They Were All Dumbstruck

Li Quan nodded and soon brought over a pair of binoculars.

"Brother Li, take a look at the sea through these. While you're looking, turn this..." Tang Wen said. Li Liao curiously put his eyes to them, and Tang Wen guided him hand over hand.

"Amazing, simply amazing! These are much clearer than the ones the marshal uses, and they let you see farther, too," Li Liao marveled. "Wei Guang, give them a try."

"Brother-in-law, how does turning this mechanism make everything clearer and clearer? It's as if the island in the distance is walking toward me on its own. I can even see the birds on it." After looking, Wei Guang's face was full of wonder.

"Wei Guang, if you join the Tang family, I'll give you a pair," Tang Wen said with a smile.

"Uh... ah..." Wei Guang glanced at his brother-in-law and sighed in disappointment.

"Master, dinner is ready!" Zhan Junru called from a distance just then.

"Let's eat, let's eat," Tang Wen said with a smile, and the group entered the dining hall.

At once, they were astonished all over again.

Once the dishes were served, they ate while nodding repeatedly in approval.

Although the Chu Kingdom had fine cuisine, the vast majority of people could not afford it.

These ordinary dishes seasoned with MSG and chicken bouillon, however, almost had Li Liao and his companions swallowing their tongues.

"This Lord Tang really does have powers that reach the heavens," Wei Guang said as he ate.

"Look how well the Tang family's servants eat. Their food is no worse than what we used to have," Chen Fei said.

"Look at that thing overhead called an electric light. It's so bright! Even a luminous pearl isn't that bright. Absolutely miraculous."

"His lordship is showing all this off simply to get us to take the bait and stay," Li Liao said.

"Brother... brother-in-law, why don't we stay here for ten days first? It won't be too late to leave afterward," Wei Guang said.

"Wouldn't that mean falling for his trick?" Li Liao snorted.

"So what if we do? We can leave if it doesn't work out. With Constable Yang here, I'm sure they won't make things difficult for us," Chen Fei said.

"Husband, I do think this place is quite nice. We could try staying for a few days," Zhang Qin said.

"Then we'll stay ten days. I'd like to see what tricks this lord intends to play on us," Li Liao said dismissively.

"Brother Li, since you've agreed to stay for ten days, it would be a waste to spend them idle. Why not do some work for me?" Tang Wen said after dinner, once Li Liao had agreed to stay.

"Your lordship is Constable Yang's friend. If there's anything within my power, just say the word," Li Liao said with a nod.

"Come with me," Tang Wen said. Li Liao called Wei Guang and the others along, and they rode straight to the training ground.

The Special Operations Training Ground was only a dozen or so li from Crouching Dragon Lake, with a mountain between them.

Tang Wen had already ordered his men to clear a simple road. After a short ride around the hillside, they arrived to find more than two hundred personal guards training hard.

Some were diving through rings of fire, some were jumping over barrier walls, and others were crawling beneath barbed wire or practicing their shooting.

Still others were climbing assault ladders, leaping from swings, crawling through mud pits, diving underwater, scaling rocks, scrambling up trees, and rappelling from great heights...

Li Liao and his companions were all dumbstruck.

Tang Wen noticed that Li Liao's popularity was now swaying left and right in some disarray.

It swayed more violently than before, indicating a greater shift in his attitude.

"That mechanism can even shoot fire? Incredible!" Wei Guang was the first to break his silence.

"Heh, let me try that crossbow." Li Liao suddenly smiled and held out his hand to a Tang family personal guard who was aiming and practicing his crossbow shooting.

The man glanced at Tang Wen, not daring to hand Li Liao the weapon.

Tang Wen smiled. "Brother Li was once a Hundred-Household Commander in the army. He must be a crack shot. Let him open your eyes! Call everyone over."

A moment later, more than a hundred men gathered around.

Li Liao picked up the crossbow and examined it, then suddenly paused. He felt it, squeezed it, and tapped it before praising it. "A fine weapon! Your lordship, this fine crossbow seems to be made of refined iron. Even ordinary army archers aren't entitled to one.

"Only the court's Black Cavalry, the disciples of the Six Fan Gate, and its guards are entitled to have them.

"These crossbows are extremely difficult to forge, and the court's foundry produces very few each year.

"Most go to elites such as the Black Cavalry, palace guards, and bodyguards.

"Where did your lordship get these?"

"Where else could they come from? The court certainly wouldn't equip my personal guards with refined-iron crossbows like these," Tang Wen said.

"The Western Lands?" Wei Guang asked.

"Yes. These crossbows aren't made entirely of refined iron. Brother Li, have you noticed anything else different about them?" Tang Wen asked.

