Chapter 54: Without Shortcomings (IV)

“Governor, did you… did you call me here?”
The craftsman surnamed Chen entered the room and, seeing Li Kuo sitting at the head of the table, didn’t know what to say. In the past, he would have immediately knelt down to pay his respects. With such a clear hierarchy, he couldn’t afford to violate the rules. But he had heard that this new governor despised formal rituals and was usually very polite to elders. It wouldn’t be wise to displease him.
Caught in this dilemma, the craftsman twisted his hands together, looking quite embarrassed.
“Sit,” Li Kuo said with a smile, nodding at him before gesturing to a low table at the foot of the table.
“Ah!” The craftsman was flattered and moved to sit down at the low table.
“You must be Chen Shoucheng, the head of the Military Armaments Bureau in the former Shule Governor’s Office, right?” Li Kuo picked up a cup of green tea and took a sip before asking casually. Since returning to Shule City, he had begun preparing to rebuild the Military Armaments Bureau. To be honest, when he received Gao Xianzhi’s order allowing for its reconstruction, he was quite shocked. But since the emperor had given the order, he had to follow it. Shule was not short of iron materials—there was an iron mine fifty miles outside the city. With the imperial approval, Shule could now produce weapons and armor on its own.
However, though the materials were abundant, skilled craftsmen needed to manufacture weapons were in short supply. He had previously asked Du Moye that since the Military Armaments Bureau was disbanded in Shule, most of the old craftsmen had either left or passed away. Now, there were very few who could take on such a difficult task alone.
Since rebuilding the Military Armaments Bureau was necessary, there was no need to be too restrictive in scale. Li Kuo obtained the addresses of the old craftsmen living in Shule through various channels and sent people to invite them sincerely. Although these people had not picked up hammers in nearly a decade, the skills they had learned were not so easy to forget. He believed that after a few days of familiarization, they would regain their skill as craftsmen.
Moreover, upon returning from Hexiang, he brought back many Han craftsmen from the slave market. Aside from a few carpenters, most were blacksmiths. Though he had not yet seen their skills, they probably weren’t bad. With a little training, the new Military Armaments Bureau could be reestablished, freeing him from further concern over this matter.
“Ah, yes, I am Chen Shoucheng. You called me here regarding the Military Armaments Bureau, right?”

Seeing that the governor had revealed his fate, Chen Shoucheng quickly nodded and said, “Rest assured, many of my old comrades are here in Shule City now. As long as you give the order, I’ll definitely bring them to you!”
A peaceful life easily erodes one’s drive for progress. Years of leisure made Chen Shoucheng feel uncomfortable everywhere. Now that he had the chance to return to the army, he was naturally delighted. As for those old friends, he wasn’t worried at all. After all, they all made a living through this craft—only a fool wouldn’t take government rations!
“Very well, then I’ll leave this task to you. Additionally, I’ve brought back some craftsmen from Hezhong who should be able to help the Military Armaments Bureau. I’ll need you to assign them tasks when the time comes.”
Li Kuo’s expression was quite calm, so he simply appointed Chen Shoucheng as the manager of the Shule Military Armaments Bureau.
Hearing this, Chen Shoucheng was overjoyed. After all, he had once been an obscure craftsman, doing all the dirty and hard work. Yet now, after more than a decade, he had become the manager of the Military Armaments Bureau. Who wouldn’t be happy with such good fortune?
“Don’t worry. I, Chen Shoucheng, promise to build a splendid Military Armaments Bureau for you. Arrows, armor, spears—just give the order, and I’ll produce them for you on time.”
Having received kindness from others, Chen Shoucheng confidently guaranteed it. In his eyes, Li Kuo was his lucky star and savior. As long as he remained in charge of Shule’s military affairs, he would never fall from power!
“It’s for the Great Tang, for His Majesty!”
Li Kuo shook his head with a wry smile, gently correcting him.
“Yes, look at my silly head—It’s for His Majesty!”
Chen Shoucheng patted his head and smiled brightly.
“Hmm, there’s one more favor I’d like you to agree to.”
Li Kuo responded softly and changed the subject, “One of my younger brothers wants to work at the Military Armaments Bureau. I hope you’ll take him as a disciple.”
Chen Shoucheng thought the general would ask for something else, but it turned out to be taking in a disciple. Normally, being a blacksmith wasn’t an easy job, so masters were very careful in choosing apprentices, often starting them at the age of seven or eight. But since it was the general who suggested it, he had no reason to disappoint him.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Shoucheng gritted his teeth and said, “General, I don’t see any problem with that. But I must say upfront—blacksmithing isn’t easy work. Your younger brother is probably quite old by now. If he wants to achieve something in the future, he’ll need to put in a lot of effort.”

Li Kuo certainly understood what he was worried about and said softly, “Don’t worry about that. If he slacks off, I’ll be the first to punish him.” After saying that, Li Kuo clapped his hands to signal for Erwa to come in.
“General, general, I…”
Ever since arriving in Shule, Erwa had never been officially incorporated into the Shule army. Perhaps due to Li Kuo’s deliberate protection, he hadn’t even touched weapons or armor. This wasn’t what Erwa wanted. He had come to Shule to join the army, to become a great hero like a general. If he had to idle away his time in the camp like this, it would be better to die…
“I’ve told you so much today—don’t you still understand? The armory is of great importance to the Shule army. Helping me forge more weapons here is far more useful than going out to fight and killing a few enemies!”
“General, I—I understand! Erwa won’t disappoint you!”
Gritting his teeth, Erwa finally said, “Don’t worry. I will definitely learn the craft well from the master and never hold back the Shule army!”
In Kuochang’s hall, the young man’s resolute voice lingered among the wooden pillars and beams, echoing endlessly…
Having gained such a clever disciple, Chen Shoucheng was overjoyed. After all, in those times, the sons of wealthy families would join the army or become officials. Even children from ordinary families who were sharp-witted would opt to farm or do business. The hardships of being a craftsman were not something ordinary people could endure.
“The most important thing in blacksmithing is to keep a calm mind. Only by calming the mind can one create a decent piece of work with both form and spirit.”
Chen Shoucheng smiled faintly and nodded at Erwa. In the Tang Dynasty, the status of craftsmen was quite low. They were less noble than scholars or peasants, and less wealthy than merchants. So what sustained them?
It was their ideals and perseverance!
“Erwa, let me teach you a poem.”
Chen Shoucheng picked up a half-red-hot iron bar and examined it carefully. “A pagoda, black and tall, thin at the top and thick at the base. One day, when turned upside down, it’ll be thin at the base and thick at the top!”