Chapter 108 Chapter 108 is the only genuine version...

In her previous life, when Ji Nan Ke presented this repeating crossbow, the emperor had her demonstrate its power at a birthday banquet. Ten arrows pierced a dummy a hundred steps away, and the lingering force even sent the dummy tumbling dozens more steps.

Everyone at the birthday banquet was surprised and delighted, praising this as a powerful weapon for the country. They believed that Daqi would be able to use this magic weapon to prevent the barbarians from making any progress.

Later, the emperor had it shown to his ministers one by one.

The young master told her about this after he came back. He said that the Shenbi crossbow was indeed powerful, but it had major structural problems. If it was not improved, it could never be used in the army.

The young master later submitted a memorial, but it was suppressed by the emperor.

Less than half a year later, the imperial guards set up a 30,000-man Shenbi Battalion, all equipped with Shenbi crossbows. The emperor ordered Xie Jing to lead the Shenbi Battalion to Huaizhou to suppress the rebels.

There were a total of 12,000 rebels. Everyone knew that the emperor was paving the way for Xie Jing, allowing him to gain military merit and gain a foothold in the army. But in the end, the 30,000-strong Shenbi Camp suffered a crushing defeat.

Eighty percent of the Shenbi crossbows suddenly disintegrated on the battlefield, their quivers burst open, and the arrows inside were ejected, hitting nearby comrades.

The tragic scene was like a fratricide. Most of the Shenbi Battalion members were killed or wounded, which gave the rebels an opportunity to take advantage of. Even Xie Jing was almost killed by the rebels.

This kind of battle situation is really ugly.

The emperor concealed the incident and secretly sent reinforcements, which outnumbered the rebels five times to one, and helped them win the battle.

At that time, the young master was dying, and Gu Zhizhuo had no energy to care about other things. It was not until later, when she found out that the imperial guards were no longer equipped with the divine arm crossbow, that she learned the whole story from Huai Jingzhi.

Such a sharp weapon, without any improvement, just discarded, that only means one thing -

Ji Nan Ke doesn’t know how to do that at all!

This was not her design, so if there is a mistake, she will not change it.

Gu Zhizhuo lowered her eyes slightly. The design of the entire crossbow was actually very perfect. She wondered if Ji Nan Ke had remembered something wrong, which led to this fatal flaw.

"Proud."

Gu Zhizhuo suddenly spoke up and asked, "If you were the ruler of this world, but you couldn't interfere with the changes in its affairs, then one day, someone appeared in your world. She knew everything about the afterlife and brought out all sorts of bizarre things, each of which would make this world a better place. Would you choose her to lead worldly affairs on your behalf?"

Gu Zhijiao held his chin and thought seriously for a while: "I think so."

"However, my eldest brother and third brother both said that those who are not of my race must have different hearts. No matter how much this person knows, she is not from this world of mine. She comes from somewhere else. I cannot guarantee that she has no ulterior motives. I will keep an eye on her, and if a more suitable candidate emerges, I will replace her."

Gu Zhizhuo looked at her silently.

"Big sister, did I say something wrong?"

Gu Zhizhuo clapped his hands and said, "Jiaojiao is right."

The way of heaven has no emotions; it will only choose the most suitable path for this world.

"Qiong Fang."

Gu Zhizhuo spread out the silk paper on the stone table and instructed, "Go back and bring some paper. Take the Chengxin paper from my study and a few charcoal pencils that were placed with the Chengshou paper."

Qiongfang responded prettily.

She walked back and forth quickly and brought paper and pen.

Qingmei made a soft gesture and gently lifted the gauze curtain.

Gu Zhizhuo was pointing at the location of the quiver on the blueprint and said, "...and here, the pivot is too lightly stressed."

Qiongfang walked over quietly and placed paper and pen next to the two of them.

She glanced at the ice basin and saw that there was still enough ice in it, so she quietly stepped aside.

Gu Zhizhuo picked up the charcoal pencil and drew the pivot on the paper with just a few strokes.

