C80. Three-bow Crossbow.

C80. Three-bow Crossbow.

After listening to Yuan Dan's explanation, Yuan Li and Chu Hechao did not return to their rooms, instead, they took their personal guards and followed Yuan Dan to the Department of Artifacts.

The Department of Artifacts was built in a secluded and quiet environment, both hidden and secure, allowing the people inside to work in peace. When Yuan Li arrived, he saw Cui Yan with disheveled hair, looking messy as he wrote something at his desk.

There were papers and bamboo slips scattered around him, with craftsmen busy working and making things, resulting in a pile of wood shavings on the floor.

Yuan Li had recruited many people for the Department of Artifacts, but most of them were craftsmen who could work with their hands. Only Yuan Dan and Cui Yan were literate. However, the craftsmen's creative abilities were not inferior to scholars, as they had rich experience and often brought brilliant ideas to Yuan Dan and Cui Yan.

Carefully avoiding the objects on the floor, Yuan Dan approached Cui Yan and gently pushed him, exclaiming with joy, "Cuiyan, Le Jun is here!"

Cui Yan, distracted, raised his head with a visible hint of blue under his eyes. Once a leisurely scholar living at the foot of Mangshan, he now seemed drained of vitality, far from his former relaxed demeanor.

Seeing Yuan Li and the Grand General's presence, Cui Yan was momentarily surprised, "Why have you two come here?"

Frantically, Yuan Dan patted him and said, "Le Jun and General have come to see the crossbows!"

Cui Yan winced in pain but quickly realized the situation, standing up eagerly and inviting them, "Please follow me, my lords."

Yuan Li and Chu Hechao exchanged glances and followed him into the courtyard.

In the courtyard, there were two crossbows on display - a large bed crossbow and a smaller handheld crossbow.

Chu Hechao immediately noticed the novelty of the bed crossbow. It had a wooden frame supporting three bows combined on the crossbow, quite different from the massive crossbows he was familiar with.

Impressed, Chu Hechao walked up to examine the bed crossbow, noticing the deep groove that could accommodate a long spear-like arrow. He looked at Cui Yan and asked, "Is this the crossbow you modified?"

Embarrassed, Cui Yan smiled, "The Governor suggested incorporating arithmetic into weapons, sparking my curiosity. After discussing with him, he proposed enhancing the power and range of crossbows using mathematics. He suggested using multiple bows to increase power. Inspired by his idea, I modified the crossbow mechanism to enhance its power and range."

Chu Hechao raised an eyebrow playfully, teasing Yuan Li, "It seems my sister-in-law has some involvement in this field."

Feeling awkward being referred to as a sister-in-law, Yuan Li suppressed his guilty conscience and calmly replied, "It was merely a passing thought for me. I never expected Mr. Cui to actually develop it, and so impressively."

Approaching the bed crossbow, Yuan Li examined it carefully. In history, the Song Dynasty had invented a similar multi-bow bed crossbow, notably the three-bow bed crossbow.

When counseling Cui Yan to utilize mathematics in weapon development, Yuan Li had considered the possibility of creating a three-bow bed crossbow. Seeing Cui Yan's creation, while similar in appearance, he wondered if it could match the power of the three-bow bed crossbow.

"What is it called? What is its range? How many people are needed to wind the crossbow?" Yuan Li inquired further.

Cui Yan seemed to have had too little sleep, causing his speech to be slow and hesitant, which was making everyone anxious. Unable to take it anymore, Yuan Dan stepped in and answered the question, "It hasn't been given a name yet. Let's call it the Three-Bow Bed Crossbow for now. It has a range of eight hundred paces and requires thirty people to draw the main bow!"

Eight hundred paces equated to about one thousand meters, a distance far beyond what current long-range weapons could reach.

"Is it really eight hundred paces?" Chu Hechao's gaze turned sharp.

Feeling intimidated by his stare, Yuan Li swallowed nervously, "General, yes, it is eight hundred paces. If you doubt it, you can try it yourself."

"Let's do it," Chu Hechao immediately agreed.

The Three-Bow Bed Crossbow was positioned in an open space, with the estate wall about a thousand meters away. Thirty guards gathered to wind the crossbow, placing arrow shafts resembling long spears on the arrow groove.

After aiming, a burly guard used a massive axe to fiercely trigger the mechanism, launching the arrow resembling a long spear towards the estate wall.

Everyone held their breath, watching the arrow as it flew towards the wall.

Slowly but steadily, the arrow crossed the thousand-meter distance and firmly lodged into the wall.

Approaching to inspect closely, they found the arrow had penetrated halfway through the wall, proving difficult to remove.

