Nine Nights Owl Song

July 15th, the eighteenth year of Yong'an.

The official road in the northern border region.

After traveling north from Luoyang for five days, the scenery gradually changed.

The fields on both sides of the road became increasingly barren, and the villages became increasingly sparse. Occasionally, one would encounter a few pedestrians, all of whom were fleeing south with their families.

News of the war in the North spread throughout the land. The wealthy fled, while the poor could not escape and could only stay at home, burning incense and praying to Buddha to keep the rebels away.

The official road had fallen into disrepair over the years, riddled with potholes, making the carriage bounce violently.

Zhao Xiaohe was jolted around in the carriage, her head hitting the side wall several times. Zhao Ying, riding on horseback, laughed gleefully. Zhao Xiaohe leaned out of the window and glared at him, which made Zhao Ying laugh even harder.

Ghost Hand, who was at the very front of the group, suddenly reined in his horse.

"Master, something's not right up ahead." Su Jiuge spurred her horse forward and looked in the direction Ghost Hand was pointing—

Ahead of the official road was a grove of trees, and on both sides of the grove were barren fields; it was all too quiet.

There were no birdsong, no insect chirping; it was unnaturally quiet, as if something had scared away all living things.

"There's an ambush." ​​Su Jiuge's voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the team heard it.

Zhao Ying's hand rested on the short blade. Shen Qing rode his horse to block the carriage. Ghost Hand drew his sword, and the members of the Dark Pavilion quickly formed a formation, surrounding the carriage.

A sharp, piercing sound came from the forest, like something thicker and heavier, accompanied by the shrill screeching of metal scraping against metal.

Su Jiuge's pupils suddenly contracted.

Two massive wooden stakes flew out of the forest, crashing down on the group with a whooshing sound.

The wooden stake was covered with iron spikes, and a long iron chain trailed from its end. It was launched out by some kind of mechanism.

Su Jiuge drew her sword, and with a flash of light, cleaved the wooden stake that was flying towards her.

The wooden stake broke in two and fell onto the road, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Another pillar slammed into the carriage. Zhao Ying rushed forward and slashed horizontally with her short blade. The blade left a deep gash on the pillar but did not cut through it. Shen Qing then struck again from the other side, finally breaking the pillar in two.

Zhao Ying shook her wrist, which was numb from the shock, and cursed, "What the hell is this thing?"

A young man's voice came from the woods, filled with obvious frustration:

"Oops, I missed again! I told you the angle was wrong, but you guys insisted on trying!"

Another voice, gruff and rough:

"Stop talking nonsense, load the ammunition and get the mechanism set up!"

Su Jiuge frowned as she listened to the conversation.

These are no ordinary bandits; bandits don't have this kind of machinery.

Ghost Hand's face was grim; the force and accuracy of that wooden stake were beyond what human power could achieve.

It is launched using some kind of mechanical device, like a giant crossbow.

Dozens of people emerged from the forest, carrying knives, spears, bows, and arrows, dressed in tattered clothes. They were of all ages and did not look like professional bandits, but rather like ordinary people who could not survive.

The leader was a burly man carrying a machete. His face was full of scars, but there was no fierceness in his eyes, only the despair of being driven to the brink.

A young man followed behind him.

Su Jiuge's gaze fell on that person.

He was in his early twenties, fair-skinned and chubby, with a round face and small eyes. He wore a gray cloth robe stained with oil, his waist was full of tools, and he was holding some kind of part in his hand.

He wasn't a bandit; he seemed more like a craftsman.

The burly man shouted at Su Jiuge, "This road is mine, this tree is mine, if you want to pass, leave your toll!" He didn't speak the words very fluently, as if he had just learned them and was putting them into practice.

Su Jiuge looked at him.

Zhao Ying laughed out loud, and the burly man's face turned bright red.

Xiao Yan rode forward and took out a token from his bosom.

"The sixth prince of the imperial court, Xiao Yan, has been ordered to march north to quell the rebellion. Make way."

The burly man's expression changed, and the crowd behind him began to stir.

