Chapter 9: Precious Bow, Fiery Wine

  Before long, several hard bows were brought over. The Duke picked one up and casually drew it, saying: "This is a six-stone bow. Ordinary strong archers usually use this kind of bow. Although it's just an ordinary infantry bow, the materials used are extremely exquisite. The wood, horn, sinew, silk, glue, and lacquer - all six materials come from various places in our empire. The materials used are extremely exquisite. You try this one first."

  After the previous match, Guo Gong had already determined that Liu Ziguang was a technical talent. Since he lost two games, he wanted to regain his face in the strength-type competition. The six-stone bow was no longer something ordinary people could easily draw. One stone is equivalent to 94 kilograms, and the six-stone bow is a hard bow of 564 kilograms. If Liu Ziguang couldn't draw it, Guo Gong would be able to effortlessly draw several full bows and win this round. If Liu Ziguang could draw this bow, no problem, Guo Gong still had an ace up his sleeve - there were several more powerful bows than this one.

  As expected, Liu Ziguang easily drew the six-stone bow. To him, it was like drawing a bow with only one spring, and he had been practicing for seven or eight years, so the draw force was almost child's play.

  Everyone watched Liu Ziguang draw his bow, and then looked at the Duke with eager eyes. The Duke was slightly surprised, this little guy still has some strength, no problem. "Bring my Western-style bow to show General Liu."

  The servant who had been waiting on the side brought over an extremely large bow, Liu Ziguang picked it up and compared it to himself, standing upright it was about a head taller than him, approximately two meters long, a Western import, probably the same as the English longbow in Age of Empires, the kind used by Robin Hood.

  "The Western Barbarian bow, it is said, is a divine weapon of the Western nations, capable of piercing six layers of iron armor. The archers who use this bow are carefully selected for their height and arm length, yet even they suffer from curvature of the spine due to prolonged use. This gives you an idea of the bow's power. Unlike the bows of our heavenly dynasty, this is a single-piece bow made from fine purple sandalwood. Few of my soldiers can draw it, General Liu, so be careful."

  Liu Ziguang thought to himself, "Isn't it just a British bow? Why make such a fuss?" Today, he had no choice but to pull it open more than ten times. As soon as he grasped the bow body with his right hand hooked on the bowstring, he suddenly exerted force and pulled the bowstring all the way back to his ear root. It wasn't as hard as he imagined. Liu Ziguang changed his grip and continued to pull back, pulling the longbow open like a pulley, only to hear a "crack" sound. The bowstring snapped, and the violently curved purple sandalwood bow body rebounded strongly, emitting a buzzing sound.

  "What a great strength!" The Duke couldn't help but praise, while his heart was actually bleeding. He had finally gotten the Western crossbow after many twists and turns, only to have it broken like this. But on the surface, he still pretended to be nonchalant. He instructed the servant to continue bringing him bows. However, this time he gave a warning beforehand: "Little Liu, I've already witnessed your great strength, this bow is my treasured possession, made by the special craftsmen of the Wang Fu after six years of hard work. If you draw it open, it will be fine, just don't break it again!"

  Liu Ziguang hastily apologized: "I was wrong, I will cherish it." Looking at the new bow presented in his hand, the bow body is made of Tuo wood, with golden hoops and jade corners, extremely exquisite. Even the silk thread wrapped around the grip is extraordinary, making it very comfortable to hold.

  This is a typical hyperbolic recurve composite bow, with materials and craftsmanship that are meticulous to the extreme. Even the selection of raw materials requires careful consideration of timing; it takes six years to make one bow, and just the labor alone makes it extremely valuable. Liu Ziguang did not have the habit of intentionally damaging other people's beloved objects, so he carefully picked up the bow and tried drawing it with a very light force, but was only able to draw it open by a tiny bit.

  The imperial duke on the side burst out laughing "Little Liu, you're not good enough, this bow is sixteen stone strength, even I can only barely pull it open once or twice."

