Crossbows

In the darkest hour before dawn, the oil lamp in Zhou Heng's duty room was still lit.

The table was covered with rough scraps of paper, charcoal shavings, and ink marks from repeated corrections.

His eyes were bloodshot, his face looked unusually pale under the light, and his fingers trembled slightly from holding the pen for so long and being tense.

What lay before him was not documents, but a stack of papers covered with various structural sketches and densely marked dimensions and instructions.

At its core is a relatively clear exploded diagram of a crossbow. However, this crossbow is completely different from the single-shot crossbows currently used by the Northern Liang army, or even the bed crossbows that require several people to operate.

The drawings are rough, the proportions may not be accurate, and many details rely on textual explanations, showing signs of exploration and uncertainty.

But the core idea is clear: by using levers, pulley systems, and a special arrow magazine design, continuous shooting can be achieved in a short period of time without having to reload the arrow.

He drew on the concept of "rapid firing" of the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow from his memory, but the specific structure was entirely pieced together by him based on his vague impressions and repeated deductions, with a focus on the key components of "arrow trajectory", "arrow magazine", "movable crossbow arm" and "reciprocating trigger".

He had a hard time drawing.

He was not an engineer and knew nothing about ancient mechanical manufacturing. He could only try his best to recall the pictures of restored models he had seen in museums, and combine them with some basic physical principles to try to transform them into graphics and descriptions that craftsmen of this era could understand.

He himself was unsure about many things, and could only mark things like "This part needs a sturdy hinge connection", "The length of this lever needs to be determined by testing", and "Should the arrow magazine spring be replaced with a tendon?"

But he knew that if this thing could actually be made, even if it was just a prototype, it would be revolutionary in this era.

A higher rate of fire means that in siege defense or specific formation operations, a denser suppressive fire can be formed, which may reduce casualties during assaults and speed up the course of the battle—although this idea made him feel somewhat cold and self-deceptive, weapons are ultimately tools for reaping lives.

But that was his idea: to use more efficient technology to accelerate Xiao Jue's accumulation of military advantages and shorten the unification process.

He squeezed his dry, stinging eyes shut and hastily scribbled down his last idea about "preventing arrow jamming" on the edge of the drawing.

As dawn broke through, the chill lingered. Zhou Heng, clutching the roll of straw paper that had nearly exhausted his mind and was covered in charcoal ash and corrections, headed toward Xiao Jue's secluded military tent.

The guards outside the tent recognized him and let him pass after a brief inquiry, only whispering a reminder: "The Marquis has just returned from patrolling the camp and is having breakfast."

Zhou Heng took a deep breath, lifted the curtain, and entered.

The tent was spacious but simply furnished, with a charcoal brazier dispelling some of the chill.

Xiao Jue sat alone behind the desk, with a simple bowl of porridge and a few side dishes in front of him, most of which he had already eaten.

He was not wearing armor, but only dressed in a black casual outfit. His dark hair was tied up with a simple jade hairpin. He looked less like the usual battlefield warrior and more like a deep strategist in his tent.

Seeing Zhou Heng enter, he put down his silver chopsticks and calmly looked at him.

"My lord," Zhou Heng bowed, his voice hoarse from staying up all night.

"What is it?" Xiao Jue asked in a calm tone, gesturing for him to stand up.

Zhou Heng straightened up and took out the roll of paper from his pocket. The cloth strip was tied a little too tightly, and he untied it with trembling fingers, carefully spreading the messy stack of papers out on the empty space on the table in front of Xiao Jue.

The rough scrap paper, the twisted lines, and the densely packed question marks, all exposed to the morning light, revealed a clumsy yet stubborn trace of effort.

"This humble servant...last night I had a wild idea," Zhou Heng said, his throat dry, trying to keep his voice steady, "about the reform of crossbows...I scribbled down some ideas that are absolutely impossible to come true, even utterly absurd."

But… but considering Your Excellency's vast knowledge and numerous capable subordinates, perhaps… perhaps you can glean a mere, laughable, and insignificant insight from this. Therefore, I dare to present it, lest it offend Your Excellency's eyes.”

He spoke with the utmost humility.

Xiao Jue's gaze fell on the stack of papers. At first, he just glanced at them casually, perhaps thinking that the young man had sorted out some complicated data or proposed some detailed improvement.

But when his gaze fell upon the core sketch that attempted to depict the "continuous firing" mechanism, along with the rudimentary diagrams and descriptions of the "arrow magazine," "reciprocating trigger," and "pulley lever linkage," his chopsticks paused almost imperceptibly in mid-air.

He didn't speak immediately, but put down his chopsticks, leaned forward slightly, reached out, and used his fingertips to push the top few drawings apart further so that he could see them more clearly.

