Twenty years of Jian'an, autumn.

When the battle between Cao Pi and Cao Zhi for the heir came to an end, the Southern Han Dynasty under Liu Bei gradually turned its attention to military affairs.

Since last winter, it was discussed to let Zhuge Liang take command of the expedition to Wuxi and Shanyue Eryi, and Zhuge Liang began to prepare for the conquest.

In the summer and autumn, Zhuge Liang temporarily resigned from government affairs and handed it over to Pang Tong, Gu Yong, Zhang Zhao, Sun Shao and others, and Liu Bei was responsible for making decisions.

In the past six months, in addition to giving advice to Liu Bei, Huo Jun accompanied Liu Bei to inspect Wuchu County to check whether there were any dereliction of duty and slackness.

Of course, Huo Jun was also involved in military affairs, such as the development of the three-bow bed crossbow and the innovation of armor.

Today, under the leadership of Huo Jun, the three-bow bed crossbow is gradually being produced, which can show Liu Bei the terrifying lethality of the three-bow bed crossbow.

In the northwest suburbs of Wuhan, the wilderness is open and vast, and the surrounding sergeants are tightly controlled.

"Boom!"

The sound of horses' hooves sounded, Liu Bei took the lead on a white horse, Huo Jun waved a white whip, and dozens of horsemen scattered left and right.

Lowering the speed of the horse, Liu Bei held the reins and asked: "Zhong Miaoyan has a strong crossbow newly made, within a few hundred steps, you can penetrate the city barrier and shoot through the iron armor, I don't know what it is?" ”

Huo Jun raised his whip and pointed to the place where the crowd lived half a mile away, and said with a smile: "Its name is a three-bow bed crossbow, which is composed of a high-quality bow, and uses a short spear of three feet and five inches as the arrow, and shoots at the fortress, all of which are destroyed, and the building is also upside down." ”

"Oh?"

Liu Bei showed a surprised expression and said: "There is such a sharp weapon, if it is true as Zhong Miao said, it should be vigorously assembled in the army to frighten the northern captives." ”

The three-bow bed crossbow is not easy to develop, and Huo Jun's understanding of the three-bow bed crossbow is limited to being assembled from three bows, with two bows being positive and one bow being negative.

When he ruled Poyang County, Huo Jun once ordered people to make a three-bow bed crossbow, but the range was unsatisfactory, and it did not have the power described in the history books. Later, due to Cao Cao's terrifying deterrence in the Central Plains, Huo Jun temporarily gave up the development of the three-bow bed crossbow and invested manpower and material resources in the production of mature Han Dynasty bows and crossbows.

With the division of the north and the south, Liu Bei adopted a policy of strong cadres and weak branches, not only gathering the elite of the south in Wuhan, but also placing outstanding craftsmen in the south in Wuhan.

As a result, since Huo Jun became the Central Supervisor last year, he gathered craftsmen who made bed crossbows and proposed to develop a three-bow bed crossbow.

After more than a year, under the research and development of top craftsmen in the south, the three-bow bed crossbow gradually took shape, and after several experiments, the size of the scheme was finalized, so as to create a sample of a three-bow bed crossbow.

After a while, Liu Bei and Huo Jun arrived at their destination, and everyone who had been waiting for a long time saluted to greet them.

When Liu Bei first arrived at the test site, he was attracted by the huge three-bow bed crossbow.

I saw a wide bed crossbow with five or six people displayed in the open space, three strong bows of twelve stones facing each other, the bow body was made of wood as the heartwood, the bow belly was attached to the horns, and the back of the bow was paved with tendons. After the three bows, a winch rotates to open the bow, and the entire bed crossbow is painted crimson, which looks majestic.

"This is the three-bow bed crossbow?"

"Exactly!"

Liu Bei stroked the bow with his hand, and saw that the bow was shaped like a horned crossbow, but the bow was thicker than it, and asked, "What is this bow made of?" How much force can be forced? ”

The older Wu craftsman hurriedly came out and said: "King Qiyu, the three bows are all made of hundred-year-old wood, and they can be exposed to the sun for one year. Its string is a cow's tendon, kill the cow to take the sun, weigh about thirty taels, re-immerse in water, people who are not born with divine power, can not open the string. ”

The three-bow bed crossbow wants to exert great power, and it is very closely related to the production process, the type of bow, and the material of the bow.

A single bow cannot be used in the type of bow, and a rib and angle compound bow needs to be made to increase energy storage. The tendon and angle compound bow already had a style in the Han Dynasty, but very few craftsmen knew about it.

