Chapter 3, Dusk (Part 2)

"Where can we get steel? Right now, the brothers can't even find a knife in their hands," Zhang Tang, the leader of the Tan Zhou militia, replied in a deep voice, once again interrupting Wen Tianxiang's sweet dreams. He spoke nothing but the truth; after the defeat at Kong Keng, the remnants of various troops were here, lacking both money and food. Militia like Zhang Tang's, filled with patriotic fervor, could not even gather weapons and armor made of fine iron, let alone steel. He spoke nothing but the truth; after the defeat at Kong Keng, the remnants of various troops were here, lacking both money and food. Militia like Zhang Tang's, filled with patriotic fervor, could not even gather weapons and armor made of fine iron, let alone steel.

I do not recognize this, how about you

Different times and spaces, yet history is strikingly similar, evoking tears

"This?" Liu Zijun hesitated, flipping through the drawings one by one. He did not dare to speak out against the recently awakened Prime Minister Wen, who had just come out of a frenzied state. These drawings, which indicated bizarre dimensions and materials, were still incomprehensible to him, despite having supervised military equipment for a long time.

That is a schematic diagram for the manufacture of a simple landmine. The production process of this type of landmine is extremely straightforward; it consists merely of a stone carved into a container, filled with gunpowder, and equipped with a rudimentary ignition device. During detonation, it also requires someone to specifically pull the fuse. This product is intended for militia use against the Japanese, and the Huangyadong Arsenal has only regarded such items as demonstration pieces for training technical personnel for local guerrilla forces, never having the time to produce them.

European crossbows are made with steel arms, feature a protective cover, and lack a bronze casing. They are easy to draw but difficult to fire. When combined with the trigger technology from Chinese crossbow craftsmanship, they represent a significant technological leap compared to the crossbows used during the Song Dynasty

"History is not necessarily entirely written by humans." Meanwhile, in another spacetime, in 1941, a scholar in exile on the road to the West wrote in his diary: "If relativity is fundamentally correct, then beyond a certain spacetime, there must exist similar spacetimes. Just like the different dimensions in a multidimensional function, they are similar yet not identical. If the existence of one dimension projects onto another dimension, due to the unevenness of development across dimensions, the impact on the course of history will be revolutionary. Just like the different dimensions in a multidimensional function, they are similar yet not identical. If the existence of one dimension projects onto another dimension, due to the unevenness of development across dimensions, the impact on the course of history will be revolutionary"

Wen Tianxiang suddenly felt weary and wished to fall asleep, never to awaken. There was no hope left; it seemed that everyone had probably never even read "Dream Stream Notes." In his dreams, Wen Zhong had once said in his youth that throughout history, China has had many technological inventions but few have been widely adopted. In light of the current situation, this has proven to be true.

The clamor came from afar, with smoke and dust low and chaotic. The old tree seemed startled by the howling mixed with the wind, trembling incessantly by the roadside, while the remnants of the sunset in the sky fell mercilessly, staining it with a bloody hue. A crowd of various people approached, tightly clutching their small bundles on their shoulders, which contained their entire possessions. They staggered, straining to lift their leaden legs for another step. This endless flight, perhaps no longer a mere escape, had become a habit, from the northern frontier to the southern rivers.

Other generals also gathered around, leaning over the desk, flipping through the blueprints. The famous "79" and "81" rifles designed by the Huangya Cave Armory were set aside; apart from the bayonets on top, no one could recognize the function of these items, even though Wen Tianxiang had already indicated the accessories and the proportions of each component on the blueprints, converting them into Song Dynasty measurements.

Oh, the generals suddenly realized, nodding in admiration at Xiao Zi, after all, he is someone close to the Prime Minister, and his understanding is indeed profound

Let's give it a try, after all, we will be staying in the mountains for some time, waiting for our lost brothers to come up. Taking this opportunity, we can reorganize our efforts. Wu Xishi was the first to understand Zou Chao's intention, forcing a smile and adding that as long as Wen Tianxiang wakes up, there will be hope. As for creating some mechanisms based on these blueprints, it can be considered a way to relieve the Chancellor's worries. Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, it can serve to distract Lord Wen from his grief over the loss of his wife and children.

