Aztec Eternals

v1 Chapter 149: The crossbow, the king's instructions, m

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The slightly cold February is coming to an end, and the high sun is still warm. Changfeng walked all the way, passing through solemn warriors, brushing over busy craftsmen, and came to the lively Shenqiu.

In the weapons research area in the northeast, Shulot was holding a thick crossbow and aimed at the straw man a hundred meters away. The teenager carefully measured the target through Wangshan on the bronze crossbow machine. Then, he raised the crossbow body slightly, used his shoulders to stabilize the end of the crossbow arm, and pulled the trigger forcefully.

Hearing the sound of an arrow of "咻", an arrow shadow swiftly went away like lightning. Shirot's upper body leaned back suddenly, as if his shoulders were pushed hard, and then there was a dull "duh" sound in the distance. When the young man looked carefully, the crossbow arrow had passed over the straw man and was nailed to the wooden wall more than 200 meters away, steadily not falling.

The surrounding samurai looked at the crossbow bolts nailed to the wall and cheered lowly for His Highness. Master carpenter Cushingki was silent.

Bertard's eyes followed the path of the feather arrow, and he couldn't help laughing as he watched it brush past the armored straw man, who was half a foot away. Then, the samurai captain stepped forward, his eyes narrowed, only to see the arrow penetrated into the wooden wall, and the tail of the arrow was still shaking. He stretched out his hand, first exerting a little force, and then adding more strength, the crossbow arrow was pulled out. The bronze arrow was still sharp, but the wooden arrow shaft was already cracked.

Shulot's face did not change, and his heart was ashamed. He motioned Bertard to retreat. Immediately, the young man put the thick crossbow on the ground, kicked the crossbow body wrapped with silk twine with both feet, pulled the string with both hands, and exerted force with his legs, slowly winding the crossbow. He secretly calculated in his heart that the winding action would take a little more than ten seconds, and if complicated shooting preparations were added, a skilled crossbowman could only fire two rounds a minute.

After a few breaths, Shirot took up the crossbow again. He used Wangshan to aim at the grass man again, and based on the previous experience, he moved at a slight angle. Afterwards, the young man sank slightly and buckled down the crossbow machine forcefully, and the momentum that disappeared from his feet became much more stable this time.

Another arrow sounded, and a hundred meters away, the straw man's chest exploded, and the crossbow arrow shot through the two layers of leather armor at the front and back, and then slammed into the soil behind. This time, the samurai's cheers were particularly loud.

Shirot raised his head, looked at the warm sun, and wiped the sweat from his face. Then, he waved, beckoning Cushingki to come over.

The master carpenter looked serious. He strode closer without making a sound, just looking at the crossbow in His Highness's hand.

"Cushingki, you did a good job! This kind of crossbow is very powerful, and it can still pierce armor from two hundred meters away! ... What are its specific data?"

Hearing His Highness's compliment, Cushingki smiled.

"According to His Highness's instructions, I thickened and thickened the body of the crossbow, so that its pulling force is 350 pounds. The maximum range of this kind of crossbow when it is half inclined is three or four hundred meters, and it can shoot through within two hundred and fifty meters. Leather armor. And within 150 meters, even a warrior in double armor can't escape death in front of it! The large crossbow I made has far surpassed Kuod's longbow! . . ."

Shilot nodded slowly, this power has reached his goal. According to the previous attempt, the accuracy of the crossbow is also within an acceptable range. So he pondered for a moment and asked.

"Cushingki, I'm going to install this crossbow on a large scale. How much does it take? How long does it take for a craftsman to make one?"

The master carpenter's expression froze. He closed his mouth, thought and thought, and then whispered.

"The crossbow arm and the crossbow body each require a senior carpenter to work for one to two days, and they are strong enough. The training of the bow will take longer, but more can be done at the same time. The bronze crossbow machine and the wooden box need two goldsmiths to do it. Days, it needs to be done finely enough. Then the combination is done by myself, adjusted and calibrated for about a day... If it is counted as an ordinary craftsman, it will be about... about seven or eight days to complete."

Shilot's heart sank, this production efficiency is not a little bit worse than the longbow. The young man thought carefully, according to this production efficiency, it would be impossible for the crossbow to be installed on a large scale during the Western Expedition in October. There are only hundreds or thousands of them that can be used as the "ultra-long-range" strike force in this era.

After pondering for a moment, Xiulote gave an order in a low voice.

"Cushingki, starting today, the development of other crossbows will be temporarily suspended. I will allocate dozens of craftsmen to you, as well as a group of apprentices who handle wood. You only need to concentrate on making crossbows, at least one per month. One hundred and fifty qualified crossbows! In addition, I will give you hundreds of warriors to help you make crossbows and practice shooting here at the same time."

Hearing His Highness's order, Cushingki saluted in awe and took orders in a deep voice.

"Your Highness, follow your will!"