"People from the imperial court? Does the imperial court even care whether we live or die?"

"We haven't received our rations or salaries for six months. What use are the imperial officials if they come?"

Xiao Yan's voice deepened:

"Get out of the way."

The burly man's hand was trembling as he held the machete.

It's not that I'm not afraid, but behind me are dozens of brothers who can't survive. If I retreat, what will they eat?

The chubby young man peeked out from behind the burly man and looked Xiao Yan and Su Jiuge up and down.

His gaze lingered on the knives at their waists for a moment, then he suddenly laughed, his eyes narrowing into slits like a fox that had stolen a chicken, and he bowed respectfully.

"Sixth Prince, Sixth Princess, I am Lin Mo, a commoner, and I greet you both."

The burly man was stunned.

"Lin Mo, what are you doing?" Lin Mo turned around and looked at him.

"Brother, we can't beat her. That woman, General Su Jiuge of Anxi, single-handedly stormed into the Qiang camp in the western border and killed Helian Tieshu. The number of us is no match for her."

The burly man's face turned pale.

The story of Su Jiuge's feat of beheading the Qiang chieftain outside Liangzhou City had already spread throughout the land. He was not unaware of this, but he never expected to run into the person himself.

Xiao Yan looked at Lin Mo.

"Did you make that wooden stake?"

Lin Mo's eyes lit up.

"Your Highness has a good eye! That's an improved version of the catapult I designed. It doesn't throw stones, but wooden stakes, and the range is three hundred paces. I'm still improving it, and once it's finished, the range will be five hundred paces. The accuracy is still a bit lacking; those two shots just now were off target." He became very talkative when he started talking about it, gesturing wildly.

Xiao Yan looked at him.

Who is your teacher?

Lin Mo scratched his head.

"I have no master, I'm self-taught. When I was little, I liked to take things apart. I took everything in the house apart and couldn't put it back together, which got me a good beating from my father. But after taking things apart so many times, I learned to put them back together. And then I started making them myself. The crossbows I made have a range twice that of the imperial ones. The catapults I made can hit targets 300 paces away. The siege engines I made can withstand rolling logs and stones. I can make many, many more things."

Xiao Yan remained silent for a moment.

Su Jiuge suddenly spoke:

"What is the range of the crossbow you made?"

"Five hundred steps."

Su Jiuge's eyes narrowed slightly.

The crossbow with the longest range she had ever seen was the Cold Iron Crossbow from the Thousand Machine Tower, with a range of about 300 paces for every 100 zhang.

Five hundred paces is farther than the crossbow of the Thousand Machine Tower.

"Can you make a crossbow with a range of 500 paces?"

Lin Mo patted his chest.

"I've already made it, but I don't have enough materials, and the precision is still a bit lacking. If I had enough materials and craftsmen, I could make a crossbow with a range of a thousand paces. It could penetrate three layers of iron armor and shoot from the city wall to a mile outside the city."

The line fell silent for a moment.

Xiao Yan and Su Jiuge exchanged a glance.

The thousand-step crossbow could penetrate three layers of iron armor and could change the nature of warfare.

The army of Daliang was equipped with this kind of crossbow, so they didn't have to fight the Qiang cavalry head-on.

When they charge, you can use crossbows to kill most of them first, and then use cavalry to wipe out the rest.

Su Jiuge looked at Lin Mo.

"Come with me. Your skills will be of use to the imperial court."

Lin Mo asked if meals were provided.

"Tube."

Lin Mo then asked if they would keep him under control.

"Tube."

Lin Mo continued to ask if there were any craftsmen.

"Yes. I'll give you as much as you want." Lin Mo's eyes shone like two stars as he turned and patted the burly man on the shoulder.

"Brother, I quit. I'm going to become an official in the imperial court." The burly man's face turned a deep purse, and Lin Mo took a money pouch from his waist and stuffed it into his hand.

"This is my travel money. Take the brothers and find a place to settle down. Don't do this anymore. The people in the imperial court are not to be trifled with. Next time, they might not be so easy to talk to." The burly man looked at the heavy money bag, his eyes reddening.

