Yang Hao felt dumbfounded after listening to Li Xing's words. Li Guangcen on the side also couldn't help laughing. On the grassland, no one has a bow or an arrow. Every family has to use a hunting bow and arrows, and almost every family can do it. Production, when it comes to the skills of making bows and arrows, the Han people in the Central Plains cannot compare with them, because it is an important tool for them to make a living. Just like they have to ride and shoot hunting dogs every day, so they are skilled in bows and horses. In this regard, the warriors from the Central Plains who have trained hard for ten years may not be able to compare with them. The hardship of life and the special environment naturally ensure their continuous progress in this aspect. No matter what nation they are, they always have their strengths.
In front of the Qiang Village, Yang Hao asked Li Xing what skills he was good at, but he hesitated and looked worried. Yang Hao also asked him what important secrets he had, and took him back to the prefect. The Yamen invited him into the back hall and asked him carefully. Who expected him to get such an answer?
Seeing that he was not interested, Li Xing said anxiously: "Sir, the villain may not have made it clear. The bows and arrows made by the villain are different from the military bows of the adults, and they are also different from the ordinary hunting bows on the grassland."
Yang Hao smiled and said, "Oh? What's the difference? Tell me and listen."
Li Xing was tall, but his face was mediocre. The pockmarked scars on his face even revealed a bit of ugliness, but at this time he showed confidence and suddenly showed a bit of brilliance. He said proudly: "Sir, little man This bow was made of tough mulberry wood as the crossbow, solid sandalwood as the crossbow body, iron as the spear head, copper as horse hair, and hemp rope tied with silk as the string. The bow body was three feet two. Cun, the string length is two feet and five inches, it is light and strong, and half an arrow can be shot into an elm tree within two hundred and forty paces. Its power is enough to penetrate heavy armor, and it can reach about three hundred and forty paces."
After Li Xing said these words, a confident smile appeared on his face. He thought that Yang Hao would be shocked when he heard this. Unexpectedly, Yang Hao sat still with a calm expression. He had the awe of not changing his expression even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him. He couldn't help but feel disappointed: "Is this sir not interested in my weapons at all?"
Little did he know that it was not that Yang Hao was not interested, but that he had no knowledge of this kind of weapon. Mr. Yang did not understand what he meant at all. Li Guangcen could hear it from the side. It was clear, but in his heart he was like a mirror. As soon as Li Xing finished speaking, the tea that Li Guangcen had swallowed in his mouth spat out with a "pop".
He didn't bother to wipe his beard, so he jumped up and said in horror: "What did you say? With one arrow shot, it can penetrate half an elm tree within two hundred and forty steps, and it can reach as far as three hundred and forty steps." ?How is it possible, how is it possible, Li Xing, don’t lie to others."
Li Xing bowed and said: "I don't dare to deceive you. With an ordinary bow, even if you have a thousand catties of divine power, the crossbow itself is useless and it will never be able to shoot so far. And my bow, if you are not a powerful person, Of course, it can't shoot that far, but the bow made by the villain is equipped with wheels to borrow force. A man of ordinary strength cannot shoot three hundred and forty steps, but it can shoot through the human body at two hundred and forty steps. "
"How is it possible, how is it possible, are you really not just lying to me?" Li Guangcen breathed heavily, his face was dizzy, and he was obviously extremely excited. Yang Hao was sitting there in a calm manner, but when he saw Li Guangcen looking like this, he was so excited Only then did he realize that there was something strange, and he quickly stood up and asked in surprise: "Master Mu, this bow... uh... is it really amazing?"
When Yang Hao asked this question, Li Guangcen and Li Xing's cheeks twitched in unison. How dare they not understand at all? This bow is of course great.
It is said that there had never been such a powerful divine bow in the world at that time. It was not until five hundred years later that the long bow that was famous in the West was trash compared to the bow Li Xing mentioned. Five hundred years later, in
What are the characteristics of the longbow that has shown its prowess on the Western battlefield? The pulling force is about 70 kilograms, and the operating distance is 0.58 meters, which is close to the limit of the longbow. When shooting at a large elevation angle, use an arrow weighing 60 grams.
The maximum range is only 240 meters.
What performance is the bow Li Xing mentioned? Not only is the size of this bow very compact, the longer bow is compact, but its performance is twice that of a long bow. Two hundred and forty steps equals three hundred and seventy meters, three hundred and four.
