What's wrong with me, a powerful minister, supporting a few female officials?

Chapter 152 The Empress? Jealous? ? ?

Upon hearing Ding Bashi say that the houses had all been shot down, Su Mo subconsciously swallowed.

That power... it does sound pretty powerful!
He initially thought that the legendary Eight-Ox Crossbow, with its supposed range of a thousand paces and arrows capable of penetrating deep into city walls, was merely an exaggeration by the ancients.

Even using ancient techniques, later generations could not replicate it.

It is asserted that ancient times could not possibly have produced such a powerful crossbow!
However, this is a world of cultivation, where there might be special techniques that allow me to improve the properties of steel.

Combining the two, they might actually be able to create the legendary Eight-Ox Crossbow.

Therefore, the blueprints were drawn up and handed over to the T-group to try to build it.

Who knew that not only did they build the T-shaped group, but they also claimed it was so powerful that it could collapse houses!

Su Mo took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice, "Where is the Eight-Ox Crossbow?"

Ding Bashi quickly replied, "It's with Carpenter Zhou!"

He naturally knew the importance of this thing, and quickly added, "I tried it once and didn't dare to try it again. It's hidden very well."

"Carpenter Zhou and his team are personally overseeing it!"

The Eight-Ox Crossbow is different from the Divine Arm Bow; it's impossible for it to have been made by Ding Bayi.

However, there are many different types of craftsmen in the T-group, and most of them are multi-skilled.

After all, there was no concept of assembly line or collaborative work in ancient times; the emphasis was on keeping skills secret.

For example, craftsmen who make leather armor.

From peeling to tanning, then to cutting and sewing, and finally to varnishing, everything is basically done independently by the craftsman.

At most, they would have apprentices help with some simple, rough work.

Key processes will never be easily disclosed to outsiders.

Su Mo had Ding Bashi select many reliable craftsmen to participate in the manufacture of the Eight-Ox Crossbow.

The renovation of the two restaurants brought considerable profits to all the artisans in the artisan camp, enough to support a family for three or four months.

Su Mo's prestige has already surpassed that of Hao Jian, the camp leader!

As long as the money is right, the craftsmen will work their butts off, no matter what Su Mo asks them to make.

Craftsmen should obey their superiors' orders!

The artisan barracks were simply a place for artisans to work, and the space was limited.

Most of the craftsmen and their families did not live in the workshops.

Zhou the carpenter's house is located at the foot of Gufeng Mountain, more than two miles away from the Craftsmen's Camp.

Carrying the Divine Arm Bow and the tempered sword, Su Mo had Ding Bashi lead the way and hurried towards Zhou the Carpenter's house!

From afar, several men could be seen carrying wooden sticks, surrounding Zhou the carpenter's house.

If children playing nearby, they are loudly scolded and told to leave.

As Su Mo approached, the craftsmen hurriedly came over and respectfully greeted him as the God of Wealth.

Su Mo nodded: "Where is the Eight-Ox Crossbow?"

Zhou the carpenter, with his dark complexion, honest appearance, and sturdy build, quickly replied, "Sir, the crossbow cart is in my courtyard."

"This man will take the master there immediately!"

Su Mo followed the others into the courtyard.

Sure enough, a giant crossbow, over ten feet long, was placed in the courtyard.

It was covered with many leafy branches to conceal the ballista, and the bow frame was also covered with tarpaulin to prevent rain from getting it wet.

The group pulled back the tree branches and tarpaulin, and the legendary Eight-Ox Crossbow came into full view of Su Mo.

Looking at this enormous thing, Su Mo couldn't help but swallow hard.

The legendary masterpiece of cold weaponry is truly breathtaking!

The batch of spring steel that Ding Bashi refined should be mainly used in these eight-ox crossbows.

Apart from the components in the critical parts.

The front is the main body and the rear is the three bows. The bow arms are composed of several layers of spring steel strips, like the shock absorbers of a heavy truck, which enhances its elasticity and strength.

A pulley is provided at the end of the bow.

The bowstring was made of thick cow sinew.

The traction rope wasn't hemp rope; Su Mo didn't know what material it was made of, but it was clearly extremely tough!

Even the winch handle is made of thick iron rods, which shows how much force is required to draw the bow!

Carpenter Zhou explained from the side, "Please take a look, sir!"

"This crossbow has a bow arm made of soft steel and a bowstring made of ox sinew... Hmm... The T-group has almost run out of ox sinew in its reserves."

"The cylindrical pivot at the bottom of the bow allows for rotation and aiming..."