Shulot watched carefully, the face of the carpenter master showed sincere obedience and serious confidence. The young man nodded slightly, turned around and walked away.

After leaving the Divine Revelation, Shulot had already planned to go to the crafting center in the north in a hurry. It hasn't come over for a few days, and the scale here has been further expanded, almost fully concentrating the manufacturing capabilities of the Mexica Federation.

Thousands of craftsmen were busy as the boy passed by, and ship after ship of wood and cotton were brought in to make mighty longbows, slotted battle sticks, and thick cotton armor. The peeled bark and scraps are transported away by the people and sent to the papermaking center as raw materials for paper.

After searching for a long time, Shilot found the majestic old carpenter Kuod in the center of the crowd. He was surrounded by a dozen apprentices in the center, and he was discussing something with a black-robed man with a solemn expression. The young man looked at the meticulous face of the black-robed man again, but it was the intelligence officer Gillim.

Seeing Sherlot coming, Gilliam smiled slightly, and then saluted seriously. The young man had to return the ceremony with awe.

"Your Highness, I happen to be looking for you on something important."

Shiroute smiled lightly. His gaze rested for a moment on the intelligence officer's completely scarred ears.

"Gilim, I happen to have something important to call you. But you should bring Avit's message, so you can speak first."

The intelligence officer nodded, made a waiting gesture to Kuod, and then feigned with one hand, inviting the boy to go to an unoccupied corner to talk secretly.

"His Royal Highness, you will be responsible for the expedition of the North Route Army. According to the latest information, the king has issued instructions to you. Four points should be paid attention to in the western expedition of the North Road... The first is to establish a waterway superiority and a stable stronghold. ..."

Shulot nodded in agreement. This was exactly the plan in his mind. He has yet to update Avett on the latest developments in gunpowder. Prepare to wait for the development of the gunpowder rocket to be completed, and then show it to the king in the simulation exercise of the water battle, which will shock the teacher and friend again.

"The second is to find a way to capture the fortress group of Tarasco Kingdom...especially the fortress at the mouth of Lake Quetzeo..."

The boy frowned, this was indeed something he had never understood. Quickly flashing in his mind, the hooked ladder, the reinforced trebuchet, and finally settled on the huge paper powder ball.

"Third, be careful to watch out for the Otomi people in the north, and try to maintain a truce with them... Be careful to protect the food route..."

Shilot was silent for a while. He thought about it carefully, nodded slowly, and a groundhog-like figure appeared in his mind.

"Fourth, try to obtain a certain amount of food support from the western city-states of the alliance, and reduce the consumption of food and grass from the capital city..."

At this point, the young man has nothing to do. He could only go back to meet his grandfather and seek help from the connections of the older generation.

"In addition, the king also recommends that you recruit a group of Chichimek dogs to be used as the precursors of the Western Expedition. For specific recruitment matters, you and the Northern Commander Ocello will contact you."

Hearing the recruitment of Canines, Shiloh fell into contemplation. The dog's bravery and fearlessness left a deep impression on him. Although this kind of disorderly martial arts can't really fight against a tight battle formation, these canines should be very suitable bombardiers. They can charge to a very close distance to throw the currently immature, very dangerous pottery bristle.

After thinking for a while, Shilot nodded seriously and showed a sincere smile.

"Thank you for the king's instructions, and thank you for your advice. The Lord God blesses us, and the Western Expedition will surely be victorious!"

The intelligence officer smiled as it should, and then saluted respectfully, and the boy returned the salute again. The two of them behaved like ceremonies, and they would meet each other, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

Then, Gilliam bowed again and asked.

"I don't know what your Highness wants to say?"

Shilot pondered for a while, and said slowly.

"Originally, this matter was mainly to look for Kuod, but he will also ask you for instructions in the end... The Divine Revelation Institute has made new progress recently. The production of the new type of crossbow has been completed, and I am going to mobilize another batch of craftsmen and Minfu, collect the wood in stock and carry out large-scale manufacturing... At the same time, the gunpowder of Tianhuo Island will continue to be staffed to increase production. The follow-up gunpowder weapons will also require experienced craftsmen... Finally, there is Ding Zhuang of the new army. and sustenance..."

In other words, the boy wanted to ask the intelligence officer and warehouse manager, the craftsman for manpower, and the money for food.

Gilliam gave a wry smile, showing a sad look for the first time.

"His Royal Highness, it's not that I lied to you, but where are the spare craftsmen now? Where are there sufficient possessions?"

Saying that, the intelligence officer stretched out his hands, one finger at a time, to show His Highness.

"First of all, the biggest item is the production of longbow. Now there are an astonishing 700 craftsmen and more than 2,000 laborers in the longbow workshop. The daily output of longbow is 150, and the arrows are only a few thousand. The upper limit of the supply of wood is reached. In order to continuously provide wood, there are more than 1,000 loggers and boatmen outside. In addition to the artisans and peasants, there are also 200 samurai stationed in supervision. The food consumed by these thousands of people every day can be All are supplied by the alliance, and the daily tool wear and tear must also be borne by the alliance!”