Ten steps equals 520 meters. What is this concept?
If it is a fortress offensive and defensive battle in the Central Plains, the defender is protected by a city, the attacker is protected by a large shield, and both sides use it calmly, its effect may not be very obvious. However, on the grassland, most of the cavalry fights on the move, and rangers shoot from long distances.
There is no close combat, and there is nothing to rely on to block the bow and arrow. At this time, if your bow has more than double the range of the opponent, and its power can penetrate heavy armor, what does that mean?
Whether it is the era of cold weapons or the era of hot weapons, it is self-evident that a new weapon whose performance far exceeds the level of current weapons will give its owner a great war advantage. At this time, Yang Hao also became serious and busy
He asked Li Xing to sit down and asked him in detail.
From what he said, the superior performance of the bow he made was all due to his ingenuity in making wheels, gears and other ingenious things, so that he could fully utilize the mechanical power.
The seed bow was developed by him not long ago and had not spread in the world, so even Li Guangcen had never heard of it.
Yang Hao couldn't help but be overjoyed when he heard his explanation. If Luling Prefecture had such sharp weapons to defend the city, its security would be improved. If the Song Dynasty had such weapons to help, it would be even more powerful. But now it's still Li Xing
To put it bluntly, it is difficult to predict whether the bow he made will actually have such an effect before seeing the real thing. We will not know whether it is true or not until he builds one for trial use. At this time, he is not busy making any arrangements.
Yang Hao then poured him a cup of tea and asked about his origins in detail. It turned out that Li Xing was originally from Lingzhou and a descendant of the Tuoba clan. However, when he was in his father's generation, he offended the people at that time.
Li Yiyin, the governor of the Dingnan Army, even the cattle, horses and tribesmen were annexed, and he was reduced from a noble to a commoner.
His father moved his tribe to Lingzhou and settled here. Because his father was good at iron and forging and was a master smelter when he was in the Dingnan Army, he opened a weapons shop and named it "Yipitang".
, purchased steel and made their own weapons for sale.
Among the weapons made by "Yipintang", bows, arrows and long swords are the most outstanding and are famous far and wide. Therefore, when locals mention "Yipintang", they call it Li's Yipin. This means that the swords and arrows made by the Li family are of the highest quality. 2.
After more than ten years of hard work, Yipintang has become more and more famous and its business has grown bigger and bigger. Even generals in the army often come to Li's "Yipitang" to buy weapons.
When Yang Hao heard this, his heart suddenly moved. He was worried about steel yesterday. As far as he knew, Xiazhou Grassland did not have steel production sites, and all steel was purchased from other places. This is what the Khitan and Song Dynasty used to do.
He was the one who controlled Xiazhou, but now that he heard Li Xing's tone, his iron shop was still very famous in Lingzhou and his business was huge, so he felt doubtful.
Yang Hao hurriedly interrupted him and asked: "Li Xing, you said... your Li family makes a living by forging weapons? Your copper and iron needs must be quite large. Where can you buy this copper and iron?"
Li Xing said "Hey" and said in a painful voice: "Sir, my Li family is ruined because of this copper and iron." At this point, the big man was already in tears.
He wiped his tears and said: "Sir, when it comes to this copper and iron, it involves a big secret in Xiazhou. Since I have surrendered to your sect, I will tell you directly. Your lord, originally I was on the grassland.
All the copper and iron in Xiazhou were purchased from Khitan and the Central Plains. Every time Xiazhou sent envoys to Khitan and the Song Dynasty, they often purchased large quantities of copper and iron and carried them back with the envoys' carriages and horses. Because they were envoys, they would not be inspected along the way.
It was very safe to travel back and forth in the past. In addition, the Khitans and the Central Plains people also sold copper and iron privately at high profits, but the quantity was ultimately limited. The northwest Qiang people were brave and good at fighting, but they blindly surrendered to the lord of the Central Plains. Copper and iron were suppressed by others.
It is also a main reason. And Xiazhou... Xiazhou Li Jiedu was deeply unhappy about this. As early as more than ten years ago, he sent people to search for iron ore in the territory. After more than ten years, they actually found it.
Already."
Yang Hao was shocked when he heard this. Xixia has always been ambitious. He has known this for a long time. Even if the Xiazhou Li family did not establish the country and become the king, they were still the uncrowned kings in Xixia. Moreover, the Xiazhou Li family has always enjoyed this reputation.
