Chapter 61: Divine Arm Battalion

The morning court session ended early today. With the bow and arrow created by Quan Aoyu on his mind and no major affairs of state, the Emperor dismissed the court ahead of schedule.

Quan Aoyu had successfully crafted a bow and arrow. Verification showed that without the use of internal energy, its range reached 863 meters. Even more incredible was that the bow itself weighed less than half a kilogram! The Emperor was overjoyed and hurried to the Royal Archery Range, eager to see it for himself.

In this age of cold weapons, the bow and arrow were among the most important armaments on the battlefield. However, the effective range of an ordinary bow was limited to about 100 meters, and special bows capable of reaching 300 meters were not only rare but required a powerful archer to wield them. In the Hall of Rare Treasures within the Tianqi Imperial Palace, there was a bow weighing 58 kilograms that was said to have a range of 500 meters, yet to this day, no one had been able to draw its string.

The last time Jun Zijin had given Quan Aoyu the stainless steel formula, she had included a set of blueprints for a Turkish flight bow. She had no resistance to this wooden Crown Prince who resembled a blockhead, and she couldn't help but want to think a little more for him. She had seen detailed records of this bow in the archives of her previous life. In truth, Jun Zijin hadn't studied the bow much; she had only flipped through it carefully at the time because she was astonished that its range could reach 1,200 meters. Regardless, she had copied down the manufacturing process, special structure, and required materials exactly as described in the book and handed them to Quan Aoyu. As for whether it could be made or to what extent, that was no longer her concern.

Quan Wuji arrived at the Royal Archery Range to see the brand-new bow and arrow resting beside Quan Aoyu. The bow was small and compact; at first glance, it was hard to believe it could possess such power.

"Father, this arrow is called a 'Flight Arrow.' Its center of gravity is at the end of the nock. The arrow body is spindle-shaped, and the nock has a unique design with a very narrow entrance that then splits to accommodate the bowstring before closing, allowing an archer to keep an arrow nocked and ready to fire even while on horseback."

Quan Aoyu unhurriedly demonstrated every part of the Flight Arrow to Quan Wuji, introducing him to its ingenious features. Quan Wuji listened in constant amazement, unable to wait to try it out himself.

Quan Wuji ordered his men to move the target back 600 meters. The young eunuch moving the target thought he had misheard and stood there stunned. The Emperor’s previous limit had been 300 meters; was his hearing failing him, moving the target 600 meters away?

Quan Wuji glared:

"I told you to move it back 600 meters. Did you not hear me?"

The young eunuch trembled in fear and scrambled to move the target.

Quan Wuji couldn't wait to pick up the bow, finding it incredibly light. He nocked the arrow, drew the string to its full length, and with a "whoosh," the arrow shot out like a meteor. After carving an arc through the air, it struck straight into the center of the target 600 meters away.

The young eunuch was stunned again, his eyes wide with disbelief. It took a long while for him to recover, inwardly sighing that he had truly seen something extraordinary today.

In reality, at a distance of 600 meters, one couldn't even see the bullseye, but for Quan Wuji, who had once conquered the empire from horseback, seeing the bullseye was not an issue.

Quan Aoyu revealed a rare smile and praised, "Father, you truly are as sharp as ever! Your grace is undiminished from years past."

Quan Wuji threw his head back and laughed; he was extremely pleased by Quan Aoyu's praise.

"This bow is indeed wondrous and extraordinary. It is a divine gift from heaven; our dynasty shall surely strike fear into all directions." Quan Wuji did not spare his praise.

"Yu'er, you try it," Quan Wuji said, handing the bow to Quan Aoyu.

Quan Aoyu took the bow and ordered the young eunuch to move the target back another 250 meters. Had the Crown Prince lost his mind? The young eunuch suppressed the words about to burst from his mouth, assuming the Crown Prince was just toying with him, and moved the target back another 250 meters.

Quan Aoyu stood firm, nocked the arrow, and released his grip abruptly. The arrow left the string with a sharp whistling sound. It seemed to carry the force of tearing through the wind, leaving a blurred afterimage in the air as it struck firmly into the bullseye 850 meters away.

