Chapter Thirteen: Drawing the Bow as One Draws the Strong

  "Hiss....... Wow! Young master, where did you get these things from? These are good stuff! And these weapons, they're not easy to come by!" Li Xian, who had been closely following Pang Gang, was a connoisseur. As soon as he saw the things lying quietly in the grass, he couldn't help but take a cold breath.

  That's right, quietly lying in the grass were five crossbows as thick as a child's arm and four sabers shining with cold light, as well as several bundles of crossbow arrows.

  Yes, the weapons in the grass are the ones that Pang Gang prepared for these military households. Given their not-so-high martial arts skills and poor physical fitness, Pang Gang finally chose these weapons for them. The crossbow is a powerful long-range weapon that relies on foot power to string it up. Generally, people can't string it up with their hands, and its range can reach 150 steps, which is considered a very formidable long-range weapon in this era. Of course, those fixed heavy-duty bed crossbows have an even longer range, reaching 300 or even 500 steps, but that kind of thing can only be used for defending cities, and one person can't operate it alone.

  Crossbow, also known as the "repeating crossbow" or "ten thousand arrow crossbow", is a type of bow that has arms and is mainly composed of parts such as the crossbow body (crossbow arm), crossbow wings, bowstring, and trigger mechanism. Because it does not require aiming while drawing the string, the requirements for the user are relatively low. The loading time is much longer than that of a bow, but generally speaking, its range is farther, its lethality is stronger, and its hit rate is higher. In ancient times, it was a powerful long-range killing weapon. Due to the great power of crossbows, whether in ancient times when cold weapons were used or in modern times when hot weapons are used, crossbows have always been strictly controlled as regulated weapons in China. Except for the military and special departments, ordinary people are absolutely not allowed to possess them.

  Although the crossbow is not as convenient to use as a bow and arrow, it cannot be denied that with this thing in hand, even a child can instantly kill a veteran warrior, which is also the most suitable weapon for these military households who only know how to hold a hoe.

  Pang Gang discovered that the exchange prices of the items in the "Cold Weaponry" section of the variant "Modern Weapon Encyclopedia" were not very high. A crossbow cost only 30 iron ore, equivalent to a large Damascus curved knife. Therefore, Pang Gang exchanged five crossbows, four horse knives, one kilij curved knife from the large Damascus curved knife series, and five packs of Iron Bone Beauty Arrows (100 arrows per pack). The style of these arrows was similar to ordinary crossbow arrows, but their arrowheads were narrow and extremely sharp, capable of piercing general armor. They were also known as "Iron Bone Beauty Arrows" due to their toxicity. Each arrow cost only two iron ore. Even so, Pang Gang had already spent half of the iron ore in the "Modern Weapon Encyclopedia".

  However, Pang Gang did not feel the slightest heartache about this. He knew that what they were going to do later was a matter of beheading at any time. Wangjiatun had now become a den of thieves, and with the slightest carelessness, heads would be moved at any time, so he must be cautious, cautious and more cautious.

  "Alright, everyone listen up!" Pang Gang clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "You've all seen that I have five crossbows prepared here. Don't worry about where they came from, just remember they're our lifesavers. Maybe some of you haven't used these things before, but don't worry, we still have half an hour for you to get familiar with the thing in your hands. Everyone must be careful, otherwise if one person makes a mistake later on, everyone will end up dying together! Did you all understand?"

  Everyone's heart skipped a beat, and they all responded in unison!

  Looking at the commanding Pang Gang in front of him, Li Xian, who was holding a heavy crossbow, felt a wave of doubts in his heart. As an old soldier, he knew that such a crossbow was rare even among the elite border troops, let alone the garrison troops like the Imperial Guard. This powerful crossbow not only had complex craftsmanship but also came with a hefty price tag. Moreover, most border troops were now using firearms, making this type of strong crossbow even rarer. He really wondered where this enigmatic young man got it from.

  Although Li Xian had many doubts in his heart, decades of life experience told him that some things were not good for himself if he wanted to dig deep, the best way was to let the questions rot in his own belly.

  The night grew darker, and Wangjiatun was in an uproar. The victorious bandits were all ecstatic, having defeated the government troops who had come to encircle and annihilate them, and even captured over 200 military households, which greatly thrilled these bandits.

  In the northeast corner of Wangjiatun, there was a large house that originally belonged to the largest landlord in Wangjiatun. After Wang Dama Zi set up his own household (meaning he became independent), this landlord's entire family of dozens of people was naturally exterminated by Wang Dama Zi.

  However, Wang Dama Zi was quite clever. Although he had annihilated several wealthy households in Wangjiatun, he strictly restrained his troops from harming the ordinary villagers. He knew that these ordinary people were basically penniless and it would be better to gain a good reputation rather than trying to squeeze them for every last bit of wealth. If his reputation became too bad, it would be very disadvantageous for him to establish himself in Wangjiatun in the long run. Therefore, not only did he not harm those ordinary villagers, but from time to time, he even gave them some small benefits.

  As expected, Wang Dama's move really achieved the desired effect. The ordinary villagers' goodwill towards Wang Dama rose sharply, and not only did someone inform him of news, but also many young and strong men who couldn't make a living joined Wang Dama.

  Today, the news that Ling Shan Wei's troops were coming to attack Wang Jia Tun was told by a villager who had relatives in all of Ling Shan Wei's villages and ran to tell Wang Da Ma Zi early in the morning. With the slow speed of the Ling Shan Wei troops' march, Wang Da Ma Zi was able to calmly set up an ambush in the forest.

  Now Wang Dama is in this big house with dozens of big and small leaders, clinking glasses and drinking merrily.

  "Haha, come... all of you brothers have worked hard today, please drink to your heart's content!" In the great hall, Wang Damao raised his cup with a satisfied expression and urged his subordinates to drink.

  "Drink..."

  "Dry..."

  Everyone raised their cups and drank them dry in one gulp.

  A leader approached Wang Dama and started flattering: "Master, today's fight was really enjoyable, all thanks to Master's good luck... What do those scholars call it?"

  King Dama's face was flushed with drink, his eyes blurry as he laughed and scolded: "Haha... you guys are just a bunch of idiots, you don't have any brains, that's what I call strategy... thing, you all don't understand!"

  "Haha......" The gang leaders all burst out laughing, someone chimed in: "Hey... how did the big boss suddenly drop his school bag? Could it be that after sleeping with the young lady from the prefecture governor's mansion for a few nights, he suddenly gained enlightenment?"

  "Hahaha...... What's it like to sleep with the prefect's woman, eh? Tell us, brothers! Don't keep it a secret!" The gang leaders all burst into wicked laughter.

  "You bunch of bastards, how dare you talk to me like that, get out!" But since they had won the battle today and were in high spirits, Wang Dama didn't get angry, he just stroked the Damascus curved knife he had newly obtained at his waist, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

  The Huns and others drank for a while, Wang Dama's heart thought of the soft body of the little girl who was robbed in his house and the situation where he was powerless to struggle, his heart was a piece of fire, that long spear also began to react.

  Thinking of this, seeing the crowd drinking and making merry, he didn't say a word and quietly left the hall towards his own bedroom in the west.

  Just as the bandits were indulging in their wild drinking, several dark shadows had already sneaked outside Wangjia Village, quietly making their way towards the inside of the village.