Chapter 25: The Way of the Bow (Part 1)

Li You skillfully took a nearly formed blade blank from beneath the tree stump and placed it into the furnace fire.

He had recently been busy forging two weapons, with the prototypes in his mind being the Miao Dao and the later Nepalese curved blade.

For this, Le Baofu had specially found him superior steel; this steel had already been quenched and polished, revealing patterns like pine grain and a slightly curved style on its surface.

This material was already completely close to high-carbon steel; crucible iron smelting could itself produce high-carbon steel, but the steel yield rate belonged almost entirely to the realm of metaphysics.

Liu Quezi's master had once entered the Bureau of Artisans, so he gave Li You considerable guidance, such as that making a blade to pierce armor requires hardness and a narrow edge, while durability requires toughness, so the Miao Dao adopted the most advanced clad-steel craft.

Using wrought iron as the outer skin, with hundred-folded steel sandwiched in the middle, and part of the edge employing local quenching technology, namely soil-covered edge firing, so the edge would be hard enough to chop and pierce armor, while the blade body retained its toughness, did not deform, and was durable.

Li You simply felt that was troublesome; he did not need durability, he only wanted sufficient hardness, so he relied on his strength, adopting the techniques of folded steel and local quenching.

Because of the advanced smelting technology of the Ming Dynasty, high-carbon steel could be directly forged, then employing Qian Chengzhi's advanced heat treatment methods (such as soil-covered edge firing, etc.) rather than folded patterned steel or composite structures.

The two blades originally had only some finishing work left, so with Li You's help, and with the help of Qian Zhong and Qian Yong, after two hours of fussing, they were finally completed.

One long, one short; the long Miao Dao had a slender blade body, over four chi and some cun in length, plus a long handle, approaching 1.7 meters; this was deliberately lengthened by Li You according to his own height, taller even than Liu Quezi.

This combined the characteristics of both the sword and the spear, could be used with one or two hands interchangeably, facilitated exerting the overall power of the waist and back, and when used in battle, it rolled and struck in succession, swift and fierce, the body driving the blade forward, the blade turning with the person, its momentum like splitting bamboo, with extremely great killing power.

A metallic luster shone through the blade body; there were threads at the front and back of the handle into which a long iron-wood pole could be screwed, making it usable as a nine-chi great halberd-long sword.

The short blade followed Li You's design of the Gurkha kukri, that is, the Nepalese curved blade; the belly of the blade was wider, the blade body curved forward like a dog's leg; at the connection between the blade body and the handle, there was a V-shaped groove used in actual combat to channel fresh blood, preventing it from soiling the handle; this is the world's recognized recurved blade most consistent with mechanical principles!

Qian Zhong and Qian Yong both exclaimed in wonder, while Qian Chengzhi praised Li You endlessly, feeling that this scholar was completely different from those bookish fools, as if he understood a little of everything.

Just as everyone was playing with the two blades, Liu Quezi, from somewhere unknown, produced a copper-backed iron-backed bow; it must have been extremely heavy, as Liu Quezi carried it with great difficulty.

"Come, Xianggong, try this Dragon Spine Bow!"

"Is this an iron-fetus bow?"

Li You hurriedly took it; it was extremely heavy in the hand; the bow back replaced the wooden bow back, with iron strips inlaid into the bow back, increasing range and power, also called the "Iron Spine Bow".

Song Zhaoxiong said in the "Stele of King Han Qiyi": "In the military academy's skill assessment, only the iron-fetus bow was used; whatever it faced, even metal or stone, was all pierced through."

The requirements for an archer regarding this iron-fetus bow were extremely high; even the Mongol eagle hunters or the Manchu Baiyala might not be able to draw open an iron-fetus bow!

Li You's gaze scanned it; this bow was naturally a heavy large-sao bow; its shape was similar to the hemp-backed bow; the bow fetus appeared to be laminated from rosewood; mulberry and elm wood were used for the bow tips.

Ox horn and hard wood were used for the bow grip; the overall bow body was wide; the bowstring was bright and thick; it was clearly made from the best ox spine bone square tendons, soaked, sun-dried, and then twisted together.

"A perfect natural creation, ah, what a fine bow!"

"Hehe, Xianggong, try first to see if you can draw it open!"

【Note】: The Ye Zi card game appeared starting from the Tang and Song dynasties; it is the world's earliest playing card, without any doubt. Regarding the origin of modern poker, there are multiple theories, one of which is that modern poker originated from China's Ye Zi game.