390: Chapter 390 Wotu, who was full of disdain for Zhang Liang

Archers have always been roles that only those with strong physiques could fulfill—take Guan Yu, for instance; he started out as an archer.

In their youth, these elderly Xiongnu people were all warriors skilled at drawing heavy bows.

But as they aged and their strength waned, even if they could still pull a heavy bow, they truly lacked the stamina to hold the draw and aim at a target.

Sometimes, one really has to accept the limitations of old age!

However, the Repeating Crossbow before them only needed to be cocked; with a light pull of the trigger, it could fire arrows continuously. Compared to a bow, it had a built-in tension-holding function.

While cocked, they didn't need to exert effort to hold the string back to keep the arrow ready to fire.

For these elderly Xiongnu people whose strength had faded, this was simply a divine tool tailor-made for them.

After all, they still had the strength to cock the weapon, and their aim remained sharp.

With the assistance of this divine tool, their combat power would increase significantly.

“This...”

“Just what kind of divine tool is this?”

One elderly Xiongnu man couldn't help but exclaim in wonder, his eyes filled with shock and curiosity.

“Indeed, I have never seen such a miraculous weapon.”

Another old man chimed in, his face written with disbelief.

Gudu stepped forward and carefully stroked the Repeating Crossbow as if he were touching a rare treasure.

He murmured to himself, “If we had such weapons in our youth, why would we have worried about being invincible on the grasslands? Even now, with this Repeating Crossbow, we can gain a firm foothold on these cruel plains.”

The other elderly Xiongnu people gathered around, scrutinizing the Repeating Crossbow with eyes gleaming with the light of hope.

They knew full well what it meant to possess a powerful weapon on these grasslands where the strong prey on the weak.

The appearance of the Repeating Crossbow seemed to open a new door for these aging men whose influence was fading, showing them the possibility of changing their fate.

They began to dream that if they could master the use of this Repeating Crossbow and form a unit armed with it, perhaps they could reclaim their status within the tribe, no longer be marginalized, and no longer have to freeze to death in the bitter winter.

Zhang Liang said, “This is called a Repeating Crossbow. Once it is cocked, an arrow is fired with every pull of the trigger. Its magazine holds ten arrows, allowing each person to fire ten shots in succession.”

“If one person is equipped with two Repeating Crossbows, then you can fire twenty arrows in a very short amount of time!”

“Hiss!”

Upon hearing Zhang Liang say this, the elderly Xiongnu people, including Gudu, were all startled.

If every one of them could truly be equipped with two of these Repeating Crossbows, then the density of their arrow fire would be even more ferocious than when they were in their prime.

In that case, they would truly have the strength to go toe-to-toe with the younger generation.

“Next, I will need you all to produce the components for the Repeating Crossbows.”

There were a thousand elderly Xiongnu men here; if each was equipped with two, the number would reach two thousand.

Including the arrows, they would need ten thousand bolts.

Zhang Liang did not have that much equipment on hand.

Therefore, he needed to manufacture them.

He planned to follow the assembly line production model of the Great Qin munitions factory, breaking the Repeating Crossbow down into individual components.

With practice making perfect, the speed at which they forged the parts would only get faster and faster.

Then, each component would be polished, precision-machined, and assembled.

Zhang Liang intended to establish a munitions factory first.

He needed raw materials to manufacture bronze items.

First and foremost, they needed copper and tin ore.

Zhang Liang inquired with Gudu and the others about the distribution of copper and tin mines.

However, the Xiongnu people also knew the importance of copper and tin.

The mines they knew of were all controlled by the large tribes; they weren't resources people like them could just seize.

Unless they could find copper and tin mines on their own.

Zhang Liang fell silent; finding copper and tin mines would require both luck and time.

He decided to use gold and silver to purchase them directly from the large tribes.

Zhang Liang discussed this plan with the group of elderly Xiongnu men.

Having lived to this age, these men were all shrewd old foxes; they also felt that purchasing ready-made materials was better than searching for mines themselves.

“Leader.”

Gudu said to Zhang Liang, “If the Leader trusts me, I can acquire copper and tin ore for you.”

