Master Kong Zhongni

Chapter 56
"As you said, I am that person. Regarding the manufacturing method of the new bow and arrow, I have already sorted it out, please take a look."

Jae Yu smiled and was about to take out the blueprint from his sleeve and hand it to Mr. Zhang.

Unexpectedly, the old man suddenly raised his hand to interrupt his movement.

He asked with a straight face: "Wait a minute. Before that, I want to ask you a few questions."

Zai Yu frowned slightly.

Why does this old man feel that his language is not good?
Mr. Zhang put down the work at hand and asked: "I heard that you are a gentleman who learns etiquette. If so, your teacher must have taught you the difference between bow and arrow?"

So they wanted to test me!
Zai Yu suddenly understood in his heart.

I get it, people with deep skills have a bit of a temper and rules.

However, this question is not difficult for Zaiyu. He has studied with his master for many years, and although he occasionally takes a nap during the day, he is by no means just for nothing.

Zaiyu replied with a smile: "Of course I have taught it. Master once taught me: there are six kinds of bows, four types of crossbows, and eight families of arrows. The six bows are Wang bow, arc bow, Jia bow and Yu bow. , Tang bow and big bow.

Wang Gong and Arc Bow are specially awarded to those who practice martial arts, Jia Gong and Yu Gong are awarded to hunters who shoot Marquis, birds and beasts, and Tang Bow and Da Bow are awarded to people who learn archery, envoys and courtiers from afar.

The bow used by the Son of Heaven, nine bows combined to form a circle.

The bows used by the princes are made of seven bows together to form a circle.

The bow used by the doctor, five bows combined to form a circle.

The bows used by scholars are composed of three bows to form a circle.

The six-foot-six-inch bow, called Shangzhi, is provided for tall people.

The bow of six feet three inches is called Zhongzhi, and it is used by people of medium stature.

The six-foot bow, known as the lower bow, was provided for use by people of short stature. "

After hearing this, Mr. Zhang's serious expression gradually softened: "Well, yes, he knows how to bow. Then let me ask you another question. Do you know which six materials are needed to make a longbow?"

Zaiyu replied with a smile: "I heard that bowmakers need to choose materials according to the season. The so-called six materials refer to dry, horn, tendon, glue, silk, and lacquer. craftsmen can process them into bows.

The criterion for choosing to shoot is to pursue the distance of archery, the farther the better.

The standard for choosing angles is to pursue the speed of archery, the faster the better.

The consideration for choosing tendons is to pursue the penetration of archery, the deeper the better.

The criterion for choosing glue is to pursue the tightness of the bow, the closer the fit, the better

The criterion for choosing silk is to pursue the firmness of the bow, the firmer the better.

The French way to choose lacquer is to pursue the durability of the bow.The more durable the better.

Among them, the selection of dry wood is divided into seven grades: Zhe wood is the best, sandalwood is second, mulberry is second, orange is second, papaya is second, wattle is second, Bamboo is the last.

When choosing a corner, it is also necessary to consider comprehensively according to the season and other conditions.

The horniness of cattle slaughtered in autumn is thick, and that of cattle slaughtered in spring is thin.The horns of young cattle are straight and moist, while the horns of old cattle are not straight and dry.The horns of a long-sick ox will be injured and sunken, and the horns of a thin ox will not be moisturized.

As for the choice of glue, there are also differences. Deer glue, horse glue, cow glue, rat glue, fish glue, and rhinoceros glue have their own advantages and disadvantages, and should be selected according to the situation.

The tendons used to make bows are the most important thing, and must be hammered to be familiar.

As a protective lacquer wrapped on the surface of the longbow, it must be as clear and clear as possible, and the silk must be like the color when it is boiled in water. "

Zaiyu said such a long paragraph in succession, and hurriedly took advantage of the pause to catch his breath.

Seeing him pause, Zigong at the side immediately spoke up.

"There are several criteria to measure whether a bow is qualified.

First, it depends on whether the trunk of the bow is strong and powerful, and whether it can flow smoothly when drawing the bow.

Second, whether the bow body is fixed and tight, and when the bow is fully drawn, the distance between the string and the bow arm must conform to the distance of three feet.

Thirdly, whether the bow angle can support the bow stem to increase the strength, and the bowstring should be straight against the bowstring without twisting when pulling the string.

Fourth, the bow body should be bent like a ring when the bow is drawn, and the bow body should not be deformed when the bow is released, and it should still be bent like a ring.

besides……"

Hearing this, Mr. Zhang suddenly raised his hand to interrupt Zigong, showing a satisfied smile.

