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Li Daozong and Hou Junji entered the Central Army Tent, where the generals accompanied them to wash away the dust of travel. The food and drinks in the tent were plentiful, but everyone dared not look directly at them, merely putting on a show for the two Dukes.
As the Xu Zhen, she could not enter the Main Tent and stayed outside with her brothers from the Thirteen Red Armors. They saw a line of beautiful courtesans performing and entering one after another, followed closely by musicians. Soon, the camp was filled with music and dance. Zhou Cang muttered angrily about something, while Zhang Jiunian just smiled without speaking.
After a while, a general dressed in Mingguang Armor quietly emerged, his gaze carrying deep meaning. He instructed the Xu Zhen, "You should return to your camp and tidy up; there’s no need to stay here any longer."
Having served as a city manager in Chang'an for three years, the Xu Zhen had grown to despise watching others eat and drink. She slightly bowed to the general and silently returned with her brothers. The general watched their retreating figures, feeling an inexplicable tightness in his heart, yet he shook his head self-deprecatingly before returning to the Main Tent.
Li Deqian had long prepared a new tent for the Xu Zhen and her companions, fully stocked with supplies. After enduring fierce battles, they finally had a chance to rest and recuperate.
The Xu Zhen had just removed her heavy Red Armor and enjoyed a refreshing bath. She felt indescribably relaxed, as if every pore was absorbing fresh air; her body felt light as a feather, almost ethereal.
After eating and drinking to her fill, she intended to visit her brothers in the new camp and check on the Rouran People's situation. Just as she stepped out of the tent, she collided with someone.
"Ouch! My backside!"
Yan Lide rolled over like a ball, grimacing and complaining loudly. His attendants rushed to help him up, ready to scold him when Master Yan suddenly sprang up and grabbed the Xu Zhen's hand, exclaiming, "Xu Brother, you’re back!"
Since experiencing battles, the Xu Zhen had become sharp-witted and quick-reacting. She did not crash into this hefty craftsman but instinctively pushed him away. Seeing this chubby man laughing so hard his eyes nearly disappeared made her unable to hold back her laughter as well. She teased him, "Master Yan must be feeling sorry for me after my hard work in battle and prepared beautiful women and fine wine to welcome me back?"
Master Yan held a third-rank official position, just one step away from being a minister in one of the six ministries. However, the Xu Zhen was no longer that naive girl from before. From observing Li Deqian, she realized that officials without real power held little respect within the military.
Moreover, since he intended to get closer to her, when facing Yan Lide, she relaxed her demeanor instead of keeping her distance due to his high status.
Upon hearing the Xu Zhen mention beautiful women and fine wine, Yan Lide felt disdainful in his heart. It was as if a learned scholar looked at his most talented student lingering in brothels without ambition; his eyes were filled with disappointment.
Yet he still chuckled warmly and pulled the Xu Zhen's wrist towards the tent exit. "What’s so fun about beautiful women and fine wine? Come on! Big brother will take you to see the newly crafted Yuanrong Crossbow!"
Hearing that the crossbow was successful brought genuine joy to the Xu Zhen's heart. Without further ado, Yan Lide took her towards the Craft Workshop. Upon arriving at the Craft Workshop, she realized she had fallen into this chubby man's trap.
The design of her crossbow was an improved version of Zhuge Crossbow; its appearance was modeled after the hand crossbows used by the Ming Dynasty's Imperial Guards—small and precise enough to kill silently. However, it contained many intricate mechanisms that even Yan Lide did not fully understand. Although it resembled its predecessor closely, it lacked finesse and had one major flaw: it could not achieve consecutive shots!
"You’re just a blockhead!" The Xu Zhen scrutinized the crossbow but mocked it without mercy.
"What does it mean?"
"It means it won't work without kicking it!"
Yan Lide, although obsessed with machinery and usually indifferent to authority, was furious when someone called him a blockhead. He couldn't find a reason for his anger, especially since he had boasted that he would definitely create the Crossbow. He had indeed built it, but it couldn't fire continuously, so he could only blame the blueprints. However, he knew very well that the blueprints were fine, which led him to concoct another excuse.
"If you hadn't taken that kid Li Deqian away from me, I wouldn't be in such a tight spot with no one to help!"
The Xu Zhen shot him a sideways glance and retorted, "Are you the master craftsman, or is Li Deqian? Are you trying to say you want to compete with him?"
Yan Lide was about to argue back, but the Xu Zhen waved her hand dismissively and refused to engage further. She grabbed the Crossbow and a wooden box filled with iron arrows and walked out, saying, "I'll take this back to study. Don't bother me."
Yan Lide wanted to keep her there, but he was too angry about her mockery to dare pursue her. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and followed her.
The Xu Zhen didn't return to camp but headed straight to the training ground next to the stables. At that moment, the soldiers were helping Hou Junji build the camp, leaving the training ground empty. She disassembled the Crossbow, removed a small spring from the mechanism box, and reassembled it. Taking out a short arrow from the box, she placed it in the arrow holder. With her left hand holding the crossbow and her right hand gripping the lever, she aimed at the target twenty paces away.
"Thud."
"Clang!"