"..."

"This bow requires the combined strength of ten people to turn, and its arrows can travel a thousand paces; its power is immense!"

As Zhou the carpenter spoke, a look of fear crept into his eyes as he pointed to a collapsed house about a hundred feet to the left.

"That's Wu Gouzi's house."

"I was just testing my bow when I accidentally shot off course, and the arrow collapsed Wu Gouzi's house, piercing through the roof beams, and even traveled more than two hundred feet away!"

"That dog is still demanding that the younger brother compensate him for the house..."

Su Mo was slightly surprised.

Ancient books say that the Eight-Ox Crossbow requires a hundred people to operate, but Zhou the carpenter says that only ten people are needed to start the work.
However, it is better to have no books than to believe everything in them.

"Don't worry, I will compensate him for his house! At least ten taels of silver!"

"Yes, I will never forget the benefits you have shown me!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou the carpenter breathed a sigh of relief, and then was overjoyed!
He exchanged a glance with Ding Bashi and the others!
Everyone knows that Lord Su is incredibly generous and magnanimous!
Su Mo took a deep breath and waved his hand: "Test the bow!"

He pointed to a tree about a kilometer away, a tree so large that it would take two people to encircle it: "Make that tree our target!"

The craftsman's courtyard, with its bamboo and wooden fence, would not obstruct the path of crossbows.

Ding Bashi and others hurriedly went to summon several young and strong craftsmen.

Then the five of them, one on each side, firmly grasped the winch's iron bar and vigorously started turning it!
As the ten men exerted their strength simultaneously, the Eight-Ox Crossbow creaked and its three bow arms slowly drew back!

Su Mo's eyes narrowed instantly.

Despite the fact that many of the artisans in the artisan battalion are quite thin, there are also some strong and muscular ones.

Moreover, they have immense strength from years of hard work!

Nevertheless, as they turned the winch, their muscles bulged and their jaws clenched, showing an extraordinary effort!

This eight-ox crossbow must require a force of three to four thousand catties to draw!
Such power, such a long distance of work, the energy accumulated is indeed quite terrifying!
The three-bow crossbow is not a straight-draw bow, but belongs to the category of recurve bows.

In addition, Su Mo's improvements, although not as efficient as the high-end recurve bows of later generations, greatly reduced the effort required, eliminating the need for eight oxen to pull it.

However, the price to pay is that the working distance is longer and more rotations are required.

This is not a problem.

The Eight-Ox Crossbow did not win by its rate of fire, but by its power!

A full cup of tea's time had passed.

Everyone then finished winding the bell.

Then, Zhou the carpenter picked up the super giant arrow, which was over seven feet long, and placed it in the launch slot!
This giant arrow has a hardwood shaft as thick as a child's arm, and its arrowhead is a triangular shape made of refined iron, giving it astonishing penetrating power.

Below the arrowhead are two sword-shaped iron fletchings, like barbs of a wolf's fang, hence the name "one spear, three swords arrow," used to stabilize the trajectory and enhance lethality.

Carpenter Zhou personally turned the crossbow's pivot and aimed at the tree.

Then, carrying the crossbow bolt, he trotted over to Su Mo and said, "Lord Su, would you like to fire the crossbow bolt?"

Su Mo rubbed his hands together, took the mallet, and chuckled, "Alright!"

"I will be the one to fire this arrow!"

As he spoke, he walked up to the Eight-Ox Crossbow, squinted, and aimed at the big tree—regardless of whether it was useful or not, this was a sacred ritual before firing!

Then, he raised the hammer high and slammed it down on the firing trigger!
……

Leng Liuxi rode in a specially made giant carriage that Su Mo was seeing for the first time.

This time, the carriage was pulled by four fine horses.

The four horses galloped wildly, kicking up dust as they headed towards Lone Peak Mountain!

Hao Jian felt that ignoring Su Mo was absolutely the right thing to do.

He had lost a lot of money in the past few days, but today his luck was so good that he couldn't stop. Not only did he win back all the money he had lost in the past few days, but he also won more than three taels of silver. He was beaming with joy!

On the other hand, the three captains were so defeated that their faces turned black!
Just as Hao Jian was about to continue his rampage, a strongman suddenly came to report.

"My lord! A female military officer has arrived outside!"

Hao Jian was taken aback upon hearing this.

Last time we had a female commander of a thousand households, how come we have a female commander of a hundred households now?

Did the Imperial Guards of Shenjing have female commanders?

