Tiger Guards

Chapter 436 A Fast Horse to Invite
Fule, Yuan Huan revisited his old haunts, returning home as an aide to the Grand General's staff.

On the banks of the Honggou Canal west of the city, Lü Bu personally inspected the temporary grain storage pavilion.

It wasn't that Lü Bu had a habit of doing everything himself, but rather that in war, Lü Bu would instinctively care about the supply lines.

The more than 20,000 troops of Li Tong, Song Xian, and Cheng Lian, who had already extended into Yanzhou, were divided into two groups, left and right, and were in a field combat state, carrying not much military rations.

Li Tong on the west bank had a relatively independent status, so he had five or six days' worth of provisions with his troops; Song Xian and Cheng Lian on the east bank were under Lü Bu's direct command, and only had three days' worth of provisions.

Three days' worth of rations can be carried by soldiers at all times, minimizing the burden on marches.

However, logistical pressure is high, and coordination between the front and rear is poor. If supplies are suddenly cut off or surrounded, then food will be cut off.

Lu Bu prioritized efficiency in his military campaigns, and carrying three days' worth of supplies was sufficient for field battles.

Based on this, Lü Bu was most concerned about the supply lines.

The autumn grain harvest in Chen has begun and can be efficiently transported to the front lines along the Honggou Canal.

However, Lü Bu dared not be careless, as Zhao Ji had already mobilized the elite troops in Hanoi, and these troops had ample boats.

This elite force could sail down the Yellow River to occupy Baima and coerce Cao's army in Puyang; it could also send out its best troops to cross the Honggou Canal and sail down to destroy the grain storage buildings in Fule.

Since a war is about to break out, ensuring the transportation of military supplies has become a top priority.

There's nothing to say about being outmatched in a direct confrontation, but if the grain transfer station was destroyed by Zhao Ji's surprise attack, then not only the officers and soldiers of the entire army, but even Lü Bu himself would not be able to forgive himself.

As Lü Bu inspected the temporary residence, he saw a fleet of ships coming from the lower reaches of the Honggou Canal unloading rice, wheat, and beans onto the shore.

The Wei Yue army on the shore was receiving the grain in grain carts. The standard grain carts were rectangular prisms placed vertically, with a capacity of 25 shi per cart.

If you're storing rice, the density will be lower, and the overall load will be lighter.

The unloading process was slow. The grain was loaded from the ship's hold using large buckets or bamboo and rattan baskets. The laborers carried the baskets to the shore, climbed onto the newly built wooden platform, and poured the grain from their backs into even larger buckets.

These large containers have troughs for discharging grain, and grain carts stop at the troughs to receive the grain.

The ground where grain was collected was covered with straw mats, and grain was scattered on the ground. There were also people who collected the grain and loaded it into grain carts.

Perhaps because Lü Bu personally came to inspect, the laborers and corvée workers who were loading and unloading the grain did their jobs diligently, and very little grain was spilled.

Being able to participate in grain transport was a relatively good job for laborers and corvée workers... but the risks were also very high.

Lu Bu was not surprised. When he was young, he had seen even more extravagant scenes. The transportation, unloading, and use of grain were handled by different parties. During the loading, unloading, and handover process, many grains were wasted in order to make things easier or to make a profit.

Yuan Huan accompanied Lü Bu on his inspection tour when a messenger from the north came galloping by, bringing a military dispatch.

After reading the document, Lü Bu was in a foul mood. He laughed angrily at his trusted confidant Li Hei and said with feigned emotion, "I consider myself the best archer of my time. Although I know that Zhao Yuansi is also known for his bravery in shooting cakes, I think his best is no more than my equal. Look at this! Cheng Lian and Song Xian actually said that Zhao Yuansi chased my messenger more than two hundred paces with one arrow and mistakenly killed him!"

Li Hei silently accepted the military report signed by Cheng Lian, Song Xian, and the commanders and officers of each camp. He also saw the words "more than two hundred paces" and "mistakenly hit," and asked in a deep voice, full of doubt: "More than two hundred paces?"