One guard pressed down hard on the embedded arrow, confirming its stability before using it as a foothold to climb up the wall.

Impressed, Chu Hechao also took the challenge, finding the arrow firmly anchored and not easily dislodged.

"What a great invention!" He descended from the wall and praised the design.

Yuan Li's eyes gleamed with excitement, "This is a formidable weapon for breaching fortifications."

Imagining its strategic use in siege warfare, Yuan Li marveled at how it could enable soldiers to climb fortifications amidst a rain of arrows.

During a siege, you deploy this weapon on the battlefield. At close range, it launches arrows that pierce the city wall like spears.

Row upon row, these arrows embed themselves from the base to the summit, creating a formidable, almost ladder-like structure. Your soldiers can then scale these "arrow-ladders" under a protective canopy of projectiles, breaching the city's defenses.

This powerful device is not just for wall penetration. It can also devastate enemy fortifications like arrow towers, sentry posts, and even ships.

While the crossbow is indeed capable of inflicting human casualties, using a three-bow crossbow for that purpose is wasteful. Its true strength lies in dismantling enemy equipment and facilitating sieges.

Realizing its immense potential, Yuan Li's admiration for Cui Yan grew even stronger.

Cui Yan was indeed a talent, deserving recognition as a pioneering inventor in historical records.

Commending them profusely, Yuan Li remembered Yuan Dan mentioning a "repeating crossbow" earlier. It was clear the bed crossbow could not repeat its shots, which left only one possibility...

His gaze shifted to the small crossbow that had been overlooked by everyone, "Is this the repeating crossbow that Wenhan mentioned?"

Yuan Dan nodded eagerly, rushing to pick up the small crossbow, "Le Jun, this is the repeating crossbow I mentioned."

Compared to the bed crossbow, the small crossbow was lighter and more portable, suitable for individual soldiers. It still had the range of an adult male's arm, almost a meter in length.

Equipped with three arrow grooves, the small crossbow could simultaneously launch three arrows, tripling its attack power.

After trying out the small crossbow himself, Yuan Li found stringing it a bit challenging but far superior to existing models. What amazed him more was the sighting device with markings, akin to a scale on modern firearms, allowing for precise adjustment of the firing angle and significantly boosting accuracy.

He quickly realized that when the sighting device, arrow tip, and target were aligned in a straight line, the arrow would hit the target accurately upon release.

Yuan Li's smile was uncontrollable as he said, "This little crossbow is very user-friendly."

Crossbows are weapons that can effectively counter cavalry, with greater lethality and higher accuracy. More importantly, crossbows have lower demands on soldiers compared to bow and arrow archers.

Currently, crossbows are not very effective because soldiers need to use their feet to string the bow during reloading, requiring shield bearers on the battlefield to protect the crossbowmen. Although crossbows are good, they have too many drawbacks.

Soldiers often use both bows and crossbows interchangeably, without clearly distinguishing between the two.

However, the crossbows made by Cui Yan were different. Their structure was not complicated, allowing for mass production, and soldiers could easily master them.

Even those with poor archery skills like Wu Kai and Wang Er could quickly become skilled crossbowmen by using these crossbows.

These weapons were like cheating tools.

Yuan Li looked at Chu Hechao and exchanged a glance with him.

Understanding the value of these two weapons, Chu Hechao immediately dispatched guards to protect the workshop and investigate all individuals within, particularly focusing on the crossbow artisans.

Fortunately, Yuan Li had already taken precautions. After establishing the workshop, he had instructed the artisans not to leave without Yuan Dan's permission.

Although Yuan Dan was carefree, he was also astute and cautious, ensuring that the artisans collaborated on making these two weapons.

Learning from past mistakes, Yuan Li had already gathered the artisans' families under his control. Up to this point, none of the artisans making the Three-Bow Bed Crossbow and the small crossbow had left the workshop.

Impressed by Yuan Li's precautions, Chu Hechao smiled, "I always trust your methods."

Having examined the two weapons, the moon had risen high. Yuan Li personally escorted Cui Yan back to his residence, and the group then hurried to the estate under the cover of night.

On the way, Yuan Dan was still excited, "Le Jun, with such powerful weapons on the battlefield, our Youzhou soldiers will be unstoppable..."

He was getting a bit carried away just imagining the scene.

Yuan Li listened to him with a smile, while Chu Hechao, slightly lagging behind, walked with them.

After some time, Yuan Dan calmed down and asked curiously, "Le Jun, when I went to find you, the servants didn't know where you went. I waited almost half an hour before seeing you return. Did you and the General go out?"

