Traveling back in time to Liu Feng, starting with rescuing soldier Guan Yu.

Chapter 104 Further Upgrades in War Technology

When Liu Feng stepped into the workshop, Kou Xun had already gathered the craftsmen in the courtyard.

Dozens of craftsmen stood in the courtyard, including old blacksmiths with white hair and beards, vigorous carpenters, and young apprentices squatting in a corner, curiously watching. Many of them were covered in charcoal ash and sawdust, and held their usual tools in their hands.

Liu Feng glanced around and cupped his hands in greeting to everyone: "Esteemed masters, I apologize for disturbing you. You have all worked hard these past few days, and I will certainly not shortchange you in any way regarding your wages and rewards. After we defeat Eastern Wu, there will definitely be further rewards."

At this moment, an older blacksmith wiped the grease from his hands, a smile spreading across his honest face. He cupped his hands and replied, "General, my surname is Huang. I've been forging iron in this city for most of my life. Everyone calls me Old Hammer Huang. I make knives, swords, spearheads, arrowheads..."

"I can forge iron plates like that. These are the old man's apprentices; their skills are decent. The general has treated us well. If he wants us to work through the night to make swords, we, master and apprentices, will do everything in our power to finish them."

Liu Feng cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Old Hammer Huang, shook his head, and smiled, "Master Huang, there are enough swords and knives in the city. I invited you all here not to forge swords and knives."

Everyone looked at each other.

Old Huang hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Is that... patching armor plates? Repairing spearheads? Or fixing a crossbow?"

"Neither."

Liu Feng took out two pieces of silk from his bosom and carefully spread them out on the wooden table.

"Masters, please come closer and take a closer look!"

Upon hearing this, the craftsmen gathered around Liu Feng, craning their necks to watch.

The silk cloth did not depict swords or armor. The first picture vaguely showed a crossbow, its design quite different from ordinary crossbows.

This crossbow has an extremely long arm, almost twice the length of a typical foot-action crossbow. The front of the arm curves outward in a smooth arc, and the end is fitted with a bronze saddle-shaped footrest. Instead of the usual bronze scimitar, the trigger mechanism is equipped with an exquisite bronze lever, with the connecting rod extending from below the trigger mechanism to the middle of the arm.

The most striking feature is the vertical groove in the center of the crossbow arm, with a slender copper strip on each side of the groove, engraved with fine threads.

Old Huang leaned in closest, his nose almost touching the silk cloth. He stretched out his rough fingers and roughly traced the outline of the crossbow arm on the drawing, then stared at the bronze lever at the crossbow mechanism for a long time before hissing, "General, this crossbow—why doesn't it have a slingshot? And what's that bronze lever for?"

"This is called the Divine Arm Crossbow."

A hint of smugness appeared on Liu Feng's resolute face as he placed his fingers on the curved footrest at the front of the crossbow arm.

"Unlike ordinary crossbows, the crossbowman only needs to step on the copper footrests and pull the crossbow string backward with both hands to open the divine crossbow. Here, a set of copper connecting rods replaces the suspension knife. After the crossbowman fully draws the string, the copper rod automatically engages the crossbow mechanism. To fire, he only needs to press this iron trigger."

As Liu Feng spoke, he gestured along the connecting rod with his fingers. Several of the younger carpenters already showed eager expressions, and Old Huang's breathing became even heavier.

"General, what is the range of this crossbow?"

Liu Feng raised his head, staring intently at Huang Laochui's face, blackened by the furnace fire, and said in a deep voice, "If we can use mulberry wood for the body and sandalwood for the bullets, and find a skilled craftsman to make them, they can penetrate heavy armor from three hundred paces away. If we shoot at ordinary leather armor, they can penetrate two people within a hundred paces."

Liu Feng's statement is certainly not an exaggeration.

The Shenbi crossbow, which emerged during the Song Dynasty and can be considered the pinnacle of cold weapon craftsmanship, was truly astonishing in power. It is said that a Shenbi crossbow trained by master craftsmen of the Song Dynasty could penetrate the hard elm wood at the bow of a ship from two or three hundred paces away!

It's practically an ancient version of a sniper rifle!

In his previous life, Liu Feng had also browsed the introduction and blueprints of the Divine Arm Crossbow by chance. He did not expect it to be as powerful as the Divine Arm Crossbow of the Song Dynasty. He only needed it to slightly increase the power of crossbow bolts in the Han army, which would greatly enhance their combat strength.

Upon hearing this, the craftsmen gathered around the table all gasped in shock. A young blacksmith blurted out, "Isn't that even farther than the crossbows used by the Eastern Wu army?"

An old carpenter nearby chimed in, "Far? A crossbow is a manually drawn crossbow; you have to stand and use your waist to pull the string. Not only is the rate of fire slow, but the crossbowman also gets tired easily. This one, on the other hand, can be fired simply by stepping on it with your leg!"

Everyone started talking at once, and the courtyard became lively and bustling.

Liu Feng did not interrupt them. He waited until the discussion subsided before moving his finger to the groove in the middle of the crossbow arm on the drawing.

"This groove is the arrow slot. Ordinary crossbows have a high sight, so the archer has to squint to aim. The arrow slot of the Divine Arm Crossbow is itself a sight. The arrow shaft is embedded in the slot, so the crossbowman only needs to aim straight in the direction of the arrow shaft, which is faster and more accurate than using a sight. The copper strips embedded on both sides of the slot can be adjusted left and right to correct for deviations."

