The entire Deer Garden covers an area of more than 7,600 acres. As a royal garden, except for a few buildings, the rest of the Deer Garden is a piece of garden and mountain. Eunuch Liu is the general manager of the Deer Garden. Under Eunuch Liu, there is a group of soldiers from the Imperial Mabu Division stationed there. There are also various craftsmen, servants, maids, etc. in other gardens, totaling about 500 people.
There are many rare birds and animals in the deer park, the most common of which are sika deer and peacocks. These animals don't even need human care and can live leisurely in the deer park.
The archery range of Luyuan is located in a mountain forest covering an area of more than 4,000 acres. As the foreman of the archery range, Yan Liqiang's residence is right next to the mountain forest, in a small courtyard with a separate entrance. His daily job is to stroll in the mountain forest and walk around the archery range. As long as no outsiders come to the mountain forest to have a party or the forest catches fire, his job is basically not a big deal.
As a place with an archery range, arrows, war bows and other things used for training are indispensable. Not only are they not lacking, but they are also completely sufficient. In the warehouse of the archery range in Luyuan, there are more than dozens of fine bows of various colors, from one-stone war bows to ten-stone super war bows. All of those fine bows are horn python bows, and they are all made by famous bow makers. In terms of quality, they are much better than the horn python bow that Yan Liqiang is using now.
Here, someone will deliver food to you every day, someone will wash your dirty clothes, and you don't have to worry about anything. In addition, you will receive a high monthly salary as an officer of the Imperial Mabu Division.
There is time, venue, and conditions. If Yan Liqiang does not practice well in such an environment, he will probably not forgive himself.
So, on the first day at the Deer Garden, Little Leo took Yan Liqiang for a walk in the Deer Garden. After getting a general understanding of the situation in the Deer Garden, Yan Liqiang made an "extreme training plan" for himself.
The core of this "extreme training plan" is the Yi Jin Xi Sui Jing. The content of the whole plan is to overdraw one's body's capabilities to the limit every day, and then use the magical effect of the Yi Jin Xi Sui Jing to allow one's body to be cleansed and strengthened by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in this state. According to Yan Liqiang's previous experience, under such a training method, his strength growth is the fastest, it is simply explosive. The Yi Jin Xi Sui Jing seems to have a truly terrifying effect under this state. Every time it is strengthened, it really gives people a feeling of being reborn.
However, if you want to do your work well, you must first sharpen your tools. To carry out the "Extreme Training Plan", in addition to firm determination, you must also prepare some necessary tools.
Yan Liqiang had been thinking about this set of tools for squeezing out the body's potential on his way to the capital. On the night he arrived in Luyuan, Yan Liqiang found paper and pen in his room and drew what he wanted in a short while. The next morning, after finishing his morning lessons and eating the breakfast brought to his door by the servants in Luyuan, he changed into new clothes, wore the Eagle Captain badge on his waist, and went straight to the craftsman workshop in Luyuan with Huangmao.
In the royal garden like Deer Garden, which is regarded as the place where the emperor practices martial arts, various tools are usually damaged or something is needed, and someone has to repair it or make it directly, so there are many craftsmen and artisans in Deer Garden who are responsible for doing these jobs.
The craftsmen in Luyuan are all concentrated in a group of craftsman workshops in Luyuan. There are all kinds of craftsmen in the workshops, from carpenters to stonemasons, blacksmiths, painters, tailors, and leatherworkers.
"Ah, Captain Yan, why are you here so early in the morning? If you need any help, just send someone to tell me!"
Yan Liqiang had just walked into the workshop when the manager of the workshop came to greet him with a smile on his face.
The manager of the Luyuan Artisan Workshop is surnamed Wen. He is fat with small eyes, and his eyes are so narrowed that you can't see them when he smiles. Yesterday, when Little Lizi brought Yan Liqiang here, he got to know Yan Liqiang. He knew that Yan Liqiang was introduced by a eunuch in the palace and was deeply loved by Eunuch Liu. As soon as he joined the Imperial Mabu Division, he was given the official title of Yingyang Captain. When he came to Luyuan, he was even able to bring a dog with him. This manager Wen had long regarded Yan Liqiang as a rich and powerful young man with a deep background, and was only worried that he had no chance to curry favor with him. Even if there was no speculation about Yan Liqiang's background, Yan Liqiang's current identity as Yingyang Captain would make him dare not neglect him at all. After all, in this world, the gap between the status of an ordinary craftsman manager and that of a military officer is very large.
