Chapter 140: Divine Mechanism Crossbow

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's face was filled with a relaxed and happy smile, brimming with love for Liu Liu Yifei.

His eyes were bright and spirited, shining like stars, making it hard to look away.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" he asked gently.

His voice carried a calm and unhurried charm, making people feel at ease.

Since Liu Liu Yifei's face showed no sign of urgency, he was not overly tense either.

Liu Liu Yifei, the woman whose small face was still flushed, slowly put down the blueprint in her hand and then spoke softly.

Her voice was like the spring breeze brushing willows, melodious and gentle.

"Most of the preparations for the early stage are nearly done. What are those sands you brought used for? Building houses?" she asked.

Her eyes were full of curiosity because Jiang Jiang Mingyu's blueprint did not mention these sands, so she could only ask in person.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled lightly, his laughter like a clear spring flowing, pleasant and moving.

He reached out and gently pinched Liu Liu Yifei's face once.

"Little fool, these sands are used to make new porcelain," he explained.

"You might not know that if you mix these sands with borax and lime and smelt them at high temperatures, you can create a new kind of colorful porcelain. I call it glaze."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu looked at Liu Liu Yifei's shy expression, feeling deeply warm in his heart. He explained the glaze-making process in a soft voice, his gaze constantly following every move Liu Liu Yifei made.

The production of this porcelain requires exquisite craftsmanship and endless patience.

First, mix the sands, borax, and lime together, then smelt them in a high-temperature furnace.

In this process, the lime and borax will react chemically with the sands to form a new substance. After cooling, this new substance becomes a kind of colorful porcelain: glaze.

Then, he said excitedly, "Once it's made, how about I give you one as our token of love?"

Liu Liu Yifei lowered her head, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows on her cheeks.

A faint curve rose at the corner of her lips, and her hands unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes.

When she heard Jiang Jiang Mingyu mention the token of love, a blush flew across her face. Her watery eyes swept over Jiang Jiang Mingyu's face and then quickly looked away.

Liu Liu Yifei asked shyly, "How did you know all this?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu's detailed explanation made Liu Liu Yifei develop a strong interest in the glaze-making process.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled and answered, "I saw it by chance in an ancient book. I had a sudden whim and wanted to try making it." His words were filled with the spirit of adventure and exploration, making people feel his wisdom and courage.

"If what the book says is true, just based on this, we can make a huge profit." A cunning light flickered in his eyes, as if he was plotting some grand scheme.

Speaking of this, he looked at Liu Liu Yifei gently, a faint smile lingering on his lips.

Liu Liu Yifei nodded shyly, the blush on her face becoming even deeper.

However, Liu Liu Yifei's interest in gold and silver treasures was far less than her reliance and trust in him. She just smiled and said nothing.

Then she murmured, "Then I'll go arrange for the workers to prepare." After speaking, she left in a hurry.

However, Liu Liu Yifei's interest in gold and silver treasures was far less than her reliance and trust in him. She just smiled and said nothing, then replied, "Okay, I understand. I'll arrange for people immediately to prepare to resume work."

Then, Liu Liu Yifei turned and left, leaving Jiang Jiang Mingyu alone.

After leaving Jiang Jiang Mingyu, the shy blush still lingered on Liu Liu Yifei's face.

She gently touched her burning cheeks, and the corners of her mouth could not stop rising.

Every word Jiang Jiang Mingyu said, every expression he made, was deeply imprinted in her heart.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu gazed at her retreating figure, his heart filled with joy and tenderness.

Although they had not yet formally married, their hearts were already connected; they only needed to wait for the glaze token of love to be completed before entrusting their lives to each other.

Thinking of this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu could not help but smile contentedly, looking with full expectation at the glaze workshop illuminated by furnace fires. Then, grabbing a brush, he seriously doodled for a quarter of an hour before calling over a clerk in the workshop who looked reasonably sharp.

"Once Liu Liu Yifei starts work, make this thing as soon as possible. Remember, absolutely do not let Miss Liu know."

He blew on the blueprint with ink not yet dry before handing it to the young clerk.

How dared the clerk neglect the orders of my lord? He respectfully agreed and then turned to leave the room.

Just as Jiang Jiang Mingyu was about to take a sip of tea to relax, he saw a soldier stride in. "My lord, Master Master Zhuge requests your immediate presence at the city defense camp."

The soldier said.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

He asked hurriedly.

The soldier stood at attention and reported clearly and powerfully: "Report, my lord. Master Master Zhuge says the Divine Mechanism Crossbow you designed has been completed. Please come over to inspect it!"

"So fast?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt quite surprised.

"Didn't I say before that after it's done, let General Tu and Miss Zhang try it out to see how it works? Why do I still need to go there in person?"

He was somewhat puzzled.

