Chapter 55: The Prairie Swallow (Part 1)

  (Thank you "Zhao Wu Xu 2014" for your uninterrupted support and rewards, heartfelt thanks!!)

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  "Make way! Make way!" Han Gao's financial manager, Tao Liang, was sweating profusely as he led the way. Behind him were four old men over fifty years old, carrying a stretcher with bloodstains all over it, on which lay a righteous soldier with an arrow in his right arm and covered in blood.

  In the west-central part of Hangou Village, there is a tent area separated by wooden fences, which is a temporary wartime treatment center. There are several Han civilians who know some medical skills and a group of young and strong women, under the leadership of old man Mu Gui, taking on the heavy responsibility of treating the wounded.

  As soon as the stretcher entered the tent, three or four strong women immediately came forward, took over the stretcher with seven hands and eight feet, and escorted it into the tent. The inside of the tent immediately became busy, and all kinds of sounds kept coming from time to time:

  Quick! Bring hot water and white cloth.

  "This is an arrow wound, please call Mr. Lu."

  "Scissors, twine and curved needles are all ready..."

  Hearing the sound of busy but not chaotic voices in the tent, Mu Gui old man said to Tao Liang with a face full of joy: "Fortunately, the commander-in-chief had prepared early and set up this treatment area, and also taught the methods for treating injuries. Especially that 'suture' and 'disinfection', which saved countless lives of our people. Alas! I've been treating animals and our people's illnesses for so many years, how come I never thought of such a wonderful method?"

  Tao Liang wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded repeatedly: "Since the last time the Wuman people invaded but failed, our commander has been thinking about dangers in times of peace, established a complete set of defensive logistics regulations, and ordered repeated drills. Now it's not just being put to use. If not for Hanjiazhi's preparations for the siege, coupled with their usual rigorous training, how could they have withstood the fierce attack of 2,000 Wuman people for three days?"

  Mu Gui Lao Han stroked his white beard under the chin, and said with a smile: "Tang Nu is not bad. Although the commander is not here, but facing strong enemies, he has defended quite well... Alright, Tao Zhai Fang, you just came down from the wall of the village, how's the situation?

  "It's not good." Tao Liang worried, "The Wuhuan people have strengthened their offensive, if the Han Gog cavalry doesn't return in time to reinforce, it will be difficult to hold on..."

  Mu Gui Lao Han and Tao Liang were discussing in a low voice, when not far away, a corner of the tent revealed a face full of exotic beauty, a girl with chestnut hair and green eyes, skin as white as snow. It was Nian Nu. Behind Nian Nu, there were five or six girls about 15 or 16 years old, several girls chattering about something. After a while, Nian Nu let out a soft hiss, and the girls quieted down.

  Nian Nu saw Tao Liang leave and quickly ran out from behind the curtain, calling out: "Grandfather."

  Mu Gui Lao Han turned back in surprise: "Nian Nu, what are you doing here? Is the food for the logistics team ready?"

  "Even the wonton and mutton soup for tomorrow are already prepared." Nian Nu Pu gazed at the treatment tent with her large, lake-blue eyes and softly said, "Grandfather, can we also join in on the treatment..."

  "No way!" Old Man Mugi firmly refused, "Inside is blood and bones, bare chest and abdomen, you are an unmarried woman, how can you do such a thing."

  "But some are just injuries to the arm or face, we can..."

  "Don't say any more, Grandfather won't agree." Mu Gui old man took a look at his granddaughter's distressed face and couldn't help but softly sigh, "Why can't you understand, it's not like before, now you're the commander's maid, some things need to be avoided... Alright, give the prepared food to Wu family's auntie, let her organize the women to send food up to the camp wall, you don't have to go."

  Niáng nú mèn mèn bù lè zhuǎn huí zhàng hòu, jǐ gè nǚ bàn yī jiàn tā de yàng zi, jiù zhī dào shì qíng bù chéng, gè gè yī liǎn sǎo xīng de wǎng huí zǒu, biān zǒu biān bào yuàn.

  English Translation:

  The slave girl returned to the account with a gloomy face, and several female companions saw her appearance, knowing that things were not going well, each with a disappointed face walking back and forth, complaining as they walked.

  "How can we not help? I heard from Second Sister that there are many injured people and they are short-handed."

