Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Xu Zhen once performed a bullet-catching act on an overseas show, personally modified prop guns, and frequently hunted in the jungles of Southeast Asia. She is very familiar with the principles of firearms. The Tang Dynasty's blacksmithing technology has reached a highly advanced level, capable of forging the world-renowned Tang Dao. If Xu Zhen wanted to create her own firearm, it would not be impossible.
However, considering the time and effort required, along with her desire not to be seen as a monster, she quickly abandoned this idea and turned to crafting a finely detailed steel Crossbow.
Xu Zhen has always regarded Leonardo da Vinci and Nikola Tesla as her idols. These two are hailed as the most astonishing polymaths in history, especially the former, who dabbled in nearly every field, seemingly beyond human reach.
Due to her need for prop manufacturing, Xu Zhen has always been obsessed with intricate machinery. She once purchased an ancient Zhuge Crossbow at a high price and even managed to obtain detailed blueprints. At this moment, she sketched them out with charcoal, clearly depicting each component.
The artisans of the Tang Dynasty absorbed techniques from high-carbon steel and localized quenching, along with soil-covered blade firing and steel wrapping, to forge the Tang Dao. In terms of craftsmanship and technology, military craftsmen can provide sufficient support for Xu Zhen.
She intends to use high-quality steel to create a Zhuge Crossbow, using iron arrows that are eight inches long, capable of firing ten arrows simultaneously. This steel Yuanrong Crossbow will undoubtedly become her secret weapon!
Since Xu Zhen drew the components separately, Li Deqian pieced together the design from over a dozen sketches and began to see the overall picture.
The Tang Dynasty valued martial prowess and engaged in many wars against foreign tribes, primarily relying on cavalry. Due to the time-consuming nature of crossbow firing and the inconvenience for soldiers wielding crossbows to use other weapons, crossbowmen often formed groups like "Load Crossbows," "Advance Crossbows," and "Fire Crossbows," taking turns to fire continuously under the cover of other soldiers. In fixed-point shooting scenarios like "Guarding Passes," their power could be fully realized.
When the cavalry galloped across the battlefield en masse, strong crossbows were not favored due to their impracticality on horseback. Thus, Li Deqian was puzzled as to why Xu Zhen would invest so much effort into designing a crossbow.
Just then, a gasp came from outside the Craft Workshop, startling Xu Zhen from her focused drawing: "Is that... the Yuanrong Crossbow?!!!"
Li Deqian suddenly looked up and saw the person’s true form. He intended to greet them but was pushed aside as the person snatched away the drawings.
Xu Zhen raised an eyebrow at the newcomer, who appeared to be around forty years old—short, plump, and unremarkable in appearance—with a Handlebar Mustache. His chubby hands clutched the drawings as if he wished to swallow them whole and imprint them on his soul.
"Indeed, it is the Yuanrong!" The short and stout man’s eyes sparkled with excitement as his chest heaved with barely contained emotion.
Xu Zhen pouted and snatched the blueprint back, pretending to be annoyed, "Do you understand manners? This is someone else's secret. Do you know what that means?"
Li Deqian broke into a cold sweat upon hearing Xu Zhen's disdainful words. Although he was unclear about the relationship between Chief of Military Operations and Xu Zhenzhi, this short and stout man was not someone to offend lightly!
"The newcomer is unfamiliar with the situation; I hope Master Yan will not take offense!" Li Deqian pulled Xu Zhen aside and hurriedly bowed.
This short and stout man was none other than Master Yan Yan Lide!
Yan Lide chuckled, unfazed, pushed Li Deqian aside, and directly asked Xu Zhen, "Young lady, I wonder if you would be willing to sell me this blueprint?"
Seeing Li Deqian sweating profusely and hearing him refer to this old fat man as Minister, Xu Zhen felt a chill in her heart. However, looking at the old fellow's cheerful demeanor, he seemed more like a scheming merchant than a high-ranking official!
When Li Deqian saw that Yan Lide was not angry but rather pleased, and was getting cozy with Xu Zhen, he realized that this master craftsman was acting up again. Everyone in the military knew that Yan Lide was quite the eccentric. If it weren't for his collaboration with his brother Yan Liben in designing and constructing important places like Chang'an Outer City, few would be willing to approach him.
However, he was indeed a senior official with real power, and the threshold of his residence's side door was trampled by those seeking favors. With Xu Zhen gaining this gentleman's favor, her future prospects looked bright.
Little did they know, Xu Zhen put away the blueprint and coldly replied, "Not for sale! This is a priceless treasure. Do you think it's just a few pounds of pork? With your look, selling it to you would be a disgrace to the blueprint!"
Upon hearing this, Li Deqian felt his hair stand on end. Not to mention her, even Chief of Military Operations Li Daozong held some respect for this Yan the Minister!
He quickly tugged at Xu Zhen's sleeve, constantly signaling her with his eyes, but she seemed oblivious, staring defiantly at Yan Lide.
This Yan Lide was quite the character; instead of using his official status to pressure her, he raised his thumb in praise and said, "Good! You truly have the spirit of a craftsman! I admire you! May I ask how to address you?"