"Okay, there's no need to say anything."

The craftsmen around couldn't help admiring.

"Amazing! These two young men!"

"Even experienced bowsmiths may not be as thorough as they summed up, right?"

Mr. Zhang stood up with a smile and said: "From the time of the Yellow Emperor, my ancestor Hui started to make bows and arrows.

My family has inherited the making of bows and arrows from generation to generation, and it has a history of thousands of years.

Because of the shadow of my ancestors, I was able to have a small reputation outside.

Therefore, there are countless artisans who come to me to learn how to make bows and arrows every year, and some arrogant villains are often mixed in among them.

Many of these little people have told me that they have discovered a new art of bow-making.

However, every time they get their hands dirty, something goes wrong here and there.

That's why I have doubts about you today.

But the two paragraphs you just said are enough to dispel my worries. "

After speaking, Mr. Zhang got up and bowed to Zaiyu and Zigong respectively.

"Just now I treated the two of you as villains, please forgive me for being rude."

Zaiyu hurriedly leaned over to return the gift: "Mr. Zhang, how can you make bows and arrows just like we learn the six arts? How can you take it lightly?"

Zigong also bowed in return: "Your rigorous attitude is why you are respected by everyone!"

The two sycophants patted the old man cheerfully. When he was in a good mood, the old man was naturally willing to help.

Mr. Zhang said: "But I always did something wrong. Since I did something wrong, I should give you some compensation.

How about this, I will only charge half of your wages for making longbows for you this time.Two bows, I only charge for one bow. "

Hearing this, Zai Yu hurriedly replied: "Since you insist on this, then I can only accept the free longbow."

"Huh?" Zi Gong didn't realize it at first, but when he turned his head and thought about it, he immediately realized that something was wrong.

If Zaiyu's hand is free, isn't his hand still paid for in full?

Hey!My boy!Usually when he argues with his wife, he looks like he doesn't understand, but when he really needs to understand, he understands faster than anyone else!

After making a fuss for a long time, he is like a fly picking honey-he is pretending to be a bee (crazy) here!

Zigong gave Zaiyu a hard look, just about to explode.

But Jae Yu didn't give him a chance, he quickly took out the blueprint from his sleeve and handed it to Mr. Zhang.

"Look, sir, this is the new bow and arrow I was talking about."

Mr. Zhang looked at the paper in Zaiyu's hand and said in surprise: "What is this, I have never seen it before."

Zai Yu smiled and said: "This is paper. If you like it, I can give you some in private later. It will be a thank you gift for your help in making the longbow."

Mr. Zhang accepted the drawing with a pleasant face, and thanked him: "Then I will trouble you."

Zai Yu smiled, with a look of indifference: "Where is it, a little worthless gadget, as long as you like it."

Zigong almost jumped up angrily.

Indeed, for Jae Yu, paper is indeed a worthless gadget.

Because the materials and labor for making paper are all his money!

How can you be human if you are shameless?

He was about to drag Jaeyu to a place where no one was around and scold him, but suddenly he noticed that the expression of Mr. Zhang, who was looking at the blueprints, changed drastically.

It was a cloudless sunny day just now, and it turned into a rainy season covered with dark clouds in an instant.

Mr. Zhang's hand holding the drawing trembled slightly, then he looked up at Zaiyu and Zigong: "You guys, how can you make random changes!"

He pointed to the illustration of the compound bow drawn by Jai Yu, spitting and splashing excitedly.

"Didn't you just say that there are six materials for bows and arrows: stems, horns, tendons, glue, silk, and lacquer? But look at this blueprint, what have you changed into?"

No wonder Mr. Zhang is so excited. He has been a bowmaker all his life and has made countless longbows. Although there are occasional innovations, they are always small changes.

But on the drawing that Zai Yu gave him, there are all kinds of new nouns.

Things like upper pulleys, lower pulleys, sights, etc. are normal, but things like shock absorbers, the old man really can't understand.

Mr. Zhang cursed angrily: "Shock absorber, pulley block, what are these and what?"

Zaiyu had expected that such a big change might arouse the resistance of traditional bowsmiths, but he still didn't expect Mr. Zhang's reaction to be so violent.

Looking at Mr. Zhang who was flushed with anger, Jae Yu couldn't help hiding the picture of the grenade hidden in his sleeve back.

Fortunately, I was more cautious and didn't take out the howitzer first.

Otherwise, Mr. Zhang would have to slap him on the spot in anger.

　I don't know when, even seeing the readers' backs will make me feel happy.

　　——Excerpt from "Zaiyu's Diary"

　　
　
(End of this chapter)