  "We're not young anymore either. There are several people in the hospital who are about our age, they just got married... it's not like we've never seen this before."

  "What? What have you seen? What does it look like?"

  "Hey, you're asking for it!"

  The girls were laughing and playing together, until Nianshu gave them a stern look, at which point they suddenly remembered that this was not the right time for such behavior, and one by one they quieted down.

  At this time, someone whispered: "If we had bows and arrows, we could also ride white horses like the Han Gog cavalry, and shoot these villains from the side when the Wuman bandits attacked."

  A girl suddenly exclaimed: "I have a bow and arrow, I also have a horse, it's my second brother's, he is a cavalryman, left to guard the camp, these things are useless."

  Another girl expressed her opposition: "Those bows are too heavy, we can't pull them full, let alone shoot far. After a few arrows, we're out of strength. My dad has such a bow, I've tried it, it's useless."

  The girls sighed: "If only there were bows suitable for us, our riding skills are no worse than those of the regular cavalry."

  Daughter of the grassland, who doesn't know how to ride a horse? Who doesn't know how to use a bow? The difference lies only in the skill of riding and shooting.

  "I know there is a weapon suitable for our use."

  As soon as this was said, it shocked all the girls, who immediately turned to look at the speaker, and surprisingly, it was Nianshu.

  At this time, Nian Nu's pair of green eyes sparkled brightly, and she said word by word: "This weapon is not a bow, but a crossbow - a mounted crossbow!"

  ……

  Nian Nu and his party arrived at the forging house, not far from the main account, which is one of the few earth houses in Hangul Village, with several military equipment rooms for repairing armor, making horseshoes, and manufacturing bows and arrows.

  In just a short while, the team of Nianslave and other girls expanded again, reaching more than 30 people, all young girls, not one over the age of 18. What's strange is that among this group of girls, there was actually a boy - Ah Su.

  The armory is a military restricted area of the Han Gou Village, even at this critical moment when strong enemies are besieging the city, there are still two guards, and ordinary people are not allowed to enter. However, Ah Su is an exception, because he has a secret order from the commander-in-chief, monitoring the crossbow craftsman Meng Yuan and his assistant Ma Jun, who can come and go freely in this place every day.

  As a maid of Ma Yuanyi, Nianshu was one of the few people who knew the inside story and was present on that day.

  And Azusa was willing to help because Nenshu promised him a tempting benefit: "If you help us get those crossbows out, we'll take you with us when we go to war."

  Charge! These two words ignited the blood of the men on the battlefield, causing Asu to become hot-headed and forget his duties, joining this brazen and reckless women's team. Of course, Asu's actions couldn't be considered as "stealing" because he didn't have that skill yet; he needed someone's help.

  "Little horse, come out for a moment." Ah Su arrived at the archery room, poked his head inside and took a look, only to see Ma Jun alone, his heart greatly delighted, he beckoned him over.

  As the defense was urgent, all the strong and able-bodied men went to participate in the battle, so the sturdy craftsmen naturally went to guard the wall. Ma Jun was young and weak, and going up would not be of much use, so he stayed behind to guard this place.

  "Ah Su, you're here." Ma Jun seemed to be pondering something, and Ah Su had to call out several times before he came back to his senses. Although Ma Jun was three years older than Ah Su, he was naturally dull-witted, and in his daily interactions with people and things, he wasn't as quick-witted as Ah Su. When the two were together, it was often Ah Su who took charge more.

  Asu glanced around and stepped in quickly. This bow-making room was actually a common residential house with a courtyard, consisting of three rooms in the shape of a "回" character. The left room stored various raw materials for making bows and crossbows, such as wood, horns, tendons, glue, silk, and lacquer, but not many. The right room had finished or semi-finished bows and arrows, most of which were ordinary single-body bows, similar to those used by most herders, with a short shooting range, but simple to make, with a short production cycle, and could be mass-produced in a short period. Composite bows, although strong, required too high craftsmanship, and a qualified bow might take one or two years to make, which was obviously not feasible for the Han Gou Department at present.

  Right in the middle was a workshop, where Ma Jun was now holding a peculiarly shaped crossbow, deep in thought.

  Asu's eyes lit up as soon as he saw the crossbow and hurried over: "Is it done?"

