A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

Shang Wanqing yanked off the black cloth covering the crossbow on the bed.

The moment the black crossbow body was revealed, Wei Zhao's finger stopped on the white wax spear.

This thing is huge.

It was so large that it didn't look like a weapon meant for human use at all; it was more like a small city gate that had been dismantled and forcibly converted into a crossbow.

The crossbow arm was over two zhang long, with iron edging and the wood was blackened by tung oil.

The crossbow is fitted with four iron wheels at the bottom, and there are also a winch, a latch, and a copper ruler for aiming.

The most frightening thing was the crossbow bolt in the crossbow trough—

It was called an arrow, but it was actually more like a sharpened iron spear, as thick as a wrist, three feet long, with three barbs on the arrowhead.

Wei Zhao stared at the crossbow bolt for two breaths.

Whether a person will die if this thing gets stuck in their body is no longer a question.

We need to discuss whether it's possible to leave the body intact.

"Balloon".

Shang Wanqing patted the crossbow body, her voice as calm as if she were introducing a pot.

"Specially for hunting elephants."

Wei Zhao looked up at her.

Shang Wanqing picked up a shorter crossbow bolt from the side and handed it to him.

"Ordinary crossbows cannot penetrate the hide of war elephants. The Nanman people also coat their war elephants with leather armor, with protective plates on the forehead, chest, and abdomen. Arrows can only get stuck on the outside."

She pointed to the slot of the ballista.

"This is different."

"Within two hundred paces, even if wearing leather armor, a shot can penetrate three feet into flesh. If it hits the eye, ear, or throat, the war elephant will fall on the spot; if it hits the leg bone, it will be crippled."

Wei Zhao took the crossbow bolt and found it heavy in his hand.

Good heavens, this arrow is heavier than the spear of an ordinary soldier.

His mind raced. Outside Jiangnan City, the Southern Barbarian elephant cavalry led the way, with poison soldiers providing cover. Ordinary cavalry couldn't break through, and the infantry couldn't hold out.

However, if these ballistae were set up on the city walls and the elephant soldiers were shot down first, the southern barbarian army behind them would be thrown into chaos.

Once the elephant troops are thrown into disarray, even the most formidable poison troops will be trapped behind them.

This is the key to breaking the deadlock.

It's not about fighting head-on; it's about taking down the opponent's strongest teeth.

Wei Zhao looked at Shang Wanqing, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

"How many were built?"

"One hundred and twenty."

Shang Wanqing answered quickly.

"Ninety-six can be used directly, and the remaining twenty-four are still undergoing final calibration, but they can be adjusted within half a day after they are brought to Jiangnan City."

Ninety-six.

That's more than enough.

The Southern Barbarian soldiers were strong and fearless; once they got close, they were like wild beasts.

The poison soldiers were even more troublesome. When they smashed the pottery jars, poisonous insects and powder flew everywhere, horses were startled and fell, and the formation was torn open. In addition, the elephant soldiers rammed the city, and whoever encountered them would have a headache.

The Northern Rong cavalry were fierce, and the Western Qiang mountain troops were slippery, but at least they were still fighting.

Those barbarian bastards from the south attack with people, elephants, and poisonous insects all at once; they're utterly disgusting.

it's good now.

Rattan armor is effective against poison soldiers, and ballistae are effective against elephant soldiers.

Looking at the two items in front of him, Wei Zhao suddenly looked at Shang Wanqing with gratitude.

You gave me a big surprise.

Wei Zhao looked at Shang Wanqing, his tone unusually serious.

"Wanqing, these two things can save many lives."

Shang Wanqing's finger stopped at the edge of the crossbow.

She didn't respond immediately.

The oil lamp illuminated the soot on her face, revealing a stiffness rather than pride on her otherwise cold and beautiful face.

It seems like they're not very good at handling compliments.

The old lady's plan was far too ambitious.

Hua Jieyu manages intelligence, while Shang Wanqing manufactures weapons. One keeps a close watch on the movements of the Southern Barbarians from the shadows, while the other forges weapons to defeat the enemy in Mo Family Fortress.

By the time he arrived with his troops, half of the road had already been paved for him.

None of the women in the Wei family are good for nothing.

Liu Jingshuang can command troops, Su Qingyun can manage money and grain, Huo Qingluan can arrange formations, Tuoba Yue can seize the royal court, Hua Jieyu's song "Breaking the Formation" can ignite 100,000 cavalry, and Shang Wanqing is holed up in this small, dilapidated fortress, preparing two guillotines for the Southern Barbarians.

But now is not the time to be sentimental.

We need to take the items with us and deliver them to the city walls of Jiangnan.

He walked halfway around the ballista and touched the winch with his fingers.

"Is it difficult to move?"

"It's no trouble at all."

Shang Wanqing immediately got into the zone and started speaking faster.

"Each ballista is disassembled into three sections: the arm, the body, and the base. It is pulled by four horses and can be assembled by two skilled workers in half an incense stick's time."