  What a hard bow! Since it can't be opened, what's the point of having a drawstring? This national grandfather's brain structure is indeed extraordinary. Liu Ziguang drew his bow again, slowly and steadily drawing this sixteen-stone-hard bow into a full moon, and also stood in an archery stance, posing like Huang Rihua shooting a large eagle in "The Legend of the Condor Hero". After finishing, he didn't let go, and continued to draw six more full moons, his face not red, his breathing not hurried. He calmly returned the bow to the national grandfather.

  The country master did not accept, patted his palm and praised: "Since you can shoot a hundred steps through the willow forest, and also open a hard bow, this precious bow belongs to no one but you. Placing it in my mansion would be difficult to find someone who appreciates it, which would be a waste of this bow."

  Liu Ziguang hastily declined: "How can this be, a gentleman does not take away what others love, this bow is indeed a divine weapon, I dare not want it at all."

  "Guo Gong Ye pretended to be angry: 'How, General Liu looks down on our Guo Gong Fu? I, Wei Guo Gong Xu Xi Yong, have a reputation for being reliable and keeping my promises. There's no reason to take back something that has already been given out. Is General Liu afraid that taking just one bow would bankrupt our Guo Gong Fu?'"

  Liu Ziguang was originally pretending to be polite, but after hearing this, he stopped being modest: "Then I'd rather not be polite and just follow orders. Can you give me two quivers of matching arrows?"

  The country master laughed loudly again: "Indeed a refreshing person, come on, bring me my specially used carved steel wind-chasing arrow, three-edged, whistle, thin and flat, each one take a pot, wrap the riding bow and White Rainbow Treasure Sword together, and send it to General Liu's place. The sky is not early, I have prepared some wine for Miss Peng and General Liu to welcome and wash the dust, today we won't leave until we're drunk."

  The Duke was extremely happy today, and the atmosphere between the two men was always harmonious. At the banquet, Peng Jingrong asked about the Ministry of War's debt, and the Duke patted his chest and said it was guaranteed by himself. The best daughter red wine was poured into cups one after another, with a bright orange-yellow color, fragrant aroma, and rich flavor. The taste was sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, fresh, and astringent, with all six flavors present. The Duke's drinking enthusiasm was high, and he drank eighteen cups in a row. Even the Peng sisters took a few sips, and Xu Xiyuan drank half a jar. Only Liu Ziguang pinched his nose and couldn't drink it, saying that this wasn't white wine or beer, which were more refreshing and crisp.

  The country master finally found his strong point, "Can't drink wine, still a man? Haha." He then downed three more cups in a row, showing off his extraordinary capacity. Liu Ziguang sneered: "Jiangnan girl's red wine is for girls to drink, I only like drinking northern white wine. That's the real man's wine."

  "Oh, Little Liu has such refined tastes. Why didn't you say so earlier? My estate may not have anything else, but fine horses, excellent soldiers, and good wine are all readily available. Come, bring the Hebei province's Hengshui Laobai dry white wine!"

  A jar of high-proof baijiu was delivered, and when the mud seal was opened, a pungent smell of liquor burst out. Several girls fanned the air beside their noses together. Peng Jingwei even said: "Huh? Isn't this the fuel in my dad's armored vehicle? How can it be served as fine wine?"

  "Ah, that's it, this is the one." Liu Ziguang didn't wait for the servant to pour him a cup, he poured himself one and gulped it down, still savoring the taste, smacking his lips. He took a shallow bowl of food and poured it into another plate, then filled the bowl again and drank it all in one gulp. He felt a fiery line from his throat to his stomach, and then a raging fire ignited in his belly. This was truly a strong liquor, absolutely a strong liquor, at least 65 degrees, flammable! This is what men drink.

  Liu Ziguang hastily tore off a large piece of salted duck leg and started eating, and as he ate, his legs unconsciously moved onto the chair. The habit of squatting on the ground to eat for two years made him not very used to sitting in a chair.