As for when these divine weapons can truly be equipped, everyone knows there is no hope at all. The Song Dynasty's Military Equipment Bureau has long surrendered to the Northern Yuan along with the city of Lin'an; these items are merely a thought, and cannot be produced.

Is it? Wen Tianxiang felt a surge of joy in his heart, akin to a drowning person spotting a straw, and he rushed over eagerly to take the blueprint from Xiao Zi's hands

The Deputy Minister of War, Zou Ce, quietly signaled to the various generals to come forward and assist. Prime Minister Wen had just regained consciousness; even if it meant telling a lie, they needed to soothe him and prevent him from falling unconscious again, which could lead to a collapse in morale.

The moonlight slowly moved past the window, and Wen Tianxiang felt his blood gradually grow cold. In an instant, hope turned into despair, yet only one heart remained alive, stubbornly in pain.

This, we have never seen before, we are unrefined, and have read little

Upon contemplating this, a surge of ambition welled up within him. Ignoring the astonished expressions of the soldiers, he seized the drawings he had created over the past few days from the edge of the table and approached Liu Zijun, the armory supervisor.

Having just finished writing, the buzzing sound of engines echoed in the sky; the enemy's bombers were coming again. The scholar dropped his notebook, picked up his bundle, and sought refuge in the green gauze tent

Is the gap in combat effectiveness between Song soldiers and Mongolian soldiers even greater than that between the Nationalist Army and the Japanese Army

I don't know about this... Xiao Mingzhe tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to speak more quietly and not to embarrass the Chancellor too much

This, I am not familiar with either; it seems to be a stove used by families in the north. Zou Can's assistant, Li Guidan, known for his scholarly military prowess, pushed aside the blueprints handed over by Du Hu and quietly replied, "Is this related to combat?"

As we were about to ascend the mountain, a few families fleeing from their homes below sent us some heavy items that they could not take with them. Soon, I will take some people to search for them; there should be some large iron tools. I originally intended to use them to make spears for my brothers, but it would be better to borrow them first. If we can produce good crossbow bolts, we will not be helpless when encountering enemy cavalry. The Deputy Minister of War, Zou Su, said loudly, repeatedly signaling to everyone, wishing he could cover all their mouths to silence them. He sincerely wanted to test the possibility of manufacturing crossbow bolts; he did not want Wen Tianxiang to lose hope for the revival of the Song dynasty.

Xiao Zi's next words completely shattered Wen Tianxiang's dreams. "This is a fire meteor, useful for defending the city. Inside, it contains croton seeds, arsenic, and gunpowder. Once ignited, it can be thrown out with a rope. It is said to be very powerful, but has been lost for many years."

"This is a flintlock, isn't it? It doesn't shoot far, and the loading is slow. It can be used to scare horses, but in actual combat, it won't do," Xiao Mingzhe interjected. The others were all well-educated individuals, with titles and accomplishments to their names. They inherently understood little about the coarse matters of the military, let alone the even more menial crafts of the artisans.

After all, they did not share the same dream as I did, and they probably do not even know what artillery is. The Right Chancellor of the Song Dynasty smiled bitterly, wishing he could drag everyone out and have Zhao Shishang smash their heads hard. Unfortunately, Zhao Shishang is no longer here; his head still hangs on the city wall of Ganzhou.

Wen Tianxiang was certainly unaware of the stories unfolding in another dimension; what he was focused on was how to change his own fate and that of his country. In Wen Zhong's dreams, he was not only impacted by the advancements in weapon manufacturing, but more significantly, by the thoughts and military command knowledge that Wen Zhong had acquired.

At the moment he was about to collapse, he finally heard a heavenly response. The scribe Xiao Zi, holding a blueprint, exclaimed excitedly, "I recognize this; there are people who can create the Zhihé - Tù - Shū."