They felt that they were truly kings. It was not until the Song Dynasty eliminated the Zhe and Yang clans one after another and started to attack Xiazhou that they decided to rebel. But before that, Xiazhou was not loyal to the Song Dynasty.
They have always wanted to turn the Xixia region into their own independent kingdom. To achieve this goal, they must get rid of the control of the Song Dynasty. Steel is undoubtedly the most important strategic material. Unexpectedly, the Xixia Li family has started to
Conspiracy.
Yang Hao asked urgently: "The Dingnan Army has discovered iron ore? Where is it?"
Li Xing replied: "Li Guangrui discovered two iron mines in total. One of them is in the mountains east of Xiazhou City, and the other is in the Chashan area east of Hengshan. Because the Chashan area is far away from Xiazhou, and they
The current mining capacity is limited, so now we only secretly mine ore and smelt steel in the east territory of Xiazhou."
Yang Hao thought: "The east of Xiazhou City is right under their noses, so of course they will use local materials. There are iron ores in Chashan Mountain in the east of Hengshan? This is a good idea. Compared with Xiazhou, Luling is closer to Chashan
Much more, and that is the territory of the Dangxiang Qi clan. I am short of steel here. How can I find a way to mine it? This is much more economical than purchasing iron. However, such a big move cannot be hidden.
If you don't live in Dangxiang Qi clan, do you want to share this news with them?"
Seeing that he was deep in thought, Li Xing stopped talking. Yang Hao woke up and said hurriedly: "You continue to talk."
Li Xingdao: "Yes, Li Guangrui now has a large amount of steel, but he keeps it secret to the outside world. Even most of the people under Xiazhou's rule don't know about it. Although my family is a blacksmith now, my father was a general in the army in troubled times.
, there are still some people who are serving as generals in the army, so we know about it.
In the past, it was very difficult for Xiazhou to purchase iron tools from the Central Plains or Khitan, and the quantity was limited. Now that Li Guangrui has his own iron mines, he wants to cast weapons in large quantities. When it comes to making weapons, my Lingzhou Li family is the best, not to mention that my family makes weapons.
His long sword is extremely sharp, and his bows and arrows have a far greater range than ordinary bows and arrows. Even the guns, axes, knives and other weapons made by my family are much better than those made by others. The armor made by my family is also second only to bows and arrows.
The long sword is famous for its armor, which is all cold-forged. It is tight, smooth and shiny, and cannot be penetrated by anything but a powerful crossbow.
In the past, Xiazhou had limited steel purchases and distributed it to several blacksmith shops for forging. Now they hid the news of the discovery of iron ore and recruited a large number of blacksmiths to become military craftsmen. However, this military craftsman's forging skills are much better.
However, the weapons made were of varying quality, so Li Guangrui came up with the idea of my family."
At this point, Li Xing felt thirsty and drank the tea in one gulp. Yang Hao hurriedly served him another cup and listened attentively to what he said. Li Xing added: "At the beginning, my father didn't
I am willing to go because I am not willing to just be a blacksmith..."
He touched the scars on his face and said: "These...are all caused by sparks splashing when forging iron. I am not willing to let my son have to do this business for the rest of his life, so I begged my father to agree. Alas! Who would have thought
, Li Guangrui is very narrow-minded. In the past, when my father was a general in the Dingnan Army, he offended Li Yiyin and was almost killed by his marching order. Fortunately, the army commander Pao Ze begged for mercy, and then my family's cattle were deprived.
Sheep and horses, servants of the clan, were demoted to commoners. Now his son Li Guangrui wants to use my family, but he refuses to believe us. On the surface, he treats my father with great courtesy, but after my father has taught a large number of apprentices, he has no more
When it becomes useful, they will send people to kill my family."
When he said this, his hands trembled slightly, and he said after a while: "Fortunately, one of the generals in the army had a good friend of my father's in the past. After getting the news, he secretly reported it to my family. My whole family fled in panic, but...but they were chasing them all the way, but they didn't.
Only three members of my family escaped..."
At this point, he sneered slightly and said bitterly: "Fortunately, Li Guangrui started earlier. I had just developed this bow and had not presented it to him. Otherwise, I would really die with my eyes open."
After hearing this, Yang Hao became even more convinced that this man was indeed a skillful craftsman in making ordnance, and he felt overjoyed. Someone would give him a pillow if he wanted to take a nap. With this man, the weapons of Luling Valley will be found in the future.
