idyllic tranquility

"Go out, don't come in without my permission."

The guards broke through the door (/window) in desperation. After entering, they were relieved to see that their general was safe and sound.But seeing the arrow tails exposed on the wooden door, Qiqi took another breath and secretly examined the "weak chicken" in their eyes.

Although they were a little worried about their own generals, they did not dare to disobey Xiao Zhi's orders, and they finally withdrew.

"Here, you heard me too. They called me general. Since I am a general, the help to kill the enemy is what I need most. Hidden weapons like the hidden arrows are not the right way, and they are very limited to me!"

On the one hand, although He Ning's improved sleeve arrow moved Xiao Zhi's heart, it is of little importance to him; How far can it be done.

"How about a crossbow with a range of 150 steps?"

Thinking of the recurve compound bow at home that took him more than two years to make, He Ning is still very confident, no matter in terms of material selection or production steps, he has been striving for perfection.I specially selected yellow birch to dry, fish fat to make glue, and bought ox horns.Dissect the stem of the bow in winter, repair the horns in spring, repair the tendons in summer, gather all the materials in autumn, put the arms of the bow in the bow box to shape them in cold winter, and repair the appearance in severe winter.

The quality of the two bows produced is much better than that used by Uncle He for hunting.But, after all, Uncle He is just a hunter, and the quality of the bows he uses is definitely not as good as military ones.

He Ning actually doesn't know how far the world's most advanced bow-making skills have developed, but this bow was very good even in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and it shouldn't be considered bad in this era!He Ning originally planned to test it out, but the light in Xiao Zhi's eyes reassured him a lot.

"Can it be mass-produced?"

If a good bow and arrow is expensive to make and takes a long time, it is difficult to mass-produce it, so it can only be used by generals or second-generation officials with status.But if it can be mass-produced and equipped with the army, the meaning will be completely different.

"Yes." Although the production process of the recurve compound bow is very particular, as long as the manpower and material resources are guaranteed, the parts in each procedure can actually be mass-produced.

"Oh, if what you're telling is the truth, then I can not only save your life, but also get you gold and silver fields. But the question is, how can I be sure that your bow is really as capable as you say?"

The bow in He Ning's mouth is very attractive to Xiao Zhi. If he can have such a skill, he can greatly increase the long-range strength of infantry and cavalry.At worst, you can use this to arm a surprise soldier to catch him by surprise.Because of this, Xiao Zhi became more cautious.

"I have a handful of finished products in my hand, right at home, and I can bring them to you right now. You will know for yourself how much it will last."

Xiao Zhi's suspicion not only did not make He Ning flustered, but instead allowed him to take this opportunity to go home and report his safety.It was already dawn, and his father who was far away in Yiyang City must have noticed that he was missing.Moreover, he is not sure when he will be able to go home now, and if he doesn't find a chance to report his safety, the family will go crazy.

However, he had already performed extraordinary in front of Xiao Zhi, so how could Xiao Zhi, who didn't want to let the news out, let him go back to get it at ease?

"You don't have to worry about that, just tell me where the collection is, and I will send someone to pick it up." And he took it calmly.

"...I can tell you where I hid, but you must at least report to my family that it is safe, otherwise, my disappearance will become a big issue, and it will not be beneficial to you!"

He Ning's words made Xiao Zhi think for a while, and finally made a little concession.

"Two days after we set off, I will send someone to notify your family."

"us?"

"Yes, it's us." Xiao Zhi has already planned to take He Ning with him for this operation. On the one hand, it is more reassuring to keep the uncertain factors in front of his eyes; on the other hand, "Your ability does not represent your quality." Sex, whether it is worthy of my trust, come with us, I have my own decision."

In order not to attract attention, Xiao Zhi brought only twelve people in this operation. Although the number was small, each of them was one of the best experts.And if He Ning, who has not been trained in fighting, joins, it will definitely lower the combat effectiveness of the entire team.

Regarding this point, Xiao Zhi wasn't too worried. Their purpose of this operation was to investigate rather than kill the enemy. The most important thing was to spy on intelligence while ensuring concealment, rather than real combat capabilities.As long as He Ning can keep up with the action and obey the command, his life will not be in danger, and he will not be delayed.

Xiao Zhi's plan considered all aspects, but He Ning's wishes were not considered.Perhaps in his opinion, He Ning, who was born in a farming family, was willing to risk his fortune after he had promised a fertile land of gold and silver.What's more, now he still holds the power of life and death of the other party, so the other party can't help but refuse.

He Ning also knew that it was inevitable to follow the other party, but this also meant that the two sides were more involved. When he followed the action and came back, he would be labeled as Xiao Zhi's faction and become a tool in their political struggle.This is what he is absolutely unwilling to do. What he yearns for is the life of an ordinary craftsman, not the political field where he is hesitant to see the smoke of gunpowder.

But these are all things after he can come back alive, if he can really come back safely, he will never let himself fall into such a situation!

"Okay, I'll go with you this way."

A life-and-death negotiation, it is doomed that He Ning's future life will not always be smooth.

North Lee Village, midnight.

There was a group of people who came quietly at night and then left quietly, leaving no waves on the calm lake, but hiding the future turbulence at the bottom of the lake.