  Ma Jun shook his head, and Ah Su's heart sank, but then Ma Jun said: "The mounted crossbow is still under research, this is another kind of repeating crossbow that I have developed based on the drawings of the department commander."

  Ma Jun's stuttering has a particular characteristic, when speaking with people, there is a slight stutter, but it's not a big problem. Only when he is tense and excited does the stutter become most severe. However, once he talks about his profession, his speech becomes quite fluent, no different from ordinary people.

  "Repeating crossbow? Ah Su blinked and asked in confusion: "What kind of crossbow is this?"

  Ma Jun was on good terms with the commander's groom and was also happy to share his research results with acquaintances. He pointed at a wooden box under the crossbow arm: "This is an arrow case, which can hold ten crossbow arrows. Inside the movable wooden cover on both sides, there are two sets of bronze wheels lubricated with oil. Through... uh, one set of bronze parts connected to the crossbow mechanism, as long as you move the handle, it's like this..."

  Ma Jun said, aiming the crossbow at a target ten steps away, one hand holding the bow arm and the other quickly moving the lever. With a series of "whooshing" sounds, each time the lever moved back and forth, an arrow shot out, with considerable force. Ma Jun moved the lever five times in succession, shooting out five arrows, although not very accurately, but at an astonishing speed.

  A Su stared blankly, suddenly excited and shouted loudly, snatched the crossbow from Ma Jun's hand, imitated his movements, continuously loaded and fired, shooting arrow after arrow until all five arrows were shot, with a loud "click" sound, no more arrows came out.

  "Great! Little Horse, you succeeded! With this Thunderbolt Bow, who's afraid of anyone? Let the Wuman people eat shit!" Asu exclaimed excitedly.

  Ma Jun was not as happy as Asuna, shaking his head and sighing: "This thing, it's fun to play with, but on the battlefield, it's useless."

  "What? Why?"

  "Range! This most critical issue cannot be resolved." Ma Jun sighed, "The crossbow's maximum range is thirty steps, its killing power is about twenty steps, and its armor-piercing power is ten steps. It can still be used for close combat, melee, or self-defense, but on the battlefield, what use is a killing power of ten to twenty steps? Especially with the Huns' strong bows and powerful horses, twenty steps is just a blink of an eye. It's not suitable for field battles or defending cities, but our earthworks can be used. I came up with this thing precisely because of this consideration."

  "It's fine as long as it works." Azusa didn't have the luxury to think that far ahead, about field battles or defending castles. As long as it worked for now, that was enough. "How many did you make?"

  Ma Jun stretched out two fingers: "Twenty-two sets."

  "Give it all to me."

  "What?"

  When Ah Su carried a pile of crossbows out, he found that the two guards at the gate were gone. Only after asking did he know that they had just been called to guard the camp, and it can be imagined how critical the situation was.

  Ma Jun was not a pedantic person, of course he knew that the situation was urgent at this time, and whatever good things were hidden, repelling the enemy and protecting their homes was the top priority. He just never thought that the first to use these crossbows would be a group of girls!

  Using a crossbow is much easier than using a bow, and the girls are already familiar with bows and arrows, let alone crossbows. When they get their hands on this close combat weapon, the girls are overjoyed. After some practice, each of them has one in hand, and after rummaging through the arrow case's inventory, those who don't have enough use bows and arrows instead, and they all mount their horses and gallop away.

  "Hey! Hey! You promised me you'd take me along!" Ah Su rushed out of the dusty air, covered in dust and dirt, jumping up and down anxiously.

  As soon as the girls ran away quickly, Ah Su pointed at their backs, got angry and was about to scold them loudly, but suddenly remembered something and hurried back to the bow-making room. Ma Jun stood by and stared blankly, taking a moment to come back to his senses.

  After a while, Asu triumphantly carried out the crossbow that Ma Jun had just tested, almost forgetting it in his haste.

  "Hmph! Not taking me? I'll go myself..."

  A Zu was complacent, suddenly heard a loud horseshoe sound behind him, turned his head in surprise, and saw a red shadow in front of him. With a light movement, the bow was snatched away from his hand.

  A faint giggle echoed from afar: "Asu, thank you, sister will be back to bully you again..."

  "Ah, Ah Jie!" Ah Su wanted to cry but didn't dare, wanted to wail but couldn't, and sat down in the dust with a thud, her face twisted in grief. "You...you all bully me..."