Xiao Yan took out a token from his bosom and handed it to the burly man.

"Take this token to the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence in Luoyang, mention the Sixth Prince's name, and someone will make arrangements for you. Whether you choose to farm or join the army, it's better than being a bandit here."

The burly man knelt down and kowtowed.

Lin Mo walked past the carriage, and Zhao Xiaohe poked her head out of the carriage window.

"Can you make a flying wooden bird?" Lin Mo looked her up and down.

"Yes. But it can't fly very far; we're still working on improving it."

Zhao Xiaohe said it was a lie.

"I'd be a dog if I lied to you." Zhao Xiaohe believed him.

Shen Qing frowned as she watched Zhao Xiaohe and Lin Mo chatting.

Zhao Ying leaned closer and lowered her voice.

Are you jealous?

Shen Qing gave him a cold look.

"roll."

On July 16, the team continued northward.

With Lin Mo added to the mix, unable to ride a horse or walk fast, he was put into a carriage to keep Zhao Xiaohe company.

The two chatted all the way, from the machinery of the North to the snacks of Luo Jing, and from the snacks of Luo Jing to their own backgrounds.

Zhao Ying looked back at the carriage from her horse.

"Sect Master, what are you doing with this chubby boy?" Su Jiuge didn't answer, so Xiao Yan answered for him.

"The crossbow he made can shoot five hundred paces." Zhao Ying curled her lip.

Xiao Yan continued, "He can make a crossbow that can travel a thousand paces."

Zhao Ying's pout stopped.

"real?"

"That's what he said."

Zhao Ying was silent for a moment. "Then he's a treasure."

Xiao Yan nodded.

When they set up camp at dusk, Lin Mo climbed out of the carriage, took out a bunch of parts from his bundle, and squatted down to assemble them.

Zhao Xiaohe squatted down to watch, and Zhao Ying also came over. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Lin Mo assembled a small crossbow, half the size of an ordinary crossbow. The crossbow body was made of refined iron, and the bowstring was made of an unknown material.

Lin Mo handed it to Zhao Ying.

"Give it a try." Zhao Ying took the crossbow and pulled the trigger. The arrow shot out and embedded itself in a tree trunk a hundred paces away, the arrowhead sinking half an inch into the wood.

Zhao Ying looked at the crossbow in her hand, then at the tree trunk in the distance. This little thing was more powerful than the Ministry of War's standard crossbow.

Lin Mo smiled smugly.

"This is the smallest model I've made. It has a range of 150 paces and can penetrate a layer of leather armor. It's perfect for scouts, lightweight and easy to carry. I'm still improving it, and once it's finished, the range will be 200 paces."

Su Jiuge walked over, picked up the crossbow, examined it, handed it to Shen Qing, and said to Lin Mo:

"The matter in the North is settled. You're coming back to Luoyang with me. The Dark Pavilion needs you."

Lin Mo asked what the Dark Pavilion was, and Su Jiuge replied...

"The place where people are killed."

Lin Mo swallowed.

"This humble citizen...is not very good at killing."

Su Jiuge looked at him.

"You don't need to kill. You just need to be the instrument of killing."

Lin Mo's face was a little pale.

Xiao Yan smiled to himself.

"She's just scaring you. The Dark Pavilion doesn't just kill people; they do many legitimate things too. Your skills will be useful in the Dark Pavilion."

Lin Mo felt relieved and squatted back down to continue assembling the parts.

Xiao Yan stood next to Su Jiuge, looking at Lin Mo.

You've struck gold!

Su Jiuge looked at the busy Lin Mo.

"His crossbows could change the course of war. If the Liang army were equipped with his crossbows, the Qiang cavalry would not dare to march south. The rebels in the north would also be no threat."

"The Dark Pavilion and the Thousand Machine Tower need him, and the imperial court needs him too."

Lin Mo, squatting on the ground, was completely unaware of the struggle that was about to unfold before him, muttering to himself, "If only this gear were a little smaller."

Su Jiuge's lips twitched slightly.

On July 18th, the group entered the northern territory.