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"It's easier to fish in troubled waters when there's chaos." Cheng Xi stopped what he was about to say and continued, "Don't panic, I know the importance. The Panyu garrison now values those two bandits, not this useless madman. If we can't rescue them, we'll wait until they're done making trouble before making any plans. After all, it's still early for the autumn harvest, and we can't just watch people die in vain."
General Qiu has died unjustly. If we can save someone who is so steadfast and unyielding, and who sticks to his beliefs, we should try to save him. Even if he is truly insane, it is better than dying unjustly in prison, right?
Yan Yuan opened his mouth, but no words came out. At this point, there was no better way.
Once they enter Panyu City, if he sees that the situation is not good, he will immediately escort the young lady away.
Seeing that he had no objection, Cheng Xi stood up and said, "The ship that brought Mr. Lu back a few days ago brought back several craftsmen in addition to food and livestock. I asked them to test-make a new type of bow and crossbow. Let's go and take a look."
A crossbow was created so quickly? Yan Yuan was surprised and immediately followed.
The workshop for manufacturing bows and crossbows is located in the village. It was converted from the original warehouse. In the future, the blacksmith shop will be placed next to it to create an assembly line that can coordinate operations.
At this moment, the Ding family's father and son were all busy in the workshop. When they saw the gang leader coming, they hurried out to greet him.
Cheng Xi said to the three men, "This is Chief Yan, my deputy. He will be in charge of the weapons from now on. Bring all the bows and crossbows you have made to him for inspection."
Upon hearing this, Ding Jiu immediately sent his son to get it, and he couldn't help but complain, "Boss, even though the longbow has been designed, the materials still need to be carefully selected, otherwise the range cannot be guaranteed."
Cheng Xi smiled slightly: "Elm and ash should be fine. I have sent people to buy them, and they will be delivered soon."
In fact, the best wood for making Scottish longbows is yew, but no one knows where to find it, so Cheng Xi had to give in to elm and ash.
Elm is a common wood that can be found everywhere, while ash is the best raw material for making spear shafts in ancient times, and its output should be reliable.
Anyway, she is not pursuing high quality, as long as the speed and quantity can be guaranteed.
Ding Jiu muttered, "You don't make bows, so how would you know? You should try a few more!"
As he was speaking, Ding Dalang interrupted his father's outspoken words and carefully handed over the longbow.
"Is this the bow you were talking about?" Yan Yuan picked up the longbow in surprise and weighed it. "It looks a bit like a Japanese bow, but it's even simpler than a Japanese bow. Can it be used?"
Japanese bows are also extremely long, usually made of bamboo, but they have reverse curves at the top and bottom, like an extended ox horn bow, unlike this bow which only has a circular arc.
Yan Yuan pulled the bowstring doubtfully, and his expression changed: "Do you have arrows? Bring me a few."
Ding Dalang hurriedly handed over the feather arrow. There was a target outside the workshop. Yan Yuan thought about it, retreated a hundred steps away, and then pulled the bowstring to the full moon.
Everyone couldn't help but hold their breath, but who would have thought that despite such a handsome posture, the first arrow missed the target and the arrow disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Old Man Ding coughed dryly and held back his laughter.
Let me show you off, this thing is different from ordinary bows.
Just as he was about to say something, Yan Yuan retreated another thirty steps silently. This time, he used three fingers to pull the string, raised the tip of the arrow slightly, and when the bowstring was pulled, the arrow flew out like a meteor and hit the target with a "click".
Old Man Ding's eyes widened. This kid could hit the target with just two arrows? This is a new bow!
Yan Yuan ignored the others and went straight to the target. His shot was still a little off, but the force was not reduced at all. The arrow shaft went straight through the wooden target, and it was obvious that there was still some force left.
This bow is too powerful!
Cheng Xi also walked over: "How is it?"
"I didn't expect there was such a bow. If the string is tightened, it can hurt the enemy within a hundred and fifty steps. Unfortunately, the bow is too heavy. Only those who are tall, strong and have strong physical strength can use it." Yan Yuan is a first-class warrior, skilled in archery and horse riding. However, even for him, it is a bit difficult to use this longbow that reaches the same height as his eyebrows. It may not be that easy to train archers.
Cheng Xi nodded: "It is indeed a bit difficult to use, but there are many strong people on the boat, so we should be able to pick out some seedlings."
She had tried it before. Even if the bowstring was loosened, it still had a pulling force of 40 kilograms. When it was tightened to the maximum, it was probably 70 kilograms.