On the second day, at the He family in Beili Village, it was breakfast time.

"Hey old man, before you left, didn't the boss say that you would be back yesterday, why is it so late, and you haven't seen anyone yet?" Mrs. He was worried, a little worried, and couldn't even eat breakfast.

"The boss said that he would come back yesterday at the soonest. It's normal to delay a day or two when he is away from home. Don't let it go and think about it." Uncle He said so, but somehow he felt that the imported food was gone. Taste.

"Mother, Dalang's child's heart, maybe it's because there are so many interesting things in the city, so he wants to stay for one more day." Li Qing saw that Mrs. He hadn't eaten a few mouthfuls of food, so he added a chopstick of vegetables to her bowl , also consoling in his mouth.

"That's right, Da Lang is still young, and it's time for him to be playful. The boss and Kid He Kuina love and spoil him on weekdays. This must be a waste of time for him, and maybe he will come back today." Li Qing's reassurance was right on the heart of Mrs. He. It was the first time for his grandson to go to Yiyang City. He would be much happier if he could play for an extra day.

And He An at the table didn't know what he was thinking, and he didn't hear anyone else's speech. He kept wandering away, subconsciously stirring the soup in the bowl.He didn't know what was wrong with him, and he panicked.

On this day, Mrs. He stood under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village and waited until the sun set, but she did not see the five people who had returned.

After a night of tossing and turning, the He family became very peaceful, but this tranquility revealed a seven-point fragility, as if a little unusual disturbance could easily break it.

Mrs. He finished her meal early, moved a small mat, sat firmly at the entrance of the village, and waited from sunrise to sunset.

"Ms. He, when I came back, I saw a few people in the back. They were a little far away and I didn't look carefully, but there was a figure who looked like your boss." A person from the village who came back from the market in the town walked At the entrance of the village, I saw Mrs. He waiting under the tree, and hurriedly reported a letter.

"Oh, then have you seen my grandson?" Mrs. He was so excited when she heard someone say that, she quickly got up from the pony and asked.

"Huh? I don't seem to have seen the child." As soon as the words came out, the speaker saw that Mrs. He's face changed, and hurriedly said: "Don't worry, it may be that the boy can't walk anymore and is being carried by an adult !"

Even though he persuaded him like this, the person who spoke was puzzled, as if he hadn't seen anyone behind his back?

As soon as the group of people left, Mrs. He saw a few more figures on the road leading to the village.When it got closer, Mrs. He recognized her eldest son, He Dazhu, but she couldn't see her good grandson in the crowd with her dim old eyes.Mrs. He was very disturbed, and hurried forward a little bit, but she still couldn't find her good grandson.

On the other side, on the way home, He Dazhu's eyes, which had not rested for two days and one night, were bloodshot.They have been searching in the city for two days. If there is no night ban in the city, he must go out to search even at night.But even so, they still couldn't find it, not even a little letter about He Ning.

He Dazhu was almost desperate.

The closer he was to home, the heavier He Dazhu's heart became. He didn't know how to explain to his family.How do you say, going out and losing the only grandson in the family?

Thinking of his father and mother who were getting older, He Dazhu even discussed with a few people in the same company, and first kept the old people from telling him that when He Ning passed by the town, he was left behind by friends in the town.Although this kind of rhetoric is full of loopholes, but it is only a moment to hide it for a while, he is really afraid that his father and mother will not be able to withstand such a blow.

"Boss, where's Da Lang? Where's my good grandson? Where did he go?" Until He Dazhu and his party came to the village entrance, Mrs. He still couldn't find He Ning, so she couldn't wait to ask her eldest son.

"Mother, mother... don't worry, let's go back first, Da Lang won't come back today."

"Ah? You are all back. If he doesn't come back, where can he go?"

"Mom, you know, it's in the town. Doesn't he have a friend in the town? The kid went out to play crazy. If he insists on playing in the town for another two days, we can't stop him. It's up to him."

He Dazhu was mentally and physically exhausted, but he still had to force a smile in front of his mother.All the people in the company were not in a good mood. Although they followed up to testify and helped He Dazhu persuade Mrs. He, the guilt in their eyes could not be concealed.

Everyone talked all the time, but Mrs. He had no choice but to look at the road from the village to the town again, as if her naughty grandson would suddenly pop out in the next second, and joked with her: "Grandma, I am teasing you!" , grandson, I miss you so much, I won't stay in town!"

On this day, Mrs. He was finally persuaded by everyone to go home, thinking that she would know when her grandson had enough fun.

But on the second day, Mrs. He couldn't sit still anymore, she got up early, cooked red bean cakes herself, and insisted on sending them to the town for her grandson, but was stopped by her family.In the end, he didn't go after being scolded by Uncle He who had been smoking for a whole day.

On the third day, early in the morning, He An found a hair tie on the pole of the pressurized well, and there were two words "wait, Ning" on it.This long-overdue token arrived one day later than He Ning thought, but the He family finally received it. He Ning's handwriting stabilized the emotions of the He family who had been in anxiety and grief. The matter of Yangcheng was explained to the elders.

Since then, Mrs. He has never mentioned anything about the town, but spent most of the day sitting under the big pagoda tree at the entrance of the village.