The arrow shot like lightning, and with a bang, it embedded itself into the stake, sending wood chips flying in all directions.
Once everything settled, Jiang Jin stepped forward to inspect. A fist-sized, ruptured hole had been blasted through the thick, waist-sized wooden post.
The mechanism at the arrowhead had already been triggered and was in its "open" state, stuck in the middle—otherwise, it would have passed straight through.
But in this state, the damage it would inflict on a human body was all the greater.
She tilted her head to look behind the post, and sure enough, the wood at the back had bulged outward, surrounded by cracked grain and splinters.
She nodded in satisfaction. This was just wood—if it hit a person, the power would be...
She pulled the arrow out with effort, pressed two spots on the arrowhead, and applied a little force.
With a click, the "open" mechanism snapped shut, and there it was again—a perfectly intact arrow, reusable.
She lowered her gaze to the soil at the base of the stake. It had already loosened somewhat, a testament to the power of the Dragon Net Crossbow.
Of course, that was because the range was short—that was why the force was so great.
"How is it?" Yun Ci asked, stroking his beard.
Jiang Jin nodded. "Not bad."
"In the future, we'll need to set up a dedicated weapons zone," she said with a sigh. "The weapons workshop crammed in with the industrial area is just too small."
Especially now that they were starting to research firearms—before long, boom after boom would be echoing through the place.
Yun Ci asked curiously, "Where does your lordship have in mind to build it?"
Jiang Jin shook her head. "Haven't decided yet."
Yun Ci didn't press the issue. "I'll start tuning the Dragon Net Crossbow as soon as possible, just as you've instructed."
Jiang Jin reassured him, "No rush. We already have the Dragon Feather Crossbow."
Yun Ci shook his head. "Next year is crucial. If we have the Dragon Net Crossbow, our soldiers can suffer fewer casualties and kill more enemies."
Jiang Jin felt deeply gratified. "You must still take care of yourself. Delegate the tasks to the others—having you oversee things is what puts my mind at ease."
Yun Ci was moved and touched. "Rest assured, my lord, I will never let you down."
He was not only in charge of the weapons workshop but also the head of weapon research and development—a heavy responsibility.
Jiang Jin nodded. "Just keep an eye on the big picture. Especially with the gunpowder you're researching now—let the others run the experiments."
Researching gunpowder—now that was a high-risk job.
Yun Ci chuckled. "Your lordship speaks wisdom. But the core techniques—I need to understand those myself. I can't let the underlings pull the wool over my eyes."
He wanted to guard the gate for his lord and help her achieve her great cause as soon as possible.
Jiang Jin shook her head with a smile. She noticed that the people under her command were always so proactive and earnest in their work.
After leaving the weapons workshop, she returned to the county magistrate's office.
Feng Qingzhu happened to be back from Shanguan County. "My lord."
Jiang Jin nodded. "Just got back from outside?"
Feng Qingzhu gave a soft "Mm."
She furtively glanced left and right to make sure Yun Chengxuan wasn't around, then placed a few freshly made food items on the table, her voice hushed.
"My lord, please take a look—is this right?"
She had no choice. Young Master Yun was famously a big eater. If he were here, this little amount she made wouldn't even be enough for a snack for him.
Jiang Jin found it amusing. She looked down at the items on the table, her eyes landing first on the neat, square "biscuit."
She picked one up and took a bite. After a moment, she nodded. "Not bad."
During forced marches, especially when elite troops were carrying out ambush missions, food supply became a huge problem.
So she wanted to make compressed biscuits for the soldiers.
Biscuits could quickly replenish the energy the soldiers needed, were easy to carry, could be eaten anytime and anywhere, and required no fire or cooking.
Most importantly, they could be stored for a very long time.
And the main ingredients for making biscuits—flour, sugar, and oil—she had them all.
There was no leavening agent, but aeration could be achieved through methods like whipping eggs, and besides, she was making compressed biscuits, which didn't have high requirements for fluffiness. As for baking equipment, she had someone build a brick oven, which could basically meet the needs.
Feng Qingzhu's brows curved upward: "I think it tastes great too. I never imagined wheat flour could be made into something like this."
Jiang Jin nodded with a smile: "We can try more variations and make different types of biscuits. With the small amount of grain we're growing now, the biscuits can only be supplied to the military."
"But by next year, when we have more grain, we can make different flavors of biscuits to sell to the public, so the common people can taste them too."
Feng Qingzhu picked up another piece and took a bite. She found that eating these was addictive: "Mm, I'll have the food workshop do more experimenting, along with the bread and pastries you mentioned earlier."
Jiang Jin was quite satisfied with her diligence and spirit of inquiry: "Keep adjusting the recipes, and you'll get unexpected results."
"However, biscuits also need good packaging to be preserved for a long time. See if you can make the oil paper completely airtight."
At this point in time, the technology wasn't advanced enough to make completely sealed packaging bags, so oil paper was the only option.
Feng Qingzhu thought for a moment: "That's somewhat difficult."
Jiang Jin didn't push it: "Then make some large pottery jars and glass jars, wrap the biscuits in oil paper, and seal them inside those. Take them out when needed."
She then looked at the other kinds of food.
There were milk candy pieces made with goat's milk, sweet potato vermicelli made from sweet potatoes, rice noodles made from rice, and wheat noodles made from wheat—all of them were processed a second time into durable, long-lasting, and easy-to-handle foods.
In Ying Commandery, Wei Qinghuai finally received a reply. It still didn't include a specific address, only telling them to make preparations and that someone would come to fetch them in the spring of next year. At the same time, tucked inside the letter was a note from Meng Chong addressed to the Meng family.
Liu Lanniang patted her chest: "As long as they're all alive, that's good enough."
Wei Qinghuai also let out a rare relaxed smile: "Great. With Brother Meng Chong there, my older sister is definitely safe."
Liu Lanniang gave him a reproachful look: "Alright, hurry up and go deliver this good news to the Meng family."
When Old Master Meng received the note, he was overcome with emotion. He never expected that his eldest legitimate grandson was truly still alive. Though he was disappointed in this grandson, he was still a child he had watched grow up and had placed great hopes upon, so he couldn't truly bring himself to hate him.
The note was small, and it only said that he was well, living in a very good place, and if the Meng family was willing, they too could come to where he was.
Chen Zuilan wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and looked at Wei Qinghuai: "Did your older sister say when they'll set out and how they'll arrange the journey?"
Regardless of what the others chose, she was going.
Wei Qinghuai shook his head: "She didn't say. She only said that if you all decide to go, then you can travel together with us at that time. They'll notify us of the specific timing in advance."
Meng Zishan nodded: "We appreciate your help."
Wei Qinghuai quickly waved his hand: "No trouble at all, no trouble. It's what a younger generation member should do."
They talked a bit more before Wei Qinghuai took his leave.
The hall fell into silence for a moment.
Everyone turned their eyes to Meng Zishan, waiting for him to make a decision.
After a long silence, Meng Zishan looked at those present: "What do you all think?"
Seeing that no one spoke, Chen Zuilan grew anxious and gently tugged at the sleeve of her husband, Meng Rong.
Meng Rong sighed inwardly, his expression serious: "I want to go."
Chen Zuilan followed up: "Our whole family wants to go."
