Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 431: To build the Zhuge Crossbow, look for Zhuge Liang!
The crossbow is an indispensable weapon on the battlefield.

Its status is higher than that of the bow and arrow.

Since the crossbow has a string-tensioning mechanism, it can delay firing, dividing the bow and arrow drawing and releasing into two independent parts: loading and firing.

In this way, the archer does not need to aim at the same time when loading the string. After loading the arrow, he has time to aim at the target and find the best time to shoot, which can greatly improve the hit rate of shooting.

Secondly, the crossbow has a longer range than the bow and arrow. During the Warring States Period, the twelve-stone crossbow could shoot six hundred steps, while the ten-stone crossbow commonly used in the military today has a range of more than four hundred steps.

Not only that, the crossbow has stronger penetrating power than the bow and arrow, and because the crossbow and crossbow arrows can be fired with a delayed firing, a large number of crossbows loaded with arrows can be fired at the same time, forming intensive firepower in a short period of time.

In addition, the crossbow is easier to use than the bow and arrow because it is a direct shot, which makes aiming and firing easier. Ordinary people can master it without or after simple training.

Of course, the crossbow also has its disadvantages, that is, it is more expensive than the bow and arrow, and is more easily damaged. It is not as convenient and durable as the bow and arrow.

The repeating crossbow appeared as early as the Warring States Period, but it could only fire three or four arrows in succession at most. Later, after being improved by Zhuge Liang, the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow was able to fire ten arrows in a row.

But now...it has been developed by the Metallurgical Bureau first?

Liu Xie was a little shocked. He reached out and touched the cold and ferocious crossbow bed of the ten-shot crossbow, then looked at Meng Yang.

"How powerful is this crossbow? Can it really fire ten times in a row?"

The ten-shot crossbow is undoubtedly terrifying, which means that it can shoot out a dense rain of arrows in a short period of time, causing heavy casualties to the enemy.

Especially this kind of large crossbow, no armor in the world can withstand the arrows it shoots, not even the armor of heavy armored soldiers.

"Your Majesty, please move outside the palace. I will demonstrate the power of this ten-shot crossbow to Your Majesty."

Meng Yang bowed slightly and wanted to demonstrate it on the spot.

Liu Xie was also very curious about the power of the ten-crossbow, which had been lost in later generations, so he agreed to his request.

Soon, he followed Meng Yang to the open space outside the hall.

A ten-shot crossbow was also pushed out.

At the same time, dozens of targets were placed four hundred steps away. These targets were in human shape, filled with straw inside and covered with heavy armor that only heavy armored troops could be equipped with.

Meng Yang selected several Tiger Guards to operate the crossbows and turned the crossbows to aim at the targets.

Liu Xie took a few steps back and watched their operations under the heavy protection of Gao Lan and others.

"emission!"

As soon as Meng Yang gave an order, one crossbow arrow after another shot out from the crossbow bed!

"Chichichi—!!"

The sound of the crossbow arrow breaking through the air and the sound of the arrow hitting the target rang out almost simultaneously. All people saw was a flash of cold light and could not see the trajectory of the arrow at all!

When Liu Xie looked at the target in the distance, he was shocked.

I saw that the dozen or so targets covered in heavy armor that were originally neatly arranged were now in tatters!

There was a terrifying big hole on each target.

Under the powerful kinetic energy and penetrating power of the crossbow, the heavy armor that was extremely hard and could even withstand the slashing of the Mo Dao was as thin as paper!
The most shocking thing was that after these crossbow arrows pierced through the targets, they did not embed themselves inside, but instead penetrated deeply into the palace wall which was more than a hundred steps away from the targets.

"terrible"

Gao Lan looked at the scene with a blank expression, muttering to himself, and couldn't help swallowing.

After witnessing the terrifying power of the ten-shot crossbow, he felt his scalp tingling and his whole body running cold.

Now we are shooting at a target, but what if it is a person?
He couldn't imagine what the situation would be like on the battlefield. Even the bravest general would not be able to withstand such a crossbow arrow!
As long as you prepare enough ten-shot crossbows and shoot a round before the battle, you can cause great damage to the enemy.

If used properly, it can even determine the direction of a war. It is a well-deserved killing weapon!
"Ten bursts of powerful crossbows, so terrifying!"

Liu Xie felt awe-inspiring and was extremely shocked by the power of the ten-shot crossbow.

Not to mention the others, except Meng Yang, who had long understood the power of the ten-shot crossbow, the rest of the soldiers were all afraid of its power.

"Your Majesty, a ten-shot crossbow can break through five armors at most within three hundred steps. After three hundred steps, the power will gradually decrease."

