Chapter 97

Outside the village of He Wan, a crowd of no less than a hundred people gathered at the training ground, all eyes fixed on the scene, eagerly awaiting an important competition to unfold.

Fifty paces away, the soldiers had set up ten hardwood targets.

Qiaofu and Zhang Feng, accompanied by the cheers of the soldiers, walked to the shooting line. Qiaofu still held his usual bow and arrow. After rigorous training and battles, his archery skills had greatly improved, and he could easily draw a stone bow to its full extent.

Today, he was particularly confident, standing tall and proud.

"Brother Feng, you know my archery skills. Fifty paces is a piece of cake. You might as well admit defeat!" Qiaofu said.

Zhang Feng smiled slightly, raising the black musket in his hand high and said, "Qiaofu, you'd better open your eyes wide and see the power of the musket!"

The two immediately started competing. Without a word, Qiaofu drew an arrow and let it fly with a swoosh, hitting the bullseye. The archers cheered and clapped, celebrating the opening victory.

Zhang Feng, however, seemed oblivious to the cheers, calmly loading the gunpowder, pressing it down, inserting the bullet, and attaching the match. Finally, he aimed and pulled the trigger. Amidst the crowd's anticipation, there was a loud boom, and a puff of white smoke rose as a three-ounce lead ball hit the target.

"Brother Feng, your aim is pretty good, but you're too slow. Let me show you!" Qiaofu drew out several arrows in quick succession, shooting four of them, all hitting the targets. After finishing, he raised his eyebrows triumphantly. By then, Zhang Feng had only fired his second shot.

The archers, who were all Qiaofu's loyal fans, cheered continuously, as if the outcome was already decided. In fact, this competition was of great importance. Since Old Zhao joined, Zhang Ke's intentions were clear: to develop muskets. He even proposed five key weapons to be manufactured: muskets, waist knives, long spears, shields, and armor. Bows and arrows were not on the list, and Qiaofu was naturally不服气 (unconvinced).

Many people shared Qiaofu's thoughts, lacking confidence in the muskets. Zhang Ke decided to hold this competition to convince everyone.

The musket Zhang Feng used was made by Old Zhao and his team over half a month. To speed up the process, three craftsmen worked in shifts, day and night, otherwise, just the gun barrel would take a month.

When the competition began, Old Zhao and the craftsmen watched with bated breath, fearing any mistakes.

Compared to their tension, Zhang Ke was much more relaxed, patiently waiting for his brother to shoot. After about five minutes, Zhang Feng finally loaded the last shot.

He smiled, "Qiaofu, watch closely!"

Bang!

A thick cloud of smoke rose, and with a loud crack, everyone's eyes widened, and their mouths gaped open as they stared at the targets.

"Ah! How could this be?"

Qiaofu was the most shocked. He ran to the targets and found that out of ten, only nine remained. The last one was shattered into pieces, with the charred wood still smoking.

Qiaofu quickly picked up a piece of wood, as if he had seen a ghost.

"This, this, this power is too terrifying!"

Zhang Ke and Zhang Feng walked over, and Zhang Ke personally examined each target. Zhang Feng, seeing Qiaofu's shocked expression, couldn't help but laugh, "For the last shot, I added 20% more gunpowder. Master Zhao's skills are truly remarkable; even with the extra powder, the barrel didn't burst. It's really impressive."

Qiaofu, hearing this, clung to the hope like a lifeline and said, "Brother Feng, you mean it was only because you added more gunpowder? If you hadn't added it..."

"Even without it, it's still better than a bow and arrow!" Zhang Ke pointed to the other four targets and said, "Look, these targets, though not shattered, are embedded one to two inches deep into the wood, with cracks. Imagine what it would do to a human body."

Wu Boyan laughed, "Sir, not to mention a human body, even with three layers of armor, it might not be able to stop it. Our squad is willing to use muskets first, please grant us the permission!"

Hearing Wu Boyan's request, Yue Zixuan, Ma Rufeng, and others also clamored.

Seeing his friends' eager expressions, Qiaofu rolled his eyes in frustration.

"Hey, hey, hey, my bow and arrow are not bad either. I hit all the bullseyes, and my aim is much better than Brother Feng's!"

Zhang Ke laughed, "Qiaofu, when preparing for thousands of people, what is the most important thing to consider?"

"Um..." Qiaofu scratched his head, "I don't know."

"Four words: simple and brutal!" Zhang Ke laughed, "Making a musket takes a month and costs three taels of silver. Making a fine bow takes two to three years, and just the best cow horn costs about the same as a cow. Training an archer takes three to five years, while training a musketeer takes only three to five months. Most importantly, the musket's killing power can shatter wood, and no matter where it hits a person, it will ensure they lose their fighting ability or even die. Accuracy is not as important. With so many advantages, why not equip muskets?"