He was a pure warrior, and immediately analyzed according to his professional instincts: "If that's the case, the powerful bow used by the Grand Marshal should have a strength of ten stones?"

In the military, crossbows were classified as having a strength of three stones; anything above three stones was considered a powerful crossbow.

Crossbows with a length of three to six stones were used in actual combat. A single soldier could cock the crossbow by stepping on it or by using his waist strength. Regardless of how it was cocked, a cocking hook was generally used for assistance.

It is very inconvenient for a single soldier to load a heavy crossbow with a draw weight of six dan or more, but it is not impossible.

The crossbow with a weight of ten shi or more is the legendary Yellow Crossbow. The Yellow Crossbow uses the same bow-making technique as the horn sinew, and after drying, the crossbow body turns yellow, hence the name Yellow Crossbow.

The most powerful crossbow could pull with a terrifying force of twenty shi (a unit of weight), which required a vehicle and a winch-like device to cock it.

Crossbows were not banned among the common people. The crossbows in circulation mainly referred to the powerful crossbows with a strength of three to six kilograms. Heavy crossbows with a strength of more than six kilograms were difficult to circulate in the market.

Lacking the necessary skills, they were also unable to maintain or preserve the performance of the heavy crossbow.

Based on his experience, Li Hei analyzed that Zhao Ji's arrow did not simply travel more than two hundred paces, but rather that it pierced the armor and accidentally killed the general's messenger after traveling more than two hundred paces.

There is also a multiplier issue in bow strength calculation; the bow strength of a 10-stone bow is similar to that of a 5-stone crossbow.

There are differences in the length of bows and arrows and the length of crossbows; even with the same bow force, the performance of bows and crossbows varies.

The five-stone crossbow was already a top-grade crossbow, and every elite crossbowman was burly and strong.
Only by using the rope wrapped around their waist and hanging the iron hook, could they break out in a flash, sweating profusely and exerting all their strength.

But Zhao Ji's fingers were strong enough that he could hold the bowstring and aim calmly without releasing the arrow.
The bow arm didn't explode, and the arrow withstood such terrifying force. What does this mean?
It's not just that Zhao Ji himself is terrifying, but it also shows that Zhao Ji has the stable technology to make a top-grade bow with a ten-stone weight. The fact that Zhao Ji could kill so accurately by mistake shows that he usually practices his archery skills in this way!

The large crossbow can shoot three hundred paces, making it a deadly weapon for firing dense arrays.

Such a heavy machine is inconvenient to use, and its maintenance is even more complicated. Winding it up after each use is also inconvenient.

Now, Zhao Ji's displayed deterrent power is far more frightening than the Great Yellow Crossbow.

If finger strength is as strong as steel, what about arm and waist strength?

If Zhao Ji were given weapons, who could withstand the power he unleashed in close combat?

The doubts that had existed before about Zhao Ji's various headhunting data have now vanished.

Archery is a skill that best demonstrates an individual's overall physical strength.

Although Li Hei participated in the assassination attempt on Dong Zhuo, he was genuinely afraid of Zhao Ji's formidable physique.

Glancing at Lü Bu casually, one could see that Lü Bu's expression was more solemn than ever before, his gaze fixed intently on the surface of the Honggou River.

Lü Bu was often proud of his archery skills, precisely because he knew that others could not do it, which is why he was so proud.

Therefore, he understood better than Li Hei the deeper reason why Zhao Ji could kill the messenger two hundred paces away with a single arrow that pierced through armor.

In fact, he did not want to have a conflict with Zhao Ji. After Zhao Ji annihilated Li Guo and incorporated the various armies in Guanzhong, he obtained various powerful crossbows and heavy crossbows left over from the imperial armory since Dong Zhuo, especially the large yellow crossbow made of horn and rib composite material.

"Dahuangnu" is a common name; in formal writing, it is shortened and called "Jiaonu".