How come I've never heard of this before!
However, it's also possible that someone who has just been promoted could be one.

A proper centurion of the capital city is naturally ten times more powerful than a centurion who has been exiled.

He dared not delay, so he could only put down the leaf card with a sense of frustration, call to the three captains who breathed a sigh of relief, and walk towards the government office.

Since that incident, although he hasn't been on duty at the government office, he has been wearing his official uniform properly.

Hao Jian strolled along leisurely, casually asking, "Did they say what their name is?"

The strongman shook his head: "He didn't say! But he's quite good-looking, and he has a lot of cavalry with him."

He paused, then said with some curiosity, "But her ivory plaque looks a bit strange to me. It's made of jade, and there's a phoenix on the back. I can only recognize the characters 'hundred households' in the writing."

Hao Jian suddenly stopped in his tracks, and involuntarily shivered!

Then he went mad and ran towards the government office!
He ran while cursing under his breath!
That guard on duty really caused me a lot of trouble!

That's not a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard! That's a commander of the Phoenix Cry Division!
His power was comparable to that of a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

The key point is that the Fengming Division has the power to supervise the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and even more so, the power to supervise him, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

Hao Jian and the others ran frantically to the government office.

Then he saw a pale-faced, cold-looking woman in a white cloak glance at him expressionlessly.

He uttered two words!

"Take it!"

Behind the woman were more than a dozen women in black armor, four of whom rushed forward with lightning speed.

Hao Jian can be considered a second-rate expert.

But before he could even react, he felt his whole body go numb, and his hands were twisted behind his back by the woman in black armor and then bound in a flash.

His legs thudded to his knees!
The other three banners were also powerless to resist and were captured instantly!
Leng Liuxi gave Hao Jian a cold look: "Where is Su Mo?"

Hao Jian stared in horror at the terrifying woman and stammered, "I...I don't know."

After taking two deep breaths, he finally regained some of his senses and quickly said, "Commander Su should have gone to the Dingzi group."

"Hmm... The people in Group T are often tinkering with something at Carpenter Zhou's house."

"If Officer Su is not in the camp, he must have gone to that carpenter Zhou's house!"

Leng Liuxi had already sent people to look for Su Mo, but Su Mo was nowhere to be found.

His expression immediately turned slightly cold: "Where is the carpenter's residence!"

Hao Jian hurriedly said, "Follow the mountain path to the east, and you'll see it after walking about a mile."

The Empress snorted and then headed east along the mountain path. She had only gone halfway.

The white-faced, beardless old eunuch behind her suddenly stepped forward and blocked the Empress's path!
"Your Majesty, be careful!"

"Escort!"

The old eunuch, who rarely spoke, gave a deep shout with an extremely solemn expression!
A sharp sound of wind being cut and the vibration of a bowstring could be heard!

The Empress's eyes narrowed suddenly!
Suddenly, a massive, enormous arrow flashed past like lightning from several meters away.

Then, it shot right into a tree that two people could barely hug!

The end of the arrow shaft trembled incessantly!

Triangular arrowhead...

It pierced through the giant tree and emerged from behind it!
Upon witnessing this terrifying scene, even the old eunuch couldn't help but change his expression slightly, revealing a look of surprise and doubt!

The black-armored female knights drew their swords with lightning speed, their figures flashing as they cautiously positioned themselves around the Empress, their eyes gleaming as they searched for the assassin's whereabouts!

Leng Liuxi squinted, staring at the giant arrow that pierced through the massive tree. After a moment, she opened her mouth slightly and slowly uttered three words: "Eight-Ox Crossbow!"

Then, with a wave of her hand, she dismissed the black-armored female knight!
Sure enough, not long after, Su Mo, accompanied by two craftsmen, walked briskly toward them.

Su Mo stared wide-eyed at Leng Liuxi in surprise, then looked at the white-faced old man and the black-armored female knight behind her.

Confused.

After a long pause, he finally asked, "Lord Leng, what brings you here?"

"Is there something you need from me?"

Leng Liuxi shook her head and smiled, "I didn't come here specifically to see Mr. Su."

"Young Master Su, please don't forget that I am a centurion of the Fengming Division, and I have the responsibility to supervise the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

"I have heard that there has been unusual activity among the artisans at the Lone Peak Mountain Artisan Camp, so I have come to see what is going on!"

She paused slightly, then pointed curiously at the giant arrow that had pierced the tree: "The unusual movements of the artisans in the artisan camp, could it be because they're tinkering with this giant arrow?"