She once got a complete divine arm crossbow, and only discovered the clue after trying it several times.

Gu Zhijiao leaned over to look, and the two sisters talked with their heads touching.

"Routine use and training are basically not a problem."

"But if used on the battlefield, it's impossible to end the battle by just firing a few or a dozen arrows."

"And if it's used frequently, the pivot will come off the axis."

Gu Zhijiao understood immediately. She said softly, "The pivot is the connection point of the entire crossbow. Once it's dislocated, the crossbow will immediately disintegrate. If it was in use at the time, the quiver would likely break."

Gu Zhizhuo snapped his fingers: "That's it!"

After she had fired a hundred times in a row, the crossbow suddenly disintegrated, and the arrows in the quiver flew all over the place.

Ten arrows per strike, that's only a thousand arrows.

During normal training, repeating crossbows are generally not used so frequently on purpose, but when the battle is fierce, it is not uncommon to shoot a hundred times in a row.

Of course, if we lowered the firing rate like a regular crossbow, it wouldn't break down. But if that were the case, why would we need a repeating crossbow? It would be a waste of effort.

"So, we have to adjust the pivot. However, the pivot is the center of the entire crossbow. If the pivot moves, the hook and quiver must move with it."

In her previous life, the young master died, and she had no interest in improving weapons. After figuring out why the young master said there was a problem with the structure, she put the matter behind her and never touched the Divine Arm Crossbow again.

Gu Zhizhuo touched his chin and said, "Anyway, let's find a craftsman to make it first. But, we have to find someone reliable."

The drawings must not be leaked.

"Big sister." Gu Zhijiao raised her little face slightly, her voice soft and gentle, "I think I can do it."

Gu Zhijiao placed her hands on her knees, a dimple forming on her cheek. "I used to make eight-treasure boxes for the Xu family's shop."

The Xu family's business was moved from the north to the capital.

Besides furs, an item popular in the north was the Eight Treasures Box. These boxes could be large or small, lacked locks, and to open, one had to twist the sliders in a specific sequence. Each layer opened and closed with a slider, creating a sophisticated design that was particularly popular in the capital. Gu Zhizhuo himself had one, which he used to store deeds and other items.

“I cook better than the masters.”

Gu Zhijiao's beautiful eyes lit up.

She could never forget the day when her elder sister tied up her hair with pearl flowers and told her that she could live in this world with her head held high.

She is the daughter of the Gu family, and she also wants to do something for the Gu family and her elder sister.

Gu Zhijiao was afraid of being rejected, and she was expectant yet cautious: "Big sister, can you let me try?"

"Try what?"

A familiar voice sounded from outside the gauze curtain. Gu Yican opened the curtain and came in, smiling brightly: "Sister. Second sister, you are here as expected."

"Cancan!" Gu Zhizhuo waved at him happily, "When did you come back?"

"Just now. I went to pay my respects to my grandmother. I was going to look for you in Lingxiao Courtyard, but Aunt Zhu said you and my second sister were here." Gu Yican placed an oil-paper package on the stone table. "Try it quickly, it's still warm."

"Is it donkey meat kabob?"

"You have a really good nose!" Gu Yican opened the oil-paper package, revealing two donkey meat hot buns. "Second sister, you can have some too. I bought them at that old shop in the north of the city."

Gu Zhizhuo tore the oil paper in half, wrapped a steamed bun and handed it to Gu Zhijiao first.

She took another one and took a big bite happily, muttering, "Just in time, I haven't had breakfast yet, I almost forgot."

Gu Yican narrowed his eyes and stared at her left and right: "What have you been doing when I'm not at home? You didn't even eat breakfast, and you got so tanned!"

Is there?

Gu Zhizhuo thinks his skin color looks pretty good now.

She wasn't as fair and flawless as the noble ladies in Beijing, but she was definitely not dark and looked very healthy.

Anyway, as long as you stay at home for a few days, or wait until the summer is over, you can recover.

He actually dared to despise it!