"Thud!"
"Clang!"
The Xu Zhen skillfully manipulated the lever; the Crossbow fired short arrows in rapid succession, hitting the target's bullseye every time!
"Hahaha! This is indeed a great piece of equipment!"
Hidden behind a weapons rack at the edge of the training ground, Yan Lide was infuriated by the power of the Crossbow and Xu Zhen's smug laughter. At that moment, he finally understood that the Crossbow's inability to fire continuously was not his fault but rather due to Xu Zhen's underhanded interference!
He was captivated by the Crossbow and regarded its blueprints as treasures. Although he had noticed some clues about its flaws, he didn't dare make any unauthorized changes. Little did he expect that in the end, Xu Zhen had made him create something for her benefit!
"You're such a scoundrel!" Yan Lide exclaimed in anger, grabbing a long spear from the weapon rack and striking at Xu Zhen. Knowing she was in the wrong, Xu Zhen hurriedly dodged, but when she could not escape, she swiftly reached out and snatched the spear from him.
"Brother Yan, please don't be angry. I'm only doing this for your own good. If it weren't for me, how would you be able to spend all day racking your brain to figure out the structure of this Crossbow?"
Hearing Xu Zhen's excuses only fueled Yan Lide's rage further. However, he was also feeling weak and sweaty, his feet unsteady as he tried to chase after her. He could only grit his teeth and breathe heavily.
"Don't be upset, brother! Just come with me!" Xu Zhen took the initiative to put her arm around Yan Lide's shoulder. He remained unmoved, and after several attempts to pull him along, she could only smile wryly, knowing she had truly angered this god of wealth. With a quick thought, she devised a plan.
She quickly walked over to the target area, placing all the crossbow bolts into a wooden box but leaving one behind. She began to sketch on the ground.
At first, Yan Lide was indifferent, but when Xu Zhen drew beyond three feet away, his gaze was gradually drawn in. He completely forgot his resentment over her taking the crossbow; after all, he had already understood the structure of the Crossbow and even recognized the flaws that Xu Zhen had secretly laid out. Creating ten or eight more would be no problem. Instead, her design sketches pulled him back into the ocean of mechanical creativity!
"This... is a bed crossbow from the previous dynasty? No... a trebuchet? That's not right either... this... hmm... there's something profound here... hmm?..."
Yan Lide murmured to himself, slowly becoming captivated by Xu Zhen's design sketches!
By the time Xu Zhen finished drawing the last component diagram, Yan Lide was already dumbfounded, muttering to himself as if possessed!
Xu Zhen chuckled and patted Yan Lide on the shoulder, saying, "Take your time studying it; I'll be on my way!"
As she walked out of the training ground with the Crossbow and arrow box in hand, Xu Zhen felt triumphant. However, when she turned back, she saw Yan Lide lying on the ground, utterly absorbed in staring at the design sketches. At that moment, Xu Zhen felt as if everything in this world had vanished, leaving only a devoted craftsman and a piece of paper.
A surge of respect welled up in her heart; she felt somewhat ashamed of her little trick. Yet she was even more convinced that investing in Yan Lide and Li Deqian would definitely be worth it!
Just as Xu Zhen was heading to visit Caesar and Moya along with the Rouran People, Hou Polu knelt pale-faced inside the military tent. In front of him stood his father, Hou Junji, whose expression was as cold as ice. His eyes were sharp like those of an eagle or an aging lion—intimidating without needing to be angry.
"Slap!"
With a crisp sound, Hou Polu was struck by his father's hand and spun halfway around. A large red handprint immediately appeared on his pale face, and blood trickled from his mouth!
"Father, I know I was wrong!" Hou Polu said with fear in his eyes as he bowed deeply and trembled while pleading for forgiveness.
"Where did it go wrong?" Hou Junji asked coldly.
Hou Polu gritted his teeth and finally confessed, "I should not have envied the Comrades, I should not have seized military achievements, and I should not have made a military pledge that forced my father to clean up the mess and lose face..."
Hearing his son admit his mistakes, Hou Junji felt anger instead of satisfaction and kicked him hard!
"Bang!"
Hou Polu was kicked away, clutching his chest in unbearable pain, but he dared not utter another word!
Watching his son like a frightened sheep, Hou Junji sighed lightly, took a couple of steps forward, squatted down in front of him, and began to teach him earnestly.
"In life, one must accept their fate with grace. People are not sages; they will inevitably have desires. If you need to hate, then hate boldly; if you need to seize, then seize grandly. Only then can you possess the demeanor of a true man. I am a dignified Duke; who can tarnish my reputation? Who dares to tarnish my reputation?"
Hou Polu suddenly looked up, still somewhat confused. However, Hou Junji patted his son's head and whispered in his ear, "What I blame you for is that you couldn't even kill a mere Personal Guard Captain! As my son, I am not afraid of your mistakes; I fear that you won't achieve anything! Since you've made a military pledge, even if this so-called Xu Zhen hasn't betrayed us, you must make him truly betray us. That is the cunning my son should possess!"
Hou Polu's heart tightened as he looked into his father's piercing gaze, as if he had opened the door to a dark world!
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