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Regarding the selection of these two hundred individuals, Liu Guanfeng and Zhang Yuru deliberated for half a day. To ensure loyalty to the gang and hatred towards Severe Winter, all of these individuals became orphans under the forced conscription of Severe Winter and were adopted by Zhang Tiandong and his son Zhang Diba.
It was the New World that provided these people with food and clothing, giving them hope for life. At the same time, they were filled with hatred for Severe Winter.
Only such a group could put Liu Guanfeng at ease, and only such a group was suitable for charging at the front lines. Moreover, these individuals shared a common characteristic: they were all single, none of them had families. Many were unwilling to settle down out of gratitude. They were all prepared to dedicate themselves to the gang at any moment.
In the blink of an eye, Liu Guanfeng had been on Luo Heng Island for over half a year. Recently, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce received a notification stating: a donation of two thousand sets of weapons and armor. The signature was Severe Winter.
Upon receiving the notification, Liu Guanfeng initially did not pay much attention. However, Huang Tie said to him, "Master, this donation notice is something we receive every year. In June each year, a road appears between Luo Heng Island and Said Island, which our people used to call the Heavenly Road. But since Severe Winter came and wanted to dominate both islands, large-scale wars have occurred every June along this road."
"Since then, we have referred to that road as the Gates of Purgatory. It is now mid-May, and in less than a month, the Gates of Purgatory will open. At that time, who knows how many lives will be lost."
"Every year around this time, Severe Winter makes donations to various Merchant Guilds. Although it appears voluntary on the surface, if someone refuses to donate, that Merchant Guild will not be seen again next year."
Liu Guanfeng nodded: "This is just coercive extortion; two thousand sets is too much."
"It might be because Severe Winter learned about our blacksmith competition with the New Home Chamber of Commerce last time. I heard that in previous years, the New Home Chamber of Commerce only had two thousand sets as well."
"Can we negotiate the price?" Liu Guanfeng continued to ask; he was really reluctant to hand over two thousand sets of equipment without any compensation.
Huang Tie immediately stopped Liu Guanfeng's thoughts: "Master, it's best not to entertain that idea."
Liu Guanfeng looked at his disciple in confusion: "Why do you say that?"
"Master, you don't quite understand Severe Winter. He hates it when people bargain with him. If you try to negotiate with him, he will quickly send someone to conscript able-bodied men."
"Conscripting able-bodied men?"
"Yes, in order to quickly capture Said Island, Severe Winter selects a large number of able-bodied men from the ordinary populace every day during wartime. This is also the reason why the New World wants to rebel against him. If you do not follow Severe Winter's orders, he will directly send people to our Merchant Guild to arrest individuals. The number of people he sends will depend on how much you negotiate. Moreover, if that happens, he will also have a very poor impression of us, and after the Gates of Purgatory close, he will come looking for trouble."
"That old Little Guy is indeed ruthless. So what happens if we submit all the required items on time?"
"If we submit all the items he needs on time, for the next year, Severe Winter will not only refrain from causing us trouble but will also provide certain support to our Merchant Guild. This means that the oppression we faced in the three cities will not occur again. Additionally, if the quality of the items we submit is good, we may even receive rewards from Severe Winter. As for the able-bodied men issue, it will not arise, meaning that these two thousand sets of equipment are essentially for redeeming our people in the Chinese Chamber of Commerce."
Liu Guanfeng understood the situation and then said to Huang Tie, "Go call your master Qishi over; tell him I have something to discuss."
Huang Tie turned and left, and shortly after, Qifeng Ge arrived at Liu Guanfeng's room.
Liu Guanfeng handed the notice to Qifeng Ge. After reading it, Qifeng Ge had similar thoughts as Liu Guanfeng initially did. However, after Liu Guanfeng patiently explained it, Qifeng Ge understood another layer of meaning behind the notice. Looking at Liu Guanfeng, he asked, "Junior Brother, what do you plan to do?"
Liu Guanfeng smiled wryly: "What else can we do? We are not in a position to confront Severe Winter right now. Besides, my people cannot fight for him either, so we can only proceed according to his demands."
"Two thousand sets of equipment are not easy to manage."
"How many sets of equipment do we have left in stock?"
"We still have three hundred sets of weapons and armor promised to Serene Commerce, five hundred sets for Jitian Chamber of Commerce, and eight hundred sets for the New World. Additionally, there are about three hundred more sets prepared for other Merchant Guilds and families."
Liu Guanfeng nodded: "The weapons and armor for the New World cannot be touched. The rest of the armor adds up to over one thousand one hundred sets. Let's have our people speed up and try to produce another nine hundred sets; they can be of similar quality to those going to other Merchant Guilds."
The weapons and armor produced by Liu Guanfeng's Chinese Chamber of Commerce come in two tiers: the first tier is for external sale, where demand is relatively high but quality can be slightly lower; the best weapons and armor are reserved for the New World and their guards from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Since demand is limited and these are for their own use, this type of armor is made with the best quality; even if these armors and weapons were sold on the market, they would be highly sought after.
Qifeng Ge thought for a moment: "Xiaofeng, even so, it will be difficult for us to produce nine hundred sets of equipment in a short time."