Seeing her expression, Gu Yican immediately changed his tone: "But, this is better! Like a female general. Right, second sister?"

Gu Zhijiao took small bites of the hot cake and smiled, "Big sister is always beautiful."

Gu Zhizhuo was satisfied. He finished the fire-baked food in a few bites, patted the crumbs on his hands, and said casually, "Are you done?"

He leaned back, resting his hands on the railing, and happily showed off to his sister, "I led my men to surround West Mountain. No one from the Five Barracks was allowed to leave the camp. Anyone who came out was killed. Jiang Zizhou and Qi Fu took turns transporting batches of arrows back through the secret passage."

"Liu Guangming went to the capital to file a complaint, and the emperor sent someone to summon me back. I got scolded again, hahahaha."

"Anyway!" Gu Yican slapped the stone bench, "We've brought everything back, not a single one left behind."

Gu Zhizhuo clapped his hands.

Gu Zhijiao also followed.

Gu Yican's eyebrows danced with joy. He noticed the silk paper on the stone table and leaned forward. The high ponytail behind his head swayed with his movements.

He understood immediately: "This is a repeating crossbow."

"My second sister drew it." Gu Zhizhuo recounted the whole story in a few words. "My second sister said she would do it, and I think it's okay."

Gu Yican gave a thumbs up and said, "When it's done, I'll buy you flowers."

Gu Zhijiao curled up the corners of his mouth, and his smile became softer.

Gu Zhizhuo picked up the charcoal pencil and eloquently listed the items he needed, including a Luban ruler, an inkwell, and so on. After he finished writing, he said, "Second sister, take a look at what else you need. After you finish listing, have the maid give it to Wu Ping's family. She is in charge of purchasing now."

Gu Zhizhuo didn't ask her whether she could read or not. With her photographic memory, if she studied with the teacher for a few days, she could even take the imperial examination.

After stuffing the clarification paper into his mouth, Gu Zhizhuo ignored him.

The repeating crossbow is made of wood, and most of its structure is also made of wood, but Gu Zhizhuo decided to use iron for the central pivot, pulley, and hook. In addition, some iron arrows must also be prepared.

"Brother, is there a blacksmith in Qianjiying?"

Gu Yican looked at the blueprint, paying attention to her words, and said without raising his head, "Yes."

"That's all. We have new iron, and it's just the right thing to use."

That box of iron was a real relief! Otherwise, just 500 iron arrows would have been a huge problem.

After Gu Yican finished reading the blueprint, he folded it up solemnly and said, "Second sister, I'll leave it to you. I'll give it to you after the pivot and other things are finished."

Gu Zhijiao's heart beat fast, and his eyes sparkled. This was a feeling of being trusted and recognized.

"Brother, do you want to go back to the barracks?"

"Send a pigeon." Gu Yican touched his chin. "I just got scolded. Sigh, I better restrain myself. I won't be going back for the next few days."

Gu Zhizhuo laughed so hard that he fell backwards.

A little maid came outside the pavilion. Qiongfang went out to ask for help and then came back to report, "Miss, Mr. Zhou Liu is here. He said he has something urgent to discuss with you. He is in the front hall now."

"Big brother, big sister, I'm going to go back first." Gu Zhijiao said energetically, "I'll go re-plan the size."

She bowed and took a step forward with light steps.

"What urgent matter will this kid have on Saturday?" Gu Yican asked suspiciously, "I'll go with you."

As soon as he walked out of the pavilion, a wave of summer heat hit him in the face. Gu Zhizhuo fanned himself vigorously with a round fan, and soon sweat broke out on his forehead.

Exiting the moon-shaped gate, there was the front yard's reception hall. Zhou Liulang paced back and forth anxiously. When he saw Gu Zhizhuo coming, he immediately came forward and said, "Sister, something big has happened!"

"What's up?"

It was Gu Yican who was speaking. Zhou Liulang's eyes were full of Gu Zhizhuo. It took him several beats longer to realize he was there. He quickly stood up and called out, "Hello, Brother Can, you're back." After that, he hurriedly said, "Sister, Zheng Si's sister's engagement was broken off by her husband's family."

