“What use is bringing grain? Don’t tell me my great Chishan Town can’t grow enough grain to feed itself! To use such worthless goods in exchange for iron—what a toad reaching for the swan’s flesh!
“From now on, don’t let anyone from that place come here again. Tell them to get lost!”
Constable Zhao carefully relayed Duan Yan’s words to the town inspector. As expected, the man flew into a tremendous rage.
The town inspector of Chishan Town was a military man with a fierce temper. He was straightforward and hot-blooded in all things, unlike civil officials, whose dispositions tended to be more measured.
Constable Zhao kept his head half bowed, repeating, “Yes, yes.”
Though he did his best to placate the town inspector, in these troubled times, he still had to consider the town’s long-term livelihood. Thus, Constable Zhao cautiously said, “What Duan Yan said wasn’t entirely wrong, either. In these chaotic times, everyone has their eyes on our little mine. It’s a fine resource. Though it helps us keep bandits and mountain brigands from daring to approach, sooner or later the county will inevitably demand that we hand some over…”
“The county magistrate is acting like a quail these days, thinking only of keeping his own skin safe. He shows every sign of abandoning us to our fate. If he really comes to requisition the ore…”
He raised his eyes to glance at the town inspector. “Will we give it to him or not?”
Constable Zhao thought that after putting things this way, the town inspector would surely consider the matter carefully and reconsider whether they should trade with Yan Town for grain.
After all, before the county came demanding anything, they could sell some iron to Salt Town and gain a few benefits in return. Duan Yan possessed an official iron permit from the government office, so supplying them with iron would be entirely legitimate. When the county eventually demanded iron, they could simply claim that their stock had run low—and their accounts would still stand up to inspection.
Who would have thought that this firecracker of a man would merely snort coldly and say, “Forget the county. At a time like this, even the Heavenly King himself can forget about taking a single piece of iron from me without paying!”
“As for Yan Town, they’d better look after themselves. Once the fortifications here are finished, we’ll have plenty of time to settle accounts with them!”
Constable Zhao was struck speechless. He had never expected this man to possess such nerve—to be unafraid even of the county. He did not dare offer any further advice, and his heart began to pound.
Looking at the town inspector’s stance, it seemed he intended to turn their town into an independent power, entirely beyond outside control.
The thought left Constable Zhao uneasy. He had no idea whether this would prove a blessing or a disaster…
When Duan Yan reached the town, it was not yet dark, but rain had begun to fall again, and the cold was bitter.
He first went to the government office and informed several of the officials in charge of the outcome of the negotiations.
“Salt and iron are both equally valuable in Qianzhou these days. We were the ones who first went to seek peace, yet Chishan Town demands such an unequal exchange. They show not the slightest trace of sincerity!”
Tax Officer Qin shook his head. “If we went by market price, two catties of raw salt for one catty of iron could perhaps be discussed. But three catties of well salt? Who could afford such a trade?”
Song Wushen and Song Xuemu’s expressions darkened as well. Given Chishan Town’s demands, there was no way they could make the exchange.
“For now, let’s wait and see. I’ve already said everything that needed saying. If Chishan Town comes to its senses, there may still be a chance to turn things around.”
That was what Duan Yan said.
For the moment, they were only dealing with war. Once famine arrived, Chishan Town would understand just how precious grain was. But that was still a matter for the future, and for now they had no way to threaten Chishan Town in the slightest.
“Still, we must prepare for the worst. If Chishan Town insists on refusing the trade, we’ll have to make other arrangements.”
On his way back, Duan Yan had already considered several countermeasures. He now explained them to everyone.
“We must forge farm tools. Since iron is limited, we should call upon the farmers to bring in whatever old iron they have at home. We can melt it down and forge improved tools that are easier to use.”
“As for weapons, we should train as many archers as possible. When the time comes, they can use bamboo arrows. We’ll also think of ways to improve our weapons, using less iron and finding clever substitutes wherever possible.”
Everyone nodded. The first suggestion sounded practical enough. It could be implemented immediately; it would merely require more effort.
The second, however, was somewhat vague. Improving weapons was easy enough to say, but there was no specific method yet. Who would make the improvements? Who among them was skilled enough? All of that remained a problem.
Improving farm tools was different. They already had drawings, so the work could begin as soon as they set their minds to it.
Song Xuemu was troubled as well. Though he had devoted himself to construction and had gained practical experience designing better farm tools after working the soil himself, he was ultimately a scholar. He had never served in an army, nor had he ever fought anyone. When it came to improving weapons while reducing the use of iron, he truly had no idea where to begin.