Qiaofu frowned, still unconvinced, "Brother Ke, muskets are much slower than bows. I can shoot three arrows before you can fire once!"

Zhang Feng laughed, "That's true, it's a weakness of the musket, but it can be compensated for with three-stage firing. Musket soldiers take turns shooting, and the bullets are continuous, increasing the killing power!"

After hearing the explanation, Qiaofu was stunned, and after a moment, he suddenly squatted down, clutching his head in pain, wailing.

"I can't live like this! Brother Ke, why didn't you tell me earlier? I've practiced archery for five or six years, and now it's all for nothing!"

Seeing Qiaof's dejected state, everyone shook their heads helplessly.

Zhang Ke couldn't help but laugh, "Qiaofu, bows still have the advantages of speed and accuracy. Muskets only show their power in a well-organized formation. The night watch will still use bows, but in smaller numbers. I'll try to get more from the court, so don't worry, archers won't be phased out!"

Qiaofu's fragile heart was finally comforted, and this competition unified the thoughts of everyone in Daqing Fort, deciding to equip muskets.

Old Zhao, who had recovered, immediately began recruiting more craftsmen, preparing tools, and planning to mass-produce muskets.

As they were busy, Zhang Ke called Zhang Feng over and said, "Brother, the training of musketeers will largely depend on you!"

"Sure thing!" Zhang Feng agreed, but then scratched his head and said, "I heard that Lord Wang sent three letters, asking me to go to Guangning!"

"Not three, but four!" Zhang Ke smiled, taking a letter from his desk and waving it in front of Zhang Feng, "Brother, Lord Wang values you so much, what do you think?"

"What can I think? I'll follow your lead, whatever you say, I'll do it!"

Zhang Ke, hearing this, hurriedly waved his hands, "Brother, you're not married to me, no need to follow the three obediences and four virtues!"

"Brat, you're taking advantage of me, aren't you?"

Zhang Feng raised his fist, and Zhang Ke quickly waved his hands, knowing that he had only practiced for a few days and was no match for his brother.

"Brother, I didn't mean it, I respect your opinion."

Zhang Feng sat down and thought for a moment before saying, "Brother, the garrison has to manage both the military and the civilians, it's a mess. It's better to be in the front lines. The situation in Shenyang is still unsettled. Lord Wang asking me to be the deputy commander of Guangning might be an opportunity!"

Zhang Ke nodded, "It is an opportunity, and I support you going!"

Zhang Feng's eyes lit up, "When should I go? Should I leave immediately?"

"Don't be in a hurry."

Zhang Feng smiled, "Brother, I'm just afraid someone else will take the position!"

Zhang Ke laughed, "Brother, you're too honest. If Lord Wang had other capable people, would he keep sending letters? Don't worry, wait two months, and we'll have some musketeers trained. When Lord Wang's promised supplies arrive, I'll let you go."

Zhang Feng nodded, Daqing Fort was his brother's base, and as the elder brother, he had to do his best. He would have to work harder to train the soldiers.

Suddenly, Zhang Feng frowned, "Brother, what did you say Lord Wang promised?"

Oh no, Zhang Ke wished he could slap himself for not keeping his mouth shut!

"Brother, the Spring and Autumn sword technique requires hard practice. I think you should practice for two more hours each day, and cut down two thousand more tree stumps..."

Zhang Ke's legs went weak, almost falling to the ground.

"Brother, let's be honest. I made a deal with Wang Huazhen. You go to Guangning to serve, and he will provide Daqing Fort with three hundred sets of armor, five hundred pack horses, one hundred barrels of gunpowder, twenty tiger crouch cannons, and two thousand dan of grain."

Zhang Feng, hearing this, blinked and laughed, "Brother, you have a big appetite, asking for so much. You're really something!"

After praising him, Zhang Feng suddenly realized and became furious.

"Good for you, Brother, using me to get things. You agreed to such a small deal, I'll beat you to death! I'm priceless!"

...

After the Lantern Festival, the weather gradually warmed up, and the ice on the walls of He Wan village began to melt. By noon, large chunks of ice fell from the walls with loud thuds, and the people, who had just enjoyed a comfortable New Year, were once again on edge.

Fortunately, everyone knew that the defense commissioner would not abandon them. Indeed, within three days, Zhang Ke personally led the soldiers to help the people relocate. They were divided into three groups: three hundred to Daqing Fort, five hundred to Zhenyi Fort, and two hundred and sixty to Shuangshan Platform.

"Don't worry, everyone. When spring comes, we'll rebuild He Wan village, and you can all move back!"

Zhang Ke was busy helping the people relocate when a rider suddenly galloped towards Daqing Fort. The soldier on the horse had two arrows in his back, and his clothes were stained with blood.

"Lord Zhang, it's bad, the armor and cannons have been raided!" The soldier then collapsed weakly.

...