Although he had been recuperating in Huiji City for two months, Ji Zheng had hardly ever gone out, and at this time, he rode a horse and walked slowly on the streets of Huiji, which deeply felt the poverty and weakness of Yue Kingdom.

There are no lively bazaars like Gusu City, no magnificent palaces, and no well-built gardens and pavilions. On the streets, the thin mud mixed with animal manure is covered with a thin layer of straw, the sparse houses are dilapidated and withered, and the yellow-skinned people lead cattle and horses through the city, and the few vendors sell only firewood and farm tools.

But unlike this dilapidated scene, not far away, there were several martial arts arenas, where militia and sergeants were in full swing, and Ji Zheng could see that they were practicing very hard, but the rules still needed to be improved.

Ji Zheng was fascinated, but he heard Qingmen say, "It's here." ”

Ji Zheng looked up, and there were only a few earthen firewood houses in front of him, surrounded by a few rotten logs forming a small courtyard, with two horses tied to the yard, and several soldiers holding halberds guarding the door.

"King Yue here?" Ji Zheng was very puzzled.

"Yes, this is where the king usually works."

"This is inevitably ......," Ji Zheng said halfway, then fell silent again, and he jumped off his horse and walked into the small courtyard.

The guards stopped Ji Zheng, and after Qingmen explained his intentions, the guards entered the firewood room to report.

After a while, I saw King Yue running out of the firewood room in a hurry, and saluted Ji Zheng very respectfully.

"Mr. is here, and he is not welcome!"

Ji Zheng saw that King Yue was so polite, and he was very embarrassed to return the salute: "The government has been disturbing for months, and I only came to see at this time, I am really ashamed, ashamed." ”

"Hey, where are you talking, come on, come into the house and sit."

After that, King Yue pulled Ji Zheng into the house, and Qingmen followed.

Ji Zheng sat down in the firewood room, looked around, only to see that the firewood room was leaking everywhere, without decoration, the throne of King Yue was just a pile of firewood and grass, behind this pile of firewood and grass, there were dense scrolls, a thick rope hung from the beam of the house, and a bitter gall was tied at the end.

Qingmen served a pottery cup for Ji Zheng and put it on the wooden cases, which were rough, not to mention lacquering, and there was no polishing process.

King Yue knelt on the firewood and grass and said to Ji Zheng: "The Yue country is poor and weak, and I hope that Mr. will not dislike it." ”

Ji Zheng saluted, "Poverty and weakness are not always a bad thing, and being rich and strong is not always a good thing." ”

"Oh? Why does the gentleman say that? ”

"A poor and weak country can become a strong country as long as it works hard. A rich and strong country, if it is arrogant and extravagant, will also become a weak country, strong and weak is only the status quo, the root lies in the hearts of the people. ”

"Haha! Good! A good one lies in people's hearts, so Mr. thinks that can Yue become a strong country? ”

"As long as the heart is strong enough, it's fine."

"Mr. is right, but only the hearts of the people are not enough, a few years ago, the Yue country was defeated by the Wu State, not lost in the hearts of the people, but lost in the number of people, grain and grass, weapons, and even generals, tactics, I have been a slave in the Wu State for three years, day and night are thinking, how to strengthen the country, now, it is a glimpse of one or two."

"I still hope that King Yue will advise."

"The number of people is the number of people; Food, grass, and weapons determine how much power a person can exert himself; Generals and the law of war are human organizations; Of course, as Mr. said, the human heart is the foundation. I believe that as long as the whole country has the heart to become strong, the country will definitely become strong. ”

Ji Zheng looked at King Yue, his vicissitudes of life in his eyes reflected a firm belief, which seemed to convey a powerful power, which was sincerely impressive.

"King Yue has lofty ambitions and will definitely become a generation of sages."

"Hey." King Yue shook his head and sighed, he straightened up, pinched the bitter gall hanging from the beam and asked, "Mr. Ji, do you know what this is?" ”

"I've heard of it below, and I've heard that it's a bitter gall."

