In the world of martial arts, grind your skill level to become a saint.

Chapter 166 Deterrence

After Lu Kun intimidated everyone with his forceful methods, none of the blacksmiths present dared to say another word.

These people usually only forge ordinary weapons.

Where did I come into contact with things like bows and crossbows and armor, which were explicitly prohibited by the imperial court?

If the authorities find out that they helped the rice gang make these things, they will be punished in the same way!

But in the current situation, it seems that there is no choice but to follow the orders of the rice gang.

"There's no need for everyone to resist like this. You all should know that without some connections, why would our Rice Gang do something so defying the imperial court? So, as long as you complete the task on time, I can give you an extra 30% of your reward!"

Seeing that things had come to this point, Yang Lu stepped in to smooth things over.

After all, he had spent a lot of time and money hiring these blacksmiths, and if the relationship were to be completely ruined, it would be very detrimental to their future plans.

If the gang leader blames them later, they won't be able to bear the responsibility.

"But Master Yang—is it really alright to do this? It's not that we don't want the money, but if the authorities find out, we could lose our heads!"

Immediately, some people began to waver and feel apprehensive.

Since we cannot defy the arrangements of the Rice Gang, we can only accept the facts.

Yang Lu's words amplified the sliver of hope that had been lingering in their hearts.

Perhaps, this time, Bangmibang might actually be fine?

"Don't worry about that! Our Rice Gang is one of the three major gangs and two factions in Yanshan City. We have connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles. You can't even imagine what we're capable of. The reason you're worried about this and that is simply because you're too ignorant and haven't seen much of the world, making a fool of yourselves!"

Lu Kun's lips curled into a mocking smile.

Upon hearing Yang Lu and Lu Kun's words, the expressions of everyone present began to shift between light and shadow.

After a moment of silence, they all sighed heavily and could only stand up straight again.

"Isn't that right? Once the job is done, I'll pay you, you can leave, and we'll be even. This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you. Normally, you'd find it difficult to even consider working with us!"

Seeing that these people were obedient, Lu Kun's fierce expression softened slightly.

He glanced at the burly man still groaning on the ground, the one whose shoulder he had shot through, then beckoned to the few members of the Rice Gang nearby and ordered, "Arrange for this master's treatment immediately, and remember to be quick!"

"yes!"

Several members nodded repeatedly, then quickly helped the burly man leave the courtyard.

"Alright, alright, now that the decision has been made, let's not overthink it. If it's done in three days, everyone will be rewarded!"

Seeing that the situation was under control, Yang Lu breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Once we've settled these guys down and gotten the job done, there are plenty of ways to handle the aftermath.

Hearing this, the others could only nod in agreement.

Then, under the guidance of other members of the Rice Gang, they began to familiarize themselves with the manufacturing processes of crossbows and armor.

"These guys really have some tricks up their sleeves—"

Su Hao watched the blacksmiths being brought under control one by one, and he stood silently in the middle of the crowd, lost in thought.

Since the rice gang dared to openly manufacture weapons in Bailitun, and Bailitun was guarded by government troops.

Therefore, the only plausible explanation is that the government itself knew what these people were doing in Bailitun.

If the government knows this but still chooses not to regulate it, does that mean that the government also has some interests involved?

"If that's the case, and law enforcement officers are breaking the law, what's the point of ordinary people following these rules?"

Su Hao sighed.

However, none of this concerns them. What he is worried about now is not the government, but the rice gang.

These people are likely to go back on their word in order to keep the operation secret, and then kill people to cover it up afterward.

"Let's take a look first—at least we need to get our hands on the blueprints for these crossbows and armor first—"

Su Hao already had a plan in mind.

Although he could also make crossbows, they were still inferior to those produced by formal workshops. If he had precise blueprints as guidance, then he would probably be able to realize the idea of ​​strengthening the fine iron crossbow that he had been considering.

Although he practiced martial arts, Su Hao never doubted the power of machinery.

If he could, Su Hao really wanted to create some firearms so that the martial artists of this world could experience the power of an industrial cavalry.

However, that thing is too complex and requires extremely high precision, so it is impossible to achieve in a short period of time.

Su Hao followed behind the group, and soon a drawing of the basic mechanical structure was handed to him.

This is a basic sketch of the crossbow and armor, including dimensions, steel specifications, and requirements for other components.

Every blacksmith present received a copy.

Looking at the blueprints in his hand, Su Hao quickly constructed a complete process for making crossbows in his mind.

After all, he had already gone through this process once.

He also discovered that the forging of these crossbows was largely the same, with the differences mainly in the materials and transmission structure.

Su Hao had previously improved several war crossbows, but after obtaining them, he modified many of their parts, resulting in them not being as powerful as the original crossbows.

But it's enough to deal with ordinary experts at the third blood level.

I wonder what kind of crossbow with such perfect crossbow blueprints will eventually be perfected by combining them with the framework of the war crossbow?

Su Hao put down the blueprints for the crossbow and then picked up the design blueprints for the armor to examine.

The armor blueprints were found to be far less complex than those for crossbows. The armor was designed to be made of sheet metal, with an outer layer of sheet metal and an inner layer of chainmail, secured with leather straps at the joints.

The only difficulty lies in the construction of the chainmail, which requires interlocking and connecting iron rings.

It doesn't require much forging skill, but rather a great deal of patience to complete.

Su Hao silently memorized the process steps, and then began to choose what he wanted to create.

Su Hao naturally chose to forge the crossbow, as it was something he was more familiar with and adept at.

As for the other blacksmiths, most of them chose to forge iron armor, since it was much easier than crossbows.

Therefore, more people choose this option.

After everyone had chosen what they wanted to forge, they began to select their own forging station.

Su Hao walked around and found that many of the forging stations were empty, and most of the masters' stations were separated by a wall.

I don't know the purpose of this design; perhaps it was to prevent the craftsmen from communicating too much.

After looking at several locations, Su Hao finally chose his workstation, which was close to the wall and had an open window, allowing him to see the hidden sentry on the wall.