CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER 60 BOW AND ARROW SELECTION_1

Lord Yan Xing scheduled the meeting with the Clan Leader of the Werewolf Tribe from the southern edge of Thunderous Swamp for five days later, and the entire Eternal Domain buzzed with activity in preparation for this significant event.

Only with a mix of carrots and sticks could these Werewolf Tribes be made to listen.

Steel Fang had already gone forth, bearing Yan Xing’s goodwill, to invite the Werewolf Clan Leaders.

The Eternal Domain also entered a new construction cycle, aiming to showcase the territory’s strength as much as possible.

Most of the werewolves continued digging the Moat. They didn’t expect to complete it by the time of the meeting, but they aimed to at least excavate a decent-looking ditch.

By then, the existing trench line would be dismantled. The entire barbed wire fence would be moved to the edge of the Moat, serving as the territory’s first line of defense in coordination with the Moat itself, before the walls were erected.

As a result, the core area of the Eternal Domain expanded to 300 meters by 300 meters. This would provide spacious and comfortable accommodations for the visiting Werewolf Clan Leaders and their guards.

To entertain the large number of visitors, Yan Xing specially purchased a batch of tents and living supplies, intending to show these uncouth brutes from the swamp what true extravagance looked like.

Besides digging the Moat, Yan Xing did not neglect the territory’s overall construction.

The company in the real world was operational, and the warehouse had been put to use. Thanks to an ample supply of building materials and farmers dedicated to construction, five buildings could be erected simultaneously within the territory.

The Blacksmith Shop could now forge simple weapons and tools.

After Yan Xing purchased a batch of wood from the real world, the woodworking shop also began producing furniture.

Market, bathhouse, barbershop, well...

All these were prerequisite buildings for upgrading the village-level Council Hall. Once they were built by the farmers, the village-level Council Hall could be upgraded to a town-level administrative hall.

The standard for a town-level administrative hall was a two-story building.

The second floor of the building housed the mayor’s office. The Lord could serve as mayor, or an official could be appointed by the Lord to the position.

The first floor was for everyday office work, where the town’s officials handled routine affairs such as tax collection and coordination.

The building also included a basement, which served as the town treasury, used to store conventional currency and other valuable equivalents.

The system upgrade to the town-level administrative hall required an expenditure of 2,000 God-given gold coins, along with corresponding amounts of stone and wood.

Yan Xing couldn’t come up with that many God-given gold coins.

A new week was about to begin. Merely recruiting farmers, militia, and werewolves would cost seven to eight hundred God-given gold coins, while the territory’s weekly income was only about two hundred God-given gold coins.

If no new sources of God-given gold coins were found, the territory would soon be unable to recruit personnel from the recruitment buildings.

God-given gold coins must be saved whenever possible.

At Yan Xing’s command, the original village-level Council Hall was demolished.

A larger town-level administrative hall was being constructed with accelerated effort.

Along with the town-level administrative hall, the Archer Camp and Archer Training Ground were also under construction.

The Archer Camp could provide a certain number of Archers each week for the Lord to recruit.

The Archer Training Ground could house militia for archery training; those who met the standards could be promoted from the militia ranks to become Archers through the Archer Camp.

Archers were the third-order troops of the human forces, providing important long-range support firepower on the battlefield.

However, the construction of the Archer Camp and Archer Training Ground was contingent upon possessing a town-level administrative hall.

Attempting to build them prematurely would not be recognized by the system, which naturally meant no Archers could be recruited.

But once the town-level administrative hall was certified by the system, the already constructed Archer Camp and Archer Training Ground could then be certified.

Yan Xing had done the calculations.

If he proceeded step by step, waiting for the town-level administrative hall to be certified before constructing the Archer Camp, the construction period would be delayed until the following week. If the town-level administrative hall and the Archer Camp could be certified by the system on the same day, a batch of Archers could be recruited this week, and another batch the following week.

Yan Xing’s calculations were meticulous.

He had already prepared both the armor and weapons for the Archers.

Bows are consumables.

The woodworking shop, one of the prerequisite buildings for the town-level administrative hall, could produce bows.

But bows can’t be made with just wood.

Animal horns, cow tendons, glue—many materials had to be procured. Yan Xing consulted the carpenters in the woodworking shop. They informed him that even with these materials readily available, the production time for a single bow was agonizingly slow.

It also required a lot of labor.

Upon hearing that it would tie up labor, Yan Xing immediately halted bow production.

"You just coordinate with the Blacksmith Shop to produce arrows. As for the bows, I’ll take care of them..."

So Yan Xing returned to the real world and posted online, asking: "If you were transported to ancient times, which modern bow would be suitable for classical warfare?"

The question clearly struck a chord, as netizens responded with immense enthusiasm.

Many people suggested Compound Bows. With the same poundage, a Compound Bow is easier to draw. It’s easy to get the hang of, and beginners can hit the target after a little practice.

Others said that Compound Bows were too complex and delicate, prone to damage. They recommended the American Hunting Bow instead, like the ones used by Hawkeye and Green Arrow. If superheroes use them, they must be good.

Still others suggested choosing an Olympic recurve bow, the kind used in Olympic archery competitions, asserting it must be powerful.

In short, everyone had their rationale, and soon the thread turned into a heated debate.

However, a post suggesting traditional recurve bows caught Yan Xing’s interest.

Modern bows manufactured with contemporary technology haven’t been tested in large-scale classical warfare; they were designed from the start not for battle, but for competition.

Thus, modern bows pursue precision in shooting, to give archers the pleasure of hitting the yellow bullseye.

Whereas, classical warfare demands archers to quickly send more arrows in a general direction.

Most combat applications still involved volley fire.

In terms of firing rate, traditional bows hold a significant advantage.

Additionally, the complex conditions on a battlefield allow archers using traditional recurve bows to shoot from many non-standard positions, such as ambidextrously or from horseback. These archery maneuvers are not easily performed with modern competition bows.

Finally, the simpler the structure, the less likely it is to break.

This post resonated strongly with Yan Xing.

Modern bows have too many bells and whistles. A small issue somewhere might not matter at an archery range, but on the battlefield, it could be fatal. As for the difficulty in controlling traditional bows... surely the Archers from my Archer Camp will know how to shoot? I don’t expect them all to be sharpshooters, and there’s no time for careful aiming during battle. Whoever can shoot more arrows in a set period has the advantage.

Therefore, Yan Xing decided that his Archers would use traditional recurve bows.

He placed an order with a merchant for one hundred sets of 70-pound bows.

Calculating the time, they would arrive before the Archer recruitment began.

As for the armor for the Archers, Yan Xing chose scale armor. It could defend against swords and arrows, and its structure could withstand more blunt force trauma than lamellar armor.

It was lighter than plate armor, allowing Archers to carry more arrows.

Additionally, there was a Short Sword for close combat.

Other accessories like shoulder straps, belts, backpacks, and some modern personal communication devices were also prepared.

Archers were a higher-order troop type than militiamen and the only ranged firepower unit in the Eternal Domain—they naturally needed to be carefully protected.