"Intelligence from the Hidden Wolf Guard and the Cloud Sky Guard in Jiaozhou indicates the enemy is also attempting to replicate the Chuang Zi Nu..." Liang Xiao frowned as he looked at the report.
Xiao Qing was startled, "Can they replicate it?"
Liang萧 suddenly laughed, "Give them another hundred years, and it will still be impossible!"
The Three-Bow Chuāng Nu was one of the peak achievements of Northern Song military technology. Even some "experts" in later generations could barely replicate the true Three-Bow Chuāng Nu.
The reason Liang Xiao could replicate it was firstly due to the correct materials, and secondly, by researching and combining it with the Chuāng Nu that Da Qian already possessed, thereby further confirming the feasibility of the Three-Bow Chuāng Nu.
Materials were a crucial element, requiring fir wood over a hundred years old to fully leverage the performance advantages of the Three-Bow Chuāng Nu. Additionally, the bowstrings for the three large bows needed to be of the finest ox sinew. Various other material components also required repeated refining. This was the reason for the scarcity of Three-Bow Chuāng Nu during the Yan Prefecture Great Victory; Da Qian did not have abundant stockpiles of such precious materials at the time, nor the time to rush production.
Similarly, this was also the reason for the scarcity of Da Qian's yew wood, with the oldest fir wood materials being entirely used for crafting the Three-Bow Chuāng Nu.
The Three-Bow Chuāng Nu had its own winding mechanism and pulley system, essentially a top-tier crossbow artillery. People a millennium later couldn't even find the necessary materials—some woods would be considered "imprisoned" by modern standards. Furthermore, the repeatedly refined materials were not something later generations had the patience to produce, making complete replication impossible.
This was why Liang Xiao consistently admired Chancellor Zhuo Mingfeng, who a century ago, for the sake of future paper production and contemporary crossbow manufacturing, had overruled objections and promoted afforestation, including fir trees.
These forests were once considered a waste of land but were now of great use to him. It was likely Zhuo Mingfeng had considered the future development of crossbows, though he certainly wouldn't have imagined that posterity could create a killing weapon like the Three-Bow Chuāng Nu.
Furthermore, Da Qian had captured a large number of horses and cattle from the barbarians, providing abundant high-quality ox sinew. The significant increase in the production of Three-Bow Chuāng Nu in recent years was therefore unsurprising.
The best Three-Bow Chuāng Nu could shoot over a thousand meters, but this required meticulous craftsmanship over many years. For a typical Three-Bow Chuāng Nu, even with accelerated production, a range of over eight hundred meters was not an issue, making it an absolute killing weapon in this era. A single shot, fired in anger, could pin multiple heavily armored soldiers to the ground or even embed itself in city walls.
As for the Zhuge Lian Nu, it was even less likely for the enemy to replicate.
Even if the enemy managed to replicate it, they wouldn't have enough arrows to squander. Da Qian, with its forests spread across the north and south, could afford to waste them as long as they had money.
The significant expenditure of gold on weapons and arrow production also created many jobs for commoners, stimulating domestic demand in Da Qian, ultimately promoting economic development and technological innovation.
The Zhuge Lian Nu had physical artifacts unearthed in later eras. However, the reasons for this divine weapon's eventual elimination and abandonment were its short range and its extreme consumption of arrows. Ten shots per reload at short distances were not affordable for ordinary forces, and its slow cocking meant it often had only one opportunity to be effective on the battlefield.
After Liang Xiao's brief explanation of the materials and operating principles of the Three-Bow Chuāng Nu and the Lian Nu, Xiao Qing, though not fully understanding, felt somewhat relieved.
These secret technologies were well-preserved, and the artisans at the Bureau of Military Equipment were under strict surveillance, while also ensuring their families lived in abundance, with treatment no less than that of Da Qian's White Robe soldiers.
At the same time, the allied forces of Jiaozhou were stationed one hundred and twenty li southwest of Luzhou City, their commanders with furrowed brows.