She took a slight breath: "What is the origin of this arrow? How can it be so sharp? I have never heard of it before."

"Could it be that it was made by Su Langjun?"

Su Mo hesitated, unsure how to answer.

Leng Liuxi covered her mouth and smiled: "Is Young Master Su afraid that I will steal your credit?"

Su Mo was speechless.

Who knew that Leng Liuxi would suddenly come to this godforsaken place and coincidentally run into me testing my crossbow!

His eyes darted around, and he strode toward Leng Liuxi.

The old eunuch's face darkened, and he was about to step forward when he saw the Empress slightly wave her hand behind her back, so he immediately stopped.

Su Mo walked to the Empress's side, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "This is the Eight-Ox Crossbow, which Commander Lin and you jointly developed. It is extremely powerful!"

"If presented to His Majesty."

"Lord Lin and Lord Leng will surely receive His Majesty's commendation, and promotion and increased salary will be a given!"

Leng Liuxi...

She took two steps back, making room for Su Mo, and covered her mouth with a smile, saying, "I am truly a little jealous of Commander Lin. My lord treats her so well."

"But how could I not know that I also participated in the development of this... Eight-Ox Crossbow?"

"Young Master Su, could you please explain this to me in detail, so that I may not be speechless when His Majesty asks?"

Su Mo looked at Leng Liuxi speechlessly.

This guy is so clueless!
Is this something you can say in public?
Seeing Su Mo's bewildered expression, Leng Liuxi covered her mouth and smiled, "Young Master Su, there's no need to worry."

“Uncle An is the old steward who has watched me grow up since I was a child, and the others are my personal guards. They will definitely not reveal a single word to outsiders.”

Since Leng Liuxi has already said that, what else can Su Mo say?

You can't say that the people around her might not be trustworthy.

He sighed, "In that case, Lord Leng, please follow me!"

He then forcefully pulled out the giant arrow and called over the bewildered Ding Bashi and Zhou the carpenter.

Leng Liuxi and her group returned to the carpenter's residence.

Leng Liuxi curiously examined the huge eight-ox crossbow in the courtyard.

"Is this the Eight-Ox Crossbow that Young Master Su spoke of?"

Why is it named after the Eight Oxen?

Su Mo explained, "It means it takes eight oxen's heads to pull it."

"However, Lord Lin made a slight improvement by adding pulleys, so that eight oxen are no longer needed, and only ten people are required to draw the bow."

"To be precise, this crossbow is called a three-bow bed crossbow."

As he spoke, Su Mo smiled and said, "The Eight-Ox Crossbow sounds more imposing, so it's better to name it after Eight Oxen."

Leng Liuxi stepped forward and carefully examined the Eight-Ox Crossbow. Finally, she reached out and touched the bow arm, paused slightly, and looked at Su Mo with surprise and doubt: "This bow arm is actually made of steel?"

"How can steel be used to make a bow?"

Su Mo explained, "Hard steel can't be used as a bow arm, but soft steel can!"

He stepped forward, forcefully pulled on both sides of the bow, and then released it. The bow arms instantly sprang back, demonstrating amazing elasticity.

"Under the guidance of Lord Lin, blacksmith Ding Bashi forged a batch of soft steel with great elasticity and toughness, which is perfect for the body of the Eight-Ox Crossbow!"

Leng Liuxi blinked and subconsciously glanced at the seemingly simple-minded Ding Bashi: "There is such a magical soft steel?"

"Couldn't this steel also be used to make ordinary bows?"

An ordinary hard bow may seem simple, but it is not easy to make at all.

Even for skilled bow makers, it often takes two or three years, or even longer, to go from selecting materials to completing a finished product!

Moreover, once the bow is made, it needs to be carefully maintained and kept dry, otherwise a good bow will be ruined.

Su Mo frowned and thought for a moment: "Theoretically, it's fine, but we need to conduct a practical test before we can draw a conclusion."

Leng Liuxi nodded repeatedly: "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"I remember, as Master Su once said, 'Practice makes perfect'!"

After a pause, she asked again, "May I draw the bow again so that I may witness the power of this crossbow?"

Su Mo smiled and said, "Of course!"

He then directed Ding Bashi and others to turn the winch and load the giant arrow.

He handed the mallet to Leng Liuxi with both hands: "Lord Leng, shall you fire the bow?"

Leng Liuxi smiled and took the mallet: "Hmm, I'm also curious, how far can this Eight-Ox Crossbow shoot?"