This is not the most ideal wood. If the bow body is changed, the weight may be even higher.
No wonder Western archers are accustomed to the Mediterranean fingering method with three fingers, rather than the Mongolian fingering method with a thumb ring.
However, she was unable to pull such a strong bow, so she could only let Yan Yuan train a group of novices. Seeing that the other party got the trick so quickly, Cheng Xi breathed a sigh of relief. Yan Yuan's awareness and talent were really amazing.
Yan Yuan nodded immediately. "Yes, this bow is suitable for projectiles. If we can arrange a team of archers on each ship, we can launch a wave of attacks before the springboard is even put up. If we wait for the enemy to dodge and then throw the springboard, it will definitely be twice the result with half the effort!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Xi took two steps back, raised his hand, and nailed a short arrow next to the long arrow. Although it was not far from the target, the arrowhead could only penetrate halfway and could not penetrate the wooden board.
Yan Yuan looked at what Cheng Xi was holding, his eyes lit up: "Is this a crossbow? The shape is a bit strange, and the power is not enough, but it is enough for boarding!"
If a gangplank is laid on the board, and a group of soldiers are sent out to block the front with a crossbow in one hand and a shield in the other, both the attack and defense power are sufficient, and it is a powerful weapon for fighting for the deck.
With a bow and a crossbow in hand, I don't really care about those mere bandits.
However, the next moment, he added, "While these two new crossbows are good, the key lies in firearms. We can't get better cannons right now, but at least we need to prepare oil cans and thunder cans for projectiles. These are the most commonly used items at sea."
It's true that great minds think alike. Cheng Xi smiled and said, "We've also invited the master who makes the cannonballs back. He'll improve the materials and strive for greater lethality. We're still short of shooters. Ah Niu has been sending people to the island these days and has accumulated over 200 people. You can pick some to practice with first."
With suitable weapons and sufficient manpower, the depression accumulated in Panyu City was swept away. Yan Yuan nodded vigorously: "Don't worry, Master, leave it to me!"
Since there is no way to find more available people, let him train a group of them himself to share the young lady's worries.
Li Fu was a member of the Li clan in Xiagou Village. He was born with a talent for spearing fish. Later, he joined the Red Flag Gang and easily became the captain of the spear-throwing team.
Originally, he felt that being a javelin thrower was a bit depressing. After all, there were not many places where he could be used during ship battles, and he didn't look as majestic as those charging into the front.
However, the fierce battle when a powerful enemy attacked the village gate at night completely changed his mind.
Only twelve people were arranged in two watchtowers, and they were divided into groups to launch projectiles, but they directly defeated a team of 300 people and saved four or five lives. What a great achievement!
With the merit, reward, and honor, and being directly assigned to the gang leader, Li Fu was so happy that he wanted to expand the javelin throwing team immediately. In order to pick out some good seedlings, he even took arm strength into consideration when recruiting new members.
However, although the plan was good, no one expected that a bow-making master would be invited to the island. In a blink of an eye, longbows were produced and replaced the javelin throwing team.
After hearing that the crossbow team had recruited fifty people at once and all of them were trained by Chief Yan, even though Uncle Niu had warned him to be restrained and not to get into conflict with others, Li Fu still couldn't hold back and ran to the gang leader to complain.
"Boss, we have practiced spear throwing quite well. Everyone can hit the target seven out of ten times. Besides, originally the ship was mainly staffed by spear throwers. How can we suddenly switch to archers? Besides, even if we want archers, we can let those of us who have learned spear throwing practice instead. Why set up a separate crossbow team?" Li Fu looked at the young boss in front of him eagerly, feeling so aggrieved that he almost rolled on the ground.
Isn't this underestimating their abilities? Why can someone named Yan establish his own faction? Isn't their hard work enough?
Looking at the young man running towards them, Cheng Xi said, "They haven't even started training yet, and you seem to be well-informed. What? Do you think the longbow can't compare to the short spear?"
"Definitely not!" Li Fu said firmly, "There are people in the village who use bows, but they can hardly shoot even thirty or fifty steps away! The sea is rough and the waves are strong, so the short spear is definitely more reliable!"
It's not like he hasn't seen those hunters who use bows before; they're all weaklings! On the sea, people rely on iron forks and bamboo spears. Without such skills, how can they survive on a boat?
Seeing him so confident, Cheng Xi seemed to be interested: "Then do you dare to compete with Chief Yan? Let's see who is better at throwing spears or longbows."