"Exactly." King Yue said, put the bitter gall in his mouth, tasted it, and the bitter taste made him frown, "It's really bitter, but what is this compared to the bitterness of being a slave in Wu Kingdom?" At that time, I thought about dying, after all, for a king who was about to be destroyed, death was probably the easiest thing to do. ”

Ji Zheng nodded.

"But I didn't, I took the sword that was already around my neck, and I couldn't die yet. So, I survived, and by bribing Bo Yao, I barely got a glimmer of life in the Yue Kingdom, and then I went to the Wu Kingdom with my wife to be slaves. At that time, I didn't know exactly when I would be able to return to Yue, and perhaps, I would have to be a slave in King Wu's stable forever. ”

"I have suffered all the shame, I have done all the despicable things, my body and mind have long been incomplete, I, the king of Yue, have long been a slave of ten thousand shameful people, and I will eventually die quietly and become a pile of dung."

"But, even so, I didn't give up hope, I made all my efforts, I tried all the means at my disposal, and three years later, my husband still made a mistake, a mistake that would eventually cost him his life and society!"

Ji Zheng looked at King Yue and said heavily: "Yes, he made a fatal mistake. ”

"Hehe, sir, you and I are the same person, don't you think?"

The two looked at each other, looking into each other's eyes, their eyes so determined and full of conviction.

Ji Zheng recalled the day he left Luoyang, he had a firm belief and embarked on a road full of thorns, for that ideal, he studied hard every day, even in the most difficult and painful time, he never gave up the persistence and pursuit of the ideal, perhaps, Yue Wang was right, they are indeed the same people, the same people who burn their lives like flames.

"Sir, Yue Guo needs you, and the world needs you too! Please accept the post of General of the Yue Kingdom! With that, King Yue took out a general's seal from the back of several cases and pushed it in front of Ji Zheng.

Ji Zheng was silent, looking at the heavy general seal, he had mixed feelings in his heart, for a moment, he was almost about to reach out to catch the general seal, but he didn't do that, he hadn't thought about what to do, he didn't know how to face everything in the future, if he accepted this general seal, it meant shouldering the responsibilities of the general, and from now on loyal to the king of Yue, and even in the near future, he would have to fight with his brothers, however, is this choice really good? But was all this really what he wanted? However, can you really realize your dreams in Vietnam? He wasn't convinced.

Ji Zheng knelt down and saluted deeply to King Yue: "King, I am ashamed of you, please forgive me for not accepting it yet." ”

"Hahaha." King Yue laughed and said, "Mr. Ji, it's okay, I expected Mr. to say that." ”

"Under ...... There's still a lot of things I haven't thought through......"

"Mr. Ji doesn't need to be in a hurry, the gentleman doesn't know what to do, so he can't do it, but I believe that Mr. and I have the same path, and there will always be a day when we are like-minded."

"If the king does not give up, the government is willing to be a strategist under the king."

"Good! The king couldn't ask for it, but the gentleman was really overkill. ”

"The king is wrong to love ......"

King Yue patted Ji Zheng on the shoulder, helped him stand up, and then said calmly: "Sir, I will keep this general seal for Mr., I believe that Mr. will accept it one day." ”

In the early morning, Gusu City woke up in a peaceful breeze as usual, and people opened their eyes to start their day's life, and at this time, in a workshop on the outskirts of the city, the bright light of the fire was like the breath of the god of fire, flickering and dimming.

"Knock knock." Carrying a bamboo basket, Frosty stood outside the door and knocked worriedly.

The door didn't open, and Frost frowned and shouted inside, "Brother Xiaoxun, didn't you sleep last night?" You open the door, and we'll bring you breakfast. ”

He Yu also said anxiously: "Brother Xiao Xun is simply crazy, how can he go on like this!" ”

"He's been like this for more than a month." Frost lowered her head and said worriedly.