Still, under difficult circumstances, having a direction for solving the problem was better than having none at all. For now, they could only take things one step at a time.
The others all agreed. “Xiao Duan has thought this through well. Let’s proceed this way for now. Problems have to be solved one at a time.”
By then, the rain outside had grown heavier. Duan Yan had gotten somewhat wet riding back, and after finishing his report, he prepared to return to the residence.
Song Wushen fetched an umbrella, opened it, and came over to walk with him.
The two of them shared a single umbrella.
“Father, is something troubling you?”
Duan Yan noticed the solemn expression on the man beside him. Song Wushen rarely looked so grave, and the fact that he had specifically come to walk with him clearly meant he had something to say. Duan Yan asked first.
Song Wushen held one hand behind his back. “I heard you say that Chishan Town is also building walls and fortifications. It leaves me uneasy.
“If they refuse to trade iron with us, that alone wouldn’t be the worst outcome. What I fear is that they may not be afraid of the county either…”
Duan Yan’s brows drew together. He immediately understood what Song Wushen meant.
“Father, you’re worried that Chishan Town intends to establish itself as an independent power?”
Song Wushen let out a quiet sigh. He did not deny Duan Yan’s words, but continued, “By going there to buy iron, we have undoubtedly exposed our weakness to Chishan Town: a lack of weapons and inadequate military supplies.
“They asked for salt, which suggests that their own supply is probably insufficient. They also have well-informed sources and know that our town stockpiled salt before the upheaval. Once Chishan’s salt runs short, I fear they may turn their weapons on Yan Town.”
Duan Yan’s heart tightened. He truly had not considered this beforehand.
The town inspector of Chishan was a military man, and in these chaotic times he possessed a fierce, bloodthirsty nature. It was entirely possible that he intended to develop Chishan into a power of his own, free from anyone’s control. Even if he did not know that Salt Town possessed a supply of salt, in his efforts to grow stronger, the first place he would likely seek to subdue would be Yan Town, the nearest neighboring settlement.
Duan Yan’s chest rose and fell heavily. “Father is right.”
Song Wushen had not said any of this earlier because he was afraid of causing panic. Duan Yan was one of their own and was also in charge of the soldiers, so he needed to learn of these concerns first and remain on his guard.
“Train the soldiers well. This is only my guess; we still don’t know what will happen.”
Duan Yan acknowledged him and returned to the residence with a mind full of worries.
When Song Fengsui saw him come back looking dispirited, he understood without needing to ask that the negotiations had not gone well.
He said nothing. Instead, he had the servants bring hot water to Duan Yan’s room and fetch clean clothes for him to wash and change. He then went to the kitchen and ordered a bowl of hot ginger soup to drive away the chill.
After receiving such attentive care, Duan Yan did indeed feel somewhat better.
At dinner that night, they did not hide anything from Song Fengsui. They told him everything about what had happened, including Song Wushen’s concerns.
“In troubled times, the weak are destined to be slaughtered at will. Even if we make no attempt to fight or seize anything, there’s no guarantee that others won’t come to drink our blood and devour our flesh.”
“Whatever happens, I must protect the peace of Rock Town.”
Duan Yan gently stroked Song Fengsui’s hair. “We still have to hold our wedding properly in April.”
A warm smile curved Song Fengsui’s lips. Mentioning the wedding eased the heaviness that the situation had brought upon them both.
Rain beat loudly outside. Duan Yan glanced up at the sound, then turned back and rallied himself. Grasping Song Fengsui’s hand, he said, “Stay with me tonight. We’ll have a hard-fought battle!”
Song Fengsui raised his long brows, his face flushing. “...Wh-what?”
Duan Yan got up and brought out paper and a brush. “We’ll study how to improve our weapons!”
“...”
Song Fengsui shifted his eyes awkwardly, reining in the thoughts that had wandered toward the racecourse. After clearing his throat, he asked, “Do you have any ideas?”
Duan Yan said nothing. Instead, he picked up the brush and listed a series of materials.
From the clumsy handwriting, Song Fengsui made out saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal. He had no idea what they meant, so he tilted his head and stared only at Duan Yan’s handsome face, his expression unusually serious.
The two discussed the matter for quite some time that night, and it was already well into the second half of the night before they finally went to sleep.
Over the next several days, the town waited for word from Chishan, while Duan Yan and Song Fengsui ran back and forth between the town and the countryside.