  Seeing Liu Ziguang's rough behavior, Guo Gongye not only didn't get angry, but also raised his thumb "Good! True temperament, true hero! Come on, bring a sea bowl to the great hero of Liguocheng."

  Today, the wine was drunk too much, and Guo Gongzi even mixed wine. He drank three jars of Nuer Hong and one jar of Lao Bai Gan. Liu Ziguang only had a little more or less, exactly five jars of Lao Bai Gan. It's simply like drinking white wine as beer, and it's free beer too! Fortunately, they were all small jars, otherwise, even if it was water, it would have burst the belly.

  After drinking, the Duke had become very drunk and vented a lot about the government, saying that eunuchs were in power, and it was ridiculous to make him, a hereditary duke and super powerful general, serve as the commander of the Mausoleum Guard, unable to participate in battles in the north, only able to guard the spirits of past emperors, truly wasting his martial skills, with no way to serve the country.

  When Xu Xiuyuan heard her brother start to complain, she quickly dismissed the servants and said with a worried expression to the Peng sisters: "Don't laugh at me, sisters. The current Prince's residence is not like it was before. Although my brother boasts loudly, his words are only useful in the Imperial Guard, but the Ministry of War won't listen to our Prince's residence. Nowadays, the court is dominated by the emperor's relatives and children, and even this mansion has many spies from the Eastern Depot."

  A 15-year-old girl spoke such words that didn't match her age, making the Peng sisters realize that today's capital was no longer the same as before. This debt of one million two silver taels would be even harder to pay off than they had imagined.

  The old master finally fell drunk, lying on the ground like a puddle of mud. Xu Xiuyuan sighed and said: "Brother hasn't had such a refreshing drink for a long time." Then she called over a few servants to help the old master back to his room to rest, and also ordered the kitchen to prepare some hangover soup.

  Liu Ziguang was extremely depressed, because he couldn't get drunk. He didn't know that his body had a special enzyme that could break down alcohol. After drinking so much baijiu, he still seemed like nothing was wrong with him, speaking clearly and walking naturally. He even helped the servants carry the national grandfather. Several young ladies looked at him as if they were looking at a monster.

  Peng Jia sisters are living in the Guo Gong Fu today, but no guest room has been arranged for Liu Ziguang, so he can only go to Nanjing's Lianfeng Hotel. The iron factory attendants have eaten and drunk enough on another seat. Now accompanying Liu Ziguang back to Lianfeng Hotel.

  After bidding farewell, Liu Ziguang saw that the area around Fuzi Temple was still bustling with lights and excitement. He asked San Zhanggui of Lianfeng Number Three: "Is there anything else fun to do on Qinhuai River now?"

  San Zhanggui was also a young man, thinking that Liu Deputy General was indeed a rural person who had not seen the world and would be sleeping at this time in other provinces, but here is the capital, and nightlife has just begun.

  "Vice General, these ten miles of Qinhuai River are all thanks to the nighttime business. Officials and nobles, merchants and travelers, they all like to come to the street-side wine houses or the painted boats on the river after dark to listen to music and drink wine, and then indulge in some romantic trysts. It's only natural." As he spoke, San Zhanggui couldn't help but let out a lewd chuckle. He had already heard that this Vice General could hold his liquor, and men who drank always wanted to get a little wild, it was just the way of the world.

  San Zhanggui used his own despicable and vulgar thoughts to speculate about Liu Zuojiang's thoughts, but in fact Liu Ziguo was thinking of the eight beauties of Qinhuai in historical legends. Specifically, which eight ones he couldn't say, anyway names like Dong Xiaowan and Liu Rushi were as familiar as thunder. It's not easy to come once, saying what to look at.

  "Three shops ahead, leading the way to the most famous painting boat, I'm going to take a look at the Qinhuai scenery." Liu Ziguang said with a mouthful of sweet potato dry wine flavor.

  ;