Chapter 261 Bow Maniac (Please vote and subscribe)
"Have you seen it? Is it grass that grows in water? Is there muddy land full of water on the grassland?" You Fu suddenly asked in confusion.
"It's not muddy land, it grows on the grassland, there is no water around, that kind of grass can grow to the height of a person's waist, and then there will be several ears on it, and when the whole plant turns yellow, there will be many such seeds on the ears, and there are many small short thorns on the ears, cattle and sheep love to eat them." Ling described in detail the plant he had seen.
You Fu was very surprised to hear it, it can grow ears, and ears can produce many seeds, isn't that rice? But how can there be thorns on the ears? The rice ears of the Han tribe do not have thorns, and the rice of the Han tribe can only be planted in paddy fields, but the plants Ling said do not need thorns, there is no water source around, and it can survive only by the water from natural rainfall.
Could this be a food crop similar to rice? After all, they are plants that grow spikes and bear seeds. However, the plant Ling mentioned can be planted directly on dry land. If this is really a food crop, doesn't it mean that the Han tribe doesn't need to dig a river and can grow food on dry land?
The significance of this discovery is absolutely significant. If it is true, as long as the seeds are brought back, it will greatly affect the development of the Han tribe, and even the tribes around the Han tribe. For those tribes that are unable to transform paddy fields, it is definitely a great artifact.
You Fu grabbed Ling's arm excitedly and asked him urgently.
"Ling, can you still find that kind of plant? It's the kind of grass you said that grows spikes, bears seeds, and has thorns on it. Can you take me there? If you help me find it, I can give you a lot of white salt and pottery. You can pick whatever you want."
Ling felt You Fu's hand trembling when his arm was grabbed. Was it necessary to be so excited for a kind of grass that only cattle and sheep would eat?
However, the reward Youfu promised was indeed very generous, which made Ling very excited. He only took them to find grass. If they found it, they would get pottery pots and white salt. This deal was cost-effective. That kind of grass was very common on the grassland. As long as you pay attention, it is not particularly difficult to find. It is almost a sure-win deal. Ling immediately agreed.
After dinner, although he failed to pull Ling into the Han tribe, the discovery of new food made Youfu very excited. He lay on the ground tossing and turning, unable to sleep, wishing that the sun would rise immediately.
Time passed by minute by minute, and the night gradually deepened. There were more than 30 sheepdogs guarding the campsite, which really made people feel at ease.
Throughout the night, there were two jackals harassing the camp, but they were immediately discovered by the sheepdogs, and then they barked loudly, and the members of the Han tribe immediately got up and drove them away.
This happened twice in one night, but fortunately there were sheepdogs. The Han tribe caravan only lost one sheep, which was barely acceptable. Fortunately, there were these dogs, otherwise the loss of this night would be unknown.
The next morning, You Fu got up early and asked people to prepare breakfast. The breakfast was white rice porridge, but he also cooked a pot of dry rice, which he planned to give to Ling's family so that they would know what food was.
Ling also got up early and sat on the ground to grind wolf teeth with stones, preparing to make more wolf tooth arrows. He also plucked the first-level flight feathers on the wings of several wild ducks shot down yesterday, preparing to make arrow tails.
When You Fu saw him doing this, he took out a bronze arrow made in the Han tribe style and gave it to him.
Ling took the exquisite arrow, put it in his hand and kept stroking it, seeming to love it and couldn't let it go. He was also very surprised by the material of the arrow, from the sharp bronze arrowhead to the smooth and straight wooden arrow shaft, all of which were things he had never seen before.
Ling's arrows were all made of shrub branches, which had to be dried first, then straightened with fire, and then polished with sand and stone. The tips were mostly made of bones. When all the arrows were put together, no one was exactly the same, and even the thickness of the arrow shafts was different. You can imagine how poor the quality of such arrows was.
It was because he used them more often and was very familiar with each arrow that he could always hit the target. If someone else were to shoot, there would be a big error in each arrow shot.
"Your arrows are really good. What are they made of? The person who made them must be very good, right?" Ling asked with emotion, and then reluctantly returned the arrows to You Fu. It can be seen that he liked them very much.
"This is an invention of our leader. The arrowhead is made of bronze, a kind of metal that can be made into any shape and is very sharp. Our tribe uses such weapons. The leader taught us to make them."
You Fu did not take back the arrows. Instead, he poured out dozens of arrows from the quiver and showed them to Ling. He even took out his longbow and put it in his hand.
"Come, try our bows and arrows."
Looking at the large number of arrows that You Fu took out, Ling was stunned. These arrows were all exactly the same, as if they were copied from the same mold. In fact, they were indeed copied from the mold. The quality of each arrow was so good that even the weight was almost the same. They could be called top-quality arrows, which made Ling envious.
Then he took the longbow handed over by Youfu. The bow was very smooth and symmetrical, with a faint sheen. That was because the bow arms were waxed. The bowstring made of sisal fiber was also very strong and durable. However, the bow was a little too big. It was almost as tall as a person when standing up, so it was not suitable for use on horseback.
Compared with the bow Ling made himself, the bow arms were made of wood, with a thick layer of beef tendons glued on the inside. The bowstring was made of wool. Although it was also very strong, it had to be replaced frequently because the wool bowstring was often worn and fluffed, affecting the performance of archery and shooting accuracy.
Ling's bow was not a recurve bow. From the material and shape, it should be called a composite straight-pull bow, because the bow body was made of two materials glued together, so it was called a composite bow. Moreover, the shape of the bow body did not recurve, but only had an arc, which looked like a shorter longbow, so it was called a composite straight-pull bow.
Ling loved bows and arrows very much. With Youfu's consent, he quickly started to test shoot.
He raised the longbow with one arm, put the arrow on it and pulled the string. The bow was stretched tightly into a large arc, and then he aimed at the target and released it.
With a clang, the bowstring vibrated, and the arrow flew straight out. The smooth arrow shaft made it possible for the arrow to be shot without any hindrance, and it quickly flew out of Ling's sight.
Ling was very surprised. The range of this longbow was obviously longer than his own bow. Although it could not be used on horseback, it was definitely a deadly weapon for foot combat.
He quickly picked up his own bow and shot another arrow with You Fu's arrow. With the same arrow, Ling's bow had a range that was half shorter than the longbow. With such a long range, if the tribes fought each other, it would be a one-sided massacre.
"How about it? Do you like our bows and arrows? These are all made by our leader." You Fu asked tentatively.
"Yes, I like it. Your leader is really amazing. He can actually make such a good bow and arrow. It's just that it's too long. If it were shorter, you could use it while riding a horse." Ling said with a little regret.
"I heard from the tribesmen that the leader is collecting materials to make a new bow and arrow that will be shorter and more powerful than this one. It seems that it will be ready soon. If you are willing to join our tribe, you can get a bow made by our leader."
"Are you serious?" Ling asked with some surprise.
(End of this chapter)
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