Whenever they returned home, they shut themselves in a room and tinkered with something. No one had any idea what they were doing.
The only reason anyone realized the two of them were busy was because the Song family noticed that Young Master Song had not been seen for several days. In the past, whenever Duan Yan went to the training grounds to drill the soldiers, Song Fengsui would either return to the residence to listen to his grandfather’s lessons or burrow into his mother’s room to watch her make his wedding clothes.
But these days, he had vanished completely from the household.
That day, Song Xuemu came over. He intended to tell them that the improved farming tools had been completed. The manor had organized a competition in which the farmers would use both the new and old tools to plow the fields and see which was faster. Once they had some free time, everyone could go to the countryside and enjoy the festivities together.
He had barely entered the courtyard when, without warning, there was a loud bang.
Song Xuemu shuddered violently, his heart pounding as he called out, “What happened?”
The servants of the residence had no idea either. They had also been scared pale by the explosive noise, and immediately began rushing toward the place where it had come from.
When Song Xuemu led the way to the rear courtyard, he saw Duan Yan and Song Fengsui cowering beneath the eaves like a pair of startled quails.
In one corner of the courtyard, a clay jar lay shattered, its fragments scattered across the ground along with bits of stone, bamboo splinters, and bone shards.
Song Xuemu was usually mild-tempered, but seeing the two grown children shut themselves in a room to play with explosives made his anger flare at once. He strode over with a stern expression and was just about to scold them when Young Master Song spotted his second uncle and joyfully grabbed him by the arm.
“Second Uncle, it worked! It really worked!”
“What worked? You and Duan Yan shut yourselves in here and fooled around with something, scaring me half to death!”
Joy was plainly visible on Duan Yan’s face as well. Seeing the household servants hurrying into the rear courtyard, he quickly raised a hand and signaled Gou San’er to lead them away.
Only then did he explain to Song Xuemu, “Second Uncle, we weren’t playing with firecrackers. Sui Sui and I have been working on a new weapon these past few days. We tested it just now, and it finally worked.”
Song Xuemu’s brow twitched as he looked again at the shattered clay jar on the ground. “You two? You made a new weapon?”
Song Fengsui nodded. Seeing that Song Xuemu was still bewildered, the two exchanged a tacit glance and said nothing. Duan Yan went to fetch another sealed clay jar about the size of a palm, while Song Fengsui pulled Song Xuemu back to a safe distance.
Duan Yan lit the remaining fuse and swiftly hurled the jar far away. A second bang rang out. The clay jar exploded, sending sharp fragments flying in every direction, along with the stones, bamboo splinters, and bone shards inside.
The few of them had retreated beneath the covered walkway, but there was no complete barrier in front of them. Several small stones still shot toward them with considerable force, making the hems of their clothes flutter noticeably.
Those were merely stones that had been shattered until their original size was almost impossible to discern, yet they already possessed such force. Had the fragments been bone or pottery, they would certainly have torn flesh and left the victim covered in wounds!
“This...”
Song Xuemu’s chest rose and fell heavily. “A cannon shell! How did you two manage to make this?”
Once his shock had subsided, fear took over. “You made something this dangerous without knowing what you were doing, and you’ve been tinkering with it for days? Heavens above! Are you hurt? You must tell me at once if anything happened!”
Song Fengsui hurriedly said, “Second Uncle, rest assured. We’re both fine. Look—we’re standing right here in front of you. No missing limbs, and we haven’t even broken the skin.”
Duan Yan added, “This is only a simple shell. Its power isn’t all that great.”
Song Xuemu seized both of Song Fengsui’s arms and examined them repeatedly. Only after confirming that there truly were no injuries did he gradually calm down.
“You should know that cannon shells are sophisticated weapons restricted to the Imperial Guards in the capital. During their development, countless talented craftsmen lost their lives. Gunpowder is extremely difficult to handle. The slightest mistake can cause it to ignite or explode, and its power is more than the human body can withstand!”
Song Xuemu worked in the Ministry of Works. He had seen and heard of many craftsmen who had died during development or lost limbs and been left crippled. Naturally, he understood how dangerous it was and treated it with great caution.
Even he had never imagined he would see something he had not been able to develop himself emerge from the hands of these two children. Although fireworks and firecrackers were available for amusement, the court still controlled them with extreme strictness.
Without the money and connections, ordinary people could not purchase them easily. The methods for producing fireworks and firecrackers were likewise tightly controlled. There were no books on gunpowder available in the marketplace, and even an official such as Song Xuemu had no access to those records.
