After the conclusion of the instant bow demonstration ended, the military leaders decided to try out the new weapon for themselves.
And found it to be very fun to use as the ability to quickly fire arrows was something very novel to them.
“Ahh, I just noticed something.” Melodias called out while using the bow, “These arrows can only be shot by the instant bow. So we won’t have to worry about the enemy shooting us back with our show arrows. Hahaha.” The man seemed pleased.
This was a very common practice, where when archers would become empty, they would pick up the arrows fired at them from the ground and use the free ammo.
And in some gruesome cases, they would even use arrows that hit them, yanking them out of the flesh, and then using the bloody head, sometimes with the torn-out flesh still hanging off the metal head, almost as a kind of sanguinary message.
“Oh really? I never noticed!” Menes had missed that part as he took another look at the arrow to find it so, making the general very. 𝚍ｎ𝚘ｖ𝚕.𝚝
“My lord, can we fire all types of arrowheads with this?” Grahtos on the other hand asked about the compatibility of the slot of the instant bow with different arrow types.
Now, it had to be pointed out that arrows were not just pointy bits of metal attached to a wooden shaft.
Well, they were that, but they were also something a bit more.
Similar to how bullets were not just metal bits shot out really really fast, but a bit more, like having different sizes such as the 9mm, 50cal, etc, having various types such as regular, armor penetrating, incendiary, hollow point, etc, there were also different types of arrows, mainly six.
These types were
Plate Cutter
Needle Bodkin
Barbed type 16
Leaf shape
Swallow Tail
Crescent
Each of these shapes had a particular, specialized use and archers would carry a mix of the top three into the battle, much like a tank crew would carry different kinds of rounds for engaging different kinds of enemies.
Archers would use pate head arrowheads which had a four-faced arrowhead to penetrate metal armor.
The specific design of the arrowhead was important because if one used a round arrow and then the armor would have to be deformed to the full arrowhead size to allow the arrow to pass, requiring a lot of energy.
Far less energy would be needed if four cuts were made on the arrow and then those panels got bent back to make a sort of four triangular flower petal shape, making enough room for the arrow to pass, resulting in greater penetration and a greater chance of death.
The next arrowhead, the needle bodkin was basically a needle-shaped head, made to poke through linen thorax and other leather armor.
The arrowhead got dented by the bronze or other solid metal armor but was really good at getting through fabric armor and also mail.
The type 16 was the typical arrowhead one imagines when asked.
It was a regular arrow not so effective against armor but very good against flesh, the barbed sides sinking into the meat and making getting them out a nightmare.
Those three were the main military arrowheads, while the next three were mainly used for hunting.
The leaf shape arrow was basically a leaf-shaped arrowhead that was good for hunting small and medium game like boar and could also double as a warhead.
The swallowtail was also a hunting arrow, designed like a swallow’s tail and very big, designed to hunt deer and elk.
But because of its size and weight, it was also very slow, with a man being able to dodge the arrow from 25 meters, making them not suitable as a warhead.
And lastly, the crescent head, named also because of its shape, looks like a crescent, designed to catch birds.
“The instant bow can accommodate all arrowheads except the swallowtail,” Alexander answered to much of Grahtos’s glee.
But there was another person not so gleeful and it was Hemicus, though for completely different reasons.
“Master, using this bow on the frontline by the scouts. How are we going to ensure that they don’t fall into the enemy’s hands?” He reasonably posed, which garnered the attention of all involved.
The protection of this sensitive technology was paramount.
“We don’t. At least I can’t think of any way to prevent at least losing some,” And Alexander gave a very underwhelming answer with a shrug of his shoulders.
Or more accurately a shocking answer as evidenced by the looks of his military commanders.
They had thought that Alexander would have thought of a clever way to prevent this theft, but this frank admittance of his inability caught them off guard.
And they were reminded that Alexander was human as well.
Alexander for his part did try to think of a way to protect this invention.
But in this era of cold weapons, where fighting was hand to hand, how exactly was he to stop an enemy from killing a few of the instant bow users, overrun the positions, and grab the loot?
It was not like in modern wars where the remaining soldiers would have the time to retreat with whatever sensitive equipment there was before the enemy came to their position.
And as the military thought about advising Alexander on possible strategies, they too could find no good way to use the weapon without letting it be copied.
“Forget it. Even if the enemy copies us, we will make ours out of iron, and it will be better. They will not be able to match our quality,” It was unknown if Alexander was just saying it, or if he really meant it.
And at least it had the intended effect so making the military commanders cheer up a bit, as Alexander then called, “Okay, let’s see some exercise.”
He wanted the soldiers to perform a demonstration of how all the new tech would come together in the battlefield.
First was the use of the lance.
Here the cavalrymen were made to ride in a straight line to a target which was called the Quintain.
This was about a 3-inch thick horizontal piece of wood attached to a vertical piece of wood forming the shape of a cross.
The horizontal piece could rotate freely about its axis, and one of its ends was painted white, while the other had a heavy sandbag attached to it.
The target of the horsemen was to accurately hit the painted white part and with such speed that he could gallop away before the swinging sandbag could hit him in the back.
This was not an easy challenge and many of the riders missed the 3-inch target a few times.
They used the technique of approaching the target while grasping their lances with the back point under their right armpit, letting the rest of the spear hang low to the left side next to the horse’s neck, and pitching up the spear to point at the target right before impact.
The riders seemed to have found this technique the more initiative, and Alexander did not poke his nose there.
Also, it was here that the stirrups made their showcase, as the riders were able to quickly brace for recoil using the stirrups and quickly regain their posture.
After the lance demonstration, there came the crossbow exercise and then the instant bow.
And they went off without any hitch, with results as expected.
The riders managed to move, shoot and reload from horseback with speed and accuracy as was expected of them, proving that such a procedure was possible.
The crossbows appeared easier to use but the instant bow had raw firepower.
Afterward, a quick mock battle was set up, where two groups of calvary were made to face off against one another, one equipped with the crossbow and lance, and the other with the instant bow.
And the results were particularly interesting for the military leaders.
They showed that when the cavalries were in the open fields, the instant bow users seemed to have the advantage as they were able to snipe the opposing calvary from longer distances and with more accuracy because they were able to fire a couple of shots very quickly to produce a kind of cloud of arrow fire.
Whereas in static formations, crossbows with their constant fire showcased their worth more, able to hold back the enemy lines for longer.
And lastly, the two cavalries skirmished with each other using spears.
Alexander had wanted to use the lances, but jousting seemed particularly dangerous to Alexander as he feared these good men might break bones from falling off the horse.
And in this contest, the stirrup again displayed its versatility.
The soldiers could be seen leaning to either their side to dodge the incoming spears and then using the stirrups as a level to regain their posture and thrust forwards while staying on the horse.
This meant that there was a lot less chance of soldiers falling off their horses, while at the same time, the could now use their legs almost as a counterweight when striking forward, letting them withstand the recoils much better.
This entire military exercise lasted till close to sundown, and finally concluded with Alexander thanking all the participant soldiers, while the military leaders all praised their lord for providing them with ‘weapons from the heavens.’
And he finally returned home after having supper in the military camp, his menu being pork stew, made from the five pigs used as target practice and served to all the soldiers as a celebration for the pasha’s visit.
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