Southern King Xiao Chang was furious, "Da Qian's crossbow bolts are too powerful. As of today, my army has suffered over fifteen thousand casualties in Luzhou, yet we have failed to capture it. If this continues, even accumulating a century's worth of wealth will not be enough to sustain us!"
Dugu Qun sighed, "If General Tian hadn't emerged back then, Jiaozhou and Xichuan, by extensively purchasing grain in the Jiangnan region, could have completely taken over Jiangnan..."
The sigh of Dugu Qun, former Minister of War of Da Qian, finally revealed a shocking truth.
The famine in Da Qian over the past decade, besides some drought-stricken areas, was also due to the interference of the Jiaozhou and Xichuan factions!
Grain was heavily purchased by Jiaozhou's Southern King, along with the Brocade Robe King and the Helian family, causing local grain prices in Da Qian to soar. The aristocratic families and the Duánmù family, who also hoarded grain, used this opportunity to make a significant profit.
This was a tactic Jiaozhou and Xichuan had been using for decades, aiming to rise to power. Even if they couldn't seize control of the Central Plains, they could sell the grain at a high price to the people in Jiangnan, Hanzhong, and the western regions after the grain prices skyrocketed, ensuring a risk-free profit.
The Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of War, and Ministry of Personnel were long controlled by the aristocratic families, making it easy for them to turn a blind eye...
The reason Liang Xiao, despite brewing a "One Drunk Hundred Years," dared not mass-produce wine back then was also due to concerns about rising grain prices, fearing that distilleries across the land would imitate him, further driving up grain prices and harming the people.
This also became a significant reason for Liang Xiao's later determination to eradicate the aristocratic families. Without their removal, Da Qian would never have peace.
After the aristocratic families were gone, Da Qian's grain prices fell repeatedly. However, regular grain merchants led by the Lu family, having received advance notice from the government, made preparations and suffered no significant losses. The common people also no longer worried about starving.
"I have obtained intelligence that Da Qian possesses a trinity of Chuāng Zi Nu, Shen Bi Gong, and Chang Gong. Even the Chang Gong, with its shortest range, is far more powerful than ordinary bows and crossbows, ensuring effective lethality within two hundred paces... Yet, the three types of weapons and the Zhuge Lian Nu that our army has managed to replicate based on diagrams only capture their form. I truly cannot understand..."
He Wanli, accompanying them, chuckled, "The secrets must lie with the Bureau of Military Equipment. Then let's steal them! I have already sent people to secretly visit Da Qian's dignitaries, hoping they will see reason..."
"Who?"
"Da Qian's Grand Tutor and Minister of Works, Huang Xing, and Grand Tutor and Assistant Minister of Revenue, Gu Hong."
At the same time, the Huang family received an unexpected visitor at night.
"He Tongping?"
Huang Xing frowned, scrutinizing the old man before him.
This man was his former colleague at the Ministry of Works. After He Wanli's He family lost power, he had also gone to Jiaozhou.
He Tongping smiled, "Minister Huang... oh no, Grand Tutor, your hair is all white now, and you look exhausted. It seems you are no more relaxed than in your younger days."
"Speak your mind," Huang Xing said impatiently.
This He Tongping bore no criminal charges, and he was a former colleague. Huang Xing found it inconvenient to dismiss him. Moreover, he wished to know the visitor's intentions.
He Tongping explained, "The Ministry of Works has always been a thankless institution. You have toiled for Da Qian to this day, yet the Emperor offers no substantial reward, only empty titles..."
As he spoke, He Tongping looked around, "The matter I wish to discuss with you, heaven knows, earth knows, and you and I know. May I?"
Huang Xing glanced at his guards, sneered, "They are all my trusted confidantes. Please get straight to the point!"
"A wise bird chooses its perch. Da Qian is fighting a five-front war against the Xianbei, Izumo, the Kushan Empire, Jiaozhou, and Da Liang. Collapse is only a matter of time. Southern King has long admired Grand Tutor and wishes to befriend him. As long as Grand Tutor is willing to serve, he can offer you ten million taels of silver. Each of the few people behind you can receive one hundred thousand taels."
"Ten million taels? One hundred thousand taels?!" The guards behind Huang Xing trembled.