The remaining soldiers were completely dumbfounded: "What? We're going to fight the Wuhuan in 10 days? No way!"
"Can we leave now?"
But when these words reached Lu Tu's ears, he made no response. Since these guys have already stayed, they can forget about running away. Whether they are real soldiers or spies sent by some force, he will train them to death!
Then Lü Tu waved his hand and said, "Nie Yun, lead the team and continue training!"
Nie Yun cupped his hands and shouted, "Yes, sir! Everyone, follow me!"
Soon, the remaining soldiers on the parade ground were specially gathered into a team by Nie Yun and began collective drills, without giving them any time to adapt.
Before they had even run two laps, these guys were already complaining bitterly about the training. After all, although they had trained before, the intensity of that training was completely different from the current one. They were really not being treated like human beings!
But when they saw that even those who had been promoted to platoon leader, such as Nie Yun and Liu Yang, were still training together, they couldn't complain and could only grit their teeth and persevere.
Lu Tu was too lazy to watch these guys train anymore. He had a great time with Song Yuxi last night, and luckily he was young and strong, otherwise he would have been exhausted. Right now, he just wanted to go home and catch up on his sleep.
This time he came to Nangong Huiyu's room. After all, with his other three wives, he might not have a chance to sleep. Only Nangong Huiyu's room was a little more peaceful.
Nangong Huiyu could also see that Lü Tu was very tired. After feeding the child, she held Lü Tu's head and placed it on her lap, gently patting Lü Tu's chest with her hand.
Lu Tu felt very at ease as he smelled the familiar scent on his nose and soon fell asleep.
The next ten days passed quickly. During this time, Lü Tu didn't go to the training ground at all, nor did he even check on the soldiers' training results, since Nie Yun would keep an eye on things anyway.
He then went straight into Hu Delu's blacksmith shop to study a new gadget with Hu Delu—the composite bow.
This is a weapon second only to explosives, and it is what Lü Tu most wanted to create.
The reason is simple: composite bows can greatly enhance group combat capabilities and allow people with less than outstanding arm strength to unleash greater power in archery formations.
For example, regarding his ox horn bow, there are quite a few people in the whole village who can draw it, but you probably can't find more than five who can truly draw it to its full potential.
Furthermore, drawing the bow doesn't guarantee accuracy. After all, each bow is made of hardwood, and their precision varies greatly. Archers need to get used to it, which puts a great test of a soldier's individual combat ability.
If you want to maximize the combat capability of your army in a short period of time, the composite bow is undoubtedly the best weapon!
Both in terms of accuracy and power, it far surpasses the current hard bows. If his side can produce 1,000 composite bows, he will have enough confidence to truly storm the Wuhuan royal court!
What does 1000 composite bows mean? For example, in a battle between two armies, Lu Tu could shoot farther than the enemy.
Moreover, the composite bow is extremely energy-efficient, requires no rest, and can fire volleys continuously. With its superior accuracy and range, most of the Wuhuan cavalry had no chance to charge.
Even if the cavalry charged, they would still be met with Lü Tu's 800 heavily armored cavalry!
Lu Tu patted Hu Delu on the shoulder: "Old Hu, I have a suggestion for you. In the future, the blacksmith shop should focus on refining its work. The kind of work that involves swinging a sledgehammer is not really suitable for a craftsman with your superb skills."
Looking at the blueprints in front of him, Hu Delu felt his scalp tingle and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Sir, please don't flatter me. This is simply too much to ask. How could I possibly make something so intricate? Look how many parts are on this! And most importantly, it requires threads!"
Lu Tu slapped his thigh: "Look at you, you're in such a hurry. Let me finish! We can use molds to make these."
What is a mold?
Lu Tu picked up paper and pen again and began to draw a three-dimensional diagram on it. Then he began to explain: "It's like this. Just pour in the molten iron and wait for it to cool and it will take shape. It's not that complicated. Do you need to smash them one by one? This way, production efficiency can be improved."
Hu Delu was dizzy for a moment, but luckily Lü Tu was there to explain it to him. After a while, he came to his senses, excitedly took the blueprint, and looked at Lü Tu with surprise: "Sir, can you answer a question for me, Old Hu?"
"What?"
"Are you the reincarnation of Lu Ban? Otherwise, how could you know so much?"
Lu Tu shrugged helplessly: "Actually, these are all things my teachers taught me before. If you want to learn, I'll teach you too."
Hu Delu was excited for a moment, then calmed down: "I won't learn. You work so hard every day, and you still have to spend time and effort teaching me. I'm not smart to begin with, and I don't know how much time that will take. Don't think that just because I, Old Hu, am always in the blacksmith shop, I can hide the fact that there are wars going on everywhere right now. The few days we can have peaceful days are all thanks to you, sir."
Lu Tu was somewhat moved after hearing this. He hadn't expected that Hu Delu, despite his rugged appearance, was actually a man who was both rough and meticulous, and deeply loyal and righteous.
"Alright, stop being so fussy. I'll teach you how to make these molds right now. You can use them as a reference to apply the knowledge to other situations later. Remember, our brains are smart enough to make people fly!"
Lu Tu then gave Hu Delu a brief description of what a steam engine was, which left Hu Delu even more confused.
Although it was somewhat risky, he did this because Hu Delu was a trustworthy person, and Lü Tu wanted to plant a seed of science in Hu Delu's heart, making him understand that craftsmen could also be very capable.
Furthermore, he could continue to develop and research based on the blueprint that Lü Tu had drawn up for him. With Hu Delu's willingness to study, even if he couldn't build a steam engine in the future, he would definitely make great progress.
Throughout history, this land has clearly divided society into scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. In Lü Tu's view, farmers and artisans are the foundation of an empire, especially in this agricultural era with its backward productivity.
Lu Tu began to draw blueprints for the mold for Hu Delu himself, and spent half a day borrowing the measuring ruler of the Dayu Dynasty to make a modern ruler with a precision of millimeters.
He also taught Hu Delu and his disciples how to convert between different units of length, and how to convert them into inches, feet, and lengths.
After finishing all this, Lü Tu felt even more tired than after fighting a battle. He then handed over the remaining mold making to Hu Delu, letting him try it with his apprentice. After all, doing anything requires a combination of theory and practice.
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