"I was once issued one of the Earth-Destroying Crossbows the court supplies to the Black Cavalry. They say each costs three hundred taels of silver to forge.

"But although that crossbow was small, it was particularly heavy, weighing a good ten catties or more.

"Ordinary soldiers couldn't use it at all. Even I found it particularly strenuous.

"These ones you use weigh only five or six catties. They're much lighter, but I don't know how powerful they are," Li Liao said.

"Just try it and you'll find out. But this crossbow has another special feature.

"This little cylinder on top is a telescopic sight. Close one eye and put the other up to it.

"You'll see a cross inside the cylinder. Line the target up with its center, and as long as your hand doesn't shake, you'll generally hit your mark," Tang Wen said.

"Why would I need to look through that?" Li Liao smiled proudly. Holding the short crossbow in one hand, he raised it and fired seven shots in succession, bolts whistling out. Every one struck the bull's-eye.

Tang Wen's men were dumbstruck.

"Excellent!" Li Si shouted. Applause instantly rolled out like spring thunder.

"Heh, Brother Li really is a crack shot," Tang Wen said with a smile.

"It was passable. I haven't practiced for almost half a year, so I'm a little rusty. In the past, each bolt would have struck the tail of the one before it." Li Liao looked thoroughly pleased with himself.

"Someone move the target back fifty meters!" Tang Wen suddenly called. Li Si hurried over and moved it back.

"Brother Li, try again," Tang Wen said.

"That's too far. A short crossbow like this can shoot thirty-odd meters at most. It certainly won't hit anything sixty or seventy meters away." Li Liao shook his head.

"Could your lordship perhaps hit a target seventy meters away?" Wei Guang raised an eyebrow, his tone faintly mocking.

"Tang Jun, you try!" Tang Wen said. Tang Jun cupped his fist, picked up the crossbow, loaded a bolt, and put his eye to the telescopic sight. Whoosh!

The bolt shot out, and a moment later, Wei Guang and his companions stood frozen like wooden chickens.

"He hit it! He hit it! Right in the bull's-eye, not a hair off!" Li Si shouted.

"A crack shot! A crack shot!"

All the Tang family's personal guards burst into cheers.

Li Liao and his companions, meanwhile, looked rather uncomfortable.

Li Liao had also pierced a willow leaf at a hundred paces, but he had used a large bow and long arrows. A short crossbow lacked the range.

"Zhan Zhao, your turn!" Tang Wen called again. Zhan Zhao cupped his fist and stepped up, firing three bolts in succession. All struck the bull's-eye, drawing another round of cheers.

"Something's wrong!" Li Liao took the short crossbow again and began fiddling with it.

Then he put one eye to the telescopic sight and stared through it for a while. He squeezed the trigger, and the bolt shot out with a whistle.

"He hit it!" Wei Guang shouted. At once, all of Li Liao's men began cheering.

"Miraculous, absolutely miraculous! To think this little cylinder could be so useful," Li Liao exclaimed.

Of course you've never seen one. This is a miniature sniper rifle scope, Tang Wen thought with a cold chuckle.

"But that still doesn't explain it! Even if you can aim accurately, how can this short crossbow have such a long range? Even the Earth-Destroying Crossbows issued to the Black Cavalry can't hit targets that far away," Li Liao said.

"Heh, this crossbow is forged from a specially made alloy. And look, the bolts have grooves, so they spin as they fly. That makes them fly faster and farther," Tang Wen said.

"The people of the Western Lands really are clever," Li Liao sighed, stroking his beard.

"These crossbows must be expensive, right?" Chen Fei asked.

"Do you even need to ask? An Earth-Destroying Crossbow costs three hundred taels. These probably cost five hundred," Wei Guang said with an air of certainty.

"Your lordship truly has deep pockets. With one for every man in your Personal Guard Army, that's over a hundred thousand taels of silver," Li Liao marveled.

"Their swords and sabers aren't cheap either. They're all made from good fine steel. Each probably costs two or three hundred taels," Wei Guang said.

"What's that worth mentioning?" Tang Jun suddenly interjected.

"Don't tell me there's something even better?" Wei Guang looked at Tang Jun defiantly.

"Try slashing my chest with your saber," Tang Jun said.

"Slash you? Your blood would splash five paces." Wei Guang raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry. Just slash at me. If you kill me, I'll count myself unlucky. His lordship won't make trouble for you," Tang Jun said.

"Your lordship, is that true?" Wei Guang was angry now. He drew his saber with a swish.

"Of course! But don't use your full strength. Use half," Tang Wen said.

"Never mind half. Even with thirty percent of my strength, I could cut him in two!" Wei Guang sneered and raised his saber.

"Come on. Not thirty percent-use half your strength." Tang Jun thrust out his chest and settled into a horse stance.