"The rattan armor has been packed, 50,000 sets, to be distributed in 1,000 trucks."

Wei Zhao's eyelid twitched.

"A thousand carts?"

"Um."

Shang Wanqing nodded.

"All the mules and horses that can be used in Mojiabao are outside, and all the carts that can be found in the surrounding villages and towns have been brought over. If that's not enough, use your cavalry's warhorses to make up for it."

Wei Zhao rubbed his temples.

Warhorses pulling chariots—that sounds a bit wasteful.

But life is more precious.

If we can't defend Jiangnan City, there's no point in keeping the warhorses.

"OK."

He nodded.

"Load the truck now and set off before dark. We must reach Jiangnan by tomorrow noon."

Shang Wanqing hummed in agreement and turned to leave.

Wei Zhao suddenly called out to her.

"etc."

Shang Wanqing turned around.

Wei Zhao looked at her.

A question had been lingering in his mind for a long time, and it became even more apparent when he saw the rattan armor and ballistae.

"Since you have these things, why didn't you use them when Mo Family Fortress was surrounded by seven thousand Southern Barbarian soldiers?"

Shang Wanqing remained silent.

Wei Zhao pointed outside.

"The city gates were almost smashed to pieces by the elephants."

"If you hold on a little longer, the whole fortress might be gone."

His voice softened.

"If we just bring one of these ballistae to the city wall, that elephant will be dead by now. The rattan armor can also be put on the defenders, and the poison soldiers may not be able to hurt so many of you."

This is not a blame.

He just wanted to know the answer.

Because this is too unusual.

Shang Wanqing is not stupid, nor is she the kind of miser who hoards treasures and doesn't use them.

She built these things to fight the Southern Barbarians. The Southern Barbarians had already invaded her doorstep, but she preferred to have the craftsmen guard the city with hammers and kitchen knives rather than reveal them.

Unless there is a greater reason.

Shang Wanqing looked at him and suddenly smiled.

It's very shallow.

It wasn't the charming smile of a flower narrator; it was the smile of someone who had spent years immersed in the heat of the fire, finally seeing someone ask a crucial question.

"They've already said it's a secret weapon."

She raised her hand and draped half of the black cloth over the ballista again.

"We cannot move until the final battle begins."

Wei Zhao's gaze froze.

Shang Wanqing continued:

"The southern barbarians aren't stupid. Once they've been burned, they'll be wary of a second time."

"The elephant cavalry will wear thicker armor, advance in a dispersed manner, and let the poison soldiers burn our ballistae first."

"The same goes for rattan armor. If it's exposed beforehand, they'll change the poison, use fire, and find ways to get poisonous insects into the cracks in the armor."

She looked at Wei Zhao, her voice steady.

"We can do without Mo Family Castle, but we cannot do without Jiangnan City."

Wei Zhao remained silent.

That's a really harsh statement.

Mojiabao can be absent.

The person who said this was the one guarding the Mo Family Fortress.

She placed herself, three hundred craftsmen, and the old and weak from the entire fortress on the chessboard.

If the Southern Barbarians truly breach the gate, she will take these secret weapons with her and perish with them, so that the Southern Barbarians will not know in advance that the Great Wei has something to counter them.

Wei Zhao suddenly felt a tightness in his throat.

He had seen people who were fearless on the battlefield.

Liu Jingshuang was fearless, Tuoba Yue was fearless, and the veterans of the Wei family army were fearless.

But Shang Wanqing, who is fearless, is different.

She didn't rush in with a knife to kill; she sat in the workshop, watching the city gates being smashed open again and again, still holding back her trump card.

This is harder than charging forward.

Wei Zhao stared at her for several breaths.

"You really believe I can come?"

Shang Wanqing did not avoid his gaze.

"Um."

"What if I'm late?"

Wei Zhao took a step forward.

"What if I get bogged down by the Southern Barbarians? What if Jiangnan City falls first? What if Mo Family Fort doesn't hold out until I get there?"

"Not only will the thing you spent months building be useless on the battlefield, but you, Hua Jieyu, and the entire Mo Family Fortress will all die here."

He spoke very frankly.

Because that's the truth.

No fancy words, no room for negotiation.

On the battlefield, any "what if" could be fatal.

Hua Jieyu leaned against the door, her smile fading slightly, but she didn't interrupt.

Shang Wanqing looked down at her hands.

Those hands were beautiful, but they were covered in burns and abrasions, and the fingertips were covered in thick calluses.

A moment later, she looked up.

"The matriarch has approved of you."

Wei Zhao was taken aback.

Shang Wanqing continued:

"Sisters Jing Shuang and Qing Luan also believe in you."

She paused, as if searching for the most accurate way to put it.

"Then I believe you too."

Wei Zhao's fingers clenched tighter and tighter.

Shang Wanqing still spoke in that inflexible way, direct and harsh, yet her words struck a chord deep within.

"The Wei family is our home."

She looked at Wei Zhao and said, word by word:

"You are the head of our family."

……