Then, the Empress herself stepped forward, turned the crossbow, and without deliberately looking for a target, casually raised the crossbow head slightly and hit the trigger!
We had already witnessed the power of the Eight-Ox Crossbow.

Now we're testing the longest range!
The trigger mechanism was activated.

The three soft steel bows simultaneously and rapidly contract and rebound.

A sharp voice rang out.

The enormous arrow, consisting of a spear and three swords, shot out at an astonishing speed!

In the blink of an eye, it turned into a black dot, so small that it was difficult to see!
Leng Liuxi's beautiful eyes suddenly narrowed!
Turning to a female knight in black armor, he said in a deep voice, "Go and see what the range is!"

The black-armored female knight responded and left.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he returned carrying the giant arrow.

"Reporting to Your Excellency... a crossbow bolt was spotted 1,100 paces away, embedded one foot into the ground!"

Even the composed Empress couldn't help but gasp upon hearing this!
Its range was an astonishing 1,100 paces!

Even the most powerful magic weapon of a Golden Core cultivator might not have such a long killing range!
This Eight-Ox Crossbow is absolutely terrifying!

No wonder Su Mo said in his pamphlet that the Eight-Bull Crossbow had a range of a thousand paces and could penetrate city walls!
She couldn't help but take a deep look at Su Mo!
Even the most skilled craftsmen in the Phoenix Cry Division's artisan battalion, along with the immortal weapon-refining sorcerers, could not create the Eight-Ox Crossbow.

Su Mo relied solely on the Gufeng Mountain Craftsmen's Camp, a small T-shaped group, and a few ordinary military craftsmen.

Then they created the Eight-Ox Crossbow, which can be called a national treasure.

Just how many other abilities does Su Mo possess that I haven't yet discovered?
Su Mo had no idea that a storm was brewing in the Empress's heart.

He smiled and looked at the Empress: "I never imagined that the Eight-Ox Crossbow could shoot a thousand paces away."

"Congratulations, sir!"

"If we present this divine artifact to His Majesty, you and Lin Moyin, the commander of the Left Guard of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, will surely receive His Majesty's reward!"

Leng Liuxi nodded slightly, her expression turning serious, and she looked at Su Mo for a long time.

Only when Su Mo felt a little uneasy did he slowly say, "Commander Su made an indispensable contribution to the creation of the Eight-Ox Crossbow!"

"This official will certainly report the truth to Your Majesty..."

Su Mo quickly interrupted the Empress: "It was Lin Moyin, the commander of the Left Office, who worked with you on its development!"

Leng Liuxi...

She took a deep breath and emphasized, "I know!"

"It's Lin Moyin, Commander-in-Chief of the Upper Left Guard!"

"You don't need to say it several times!"

She paused, then looked at Su Mo: "But the contribution of Officer Su in manufacturing this item should not be overlooked either!"

Leng Liuxi's expression was very serious and earnest: "Has Officer Su considered what kind of reward he would like?"

"I will certainly petition His Majesty to grant your request!"

Su Mo was stunned for a moment.

I never expected there to be such a benefit.

"Hmm... If His Majesty rewards me, then, Commander..."

Leng Liuxi frowned, annoyed, and said, "She will definitely be rewarded!"

Su Mo's eyes darted around.

Doesn't this cold-hearted tone mean he won't let me become a centurion in the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

If Wei Zhengguang is efficient, I should be the captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard now, or tomorrow!

Thinking of this, Su Mo chuckled and said, "This humble servant's meager contribution is really not worth mentioning."

"If Lord Leng really wants to help me get credit, could you please give me a slight promotion within the garrison?"

Leng Liuxi was taken aback.

She was prepared to have a massive hemorrhage.

Even if Su Mo wanted a low-ranking civil official position like a registrar or county magistrate, he would have to withstand pressure from the court officials to get it done for him!

Is this the result?

What an unambitious bastard!

She snorted, "It's just another promotion! I'll grant your request!"

After a pause, the Empress added, "Write down the complete blueprints and manufacturing method of the Eight-Ox Crossbow now, so that I may present them to the Emperor!"

"Yes, and also write down the method for refining soft steel!"

Su Mo's eyes darted around again, and he said with a grin, "Lord Leng, Lord Lin also asked me to forge a divine crossbow and a precious sword..."

Leng Liuxi had a black line on her forehead!
Did Lin Moyin give Su Mo a mind-controlling drug?
Why is she being pushed to get all the benefits?

Why doesn't he remember himself?
Well, my writing is short and weak, only six thousand words. I promise I'll take my medicine tomorrow!

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(End of this chapter)