"Five hundred steps is the maximum range, because the crossbow arrows are too heavy. In addition, the cost of a ten-shot crossbow is not cheap..."

Meng Yang then introduced to Liu Xie the limitations and shortcomings of the ten-shot crossbow.

The advantages of the ten-shot crossbow are obvious, with its powerful penetrating power being extremely terrifying; its disadvantage is that it is too expensive, and its range is greatly reduced compared to ordinary crossbows, but its power is increased rather than decreased.

That is to say, it sacrifices range in exchange for greater power, and can fire more arrows. Generally speaking, it is most suitable to be used as a killer.

After listening to Meng Yang's introduction of the advantages and disadvantages, Liu Xie nodded and said, "Yes, I am very satisfied with the power of this ten-shot crossbow. You did a great job."

"You have lived up to my expectations of your Metallurgical Bureau."

Of course he could see the strategic value of the ten-shot crossbow. You have to know that this type of delayed-fire weapon would be a controlled item even in later times.

"However, although these ten-shot crossbows are powerful, as bed crossbows, they are not portable enough."

"Can we reduce its size a bit so that it can be held by soldiers, but still maintain the advantage of continuous fire?"

"It doesn't have to be as powerful as a bed crossbow. It only needs to be as powerful as an ordinary crossbow arrow. But the key is to be able to fire continuously."

Liu Xie put forward his own ideas.

The ten-shot crossbow developed by the Metallurgical Bureau is certainly good, but it is a bed crossbow and can only be used to defend cities and fight on plains. It is too large to be easy to move.

What he wanted was a repeating crossbow like the Zhuge Crossbow, which was more effective than the ten-shot crossbow.

"Reduce the size? Maintain the advantage of burst fire?"

Meng Yang was stunned after hearing this. He had never thought of this before, so he thought for a while and said, "I can try, but it may not succeed."

Liu Xie nodded and said, "Just do your best. I suggest you go and discuss this with Minister Zhuge Liang. Minister Zhuge Liang is also quite knowledgeable in the art of government. Perhaps you can get some inspiration from this discussion."

The manufacturing method of Zhuge Crossbow has been lost in later generations, so Liu Xie didn't know how to make it.

But it doesn’t matter, Zhuge Liang is still here.

Although according to historical records, Zhuge Liang invented the Zhuge Crossbow several decades later, it is not impossible that it was invented earlier.

"Also, these ten-shot crossbows need to be manufactured in large quantities. We can make as many as we can. We don't need to worry about the cost."

"We will soon be marching south to fight the enemy. If the army can be equipped with more of these ten-shot crossbows, it will be of great help in the war."

Liu Xie also reminded that no matter how high the cost of manufacturing a ten-shot crossbow is, it is not as much as the cost of training a good warrior.

Building more powerful crossbows can reduce casualties and increase the chances of winning the war. It is a good deal no matter how you look at it. Human life is always more important than money.

"The minister obeys the order."

Meng Yang accepted the order respectfully and then withdrew.

After he left, Liu Xie went to observe the scarecrow that was badly damaged by the ten-round crossbow. After seeing the shocking hole on it, he asked Gao Lan, "Jingzhi, what do you think of this ten-round crossbow?" Gao Lan said solemnly, "Only 500 battlefield killing weapons can change the course of the battle."

Liu Xie smiled and said, "So this is why I attach great importance to the Metallurgical Bureau. You lead your troops to fight on the battlefield for a long time to inflict casualties on the enemy and achieve victory. Now you only need 500 powerful crossbows to do it."

"You say, is this a strange trick?"

Gao Lan was stunned when he heard this and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Liu Xie just asked casually, and didn't expect him to explain the reason. He threw away the crossbow in his hand and ordered: "Go to Yunhua Palace."

The day before yesterday I said I would go visit Queen Guo, but I got so busy that I forgot. Now that I have some free time, it wouldn't hurt to go over and visit her.

……

Yunhua Palace.

Queen Guo went to pay a visit to Empress Fu yesterday. Now she has transformed from a palace maid into a true concubine of the emperor.

Empress Fu was very surprised when she saw her yesterday. It was obvious that she did not expect that a palace maid like her could be favored by the emperor.

However, Empress Fu did not make things difficult for her. She let her leave after she followed the procedure. This was beyond Queen Guo's expectations.

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She thought that Empress Fu would make things difficult for her.

Because except for those newly appointed concubines like Fu Guiren who are related to the empress, the empress would usually give them a show of authority when she first met them to demonstrate her authority as the queen.

But Empress Fu did not do so.

It seemed bland from beginning to end.

