Transmigrated Into A Novel As A Scumbag Princess’ Consort - Chapter 51

51:

[Gave beef jerky. Please choose a reward: one sniper crossbow or one intercepting crossbow.]

Staring at the large text before her, Yun Chi was stunned.

She was a complete novice when it came to military matters and knew nothing about these ancient weapons.

Moreover, her cheat system’s rewards always required her to make a choice before knowing what the item looked like.

Take the stun baton, for example—she thought it would be like a small flashlight, but it turned out to be half a meter long.

These two crossbows sounded like modern technology. What if they weren’t portable?

But the time to choose a reward was limited. A moment’s hesitation triggered a countdown.

In a rush, Yun Chi grabbed Ye Xuejin’s hand and ran toward the Zhou family.

Though Ye Xuejin didn’t know what was happening, seeing Yun Chi’s urgency, she asked no questions.

The group fell silent, watching the two hurrying figures.

Rushing up to Zhou Qishan, Yun Chi cut straight to the point before he could speak: “Her Highness asked me to test you with a question. In a battle, is a long-range crossbow more useful, or a short-range one?”

She didn’t know the specifics of the two crossbows, but from their names, she could guess one was for long-range and the other for short-range.

Since she didn’t understand their differences, she’d choose the one more useful on an ancient battlefield.

That’s why she asked.

Zhou Qishan was taken aback, looking confused.

“Answer quickly!” Seeing the ten-second countdown begin, Yun Chi’s tone grew stern.

Old Censor Zhou was anxious too. This was a test from Her Highness, answering well might earn a divine tool from the immortal.

“You wretched boy, speak!” Old Censor Zhou, frustrated, thumped Zhou Qishan’s back.

Zhou Qishan finally reacted, answering while thinking: “Dashao Kingdom has many types of crossbows. The best long-range ones have a range of about half a li…”

“Consort, long-range.” Suddenly, Ye Xuejin spoke up.

She had noticed Yun Chi frowning, as if not hearing the desired answer.

She also saw the urgency in Yun Chi’s eyes, realizing the item exchange likely had a time limit, so she spoke decisively.

Zhou Qishan immediately shut his mouth, looking sheepish. He realized he’d gone off-topic in his attempt to answer thoroughly.

Hearing Ye Xuejin, Yun Chi chose the sniper crossbow just as the countdown reached two.

Old Censor Zhou tugged his beard hard, vaguely sensing something off. It seemed the one truly testing his son wasn’t the Princess, but the Consort.

Why had the Princess interrupted his son?

Still, since it was the Consort’s test, answering slowly shouldn’t affect getting a divine tool, right?

Though he thought of this, he couldn’t shake a sense of unease.

After making her choice, Yun Chi’s expression relaxed sharply: “It’s fine now.”

With that, she pulled Ye Xuejin back to their spot.

Zhou Qishan: “…” Somehow, he felt he’d missed a massive opportunity.

Ignoring the others’ thoughts, Yun Chi pulled Ye Xuejin aside and asked, “Do you know about crossbows?”

“A little,” Ye Xuejin replied, her lips curving slightly as she saw Yun Chi relax.

“Can you use them?”

“My archery skills are decent.”

Hearing this, Yun Chi leaned close to Ye Xuejin’s ear and whispered a few words.

She had sensed what the sniper crossbow in her storage space looked like—about half a meter long, with a complex structure. She wasn’t sure of its power.

Since Ye Xuejin knew crossbows and could use them, Yun Chi didn’t need to worry about miscommunicating with Zhou Qishan.

They could test it first.

Ye Xuejin nodded willingly and walked toward Yu Lu.

“I and the Consort need to go ahead. Have everyone eat and rest well, then depart in a quarter of an hour.”

“Your Highness, should Shiniang come along?” Yu Lu, concerned for their safety, suggested.

Ye Xuejin’s eyes flickered with consideration: “Have Shiniang bring Mei, Lan, Zhu, Ju, and Shi Song, five in total. Call Miss Zhou too. They’ll go with us.”

“Understood.” Yu Lu agreed. More people, especially with Shi Niang and Shi Song, eased his worries.

Seeing the young women called away, the group grew uneasy. Was the Princess abandoning them?

Unknowingly, they had come to see Ye Xuejin as their backbone, wholeheartedly following her.

Yun Chi, noticing Ye Xuejin calling so many people, was puzzled.

Before she could ask, Ye Xuejin confirmed something: “It’s a crossbow, not a bow, right?”

Yun Chi nodded, adding, “It should have a very long range.”

Seeing the sniper crossbow’s modern design, she knew it was far superior to the “strong crossbow” Zhou Qishan mentioned.

Ye Xuejin’s eyes lit up. The Consort’s weapons were no ordinary items.

Pleased, she explained, “Crossbows differ from bows. Bows demand great skill and arm strength from the archer, while crossbows are finely crafted and less strenuous, usable even by women.”

