After Chang Lili finished speaking, Jiang Yingxue's eyes showed curiosity, and she stopped making a fuss.
Zhang Ziqing put down his pen, a faint smile playing on his lips that was completely out of character for his childish appearance, and said, "It seems you already have an idea in mind. Tell me."
Chang Lili crossed her arms, looking inscrutable, and paced back and forth, saying, "I think there can be more than one trap. Don't start with a trap that's meant to kill people. That way, even if someone accidentally steps into a trap, there's still hope of survival."
“Those ground spikes are no longer usable.” Zhang Ziqing lowered his head, looking at the unidentified object drawn on the paper on the table.
Jiang Yingxue was still somewhat unhappy and asked reluctantly, "Then do you have a bad idea?"
"Have you ever heard of animal traps? These things can't kill people, but they're hard to defend against. They're great things that can be set up at will. Look at this forest, it's lush with vegetation. If you put them in the vegetation, one wrong step and they won't be able to get them off for a while," Chang Lili said excitedly.
Jiang Yingxue blinked, her eyes showing surprise and admiration. This was too novel and interesting for her.
After careful consideration, Zhang Ziqing felt that Chang Lili's words made a lot of sense; the idea of the animal trap was indeed ingenious.
After all, setting up traps in the mountains and forests was a huge undertaking, but digging pits and cutting down trees in the mountains and forests was laborious, costly, and time-consuming.
“But this level of firepower isn’t enough. If too many people come, we won’t have enough traps, and there will definitely be some that escape,” Zhang Ziqing pondered.
Chang Lili raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Even earth spikes can escape, so there's a second and a third mechanism. After three, even if there are still some that slip through the net, the guards should have noticed them by now."
Just as Zhang Ziqing was about to speak, Jiang Yingxue, unable to contain her curiosity, asked bluntly, "What are the second and third dishes?"
Chang Lili looked at her, grinned mischievously, and deliberately said slowly, "The second one is for catching wild animals."
Jiang Yingxue laughed: "Were you a hunter before you joined the Light Machinery Department?"
Chang Lili's face darkened immediately, and she said, "The second method is to use silkworm silk to surround the forbidden area. Even if you don't step on the animal trap, you might touch the silkworm silk. The silkworm silk is connected to the animal net. Once you touch the silkworm silk, the net will be pulled in, and anyone who touches the silkworm silk will be hung up."
This mechanism sounds simple, and it's also very easy to set up. These ideas, which can't even be called mechanical arts, are actually quite practical when you think about them carefully.
"And the third one?" Zhang Ziqing asked.
"The third line is the killing formation, which we have used before. Equip the soldiers with repeating crossbows. The killing formation is indispensable. In case they are determined to fight to the death, we must fight back. Moreover, I think it is better to control the killing formation by manpower once it is set up," Chang Lili said solemnly.
Jiang Yingxue suddenly felt bored, but also breathed a sigh of relief: "That's fine too. I studied mechanical arts, and I don't want to kill people myself."
Zhang Ziqing's brows relaxed. He suddenly realized that he had been too obsessed with mechanical arts and had forgotten that simple traps could also defend against enemies. After all, this was a mountain forest, and it was not an easy task to build any ingenious mechanisms. The construction of mechanisms would also provide opportunities for others to take advantage of the situation.
He pushed the paper and pen in front of Chang Lili and said, "Draw the battle formation and give it to the general."
Chang Lili looked up in surprise, while Zhang Ziqing said calmly, "Your formation is very ingenious; the general will surely adopt it."
Was this confirmation of her idea? Chang Lili's face lit up with a smile, and without any hesitation, she picked up a pen and began to write and draw.
Jiang Yingxue rolled her eyes at Chang Lili, unconvinced, and moved closer to Zhang Ziqing, picking up the medical book to read it.
During this time, she couldn't help but glance curiously at Chang Lili. This glance stunned her. Chang Lili's skill in drawing talismans was something she had never seen before.
Chang Lili drew a simple diagram of the mechanism, made annotations next to it, and then, as Zhang Ziqing had instructed, handed it over to Ke Shou, and arranged for someone to send it back to Meng Yuxiu.
Soon, the layout of the traps was arranged, and the soldiers began to set them up.
It is said that when the blueprints were sent, Meng Yuxiu quickly approved them. However, when the soldiers were given the blueprints and began to set up the traps, they could not understand them for a long time. It was only after Meng Yuxiu made annotations next to the blueprints that the soldiers were able to understand them.
"That's because they're blind and know nothing about mechanisms," Chang Lili said, polishing a small object in her hand, her tone somewhat domineering.
Jiang Yingxue pouted: "I do know about mechanical arts, but I can't understand your handwriting."
“Well… if Meng Yuxiu can understand it, then it’s not my problem if others can’t,” Chang Lili argued.
This was the first time she had been humiliated in front of Jiang Yingxue, who laughed heartily: "Tsk tsk, poor General."
In just one day, the traps were almost completely set up, with only the repeating crossbows for the soldiers not yet fully equipped, but they would be ready the next day.
Meanwhile, Meng Yuxiu had already sent over fine wine and food, saying that they were rewarded for their merit in setting up the traps and ambushes.
That night, several palace lanterns hung on a giant tree next to a wooden house in the forest, illuminating a table of delicacies under the tree.
Zhou Lue, Uncle Drunkard, Zhang Ziqing, Jiang Yingxue, and Chang Lili were all sitting at the table. Uncle Drunkard had already picked up his wine glass and was taking a sip of sake.
This wine was clearer and more mellow than the wine he usually drank, so he naturally stopped chugging it and began to savor it slowly.
Jiang Yingxue naturally sat next to Zhang Ziqing and diligently served him food, but Zhang Ziqing seemed to dislike being so close to others. Although he had no martial arts skills, he was agile, and Jiang Yingxue never succeeded in serving him food.
"This is delicious, you should try it...you have to try it!"
Zhang Ziqing, holding a bowl, expressionlessly dodged it. Jiang Yingxue picked up a braised chicken leg and tried to put it in his bowl. Seeing this, she refused to give up and insisted on putting it in his bowl. The more she tried to put it in his bowl, the more he dodged it. She was not willing to admit defeat. The more Zhang Ziqing dodged it, the more she tried to put it in his bowl.
So, throughout the entire meal, Jiang Yingxue kept putting food into Zhang Ziqing's bowl, but she never succeeded.
Chang Lili was also a drinker, so she drank and chatted with the drunkard uncle. They must have found something they liked in common, because the drunkard uncle even had a smile on his lips and clinked glasses with Chang Lili.
Zhou Lue looked at this and that, shook his head, and savored the delicious dishes. At this dinner table, he was probably the only one who was eating in peace.
The meal was a bit bumpy, but we laughed and joked around and had a good time. The next day, everyone got up late.
Early in the morning, the remaining crossbow carts were sent to the forbidden area, and the trap array was set up.
Around noon, Chang Lili rubbed her back, yawned, and walked towards the forest.
At this moment, the overgrown mountain path made a rustling sound.
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