, From now on, the weapons of Luling Prefecture are not only superior in performance to those of the Qiang, but also can save a lot of money by making them by yourself. Li Xing should reuse them, um... When his strong bow is built, if it really has the miraculous effect he said, I will report it.
His name should be added to the list of officials requested by the imperial court to grant Zhuqiang titles, and he should be given an official position, so that he would not be afraid that he would not serve the Song people...
Yang Hao only thought that this man was a master of making weapons, but he didn't know that the two great weapons of Western Xia, the Divine Arm Bow and the Xia Ren Sword, which later became famous all over the world, were made by this man. Among them, the Divine Arm Bow was in front of him.
This man's son Li Hongxian and the Song Dynasty have since become the most troublesome weapon of the Song Dynasty for the Northern Barbarians. But now, due to his unexpected appearance, history has been slightly changed, and he appeared in Luling Prefecture in advance.
On the side, Li Guangcen looked Li Xing up and down, his expression changed, and he slowly asked: "Li Xing, what is your father's name?"
Li Xing knew that this man was also a high-ranking official, so he replied hurriedly and respectfully: "My father Li Guangji..."
Li Guangcen's expression moved slightly, and he continued: "So, why was your father deprived of the family property and demoted to a commoner by Li Guangrui?"
Li Xing said sadly: "Back then, Li Yi Jiedushi died of illness, and the villain's brother Li Guangcen should have succeeded him. But... after the three armies stayed, Li Guangrui spent a lot of money to buy the powerful military officials in the clan and established himself as Xiazhou.
At that time, my father was very angry at his usurpation and self-reliance. Later, Li Yimin, the governor of Suizhou, accused him of being disloyal in usurping the throne and sent troops to attack him. After he was defeated and captured, he did not care about his brotherhood and actually wanted to
Kill Lord Li Yimin. My father pleaded for Lord Li Yimin, but he contradicted him a lot in his words. If the generals in the army had not interceded for mercy, my whole family... would have gone with Lord Li Yimin at that time."
After hearing this, Li Guangcen's expression finally became excited. He stood up slowly and suddenly said a few words in Qiang. Li Xing looked at him in astonishment and answered a few words in Qiang.
Yang Hao held his head at the side and listened to the chatter between the two, with a look of confusion on his face: "We usually speak Mandarin, why do we have to speak dialect when we recognize our relatives? I can't understand a word..."
"
If Yang Hao had not decisively used troops against the Qiang people, there would be no possibility of cooperation with Xiazhou Li Guangrui, the nominal co-owner of the Qiang people. Li Xing would not have dared to confess his identity to him and offer the weapons he made. If Yang Hao had not been fair to the Qiang people
He treated Hua Wuyue decisively, and Li Xing was unwilling to give up the weapons he made.
Now that he presented the weapon to Yang Hao, he was able to recognize his clan brother Li Guangcen, which was an unexpected surprise. Although the two had never met, Li Xing's father was loyal to Li Guangcen's father Li Yin, and Li Xing ended up like this
As a result, he had an sworn enemy with Xiazhou Li Guangrui, and even shared the same hatred with Li Guangcen.
After Yang Hao listened to the chatter for a long time, he suddenly became the young master in Li Xing's mouth, and Li Xing naturally became Yang Hao's clan uncle. The clan members recognized him and became more intimate with each other.
Li Xing was even more happy when Yang Hao told him that he would apply for an official position in the court for him.
The three of them talked for a long time. Li Xing was worried that his wife and children would be worried at home, so he said goodbye and left. Li Guangcen now revealed his identity as Mu, but it was inconvenient for him to marry him publicly. At this time, he also made it clear to him. Li Xing only said:
The clan brother concealed his identity and hid here just to deal with Xiazhou Li Guangrui, so he naturally promised repeatedly not to leak it.
After sending Li Xing off, Li Guangcen said: "Hao'er, I didn't expect that my brother is actually a master of weapons. God is helping you. Now we can build a tower and buy some steel for Mingcai, and he will take charge of making weapons.
As for the Chashan iron ore, since it is on the territory of the Seventh Clan, it needs to be discussed with the Dangxiang Seventh Clan before it can be mined."
Yang Hao said happily: "What my adoptive father said is that when Li Xing builds this magical bow, along with the drawings, I will also submit a copy to Kaifeng. It will be even more amazing for our Song Dynasty to obtain this magical weapon."
