Chapter 6: Women Are Tigers

With Wei Yan’s permission, Wei Ba, aside from his daily self-punishing exercises each morning, spent the rest of his time in the forge, mingling with the craftsmen. Though metallurgy was not his major area of study, he was well versed in the basic theories. With the help of those lifelong blacksmiths, he quickly grasped the current state of ironworking in this era and understood where his efforts should be focused.

A sudden breakthrough was unlikely, but once he identified the key points, the rest was merely a matter of thorough experimentation, process refinement, and the development of supporting facilities for expanded production. For Wei Ba, who had experienced modern enterprise manufacturing, these tasks were not daunting. Even the overtime he used to loathe now felt like a form of tempering, no longer unbearable.

As the long blade rang out under the old smith’s hammer, Wei Ba’s eyes grew brighter, glinting like the furnace flames; his posture straightened, mirroring the blade taking shape.

Immersed in technical transformation, he didn’t notice these changes in himself. But when Wei Feng returned to the forge, he immediately observed the difference.

“Ba, your spirits are high,” Wei Feng said, patting his shoulder. “Father was worried you wouldn’t handle it, but now it seems you truly are different. After so many years, you finally look like a real man.”

Wei Ba smiled faintly and glanced at Wei Feng. “How’s your iron spade working out?”

Wei Feng laughed heartily, hugging Wei Ba’s shoulder. “It’s working extremely well. Do you know, this iron spade is three times more efficient than the wooden ones when tilling the earth. Father has already ordered iron from Nanzheng, planning to forge another two thousand.”

“Two thousand?” Wei Ba frowned. “If it’s so useful, why not forge more—one for each household?”

Wei Feng was momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing. “Naïve boy, you don’t understand how precious iron is. How could it all be used for farm tools? Of course, weapons take priority. By the way, how’s your progress? Father’s still waiting for your treasured blade.”

“Almost done,” Wei Ba said, pursing his lips. “Three days at most, two if things go well—the sample will definitely be ready.”

“That’s good.” Wei Feng’s eyes shone as he gazed at the blade for a moment, then pulled Wei Ba aside and whispered, “Ba, after you finish Father’s sword, could you make one for me as well?”

Wei Ba was surprised, then laughed. “Of course, there’ll be one for you. Once the blade is made, everyone will have one. How could you be left out?”

“Everyone?” Wei Feng stared at him in shock. “Are you joking?”

Wei Ba gave a helpless, bitter smile. He understood what Wei Feng meant—Wei Feng, and their father Wei Yan, imagined this as forging a divine, singular weapon, unmatched in the world. But what he intended was an industrial product—not one or two, but thousands, tens of thousands. If possible, every soldier in Shu would be equipped with one; that would truly be impressive.

“Not joking, truly,” Wei Ba paused, then said seriously, “About the iron spade—if possible, forge more. Weapons are important, but food is even more so. The emperor doesn’t need starving soldiers. If Hanzhong produces just one more bushel of grain, that’s three or five fewer bushels that need to be shipped from Chengdu, saving much time and effort. Even if it costs more, it’s worth it.”

Wei Feng looked at Wei Ba in surprise, then chuckled after a moment. “Good boy, you’ve matured—actually helping Father with his burdens. Father will be pleased to hear this.” He paused, then smiled wryly. “Your reasoning is sound, but making both weapons and farm tools will require a huge amount of iron, which isn’t possible to produce quickly. Between the two, weapons must come first.”

“Not necessarily,” Wei Ba shook his head, interrupting Wei Feng. “Farm tools are urgent—spring planting is near. If iron spades are distributed to farmers now, more land can be cultivated and more grain harvested in autumn. Weapons are not so pressing—the Chancellor hasn’t arrived yet, and a delay of two or three months is fine. Besides, the new weapons aren’t finalized; rather than rushing to forge them, it’s better to wait until I’m confident.”

Wei Feng frowned slightly, watching Wei Ba speak confidently, and remained silent until Wei Ba finished. After thinking a while, he said, “You make good points—I hadn’t considered the urgency. Come with me and tell Father directly.”

The mention of their father Wei Yan made Wei Ba nervous, but he realized that to change the family’s fate, he couldn’t avoid this hurdle. Time was short; delays would not help.

“Alright, I’ll speak to Father.” Resolute, Wei Ba followed Wei Feng out of the forge.

The forge was only a few steps from the county office. As they approached the entrance, Wei Ba sensed something amiss—there were sharp sounds from the courtyard. He glanced at Wei Feng, who turned to look at him; the brothers unconsciously quickened their pace.

Entering, they were startled. At the hall, their father Wei Yan sat behind the desk, his face dark as iron. The magistrate of Mianyang was kneeling below, trembling, and two clerks were being punished—one was already battered and barely conscious.

