xymnovel Chapter 20 The Divine Arm Bow is Born
Chapter 20 The Divine Arm Bow is Born
Tang Long was an expert blacksmith and was also very passionate about making weapons.
The divine crossbow and the bed crossbow were both prohibited from being made by civilians by the imperial court, and the blueprints were only in the army, unknown to civilian blacksmiths.
He had long admired the Divine Arm Bow.
Upon seeing the blueprints for the Divine Arm Bow that Wang Lun had taken out, the image of the Divine Arm Bow immediately came to mind after just a cursory glance.
Overjoyed, he exclaimed, "The chieftain actually possesses such a treasure!"
Wang Lun laughed and said, "Not only the Divine Arm Bow, but also crossbows, thunderbolts, and anything Brother Tang can make, I can draw up the blueprints for."
In his previous life, Wang Lun was a hardcore military enthusiast who worked at a military museum for many years, so drawing these blueprints was a basic skill for him.
Liangshan already had some blacksmiths, but none of them could be considered masters.
With Tang Long's addition, the weapon-making technology has immediately improved by more than one level.
That night, Wang Lun personally hosted a welcome dinner for Tang Long.
In high spirits after drinking, Wang Lun arranged for Chao Gai to lead his troops down the mountain to seize the iron mine.
Shandong's iron ore production was considerable during the Song Dynasty, when it was known as Jingdong Circuit and ranked third in the country in iron ore production.
There are large-scale iron ore mines in Dengzhou, Xuzhou, Yanzhou, Qizhou and other places within the territory.
The largest of these was Laiwu in Yanzhou, which remains an important reference for historians studying the mineral resources of the Northern Song Dynasty, even in later generations.
The bandits didn't rob money; instead, they robbed iron mines.
Chao Gai was surprised but did not ask any more questions. Compared to Tang Long's visit to the mountain today, everyone had heard of the blacksmith's reputation.
From this perspective, Wang Lun had indeed made all the necessary preparations for developing Liangshan.
Wang Lun was quite pleased with himself. He had only been there for a little over half a month, but he had already established the Flying Tiger Army. The army was being trained using a combination of modern and ancient methods, and the soldiers' progress was clearly visible.
A salary system, also known as a wage system, has been established and put into use.
Wu Yong had already produced a draft of the performance evaluation system, but after Wang Lun offered some suggestions, Wu Yong took it back and revised it carefully.
Chao Gai had already seized a batch of saltpeter mines. Wang Lun thought that he should study gunpowder properly when he had time. Although he had learned the purification process roughly before, he didn't remember it very well.
It requires multiple experiments to succeed.
Tang Long is about to build the Divine Arm Bow and the Bed Crossbow according to the blueprints he provided. These two weapons can be described as intercontinental missiles of the cold weapon era.
With its long range and great power, it represents the pinnacle of weapon improvement in the Song Dynasty.
As Wang Lun drank his wine, he thought that the most important thing now was that the soldiers' archery skills were inaccurate. Even with the Divine Arm Bow, they might not be able to make a difference.
Who was the best archer in Liangshan?
Of course, it's "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong.
Wang Lun began to ponder how to persuade Hua Rong to come up the mountain.
Just then, Chao Gai said, "Chief, I was able to escape from the birthday tribute without the help of Song Jiang, the clerk of Yuncheng. Now that we have arrived at Liangshan, I would like to write a letter to Clerk Song, firstly to express my gratitude, and secondly to ask him if he would like to come to Liangshan."
Wang Lun suddenly realized that Hua Rong should be at Qingfeng Village at this moment, and it was precisely because of Chao Gai's letter that Song Jiang killed Yan Poxi in a fit of rage and turned to Hua Rong.
Later, Song Jiang persuaded Hua Rong, Wang Ying, Yan Shun and others to join Liangshan. He himself was deceived by a letter from his younger brother Song Qing and was eventually arrested by the government and exiled to Jiangzhou.
Wang Lun was overjoyed, realizing that the plot of Water Margin had not changed because of his appearance.
