The day after inspecting the printing press, Kourosh knew that training and discipline were not enough.
It was time not just to sharpen the Persian sword, but to reforge it entirely.
In a cold and misty dawn, he summoned Arash, Bagpat, and a few of his most intelligent military disciples for a secret journey.
Mounted on mountain horses, they left Anshan and rode into the heart of the Zagros mountains.
After hours of riding on difficult paths, they reached a narrow, protected valley.
Its entrance was blocked by massive, moss-covered boulders.
When the stones were moved aside, another world was revealed.
In the heart of the valley, a primitive but bustling blacksmithing workshop was situated.
Dozens of workers with broad chests and steel-like arms were busy in the heat of new, small furnaces.
The sound of their hammers on the anvils echoed through the valley like an endless war song.
This workshop was the same place that had been operating experimentally for the past five years based on Kourosh's initial designs.
It had now become the beating heart of his industrial revolution.
Arash and his companions gazed in astonishment at this organized activity.
They had never seen such a concentration of artisans in one place.
Kourosh dismounted and, with steady steps, led his companions to the center of the workshop.
He turned to Arash, his eyes flashing with excitement:
"Arash, you have learned the art of war, but every art requires its tools."
"The courage of our soldiers is unparalleled, but courage alone is not enough against a wall of the enemy's bronze and brass."
"Our victory in the coming war will be decided not just by blood, but by fire and iron."
"We will win with a technological superiority that no army in this land has even dreamed of."
He led them towards the end of the valley.
Where a massive, cylindrical structure of stone and fire-resistant clay rose up.
Its height reached nearly five meters.
From its upper opening, a thick, gray smoke billowed into the sky.
At its base, several giant blacksmith's bellows were being continuously operated by workers.
They created a deep, muffled roar, like the breathing of a sleeping beast.
The scorching heat radiating from the furnace walls made the air shimmer.
This was the disciples' first encounter with the beating heart of Kourosh's industrial revolution.
The blast furnace.
Bagpat, who was frozen by the sheer presence of the structure, asked with a voice trembling with awe:
"My lord... this... what is this?"
"I have never seen a furnace of this magnitude. What fire blazes in the heart of this stone monster that makes the ground beneath our feet tremble?"
Arash also stared at the furnace with wide eyes.
As a soldier, he saw power in swords and spears, but this structure displayed a raw, primal power that was beyond his comprehension.
Kourosh smiled, a smile that showed his satisfaction.
He knew that this astonishment was the first step in accepting the revolution he had in mind.
He stretched his hand towards the furnace and, with a voice that was barely audible over the roar of the bellows, said:
"This is the beating heart of our army."
"This is where iron submits to the power of fire and gives us a weapon that will change the fate of the war."
"This is the Shahbaz Furnace."
The name "Shahbaz," the legendary eagle, bestowed upon this structure, turned it into a symbol of power and superiority.
Arash and his companions stared at the furnace as if they were looking at an ancient temple.
They did not yet know what miracle was taking place in the heart of this sleeping beast.
But they understood that they were on the verge of witnessing something that would change the history of warfare forever.