"It seems that the Queen is not a difficult person to get along with. I just don't know what Concubine Zhen is like."

Queen Guo thought to herself while reading the book.

Being a concubine is completely different from being a palace maid. The intrigues in the former are far more cruel than those in the latter, especially for a concubine like her who has no background and low birth, who is more likely to be bullied.

She had also stayed in the palace for a long time and had a general understanding of the concubines. Among them, Concubine Lu had a better personality, and Concubine Zhen was the most favored.

Even though the Zhen family had rebelled a few days ago, Concubine Zhen's status was not shaken, nor did she lose the emperor's favor.

After thinking about it, Queen Guo felt a headache and wanted to get up to pour a cup of tea, but as soon as she raised her hand, a palace maid brought the prepared honey water to her.

"My lady, please."

Queen Guo was stunned when she looked at the honey water in front of her, and then she realized that she was no longer a palace maid, but a concubine.

It’s just that it’s difficult to adapt to this identity for the time being.

"Your Majesty has arrived——"

Just as Queen Guo was about to drink some water, the eunuchs' shrill chanting of salutes suddenly came from outside the palace, and the palace maids in the palace immediately knelt down.

Queen Guo also stood up from the couch and knelt to greet him.

Soon, Liu Xie walked into the Yunhua Palace.

He first glanced at the environment in Yunhua Palace, then turned his gaze to Queen Guo and said, "Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Queen Guo was nervous and said respectfully.

Seeing her like this, Liu Xie couldn't help but laugh and said, "When you were my maid before, you weren't nervous when you saw me. Why are you nervous now that you've become my concubine?"

"Will I eat you?"

Queen Guo blushed slightly, lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty's majesty is so great that I, your concubine, am terrified."

"hehe."

Liu Xie smiled faintly and didn't take it seriously.

After walking to the soft couch and sitting down, he continued to ask: "Are you used to living in this palace? Is there anything else you need? I will have someone prepare it for you later."

Queen Guo shook her head and said, "Your Majesty, Yunhua Palace is already quite luxurious and lacks nothing."

"Your Majesty is now preparing to march south to fight the bandits. As a concubine, I should dress frugally and do my part to help Your Majesty fight the bandits."

On weekdays, she served the emperor in the Xuan Chamber, came into contact with many important government affairs, and knew the current situation in the world.

Therefore, she could better understand the difficulties of being an emperor.

Hearing this, Liu Xie's eyes could not help but move slightly. He looked at Queen Guo deeply and said, "My beloved concubine is thoughtful."

Queen Guo is indeed a famous virtuous queen. Her vision and magnanimity are indeed something that ordinary women do not have. No wonder she is so favored by Cao Pi.

But now she is his concubine.

Queen Guo personally stepped forward to pour a cup of tea for Liu Xie, then hesitantly said: "Your Majesty, I have an unwelcome request."

Liu Xie took the tea and raised his eyebrows, saying, "My beloved concubine, please feel free to speak."

Queen Guo mustered up the courage to say, "I have nothing to do in Yunhua Palace all day, so I would like to ask Your Majesty to allow me to return to Xuanshi and continue to serve Your Majesty and share your worries."

She was not used to staying in the Yunhua Palace all day reading books and drinking tea. Rather than being a golden bird in a cage, she hoped to be by the emperor's side.

That kind of life makes her feel most fulfilled.

Liu Xie was somewhat surprised by Queen Guo's request. After he calmed down, he pondered for a moment and said, "Things are different now. You are now a concubine. How can you show up in the Xuanshi Hall? This is not in accordance with the rules."

It’s not that he is pedantic, but this is a basic rule of etiquette that even he cannot disobey.

Besides, if Queen Guo was really allowed to go to Xuanshi, the ministers in the court would definitely criticize her, and ministers like Zhuge Liang and Jia Xu would not be able to adapt to handling government affairs.

"My concubine made a mistake."

Queen Guo also understood that her request was a bit excessive, so when she heard Liu Xie's refusal, although she felt a little disappointed, she did not insist.

Seeing this, Liu Xie reached out and took her into his arms, smiling and saying, "It is enough for my beloved concubine to have this heart. Ministers have their duties, and concubines have their duties."

"My beloved concubine, just do your duty as a concubine."

Queen Guo was slightly stunned, and subconsciously asked: "What are the duties of a concubine?"

Liu Xie didn't say anything, just kissed her.

Queen Guo's pretty face instantly turned red, but this time she did not avoid it, but responded bravely.

The palace maids in the hall all lowered their heads shyly.

He left Yunhua Palace with a red face.

(End of this chapter)