs: purchasing military equipment from Platinum Island was over seventy percent more expensive than acquiring raw materials and forging it themselves!
Thus, every time he spent money on these goods, the pain in his purse made him shudder.
Yet going without was impossible. The Guard's headcount was steadily growing, and normal training took its toll in wear and tear. As the Yangshan Archipelago drew the attention of more and more interested parties, upgrading its armed strength had become an urgent necessity.
The arrival of the Songyang Mansion contingent at this juncture was nothing less than timely rain during a drought.
Li Qingge was truly as reliable as ever.
The Li brothers nodded as they listened to He Lingchuan's requirements. Forging conventional weapons was second nature to them, wasn't it? So long as materials were ready and hands were plentiful.
These ten were merely the seed. Given the sheer scale and variety of armaments He Lingchuan would need in the future, ten people certainly would not suffice alone.
Even though He Lingchuan had never brought it up, Li Qingge had already taken this into account. She had advised He Lingchuan to use the Li brothers and their companions as instructors to teach techniques to the island's craftsmen; in just a few months, he could select a cohort of urgently needed practical talent—
After all, for the time being, He Lingchuan's Guard only needed standard-issue military gear. In the end, forging techniques were just processes and proficiency; put common craftsmen through several months of rigorous drilling and they would become thoroughly adept.
As for which craftsmen could advance from standard to specialized, from ordinary to exceptional, that could be cultivated gradually over time.
This was both Songyang Mansion's avenue for establishing an overseas branch in the Yangshan Archipelago and its way of helping He Lingchuan build up a pool of skilled talent.
The Li brothers also inspected the mineral specimens He Lingchuan had brought and stated frankly that the quality was good. Upon hearing that these were extracted right here in the Yangshan Archipelago, everyone was rather surprised: this place was truly a blessed land with such abundant resources!
As for the other metals and materials needed to forge arms, He Lingchuan now had multiple procurement channels at his disposal and was no longer at his wit's end as in the past.
Not until the meal drew to a close with guests and host thoroughly enjoying themselves did He Lingchuan inquire about recent events in the Yuan Kingdom.
The laughter and chatter around the dining table died away in an instant.
Among these Songyang Mansion disciples, four were natives of the Yuan Kingdom.
Li Mingyang said in a low voice, "In truth, we crossed the vast ocean to seek refuge under you also because our home is broken and our lands lie in ruins. There is truly no end in sight to such days."
Listening to their account, He Lingchuan learned for the first time that the Yuan Kingdom's northern front had collapsed more than two months ago!
General Ke Jihai had died in battle on the spot!
The army under Zhao Pan had also been routed and forced to retreat south.
He Lingchuan had put tens of thousands of li between himself and the Yuan Kingdom precisely because he wanted no further entanglement with it, intending to start anew from scratch in a foreign land. Yet hearing this news, he could not help but be deeply moved.
He had once fought side by side with Ke Jihai in Shihuan City against the ghost apes. Before countless dignitaries of the Yuan Kingdom, the general had lavished praise upon "Eldest Young Master He," even unbuckling his personal saber to present it to He Lingchuan, declaring that a treasured blade belonged to a hero.
Ke Jihai's journey back to Shihuan back then had been to plead for provisions and back pay on behalf of the frontline troops who lacked food for their bellies and clothes for the bitter winter.
Even with the realm crumbling and the nation's fortunes wavering, he had stood steadfast on the front lines resisting the Grand Marshal, firmly defending the Yuan Kingdom's northern gate.
Chapter 1049