His gaze became unusually focused, sharp as a hawk, sweeping over the crude component breakdown diagrams, lever arm schematics, and even the notes that Zhou Heng himself was unsure of, such as "This part may be replaced with tough animal tendons" and "This hinge needs to be extremely wear-resistant."

The tent was completely silent, with only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire.

Zhou Heng held his breath, able to hear his heart pounding heavily in his chest. He didn't even dare to look at Xiao Jue's expression, only staring at the ground, awaiting the verdict.

Time seemed to stretch out. Xiao Jue looked very slowly and carefully, occasionally pausing next to a line that had been repeatedly crossed out, or lightly dotting a whimsical note.

His face was expressionless, but his brows were slightly furrowed, not out of displeasure, but rather a lingering stillness as he fell into deep thought.

Finally, he finished looking at the last rough sketch of a "preventing arrows from getting stuck".

He withdrew his hand, slowly leaned back in his chair, but his gaze did not leave the drawing, as if those rough lines were still being reconstructed and deduced in his mind.

After a long while, he finally raised his eyes, his gaze returning to Zhou Hengcang's tense face.

"Did you draw this?" Xiao Jue asked, his voice not loud, but unusually clear.

"Yes...it was because I couldn't sleep and was having wild thoughts, so I just scribbled something down..." Zhou Heng quickly repeated his explanation, his palms sweating.

"Daydreaming?" Xiao Jue interrupted him, tapping the word "rapid fire" on the table with his fingertip, and made a very soft, emotionless hum. "This is not something that can be imagined by daydreaming."

He leaned forward slightly, and an invisible pressure instantly enveloped Zhou Heng: "Zhou Heng, tell me, what do you want?"

Zhou Heng felt his heart was about to jump out of his throat.

He forced himself to look up and meet those eyes that seemed to see right through him. He knew that at this moment, any evasive or insincere words would be meaningless and would only arouse deeper suspicion.

He took a deep breath, using almost all his strength, his voice unusually clear due to his resolute determination, even carrying a hint of a do-or-die tremor:

"Your Excellency! I have no other skills but a sincere heart. I am willing to use all the little skills I have learned and can think of to help Your Excellency to quell the chaos, bring peace to the world, ascend to the throne as soon as possible, and end this chaotic world of bloodshed!"

"This picture may be absurd and laughable, but if even the slightest thought within it could be brought to life by a skilled craftsman, thus making the Marquis's army even more formidable, that would be my lifelong wish!"

Xiao Jue looked at him quietly, his face still expressionless, but in his unfathomable eyes, there seemed to be a silent undercurrent surging.

"With just you?" Xiao Jue spoke slowly, his voice low and unreadable, neither a question nor a statement. "With this... I wonder if you can escape the delusion of the blueprints?"

Zhou Heng felt the muscles in his back tense, but he didn't back down. Instead, he met Xiao Jue's gaze, straightened his not-so-strong frame, and spoke resolutely, word by word:

"Yes! The blueprints are crude, and the craftsmanship is fraught with difficulties; this is a fact. However, the ideas may inspire skilled craftsmen! Your Excellency is destined by Heaven, and you have unparalleled talents among your subordinates!"

I am willing to die for you, my lord, and give my life for you. I only ask that you give this delusion a chance to be proven!

If successful, it will be a great blessing for the Marquis and a boon for the army; if it fails, it's nothing more than a few pieces of waste paper, which can be burned without harming the Marquis!

Silence fell again inside the tent, with only the silent clash of their gazes in the air.

After a long while, Xiao Jue suddenly chuckled softly.

He reached out, took a blank sheet of paper, dipped his brush in ink, and quickly wrote down an order. Then he took out a small seal from his pocket and firmly stamped it on.

"Chen Zhen," he called out to the outside of the tent.

Almost instantly, Chen Zhen appeared silently at the tent entrance like a shadow: "My Lord."

Xiao Jue handed over the warrant and the rolled-up paper together: "With this warrant, classify this map as top secret and immediately send an absolutely reliable person back to the Director of Works in Beiliang City as quickly as possible."

Under the personal supervision of the master craftsman Li Chun, trusted and skilled craftsmen were selected to secretly research and develop the product, repeatedly testing its feasibility, power, durability, and cost. Everything needed was provided.

Report any progress to me confidentially. You know the consequences if anything leaks out.

Chen Zhen took the scroll with both hands, his gaze quickly sweeping over the strange lines peeking out from the top of the scroll. He replied in a deep voice, "Understood! I will not fail you!" He then turned and disappeared out of the tent.

Xiao Jue then looked back at Zhou Heng, who was still standing in the same spot.

"Thank you for your trust, Lord Marquis! I will do my utmost to serve you, even unto death!" Zhou Heng bowed deeply, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Go down." Xiao Jue waved his hand.

Zhou Heng felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He bowed again before leaving the military tent with somewhat unsteady steps.

The cold air outside the tent rushed in, making him shiver, but it also cleared his feverish head a bit.