Xu Zhen heard him call himself Yan Lide, which confirmed the identity of this old fat man. According to the Historical Records, all three members of Yan Lide's family were renowned craftsmen. His brother, Yan Liben, was a famous painter of the Tang Dynasty, known for his works in the royal court. In fact, the portraits of Lingyan Pavilion and the Twenty-Four Meritorious Officials were all painted by Yan Liben. Both brothers had served as Minister of Works, with Yan Liben even reaching the position of Right Chancellor.
Xu Zhenzhi chose Li Deqian as his companion because he valued him as a craftsman. According to the Historical Records, this Yan Lide was a master among craftsmen. If he could befriend this wealthy man, it would greatly aid his ultimate plan!
Thinking of this, Xu Zhen decided to play hard to get and ignored his question, pretending to ponder deeply while stroking her chin. She stared at Yan Lide and asked, “Can you understand this blueprint?”
The usually jovial Yan Lide seemed to be provoked by her words. As a dignified Minister of Works, he could not tolerate being questioned like that by an unknown young person. Even with his good temper, he could not hold back his anger and shouted, “You country bumpkin! How dare you look down on your master craftsman! Although this Yuanrong Crossbow has been lost to time, my family has many traditions passed down. It just hasn’t been perfected yet. Besides, we don’t even know if your blueprint is real!”
Seeing Yan Lide getting furious, Xu Zhen felt delighted and retaliated with words, “With your limited skills and vision, how dare you claim to judge its authenticity? If this blueprint is fake, I’ll take off my head and let the soldiers use it for their Kickball games!”
Yan Lide was enraged by Xu Zhen's confident demeanor. His round face turned red, and his Handlebar Mustache twitched as he pointed at her and yelled, “You Head Money Price Slave Soldier, how dare you challenge an official! Just because you say it’s true doesn’t make it so! If I can’t create it after all, I’ll skin you alive!”
It turned out that Yan Lide mistook Xu Zhen for a military craftsman due to her plotting over the blueprint. This was exactly what she wanted. He immediately retorted mockingly, “With your shabby workshop, lacking both people and materials, how do you expect to forge a Yuanrong Crossbow? Dream on!”
When Yan Lide saw this young man countering him and questioning both the Ministry of Works and the Craft Workshop, he became furious again. “What an arrogant village elder! If I don’t forge this Crossbow, I’ll serve under you! If it turns out to be fake, I’ll exile you to Liaodong to eat wild vegetables!”
After snatching the blueprint away, Yan Lide, filled with rage, kicked Li Deqian out and shouted angrily, “Li kid, what are you waiting for? Gather people now!”
Li Deqian felt helpless; it was bad enough that Xu Zhen had caused trouble for herself, but now he was dragged into it too. The instructions from Li Daozong, the Old General, had been clear: although all needs should be met, he had repeatedly emphasized the importance of keeping a low profile. Now that they had provoked Master Yan, maintaining a low profile was nearly impossible.
Meanwhile, Xu Zhen was pleased to see this turn of events. Having the crossbow made by Yan Lide would definitely be better than doing it herself since she knew far less about Tang Dynasty metallurgy than this master craftsman. Moreover, for confidentiality reasons, she couldn’t involve anyone else besides Li Deqian. This problem was perfectly resolved; with just one word from Yan Lide, the entire Craft Workshop would respond without suspicion falling on her—truly killing two birds with one stone.
However, she also underestimated Yan Lide. Once he left the Craft Workshop, he quickly patted Li Deqian on the shoulder and smiled broadly as he praised him, “Kid, you’ve done a great job today! I’ll be sure to say some good words for you in front of Li Guogong!”
Li Deqian looked confused as he watched Yan Lide gather skilled craftsmen with the blueprints in hand. He silently cursed, "Truly a madman!"
However, he was unaware that Yan Lide spoke no falsehood. In his family’s legacy, there indeed existed remnants of the Yuanrong Crossbow. Now that he had obtained the blueprints from the Xu Zhen, he recognized them as genuine at first glance. He only needed to deceive the Xu Zhen with appearances to obtain the blueprints legitimately. Even if he crafted the crossbow, it would be funded by the Flower Army's public money, and he, Yan Lide, would not lose a single coin!
With the crossbow secured, the Xu Zhen began to busy herself with another treasure. She no longer needed Li Deqian to lead her; having spent several days in the Craft Workshop, she had become familiar with the craftsmen, and before she knew it, she found herself in the Forge Camp.
The blacksmiths, bare-chested and muscular, were forging weapons and horse fittings. No one came over to greet the Xu Zhen, but she had long since grown accustomed to this. Silently, she approached a furnace and an iron mat behind the barracks.
The Old Blacksmith was absent, but on the wooden table lay a raw leather belt. The Xu Zhen unfolded it; according to her specifications, it was sewn nearly perfectly. Ten long leather sheaths were vertically stitched to the inner side of the belt, each containing a Palm-Length Willow Leaf Flying Dagger. The blades shimmered with a faint blue light and gleamed sharply, causing the Xu Zhen to brighten at the sight.
The Xu Zhen had previously collaborated with Sun Circus once; during that event, her act involved throwing knives blindfolded. As each knife struck precisely into the gaps close to her beautiful assistant, even the circus's chief acrobat praised her knife-throwing skills endlessly.
With the Zhuge Crossbow and concealed flying daggers ready, once another mysterious weapon was successfully developed, she would be able to set off on her journey to Chang'an to deliver messages!
Comment 0 Comment Count