The soldier explained: "Master Master Zhuge says that although the Divine Mechanism Crossbow is exquisite, it still has some flaws. After discussing with Miss Zhang, he made improvements to it. Please take a look."

Flaws? Improvements? Jiang Jiang Mingyu could not help but frown. His Divine Mechanism Crossbow was a labor of his heart, related to city defense safety; there could be no carelessness whatsoever.

"Alright, since that's the case, I'll go with you to take a look right now." Jiang Jiang Mingyu stood up and strode out the door.

He had great trust in the abilities of Zhu Ge Yu and Zhang Zhang Jiani. Perhaps they could truly further enhance the power of the Divine Mechanism Crossbow. Jiang Jiang Mingyu arrived at the city defense camp with full expectation, eager to see what brand-new improvements they had brought to the Divine Mechanism Crossbow.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu rode his horse to the city defense camp and saw that Zhu Ge Yu, Tu Tu Kesiluo, and the tsundere Zhang Zhang Jiani were already waiting for him on the parade ground.

As soon as Jiang Jiang Mingyu dismounted, he noticed Tu Tu Kesiluo and Zhang Zhang Jiani exchanging glances. He thought to himself, "This black-faced Yama is quite good at flirting; Miss Zhang, that she-devil, only falls for his style."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu looked up and saw Tu Tu Kesiluo holding an iron crossbow, which sparked his interest: "Is this your improved Divine Mechanism Crossbow? Bring it here and let me see. Shoot two arrows to show me the effect."

Tu Tu Kesiluo said nothing more. He stood nearly 500 paces from the target opposite, drew the crossbow mechanism, and with a "whoosh," an arrow shot out, hitting the bullseye with absolute precision. That was not all; after piercing the target, the arrow flew several zhang further before landing.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes widened. This power was too terrifying; except for heavy armor made of refined iron, any armor would likely be pierced through. In an era without guns or cannons, this thing on the battlefield would be a catastrophic killing force.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu quickly asked Zhu Ge Yu, "How did you guys modify this thing?"

Zhu Ge Yu smiled and handed the crossbow mechanism to Jiang Jiang Mingyu: "Actually, the prototype you designed, Master, was already quite perfect. We just slightly improved the flexibility of the bow body and increased the tension of the string, and it became like this."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu looked closely; the bow body was exactly twice as wide as the prototype, and the string had been replaced with hemp rope of greater tension. These three people had put in a lot of effort. But Jiang Jiang Mingyu still found it hard to believe: "Just these small changes achieved such an effect?"

Zhu Ge Yu looked at him very seriously: "You say it's easy, but actually finding suitable materials cost us a great deal of effort. Additionally, I designed another type of giant crossbow based on the Divine Mechanism Crossbow that requires three people to draw and is made entirely of refined iron. Its power is twice that of the Divine Mechanism Crossbow. Whether on the battlefield or for siege, it is absolutely the best choice."

Speaking of these things, Zhu Ge Yu, this war maniac obsessed with heavy weapons, immediately had excitement gleaming in his eyes.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu was overjoyed. As the two were chatting enthusiastically, Zhang Zhang Jiani interjected from the side: "You two big men only know how to research these killing devices day in and day out. I say let it be; what's the point of all this?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu countered: "Researching them is also for the sake of the people's safety. If there is war, good weapons can reduce unnecessary sacrifices."

Zhang Zhang Jiani rolled her eyes at him: "Oh, please. With your lot of rakes, are you any good at romance? I don't believe a word about doing it for the people."

Zhu Ge Yu spread his hands: "Rumors are terrifying, brother. A woman's greatest weapon is her tongue. We just do our work; why worry about so much, right?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo chuckled secretly. Zhang Zhang Jiani, furious, kicked Zhu Ge Yu and Tu Tu Kesiluo on the buttocks. The three of them started arguing about the matter, one speaking after another.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu listened from the side to their back-and-forth bickering. Watching the subtle glances exchanged between Zhang Zhang Jiani and Tu Tu Kesiluo, he thought: When did their relationship become so good? They are all grown-ups now; why do they still act like children with no seriousness?

But days like this were truly good.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded and said: "Good. You prepare quickly. Distribute the Divine Machine Crossbows to the archers at the fastest speed, relying on Miss Zhang to train them well. The giant crossbows must also be made as soon as possible. My meaning is clear to you; rush the preparations."

Zhu Ge Yu said with a smile: "Master, rest assured. These past few days, Miss Zhang has already trained the archers to about seventy or eighty percent."

"With General Tu, Lord Lord Murong, and Wu Xiao'er, it will take shape before long."

"My formations are also nearly complete; at most a few more days and they will be fully perfected. After the New Year, we will basically be ready, only waiting for the people of Other Xi Xia to come knocking!"

Zhu Ge Yu's eyes burned with a war spirit of certain victory. Jiang Jiang Mingyu said coldly: "As long as they dare to come, Shangmu will be their place of death!"