Black Pine Territory (7)

Shang Ye shook his head. "The army of Black Pine Territory is too arrogant. They are still using the old tactics. Do they really think we won't be able to guard against their night raids? Tonight, let me see for myself the renowned Black Forest Infantry of Black Pine Territory!"

After saying this, Shang Ye stood up, picked up his sword, and walked out of the tent.

Shang Ye arrived at a watchtower located on the edge of the camp. This watchtower was directly opposite the Black Forest and was one of the four watchtowers mentioned by the Night Owl Platoon of Black Pine Territory.

Shang Ye climbed to the top of the watchtower, where two soldiers immediately saluted him and said, "Greetings, Detachment Commander."

Shang Ye returned their greeting, saying, "You've worked hard tonight."

Shang Ye stood atop the tower and gazed towards the Black Forest. The nearly 15-meter-high wooden tower offered an excellent view; even though it was early morning, the Black Forest could still be seen in the distance by the moonlight and starlight.

Shang Ye said to the soldier who had climbed to the top of the tower with him, "They didn't discover our setup, did they?"

"Detachment Commander, please rest assured, the country bumpkins in Black Pine Territory have never seen anything like these things."

Upon hearing this, Shang Ye shook his head and continued looking towards the Black Forest. He saw several lights shining towards the camp from the forest about four or five hundred meters away.

Looking at the lights, Shang Ye muttered to himself, "The master craftsmen of the territory's Arms Factory are indeed not to be underestimated. They actually came up with the idea of using mirrors to reflect light and set up warning signals to guard against enemy night attacks."

Shang Ye couldn't help but recall the scene when the master craftsman Makarov found him that afternoon.

"Detachment Commander Shang Ye, I heard from Regimental Commander Santos that your squad will be in charge of the defense tonight."

"It's Master Makarov. Yes, I volunteered for this mission. As you know, our squad has just completed its re-equipment. Everyone is now equipped with the new half-body armor and swords and shields from the Arms Factory, which are perfect for fighting in the forest."

"Oh, I know that half-body armor. It was designed and made by Boris and his group. Although the main body is plate armor, it has been made lightweight. The arm armor is made of plate armor. The total weight is only 15 pounds, which is very suitable for light infantry. It has a good defensive effect against arrows and swords."

Shang Ye touched his armor and said to Makarov, "Indeed, this is the first time I've seen armor that is so lightweight yet has such good defensive capabilities. It's even better than the bark armor from the Iron Birch Territory."

"By the way, Master Makarov, what brings you here?"

Makarov nodded. "I do have something to discuss with you. I came to the front lines with Santos to test my new masterpiece. Your unit is in charge of the first battle, so let my weapon be tested alongside you!"

Shang Ye readily agreed, "Master Makarov, could you please introduce your masterpiece to me? I would like to learn about its performance and how to use it."

"Of course, I'm all ready. Just follow me." Makarov led Shang Ye directly to an open space in the camp. In the middle of the open space were many small carts, their cargo boxes covered with cloth.

Makarov lifted the cloth covering a cart, revealing a crossbow about one meter long. The main body of the crossbow was rectangular, and the crossbow body was made of metal, with a length of about 80 centimeters.

A pair of reverse-curving composite bow arms extend from the front two sides. The bow arms are made of cow horn and Iron Birch Wood, and the ends are connected by tough Ironvine.

The crossbow has a metal box on top, which contains a large number of short arrows.

There's a lever at the back of the crossbow, but I don't know what it's for.

Compared to a normal crossbow, this crossbow is obviously very heavy and not suitable for single-person use, but compared to Bed Crossbow, this crossbow is too small.

Looking at the weapon that resembled Bed Crossbow, Shang Ye asked curiously, "Master Makarov, may I ask what kind of weapon this is?"

Makarov raised his head slightly, his chin and neck forming a 45-degree angle, and panted heavily as he said, "This is called Repeating Crossbow. It was conceived by the Viscount and designed by me. It is an absolute weapon of mass destruction."

"Oh, how long is its range? This arrow is a bit short, how good is its armor-piercing ability?" Shang Ye asked curiously.

Makarov instantly broke out in a cold sweat. "This Repeating Crossbow... you can't compare it to a normal crossbow, um... their functions are different. My Repeating Crossbow... its range is a bit shorter, and its power is a bit weaker. But its biggest advantage is that it can fire continuously, forming a sustained firepower. Look at this quiver, it can hold 30 arrows at a time, and it only takes a little over a minute to fire them all."

Shang Ye clapped his hands and said, "That's amazing! Even the best repeating arrow archer can only fire a maximum of 10 arrows per minute. This repeating Repeating Crossbow is incredible, but what is its range and how powerful is it?"

Makarov was dejected, his hooked nose drooping. "Its range is only 60 meters. Within 30 meters, it can penetrate two layers of leather armor made of cowhide, and within 20 meters, it can penetrate iron-inlaid leather armor. That's all it can do for now."

Despite the large amount of steel used, it is very light, weighing only about 30 kilograms, which can be carried by one person. A box of iron arrows weighs only 6 kilograms. Two people can be responsible for one Repeating Crossbow, which can carry 5 boxes of arrows and fire 150 times in a row.

This isn't even the limit, because it uses springs and levers to provide the pulling force, unlike ordinary Bed Crossbow which wear down the bowstring as much. During our testing, it could fire up to 430 shots in a single burst.

Shang Ye stroked his chin and said, "The power is indeed a bit low, but it is very suitable for jungle warfare. If all the crossbowmen are replaced with this repeating Repeating Crossbow, three to four Repeating Crossbow can be equivalent to a squad."

"Alright, Master Makarov, give me all the Repeating Crossbow. I'm sure I'll need them tonight. Also, could you please send someone to my crossbow unit to teach them how to use them?"

Makarov was overjoyed to hear Shang Ye's words and quickly patted his chest to assure him, "Don't worry, I brought 50 of these Repeating Crossbow this time, along with 300 boxes of arrows and short arrows for reloading. That's more than enough for you. Plus, they're very easy to operate and you'll get the hang of them quickly."

"Then I'll leave it to you."

"By the way, Shang Ye, since you're willing to cooperate with me on the test, let me do you another favor. How do you plan to set up the cordon and sentry posts?"

Shang Ye was puzzled as to why Makarov asked this question, "It's very simple. Just a watchtower, some hidden sentries in the woods, and a perimeter cordon with bells. That's enough."

Upon hearing this, Makolov shook his head. "That won't do. We can't defend against the Night Owl Platoon of Black Pine Territory."

I'm from the Northlands, so I know a bit about Black Pine Territory. They have an elite scouting squad that can always find the enemy quickly in the Black Forest without being detected. This squad is called Night Owl.

Seeing Makarov's serious expression, Shang Ye knew that the master craftsman was not exaggerating, so he asked directly, "If you have any good ideas, just tell me."

"It's very simple. I brought a batch of mirrors, which should come in handy here."

I will set up these mirrors about 500 meters away from the camp in the Black Forest, calculating the angle in advance so that they can reflect the moonlight at night.

These mirrors are small, and if placed in the right locations, they are very difficult for the enemy to spot.

The mirrors will reflect light into the camp; you can then observe the brightness of the reflected light to determine if there are enemies.

Shang Ye instantly understood Makarov's meaning and greatly admired his ingenious idea. "Then I'll trouble you, Master Makarov."

"Leave it to me!"