The young eunuch was so frightened he fell to his knees with a thud. Was the Crown Prince even human? Quan Wuji was very satisfied with the young eunuch's reaction and praised:

"Good! You are worthy of being my son!"

Quan Wuji cheered loudly, his eyes filled with gratification and pride.

"Yu'er, this arrow has such a long range and such high speed; it is truly worthy of its name. It really is a 'Flight Arrow,'" Quan Wuji said, nodding incessantly, his face full of admiration.

"Yu'er, begin mass production immediately and establish a special archery unit. You shall lead it. Let's call it... the Divine Arm Battalion," Quan Wuji ordered.

With the blueprints provided by the Jun family girl and the successful creation of the Flight Arrow, they could now manufacture them in batches according to the designs. This was not just a single bow; it meant that not only did Tianqi possess a powerful weapon far superior to other nations, but his most beloved son also had an extra trump card.

Quan Wuji pondered for a moment and added:

"As for that girl, I am thinking of granting you two a marriage decree soon. What are your thoughts?"

How could Quan Wuji not know why his son had delayed asking for the marriage decree? But he was a father and a monarch. The girl's intelligence should indeed remain by the Crown Prince's side, but if she could not survive the open and hidden arrows due to the status of Crown Princess, then she was not worthy of being by his son's side.

In fact, Quan Aoyu had also been thinking about this. Since returning from the teahouse opposite the Linglong Pavilion that day, he had made his decision. Now that the girl was gradually making a name for herself, many things could neither be avoided nor hidden. Rather than helping her in secret, it was better to protect her openly. Besides, some people in the inner palace were unhappy about a noble lady marrying into his Eastern Palace; given the girl's current situation, there wouldn't be much resistance to a marriage decree.

Quan Aoyu’s lips curled slightly. He bowed respectfully to Quan Wuji and said sincerely:

"Father is wise. Your son requests that you grant a marriage decree between me and the second young lady of the Jun family."

Another person in an excellent mood today was Jun Zhengming, because Jun Zijin had given him an object called a fountain pen and taught him how to use it. It was indeed a fine object. When he was working in the palace, he brought out this fountain pen as if showing off a treasure. His colleagues were all envious, borrowing it one after another to examine it, unable to put it down. They praised the object for greatly improving work efficiency and complimented him on having such an intelligent daughter—what a great blessing. The news spread quickly.

Quan Wuji had just returned from the archery range when he heard the news. He was full of curiosity about this mysterious object. He couldn't wait to see it with his own eyes, so he summoned Jun Zhengming. After having him demonstrate it, Quan Wuji held the object, turning it over and over, refusing to return it to Jun Zhengming.

In his heart, he cursed Jun Zhengming for being such a blockhead—how did he manage to produce such an intelligent girl? Could this dullard not see that he, the dignified monarch of a nation, could not bring himself to beg a subject for an item?

Quan Wuji waited for a long time, but still didn't hear Jun Zhengming take the initiative to say he would gift the fountain pen to him. His heart was filled with disappointment. He sighed inwardly—forget it, considering his daughter had contributed the manufacturing process for the Flight Arrow, he would endure it.

Jun Zhengming finally raised his head, looked at Quan Wuji, but said nothing.

Jun Zhengming was truly wronged. As a second-rank court official, how could he lack such basic awareness? But he was truly reluctant to part with it. What if he gave it to the Emperor and then had none left? But since the Emperor wanted it, he had to give it. It was truly agonizing.

Quan Wuji forced a smile and said:

"Minister Jun, this pen of yours is truly a fine object!"

Jun Zhengming nodded and said, "Indeed, it is an object my second daughter tinkered with when she had nothing else to do."

Quan Wuji felt stifled. He knew he shouldn't be jealous of a subject, but he couldn't control his emotions. Just as Quan Wuji was about to explode, he finally heard the heavenly sound from Jun Zhengming:

"Reporting to Your Majesty! If you like this fountain pen, your subject is willing to present it to you. This is a small token of my sincerity; please accept it, Your Majesty. I am sure it will not be difficult for my second daughter to make another one."

Quan Wuji was delighted. He automatically filtered out the bit of showing off in Jun Zhengming's words and waved his hand, saying: "Reward him!"