Upon hearing this, Li Fu's heart began to falter. He had heard that Yan Yuan had fought against the gang leader, and the fight was evenly matched, which was why he was recruited.
The elders of these three villages were all taught by the gang leader, so they know how powerful he is better than others.
If Yan Yuan is really that strong, can he win?
But the next moment, a rage flared up in his heart, and Li Fu gritted his teeth and said, "Let's compete! The short spear is definitely more powerful than the long bow. If I win, the leader must not forget us!"
No matter what, a short spear is definitely thicker and longer than a feather arrow, and it can be thrown farther and cause more damage. He firmly believes that a spear thrower is far superior to an archer, so how could he be afraid at this moment?
Cheng Xi smiled and said, "Okay, today is the best day. Come with me to find A Yuan."
Li Fu had never expected it to happen so quickly, and hurriedly asked, "Can you call my men?"
He was really afraid that he couldn't deal with Yan Yuan alone, so calling a few more people would give him courage.
Besides, spear throwing is more powerful when done by a group of people. A volley of short spears can take away a large number of enemies. Isn't it much more powerful than thin and soft feather arrows?
Since Li Fu said so, Cheng Xi had no objection and asked him to go and call people to meet up at the shooting range.
Without a second thought, Li Fu quickly called over the deputy team leader and said, "Go find some players with good aim! We're going to compete with Yan!"
The deputy team leader rolled up his sleeves excitedly upon hearing this: "But we want a group fight? Let's call a few more people, and no matter how powerful Yan is, he can be defeated!"
"What the hell!" Li Fu said angrily, "They're competing in spear throwing and archery in front of the gang leader to see who's better! Boss Yan is even planning to build a crossbow team. If he succeeds, what are we going to do?!"
Upon hearing this, the deputy team leader also became nervous: "Don't worry, Captain Li, I'll go get some help right away and make sure that guy sees how powerful we are!"
They had made great contributions before. Although Yan Yuan, who led the team to block the enemy ships, also made great contributions, he certainly didn't kill as many people as them! This javelin throwing team was finally formed, and we couldn't give up halfway.
It didn't take long for Li Fu to call over a dozen people, and they rushed to the shooting range together in high spirits.
These are all his capable men. Since the establishment of the boat gang, they have been responsible for throwing spears on the boat, and have made considerable contributions in resisting powerful enemies. Yan Yuan's crossbow team has just been established, and I'm afraid Yan Yuan is the only one who can draw the bow. Their chances of winning should still be quite good!
When they arrived at the shooting range, all they saw were Gang Leader Cheng and Yan Yuan. There was no one else there, which made Li Fu secretly relieved. He felt that the gang leader wanted to save some face for Chief Yan, so he didn't bring the group of new recruits from the crossbow team.
With confidence, Li Fu walked up to the two of them with his head held high and chest puffed out. He bowed to Cheng Xi and said, "Boss, I've brought some people with me. How do you want to compete?"
"How about using a straw target? You throw ten spears and he shoots ten arrows?" Cheng Xi asked.
Li Fu suddenly became alert. "If it's just a straw target, it'll fall apart after ten spear strikes, so how can we see any effect? How about setting up three straw targets on each side, so that we can throw nine times in total. That way we can count them better. Also, my martial arts skills are definitely not as good as Chief Yan's. If I run out of energy, can someone else take over?"
Cheng Xi looked at Yan Yuan, who immediately said, "Throwing a spear is more strenuous than archery. That's easy to say. Brother Li, just change people."
Li Fu was delighted, as they had all experienced battles and were already used to the method of taking turns throwing and casting.
In this way, each person can throw three times, and three people can take turns, so there is no need to worry about exhaustion affecting the accuracy.
As for the three straw targets, they were naturally so that they would not affect each other. Yan Yuan was shooting at three targets alone, so he would have to change directions, which would definitely affect his accuracy.
But that wasn't the end of the story. Li Fu added, "I heard Chief Yan's longbow can shoot a hundred paces. Why don't we set the target at a hundred paces? Remember, the wind is strong at sea, which might affect the direction and force of the arrow, so the arrow must penetrate the target for it to count."
He had also heard that this longbow, which was as tall as a person, was indeed very skillful and could shoot at a distance of a hundred steps, but its accuracy was not very good.
Indeed, how could such a thin arrowhead have the same range as a spear tip? Moreover, at a distance of 100 steps, a thrown spear would always penetrate the target, but an archer might not. This also left a way out.