Yuan Li cleared his throat and said, "The General and I had something to discuss."

"Oh." Yuan Dan, without much thought, then expressed concern about Yuanli's lips, "There are many mosquitoes now. I didn't notice earlier, but now I vaguely remember that your lips seem a bit unusual. Were you bitten by mosquitoes?"

Embarrassed, Yuan Li replied vaguely, "It's possible I was bitten, or perhaps I have been feeling a bit ill lately."

A man behind them chuckled lazily and said, "Being unwell is not a minor issue. You should quickly eat something to cool down, or your condition might worsen in a few days."

Yuan Dan, missing the deeper meaning in Chu Hechao's words, nodded in agreement, "The General is right. Le Jun, you should eat lightly these days and drink some cooling tea. It's a pity the pears aren't ripe yet; otherwise, you could eat them to cool down."

Yuan Li nodded helplessly, saying, "Okay."

Chu Hechao added, "You're his uncle. Why don't you ask where we went?"

Initially thinking it was inappropriate to ask, fearing he might touch upon some secret, Yuan Dan realized he had overthought it. Curious, he asked, "Indeed, Le Jun, where did you go? It's fine if you had a fever, but it would be uncomfortable if you were bitten by mosquitoes. Next time you go there, remember to bring mosquito repellent."

Yuan Li felt his fists clenching again, wanting to hit someone. He casually brushed off Yuan Dan with a few words before entering the room, shooting a glare at Chu Hechao as he passed by.

After turning on and off the lights and finishing washing up, he climbed into bed to sleep. After a while, someone silently climbed in through the window, landing as light as a feather, and made their way to Yuan Li's bedside in the darkness.

Yuan Li, indifferent, asked, "Why are you here so late?"

Chu Hechao sat on the bed, removing his shoes, bringing a faint scent of soap with him. His damp hair dripped water down to the bed, and Yuan Li, feeling a drop hit the mattress, furiously kicked the man's back twice.

But the man's back remained still, and he simply took off his shoes and got into bed, saying, "Move over."

Yuan Li shifted, making room for him, turning away as the man embraced him from behind and flipped him over. "What's wrong? Fire in your belly again?"

Just mentioning it angered Yuan Li, reaching down to twist a piece of flesh on the man's arm.

"Ouch..." Chu Hechao winced, his face contorting slightly as he caught Yuan Li's hand, somewhat threateningly, "Dare to pinch me?"

Unfazed, Yuan Li retorted, "Think about what you said in front of Yuan Dan. What if he figures something out?"

Chu Hechao scoffed, "Do you think he can figure it out?"

Yuan Li felt he had a point.

Still, feeling annoyed, Yuan Li pinched the man's chest with his other hand.

By now, Chu Hechao's face had darkened completely, but in the dimly lit room, no one could see. Yuan Li could guess his expression, so he took the initiative, "Look, now you're being mean to me again."

Chu Hechao hesitated for a moment before whispering low in Yuan Li's ear, "Let's be reasonable, kid."

His low voice and breathy tone tickled Yuan Li's ear, "I haven't done much to you, and you're calling me mean?"

Feeling a bit guilty, Yuan Li changed the subject abruptly, "Don't sleep here. It won't look good if someone sees you in the morning."

Chu Hechao understood, "I'll leave once you're asleep."

With a sigh, Chu Hechao remarked, "Feels like having an affair."

Yuan Li felt uncomfortable too. The next moment, his chin was raised, his mouth opened, and the scent of lotus leaf toothpaste wafted into his throat.

After a brief interaction, Chu Hechao left because Yuan Li didn't want too much intimacy for fear of waking up with swollen lips. Touching his moist lips, Yuanli worried, "Do I really need to eat something to cool down? I feel like I've been quite hot-headed lately."

Wickedly, Chu Hechao suggested, "I have something to cool you down, want it?"

Yuan Li retorted, "Your temper is fiercer than mine."

Chu Hechao sighed again, his rough fingers gently brushing Yuan Li's face, tracing the scars, causing a tingling sensation, "I can't help it. I was twenty-seven when got a wife; cut me some slack."

Yuan Li nodded, "I understand."

After hesitating for a moment, he said, "I can kiss you, but you have to be clean. After I kiss you, you have to kiss me back."

Chu Hechao quickly assured, "I'm clean now."

"No," Yuan Li decisively refused this time, turning over, "You smell too strong. Wait a few days until the scent fades a bit before we talk. I'm tired and want to sleep."

Chu Hechao was left speechless.

He washed his face, embraced Yuan Li, and said, "Go to sleep, ancestor."