Chapter 143: Forging Mo Sabers

Li Wantong failed in his attempt to poison the enemy and instead ended up injured, making his days of late an excruciating torment worse than death. His hatred for the fellow named Xiao Ding who had shot him with a crossbow went deep into his bones, and he secretly resolved that given the chance, he would definitely take the brat's life.

When Li Daocheng heard Li Wantong recount the course of the poisoning attempt, his face too was filled with regret. They had missed success by just a hair's breadth. Had it succeeded, wouldn't Dingbian City have fallen effortlessly into their hands? There would have been no need to worry at present.

Although Li Wantong had now brought another thirty thousand troops, the army was completely out of grain, which was deadly! They could neither launch a siege nor afford to let their plan fall through, yet they could hardly just withdraw their forces like this. Having mobilized a massive army from afar only to lose soldiers and generals without even catching a glimpse of Yongzhou City, how utterly disgraceful it would be to return empty-handed!

Right now, the grain in the camp was being rationed strictly, with even Li Daocheng drinking thin rice gruel meal after meal. An army like this possessed no combat effectiveness whatsoever, even if they were to engage in battle!

While Li Daocheng was consumed with worry, Dingbian City was experiencing its own trials. After mobilizing heavily for two or three days, the old Daoist who had attempted the poisoning had ultimately escaped, leaving all the leaders feeling deeply frustrated.

The well in the camp's rear kitchen could no longer be used, nor did they dare to dig new wells nearby, fearing that the underground water sources might be interconnected.

Several soldiers who had been poisoned by the old Daoist's toxic powder ultimately died with blood flowing from their seven facial orifices, and the military physicians were entirely helpless against this type of poison.

With the Hu forces bolstered by an additional thirty thousand troops, Fei Wen was even more reluctant to dispatch his troops.

The leaders and several junior officers gathered in the county office's conference hall, continuing to discuss methods for dealing with the Hu army.

"Does the infantry of our Great Song nation truly have no way to counter the Hu cavalry?" Xiao Ding asked.

"Such methods do exist. The Imperial Guard of our Great Song has a specialized regiment of long-handled saber infantry specifically deployed to counter cavalry," Huang Wenlong replied.

"A long-handled saber?" Xiao Ding had only ever heard of the Mo sabers used by infantry to counter cavalry during China's Tang Dynasty, and had never heard of this particular blade.

"Indeed, it is a long-shafted saber with blades on both sides, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, mounted on a wooden pole with an iron ferrule at the base. Because the shaft resembles a boat oar, it is called the Oar Saber," Huang Wenlong explained.

"Then why are our regional forces not equipped with Oar Sabers?" Xiao Ding asked in puzzlement.

"Because Oar Sabers require top-grade refined steel and iron, and the manufacturing process is extremely cumbersome. Only the imperial court's armories know the production methods and possess sufficient high-quality steel resources to forge them. The armories of our local military forces are simply incapable of producing Oar Sabers," Huang Wenlong explained.

Hearing this, Xiao Ding nodded in deep agreement. He recalled the iron spear he had been issued at the Yongzhou armory before setting out, which had been bent flat by a single blow from Bala Tian's mace. With such primitive weapons-manufacturing technology, how could they possibly forge superior arms?

"I happen to know a smelting method for a type of long saber that can be used to suppress cavalry," Xiao Ding recalled the forging techniques for the Mo saber that he had seen online prior to his transdimensional journey.

The Mo saber was a variant of the Tang saber. The military sabers equipped by Tang Dynasty forces generally included four types: first, the ceremonial saber; second, the barrier saber; third, the horizontal saber; and fourth, the Mo saber.

The ceremonial saber was typically carried by the Tang imperial guards during processions, decorated with gold and silver, featuring a hilt ring shaped like a dragon and a phoenix, bearing a close resemblance to the Han Dynasty ring-pommel saber.

The barrier saber was short and broad, resembling a dagger, making it lighter, more agile, and suited for close-quarters combat. When a soldier's horizontal saber or Mo saber became cumbersome to use in hand-to-hand fighting, the barrier saber served as the primary close-combat weapon.