Yan Yuan's smile deepened: "Brother Li, what you said makes sense. Let's do it this way."
It worked! Yan was indeed a man who cared about his reputation. He would definitely not refuse his request in front of the gang leader. Now it was a safe bet!
Li Fu immediately threw his arms wide open: "Let's get started. I'd appreciate your guidance, Chief Yan!"
The rules of the game were agreed upon, and the straw target was placed a hundred steps away.
Li Fu was the first to go into battle. With a short spear in hand, he felt his whole body invigorated. He could hit the target at least nine times out of ten at a hundred paces away! Glancing at Yan Yuan, who was holding a bow and arrow beside him, Li Fu smiled in his heart. This time, I'm going to let you see it!
Then, Gang Leader Cheng gave the order: "Begin!"
Gathering all his strength, Li Fu took a step forward, his Qi sinking into his Dantian, and with a "Hey!" he threw out the short spear. His skill, honed through thousands of times, reached its peak at this moment. The spear hit the straw target directly on the top of the head, piercing it directly through.
Li Fu secretly said "good" in his heart, and without hesitation, he took advantage of the situation and threw out the second spear and the third spear.
He hit the target with three shots, and penetrated the upper, middle and lower parts of the straw target respectively. It can be said that he used his skills to the fullest!
Before he could catch his breath, the person who took over beside him couldn't wait to start throwing spears. Li Fu was overjoyed, as his confidant was really smart.
Only then did Li Fu finally have time to look at his opponent's results.
It would have been better if he hadn't looked at the result. When he turned his head, his eyes almost popped out. He saw that two of the straw targets in front of Yan Yuan were already full. The first one had three arrows that hit the head, the second one had three arrows that hit the chest, and the third straw target had two arrows stuck in it.
This, how is this possible!
Li Fu was shocked and looked over to his side.
Now he understood why the henchman was so fast. He had to be fast, as he had almost finished a round! However, he was too impatient, so the henchman only hit twice with his three spears. By the time he finished, Yan Yuan had already withdrawn and stood aside. All nine arrows landed neatly on the target, and all of them were at the end of the feathers, which showed how powerful the arrows were.
The third person who just came on the court was unlucky. He tried his best to throw the ball under pressure, but only one of the three shots hit the target. After he finished throwing all the balls and looked at the results of both sides, Li Fu's face turned black. He stood there stupidly, not knowing what to say.
Seeing this, Yan Yuan smiled and said, "I started practicing martial arts at the age of eight and joined the army at sixteen. I can say that I've been immersed in archery and horsemanship my entire life, so naturally I have an advantage. Brother Li has only practiced spear throwing for a year, but to be able to achieve such accuracy and power is already commendable."
The ladder arrived just in time. Li Fu managed to squeeze out a few words: "Captain Yan, you are too modest. We are not as skilled as you, so we cannot defeat you. But the short spear is not necessarily inferior to the long bow..."
Unexpectedly, Yan Yuan shook his head this time: "When two armies engage in battle, the competition is all about speed. While javelin throwing can win at distance, it's far inferior to archery. Ten archers on a ship, as long as they fire five rounds in unison before boarding, can at least kill half of the enemy. The effect is extremely astonishing."
Li Fu was speechless again. Archery was definitely less strenuous than spear throwing. Wouldn't it be easy to get faster? Even a blind cat could catch a dead mouse if you shot more often.
But there is no such good thing when it comes to spear throwing. Even though they are also a team of ten, they have to take turns to fight in order to keep the spears uninterrupted. How can we compare with others?
In order to survive, he brought all his confidants with him and used the standard tactic of three people taking turns to fight. He was so shameless and still couldn't win. Where can people put their face?
Li Fu felt so suffocated that he almost exploded, but Yan Yuan advised him, "Don't worry, Brother Li. You guys can switch to throwing grenades later, which will be very useful..."
What? Li Fu looked at Yan Yuan blankly: "What bomb?"
Yan Yuan was stunned and asked, "Hasn't the boss told you yet?"
As he spoke, he turned to look at Cheng Xi, his surprise evident in his words.
Cheng Xi couldn't help but laugh. This acting was really exaggerated. Li Fu, however, seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw and asked anxiously: "Boss, do you have other plans? Why didn't you tell us?"
Cheng Xi raised an eyebrow: "Who is it that is rushing here to complain, insisting that a longbow is inferior to a short spear?"
Li Fu almost choked to death, but Cheng Xi didn't make it difficult for him: "Come with me."
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