“Good.”

Zhang Liang agreed; he believed in not using someone he doubted and not doubting someone he used.

“Thank you for your trust, Leader.”

Gudu thanked Zhang Liang gratefully.

“Can I come along?”

Zhang Liang asked.

He wanted to learn more about the situation of the Xiongnu Tribes in the Northern Desert.

“Of course you can,”

Gudu laughed.

He explained to Zhang Liang, “The tribe we are going to is called the Canglang Tribe. It is a large tribe with a population of ten thousand and has great influence in this part of the grasslands.”

“Their tribe controls rich copper and tin resources; however, because these resources are precious and scarce, the selling price is exceptionally high.”

As Gudu spoke, his gaze turned toward Zhang Liang.

“It matters not.”

Zhang Liang understood that to achieve their goals, these resources were indispensable. Even if the price was high, he would still buy the necessary copper and tin ore.

He had long since thought of how to make money in the Northern Desert: by crafting bronze ware.

There was a significant gap between the weapons forged by the Xiongnu people and those of Great Qin.

Great Qin's bronze-working level was superior to that of the current Xiongnu people.

Furthermore, the Mohist Disciples possessed the most advanced bronze-working techniques.

He believed that the bronze weapons they forged would be highly popular in the Northern Desert.

At that time, he could sell the bronze weapons back to the Northern Desert Xiongnu Tribes to earn back his money.

Zhang Liang was mentally prepared; he had expected the Canglang Tribe to sell the copper and tin ore at a high price, but the actual asking price still exceeded his expectations.

Nevertheless, Zhang Liang still purchased a batch of copper and tin ore.

After successfully obtaining these precious mineral resources, Zhang Liang conducted a careful survey and selected a hidden valley.

The terrain here was treacherous and easy to defend but hard to attack, making it an excellent location to establish a weapons factory.

Soon, he gathered everyone to work busily in the valley.

The division of labor was clear: one group was responsible for clearing the site and building simple workshops, while another group set about preparing the tools needed to forge weapons.

Within the valley, the weapons factory gradually took shape.

The Mohist Disciples skillfully smelted the copper and tin ore, the glowing furnace fire reflecting on their determined faces.

Using their exquisite skills, they poured the molten metal into specialized molds to produce the various components of the Repeating Crossbow.

Meanwhile, the work of crafting arrows was also proceeding in an orderly fashion.

After repeated forging and polishing, sharp arrows were born one by one, their heads glinting coldly in the sunlight, portending the great power they would soon unleash on the battlefield.

How could Zhang Liang's unusual movements fail to attract the attention of Wutu, the chief of the Langwo Tribe?

How could Zhang Liang's unusual movements fail to attract the attention of Wutu, the chief of the Langwo Tribe?

After all, Zhang Liang was currently recruiting troops and buying horses on his territory.

The sages who supported Wutu possessed keen insight.

When they heard news of Zhang Liang establishing the Qihuo Army, worry inevitably rose in their hearts. They hurried to find Wutu and solemnly warned him, “Chief, you must keep an eye on that man named Zhang Liang and the Qihuo Army he has built. Although that unit is mostly composed of some aged Xiongnu elders, no one can say for sure what it might develop into in the future; we must be on our guard.”

However, Wutu merely scoffed at this.

He was a man of burly stature with a full beard. Currently sitting in his command tent, he held a large bowl of kumis, tilted his head back to take a massive gulp, and after letting out a burp, said nonchalantly, “You all worry too much. With just that Qihuo Army made up of old men, what kind of waves can they possibly make? I see them as nothing more than a group of pathetic worms struggling to survive on the plains.”

The geographical location of the Northern Desert is closer to Siberia than the Southern Desert, and the climate turns cold much faster than in Great Qin.

With the piercing cold winds blowing from Siberia, the temperature on the grasslands plummeted.

Facing this severe cold, Wutu spent his days immersed in drinking and making merry.

He was surrounded by piles of wine jars.

He poured cup after cup of alcohol down his throat, relying on the power of the spirits to withstand the bone-chilling cold.

Not just him, but the entire people of the Langwo Tribe were the same.