Liu Feng paused slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"I came across this crossbow by chance in an old book. The key to its making lies in the selection of materials for the crossbow arm. It must be made of high-quality mulberry wood, which is tough and elastic. After being steamed and then air-dried for more than half a year, the crossbow arm can withstand great tension. The crossbow string is made of ox sinew mixed with silk thread twisted together. The tighter it is twisted, the farther the range."

Old Huang's eyes lit up as he listened.

He had already begun to consider the inventory in the workshop. After a while, he said to Liu Feng, "We do have some mulberry wood. We brought a few pieces from Wuling Mountain last month, which were originally intended to be used to make spear shafts. We also have enough ox sinew. However, the copper shaft and connecting rod need to be made on the spot, and it is quite time-consuming. It will take two or three days to make a set."

Liu Feng nodded.

"Just focus all your efforts on building them; produce as many as you can before Eastern Wu attacks the city!"

Liu Feng then took out a second piece of silk and spread it out. The picture on this piece of silk depicted a colossal creature that ordinary people had never seen before.

That was a giant crossbow.

The crossbow body is not a single crossbow arm, but three large bows stacked vertically together: the front bow, the main bow, and the rear bow. The three bows are connected end to end and linked together by three thick ox sinew strings.

The crossbow was mounted on a wooden frame with wheels, the frame being constructed of hardwood using mortise and tenon joints and reinforced with iron at the four corners. In the center of the frame was a deep groove in which a thick, long iron rod was embedded, with a winch attached to the end of the rod.

The winch has three sets of brass pulleys, each with an iron rocker arm. In a square wooden box on one side of the bed frame, several iron-backed giant arrows are neatly arranged. The shafts are thicker than an adult's arm, the arrowheads are made of thick iron in the shape of chisels, and the fletchings are not made of bird feathers, but of hardwood shaved into thin slices.

The courtyard suddenly fell silent.

The discussions that had just been sparked by the Divine Arm Crossbow vanished completely at this moment. Even Huang Laochui, who prided himself on his extensive knowledge, was speechless, his eyes twitching uncontrollably.

A young carpenter reached out to touch the pattern on the silk cloth, but withdrew his hand halfway through, as if afraid of committing a desecration.

"This is a triple-bow crossbow."

Liu Feng's voice was not loud, but it carried steadily throughout the now-silent courtyard.

"It is also commonly known as the 'Eight-Ox Crossbow,' meaning it requires eight oxen to pull it open. However, in reality, it doesn't actually require eight oxen to pull it."

Liu Feng pointed to the winch at the end of the bed frame.

"With just three people cranking the iron arm, the pulley system tightens the winch, which in turn pulls the iron rod, drawing back all three bows simultaneously. Once fully wound, the iron rod automatically engages the crossbow mechanism. To fire, a wooden mallet is used to strike the trigger, causing all three bows to fire simultaneously, the force of the bolts flying out—"

Liu Feng raised his head, his gaze passing over the courtyard wall and landing on the northern skyline of Linxiang City.

"Four hundred paces outside the city wall, a spear can penetrate three feet deep into the rammed earth wall. If shot at a person, it will pierce through iron armor as easily as rotten soil. If it hits a battering ram, one shot can shatter its axle."

The courtyard was deathly silent.

The blacksmiths looked at each other in bewilderment, while the carpenters didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

Old Huang licked his chapped lips, his voice trembling slightly: "General, is this big thing meant for use on the city wall?"

Liu Feng's face showed a hint of approval.

A true expert's skill is immediately apparent! This Old Huang certainly has some discerning eye and knowledge.

"Exactly! It was placed behind the crenellations of the city wall, specifically to shoot down enemy siege weapons and heavily armored officers."

Liu Feng paused slightly as he spoke, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"Of course, the triple-bow crossbow is complex in construction and cannot be made in just three to five days. Before the Eastern Wu invades, we should make as many as we can, without being too demanding in quantity. The Divine Arm Crossbow is the most urgent task. I need to see at least thirty Divine Arm Crossbows within ten days, each equipped with fifty arrows. All the sinews and mulberry wood in the warehouse should be given priority to the craftsmen. If there is a shortage, they can be taken directly from the official warehouse."

Huang Laochui straightened up and replied loudly, "General, rest assured, we will start work today."

He looked around at the craftsmen.

"For the crossbow's arm, Lao Zhao, your carpenters will be in charge. Steaming and air-drying won't be enough time, so we'll use a slow-fire baking method; it'll be dry in three days. I'll personally train my apprentices to forge the copper rod and hoops. We'll test the first set first, and then the whole workshop will rush to produce them according to the mold. As for the triple-bow crossbow, our craftsmen will produce two first—one for the city gate and one for testing in the workshop. General, what do you think of this plan?"

Liu Feng nodded with a smile, patted Huang Laochui on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "We'll do it your way."

He turned to Kou Xun beside him and ordered that extra money and food be allocated from the treasury. The craftsmen would have an extra meal every day during the rush to complete the project, and they would receive an extra reward for each crossbow they made.

When the news reached the courtyard, the craftsmen cheered in unison.

Liu Feng did not put away the two pieces of silk, leaving them in the workshop for Huang Laochui and the others to see. Instead, as he stepped into the workshop, he whispered to Kou Xun, "Select one hundred quick-witted and reliable brothers to surround the workshop in two layers. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my order! Also, Zilu (Kou Xun's courtesy name), you personally lead men to various parts of the city to fetch the families of these craftsmen and settle them in the prefectural government office. Also, have people monitor them day and night!"