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The young King watched for a while, then personally pushed a single-wheel cart to try it out.
The manufacture of wood-rimmed wheels with nails was a technical task that not only required specific wood but also demanded skilled craftsmanship. With the current level of production for single-wheel carts, they could only be used on the flat fields surrounding the lake region. As soon as the terrain became slightly undulating, or the area became thick with tree roots, the carts would quickly fall apart.
After trying it for a moment, Xiulote nodded slightly, indicating that the quality was acceptable. He looked at the Head Warrior.
"Bertade, reward the craftsmen who made the single-wheel carts and encourage them to further research reinforcement... Moreover, where are the bronze agricultural tools that I requested?"
"At your command! Your Highness, the bronze agricultural tools are not here, but in the final manufacturing center."
Xiulote hummed in acknowledgment and continued forward. Following closely behind him was the center for manufacturing military equipment.
This was a military stronghold guarded by hundreds of Samurai, with over a thousand craftsmen busy at work. Divided into different groups, they were making Longbows, War Clubs, Copper Spears, shields, Cotton Armor, and Wooden Helmets. The military equipment center once supplied tens of thousands of soldiers from the Tarasco Royal Legion and had the largest number of craftsmen, concentrating the most talented master craftsmen.
After walking for a while, Xiulote’s gaze sharpened, and he stopped in his tracks in front of the largest workbench.
He picked up a newly made Longbow lying before him and caressed it. The bow was smooth, made of cedar wood, and simply varnished. Noteworthy, though, was that with the string removed, the two ends of the Longbow curved significantly inward, forming an obvious arc. The main body of the bow bent away from the archer, resembling a long-used carrying pole.
Xiulote lowered his eyes slightly, and a flurry of fleeting memories surged in his heart, accompanied by flashes of war scenes. Then, he stood the Longbow upright to measure it, and the linear length of the bow was just one meter sixty-seven, more suited for combat on the battlefield. The young monarch pondered for a moment and, when he looked again at the elderly craftsman before him, his demeanor had turned authoritative.
"Recurved end on a Short Bow... Did you make this Longbow, and why design it this way?"
"Yes, this is crafted by my own hands, having modified it based on the Mexica Longbow."
The craftsman before him was in his early fifties, with an antiquated appearance. He wore a flat leather cap denoting his status, with more than ten apprentices standing with folded hands behind him, clearly a master craftsman. Upon hearing the King’s inquiry, the master craftsman respectfully bowed his head and explained in detail.
"Your Majesty, I have experimented with bow limbs of various lengths and stiffness, as well as studied the characteristics of Longbows made from different materials. This kind of small-tipped recurved Long Wooden Bow is capable of maintaining range and power while effectively shortening the length of the bow. Its shaping is slightly complex, but it does not increase difficulty, nor does it require high-quality materials.
In fact, I also have a small-tipped bow made of bamboo here. Its range is about seventy percent that of a cedar bow, and it uses slightly shorter Arrows. The bamboo bow has a bit less power, only able to damage Leather Armor within 60 steps, and injure clothed Militia within 90 steps. However, it’s very cheap to produce, allowing for rapid mass deployment, which was initially prepared for the previous... conflicts. Similarly, this type of bamboo bow is not demanding on arrows, significantly reducing arrow manufacturing costs."
The master craftsman watched the King’s expression cautiously, and carefully took out a recurved bamboo bow. Xiulote took the bow and tried it, his expression shifting immediately.
"The draw weight is about 60 pounds, even ordinary Militia can use it... Low-cost mass production, the bamboo bow, feather-light..."
The young monarch pondered thoughtfully, murmuring to himself. After a moment, he looked at the standing master craftsman before him and smiled with satisfaction.
"A very nice improvement, very useful research! Tell me your name."
"Your Majesty, I am a ’Bowyer’ from Prepetcha, Kundili."
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Kundili straightened up and proudly announced his title. This was a hereditary title, meaning "the person who makes bows in the tribe." It also signified the highest level among bowyers.
Hearing this, Xiulote nodded in understanding. The people of Prepetcha had a vast group of craftsmen skilled in craftsmanship, who were the first in the entire world to discover and use bronze weapons. The fact that their master craftsmen were able to study and improve longbows was not beyond the king’s expectations.
The young king pondered for a moment before making a decisive choice. He looked solemn as he spoke aloud.
"Kundili, you have improved the longbow well! From today on, you are a noble of military merit in the kingdom, conferred with a fief just like the samurai! I appoint you as the head of longbow production in the capital city and entrust you with two tasks!"
At these words, Kundili’s mouth fell open in disbelief.
Under the traditional three-level system of the Tarasco Kingdom, he would have been a craftsman for life with no chance of becoming nobility. The air around them grew still, and the other craftsmen were also full of shock. It wasn’t until the apprentice behind him quietly kicked him in the rear that he finally knelt down to worship the king of the fief.
"Your Majesty, thank you for your conferment, I will serve you unto death!" 𝚗ovp𝚞b.𝚌om
"Serving unto death is unnecessary. You must keep yourself useful, using your wisdom and experience to further refine the longbow!"
Xiulote gave a faint smile. By now, he was accustomed to people willing to die for him, and such declarations hardly stirred him anymore.
"Kundili, you have two tasks. The first is to research the new style of greatbow with a compound bow body! It must have a shorter body and greater force. Since you have already crafted longbows from fir and bamboo separately, you surely have a deep understanding of these two materials. Therefore, start with the bamboo-wood composite bow! You can use bamboo and wood laminated together, bonded with cornash paste to make a double-layered bow body... You figure out the specific process! Someone will later give you some brief hints to use as a reference."
Xiulote’s expression was serious, not revealing too much. Regarding the production of composite bows, he had only fragmented memories and simply put forth suggestions for these true master craftsmen to refer to.
"The second task is to determine the standard design of this individual bamboo bow, its service life, and the arrows used! Then I will assign a trusted aide to assist you in organizing manpower for mass production. I want this type of bamboo bow to be extensively equipped. The lower the cost, the better, as long as it can threaten a samurai within 60 steps!"
Xiulote extended his hand and tousled the other’s hair. Kundili’s eyes immediately shone. He bowed to the ground, again respectfully acknowledging the commission. The faces of the craftsmen behind him clearly showed envy.
Seeing this, the young king nodded and looked around before speaking out loud once more.
"By the name of the king, I declare: The Alliance will adopt new policies, different from the old Tarasco system! All craftsmen, regardless of origin, as long as they can focus on their work and produce high-quality equipment consistently and steadily; saving manpower and materials, improving on existing production; or even further, developing more efficient new tools... The Alliance will not stint, rewarding generously with cotton fabric, gold and silver, land, and even nobility!"
The king’s voice carried far and wide, echoing throughout the grand camp of craftsmen. They knelt down, letting out a chorus of surprised murmurs. Then, a low buzz of discussion spread through the camp like the humming of bees. Even the samurai responsible for defense revealed a look of perplexity and aspiration on their faces. However, after the western conquest, the king had already acquired ample authority to suppress any dissent, ensuring his will was completely implemented!
Xiulote turned his head and gave a couple of brief orders, and immediately a trusted aide brought paper and pen to write a notice filled with diagrams and text, before pinning it up at the center of the craftsman camp.
The supreme king stretched out his finger, pointing out the direction to his followers. They explored forward, but the king’s footsteps did not linger, for he had much more to do.
Xiulote glanced back at Kundili, who was still kneeling, and then proceeded with his trusted aides to the innermost area. There lay the kingdom’s secret workshop, the center of bronze production.