Private manufacture of firecrackers was forbidden among the common people. As for weapons like cannon shells, anyone who dared produce them without authorization would face the grave penalty of having their entire household executed. Collective liability was enforced as well: neighbors and villagers were required to monitor one another and report violations, and they too would be punished if the matter came to light.
Had they not been living in such chaotic times, the noise from just now would have been enough to bring constables over to question and search the residence.
Precisely because the regulations were so severe, many rebels who wished to produce cannon shells and other firearms either lost their lives or were crippled during the process, or were captured before they could complete their work.
Song Fengsui lightly touched the tip of his nose. Born into an official family, how could he not know how gravely these things violated the law? Because the restrictions were so strict, when he first saw the formula for making gunpowder, he had not even realized that it was a gunpowder recipe.
But when Duan Yan told him that day what they were making, his heart had pounded fiercely. He had agreed almost immediately—and had even felt a little excited.
“There was no other way to protect the town. Chishan Town refused to trade us ironware. Once they learned that we were short on weapons, they might develop designs on our food and try to strip us of our provisions like bandits. We couldn’t just stand by and watch them plunder us, waiting helplessly for death.”
Song Xuemu shook his head. “How could I not know that you did this because you wanted to protect the town? In these chaotic times, all those rules of propriety and law have to take second place. Being able to preserve yourselves whole and intact—that is the foundation of survival in a troubled world! What your Second Uncle calls reckless is how bold you two were. Two complete outsiders, secretly tinkering with bombs without saying a word. If something had gone wrong, were you trying to worry us to death?”
Song Xuemu smacked each of them once on the head.
Duan Yan obediently took the blows, then gently rubbed Young Master Song’s head and took the opportunity to draw him a little behind himself, shielding him.
If Duan Yan had not been at least somewhat confident, how could he have let Song Fengsui get involved? He knew the precise proportions, after all, and had made them himself before. That was why he had dared to call Song Fengsui in to work with him. If he had only possessed a vague understanding, he would have hidden in a cave and made them alone, never letting Song Fengsui know.
“We won’t dare do it again.”
Duan Yan said, “We’ve made Second Uncle worry for nothing. You’ll have to put in a good word for the two of us, or Father and Grandfather will give us another thorough scolding.”
Song Xuemu snorted. He lectured the two of them for a while, but inwardly he could no longer restrain his curiosity about how they had mastered the proportions and managed to make the bombs.
In truth, making simple bombs was not particularly difficult. The most important part was the gunpowder. Its ingredients were the same ones mentioned earlier: saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur, in a ratio of fifteen to three to two.
Song Xuemu had said that it was dangerous because many of the people who had explored the subject in the past had died. They had failed to get the proportions right, causing the gunpowder to detonate prematurely and resulting in tragedy.
Duan Yan knew the proportions and had also taken precautions in advance. With those two safeguards in place, nothing went wrong.
Next, they put the gunpowder, sharp fragments of stone, bone shards, and the like into an earthenware jar, sealed the opening with yellow mud, and inserted a fuse.
“That is more or less the process. There are still many details to pay attention to. For example, the fuse has to be soaked in gunpowder beforehand and then dried in the sun. That way, it can be properly ignited when the bomb is used. The gunpowder must not be packed down tightly, or it will be more likely to explode.”
After going over the process, Song Xuemu could not help praising its ingenuity.
Such a marvelous weapon, once broken down step by step and summarized by Duan Yan, seemed surprisingly simple.
“You child, how do you know so much?”
Listening to him explain it made it sound easy, but if it were truly that simple, the imperial court would not have lost so many talented men and extraordinary craftsmen in the past.
Thus, Song Xuemu could not resist asking Duan Yan.
Since he had personally made the weapon, Duan Yan had already prepared an explanation. “There used to be an old Daoist in town. After getting into trouble elsewhere, he fled to the area around Yan Town and hid in the mountains.
“He usually made pills and elixirs to earn money. During the epidemic, he came up with a medicinal prescription and originally intended to claim credit for it, but instead ended up killing quite a few ordinary people. When I escorted him to the authorities, that old Daoist revealed the secrets of making gunpowder to me in exchange for his life.”
That old Daoist had already gone to the afterlife alongside Chen Hu, so there was no way to verify the story now. As long as Duan Yan told a half-true, half-false version, it would make a perfectly convincing explanation.
Sure enough, Song Xuemu believed most of it.