"Zheng Si's sister's engagement was broken off. What are you talking about with my sister?" Gu Yican glared at him. "Is that even possible?"

"Stop arguing." Gu Zhizhuo pulled him and said, "Go on."

"That's right. Zheng Si's sister fell in love with their groom, saying that he was lame and pitiful and needed someone to save him. Coincidentally, her fiancé heard it with his own ears. The fiancé immediately broke off the engagement. Zheng Si's father was furious and beat the groom to death. Now his sister is shouting that she wants to commit suicide for love. Sister, tell me, is Zheng Si's sister the same as my fourth sister, the same..."

Gu Yican didn't understand: "What happened to your fourth sister?"

Zhou Liulang was stunned for a moment, then understood.

"Sister, you really keep your word!" Unexpectedly, she didn't even tell Brother Can.

Gu Yican narrowed his eyes, and a dangerous light flashed in his eyes.

Brother Can wouldn't gossip anyway, so Zhou Liulang, fearing he'd be beaten, simply told her everything about Zhou Jinuo. He said thankfully, "Thanks to my sister for helping her... Sister, what should we do now?"

Gu Zhizhuo pondered for a moment: "Has there been any similar incidents in the capital recently?" She had been running back and forth between the military camp and the government office these days and had no energy to care about anything else.

Zhou Liulang shook his head.

He was so worried about his fourth sister's situation that he wouldn't have known about it if he hadn't seen Zheng Si drinking and acting crazy earlier in the morning. He was thinking that Zheng Si's situation was too similar to Sister Nuo's, and maybe Gu Zhizhuo could save her.

"How about this," Gu Yican said, "Call out all our people and go..."

There is nothing in this huge capital city that these playboys don’t know.

Gu Zhizhuo interjected, "I remember there's a restaurant next to the teahouse on Maoer Street. Let's go there."

"good."

Zhou Liulang ran away in a hurry. Gu Yican went back to the yard first and wrote a letter and asked a carrier pigeon to send it to the military camp. He told Qi Fu to ask the blacksmith to make bearings and other things according to the drawings. Then the brother and sister went out together.

The teahouse on Maoer Street was still a pile of rubble that hadn't been cleared away yet, but Zhang Xiucai, who had been buried beneath the rubble, had been moved away, leaving only a pool of blood. The surrounding stalls were completely unaffected, and people were constantly coming and going.

The brother and sister went to the tavern first, requesting two private rooms on the second floor and asking the waiter to open the partition between them. Gu Zhizhuo sat by the window, leaning against the railing, her eyes falling on the sign for the fortune-telling stall across the street. The word "fortune-telling" on it had an extra hook, which made her take a few more glances.

There was an old blind man sitting at the fortune-telling stall. Business seemed to be pretty good. As soon as one customer left, another came.

"Brother Chan, sister!"

Soon, young men who were not yet twenty years old arrived one after another.

Gu Yican gave the order, and Zhou Liulang was in charge of delivering it. They all came quickly. They had all been to the Prince of Jin's mansion to fight together, and when they saw Gu Zhizhuo, they called her "sister" affectionately.

They entered the private room and sat in a circle around the eight-immortal table. If there was no room, they would drag a round stool to sit by the window, laughing and chatting.

Zheng Si was extremely drunk. He staggered over and fell onto the eight-immortals table. It was unclear whether he was asleep or awake.

"That's right."

Gu Zhizhuo tapped the armrests of the armchair twice with his fingertips, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet.

The silence came so quickly that it startled Gu Zhizhuo.

Gu Zhizhuo cleared his throat and asked, "Has anything strange happened in the capital recently? Or has anyone agreed to an extremely unsuitable marriage, or has a girl suddenly died?"

I originally thought that there was only Mr. Zhang, but unexpectedly, there were more than one.

Mr. Zhang is dead, so let’s find out if there are any other people who are still alive.

Gu Yican slammed the table: "Think quickly!"