But both required decisiveness.

On the battlefield, opportunities were fleeting, and hesitation was a fatal flaw.

Archery experience could be learned and practiced.

But Zhou Qishan, no matter how skilled, was out of consideration.

Perhaps because he was too accustomed to being a civil official, or because he was too like his father, Zhou Qishan lacked decisiveness, was verbose, and failed to address the point even after several sentences.

Overcautious, he wasn’t suited to be a crossbowman.

Hearing this, Yun Chi understood. Ye Xuejin wasn’t giving the crossbow to Zhou Qishan but would choose from the women behind her.

Half a quarter later, they turned a corner and stopped.

To save time, Ye Xuejin ordered everyone to turn around.

Yun Chi took out the sniper crossbow, handed it to Ye Xuejin, and wished for more weapons, preferably concealable ones.

After realizing her cheat system’s weapons far surpassed this era’s standards, she wanted to equip the girls behind her.

[Sent one sniper crossbow. Please choose a reward: four sleeve crossbows or four sleeve arrows.]

Overjoyed, Yun Chi chose the sleeve crossbows and joined Ye Xuejin in examining the sniper crossbow.

Ye Xuejin, trained in archery and skilled, quickly figured out how to use it.

She also discovered the crossbow could be disassembled and reassembled, making it highly portable.

Most astonishing was the long tube attached, with lenses at both ends. Looking through it, she could see incredibly far, beyond mortal means.

Yun Chi explained, “This is called a sniper crossbow. That’s a telescope.”

Ye Xuejin noted it, asking, “Consort, how many bolts does it have?” Even the bolts seemed extraordinary, sharper and more refined than fine steel.

Yun Chi sensed it: “Only twenty.”

Ye Xuejin mentally calculated, testing a close-range shot first.

A bolt struck a tree fifty meters away, embedding deeply.

Her eyes grew brighter. She tested a long-range shot, seeing through the telescope as the bolt hit a banyan tree. She couldn’t help but smile.

“Come here.”

Shiniang and the others, who had only heard the conversation, were itching with curiosity. At Ye Xuejin’s call, they eagerly turned and gathered.

Ye Xuejin explained how to use the sniper crossbow, then make them use it, starting with Shiniang, each try two shots.

The first to gauge accuracy and feel, shooting at close range.

For the second, they tore a strip from their clothing, tied it to the bolt’s end, and, using the telescope, aimed for the banyan tree Ye Xuejin had shot.

The group, amazed, looked at the sniper crossbow, eager to try.

It must be another divine tool from the immortal. If they perform well, they might get to use it.

Some were nervous, some determined, others resolute.

As they shot, Ye Xuejin observed closely, evaluating by her standards.

Focus, judgment, and decisiveness.

Accuracy and eyesight would soon be clear.

After everyone tried, there was no sign of the others catching up.

Ye Xuejin didn’t wait. She retrieved her first bolt, had Shiniang, the strongest, carry the crossbow, and led everyone forward quickly, calculating the distance.

After about a li (500 meters), they reached the banyan tree, with a row of bolts embedded.

Without Ye Xuejin’s order, Shiniang retrieved and identified the bolts.

“Your Highness, Shi Zhu has the best accuracy, followed by me, Song, Ju, Mei. Lan and Miss Zhou’s bolts missed.”

Shi Lan and Zhou Qiyue lowered their heads awkwardly. One, a scholar’s daughter, loved only books; the other, a sheltered noblewoman, had never touched a weapon.

Ye Xuejin wasn’t surprised, having observed during the shooting.

Among them, Shi Zhu had the highest focus, adapted fastest, shot decisively, and took the least time.

By her judgment, if eyesight and accuracy were sound, the crossbowman would be either Zhu or Shiniang.

“Zhu, come here.” Ye Xuejin took the sniper crossbow from Shiniang, handed it to Shi Zhu, and said, “Try three more shots, each farther than the last. See how far you can go, but don’t neglect accuracy. Aim for the tree’s center each time, like this.”

“Understood.” Zhu suppressed her excitement and shot carefully.

Afterward, Ye Xuejin had Shiniang retrieve the bolts and give them to Yun Chi, continuing onward.

About a li, the first bolt appeared. Half a li more, the second, slightly off-center. Another half li, the third was in the ground near the tree’s roots.

Ye Xuejin had a rough estimate: within one and a half li.

Yun Chi was stunned, calculating the distance. The effective range was over 800 meters!

Zhou Qishan had said that Dashao Kingdom’s best crossbow reached half a li, about 200 meters.

The sniper crossbow’s range was roughly four times that.

This meant enemies would be in danger before they were even visible.

Taking a life from 800 meters, if used specifically against enemy commanders…

Hiss! Terrifying!

This was practically a godlike sniper!