The horizontal saber was a long, undecorated blade carried by ordinary Tang soldiers for combat. The blade was straight and narrow, upright and unyielding, possessing both the "regal bearing of a sword and the tyrannical aura of a saber." Later Japanese swords were profoundly influenced by the Tang horizontal saber.

The Mo saber was a long blade wielded by Tang infantry specifically designed to combat cavalry. Evolving from the Han Dynasty horse-chopping sword, it was exceptionally sharp with devastating cutting power, capable of cleaving both horse and rider in two on the battlefield, and cutting down a horse's legs with as much ease as slicing vegetables.

The fourth type, the Mo saber, was precisely what Xiao Ding intended to recommend to Huang Wenlong. He had previously seen the forging method for the Mo saber online, though he was uncertain whether the blacksmiths of this era could successfully manufacture it.

"Oh? Commander Tian even understands weapon forging?" Huang Wenlong asked, looking at Xiao Ding in astonishment.

"I merely saw it once in an ancient book," Xiao Ding fabricated with a straight face.

"Then you might as well write down the method and have the armory forge a batch to test it out," Huang Wenlong suggested.

"Very well, I shall write it down shortly," Xiao Ding nodded in response. "In addition, while I was in Xinquan City, I had the armory forge some new-style crossbows. No doubt Lord Huang has heard of them?"

"Indeed, I heard they possess tremendous firepower?" Huang Wenlong said.

"Correct. This new type of crossbow also has miraculous efficacy against cavalry at long range. Lord Huang might as well order the armory to manufacture more to equip the archers of our army," Xiao Ding said.

"Certainly, certainly. I wonder if you brought the blueprints for those crossbows?" Huang Wenlong asked.

"The crossbow blueprints are currently at the armory in Xinquan County; you can send someone to retrieve them. Mind you, these blueprints must on no account fall into the hands of the Hu people," Xiao Ding reminded him.

"Naturally, I will ensure strict confidentiality," Huang Wenlong replied.

"Currently, we are waiting for the Hu army to exhaust their grain and lose their combat capability. During this exact interval, we can forge additional Mo sabers and new-style crossbows to equip our troops."

At this point, County Magistrate Yang, who had been listening quietly from the side, suddenly spoke up: "Forging them should be feasible, but our Dingbian County is merely a small county town, and the iron ore resources stored within the city are limited. I fear it may not be enough to mass-produce these two types of weapons."

"When I was in Xinquan County, Magistrate Kou had the exact same concern. Later, we simply melted down the weapons captured from the Hu people and used the metal to forge the new-style crossbows," Xiao Ding said with a smile.

"Ah, that is a brilliant idea! We too have captured a considerable number of weapons from the Hu forces; we can likewise melt them down to forge Mo sabers and the new-style crossbows!" Huang Wenlong laughed heartily.

Neither the garrison in Dingbian City nor the Hu army camp was prepared to go to war just yet, yet both sides were actively scheming how to deal with the other.

"Military Advisor, do you have a plan to breach the city?" Inside the main Hu military tent, Li Daocheng asked Mao Yanshun.

Mao Yanshun shook his head helplessly and said, "Our army excels at open-field combat. If we wish to completely annihilate the regional forces, we must find a way to lure them out of the city. If we resort to a siege war, I am afraid our forces will not be able to capture this small county town anytime soon."

"Then how can we lure the enemy troops out of the city?" Li Daocheng asked with a frown.

"As for the specifics, I need to ponder it further. I must ask the First Prince to grant me some time," Mao Yanshun said with a troubled expression.

"Very well, there is no immediate rush. In any case, even if we had a plan, we would still have to wait until our military grain is delivered," Li Daocheng nodded and said.

For a time, the grand tent fell silent once more. If the military advisor Mao Yanshun had no strategies to offer, the martial generals below him went without saying.

Consuming thin rice gruel meal after meal over the past few days had left these generals listless; to say nothing of taking the battlefield, if asked to mount a horse right now, they might not even have the strength to pull themselves up.

Imperial Preceptor Li Wantong was currently lying prone on a stretcher set up on one side of the grand tent, the two ends of the stretcher resting on a pair of benches.

Seeing that everyone remained silent, Li Wantong suddenly spoke up, "Actually, I have thought of a fine idea."