"yes, he hasn't been out in more than a month! I didn't go to Sima Mansion either, I was really anxious! ”

At this moment, the door suddenly opened.

Zhang Xun rushed out excitedly, his face was black and unkempt, he stepped forward and grabbed Shuangdi's hand, and said happily: "I succeeded!" I did it! ”

He Yu choked on the smell of soot and rust gushing out of the workshop, and he fanned the wind with his hand, coughing and said, "Did it work?" Brother Xiaoxun? Show me! ”

"Good! Good! ”

Zhang Xun turned around and took out a sharp sword from the workshop and handed it to Heyu. He Yu picked up the sword and looked at it carefully.

Shuang Di looked at Zhang Xun's emaciated face, and said distressedly: "Brother Xiao Xun, you have lost a lot of weight, you must be hungry, eat something." ”

Frost squatted down, took out a warm lunch box from the bamboo basket and handed it to Zhang Xun, then she carefully opened a white brocade handkerchief and took out the chopsticks wrapped in it.

"Thank you, Frost!"

Zhang Xun took the chopsticks with his black hand, opened the lunch box, and devoured it.

"Good sword! What a sword! I've never seen such a perfect sword! This sword is definitely a magic weapon! He Yu rubbed his sword and was amazed.

"Yes......" Zhang Xun's mouth was stuffed with food, and he said as he chewed, "I didn't expect it either...... This sword, actually...... Not...... So perfect! ”

"Awesome! Terrible! Brother Xiao Xun, I never imagined that iron could still be used to make swords. ”

"Yes, it is not only sharp, but also lighter, harder, as long as it is well maintained, it is not easy to rust, it is really a hundred times better than a bronze sword!"

"Can this iron sword compare to my bronze sword?"

"Why don't you dare?!" Zhang Xun put down the lunch box and stood up suddenly.

Shuang Di said: "Brother Xiaoxun, finish the meal first." ”

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'm full!"

Zhang Xun took the iron sword from He Yu's hand, but He Yu pulled out the bronze saber at his waist, and the two of them each held their swords, standing at a distance, ready to fight the sword.

"Be careful!" Frosty was worried.

"Come!" Zhang Xun was in high spirits.

"Good!"

He Yu responded, then raised the bronze sword and ran towards Zhang Xun, Zhang Xun also raised the iron sword, and ran towards Heyu, the moment the two approached, at the same time swinging the sword to split each other, only to hear the sound of "bang", copper and iron collided, sparks splashed, and after a blink of an eye, the bronze sword of He Yu had been broken into two.

The two of them were amazed, and hurriedly observed the iron sword carefully, only to see that the iron sword was intact, and there was not even a trace of collision marks.

"Divine weapons! What a magic weapon! He Yu exclaimed.

Zhang Xun nodded and sighed: "Yes! Oh, yes! The Moon Clan's iron smelting technique is really powerful! I've only learned a little bit of skin, and I can make such a sharp blade! I really don't know how powerful this sword would be if it was forged by Sister Hana herself! ”

"Does it have a name?"

Zhang Xun shook his head, his eyes suddenly became a little sad, "No, this sword was originally a gift that Sister Hana planned to give to Xiao Ji. Last year, when he attacked Chen Guo for the first time, Xiao Ji lost his Blazing Sword and Moon Blade, and Sister Hana planned to build a peerless sword for Xiao Ji. She told me about this and asked me to help her build it together, she taught me a lot of techniques, but this sword is only half made, and Sister Hana has not had time to teach me many processes and processes in the later stage......"

He Yu also lowered his head sadly and asked, "Brother Xiao Xun, how did you do it later?" ”

"For more than a month, I studied hard and tried countless methods, and finally found that the core of smelting lies in temperature, and only when the temperature reaches a certain level can I smelt molten iron and refine it into a sword, but at the beginning, no matter how hard I tried, the flames couldn't become more intense, until Xiaoshuang helped me make a wind wheel!"

