I Became a Sugar Mama to an Ancient General during a Famine! - Chapter 21 Part 1

Zhan Chengyin swung his blade, and a sharp whistling sound cut through the air…

He couldn’t help but exclaim, “What a fine blade!”

Song Duo, holding the Tang Mo dao, was reluctant to put it down. “In all my years of forging weapons, I’ve never seen such a sturdy and sharp long blade.”

Yesterday, they had used refined steel for forging. The steel was hard with a high melting point, allowing it to be crafted directly into weapons without repeated tempering.

He had thought those refined steel blades were already impressive.

But seeing these Tang Mo dao today, he realized they were far from being superior.

“Could this be a gift from the gods?” he wondered aloud. “This equipment surpasses anything in the Great Qi Kingdom by far!”

Suddenly, another thousand sets of armor materialized in the warehouse.

The armor was meticulously crafted, with two layers: an outer layer of riveted chainmail and an inner lining of cotton and wool.

Song Duo struck the armor forcefully with his scabbard.

The armor didn’t dent, showing only a slight scratch.

Ecstatic, he exclaimed, “General, this armor far outclasses what we’ve been using!”

Zhan Chengyin ran his hand over the cold surface of the armor, then drew his own sword and suddenly slashed at it.

Clang!

His sword shattered.

The armor, however, bore only a small scratch, its chain links unbroken.

Witnessing this, Song Duo burst into hearty laughter.

“General, this armor is incredible! If we had 10,000 soldiers wielding Mo dao and clad in this heavy armor, we’d fear neither the barbarians nor the other six kingdoms.”

Unfortunately, there were only a thousand sets of armor.

Each piece was forged from the hardest refined steel. In this era, other nations’ armor was still made of bronze, ceramic, iron plates, or animal hides…

No one else could produce fully steel-crafted armor.

Finally, a batch of Qin crossbows appeared.

The army already had crossbows, but these were massive. The Qin crossbow was a formidable long-range weapon, measuring 1.45 meters in length.

Song Duo had never seen such a heavy crossbow before.

Zhan Chengyin ordered, “Get some archers to test it.”

“Yes, General!”

Song Duo brought a few archers to the shooting range to test the crossbows.

Despite their strength, the archers couldn’t fully draw the crossbows.

Finally, deputy general Chen Kui, a man of impressive stature, braced his foot against the bow and used all his might to pull the string taut.

Whoosh…

The arrow pierced the air, its head flying with incredible force, moving several times faster than a regular bow arrow, emitting a sharp whistle.

“Wow…”

The gathered officers and soldiers were stunned.

The crossbow’s power was immense, its range extraordinary—shooting over 600 meters.

From atop the city walls, the range would be even greater.

These heavy crossbows were perfect for defending the city!

With 10,000 of these Qin crossbows, they could surely hold the gates!

Chen Kui, drenched in sweat from drawing the bow, asked Zhan Chengyin, “General, how many of these Qin crossbows do we have?”

Zhan Chengyin, equally impressed but aware of their scarcity, replied, “Just over a hundred!”

“That’s far too few, General. These Qin crossbows would be invaluable to our army. Could we implore the gods for more?”

Chen Kui’s words were echoed by the other soldiers.

“Indeed, General. With such formidable weapons, our army could certainly defend Zhen Guan!”

Zhan Chengyin’s expression hardened as he reprimanded them.

“You only know how to ask for more, but have you ever offered anything in return? Whether it’s grain or these Qin crossbows, the gods must procure them from outside…”

“Our city houses tens of thousands. Do you realize how much the gods spend daily to sustain us?”

Hearing this, all the soldiers looked ashamed.

They all held military positions, receiving stipends from the court for defending the city.

Especially the brothers Chen Kui and Chen Wu, who held hereditary titles and owned vast lands and wealth. But despite their riches, with the city under siege, even they couldn’t purchase grain.

The two brothers took the lead, offering up their wealth.

“General, I see my error. Upon returning home, I’ll open my treasury and offer funds to the gods, beseeching them for more Qin crossbows.”

“These crossbows are vital to our army! I, too, am willing to contribute my wealth.”

Hearing this, Zhan Chengyin smiled with satisfaction.

“Very well. I shall petition the gods for more crossbows!”

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