"Senior Brother, gather our guards as well and divide them into three groups with the blacksmiths. The guards' task will be to operate the bellows and add coal and ore while our blacksmiths work continuously around the clock. I believe that with twenty-four hours of continuous work, we should be able to manage it. It would be best if you could split each group of blacksmiths into two parts—one dedicated to forging Iron Ingots and the other focused on casting molds. That way, once they become proficient, I believe efficiency will improve."
Qifeng Ge thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll try it your way and see if it works. You'd better not hold out too much hope."
Liu Guanfeng stood up and patted his senior brother on the back. "Senior Brother, don't worry. I believe our blacksmiths can do it. We must complete these items within the time limit."
Qifeng Ge nodded. "Let's do our best." After saying that, Qifeng Ge turned and walked out of the room.
Once outside, Qifeng Ge gathered all the blacksmiths and guards. Following Liu Guanfeng's instructions, Qifeng Ge divided them into three groups to implement a shift system, assigning the newly initiated apprentices to be responsible for ore refining while leaving the casting directly to the blacksmiths.
At first, the blacksmiths didn't pay much attention, but as time went by, they felt their weapon forging speed had significantly increased. Originally, it took two hours to forge a Steel Blade, but by the end, a blacksmith could create one in just half an hour. The apprentices also improved their blacksmithing skills through repeated ore refining.
Initially, Qifeng Ge thought it was an impossible task, but under Liu Guanfeng's reasonable arrangements, they managed to produce nine hundred sets of equipment in just twenty days, with five days left before the deadline set by Severe Winter.
Liu Guanfeng and Qifeng Ge looked happily at the nine hundred sets of equipment in front of them. Although time was tight, the quality was not poor. As the blacksmiths became more familiar with crafting the items, both speed and quality improved, especially with those more skilled apprentices forging Refined Iron. These pieces of equipment were even slightly better than what they had originally planned to sell to several Merchant Guilds.
Qifeng Ge looked at the nine hundred sets of equipment and gave Liu Guanfeng a thumbs up. "As expected of Junior Brother! Your ideas are brilliant; not only did we meet the quantity requirement, but the quality is also impressive. Moreover, this busy period has greatly improved these kids' forging skills. I'm truly impressed."
Liu Guanfeng chuckled. "Senior Brother, you're too kind. I just used my brain; all the credit goes to you all."
"These kids have worked hard for twenty days; shouldn't we reward them?" Qifeng Ge suggested.
Liu Guanfeng nodded. "Even if you hadn't reminded me, I would have thought of it. Starting today, our Chinese Chamber of Commerce will close for three days; let's give them a break and reward each person with two gold coins. How does that sound?"
Qifeng Ge shook his head. "Ah! You're so generous; two gold coins and three days off? These kids will be overjoyed!"
That evening, Liu Guanfeng set up dozens of tables in the Merchant Guild's open area to treat the weary blacksmiths and guards from these past days. He informed everyone that each blacksmith would receive two gold coins and a three-day break while the guards would only get one day off due to their responsibilities. However, even that one day made them extremely happy. As protectors of a Merchant Guild, it was almost impossible for everyone to take a day off together. But today, Liu Guanfeng granted everyone a day off; even the headquarters of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the former fishing village closed for a day of rest.
Just as Liu Guanfeng finished preparing all nine hundred sets of equipment, a small yellow bird flew out from a nearby two-story building not far from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. This type of bird was a third-tier magical beast unique to Luo Heng Island; its inhabitants called it Messenger. This bird had virtually no attack skills related to Wind Attribute magic beasts; its only ability was flying at incredible speeds. Thus, it was often captured and trained as a means of communication.
The little bird vanished like a flash of yellow lightning into the blue sky.
In the New Home Chamber of Commerce branch within Winter City, Guo Leigang removed a small note tied to the yellow bird, Messenger. It read: The goods from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce are ready and will be dispatched today.
Guo Leigang nodded with a smile and released Messenger, which flew straight towards the direction of the fishing village.
Guo Leigang said to Guo Hai and Guo Yunhua in front of him, "According to the intelligence, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce is ready and will be sending out the goods today. We should also prepare; we can't let them transport the goods to Winter City without any interference."
Guo Hai clasped his fist towards Guo Leigang and assured him, "President, rest assured. The assassins from the Merchant Guild are all set. Even those usually idle Guest Elders have been called back. They can move out at any time."
"Have we chosen a location?"
"Yes, President. We have selected a spot about half a day's journey outside Winter City, on a small hill where the forest is dense and suitable for an ambush."
"This operation must not fail. Consider it a lesson for the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Even if we can't kill them all, damaging and robbing some of their equipment will suffice. As long as their numbers are insufficient, the king will take care of them."
Guo Leigang was also quite puzzled; he had gone to great lengths to let Severe Winter know about the strong blacksmithing capabilities of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, subtly implying that their blacksmiths were superior to those of the New Home Chamber of Commerce. This led Severe Winter to order the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to donate two thousand sets of weapons and armor.
Initially, Guo Leigang believed that Liu Guanfeng would not be able to complete this task in such a short time. However, he was surprised that within twenty days, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce had indeed prepared two thousand sets of weapons and armor. Thus, Guo Leigang had no choice but to adopt Plan B: intercepting them midway. He could not allow the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to deliver these two thousand sets of equipment to Winter City.
In the fishing village, the blacksmiths and guards from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce were enjoying a rare holiday, while all the guards from the New Home Chamber of Commerce in Winter City were already seated and ready for action.
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