Due to the long range of the three-bow bed crossbow, the bow must withstand unimaginable force. If the material of the bow body is not qualified, or the bowstring cannot withstand the huge force, most of the bowstrings will break.

The three-bow bed crossbow that Huo Jun made for the first time before was a single bow. Not only could the bow-making materials keep up, but the craftsman's bow-making skills were also sparse and ordinary, which led to the failure of development.

"Uncle Zhi!"

Liu Bei wanted to verify what the craftsman said, and motioned for Chen to open the string test.

Chen Zhi rubbed his palms, took a deep breath, held the bowstring with both hands, and exerted force violently. The muscles of the arms are bruised, and the face is red. However, even if Chen Zhi exerted all his strength, the bowstring was only slightly opened. It can be seen that if you want to open the crossbow of the bed, you must not rely on a few people to open the bow.

"Whew!"

Chen Zhichang exhaled turbidity and said, "King, the last general is incompetent and can't open the strings!" ”

Liu Bei nodded with satisfaction and asked, "I don't know how many people can drive the strings with a winch?" ”

"Eight cows!"

Huo Jun held the winch and said, "The three-bow bed crossbow needs to be pulled by the eight oxen, so it can also be called the eight-ox crossbow." Loaded with arrows, the sergeant hammered the crossbow, the arrows flew out, and within 400 paces, they could penetrate the fortress; Within 700 steps, you can penetrate iron armor. The power is far greater than the old crossbow of the Later Han Dynasty, which is a sharp weapon for defending the city. ”

There are large and small stones, and there are large and small steps. Huo Jun said that the degree of grain and grass is used as a container. The range of the three-bow bed crossbow is expressed in small steps, not in large steps.

"The power of eight bulls!"

Liu Bei gasped and exclaimed, "If you use people to pull you, I'm afraid it will take at least thirty people." ”

"Hmm!"

Huo Jun took the arrow gun from the craftsman's hand and said: "The arrow is made of wood, and it can be regarded as a short gun; The iron piece is a feather, like a sword. One arrow, one shot and three swords and arrows, the power is particularly amazing. ”

The three-bow bed crossbow can shoot so far, although there is bow and crossbow technology, but it actually has a lot to do with the increase in size. If compared to a thermal weapon, a normal bow and crossbow can be regarded as a musket, and a bed crossbow can be regarded as a cannon.

For example, in the 15th century, ordinary artillery could not break through Constantinople, and the Ottomans directly made urban cannons, and finally broke through the walls of Constantinople.

"Reload and test-fire!"

After a few words, Liu Bei couldn't wait to see the lethal effect of the three-bow bed crossbow.

"No!"

In order to verify that the three-bow bed crossbow required eight oxen to be opened, the sergeant really took eight oxen and tied the ropes on the winch to the oxen.

"Open the bow!" Craftsman Wu raised the red flag and shouted.

Several soldiers drove the oxen along, and the heavy three-bow bed crossbow was held down by the sergeant to prevent the bed crossbow from dislodging.

The rope was tight, and the bowstring creaked and sounded, and under the pull of the ox, the bowstring was slowly pulled apart, the string was like a crescent moon, and the bow head was bent downward, ready to go.

"Stop!"

The sergeant blocked the crossbow and jammed the bowstring as it tried to rebound. Then the bed crossbowman adjusts the height of the bed crossbow according to the lookout mountain.

A bed crossbow is holding a hammer, waiting for Liu Bei's order to hammer the crossbow machine at any time.

"Shoot!" Liu Bei commanded.

"Boom!"

Hammer the crossbow machine, and the bowstring flies like a thunderbolt. Under the action of elastic potential energy, the heavy arrow swooped out and flew out. The arrows shot directly through the city soil four hundred steps away, and the arrows were embedded in the wall about a foot or so, and the smoke and dust were splashed, and the power was amazing.

Under the guidance of the sergeant, Liu Bei and Huo Jun drove their horses to the target.

Seeing that the head of the spear shot into the city wall, Liu Bei dragged the arrow gun, and the arrow did not move.

Liu Bei let go of the arrow gun and exclaimed: "The crossbow of the Han's bed has been discharged when it reaches four hundred steps. Today, three bowed bed crossbows, 400 steps can penetrate the wall; Seven hundred steps through the armor, I'm afraid it's not difficult. ”

Huo Jun smiled and said nothing, don't look at the Song Dynasty Wudra's crotch, but in order to restrain the Liao people's iron cavalry, he spent a lot of effort on the bow and crossbow, and developed the divine arm bow, the three-bow bed crossbow and other things.