Due to the decline in crossbow-making techniques in the Kanto region, composite materials such as horn and sinew were used for crossbows of the 7-stone quality, and those of 7-stone quality and above were called horn crossbows.

In other words, even if his most elite thousand-man Trapped Camp troops pressed forward, if they were unlucky enough to encounter a targeted attack from Zhao Ji's crossbowmen, just two rounds of close-range volleys would be enough to make the Trapped Camp soldiers, wearing double armor, fall in droves in front of the battle line!

Zhao Ji had this heavy crossbow unit in his hands, which hadn't been used since the National Protection War against Yuan Shikai, but that didn't mean it didn't exist!
Zhao Ji often led a cavalry force of a thousand men on solo missions, because an ordinary army of two or three thousand men could not withstand the volley of heavy crossbows and horn crossbows fired by chariot soldiers; if he encountered a larger force, Zhao Ji could easily break through.

At this moment, Lü Bu remained expressionless, his face tense, still looking solemn and angry, as if Cheng Lian and Song Xian had deliberately exaggerated Zhao Ji's divine power in order to shirk responsibility.

However, this document contains the collective signatures of more than thirty mid- to high-ranking military officers from both armies, including chief clerks, military officers, battalion commanders, and military commanders.

An overwhelming, irrefutable piece of evidence, like iron shoots piercing the ground, was suddenly placed before Lü Bu, clearly telling him that the next arrow might very well accidentally hit someone nearby.

With bows and crossbows, even the slightest error or flaw in the arrow will affect accuracy beyond a hundred paces.

What if I accidentally kill myself?
Your own life is your only life.

Lu Bu pondered silently, glancing left and right. It was a pity that Yang Jun was stationed in Xuchang and could not accompany him as he was guarding the General's headquarters.

No one stepped forward to help him out or persuade him to stop.

Perhaps these people don't want to fight either. Cheng Lian and Song Xian have shown signs of being reluctant to fight. Forcing them to engage Zhao Ji in battle might not yield good results.

Immediately, feeling a sense of unease, Lü Bu looked around and asked, "Are there any skilled diviners in the army?"

One of the accompanying officials immediately stepped forward and bowed: "General, the position of Grand Astrologer has been vacant since the resignation of the former Grand Astrologer Wang Li. However, there are two people who are proficient in astronomy and calendar, and are skilled in divination. One is Yu Fan Yu Zhongxiang, a native of Yuyao, Kuaiji, who was recommended by Prince Jingxing of Donghai as a Consultant, and the other is Wu Fan Wu Wenze, a native of Shangyu, Kuaiji, who is a Left Attendant.

Wang Li, the former Grand Historian, was from Taiyuan. He harbored resentment because his relatives and friends were killed when the court moved east. Therefore, he spread false rumors in the court that the Wei and Jin dynasties would replace the Han dynasty. When the court moved to Luoyang, he resigned and stayed in Hedong, where he participated in lecturing.

The Grand Historian did not have any subordinate officials, making it a special profession that heavily relied on family knowledge, talent, and personal interests.

With such a terrible predecessor as Wang Li, the court did not appoint a new Grand Astrologer in the short term.

Yu Fan and Wu Fan were both candidates for the position of Grand Historian.

Yu Fan didn't want to be the Grand Historian, a position with many limitations, while Wu Fan simply lacked connections and no one was willing to vouch for him.

What if Wu Fan is recommended and then spreads negative rumors like Wang Li did?
This unfortunate fellow was exceptionally learned in astronomy at a young age. During the late reign of Emperor Ling, he was recommended by the county to Luoyang. However, upon arriving in Luoyang, he was taken to Guanzhong by Dong Zhuo. He then followed the court eastward in tattered clothes and finally became a court official.

Wu Fan's ability to survive without the court's support was due to his talent for divination and reading people.

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu waved his hand and said, "I have also heard of these two gentlemen. Go and invite them quickly!"

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)