But what shocked Wei Ba most was not the punished men, but the presence of two people seated in the hall: a middle-aged man, and the white-robed girl he had met on Yangping Mountain. As Wei Ba entered, the girl glanced at him, her gaze as cold as ever.

Wei Ba was surprised, but not as nervous as the last time. He hurried to the hall with Wei Feng and saluted Wei Yan. Wei Yan raised an eyebrow and gestured to the middle-aged man beside him. “This is Ma Dai, Captain of the Northern Pacification, here by order of the Chancellor to inspect preparations in Mianyang. Go and pay your respects.”

So this was Ma Dai. Wei Ba thought as he stepped forward to bow. Ma Dai smiled warmly and returned the gesture, his gaze passing over Wei Feng and finally settling on Wei Ba.

Wei Ba felt a chill in his heart, glanced at the white-robed girl, and saw her lips curve slightly; he realized her resentment was still strong, and today she had come with ill intent.

As expected, Ma Dai stroked his beard and smiled. “General Wei, I have long heard of your skill in warfare and your talent in raising sons. Your eldest, Wei Feng, is mature and steady; your third, Wei Wu, has the makings of a great general; but the most outstanding is your second, Wei Ba—who abandoned martial pursuits for scholarly ones, and is said to be full of wisdom. Truly admirable!”

Wei Yan was bewildered. Ma Dai praised his strategy in war, which he accepted with pride; to call Wei Feng steady and Wei Wu a potential general was slightly exaggerated but not unreasonable. But Wei Ba, full of wisdom? The boy could read a few characters, but was far from being learned. Was Ma Dai mocking the Wei family’s lack of education?

“Captain Ma flatters us,” Wei Yan replied, his tone cool and his gaze unfriendly.

“General Wei is too modest,” Ma Dai replied, clasping his hands. “No doubt, your military duties keep you busy and unaware of your son’s high discourse. As it happens, a few days ago, my daughter visited Pingyang Pass to pay respects to her father’s grave, and overheard your son’s comments on several of our Han dynasty’s famous generals—his words were quite unexpected.”

Hearing this, Wei Yan understood: surely Wei Ba had spoken carelessly and offended the Ma family. He glared sternly at Wei Ba and said, “A child’s nonsense—nothing of value, just idle chatter. If he has offended Captain Ma, I hope you will be magnanimous and not stoop to his level.”

Wei Ba raised an eyebrow. Though his father had a foul temper, he was fiercely protective. The words seemed to imply his son was ignorant, asking Ma Dai not to take it seriously, but in fact, they accused Ma Dai of bullying the young. Truly bold and domineering.

Ma Dai’s expression tightened, as if hesitating, but the girl behind him could no longer contain herself. She left her seat, bowed to Wei Yan, and said, “General Wei, when I heard your son’s opinions, I was astounded. After returning home, I pondered them but could not understand. Today I have come, hoping General Wei and his son might enlighten me and resolve my confusion, if General Wei is willing.”

Wei Yan’s gaze swept over her, his displeasure unmistakable. He snorted, “No matter, speak your question. If there is anything you do not understand, I will explain.”

“Thank you, General,” the girl replied, bowing again. “Since you are skilled in military affairs, you surely have insight into the famous generals of the realm. May I ask, in your eyes, who are the worthy generals? Among those of our dynasty, who stands foremost?”

Wei Yan stroked his short beard and considered for a moment. “Among the famous generals, there were the Three Brights of Liangzhou, followed by Huangfu Song—all worthy of the title. The Five Sons of Cao Wei were no more than this, not worth mentioning. As for our dynasty—Lord Guan, Lord Zhang, and your father, all could be called famous generals. To rank them is difficult; wise men will differ. If I must, I believe Lord Guan is slightly superior.” He chuckled and waved his hand. “Of course, this is just my opinion, nothing to take too seriously.”

The girl smiled coldly. “General, this is indeed only your opinion—or rather, it is simply your own view. Your son, it seems, disagrees. The Lord Guan you esteem is, in his eyes, not worth mentioning. As for my late father, he is but a stray dog, unworthy to be counted among the famous generals.”

At these words, Wei Ba sighed inwardly. The old monk spoke truly—women are tigers, best avoided. The Ma family’s women are even fiercer; after so many days, she has finally come to settle the score. Not only is she ruthless, but cunning—she knew Wei Yan’s admiration for Guan Yu, so used this as a pretext, while slipping in the real offense concerning the “stray dog.” No matter how protective his father was, he could not overlook this.

As expected, Wei Yan’s face changed instantly. He slammed the desk and shouted, “Boy, what is the meaning of this? Did you really say such things?”