He quickly replied, "This is easy. King Chao doesn't need to report to me. Just send Liu Tang. Be quick, preferably tomorrow."
Chao Gai was overjoyed. He thought that Wang Lun's eagerness must be because he admired Song Jiang. After all, everyone knew Song Jiang's nickname "Timely Rain," and countless heroes had received Song Jiang's kindness.
Little did he know what Wang Lun was thinking; he only cared about Hua Rong.
Several days had passed since Tang Long went up the mountain. On this day, Wang Lun was training when he saw Tang Long running over excitedly. He knew that the Divine Arm Bow must have been completed.
Sure enough, Tang Long led Wang Lun and Lin Chong into the weapons workshop. On the table in the center was a divine crossbow, which was similar in shape to an ordinary bow, but also different.
Wang Lun was both surprised and delighted; it bore a striking resemblance to the one displayed in the museum.
The difference between this bow and the ones that had been modified earlier was too great. Compared to them, this was the real bow, while the ones before it were just children's toys.
But those bows before them have already demonstrated their power; wouldn't this true divine bow be even more powerful?
He couldn't wait to have Lin Chong test it.
He also wanted to try it himself, partly because he wasn't strong enough and partly because his aim wasn't good enough. He didn't want to embarrass himself while holding the Divine Arm Bow.
Lin Chong was about to give it a try, so he strode outside, drew his bow, and released the arrow like the wind. With a "whoosh," the arrow struck a rock more than a hundred paces away without missing a beat.
With a "clang," the arrowhead sank into the stone.
"A fine bow!"
"Excellent archery!"
Wang Lun praised Lin Chong twice, praising both the bow and Lin Chong's archery skills.
Lin Chong shook his head and said, "This is only about 120 paces. It's not considered good archery. With this bow, shooting 300 paces is no problem."
Tang Long also praised, "Indeed, three hundred paces is no problem. It's truly unbelievable that the chieftain has the blueprints for such a treasure as the Divine Arm Bow."
Wang Lun smiled and said, "Brother Tang, the Divine Arm Bow is indeed a valuable item. The blueprints must not be leaked. I trust you, which is why I gave you the blueprints. If the blueprints are leaked, it will be detrimental to Liangshan."
Tang Long naturally knew the value of the Divine Arm Bow; if it were to fall into the wrong hands, the blueprint might cause a bloodbath.
Bandits from all over the country will surely send their henchmen to plunder it, and the imperial court will certainly pay attention to it. The Liao and Jin people in the north will also want to seize the Divine Arm Bow.
A single blueprint could very well lead to chaos throughout the land.
Meanwhile, Liangshan, wielding the divine crossbow, conquered cities and seized territories as easily as taking candy from a bag.
Tang Long was well aware of Wang Lun's trust in him, and he knew that the blueprints for the Divine Arm Bow would never be leaked.
With the divine crossbow in hand, Wang Lun was overjoyed.
Lin Chong was ordered to select soldiers with strong arms and muscular builds to form a team of two hundred men specifically for archery practice.
Liangshan now has only one thousand soldiers. The three Ruan brothers' navy was given one hundred, the patrolmen on the mountain were one hundred, and the guards at the pass below the mountain were one hundred.
Now, another two hundred people have been selected to practice archery, but only five hundred soldiers are actually trained by Lin Chong.
Wang Lun lamented that there were simply too few people; to grow stronger, how could they not recruit more soldiers and horses?
He returned to his bedroom in high spirits. Zheng Ke'er was cleaning the room. As soon as she saw Wang Lun return, she immediately went up to help him take off his outer robe and poured him tea.
Ever since Zheng Ke'er went up the mountain, she has been working as Wang Lun's maid.
For the first few days, Wang Lun was not used to being waited on, but later he not only got used to it, but also enjoyed it.
Zheng Ke'er gently massaged his back and feet, but her skills were still immature. Originally, she was a farm girl and didn't know how to do these things.
These days, Zheng Ke'er is eating well and wearing new clothes. Her face has regained its color, and she even looks like a beauty.
Wang Lun looked at Zheng Ke'er and sighed inwardly.
Alas, the wicked feudal society.