Chapter 676: Chapter 448: The Plan
The whole family gathered around the table, watching Wei Ziang take things out of the box.
They are quite small, with strings resembling those of a bow and arrow.
Xue looked on with curiosity, asking, "Ziang, what are these?"
There were many of them, but she didn’t recognize them or know what they were.
Jiang Yu picked up one, being more knowledgeable even if he only read about it in books: "Could this be the sleeve arrow mentioned in the books?"
He said this while trying to put it on his wrist, but after attempting, he couldn’t quite figure it out.
"You’re right, big brother, that’s exactly it."
Wei Ziang helped him wear it, and then took a few small iron needles from the side, installing four of them.
Since he was worried they might not know how to use it properly and accidentally hurt someone, he hadn’t installed the iron needles yet.
With a soft strap tied around his wrist, Wei Ziang asked everyone to stand aside and signaled Jiang Yu to raise his hand.
"Big brother, normally, this remains lowered, and no matter how you handle it, the sleeve arrow won’t shoot."
"But once the string is set, you simply need to aim, and then use your wrist to push down forcefully."
As he spoke, two ’whoosh whoosh’ sounds were heard, and the two iron needles gleaming coldly shot into the opposite pillar, penetrating about half an inch into the hard wood.
Everyone exclaimed, "Wow, it’s amazing!"
Wei Ziang smiled and continued explaining, "These sleeve arrows have relatively low power, only able to fire two iron needles at a time, and the string can be loaded for two consecutive shots."
"Although the attack isn’t exceptionally powerful, with regular practice, should danger arise in the future, you’ll at least have some means of self-defense."
"Oh, and here are replacement strings and needles..."
Wei Ziang then taught everyone how to replace and wear these sleeve arrows. They’re quite compact, and when worn on the wrist, they’re completely inconspicuous and don’t affect movement.
Of course, there’s no need to wear them every day, especially since both he and Xiaomi stay at home, and there are five hundred guards around, so safety isn’t a concern.
But as Wei Ziang said, even if they don’t wear them daily, it’s crucial to know how to use them. During this period, he encouraged everyone to practice aiming more.
Besides this, each person also received a small dagger, each uniquely crafted with special patterns.
These are the fruits of Wei Ziang’s labor over the past few months, including the sleeve arrow strings made with wolf sinew from wolves he hunted in the plains after taking leave from General Song.
He had a large supply of arrow strings and iron needles, ready for everyone to replace as needed.
Moreover, all these items were carefully crafted by him, transforming ordinary iron ore through repeated refining into quality steel before making these items.
And whether it’s sleeve arrows or daggers, he made two extra sets, gifting one to General Song of Lishi City and one to Commander Yang of Anning Village.
Having been taught by several masters, though his learning time was short, he made up for it with diligence, steadiness, and strength, never shying away from hard work.
Even after just half a year, his craftsmanship already surpasses what the average person might not achieve in several years.
Especially with rare quality steel, such quality items were gladly accepted by the two.
Three days after Wei Ziang returned home, everyone’s enthusiasm somewhat diminished.
However, several targets were now on one side of the courtyard wall, where everyone daily found a safe spot to practice with the sleeve arrows.
According to Wei Ziang, one should be able to aim at stationary objects, moving targets, and still hit accurately while moving themselves.
With plenty of iron needles and arrow strings available, everyone practiced freely without worrying about waste.
Not just the sisters, even Jiang Hu and their second mother diligently practiced.
Although, truth be told, nobody knew why they were practicing.
They just thought it would be wasteful not to appreciate Wei Ziang’s good intentions.
However, Wei Ziang and Xiaomi themselves didn’t need such rigorous practice; they had honed their hunting skills to perfection, identifying sounds and locations.
They only needed a bit of practice to quickly master it.
And now, finally, Xiaomi had time to chat with Wei Ziang.
"Big brother, what got you into making sleeve arrows, and why make so many?"
A set for each person wasn’t easy to produce. Making these things was particularly taxing, with all the small parts to assemble.
"Well, after the binoculars were completed, the masters were incredibly happy and excited, wanting to teach me some real skills. And it just so happened I thought of sleeve arrows."
At that moment, the two were on horseback, strolling outside. The mountains here were large but relatively flat, making a horseback ride much more comfortable than walking.
"However, they mention that sleeve arrows can be crafted more simply, joined forces to study and instruct me, even taking the blueprints."
Wei Ziang said this with a wry smile. The masters had real skills; whether it was fame or expertise in weapons manufacturing, they were top-tier professionals.
But the more skilled they were, the greater interest they had in exploring new weapon designs.
Not only did they take the sleeve arrow designs, but once they became familiar with everyone, they even borrowed the Mitsubishi Military Dagger designs for a few days of research.
It’s likely not long before these blades become popular in the post-Dawn Empire’s military.
Xiaomi, recalling, had a sudden realization: "Big brother, did you dismantle two sleeve arrows from the spatial dimension?"
Wei Ziang nodded: "Xiaomi, those weapons are indeed more refined and simplified than most we’ve made."
"True, as they have been researched for thousands of years longer." This needed to be acknowledged.
"By the way, big brother, didn’t you say you’d retire from service next year? How’s your research on the musket going?"
When he first enlisted, he mentioned serving only five years, and according to the timeline, by April next year, he should leave and return to Cheng County, allowing their second sister and Ze to marry.
They were of considerable age and if not for waiting for Wei Ziang, likely would’ve married right after Xiaoxue’s coming of age ceremony.
Speaking of this, Wei Ziang hesitated for a moment.
Xiaomi immediately knew he had considerations.
"What’s wrong, big brother, are you thinking of staying a few more years?"
Since they’d return to Anning Village afterward, staying a few more years wouldn’t really be a problem.
However, Wei Ziang nodded, and then quickly shook his head, leaving Xiaomi puzzled about what he truly meant.
Wei Ziang realized his ambiguous response, quickly explaining.
"My thoughts are, even though my military rank isn’t high, being a young general is enough, but that’s not urgent right now."
"Next year, I want to stay in the military, mainly to learn more about crafting techniques from the masters, and, Xiaomi, don’t you think it’s easier for a group to study the musket compared to me fumbling around alone?"