"Wind wheels? What is it? ”

Zhang Xun pulled Heyu and Shuang Di into the workshop, pointed to a copper disc next to the stove and said, "This is it!" ”

He Yu squatted on the ground and took a closer look, only to see that this disc was simply a copper basin with the bottom cut off, there were two wooden planks in the basin, crossed into a cross shape, and a thin bamboo pole was inserted at the cross, the bamboo pole stretched out a foot high, and a large hole was dug out on the side wall of the copper basin, and a bamboo tube was connected to the hole, and the gap was pasted with dry clay, and the other end of the bamboo tube was facing the stove.

"This is a wind wheel? What is this thing for? He Yu asked, scratching his head.

"Turn the bamboo pole that stretches out, and the cross pieces of wood below will rotate with it, just like a waterwheel driving running water, these two wooden boards will drive the air, and the air will be fanned into the large hole in the side wall, and then blown into the furnace through the bamboo tube, as long as you turn the wind wheel hard, the flame will immediately become vigorous."

"I'll try! I'll try! He Yu was full of interest, he rubbed the bamboo pole vigorously, and sure enough, the wood chips below rotated, and the sound of wind came from the bamboo tube, and the flame in the stove immediately burned vigorously.

"Ahh Brother Xiao Xun! That's amazing! ”

"Yes! I haven't been able to find a way to make the flames more intense, so I've been very distressed, Xiaoshuang comes to bring me food every day, and he doesn't tire of listening to me talk about these things, and even helps me figure out a way together, at first, I just took a fan and sat in front of the stove to fan the wind, until a few days ago, Xiaoshuang drew a picture to find me, I was shocked when I saw it! It's just too clever! ”

Shuang Di bowed her head embarrassedly and said, "It was Brother Xiaoxun who inspired me, and I just thought of it, but in fact, I don't know if it's okay." ”

"Okay! It will work! When I saw the picture, I was convinced that this would work! I hurriedly bought a copper basin and made this thing, although it is very rough, but it is very effective, a hundred times stronger than fanning the wind! Xiaoshuang, you're so smart! If you hadn't invented the wind wheel, I wouldn't have succeeded anyway! ”

Shuang Di said shyly: "Actually, I suddenly thought of Brother Xiao Xun's construction of a waterwheel for everyone in Yiyang Village, so I thought of this method." ”

"Ahh Waterwheel! Yes! If the other end of the wind wheel is attached to the water wheel, then there is no need for manual operation! I can try to do that later! ”

He Yu exclaimed: "With this wind wheel, the flame is really strong!" This is simply the magic weapon of the god of fire! ”

"Vulcan?" Zhang Xunleng paused, "I thought of it, this sword might as well be called Chongli, which is the real name of the legendary fire god Zhurong." ”

"Good! All right! This magic weapon deserves its name! Let's call him Chongli Sword! ”

"Hmmm! Chongli Sword! Zhang Xun raised the heavy Li sword, and in the sunlight, its sharp edges flashed with dazzling light, as if divine fire was surrounding the sword body.

Shuang Tu pulled the corner of Zhang Xun's clothes and whispered: "Brother Xiao Xun, the sword is cast, don't work so hard in the future, okay?" ”

"Well......" Zhang Xun lowered his head in frustration, as if he had suddenly lost his motivation, and said sadly: "Hey, the sword is cast, but there is no one to send ......"

He Yu comforted: "Brother Xiao Xun, you can keep this sword and use it, I think Brother Ji Zheng and Sister Hana's spirit in the sky will also hope that you can use this sword well." ”

Zhang Xun shook his head and said firmly: "No, Xiao Ji must still be alive, I don't believe that he will die so easily, besides, I won't believe the statement that the body fell into the river and can't be found, I won't believe it anyway!" I will always look for him! Then give him the Chongli sword with your own hands! ”