"Congratulations, Your Majesty. You have obtained another peerless weapon!" Li Jing said happily.
Li Shimin also laughed. The long range of the Holy Crossbow was indeed a pleasant surprise. For a long time, the infantrymen had always been passive when facing the cavalry. There were large arcuballistas that could attack the cavalry, but they were expensive and few in number. Although they had great attacking power, it was not easy to make them. Naturally, their lethality was limited.
The Holy Crossbow that Meton offered was easy to operate and portable. More importantly, its power was not inferior to the arcuballistas. Even an ordinary soldier could threaten an experienced general with this Holy Crossbow.
"Can this crossbow be mass produced?" Li Shimin's eyes sharpened as he asked seriously.
Meton nodded and said, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. Although this crossbow uses the Mohist Mechanism Technique and is more complicated than other crossbows, I have divided it into several parts. The main part can be completed by ordinary craftsmen. Skilled craftsmen only need to make the mechanism of the crossbow. In this way, a large number of Holy Crossbows can be assembled in a short period of time. Once the parts are damaged, they can be easily replaced and repaired. If the crossbow mechanism is damaged on the battlefield, it can be repaired within 30 breaths."
"It can be repaired within 30 breaths!"
Li Shimin was delighted. An ordinary crossbow was usually one piece. Once it was damaged, the whole crossbow would be scrapped immediately. It would take time and effort to repair it. However, the parts of the Holy Crossbow could be repaired on the battlefield. Its military value was simply immeasurable.
"Your Majesty, this crossbow is of great importance. Your Majesty, please hand it over to the Ordnance Supervisor to make it." Hou Junji suddenly said.
He was the Minister of War. The Ordnance Supervisor was under his rule. With his insight, he could naturally see the value of the Holy Crossbow. Naturally, he wanted to take the credit for it.
"Meton, what do you think?" Li Shimin looked at Meton playfully and asked.
Meton immediately said without hesitation, "Minister Hou is right. The workshop in the Village of Mohist is for civilian use. Naturally, we cannot make prohibited items like the crossbow. We should hand it over to the Ordnance Supervisor."
Hou Junji was delighted. He did not expect Mo Jiazi, who had always been a thorn, to be so cooperative. Even Li Shimin could not help but show a satisfied smile.
"However," Meton paused. Hou Junji suddenly had a bad feeling.
"The mechanism is one of the reasons why the Holy Crossbow can shoot such a long range. is because of the steel material of the bowstring.......
Hou Junji frowned and said, "The steel used to make bowstrings!"
. "Meton took the Holy Crossbow from Li Shimin and handed it to Hou Junji." That's right. Everyone, please take a look. The bowstring of the Holy Crossbow is not made of hemp, silk, or cow tendon. It is made of soft steel, which was invented by the School of Mohist. That's why it is so powerful. "
Hou Junji realized that the bowstring of the Holy Crossbow was not a common bowstring. It was made of cold steel. He suddenly realized that this was the reason why the Holy Crossbow was so powerful.
"I believe that the Ordnance Supervisor can solve the problem of making soft steel. I just don't know if Marquis Merton is willing to give up the secret steel-making technique." Hou Junji turned to Meton and said coldly. Not only did he get the mechanism of the Holy Crossbow, but he also wanted the secret steel-making technique of the School of Mohist.
The secret steel-making technique was the foundation of the School of Mohist. Everyone knew that Meton's policy for the Village of Mohist was to use steel as the foundation. Hou Junji's request was extremely rude.
Li Shimin and Li Jing's expressions changed, but they did not stop Hou Junji. Although Hou Junji's request was excessive, it was related to national interests.
Meton sneered and said, "The secret steel-making technique has been around since the Spring and Autumn Period. The secret steel-making techniques include the Method of Frying Steel, the Method of Pouring Steel, and the Method of Refining Steel. The Ordnance Supervisor only used these few techniques. To be exact, I put the secret steel-making technique in front of the Ordnance Supervisor. Without the steel-making furnace of the School of Mohist, the Ordnance Supervisor could not make soft steel. If the Ordnance Supervisor rebuilt the steel-making furnace to make the Holy Crossbow, I'm afraid that the Battle of Tuyuhun would have been over. "
After the steel-making technology had developed to the level of steel-making furnaces, it was no longer something that could be easily solved by traditional secret techniques. Among them, large-scale equipment played a crucial role. Some precision equipment was even a kind of secret technique. In the era of steel-making, it was almost impossible to rely only on a secret recipe in the steel-making industry.
Hou Junji's face suddenly darkened, and he stared at Meton unkindly.
Li Shimin thought for a while and said, "The Village of Mohist will make the crossbow mechanism and the steel string of the Holy Crossbow. The Ordnance Supervisor will make the crossbow frame. Finally, the Ordnance Supervisor will build the Holy Crossbow."
Now that the attack on Tuyuhun was imminent, the Holy Crossbow was needed. The most important task now was to make as many Holy Crossbows as possible. The division of labor between the three parties was in the best interest of the Tang dynasty at present.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Meton and Hou Junji answered at the same time.
Li Shimin picked up the Holy Crossbow again and nodded with satisfaction. The combination of the crossbow and the Macedonian phalanx would definitely solve the problem of the supply line. At the same time, he felt a little regretful and said, "I thought I could find a way to restrain the cavalry. It seems that I was too impatient."
Hou Junji glanced at Meton and said unkindly, "Your Majesty, how can two legs outrun four legs? Only the cavalry can defeat the cavalry."
"No!" Li Jing shook his head and said, "Although the Macedonian policy has many shortcomings, we have found a way to restrain the cavalry."
Li Shimin thought of something and said, "Spears!"
Li Jing shook his head and said, "It doesn't have to be spears. As long as it is a long weapon, it will have an advantage against the cavalry."
The Macedonian phalanx infinitely magnified the advantage of the long weapon. It made people realize that in front of the hedgehog-like long weapon, even the most elite cavalry would be smashed and bleed.
Meton nodded in agreement and said, "General Li is right. The long weapon is indeed a way to restrain the cavalry."
Li Shimin nodded and said, "It's a pity that this phalanx can only be used for defense. The Tang dynasty still lacks a weapon that can fight against the cavalry in the field."
Meton smiled mysteriously and said, "That's wrong. In the opinion of the Minister, the Tang dynasty has a powerful long weapon that is covered in dust. If this weapon is used, it will be unstoppable. With one slash, the men and horses will be crushed."
"Unstoppable? The men and horses will be crushed. " Li Shimin suddenly opened his eyes wide. He racked his brains but could not think of such a powerful weapon in the Tang dynasty.
The generals present were also startled, and they immediately began to think of the Great Tang, but they still couldn't think of anything.
"Are you talking about the Mo sword?" Li Jing's expression changed.
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