For example, in the battle of Lanzhou, the famous Liao general Xiao Tzu Rin led his troops to the city, and when he watched the city tower set up defenses, he was wounded by a three-bow bed crossbow and finally died. Since then, the three-bow bed crossbow has become famous, which makes the Liao people frightened.

I don't know if there is a general Cao Wei in this plane who will die because of the three-bow bed crossbow?

Seeing that the power of the three-bow bed crossbow was so amazing, Liu Bei did not hesitate and said: "Reward the person who developed the bed crossbow, and let Wu Jiangshi be in charge of the three-bow bed crossbow from now on, and make it as soon as possible for the garrison of the city and the use of vehicles and ships for water warfare." ”

"No!" The attendant took the order and left.

Liu Bei liked the power of the three-bow bed crossbow, and subsequently let them test fire more than ten times, and the power did not decrease at all.

After tossing for two hours, Liu Bei returned to the palace happily.

Back at the palace, Liu Bei invited Huo Jun to sit down with the pavilion to talk about things.

After calling the attendants to serve tea, Liu Bei sat on the table and said with a smile: "The power of the three-bow bed crossbow is amazing, if Cao Cao is going to the south in the future, he will know the benefits and disadvantages of this crossbow!" ”

Huo Jun lifted the teapot and poured tea for Liu Bei, and said with a smile: "It is not easy for the king to ask Cao Cao to march south, if you want to fight with Cao Cao, the king should lead the army to the north!" ”

"Cao Cao has no heart to go south?" Liu Bei frowned and said.

Huo Jun held the teacup and said analytically: "The world is divided into three parts, and the north and the south are facing each other. Although Cao Cao won the second, the king relied on the steep mountains and rivers to defend it, causing Cao Cao to go on several southern expeditions, all of which were in vain. Now Cao Cao is getting older, his energy is declining, and Emperor Han is in power, and he is afraid that he has no intention of marching south. ”

Today's situation is very different from the historical situation. Cao Cao made several expeditions to the south, but he couldn't help the Southern Han Dynasty. The closest to victory, the only battle of Chrysostom was the battle, which was burned by Huo Jun. After several defeats, Cao Cao realized the strength of the south and would not launch a southern expedition in the short term.

At present, the confrontation between the north and the south is dichotomy, and Liu Bei is the king several years earlier than in history, rather than the three divisions of the world in history, so the situation changes, and the strategic choices of the two sides will also change.

Historically, Cao Cao thought that Wu Shu had turned his face and the situation in the north was stable, so he chose to leave the last step to Cao Pi to complete. Now for Cao Cao, in addition to Liu Bei in the south, he still has Liu Xie, the puppet emperor, inside.

He must consider whether Cao Pi has the ability to resist the threat of the Southern Han Dynasty and complete the process of becoming emperor. Therefore, in any case, Cao Cao must deeply consolidate his rule in the next few years, so as not to happen in case.

"Cao Cao's southern expedition is good, or he doesn't want to go south!"

Liu Bei stroked his beard and said: "If Cao Cao marches south, he will raise troops alone and seek opportunities to make contributions and collect land." If you don't want to go south, you want to choose the right time to raise troops to the north to rejuvenate the Han Dynasty! ”

After a pause, Liu Bei asked: "Zhong Miao, what do you think of the Northern Expedition in the spring of the following year?" ”

"At the beginning of the year, Anliu Prefecture governed the military and government; This year will be divided into two and hoard grain and grass; Tomorrow will inspect the border situation and discuss the route of the Northern Expedition. The year after tomorrow, I chose the opportunity to enter, and this lonely thing to think about! Liu Bei explained.

"The Northern Expedition the year after that, it is expected that the government decree at that time will be accessible, the grain and grass will be prepared, and the people will return to their hearts, which should be feasible!" Huo Jun agreed: "But I don't know where the king wants to go on the Northern Expedition? ”

Liu Bei pondered a little and said: "According to Kongming's words in the past, the soldiers can be divided into three routes, the west road out of Hanzhong, the middle road out of Jiangling, and the east road out of Hefei. ”

Then, Liu Bei changed his words and thought about it: "The three-way Northern Expedition needs to be clearly prioritized. The west road is too far, and the army can be sided. Jianghuai and Xiangfan waterways are accessible, where is the main force? It is advisable to discuss deeply, and the border situation can be observed, or from the views of the secretaries. ”

"Good!"

(End of chapter)