If one could mobilize one-third of the Eighth Route Army's combat strength, a hundred thousand troops would be sufficient to drive the Mongols back to the northern desert. Combining the scenes from his dreams with the current reality, Wen Tianxiang understood that the gap between the small-caliber rifles and aircraft artillery was far greater than the physical disparity between the Mongols and the Song people. Moreover, this physical gap could be compensated for through technology and training. A hundred years later, the same Han people, armed with primitive firearms, could also drive the Mongols back to the northern desert, and he could achieve that as well. Furthermore, this physical gap could be compensated for through technology and training. A hundred years later, the same Han people, armed with primitive firearms, could also drive the Mongols back to the northern desert, and he could achieve that as well

It seems that the Chancellor has not yet fully recovered. The defeat at Kongkeng was too devastating, and the blow was too heavy, which is why he attempted to use unconventional weapons to deal with the Northern Yuan cavalry. However, this short spear cannot be supported on the ground to form a horse-repelling formation, nor is it suitable for close combat with infantry, unless it is equipped with a special set of spear techniques.

This is an iron spear, but the blade is too long, making it prone to bending, and the spear shaft is also too short, resulting in a design that may not be practical. However, since the Chancellor has drawn it, there must be a clever use for it that we mere commoners cannot comprehend. The leader of the militia, Zhang Tang, picked up a diagram of a rifle equipped with a bayonet, carefully examining Wen Tianxiang's expression while responding earnestly.

Several refugees were knocked down, and before they could scream, they were pushed from behind by soldiers of the National Army, their military caps nowhere to be seen. The tattered flag was dragged along the road, and the dust had obscured the large white sun emblem beyond recognition. The aged veteran dragged the flag, with one foot bleeding, using the last ounce of his strength to leave a trail of blood behind him

Perhaps this could work. If a bow were made of stainless steel, it seems it would be even more powerful than the Divine Arm Bow. Moreover, we currently do not have the six materials required for bow-making. A voice emerged from the crowd, which sounded to Wen Tianxiang like a sacred chant. It was Du Hu, the scion who had accompanied Wen Tianxiang for many years, finally uncovering a drawing from a large stack of blueprints, pointing at it and saying, "m. hetushucomcom." This was a type of crossbow that Wen Zhong remembered; it was designed based on the advantages of the Qin crossbow and European crossbows while he was studying mechanical engineering at Central University. Originally intended to be produced as a hunting tool to sell to the villagers, his plans were shelved when the Japanese invaders launched a large-scale invasion. A few days ago, in a frenzy of drawing, Wen Tianxiang inadvertently sketched it as well.

Inspired by the joyful news of the Prime Minister's recovery of his senses, everyone engaged in lively discussions until late into the night before dispersing. The outcome of the discussions was that Prime Minister Wen had clarified the current predicaments faced by his department, and he fell into deep contemplation once again. Among hundreds of blueprints, Du Hu and Liu Zijun selected three potential advanced weapons that could be equipped in the distant future: the steel crossbow, the fire meteor, and the large-caliber flintlock (earth cannon). This selection was made under the repeated hints from the clerk Xiao Zi and the Deputy Minister of War Zou Chuo, who were concerned that the Prime Minister might suffer a relapse of his madness due to excessive disappointment, and thus they intentionally left face for Wen Tianxiang.

The army that claims to be the Eighth Route Army has its origins traceable to Jinggangshan, a location known to Wen Tianxiang. It is situated in the northwest of Jiangnan West Road, not far from the current location of Wuyishan's Baizhang Ridge. In the same harsh environment, while others can form an army and repeatedly defeat their opponents' encirclements, driven by the desire to liberate all of China, why can’t I?

The blueprints for the mortar were turned over, a significant invention from the Huangyadong Armory, while the blueprints for the foot-operated machine tool were set aside. Wen Tianxiang watched helplessly as the items that the armory took pride in, which had appeared in his dreams, were all piled up in the corner of the table by the generals.

The oil lamp, as small as a bean, flickers in the darkness before dawn. Beneath the lamp, there are Wen Tianxiang's unwilling eyes. Outside the tent, the morning breeze brushes through the branches, rustling, rustling, with urgent sounds that hasten the passage of time.

"Min Zhang, take a look at these; these are weapon diagrams. Do you understand them?"