Li Guangcen was slightly startled, then pondered for a moment, and then said slowly: "Haoer's thinking is not right, this bow...can't be known to the court for the time being."
Yang Hao was startled and asked in surprise: "Why is this?"
Li Guangcen said: "Because this rare item can be lived in. Once this bow is presented to the imperial court, the imperial court will definitely be worried that this bow will spread to the hands of the Yang family in Linzhou and the Zhe family in Fuzhou. It will definitely prohibit its use in our Luling Prefecture. At least... it will be owned by our Luling Prefecture."
Before we have enough ability to protect ourselves, we must not do without such a magic weapon. It is an important support. Don't forget that Li Jiyun was humiliated at your hands and returned to Xiazhou angrily. Now I don't know if he will come to make things difficult.
We, the soldiers of Xiazhou, are no match for those villages that you wiped out. With the combined strength of the Xiang Qi clan and the bravery of the generals in Fuzhou, we all have to bow down to Xiazhou. We cannot look down upon them."
"This..." Yang Hao couldn't help but hesitate.
Li Guangcen hurriedly persuaded: "Besides, everyone can see now that the officials of the Song Dynasty decided to conquer the world first from the south and then from the north. There is abundant rain and humid air in the south, so there are not many places to use arrows, and the court does not need it for a while.
This is a sharp weapon, but we in Luling Prefecture are not like this. Hao'er, from your point of view, I will be ruthless and massacre the Hengshan Qiang Village regardless of age, and use the method of killing to stop the killing to solve the long-term problem of the people of Luling.
The trouble is Daren; in the eyes of the officials of the Song Dynasty, they would rather sacrifice these tens of thousands of people to weaken the combat power of the northwest vassals, thereby weakening the resistance to annexing the northwest in the future. Isn't it Daren? The officials conquered all directions and conquered such a huge world. Don't have any delusions.
He will be kind-hearted and soft-hearted, but he cannot be so cruel. Are you willing to sacrifice tens of thousands of people who are grateful to you and respect you like their parents? Even you, your parents and officials, have to sacrifice?"
Of course he is not willing to do so. People who do not serve themselves will be punished by heaven and earth. As the saying goes, if you are successful, you can help the world, and if you are poor, you can only take care of yourself. Yang Hao is not great enough to sacrifice himself for the Zhao family of the Song Dynasty without blinking an eye, and he cannot bear it either.
Pushing these people who were dependent on him to death.
He nodded silently and said: "This matter... can be discussed later."
Li Guangcen smiled and said: "That's right. You must know that you are not alone now. Every move, word and deed you make affects tens of thousands of lives. Think twice before taking action."
Yang Hao nodded and said, "Well, let's put this matter aside for the time being, but I have found iron ore in Xiazhou and are secretly mining it. I must report it to the court immediately about privately forging weapons."
Li Guangcen nodded, then shook his head slightly and said: "It should be said, but what will happen if the court knows about it? In the current situation, even the two vassals of Zhe Yang refused to go to Beijing to take office, and the court can only pretend to be deaf and dumb.
Xiazhou recruited its own soldiers and horses, raised its own food and grass, and was named Song Chen, but was actually the Lord of Xia. How could the imperial court capture them?"
Yang Haodao: "If I'm not in charge, I don't plan for politics. I only take good care of this three-acre land in Luling Prefecture. Let the officials and Xianggong Zhao handle those matters."
As soon as he said this, Bi Su wandered into the yard, peered into the house, and Yang Hao asked loudly: "What's the matter?"
Bisu winked and replied: "Sir, Miss Tang has brought you ginseng soup."
As soon as Bisu finished speaking, Tang Yanyan appeared at the entrance of the courtyard surrounded by fallen flowers. The courtyard was deep and the trees were bleak. The man at the entrance of the courtyard was wearing a golden brocade hat, a small-sleeved Hu shirt, and
She wears a narrow blue Xiangbo skirt, a pair of hollow soft brocade boots, and a quilted belt with small peach-leaf-shaped gold ornaments at the waist. The narrow and slim fitting clothes accentuate her slender figure, and her waist is as plain as usual.
, the appearance is elegant and worthy of painting.
Yang Hao didn't pay attention to the faint sadness in her eyes and the loneliness that was completely different from the lively expression in the past. As soon as he saw her coming, his wrapped head felt a dull pain again...