Chapter 125: Meeting Ma Jun

Liu Yao had returned to Luoyang once again, bearing glorious military achievements. Yet, this time, it was unclear how many were rejoicing and how many were mourning. One thing was certain: for the Yuan family and Zhang Rang, this was absolutely not good news.

Upon arriving in Luoyang, Liu Yao, accompanied by Shi A and Huangfu Song, hurried to the imperial palace without delay to receive his rewards. As for Zhao Yun and the others, they followed the usual routine and went to settle the troops.

Because of his disastrous defeat in battle, Huangfu Song did not receive any rewards this time. However, he was quite content simply not to be punished.

As for Liu Yao, he already held the rank of General of the Agile Cavalry, so there were no further titles to bestow. Instead, all of his subordinates were promoted by one rank. Most importantly, Liu Yao recommended Tian Chou as the Administrator of Liaodong, a proposal that Emperor Ling of Han did not refuse.

Liu Yao had two reasons for this. First, Tian Chou’s abilities were truly sufficient to govern a commandery. With a talent well-versed in both civil and military affairs stationed in Liaodong, there was no need to worry about the foreign tribes. Second, it was for the sake of one person: Gongsun Du, the historical Administrator of Liaodong. In history, after Dong Zhuo entered the capital, Xu Rong had recommended Gongsun Du to Dong Zhuo for the position of Liaodong Administrator in Youzhou. This was a situation Liu Yao did not want to see.

Historically, Gongsun Du had carved out a separatist regime in Liaodong, becoming a warlord in his own right. Liu Yao did not want to face such a threat in his rear when he eventually marched on the Central Plains. Therefore, before that time arrived, he replaced the leadership in Liaodong with his own man. Now, apart from Liaodong, Youzhou was already firmly in Liu Yao’s grasp. Only by holding Youzhou tightly and making it an impenetrable fortress could Liu Yao wage war in all directions without worry later on.

Another person who benefited greatly this time was Ma Teng. In the imperial court, Huangfu Song recounted Ma Teng’s merits, and Emperor Ling, without the slightest hesitation, immediately appointed Ma Teng as the Administrator of Wuwei and General Who Pacifies the Qiang.

Yuan Feng and his cohorts had not expected that Ma Teng had already joined Liu Yao’s camp; otherwise, they would have intervened to sabotage the matter. By the time they realized it, it was already too late.

Thus, the simple awards ceremony concluded, and Emperor Ling cast a glance at Liu Yao before announcing the end of the court session.

After leaving the palace, Liu Yao headed straight for the imperial guesthouse. He had received word from his personal guards that Mo Tian had persuaded Ma Jun to join his ranks half a month prior, and under the protection of Yin Li and five hundred guards, they had already arrived in Luoyang. They were currently staying at the guesthouse.

Inside the Luoyang imperial guesthouse, two figures burst in with great haste: Liu Yao and Shi A. Upon learning of Ma Jun’s arrival, Liu Yao could not suppress his excitement and had rushed to the guesthouse as fast as he could.

"Master Mo! Master Mo, are you here?" Liu Yao called out excitedly. If not for the lack of people in the guesthouse, he might have drawn a crowd.

Hearing Liu Yao’s voice, Mo Tian, Mo Yu, and a plain-looking young man in his early twenties, standing seven feet tall, emerged from the side chamber.

"Mo Tian pays his respects to my Lord," Mo Tian said, bowing to Liu Yao.

"No need for such formalities," Liu Yao replied. He immediately turned to the young man beside Mo Tian and asked, "Are you Ma Jun, Ma Deheng?"

"Ma Jun pays his respects to my Lord," Ma Jun bowed in return. He had gone to Mount Tai to meet Mo Tian following an agreement between the Mohist school and the Gongshu family. He had not expected Mo Tian to be there to recruit him for Liu Yao, nor that he would bring a long-lost design for a wooden kite from the Gongshu family. Ma Jun had nearly collapsed in tears of joy on the spot.

Mo Tian then explained the rules Liu Yao had implemented in Youzhou—that those with specialized skills would be highly valued. Ma Jun agreed without hesitation. He trusted Mo Tian, and beyond that, the fact that a man of Liu Yao’s status had personally traveled to Mount Tai to recruit him left him with no reason to refuse. Furthermore, only Liu Yao truly valued artisans, and only by following him could they put their skills to use.

"My Lord, this is not the place for conversation. Let us go inside," Mo Tian said with a smile.

"Very well!" Seeing Mo Tian’s expression, Liu Yao knew there might be some complications.

Inside the chamber, Liu Yao asked anxiously, "Master Mo, Deheng, do you two have a way to construct this wooden kite?" If this invention could see the light of day again, the boost to his strength would be immense.

Ma Jun looked at Liu Yao, bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you, my Lord, for retrieving my Gongshu family’s blueprints. This wooden kite is a unique craft of our family. Although it has been lost for years, I can certainly build it given some time. However..." Ma Jun trailed off, looking disappointed.

Seeing this, Liu Yao felt a pang of worry and asked, "Deheng, is there a difficulty? Tell me, and I will surely help you resolve it."

"My Lord, according to our ancestral records, constructing this kite requires a special wood called iron birch. It is found only on the high mountains of the Youzhou frontier. The wood is as hard as iron, no less durable than steel, and extremely difficult to cut. My ancestor, Gongshu Zi, exerted Herculean effort just to obtain one piece to build the original kite. Without this iron birch, the wooden kite cannot be created," Ma Jun said, looking ashamed.

"Iron birch!!!" Liu Yao was stunned. He had not expected such requirements for the wooden kite, though it made sense. If any common wood would suffice, it wouldn't be so magical. Even in the twenty-first century, airplanes required power, and he assumed the kite relied on some mysterious mechanical art he could not comprehend.

Liu Yao knew of iron birch; it was the hardest of all trees, primarily found in the regions bordering the Korean peninsula—exactly where the Youzhou frontier was located. Finding it was not difficult, but in this era, people had no effective way to process such wood unless they possessed truly legendary weapons.

For Liu Yao, however, this was no problem at all. Having already produced refined steel, he could use blades forged from it to cut the iron birch—it might not be easy, but it was certainly possible given enough time.

Liu Yao smiled confidently and said, "Deheng, do not worry. Once we return to Youzhou, I have my own methods."

"What?!" Ma Jun gasped, standing up abruptly in excitement. "My Lord, do you truly have a way to cut the iron birch?"

Liu Yao stood up, walked over to Shi A, drew the longsword from his waist, and handed it to Ma Jun. "What do you think of this sword, Deheng?"

Ma Jun took the sword and examined it closely, his eyes flashing with intensity. "My Lord, this is a peerless treasure. It is no exaggeration to say it could slice through iron like mud. May I ask which master forged this?"

"This sword was forged by Master Ou Feng, a descendant of the legendary swordsmith Ou Yezi," Liu Yao said with a smile.