Hearing the number of longbows, Shulot was somewhat satisfied. One hundred and fifty a day, so speaking, there should be three or four thousand a month, which can arm one thousand to two thousand warriors, and in October, a complete longbow army can be formed.

According to the previous experience of the Longbow Guards, it is best for each longbow warrior to be equipped with more than two bows, because after the longbow is used continuously, there will be a problem of chasing the strings, and it takes a certain amount of time to idle the strings so as not to damage the bow .

"Secondly, Your Highness is in charge of making gunpowder. Tianhuo Island has completely put the large salt mines in the south under its jurisdiction. The salt production there has dropped sharply, and the relevant nobles and nobles have jumped. Your Royal Highness, the royal nobles have visited the elders and the king several times. , complain to the noble, and accuse you of your arrogance and greed!

If the elders were not satisfied with the thread-bound books you presented, the king had expectations for the power of gunpowder, and the high priest had either overt or covert suppression, groups of nobles would have long since taken private soldiers to retake the Great Salt Mine. ..."

Hearing the words, Shiroute looked surprised. He had thought about these things, and heard a little from his grandfather. Every time, grandfather just said a few words indifferently, but he never thought that there would be such a big commotion behind him.

"Tianhuo Island now employs thousands of salt workers and civilians, digging nitrate, felling wood, boiling soil nitrate, and collecting plant ash. There are also hundreds of samurai and patrolling navy, and the food consumed every day is equally astonishing. After that, the papermaking and printing workshops expanded rapidly, employing hundreds of craftsmen and thousands of people. Thousands of people were needed to make cloth paper armor, rattan cards, and rattan hats. A lot of wood was needed to burn charcoal, and thousands of people were needed to make bricks and burn bricks. Hundreds of people. The first copper mines in the south were sent, and hundreds of people were required to make bronze spears and tools. There were also hundreds of people who studied 'glass'..."

Xiulote listened to the detailed report of the intelligence officer, and his expression was in a trance. It turns out that before you know it, have you launched so many scientific research projects at the same time? Whether the output of the capital city in the lake and even the lake district can keep up... After a while, the young man felt a chill in his heart again. The intelligence officer actually knows more details than himself...

Gilliam observed Shirott's expression, and the tone in his mouth became more sincere.

"His Royal Highness, these large-scale projects consume an enormous amount of manpower and material resources, already completely surpassing a samurai army! Next, you have to train a complete militia army! Your Highness, the alliance's financial and human resources have been used up. do..."

Hearing the intelligence officer's words, Shulot's face became solemn. He took his mind back and looked at Gilliam solemnly.

"Lance Corps and Longbow Militia are very important, and Avi has promised me! When will the six thousand miners be in place? The recruitment of village hunters must also begin!"

Gilliam was silent. He sighed helplessly. After a long while, the intelligence officer saluted solemnly.

"His Royal Highness, the quota of 6,000 miners has been allotted, and the samurai who supervise the mines are all ready. As long as the Otomi Minfu from the important northern town fills in, it will be delivered to you immediately. The taxation of the New Year's tribute will be collected. The official also conveyed the news that UU Reading www.uukanshu.com allows village elders to replace part of the tribute during the autumn harvest with qualified hunters...

But Your Royal Highness, now the alliance's treasury is almost used up, and only the property obtained after several large-scale house raids is left, and even the maintenance of the warriors of the capital still depends on the tribute from foreign countries..."

Shilot shook his head firmly, with burning belief in his eyes.

"Gilliam, I am not forming a new army for personal gain, but for the general situation of the Western Expedition and even the future change! I will give you five days. Five days later is the first day of March, and I want to see the gathering of six thousand miners. On the school grounds outside the city. Their training must begin at this time!"

Gilliam looked at the boy wordlessly, feeling the brightness and sincerity in his eyes, as well as the determination that could not be disobeyed. After a while, the intelligence officer let out a long sigh, knelt heavily on his knees, bowed his head and accepted the order.

Shilot did not look at Gilliam. He raised his head, looked at the busy craftsmen and people, and then looked at the boats transporting raw materials on the Texcoco Lake, and his thoughts were far away.

With his participation, the empire explored new technology research and development, carried out technology realization, manufactured large-scale new equipment, and maintained a huge army. Each of these items consumes thousands of manpower and occupies material resources for continuous support. A divine enlightener can promote the rapid advancement of military technology in a few months. However, he was unable to change the most important basic productivity of the empire in a short period of time. The human and material resources of the alliance are indeed exhausted.

At this moment, Shulot truly understood what he had learned in the past, the small words and righteousness hidden in the boring books.

Productivity, and only productivity is the cornerstone of civilization. The progress of productivity also requires the accumulation of time. After getting the metal, it will be a year-by-year innovation, and it will also start from the place of innovation, truly changing everything about civilization!