After all, gunpowder had originally been discovered through a Daoist’s alchemical experiments. If that old Daoist had fled from elsewhere and hidden in the mountains, it was quite plausible that he had done so because something involving that stuff had been exposed…
“I didn’t dare mention this before. I only kept the formula buried in my heart. But the situation is critical now. Otherwise, I would never have tried it so lightly.”
Duan Yan made the lie even more airtight. “That old Daoist was trying to save his life. He really didn’t tell me a single falsehood.”
When Song Xuemu heard this, he was overjoyed. “Now that we have firearms, the town’s defenses will be all the more secure!”
Duan Yan and Song Fengsui exchanged a glance, equally delighted.
And so they did not keep the matter secret. They discreetly informed several of the town’s decision-makers. When Tax Officer Qin heard the news, he nearly fainted from shock. Song Wushen and Song Grandfather were likewise greatly astonished once they learned of it.
Song Wushen inwardly reflected that he had told Duan Yan to remain vigilant, train the troops properly, and improve their weapons and equipment in case Chishan Town developed treacherous intentions.
Who could have guessed that this boy would be capable of so much—that he would even manage to develop firearms? No wonder he had suggested improving the weapons after returning from Chishan Town. Song Wushen had assumed it was empty talk, never realizing that Duan Yan already had a plan.
For a time, everyone experienced an unexpected blessing mingled with shock and fear.
Before the authorities could mobilize craftsmen and the people from the pottery workshops to secretly begin mass-producing the bombs, Duan Yan and Song Fengsui were summoned to the Song household and given another thorough lesson.
Afterward, Duan Yan did not slack off in the slightest. He continued refining and improving the bombs.
To increase their power, they still needed to add iron pellets. Since iron was in short supply, Duan Yan used troop training as an excuse to lead the town militia into the mountains. At the same time, he wanted to see whether they might be able to find an iron mine.
Unfortunately, things did not go as hoped. They went into the mountains every few days without finding any ore, but the militia’s ability to fight in the wilderness genuinely improved before everyone’s eyes.
If they happened to run into a bandit gang in the mountains, they might not necessarily lose to those mountain-monkey-like criminals in close combat.
Duan Yan felt that mountain training could entirely be added to the training program at the drill ground. Once a new batch of militia members was recruited, they could be trained the same way.
Since there was no ore in the mountains, Duan Yan changed directions and led the militia down to the river to pan for it. It was much like panning for gold: they sifted through the sand to extract iron sand. The work was arduous, and the amount they obtained was small. If it had been gold, the effort might have been worthwhile—but unfortunately, it was only iron sand.
Still, in these chaotic times, when iron was in such short supply, the value of iron sand dredged from the river was not necessarily lower than that of gold.
In addition, seeing that the weather consisted of rain and snow one day after another, Duan Yan used tung oil and pine resin to make a protective coating for the bomb fuses, preventing rainy weather from hampering their use in battle…
In short, each new batch of bombs was more sophisticated than the last.
However, as production increased, their supply of gunpowder ingredients began to run tight. The firecrackers from the town’s fireworks shop were all requisitioned so that the gunpowder inside them could be extracted and used. Even the white frost that formed on pigsties and chicken coops was scraped up and processed to extract saltpeter…
At the same time, they had to train the militia without arousing suspicion, so that the bombs could be used to their full effect when battle came.
The first month of the new year passed in the blink of an eye, and recruitment for a new batch of militia members began once more…
Duan Yan was busier than ever, and Song Fengsui had no time to relax either. He led people to the farms in the village and took charge of refining saltpeter, making good use of the frost painstakingly scraped from the corners of walls. All day long, he worked with frost that reeked of chicken droppings.
It was certainly foul-smelling, but Young Doctor Song knew how to boil medicinal pastes and prepare medicines. Looking across the entire town, he was the only suitable candidate to take on the role of the alchemist Daoist~
Young Master Song corrected him solemnly. “A young Daoist.”
Duan Yan laughed. “Old Daoist, old Daoist—I mean that you’re experienced, not that you’re old.”
Song Fengsui gave a little huff.
Though they were busy, the two of them took time out to watch a contest midway through—the competition between the improved farm tools and the old ones that Song Xuemu had mentioned.
After the tools had been produced, the tenants on Duan Yan’s estate were given two days to try them out. Everyone who came back to report said they were excellent. Taking advantage of this, they decided to hold a competition to showcase the improved tools and promote them among the farmers.
The sky was overcast that day. Duan Yan and Song Fengsui arrived in the fields early and sat watching as the village headman explained the rules.