"Good morning, Manager Wen. I came here today just to find a few blacksmiths in the blacksmith's workshop to help me make something. Is that too much trouble?"
The morning sun shone on Yan Liqiang's face, making his smile even more brilliant and warm.
Manager Wen was flattered. "No problem, no problem. Captain Yan, if you need anything, just tell me. The craftsmen in the blacksmith's workshop are here right now. I'll take Captain Yan there right away!"
"Haha, thank you for your help!"
Under the guidance of Manager Wen, Yan Liqiang came to the blacksmith workshop while talking with Manager Wen.
The blacksmith workshop in Luyuan is half the size of the one in Yan Liqiang's hometown, with more than ten craftsmen in it. When the two arrived, the craftsmen in the blacksmith workshop were already working and making things. Usually, this blacksmith workshop serves Luyuan first, and if there is no work in Luyuan, then this blacksmith workshop will be responsible for making some weapons for the soldiers of the Imperial Mabu Division.
Seeing Manager Wen bringing Yan Liqiang to the blacksmith workshop, a master who was instructing other blacksmiths in the workshop immediately came over and asked respectfully, "Manager Wen, what can I do for you?"
"This is Captain Yan, the foreman of the archery range at Luyuan. Captain Yan wants you to help him make something..." Manager Wen said, and glanced at Yan Liqiang. Yan Liqiang didn't waste any time and took out the paper he had drawn from his arms and handed it to the master blacksmith. "Master, take a look, this is what I want. Can you make it here?"
His father was a blacksmith, and he himself was half a blacksmith, so Yan Liqiang was very polite to the blacksmiths here.
Seeing the piece of paper Yan Liqiang took out, the cultural manager next to him couldn't help but lean over to look at what was drawn on the paper.
Although the things Yan Liqiang drew on the paper were very clear, with instructions on size, dimensions and weight, and supplementary large pictures and text in some detailed places, the two people looking at the picture had no idea what the things in the picture were.
If you say that thing is a weapon, it seems too thick and heavy. Both of them have never seen such a weapon. Moreover, there is no sharp blade on that thing. It is thick and strong. Some of its details and settings make people think that it is a tool. But if you say it is a tool, the two people can't think of where this tool can be used.
The blacksmith frowned and stared at what Yan Liqiang had drawn for a long time before he raised his head. "This... Captain Yan, you can make this thing, and it's not difficult. But I don't know what this thing is and what it's used for. When we make it, we can also grasp the degree of heat..."
"Well, this thing is what I figured out for practicing martial arts and honing my strength!" Yan Liqiang pointed at the picture and explained patiently, "This thing is six feet long. The concave part here makes it easier for me to grasp and hold it in my hand, so it must be sturdy. There are grooves and protrusions on the top of the three sides of this iron pillar. It is a locking mechanism. With an iron pin, it can be fixed and locked, so you have to pay attention to the precision here..."
"This thing... can be put together?" The blacksmith understood it all at once.
"Well, that's right. As long as we keep making the same things, they can be combined together freely, and they can be thick or long..."
"How heavy does this thing need to be?"
“350 pounds!”
"Just five?"
"Let me try making five of them first. How long will it take?"
"Other work in the workshop can be stopped for now. Let's make what Captain Yan wants first..." Manager Wen at the side interjected as an instruction.
"Then I can have it ready before tomorrow evening!"
"Okay then. I'll trouble Manager Wen and the other masters. I'll come and get it tomorrow night!"
"Hahaha, why does Captain Yan need to make another trip? Once the blacksmith workshop here is ready, I'll have someone send it to you, Captain Yan!" Manager Wen said with a smile on his face.
…
After leaving the workshop, Yan Liqiang returned to his residence, carrying his horn python bow and a pot of arrows, and went to the archery range to "patrol"...
The next evening, Yan Liqiang came back from his "patrol" with Huangmao, sweating all over. He saw Manager Wen and several strong blacksmiths driving a horse-drawn carriage parked outside the gate of his residence, and they were carefully unloading the things from the carriage...
“Be careful, be careful, don’t let your hands slip, or else something will fall down…” Manager Wen stood beside the carriage, directing several shirtless blacksmiths to move the things Yan Liqiang needed out of the carriage.
The things Yan Liqiang needed were already on the carriage. There were five of them in total. Each one was dark and thick, and two meters long. From the outside, they looked like cannon barrels, but unlike cannon barrels, the things on the carriage were solid and easier to manufacture...
Each of those things weighed 350 kilograms, and two burly blacksmiths could barely take it off the carriage...
(End of this chapter)